I want to begin a new series that will go through the New Testament letter of Galatians. This letter was written by the apostle Paul to a group of churches in Galatia. This was an area where Paul went during his first missionary journey. As he went with Barnabas and others, they would travel to areas that had not heard the gospel. As they shared the gospel, people would receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and they would start churches. 

After Paul and his crew left the area, some people came behind them with false teachings. They shared that to be a Christian truly, they would have to obey the Law of Moses. 

Paul wrote this letter to these churches in the region of Galatia to correct the false teachings that had come in. These false teachings were confusing people and getting them off-track. Paul loved these people greatly. He cared for them much like a parent does a child. He wanted to ensure they followed the true gospel and were not carried away by false teachings.

There are still many ways in which Satan tries to come in and cast doubt on the true gospel. He knows that there is life and freedom in the gospel. He knows that the gospel can set a person free from the bondage of sin and give them eternal life with God. Whenever God moves in a mighty way, you can be sure that Satan will be present to interject doubts, discord, and division. We must be on guard. 

Could you recognize a false gospel if you heard it?

Would you be able to recognize a false gospel if it came your way? Would you know that what some person is saying lines up with the words and teachings of Jesus? We can know. We have been given the gospel plainly in the Bible. In our culture, we have more access to the Bible than any other group in history. 

The American Bible Society released a report they had done last year. That report showed that only 39% of people in the United States engaged with the Bible in the past year. You cannot know the truth of God if you do not spend time reading and studying His Word. ^[1]https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2F1s712.americanbible.org%2Fstate-of-the-bible%2Fstateofthebible%2FState_of_the_bible-2022.pdf

While the people in Galatia did not have the New Testament, Paul wanted to ensure they had access to the truth of God. As he writes this letter, he will combat the legalism creeping into their churches. 

Paul will clearly show that the gospel of Jesus Christ is about justification by faith in Christ alone. It is said that the letter of Galatians was Martin Luther’s favorite book in the Bible. In the midst of many rules and regulations being added to the gospel, Luther found the freeing truth of the gospel in Galatians. I hope that as we go through this letter together, we will also clearly see the freedom that comes from the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

¹ Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia. 

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 

⁵ To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:1–5 (CSB)

I said that Paul wrote this letter to combat false teachings creeping into the church. The false teachings creeping into the churches of Galatia were centered around a form of legalism. 

What is legalism?

Legalism is a term that you may or may not have heard before. Sadly, it is alive and well today. You might get different answers asking people, “What is legalism?”. Sometimes, things are labeled as legalistic when they are not. I would like to clearly define what we are talking about when we say ‘legalism.’ 

Let me give you three descriptors of legalism.

1. Legalism is working in our own power

When legalism is present, there is always something that is added. When the false teachers came in behind Paul, they did not leave Jesus out. Jesus was very prominent in their teaching. The problem was they would say it was Jesus plus what a person does that makes them right before God. They would say, “Trust in Jesus, but you also have to obey the laws and rituals of the Old Testament.” 

We can see this played out today by someone saying, “Trust in Jesus, but you have to live the Christian life in your own strength.” It draws on what you can and do bring to the table. 

2. Legalism is working according to our own rules

You can spot legalism by seeing that it will always add to what God has said clearly in His Word. Do you see why reading and studying the Bible for yourself is important? We do find commands throughout Scripture that are for our good. They are sufficient. We don’t have to add anything to them. 

When we buy into the lie that we have to do this in our strength, we will be tempted to start making our own rules for following Jesus because it doesn’t take long to realize that you cannot do it. We move the bar of expectation to fit what we can attain on our own. When we do that, what is the purpose of the cross? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit living in our lives?

3. Legalism is working to earn God’s favor

Legalism happens when we think we must do something to earn God’s favor. It is a performance-based faith — God will accept and bless me if I do enough. 

The false teachers that came into Galatia taught that obedience to the Law of Moses ensured a person a right standing before God, and His favor would rest on them. 

