Someone wants to steal your affection

Galatians 1:6-7

Have you been to a party with your very best friend and someone comes into your circle and steals their affection, that’s similar to what is  happening in verses 6-7.  Paul is writing to the Church in Galatia, a district in Asia Minor, about 55-60 years after the resurrection of Christ.  And this is the subject matter; “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”  You might be wondering, whom are the ones preaching a different gospel and why would anyone exchange the doctrine of justification by faith to go back under the laws of Judaism? 

Many have stated that this letter to the Church at Galatia is the Magna Charta of the Church.  “The main argument is in favor of Christian liberty in opposition to the teachings of the Judaizers.  These false teachers insisted that the observance of the ceremonial law was an essential part of the plan of salvation.” (Thomas Chain-Reference Bible page1538)  It was a Jesus plus gospel, just a little added to make you in right standing with God, a small act on your part was needed, something more than being saved by grace through faith.

I am so glad we who proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, no longer add anything to Salvation, that we are totally justified by grace through faith.  But the sad news is, we still do, and as long as the Church has been, there have been false teachers who have added rules and ceremonial items as an essential part of salvation.  It is easy to look at the rules that false teachers have added to salvation; rules like baptism, or confession to a priest, or observation of some special time of the year like Lent, Christmas or Easter, the time you spend at church, or amount of tithe or service you give to others; not one of these has anything to do with placing your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, to take away your sin, bringing you into right standing with God, our Father.  The Scriptures have stated it so clearly in Ephesians 2:8,9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  If I understand the part of (And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God) it means it is God who gave you the faith, and you, by that faith that was given, acted on it.  Now that is freedom!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice