Paul asks, do you want to go back to your elementary days? The word stoichea means “basic principles” like learning the ABC’s. 

 

When I think of my elementary school days, I have good and not so good memories. I won a silver dollar for being the best male reader in the first grade. We didn’t have that many males so it is really not that big of a deal.   But, the first grade was also the time I about died with the croup, and I got my first paddling at school.  It was the year that I got run over by 8^th graders playing basketball and knocked unconscious.

 

The 2^nd grade was the first time I remember someone telling me “move your hand so I can copy off your paper.” Kennneth drop out of school at age 16. 

 

The 3^rd grade was when reading started making my world come alive. The 4^th grade was the time I remember complaining to the teacher that the Durham girls had enough time to learn the multiplication tables and the rest of the class needed to move on – there was no advanced learning section of the class, I just got bored. Now when I look back, I realize the difference was parental involvement.

 

The 5^th and 6^th grade were my most favorite years of school. I had a kindly grandmotherly like teacher, whom was also Methodist, that believed in me. It was also about the time I fell off our 2 story slicky slide while playing King of the Mountain and landed on my back. I couldn’t breath for what seemed like an eternity. 

 

7^th grade brought me stitches in my leg from playing football and busting my leg wide open while wrestling on the swings. It was also the first time I remember standing up for someone because they were different. James Blankenship just moved into town and was being picked on mercilessly. I can still hear him being called “4 eyes.” It was me and James against everyone else in the class.

 

But to go back, no thank you. I have put in my time writing the letters of the alphabet and listening to the multiplication tables on a 45 rpm record – 1 x 1 is 1; 2 x1 is 2, etc about all I care too. Actually, I believe most of us are glad we learned those basics, but are not too excited to go back again. 

 

That’s Paul’s point – who would want to go back? Yet, the Galatians were doing just that.    

 

Paul is making a strong point to us here in the book of Galatians, if we turn our backs on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is like we are going back to our childhood. He asks the question – why would you want to do that? 

 

Paul then makes two points. Point #1 is as a child or minor eventhough you are heir to the inheritance, you have no more rights than a slave so in verse 3 Paul says, as “minors, were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world.”

 

But when the “fullness of time” came, which is Jesus’ coming into the world and dying on the cross for our sins. It changed everything.   In Isaiah 49:8 it says, “in a time of favor (fullness of time), I have answered you, on a day of salvation, I have helped you.” 

 

The law traps you to where you are trying to “act good” while grace brings us to where our “being is good.”

 

In Paul’s time, the Jews, the Greeks and even the Romans had a definite time you entered into adulthood. We might think of the Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah for Jews today as the father says thank you that I am no longer responsible for their behavior and as the one coming to age says I am now responsible to the law for my behavior. So did the Greeks, though it was about 18, and the Romans the father decided the proper time, in the age range of 14 to 17 depending on the maturity of the child. At that age you were now responsible for your actions. You would no longer be subject to your caretakers, your guardians, and your parents. You would be free to act upon your on. 

 

Think of this: You have said yes to Jesus. You came up to the altar and had a public recognizing of your new found life. You were saved by the grace of God. This is a time a definite time you remember. There was a public celebration and you joined the church so it is a memory of he church community as well. You have left the elementary thinking of salvation by works or that by being good – I think I am saved. You have obtained an advanced degree in grace knowing no one is saved outside of grace. You are now a son or daughter of God. God took you in and adopted you. You had no name and God has given you a name with an inheritance. Why would you after finding the liberty to be set free from the power of sin and its addictions would you want to go back and try to do the right things to get you to heaven?

 

Doing the right things doesn’t change the heart. On this particular passage John Wesley said, he “wanted to set the heart free for personal and social renewal.”  The focus on the heart is central to our thinking of “sin, faith, and grace.”[1] Grace is about a heart change. 

