Dancing in Freedom of Grace by Pete BriscoeSample

It’s That Serious

The main thing between you and God is not so much your sins; it’s your damnable good works. —John H. Gerstner

The tone of Paul’s letter to the Galatians gives me shivers. I mean, it really sends a chill down my spine. And the irony of the situation makes it all the more powerful: The Galatians were really trying to go the extra mile, trying to work their hardest, trying to keep all the rules and regulations… And Paul rips them up and down for it? Is that fair?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:6-8)

It seems harsh, but it’s not. By adding marching to dancing and legalism to grace, the Galatians were actually “deserting the one who called [them] to live in the grace of Christ.”

Desertion. Going AWOL. Perversion. Abandoning their post. Yeah, it was that serious. Grace is that important. Adding anything to the Gospel of grace is as destructive as adding used motor oil to your coffee. It’s really “no Gospel at all.”

Oh Lord, open my eyes. Give me the wisdom to see the seriousness of compromising Your amazing grace. Show me that legalism is not devotion to God, it is deserting God. Please Lord, point out one area where I am marching away from You rather than dancing with You. Amen.