Galatians Review

In the book of Galatians, Paul addressed false teachings that had entered the church there.  Paul did not just go to an area and preach the gospel then go away and forgot them.  It was much more difficult to know what was going on in other places then, and Paul himself was being persecuted.  Still, he managed to keep up with what was going on in the churches he had helped to establish.  We today need to have that same concern for churches around us.  We may have had nothing to do with their establishment, but if false teachings enter into any profession of the gospel, we need to stand ready to correct it.  The particular issue that Paul was addressing was the requirement for Gentile believers to be circumcised in order to be saved or accepted as a part of God's people.  We today may not face that same issue, but there are those who would add to the requirement of salvation by faith alone, and they lead many into following their teachings.  Paul recognized the danger of this and said that anything added to the requirement of faith in Christ alone for salvation was wrong.  Paul also addressed the issue of feeling superior to other Christians.  Some of those who were Jews felt that they were somehow more important than those who had been Gentiles because God's law had been given to them.  Paul said that the only purpose of the law was to lead them to faith in God.  Instead of proving their worthiness, the law did just the opposite.  Since in order to be justified by the law a person needed to keep all the law perfectly, in thoughts as well as in action, then no one could be justified by the law.  Christ came to fulfill the requirements of the law, and through faith in Him alone could anyone, Jew or Gentile, male or female, be restored to a right relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit indwells all believers to give them guidance and make intercession for them with God.  Paul said that once we are freed by the gospel of Christ, then we would be foolish to return to the requirement of the law.  We as followers of Christ are all made equal through the cross and should never allow anything to separate us.