Read Galatians 1:6-7 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. Who were the Galatian readers turning away from?
2. What was Paul’s reaction?
3. What was wrong with what the Galatians were following?
Reflect
In the Galatian church, legalism and oppression had crept in. A group of Jewish Christians were imposing their rules and traditions onto the Gentiles, and it kept them from experiencing real, authentic Christianity. These Jewish Christians created unnecessary barriers, so Paul confronted them.
In today’s society, if you ask someone what a Christian is, they might say it’s someone trying to be a good person, following a stringent, complex set of rules...and then imposing those rules onto others. Often, what people observe isn’t real Christianity but a poor or false representation of it. There’s a massive difference between real Christianity and the label of Christianity, between authentic faith and nominal belief.
A lot of people reject real Christianity because someone wore the label but turned out to be a fake, false, or unreliable representation of it. This should lead us to ask ourselves, "Am I wearing the label but not representing the real thing? Am I so caught up in religious rules and traditions that people can’t see the grace and truth of Jesus?” God needs real representatives in a dark world. Let’s point to Him.
Respond
• Do you ever find yourself more caught up in rules or traditions than in knowing Jesus and representing Him accurately to the world around you?
• What rules or traditions have grown in importance in your life, possibly to the point of taking precedence over relationship with Jesus and others? What priorities or habits might need to change in response?
• How can you experience the grace and truth of Jesus for yourself and then extend it to someone else this week?
Pray through these questions, and write down what God is prompting you to do next. Share with a friend, and take a step to apply it.
Want to go deeper? Visit the Traders Point app or this link to see our recommended resources for this week’s topic. If you want to catch Sunday’s message again, you can find it here.