Shalom from Galatia

Shalom, brothers~ podcast:


“I am amazed that you have so quickly deserted him who called you by the grace of Christ, and that you have so soon gone over to a different gospel, a gospel which in point of fact is no gospel at all. What has really happened is that certain men are upsetting your whole faith and are aiming at reversing the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach the gospel to you, other than that which you have received, let him be accursed. Is it men’s favour I am trying to win, or is it God’s? Or am I seeking to curry favor with men? If after all that has happened to me I was still trying to curry favour with men, I would not be bearing the brands of the slave of Christ.” Galatians 1.6-10


We have to remember here that Christianity was young. . . Just before Jesus had ascended into Heaven, He charged the believers to ‘be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.’ That had only recently begun--the witness of Jesus going out from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the Mediterranean, and beyond. . . mostly through the passion of Paul to take the Gospel, and share the good news with as many people as possible. At first, it was only Jews who were converted, and we see here that they had come to believe that outsiders had to first become Jews, and then they could come to Jesus Christ. (This is a ‘mind blower’ in 2009, isn't it? These Jews who had come to accept Christ as Messiah believed that the new-bees had to first become Jews, then they could become Christians. . . ?! ) Faithful Jews had been subject to the 600+ points of the Law, and here we have Paul telling them that salvation was/is solely through what Jesus did on the cross—they were no longer under the Law. He had taught the young converts that it was through God's grace alone, but someone had come along after him (Paul) who wanted to keep them under the heavy weight of the Law—Paul was sorely disappointed. The Law was not bad, but it was powerless to save them; it was faith in Christ that would do that. Indeed, the Law allowed them to see they could never keep it! No, they needed a Messiah. . . they needed grace.

So much was at stake here—if this message prevailed, Christianity was in trouble. Paul knows it is up to him to write a letter to the church and set her thinking straight, otherwise Christianity would become a branch of Judaism. He must set the record straight by restating the gospel of grace, rather than that which was being peddled--of works and the Law. Though understanding this debate is important, what is most relevant to us today is the salient truth that life, meaning and peace are all found in relationship with Jesus Christ, and Him only. Throughout his letters to the churches, Paul greeted them with “grace and peace”, and then taught them about the abundant grace of God, and what that meant to them. The message of Jesus and grace went hand in hand.

Paul stated in the above verses that it was God's favor, rather than man's that he wanted to win. . . I hope that is true of us. And yet, we are so aware of the opinions of 'man', the judgments of our peers. . . what people are saying, what people are thinking. Paul made it clear that it was only God's favor he sought. He was willing to lay it all on the line for the promotion of the gospel; it was unfathomable to him how anyone could let nay-sayers come along and corrupt the truth of Jesus.

Years ago, I attended Urbana 79 (that's 1979 at the Univ. of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana) where about 18,000 college students came together for an international missions conference. It was awe-inspiring. Besides Billy Graham, John Stott, and other giants of the faith, I heard Elisabeth Elliott speak. She quoted her husband--Jim Elliott, who had valiantly lost his life in service to the Auca Indians in Ecuador--who said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Let's begin to give of ourselves by steadfastly clinging to the truth of the Gospel, regardless of who believes with us. It is the favor of God that will last through eternity. . .

Grace and Peace to you~
Christine