Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 3:1-5

“You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?”  Long before Shakespeare Apostle Paul asked the same question: “What fools these mortals be?” (A Midsummer Nights Dream – Act 3, Scene 2, 110-115).  We all like to be in control.  Colin Powell said “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” and “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”  This is the ‘wisdom’ of the world we are living in.  If it works for people of power and success, we think that it must be true.  Of course, it is foolishness.  You can be the hardest working sardine packer in your village in Main, and if there is no need for it, you are out of business.  You can do your best and you still have a very good chance to fail in this world.  Well, at least you tried!

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 2:17-24

So what happens when we butt into sin as we walk through our lives?  Does our new life in Christ lead us to run away from sin or deal with it?  And where is the Holy Spirit in the middle of all of this?  Paul’s answer to this question points directly to the Cross: ‘I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me’ (2:20 NASB).  The Son of God, Jesus, gave Himself up for me so that sin would be dealt with and He could walk through my sin with me, giving me what I need to overcome it, today.  I no longer have to avoid sin, but I can now deal with it, not because of anything that I am, but because He is walking through it with me, giving me what I need to overcome that sin, whatever it may be.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 2:15-16

Observing the Law just doesn’t get it done; ‘…since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified’ (v.15 NASB).  If and when we are successful in this observance, we have proven what we can do, but God, the Holy Spirit is left out of the equation, because we have been all about doing what we can do, rather than letting Him do what He can do.  In the end, we are left standing in our own righteousness, rather than God’s, which as Paul so well knew, is worthless.  This is the crux of the biscuit, what this whole controversy boils down to, being justified by my own righteousness earned through keeping the Law or being justified by God’s Righteousness given through faith in Christ.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 2:11-14

In our lives we often see and experience segregation into small groups.  Even school kids prefer to talk to their friends based on their mutual interest.  Problems occur when these groups are formed based on status, like “popular” vs. “unpopular” in the school.  When members of the “popular group” start showing that that they are superior, based only on belonging to the group, it leads to conflict.  In social institutions such as school, the workplace, and sports teams, this conflict can last for years without resolution.  It affects the lives of people belonging to both groups where peer pressure makes people do something they wouldn’t do otherwise.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 2:6-10

Paul continues his narrative regarding his meeting with the leaders of the church with some interesting observations and maybe showing a bit of his humanity.  Paul is constantly trying to defend his apostolic authority and the truth of his message, including this passage.  Yet he sort of slights the acknowledged leaders of the church, especially James, Peter (he calls him Cephas, the Greek for Peter), and John by saying that their appearance of importance didn’t make any difference to Paul.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 2:1-5

Paul picks up his narrative of his early ministry in Galatians 2:1-5.  Fourteen years have passed where he has been preaching to the Gentiles in and around Antioch, which is located in the eastern Mediterranean near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.  Paul is fairly set in his preaching of the Gospel by this time.

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