Ever feel that way?

Someone you put a lot of time into, helping them, explaining things for them, teaching them. And they responded, … but now they’ve gone back to their old way. A way which never worked for them before, and which was the reason you had to help them in the first place. And after all that… they went back!

For the Galatians, it was trying to earn their salvation by keeping the Jewish law. Not just the Ten Commandments, but the whole thing. Paulus had spent all that time explaining to them that it never worked, even for the holiest Jews. The very best it ever did for anyone was cover over their sins temporarily until Yahweh had finalised his plan and brought in a system which actually washed them away so completely it was as if you never sinned. Making it possible for him (Yahweh) to have a relationship with you, and for his spirit to live with you.

And the Galatians had accepted that. And received Yahweh’s spirit.
And now, for some reason they’ve gone back to trying to keep the law?

But not just Galatians eh. Most western churches I’ve ever been to are more focused on everyone obeying the ten commandments than they are on living by the spirit. They say they’re not, but try breaking one of those commandments and see how long you last there. Your welcome will be gone in a flash.

And they even add some things which aren’t commandments. Like divorce.
For sure, God hates divorce. But he allows it. It’s not a sin. It’s not breaking a law.

But oddly, some things which are laws, they don’t take so seriously. Honour your parents is a law. Breaking it had the death penalty. And yet “modern” Christians tolerate children completely dishonouring their parents and excuse it with, “he’s tired”, or “that’s just how they are”.

And that whole “Sabbath” thing. We moved it to Sunday and as long as you go to church for an hour or so, you’re OK.

If the Galatians were fools for going back to the law, how stupid are we, for not only going back to the law, but not even doing that properly and even deciding for ourselves which ones have to be kept and which ones we can ignore. And then adding a few of our own.

50 years ago we even added dancing. Now we’ve added smoking. But coffee is OK. Some of us add drinking alcohol, but some of us are OK with that one. Foolish Galatians? Foolish us!

Seriously. When are we going to get it?
The law was up there with Yeshua. When he died, it died. That old system of the law is gone.

If you have the spirit you’re saved. Regardless of how you behave. Regardless of what you do or don’t do.
Your sins have been washed away, and you will live forever.

Examine yourself. Examine your church.
Look for ways that you have gone back to the law.
And stop.