I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- Galatians 1:6
I like gifts. Who doesn’t? It’s fun to unwrap something, not knowing what’s inside. It’s also fun to watch someone else unwrap something you’ve given them. And who doesn’t love the tradition of Christmas stockings filled with goodies, even though the gifts are small? However, with the instability in our nation right now, I am thinking that I may need to recoup some of the money spent on stocking stuffers. With this in mind, after the kids open their stockings, I am going to give them a bill. I mean, I am providing a valuable service, aren’t I? It’s only right that they should pay their fair share. Nothing in this world is free, right? Of course, the idea of charging someone for a gift is ludicrous. We know this because we know that a gift, by definition, is free. It would be just as offensive for me to try and charge my children for the stockings as it would be for Debbie to open my Christmas gift for her then ask, “So, how much do I owe you for this?” Owe? You don’t owe anything—it’s a gift! Question: If we are able to understand this principle in relation to temporary gifts that may only be worn or played with for a relatively short time before ending up at the Goodwill or in the trash, why are we so hard pressed to understand this principle in relation to the grace of Christ? Grace simply means gift. What is the gift Christ has given us? Forgiveness of sins through His death on the cross resulting in the restoration of our relationship with our Maker and an eternal hope. Now, that’s a gift! It is for this reason that after Paul provides the customary greeting in the first five verses of Galatians, he leads off the body of his letter with three strong words—“I am astonished.” It’s as if to say, “I can’t believe you,” “I don’t get it,” “What’s your deal!?!” What is it that astonishes Paul? How the believers in Galatia could embrace the sweetness of God’s grace, the richness of forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ, and then turn around and act as though they can do something to earn it or deserve it. We find, in this letter, that legalistic people filled with religious zeal had infiltrated the Galatian church with their “gospel” of works. So, Paul says, “Don’t you know? A gift cannot be earned!” Or as Galatians 2:16 says, “by observing the law no one will be justified.” Being justified…that’s really the goal isn’t it? It’s coming to the conclusion of our lives and having our Maker declare, “You’re good! You made it. You’re alright in my book.” What Paul reveals is that this is something that cannot be earned. No one will be told “you’re good” on the basis of what they have accomplished. Paul makes this utterly clear in Romans 3:23 when he writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But here’s the great news—it’s ok that we fall short, because Jesus doesn’t fall short. And He is the source of salvation. And yet, ironically, all of us are tempted to seek to be justified based on what we have done. The very thing Paul says is impossible, that is what we seek. This is one of the very real problems with cults like Mormonism or Jehovah’s Witnesses—they teach that salvation is a product, to a significant extent, of our effort. Even some Christian churches, to varying extents, teach that salvation is by “Grace + ( fill in the blank ).” We feel as though we must add something to grace. But most concerning, for me, are those who know, intellectually, that justification is by grace through faith, yet live with this underlying sense that they just might not be good enough. They might not say it aloud, but there is this nagging suspicion that they need to add something to grace. And if they don’t, God just might not accept them. Paul’s argument in Galatians, however, is that the idea that we can add something to grace is utter nonsense. It’s for this reason that he begins the content of his letter with “I am astonished.” Later on in the book he writes, “I am perplexed about you!” Astonishment or perplexity is the natural response to someone who chooses to do something that makes absolutely no sense. And to snub God’s grace by trying to pay for it makes absolutely no sense. As Paul writes in Galatians 2:21, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” In this season of gift-giving, there is no better time for us to remember that the greatest gift of all is the redemption Christ purchased for us on the cross. And we must also remember that, as with any true gift, it is not something we can earn or deserve—but something we simply receive, with joy, through faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus!
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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