April 1. Galatians 5. BJ Aznar
Grace
One of the hardest things for disciples to wrestle with, no matter how long they’ve followed Christ, is grace. Life in the world wants us to show our worth by what we do, what we have done. As a result, we can bring this same mentality into our spiritual walk with Christ. It’s not hard to do so; to be legalistic in checking the boxes. Quiet Time? Check. Share with someone? Check. Go to Church? Check. Study the Bible? Check. But this problem goes the other way, too. Prideful? Check. Selfishness? Check. Laziness? Check… the list goes on and on. Thank God there are no sticker charts in heaven.
Paul reminds us of the true nature of the gospel and of the work of Christ. We are now able to turn away from legalism and instead rest on Jesus’ victorious work on the Cross. In turn, we may live in the power of His Spirit. Paul condemns the theology of circumcision, that works is necessary for salvation. To do so would be to choose legalism over Grace.
To believe in Christ involves faith working through love (v. 6). If I stop short of love, I am hindered by legalism (v. 7), and miss the message of the Cross (v. 11). Paul saw this as such a strong issue that he uses a graphic analogy in v12. Christ broke the bonds of the law by his death, and we who have been set free from it must not return to its bondage. Instead, our freedom and way of life in the Spirit is expressed through our service to God and one another in the Body. When disciples of Christ love through the Spirit and serve others, the law is fulfilled. How am I expressing this love for my brother or sister in Christ? How am I putting into practice acts of service?
When we don’t walk as the Spirit leads, the works of the flesh are left which are obvious. Works = what man can do, which has been shown to be inadequate. The Fruits of the Spirit, on the other hand, suggest what can be made possible by the continued relationship between a Christian and God. The war within us is unremitting and intense, but victory has already been granted. When I chose to make Jesus Lord and enter the waters of baptism, I repented from the works of the flesh and took them to the Cross. My old way of life is to be done with, and I can’t take down from the cross what has once been nailed there.
When I was raised from the waters of baptism 17 years ago today (I became a fool for Christ on April 1 st ), I was made alive by the Holy Spirit. And so is any disciple reading this. Our life in the Spirit begins at our rebirth, when we are called to walk in faith as Abraham did in the old testament. We are called to obey the truth of the gospel as preached by Christ and his apostles. The Good News that Jesus’s death abolished the law, and by His Resurrection, He granted freedom and sonship with God.