Scripture: Galatians 5:2-6
Look, I, Paul, am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, having Christ won’t help you. Again I swear to every man who has himself circumcised that he is required to do the whole Law. You people who are trying to be made righteous by the Law have been estranged from Christ. You have fallen away from grace! We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit by faith. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love does matter.
Thought for the Day: It can’t be said for sure, but it appears as if Paul is a bit ticked off at this point. Have you ever been mad and said things that were a bit over the top. Parents often make new rules and ramifications for the breaking of the rules when they are mad. You might have heard something like, “If you ever do that again, you will be grounded until Halley’s Comet comes back around” (that would be the year 2061). Now there might be a parent that actually would attempt to follow through on that threat, but most of us are trying to make a point. The threat is probably closer to hyperbole, and the dramatic rhetoric hopes to make a clear point. In the moment of writing what he did, Paul may have denied any sort of over statement of the truth, but give him some time, he makes some pretty profound statements about the love of God and the far-reaching character of divine mercy. We may feel as if we’ve fallen away from grace, but the interesting thing of grace is that it falls with us into the pits of failure, mistake, sin and unrighteousness. It is serious to Paul, but in the end, he never seems willing to write off anyone when it comes to the redemptive power of God’s love.
Prayer: For your love and mercy, O Living Lord, I am forever bound. Even when I seem to do everything to push your gifts away, they cling to me and work to redeem my life. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Sermon
Is Based Upon
Galatians 5:1
(Last Sermon in the Series on Galatians)