 

Paul appealed to both the Jews and the Greeks. The Greeks had festivals to gods, looked to the stars to their future, including astrology. They felt trapped meaning they could not change their future if they had the wrong stars. You see I am a Taurus – bull headed and stubborn. Even my name is James, which means supplanter. I could easily today feel trapped by my signs. We can feel trapped by how we were raised, our culture, and even our government.   We might say I am who I am. I can’t change things. Be sure you get this message, yes, we might be trapped.

 

Paul says in vs. 8, “formerly you did not know God.” Formerly, the Galatians were homeless. Not only were they in the elementary school learning the basics, they did not have a home. The homeless are people that are trapped. They don’t have the resources to get out of their situation. They are dependent on someone else or something else – it might be a kindly person giving food away downtown or it might be a local restaurant that throws away their leftover bagels. If you are not living in grace, you are trapped. Your circumstances have trapped you. You can’t get out. In essence, the homeless person is enslaved. 

 

Paul says in verse 7, “you are no longer a slave, but a child, and if a child, then also an heir through God.” But we say that even a child is enslaved so Paul says in verse 12, “I beg you, become as I am.” Paul is not living enslaved as a child and he is not enslaved as a homeless person not while there is grace and a redeemer. Paul is saying live as I live. I have rights as a son with my inheritance in God because of the salvation given in Jesus Christ. I have been set free.     

 

What does it mean to be freed by the grace of God?

Romans 8:2, “Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

 

Before Christ came and demonstrated unto us grace, we were the same as a child. We had no rights. We were the same as a slave, but once we have been redeemed both Jew and Greek, we have rights. We have an inheritance. We are no longer slaves with no rights but heirs with full family rights.

 

Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus ahs set you free from the law of sin and death.”

 

How do you know this? That you are a son – that your confession of Jesus as Savior was real and not done just because we were the right age or our family always expects a decision around age 12. How do you know your confession of placing yourself fully in the redemption given by Christ. 

 

Gal. 4:6 says, “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”    Abba Father – this is an interesting term for it is basically saying Father in Aramaic and then Father in Greek. We often talk about the word Abba meaning an intimate term like “daddy.” What I believe this passage is saying is that God’s Spirit will touch us in a certain way so that when we cry out to our God we call him daddy. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

 

Romans 8:15-16 says this same thing, “for you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption (as non-Jews we have been adopted by God). When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. 

 

 

Yes God gives us the Spirit. 

Ephesians 2:13-14, “in him you also when you had hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.”

 

How do you know you are saved? How do we know that this isn’t all head knowledge? God speaks to the heart. God’s Spirit will tell us that we are saved. We should be able to sing the song – “if you are saved and you know it, clap your hands.” There should be no doubt. 

 

 

When we are saved and know we are saved, we should not live in fear. We do not have to worry have I done all the right things. 

Hebrews 10:14 says, “for by a single offering (Christ’s death on the cross), he has perfected for all time, those who are sanctified (meaning those living a grace filled and holy life for Jesus). Through Christ, we have been perfected. 

Romans 8:34, Who is to condemn us? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God indeed interceding for us.” Christ is the only one who can condemn us yet he chooses to pray “father forgive them they know they sin.

 

 

Paul ends the chapter by giving us an allegory. Abraham had two sons. One son, Ishmael was conceived when Abraham and Sarah became impatient with God, did not rely on God’s guidance, and took things into their own hands. Paul says this was a child of the flesh. This was a child that demonstrates works. God promised. God will do. God have Abraham and Sarah a child directly not through the slave woman Hagar. This was the child of promise. It was completely by God. Sarah could not conceive. They both were too old for children. This is what it means to live as freed people. 

 

We don’t depend on ourselves. We depend on God. The promise of the savior, Jesus’ Sprit given to us, and an inheritance undefiled waiting in heaven for us – these are the things for those who have been freed. Freed from sin. Freed from death to live a life for God. 

 

Let’s ask ourselves some questions:

1)       Where have I in my life depended on myself and did not depend on God? We all have to work to put food on the table, but God can bless and make bread come from no where. The difference is are we depending on God or ourselves?

2)      Have we slipped to where we judge people by how good they are? And not consider, the grace of God who makes all good before God. 

3)      Are we living in fear instead of living in the promise? Have we doubts about our own salvation? 

