Are you being deceived by false prophets? Apparently Paul heard that the church of Galatia was and decided he would not stand for it. His introduction to the church of Galatia is very blunt and strongly worded. Astonished is the word in my translation – Paul is simply blown away that he would share the Truth of God’s redemptive grace through Jesus’ death on the cross, but there were still religious figures that would not let go of the Old Testament traditions and rigid structure of their known gospel. Simply put, we may accept God’s grace and forgiveness through Jesus, it is not a Jesus+ subscription plan to fill our brains and hearts with ceremonial sacrifices. Ceremonial practices, circumcision, or rigid obedience to the law could complete what Christ had already finished.
Does this mean we simply stop doing good deeds? Absolutely not. You see, when we stop working for the approval of man and shift our focus to God we begin to choose good works to honor Him. Do your actions lean towards pleasing God or showing off to fellow sinful mankind? I’m grateful to be no longer attempting to please man, what a heavy burden to carry! When we can freely accept what God has given us through grace, we are allowed to be filled with the peace of not having to work for it. Imagine, the puny efforts of man being enough to buy your salvation, it’s laughable! Christ died to rescue us from a system that required sacrifice and rituals. Anyone calling us to return to that system is a false prophet and, Paul states, is doomed.
Paul’s message was not given by other apostles or teachers, but by the risen Christ Himself. I see how Paul was so swift to remove himself from the teachings that once defined his life, in favor of the Truth that Jesus revealed to him. If Paul had received what he deserved on the road to Damascus, he would have immediately been cast into the depths of hell. But in God’s perfect grace, He called Paul out of his destructive beliefs transforming a persecutor into a proclaimer and giving him new purpose.
So I’m left asking myself: Does my life reflect that kind of transformation? When others encounter me, do they see evidence of the grace God has poured out? And what about you—does your life point to the freedom, peace, and power of the grace of God?