There is a group that is Very dangerous to your walk with Christ and it isn’t the drug dealers or the pimps or anyone like that! This is why most Christians Don’t find Grace but instead they find a knock off – half Grace, half law and ALL miserable!
Who are the dangerous ones?
Who should I be careful to avoid?
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” – Galatians 5:1-15
Who are the dangerous people we should stay away from? Well according to Paul it’s the:
Christ thieves also known as Freedom stealers!
These are the people who say we should go back to the law even after we have Jesus. Paul had a simple solution for them but just thinking about it makes me say Ouch!!! Vs. 1 states clearly that Christ made us free for freedom sake and the burden he is talking about the yoke is very dangerous because if we go back to it, Christ is no longer of any value to us.
Maybe this is why Paul suggested complete emasculation for those preaching this!
Ok just in case you are not in pain yet Paul said if you go back to the law for some form of righteousness you are obligated to obey the whole law! The whole law cannot be followed! You can try but you will only die tired and spend eternity in Hell.
Vs. 6 sums it all up, For in Christ neither circumcision nor
no circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith
expressing itself through love.
Keep in mind that the Jews of this day were saying that they were more holy because they were circumcised and if anyone wanted to be holy they had to do things the way they did them. Funny but this sounds like a lot of places I know that are very busy on Sundays!
Christ came to get rid of the hoops people jump through so that through the law all men would be equally condemned and therefore could be just as equally needy and therefore just as equally made righteous.
Don’t worry- BeGraceFull.com!!
Blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ! Hi again Bob. I also heard a sermon on this but rather than the “Physical” circumcision, the Pastor talked about the “Heart circumcision” which was to peal back your heart and look to Christ. What are your thought on this?
Hi Doug,
Thank you for sharing!
Sure the heart goes through a transformation but when Paul talked about circumcision he was talking about that many people were still clinging to the law for some form of righteousness. The second Jesus entered me – I became a new creation! No longer was I under the law – I could approach the thrown with confidence! Why? did I do something to deserve it or earn it – LOL!
Jesus Changes Everything! On the journey with Him somethings from my being will be trimmed but at the moment He enters my life – I am as perfect as I will ever be.
Bob