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Article by Stacey Eutin |
When reading Galatians, I ask myself, could Paul have been
writing this letter to the church today?
I remember when I first got saved, met Jesus. Let me tell
you, He took my heart in His hands, made it flesh, and He breathed life into
me. I felt Him so close to me I expected to look in the mirror and see Him
looking back at me.
He gave me such a hunger for Him, I couldn’t get enough of
Him.
I devoured His Word. Every opportunity I could take I was reading the
Word. It was life to me! I took everything written at face value, I believed
every word to be truth.
I could not get enough of Him or His people. I
saturated myself in Him. I had a freedom I had never experienced before.
I thank Him for those precious times of refreshing and
renewal. It strengthened me, healed me, and girded me up… because I soon
learned not everyone experienced what I experienced. Not everyone took His Word
as truth. Not everyone walked in the freedom He gave us.
I believe this is what Paul was referring to in Galatians
1:6-7 when He said:
I am surprised and astonished that you are so quickly turning renegade and deserting Him Who invited and called you by the grace (unmerited favor) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel. Not that there is [or could be] any other [genuine Gospel], but there are [obviously] some who are troubling and disturbing and bewildering you [with a different kind of teaching which they offer as a gospel] and want to pervert and distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah) [into something which it absolutely is not]. (AMP)
This is what was happening to the
Galatians; other “teachers” came in after Paul and tried to put the church back
under bondage. They were teaching laws and rules and the church began to be led
astray.
When we have been made free through our faith in Christ, we produce
fruits of righteousness, through His Spirit. We can NOT produce righteousness
through the law, or through works.
Let us not forget it is Gods
kindness that led us to repentance.
It wasn’t the law.
It wasn’t rules.
It was
His goodness.
We are called by Him, not because of our own righteousness, but
by His grace and mercy.
The moment we start thinking we have to perform, or our
salvation is merited somehow because we are “good” people, is the minute we
turn from His grace. When we turn from His grace, we are in all reality, turning
from Him and turning to false idols.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV)
Anything that comes before Christ is
a false idol. In Calvin’s commentary on Galatians 1:6 he states, “They are full of
superstitions, which are directly at variance with the nature of Christ. Let it
be carefully observed, that we are removed from Christ, when we fall
into those views which are inconsistent with his mediatorial office; for light
can have no fellowship with darkness.”
What was the early church turning
away from? They were turning from grace, the unmerited favor of Christ.
Now, I
am not a Bible Scholar, by any measure… but I submit they were under the bondage
of works. I know you know what I am talking about.
Works sounds something like this: “I
have to…” “You have to…” “We have too…”
And anything that starts with the words “have to” puts you in bondage.
You don’t have to do anything!
Fellowship with Christ will create in you a
desire of “want to.” Anytime you feel a fear rising up, it is not of Him. (See
1 John 4:18)
It is not the hours of time you
spend in prayer that saves you, although prayer is a staple of fellowship with
Him.
It is not how many times you enter a church door, though fellowship with
the body strengthens you.
It is not how you wear your hair, the clothes you
wear, who you know, what you eat, circumcised or uncircumcised...I think you get
my point.
When you start feeling condemnation, recognize it is not of God.
Yes,
you will and should feel conviction when you sin, but if you start feeling
condemnation because you do not do a “certain” ritual or thing to earn your
salvation, remember this… you can NOT earn your salvation, it is a gift from
God.
What was happening
in the early church, is still happening today. Paul rebuked the early church
from so quickly turning away from the true Gospel.
I like what Jesus said in Matthew
23:27-28,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure. Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity. (AMP)
The moment we turn
from the true Gospel of Christ, His grace, (see v.4)
Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father- (AMP)
is the moment we turn
from Him.
Turning from His grace, is rejecting Him, for it was this very
purpose Christ came, because there is NO other way to salvation but through
Him.
In these last days
there will be many who fall away. Do not be one of them.
There is an
anti-Christ spirit rising up, and it wants to sweep you up into bondage of
works, place you back under the law, and turn you away from the One true
Christ.
I will close with
Galatians 1: 8-9,
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from or contrary to that which you received [from us], let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! (AMP)
Seek to please God,
not man.
You please Him with your faith in Him.
Love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. The second is like it and is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mk. 12:30-31 AMP)
Selah!
This article is a guest post by
Stacey Eutin, Crooked Places Straight

My tent making skills are as an Organizational Development Consultant, but my calling is Evangelist. I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel the country and share His redemptive love. I met Jesus in my early thirties and my life has not been the same. The ministry He has given me is through spoken and written word, to lead the lost to Him, bring healing to the wounded, and hope for the hurting. You can learn more about me and Crooked Places Straight at https://crookedplacesstraight.wordpress.com
Any and all comments, critiques, questions, or criticisms are welcome here. Your response does not require my approval before being posted. While I certainly appreciate your comments on Facebook, I would prefer that you also leave your comment here, just below this article. There are many people who do not visit Facebook, and cannot join in any discussion that may be generated by your thoughtful insight. Please consider leaving your response below--either through words, or simply checking the appropriate box that equals your reaction. Thank you.
Any and all comments, critiques, questions, or criticisms are welcome here. Your response does not require my approval before being posted. While I certainly appreciate your comments on Facebook, I would prefer that you also leave your comment here, just below this article. There are many people who do not visit Facebook, and cannot join in any discussion that may be generated by your thoughtful insight. Please consider leaving your response below--either through words, or simply checking the appropriate box that equals your reaction. Thank you.
Great Blog post Stacey!
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