Galatians and Freedom

We're in week three this Sunday of a series of messages on the book of Galatians that we are calling "Freedom." Last Sunday I talked about how the churches of Galatia were slipping away from the truth that salvation is by faith, not by what we do. There were those in the church who taught these new believers that faith was important, but their salvation was also dependent on obeying the law of Moses, especially circumcision and the dietary laws. This emphasis on works led these believers astray, and Paul wrote the letter of Galatians to correct this erroneous teaching.

We read the words of the first chapter of Galatians, and maybe we wonder about how these Galatians could have been tripped up like this. Paul started their churches, teaching them about salvation and how it comes from God, not from something we do to earn it. We wonder how they can be so quick to forget what they had been taught and instead submit themselves to the bondage of the law of Moses, not relishing the freedom that we find in Jesus.

I think it's important to remember that we are much like the Galatians sometimes. We too will impose certain elements of "law" on those who profess Christ - and if everyone doesn't look like, talk like, dress like, and act like we do, then we question their relationship with Christ. Like the Galatians, we have to remember that salvation is a free gift that no one can earn, but that anyone can accept wherever they are. You don't have to "get your life cleaned up" before you come to Christ - Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4) teaches us that. You don't have to have a complete and full grasp of every theological doctrine in the Bible to come to Christ - Peter's sermon in Acts 2 teaches us that. You simply have to understand that your relationship with God is broken because of what you have done - the Bible calls that sin. You have to understand that the relationship is broken and there is no way for you to fix it on your own. It is only by accepting God's solution to the problem - Jesus Christ - that the relationship can be established and you will find life as it was meant to be, real and abundant life. That life, that salvation, comes by accepting what God has done for you in faith, not by what you do or what rules you obey. Salvation is a gift of God, not something that we earn or deserve.

May we, like the churches in Galatia, hear this word of truth that Paul is communicating. May we take it to heart, and may we never forget that every life matters to God. No one is too far gone; no one is beyond the reach of God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness. God loves all and extends his offer of love to all - but we have to choose to accept Him. We have to choose to believe and accept what He offers. Will our lives change? Absolutely. Will our actions and lifestyle be different? Absolutely. But that is a response to the grace that we receive through Jesus, not to earn our salvation. Our obedience is a response to the gift of life that we have received.