4)      Do I feel God’s presence in my life? Why or why not?

5)      Do we feel a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and understand those words: “Abba! Father!”

 

If we are sons and daughters, we are going to feel like sons and daughters. We are the family of God. Now sons and daughters, do you know someone who is homeless – by that I mean they do not have a mansion in heaven reserved for them as John 14 talks about. God loves a big family. God would love to adopt more sons and daughters. While we celebrate on each Sunday, we are having a big celebration on Feb. 26^th. The Father has instructed us to go far and wide to invite those to the banquet. God would love to adopt some new family members. Let us go to the crossways and byways of life. Bring them in. Bring them to Jesus. Amen. 

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This week we stayed at Laura’s house to watch the grandboys while Laura was in the hospital. We also got to take care of the three dogs.  I was the one that generally let the dogs out and let the dogs in. I threw a ball with them and wrestled with a rag in their mouth. I talked to them and petted them. After awhile, the dogs and I bonded. When I sat down in the chair, “Buddy,” one of the dogs, would come and lay his head on my head and rub it. Dianna said he was trying to feel my fur. “Cole” thought if I had a free hand, I should be petting him. When I got up, the dogs followed me. When I sat down, the dogs would sit down. The next morning I told the boys that I thought someone was following me. I was trying to get some steps in on my pedometer and the dogs followed me. Wherever I was, the dogs were pretty close by. I couldn’t get rid of the dogs. 

 

As we go to our scriptures today, Paul is kind of like that. You might have thought his talks on grace were over, but no Paul is not going to let go. He is still in our face with grace. He begins in chapter 3 by saying they are acting like “fools” meaning unbelievers. They are bewitched. Now that will get your congregations attention. Bewitched to us an old TV series so I want to back to the original meaning. What Paul was saying, is it possible that the “evil eye” has put a curse on you? Just think about this – Paul is saying if you can leave the message of grace it must be because you are under some evil spell. Martin Luther in his commentary on Galatians mentioned that the devil is playing tricks with you. Paul is using this open so that he can lay out the evidence of grace. So let’s look at Paul’s evidence as Paul lays out his trump cards. 

 

1.       Paul builds a case on the father of the Jews – Abraham. Paul is stating it is not like grace is a new thing. Grace has always been God’s plan. He makes his point by going back to Abraham, which is 430 years before the law.   In both Genesis 12 and Genesis 17, God states all that he is going to do for Abraham with the statement “I will.” Grace will always take us back to what God has done. Abraham simply believed God was good on his promise and acted upon that belief. Genesis 15:6 says, “he believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Paul restates this in Romans 4:3 – “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

a.       Believing God has done all that needs to be done for our salvation is the beginning of our salvation. Interesting the rabbis of Paul’s time would consider this belief as a work and was the chief work of all the merit you earned to put in your treasure box of merits to give unto God.

b.      John Wesley said we have “freed will” meaning if it were not from God we could never turn to God on our own meaning faith cannot be a work we do. Faith is about what God does. Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the “perfecter” of our faith. Ephesians 2:8 says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”   God’s grace and our ability to have faith are a gift from God. I said all of this to say, Paul would not agree with the Rabbis of his day that said believing is the first work leading to salvation. 

c.       Paul would disagree on another point with the rabbis of his day. They believed that the primary purpose of the law was to teach us how to act or Halakah. Paul thought the primary purpose of the law was to teach who we were (sinners) and who God is (righteousness) or Haggadah. The difference is huge. The rabbis put their focus on themselves. Paul focused on God and God’s righteousness. The book of Romans is a book that focuses on God’s righteousness. 

d.      Earl Johnson states what I believe is Paul’s point. Paul wants us to know as Christians, that grace was God’s plan all along. It is not the new thing on the block because even before there was a law – God was giving grace. Abraham believed not in what he did but in God’s promise and what God was doing. 

e.      In Galatians 3:8, Paul says “God….declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham.”   Did you get that? Abraham knew it was about grace.    How can this be? In Genesis 14, we find one named King Melchizedek. He had not beginning nor end. Hebrews 7:3 picks up on this and says he “resembled the Son of God.” Many have wondered was this Christ? It appears that it might have been God in the flesh appearing unto Abraham. What do you think God would tell Abraham – works or flesh? Paul says God knowing that the Gentiles would come to God through faith preached the gospel to Abraham. Paul says Abraham was taught by God about gospel good news of salvation through the the grace of God and not obedience to the law.

 

Perhaps it is hard for you to follow Paul’s logic. You are not alone. Peter said Paul’s teachings are difficult to understand and some people misuse them. Just remember this – Paul is saying – Grace has always been God’s way and salvation by faith precedes obedience to the law. 

 

Subpoint a – Paul builds a case on Scriptures. Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26 that states, cursed is anyone who does not uphold the works of the law. He then counters that scripture with one from Habakkuk 2:4 that states “the righteous live by their faith.” Which one is it? Curse or grace? Paul’s answer is that Jesus gives us redemption, which means the exchange of an object or person for a payment. Paul says Christ took on the curse of the law. How? By fulfilling another scripture that says, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Jesus paid our price of sin and took on our punishment since it is impossible for us to truly live under the law. The punishment of sin is death. He took on our curse for our lack of obedience as the cross was seen as another way to say tree. Jesus fulfilled the promise of the blessings to the Gentiles made to Abraham. 

Subpoint b – As Paul continues to build on scriptures, he uses a Rabbinic teaching method where you would take a piece of scripture (because scripture is true) and build a case on it. Paul chooses the phrase that Abraham’s seed would be blessed. It didn’t say seeds. It said seed. Paul says the reason for the singular version is that redemption comes through one person and that is Jesus. Paul teaches us that one person act in the book of Romans. Redemption doesn’t come by belonging to a group of people such as the Jews or the Gentiles. Redemption comes through the one person Jesus. 

-          Paul continues in his explanation with a sermon illustration – he says we leave wills so that our inheritance is properly passed on to our family. When a will is written someone else doesn’t have the ability or right to change it. Likewise, God has given us a promise of eternal inheritance. No one can change it.  The law can not change the promises God has already made as Paul states the law came 430 years after the fact.

Paul then moves to a question we begin to ask. If grace came first, and if Jesus fulfills the scripture, what was the purpose of the law as Paul asks in verse 19?

 

Paul states with the promise made to Abraham, the law could never be the end. Paul gives us a few things to ponder:

a.        The Law came about because of Sin or transgressions (vs. 19). It was never the laws intent to rid of us sin. In fact, that is an impossibility. The law came because our sin was so great. The law’s purpose was to move us closer to God until the chosen one, the single seed, the offspring or Jesus came to redeem us. The law was an in between. It was a journey that we needed to go through, but it was not the final destination.

b.      Consider how the law came to us Paul continues. It was not direct from God. Here Paul digs into some of the Rabbinic teachings.   He says the Law came from God was passed on to angels who passed it on to Moses who passed it on to you. In comparison, Christ was God. He came directly and spoke directly to us. The Holy Spirit comes directly and speaks to us. Surely, this is God’s better way.   Hebrews 2:2, “for if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

c.       The Law’s intention was to move us to maturity. Some translations say the law was our “school teacher.” That is partly true and partly false, but it is the one I best remember. The thing is we need to check out the greek work pedagogue. What this word was is this: it was a slave who had the responsibility to see that the children were behaved, well mannered, and to see them to school and to pick them up though he was not the teacher or tutor. His job was to get the children to arrive to maturity. The purpose of the law was to get us to the point so that we can accept Christ as our savior. 

 

OK Paul has now worn us out. It is grace upon grace. It’s about what God has done. It is not about what we have done. God isn’t just trying to teach us new habits. If any of you are trying new year’s resolutions, it takes about 8 weeks to develop a habit. God is trying to break us free from a sin addiction. If we rely on our goodness to get us to heaven, we are going to fall short. We are going to come up with things that seem really cool to us, but God is going to be asking what were you thinking. 

 

Paul gives us this example that we need some background to fully understand it. You remember the good Pharisee who prayed thank you God that I am not a sinner like this guy standing beside me. Now in Paul’s time, there was a prayer that a good Jewish man was expected to pray every day. Listen to these three thanksgivings. 1) Thank you Lord that I am not a Gentile sinner. 2) Thanks you Lord that I am not a slave. 3) Thank you Lord that I am not a woman. Now don’t get mad at me. I’m not making this up. In essence, this is a prayer that says thank you Lord that I am superior to these other people. T

 

This is the type of wrong thinking that Jesus came to break up. This is the just the thing that Paul says will happen if you don’t focus on grace. Grace makes you say it is not about me. It is not about what I have done. It is not where I was born. It is not what church I go to or what county I live in. It is by God’s grace. Our baptism has this history of breaking us out of our old self thinking. In the early church, here is how you were baptized. You took all of your clothes off. You cast them aside. You left the behind. You broke ranks with your old person. Then you went down into the baptismal waters to be fully immersed so that you could be fully cleansed and come out of the baptismal waters as a new person. You then put on a new white robe. That robe represented you were putting on Christ. The symbolism is huge, but I see that some of you are saying thank you I will be sprinkled with my clothes on. It is different, but isn’t it powerful. Put on the new put on Christ. 

 

Now we are ready to look at the scriptures where Paul states, we are no longer Jew or Greek/Gentile. That prayer of superiority – it’s gotta go. Gentiles are saved people too. In fact, there isn’t a race or nationality that is better than another one. We are all God’s people in need of salvation. 

We are no longer slave or free. We have all been freed from sin to become a slave of Christ. God isn’t interested in our social status. He is interested in our saved status. Believer or unbeliever. When you consider this next statement was made 2,000 years ago, it is absolutely incredible. Men and women – they all stand in the same place. Men aren’t superior and women aren’t inferior. There are godly women and ungodly men. There are ungodly women and godly men. It is not your gender that saves you. Christ broke down the walls and yokes that we as humans have put on each other’s back. We put up walls of prejudice. Christ tore them down. We think that people that live on this side of the railroad tracks are better or superior to those who live on the other side. Christ said I am taking your tracks out of town. There are only two groups of people. Saved and unsaved. Believers and unbelievers. 

 

You see when Christ gets a hold of you - you live into that double command: Love God and love your neighbor. When the man asked Jesus who was his neighbor? Jesus in essence was saying, that is wrong thinking. God gives us grace so he change us. God doesn’t want just good habits. God is seeking men and women that are transformed unto God. God wants men and women to say I am laying aside any privileges I have gained in this life so I can become a slave to Christ. 

 

Why would we use such language? Because Christ paid the price for us. He saved us. 

 

Dianna’s boss Tom years ago heard a loud noise in the middle of the night. It sounded like something had been hit by a car. He went out of his house and walked the ditch and found a man lying in the ditch. The long story short is Tom saved this man’s life. The ambulance came and took him to the hospital. That was 20 some years ago. On that date, every year, this poor man who had lost his life but found it because one stood up to save him – on that date each and every year this man who cannot afford to do so comes and buys the entire office lunch. Why? Because he once was dead, and now he is alive. 

 

When God saves you, you don’t forget it. You don’t put his salvation up in some closet. No, you wear that salvation so that people can see you are a new person. You have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Grace makes you a changed person. Being good, develops some good habits. 

 

Habits aren’t enough my friend. We need grace. God’s promise is given to all who believe. Amen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we begin a study in the book of Galatians, it seems we encounter in the early church a problem that has plagued people since the beginning of time. What is the proper way to respond to God? Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church says we respond to God in three ways: religion, irreligion, and the gospel.[1] Irreligion means we just ignore God, but what is the difference between religion and gospel? I think it is best found in this question: Can we save ourselves or do we need God’s help? Adam and Eve in the garden decided that they could save themselves. Humanity has been doing the same thing every since. When we try to find God by our religious actions only, we are in essence saying “what I do will bring me merit or rewards toward salvation – sometimes we would say it this way: I have earned my salvation.” This is a slippery slope and one that is a lot easier to get too than we might at first realize. For example, we encounter discussions like this:

 

“I don’t know if I am good enough to go to heaven.” The answer is yes you are correct, you are not good enough nor shall you ever be good enough. Romans 3:10 says, “there is none righteous no not one.” Paul wrote these words in his introduction to Galatians, “the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age.” In that one sentence, Paul exclaims, “God has done everything that needs to be done so that we can be made right with God.” Romans 6:23 says, “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus came to set us free from religion and to find God’s grace. 1 John 4:9 says, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (NIV)

 

Deep down we know it is about what God has done and not what we have done that puts us in a right relationship with God. Yet, we are not always happy with the Christian way. It is said that as Americans we are more spiritual than at any time during our history. In fact recent polls have shown that America has an intense desire to know God, but are tired of the many denominations and are tired of organized religion. It is sad that churches can be seen as organized religion for it is in church where we learn to live out this commandment: For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another (I John 3:11). It is also good that Americans are spiritual, but that statement is also saying we are open to all and any opportunities to earn our favor with God. This is not something new. In fact, this is the problem that Paul faced with the Galatians. Are we saved by our “good works” or are we saved by “grace?”

 

Paul’s message of grace has been under attack. In fact, it has become personal. Paul’s himself has come under attack. There were those who said we are saved by our obedience. They had the support of the church father of Jerusalem, James. Paul’s authority to speak for the church comes under questions. We find in the introduction to this letter Paul introduces himself as Paul and my authority comes from God (vs. 1) and in verse 11, he states that he received his message as a direct “revelation of Christ.” He moves quickly from his introduction. After he identifies himself and to those he is writing, he doesn’t take time to give a word of thanksgiving, which would be customary. He jumps in to the problem and states how could you so “quickly desert the grace ….of Christ?” (vs. 6). He identifies those who preach anything other than grace as perverters of the gospel of Christ. Paul goes on to say that anyone who preaches to you a message outside of grace will be accursed or find themselves outside of the family of God. Paul is saying, there isn’t any other way to find God than through grace.   Paul goes on to give some autobiography on his call to preach grace. 

 

So as we begin, we look at some questions. 

 

 

In Paul’s day, these were those who were preaching yes Jesus Christ was a good speaker, good teacher, good prophet, and overall just good fellow, but if you want to find favor with God, Jesus isn’t enough. 

 

These were the ones who wanted to turn the Christian faith into a Jewish religion. You were saved on your faithfulness to religion. You must be circumcised. You must submit to the law and obey. You must keep religious festivals. What Paul faced was this. Some missionaries came to town and said Paul had only told them ½ truths. They said Jesus wasn’t enough. Non-Jews could become proselytized Jews by circumcision. They would keep the faith by submitting themselves to the entirety of the law including the traditions that Jesus had said were leading people astray. They would also submit themselves to the keeping of the festivals. This form of Christianity was one without Christ. You could take Christ out of the equation and nothing changed. This form of salvation was one in entirety of earning merit through your good deeds and the faithful keeping of the law.  

 

Today, the church of Scientology with 2 to 6 million adherents says Jesus was a good man but he was nothing special certainly not a way to find yourself to God. In fact, their teachings are that you will escape the cycle of reincarnation and become a god yourself. It is about what you do. It is not grace.   

 

As Christians, we can easily slide toward works ourselves. We need to be reminded it is not how many times a day you pray that saves you. It is not church membership that saves you. These might be indicators that you are saved, but they have no saving power. It is easy for the church to become a legalistic conveyor of good morals and become judgmental and lose the power of grace. In grace, we find forgiveness, release of guilt, abundant living, and most importantly the ability to love as Christ loved. I John 4:12 says, if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. Yet, it is not love that saves us. It is grace. God’s gift given to us freely. 

 

To depend on works for salvation, is Christianity without conversion. This is impossible. 

