As we continue our journey through Galatians we get to chapter 5 where Paul addresses head on one of the big issues the Galatians are facing.  As these Gentile believers are coming to faith they have been experiencing pressure from Jewish believers to follow Jewish laws and customs as well.  One of the big issues is circumcision.  Jews are saying that to become a follower of Jesus, Gentiles must be circumcised.  Let’s look at Paul’s words on the subject together today.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Paul feel very strongly about this issue in fact if you read a little further in chapter 5 you will see just how strongly he feel about this.  There are a few keys in this scripture that are significant for us today.  First it is of crucial importance that we are trusting in Christ’s work in our lives and not in anything that we can do.  Once we go down the path of doing things to earn God’s favor we slide back into something completely different than salvation by grace through faith.  The second thing is Paul’s last sentence in this passage.  We must have faith that expresses itself through love.  Jesus, Himself, summed up what laws he wanted us to follow by saying to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  I pray that as followers of Jesus we might be known by our great faith expressed through love. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave