For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5)
Grace is liberating; it frees us from slavery to sin and to ourselves. But sometimes we find slavery more comfortable than freedom; it's what we're used to. As we saw yesterday, Paul was concerned that at this church in Galatia many were falling for another gospel, another way for us to be changed and to change the world apart from the Grace of God in Christ. Some from that church were falling back into rituals, like circumcision, which in this case meant falling back into the idea that I need something more than or instead of the Grace of God in Christ to be right with God and to become Who He wants me to be. Once we do that, we "break faith", we violate the trust and commitment we have made with God and His people, which affects our relationship with Him and one another. We begin to think we are better than others, and that Christ is not enough - to change us or them. This leads to pride, division, and bondage. We put ourselves back in the cage, rejecting God's love and grace. Let us not give up our freedom. "Stand firm," Paul exhorts us. Don't take your freedom lightly. Christ paid the ultimate price for it. Stay in Grace.
No comments:
Post a Comment