Paul's Letters To The ChurchSample

  

Paul writes to the church of Galatia early in his ministry to correct false theology.  After he left Galatia, the local church fell prey to the belief that following the law of Moses  would grant them salvation. He writes to them to correct their thinking and to remind them that their freedom comes not from following the law but through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If we also base our salvation on anything other than faith, we believe that Christ died in vain because the sacrifice of His perfect life wasn’t sufficient for our salvation. If we were to trust in our own actions for salvation, we would still have a broken relationship with God because the purpose of the law is to reveal our own sinfulness and need for a savior. We follow the commands of the Bible BECAUSE of our freedom from sin not to EARN our freedom from sin. 

The joy of the Gospel is that we who were unable to keep God’s commands have still been given access to God because Christ has given us right standing with God through his fulfilling the law in its entirety. This means we are free from no burden other than the burden to love one another and to show love to our neighbors. Paul concludes telling the Galatians and us that in doing those things we will fulfill the law of Christ. So, walk in the knowledge that you are free from the burden of trying to measure up and instead you have the freedom and license to show grace and love to your fellow believers and those who still need to hear about Jesus.

Reflection Question:

What are some things that we do in our church culture that try to earn God’s love or favor?

Why is trusting Christ for our salvation better than trying to earn our salvation?

What does your response to Galatians need to be? Do you need to trust in Christ instead of yourself? Do you need to freely show love towards others because of your freedom in Christ? What is your next step?