 

In verse 6, Paul uses this phrase, how quickly you are turning to another gospel. I want to put the focus on “turning.” The word turning means to change direction. As people, we might say we are changing our ways. The only problem is when we think of turning as Christians we think of the word repent. We turn away from trying to do salvation ourselves, and recognize our sinfulness, and turn toward God for our salvation. What Paul found was the opposite. They were turning away from the transformational power of grace and relying on their own persistence to becoming good. 

 

Here are a few other ways we can turn away from grace:

 

In conservative churches in America, you are required to confess Jesus Christ as your savior and to confess your belief in the dogma or doctrine of the local church. What saves you? Jesus or the right doctrine?

 

In liberal churches in America, we do not want to offend anyone so we don’t put much emphasis on Jesus and put the emphasis on loving everybody. What saves you? Jesus or your loving actions?

 

Richard Lovelace, a professor of church history writes that most professing Christians “in their day to day existence ..rely on their sanctification for justification”[2] (or their good works for salvation). They went to the altar rail. They go to church. They are making progress in their goodness. They are looking at what they have done. Our salvation rests upon the faithfulness of God not of ourselves. 

 

Charles Spurgeon, one of the best known preachers of the late 1800’s, illustrated grace with this story:

 

Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. He took it to his king and said, “My lord, this is the greatest carrot I’ve ever grown or ever will grow; therefore, I want to present it to you.” The king was touched and discerned the man’s heart, so as he turned to go, the king said, “Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift, so you can garden it all.” The gardener was amazed and delighted and went home rejoicing. But there was a nobleman at the king’s court who overheard all this, and he said, “My!  If that is what you get for a carrot, what if you gave the king something better?” The next day the nobleman came before the king, and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, “My lord, I breed horses, and this is the greatest horse I’ve ever bred or ever will; there, I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” But the king discerned his heart and said, “Thank you,” and ook the horse and simply dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed, so the king said, “Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were given yourself the horse.”[3] 

 

The gardener gave out of love. The land was truly a gift. It was grace.

The nobleman gave the horse for what he would receive. That is works. 

 

Martin Luther said, “’religion’ is the default mode of the human heart.”[4]

 

 

The Greek word for grace is charis. Out of the 155 times it is used in the New Testament, Paul uses 100 of them. The basic concept of “charis” is an undeserved gift. I have often wondered why Paul talks so much about grace and Jesus didn’t seem too. Grace is really everything Jesus did – an undeserved gift. Take some of Jesus’ teachings: 

 

It is Paul in his writings that causes us to see these two opposing views between works and grace.

 

In grace we find, the word grace, a gift, the righteousness of God (not of ourselves), superabundance, faith, gospel, and calling versus

 

Works: law, reward, sin, works, accomplishment owed, one’s own righteousness, honor, worldly wisdom, and futility.[6] 

 

We can never possess grace. It is God’s to give. Romans 6:23 says, it is a “gift.” The whole story line of Romans is God’s gift of salvation. I Corinthians 1:4 says, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus.” 

 

It is grace that brings us salvation. It is not our good deeds Romans 3:23-24 says, “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified (saved) by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus….made effective through faith.”

 

We will explore Paul’s concept of grace further as we continue in Galatians. 

 

 

Paul believed we are all going to serve somebody or something. Our freewill becomes involved when we willing co-operate with God’s free gift of grace. Grace is transforming. When you invite God in your life it changes you. Romans 12 says we are to be “transformed.” The result of salvation is our good works. Tim Keller says it this way, “I’m accepted; therefore I obey.” That is what it means to be a Christ pleaser. We are accepted by grace. It is a gift. Because of the gift of grace, I submit to Christ. Paul confesses he knew his stand on grace wasn’t popular with everybody, but he was choosing to obey Christ rather than church leaders. People pleaser or Christ pleaser – who we please should reveal how we are allowing grace to work in our lives. So how is it with you? Are you a Christ pleaser? Have you freely and wholly accepted God’s gift of grace? Do we confess Jesus’ faithfulness or are we relying on our own? 

 

As Paul said, there is no other gospel. So whom are we serving? Amen. 

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