The truth is that God’s favor is graciously given to us through Christ. His grace means there is nothing that we can do to earn it. It is a free gift given out of His love for us.

Now that we’ve defined what we are talking about, I’m sure you have seen legalism in our day. So many believe they have to do something to earn a right standing before God. It might be going to church a certain amount, reading the Bible a certain amount, or doing enough good deeds of service, and then, God will pour His blessings on us. Those are good things, but they are to be done out of a heart of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. As I shared with someone on Wednesday, the gospel is not about what we do but what Jesus has done for us!

Legalism is an enemy that we need to be on guard against. In the introduction of Galatians that we read earlier, we see two distinct ways to destroy legalism in our lives.

We recognize the gospel is free

Paul bookends this letter by talking about the grace of God. He says in verse 3, “Grace to you…” In Galatians 6:18, Paul writes, “Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

Paul points out that the grace of God is freely given to us. The grace of God is His favor. His salvation is free. His love, mercy, and provision are free. It is not based on our performance. It is based on what Jesus did for us!

We see in verses 3-4 that God the Father initiated our salvation. Paul writes that grace and peace come from God the Father in verse 3. In verse 4, he shows that what took place on the cross and at the empty tomb was the will of the Father. 

It’s hard to imagine that anything would be free. We are taught by so many that nothing in this life is free. The gospel of Jesus Christ is free. No one has to clean up or do anything other than receive this gift. 

What does a person have to do to get a birthday present? Be born… that’s it. That person really had nothing to do with that event. They were simply born. Because of that fact, they earn the right to a birthday present. So it is with our salvation. We do not have to do anything to earn it. It is a gift that God has chosen to extend to us. 

We recognize the gospel is freeing

In verse 4, Paul says that Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present, evil age. The word “rescue” is an important word. It means “to rescue or set free from danger.” 

When Paul wrote that word, he had two things in mind. First, we would be rescued from the guilt of our sins. A holy God must punish sin. What Jesus went through on the cross is what each of us deserves for our sins. But Jesus took our place. 

Second, we would be rescued from the power of this evil age. “This present evil age” refers to the world we live in and its ways. When Christ went to the cross, He broke the chains that bind us to live for the things of this world, from pursuing what this world pursues. Christ’s sacrifice for us has set us free!

We do not have to live in bondage to sin any longer. Freedom is found in a personal relationship with Jesus. When we trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to empower and free us to live the way God intends.

There is another freedom given to us by the gospel. It is found in Galatians 1:5, and you’ll miss it if you’re not careful. Paul writes, “…to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Paul will elaborate on this later in chapter one. He will talk about how God shared His grace with Paul and enabled him to share the gospel with those who had not heard. While the work of God takes place in the privacy of our hearts, it will always produce a fruit of public communication. 

We are freed from silence and ignorance to share the good news of Jesus with others so they might experience it as well. You will not share something that you’re not confident in. We can be fully confident that the gospel of Jesus will do exactly what it promises. When we do that, we bring glory to God.

Conclusion

The churches in Galatia had experienced the wonder of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul and the team with him shared the good news, they received it joyfully. They were forgiven of their sins and enjoyed a new relationship with God that would last forever. Sadly, our adversary sent false teachers to squash what God was doing. 

We see the exact same thing happening today. The message of the gospel is going out, and those who receive and believe it find freedom and new life in Christ. False teachings are swirling around us, seeking to squash what God is doing.

I pray that you will hear the truth of the genuine gospel. God created you and loved you greatly. Though you have sinned against Him, He sent Jesus as your atoning sacrifice. You don’t have to get things right to come to Him. You simply have to confess that you are a sinner and need His grace. Believe and trust in what Jesus did for you, and He will set you free to live the life He intended you to live all along… a life with Him forever.

You may realize that legalism has tried to creep into your heart and mind today. I would encourage you to follow what 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” That means that we hold the teachings we hear up to the word of God and see if it is really from Him. You may need to confess and repent of some legalism in your life. I would encourage you to do so today.