- Lesson 1 in the Connect360 unit “A Cry for Freedom: Grace That Is Still Amazing” focuses on Galatians 1:1-10.
Paul had a brilliant mind and instantly could see where ideas would lead to in the end. Such people often are misunderstood or criticized. While there are times to find areas of compromise, Paul did not compromise the gospel. When dealing with the eternal destiny of a soul or sustaining the truth of the gospel to be proclaimed in the name of Christ, there can be no redefining of who Jesus is, or what Jesus did and taught in regard to God and eternal life. This was Paul’s point in Galatians 1:6–10.
In verses 6–7, Paul told the Galatians he was dumbfounded that they, who had experienced the life-changing power of Jesus and his grace, would so quickly be snookered into turning away from freedom in Christ, to reenter a life of slavery to self-effort and legalism. He told them he had heard of the troublemakers (Judaizers) who were perverting the gospel by trying to add to it the following of Judaism’s religious laws. But human legalism negates grace.
The Judaizers infiltrating the Galatian churches were undermining the freedom provided by the gospel of God. They taught that to really become complete Christians, people also must become Jews via circumcision, and then daily follow the laws of Judaism. This meant God’s grace was not enough. Paul saw the end result would make Christianity a subsidiary of Judaism. Jesus and the Spirit would be replaced by Jewish traditions and legalism. All would be lost. Christians would lose the one and only good news, replacing it with bad news and bad rules.
No person can please God by being good enough to follow all the rules. The law was given to show it is hopeless to be able to keep them all (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11). The way to reconciliation with God is through Jesus who fulfilled and completed all that the law demanded, and Christ resurrected in order to show that sin and death cannot beat God.
In Jesus, and with Jesus in you, you are free. Free from sin, free from the devil, free from lies, free to know God, free to love God, and free to live for God. Stay free! Do not go back into trying to please God though bondage to your own efforts, rules or legalism. That implies what God did for us was not good enough. It is to turn your back on God.
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