So quickly turned back

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. – Galatians 1.6-9

Paul was stunned that a whole group of people could be so quickly turned away by false doctrine. Saved by grace and living by grace some of these folks were being persuaded by the grace robbers to try and live by the Law.

No wonder Paul was shocked at their behaviour. Who would go back to the Law once they have tasted grace?

I think the issue here is that people find comfort in rules. We feel more secure when people tell us what to do. All we have to do is to do it and everything must be okay. It is easy to tick boxes on a tick list so people are drawn to it.

But when that happens we are ignoring God’s grace. We are trusting ourselves instead of Him because we are too proud to leave it to God.

Sadly there are folks today who still find comfort in this kind of legalism. They feel good about themselves because they can keep all the rules.

Any work we add lessens cheapens grace. The grace robbers would have us depend on us and not on God’s grace.

Don’t be dissuaded from grace and turned back to works. For by grace through faith we were saved. For by grace through faith we live. By grace through faith we will one day see Jesus.