Galatians 1
6I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ
Defectors?
If you’re like me, your attention can be swayed by something fairly easily. I am normally focused, but can be drawn away by things that intrigue me or puzzle me. There is a problem with that. Often times the things that distract me are not things that would be good distractions.
For example, if my wife or one of my children was talking to me and my attention drifted to a football game or sporting event that would be less beneficial. Not that sporting events are wrong, but they certainly should not rank in priority above the attention of another human being, especially one of your family members.
In a much greater sense, Paul here is amazed that the believers in the churches of Galatia could so quickly become distracted with what he had previously taught them. He came and taught them of salvation thru grace, God’s unmerited, undeserved favor. After he left to continue starting churches around the ancient world, these believers quickly fell into the trap of wanting to work for their salvation, figuring that by working God would somehow owe them eternal life. It only took a few false teachers to come in and stir the pot by introducing some erroneous teaching for them to become distracted.
What about us?
In America, we tend to have many options of things to do and believe in. In today’s culture it is common practice to meld many ideas together, even if they are in complete and total opposition to one another, and call it a consistent philosophy. I have encountered “Christians” who have an unhealthy interest and participation in Wicca. I hear of many so called believers who see no problem with casual sex or even homosexuality, but at the same time want to profess God. Two opposing ideas cannot be simply put together and touted as new truth.
This is what Paul was dealing with. People, who had been saved by faith thru grace simply by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the payment of their sin and repenting of their sin by claiming that He would now and forever be their Master, were now trying to add certain works into the equation. In effect, they were defecting from the simplicity of salvation. Instead of salvation by grace, now it was salvation by grace and some observances, rituals and good deeds. The problem is God will never owe us anything because of the observances, rituals and good deeds we perform because we will NEVER be anything even remotely close to His character. If He owed us something, then it wouldn’t be free, which grace obviously is!
So what compromises have you made?
What distractions have you let in that cause you to defect?
It may be simply looking for prosperity, or rationalizing away some flaw in your character. Or it could be a full-fledged defection in which you are living a sinful, disobedient lifestyle that is not the same Gospel you were called to.
Don’t defect, or be distracted or be anything but truly focused on God’s grace to supply!
6I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ
Defectors?
If you’re like me, your attention can be swayed by something fairly easily. I am normally focused, but can be drawn away by things that intrigue me or puzzle me. There is a problem with that. Often times the things that distract me are not things that would be good distractions.
For example, if my wife or one of my children was talking to me and my attention drifted to a football game or sporting event that would be less beneficial. Not that sporting events are wrong, but they certainly should not rank in priority above the attention of another human being, especially one of your family members.
In a much greater sense, Paul here is amazed that the believers in the churches of Galatia could so quickly become distracted with what he had previously taught them. He came and taught them of salvation thru grace, God’s unmerited, undeserved favor. After he left to continue starting churches around the ancient world, these believers quickly fell into the trap of wanting to work for their salvation, figuring that by working God would somehow owe them eternal life. It only took a few false teachers to come in and stir the pot by introducing some erroneous teaching for them to become distracted.
What about us?
In America, we tend to have many options of things to do and believe in. In today’s culture it is common practice to meld many ideas together, even if they are in complete and total opposition to one another, and call it a consistent philosophy. I have encountered “Christians” who have an unhealthy interest and participation in Wicca. I hear of many so called believers who see no problem with casual sex or even homosexuality, but at the same time want to profess God. Two opposing ideas cannot be simply put together and touted as new truth.
This is what Paul was dealing with. People, who had been saved by faith thru grace simply by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the payment of their sin and repenting of their sin by claiming that He would now and forever be their Master, were now trying to add certain works into the equation. In effect, they were defecting from the simplicity of salvation. Instead of salvation by grace, now it was salvation by grace and some observances, rituals and good deeds. The problem is God will never owe us anything because of the observances, rituals and good deeds we perform because we will NEVER be anything even remotely close to His character. If He owed us something, then it wouldn’t be free, which grace obviously is!
So what compromises have you made?
What distractions have you let in that cause you to defect?
It may be simply looking for prosperity, or rationalizing away some flaw in your character. Or it could be a full-fledged defection in which you are living a sinful, disobedient lifestyle that is not the same Gospel you were called to.
Don’t defect, or be distracted or be anything but truly focused on God’s grace to supply!
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