O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed and crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you know being perfected by the flesh? (ESV)

Wow, Paul – call it like it is. Don’t pull your punches now. Tell us how you really feel!  

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Have you ever been called out in this way before? Paul is getting real with the churches of Galatia, for good reason. Let me give you a little background about why Paul came across so strong here.  

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Paul had already gone to these churches and preached the gospel - that faith in Jesus is all you need to be a part of the family of God. But there was a sect of Jewish Christians who were preaching that, for non-Jews to truly become a member of the family of God, they had to adopt and follow the same customs and laws of the Torah that the Jews had been subject to. These Christians came to the churches of Galatia trying to undermine what Paul had preached to them.  

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In the first two chapters of Galatians, Paul recounts how people came to salvation through belief and faith in the grace of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross, not through observance of the Law. In Paul’s words, “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). However, this sect, which was preaching a different “gospel,” was still in the mindset that works were required for salvation, and they were teaching this to the new Christians, too.  

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But why did this get Paul so fired up?

Here’s why: If adherence to the Law was still required for salvation, then that means that, even though Jesus came to dwell among us, died, rose again, and left his Spirit for us, no one would ever be saved. Because there is no way for us to be good enough, clean enough, or righteous enough to be in God’s presence. No matter the food they ate, the sacrifices made, the rituals followed – humans will always fall short.  

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And THAT’S THE POINT. If there was anything at all we could do in our power, then Jesus would not have had to come in the first place. We could all keep striving for and earning our salvation. I don’t know about you, but that’s not a life I want to try to live.  

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The Law, where you had to perform to make yourself right before God, was never meant to be a permanent solution. Galatians 3:24 says, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” The Law provided direction and discipline until all people could be justified, or made right with God, through faith in Christ.  

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So, Paul is FIRED UP that someone would come in and basically devalue everything that God, through Christ, did for us. And that’s not so different today, is it? We hear false “gospels” all the time: “Be true to yourself.” “You do you.” “I can create my own identity.” “I’m a good person and care for other people, so I should be good to go to heaven.” If any of that were true, then we would never have needed the sacrifice of God’s One and Only beloved Son.  

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Are you as fired up as Paul was about the truth of the gospel of Jesus? Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and there is no other way to be justified before God than through belief in him (John 14:6). How is God calling you to honor the purity of his good news today, in your own life and as you share his love with others?

Father God – Thank you for your Son! In Jesus’ name ~ AMEN!