Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 1:18-24

Paul meets Christ, has the Son of God revealed to him on the Road to Damascus and disappears for three years.  We really don’t know anything about this time except that he was in Arabia and Damascus.  What we do know is that he had to completely rework his thinking about God, the Messiah and the church.  That which he considered to one of the greatest evils in the world has now become that which he loved.  He needed a complete mental overhaul.  Everything that he thought about the Law, the prophets, the temple, Judaism, being a Pharisee and life itself had to be completely torn down and reconstructed based on this revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, as the Son of God.  So he heads for an out of the way corner of the world where he can focus on doing exactly that.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 1:13-17

Called through grace; if there ever was a person in desperate need of grace it was Paul.  Our familiarity with the post-Damascus Road Saul that we know as Paul, sometimes gets in the way of our remembering who he was before he so dramatically met Christ.  To steal a Star Wars analogy, he was the Darth Vader of very early church, relentlessly hunting down and persecuting the ‘rebellion’ that he saw as such a deadly menace to the Jewish faith.  He was zealous for the traditions of the Jews and excelled them all in the fundamentals of Judaism.  Paul was as intimate with the ‘gospel’ of the Law as anyone could get and knew that this Messiah, this Jesus meant an end to all he stood for if he let it go unchallenged.

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Galatians 1:10-12

Paul has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet.  He makes it very clear here that one cannot seek to the favor of God while at the same time seek to please men.  The Gospel he is preaching is a direct revelation from Christ and not the product of the thinking or teaching of any man.  The implication is that this same revelation is not only available to each of us, but mandatory if we would want to understand the Gospel and successfully follow Christ.

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Galatians 1:1-5

The book of Galatians in the Bible is actually a letter from Paul to the churches in Galatia. In his salutation, Paul refers to himself as an “apostle–sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.” The term “apostle” means “one sent forth.” It was a term most often applied in the Bible to the leaders of the church. Just as Jesus called and sent out His 12 disciples, He also called and sent out Paul (see Acts 9:1-31).

Most of the letters in the New Testament of the Bible are attributed to Paul. In these letters, Paul has a penchant for opening with a salutation containing key concepts and themes discussed in the remainder of the letter. In his salutation to the Galatians, Paul reminds his readers that Jesus “gave himself for our sins,” and that God the Father “raised him from the dead.” All this was done “to rescue us from the present evil age.” These statements provide the foundation and framework for what Paul has to say to the churches in Galatia. Their religious practices are not working because they have forgotten that everything must start with Jesus’ sacrificial death and God’s resurrection power.

As a missionary sent by God to the churces in Galatia, Paul wanted them to know that religion without Christ at the center does not rescue anyone from the present evil age.

While running on a trail the other day, I noticed that someone had used sidewalk chalk to write numerous messages to his teammates. Every 200 yards or so was a new message like, “Go team!” and “Lincoln, here we come!” They were obviously training for the Lincoln Marathon and also raising pledges for cancer research. One of the messages read, “You are saving lives!” As I was running the thought struck me, “No, they’re not saving lives; they’re only extending lives.” A terrific cause to be sure, but not one that truly saves lives.

In the same way, many of our religious activities can be based on goodwill and kind motives. But religious activites alone will never rescue anybody. The only way to find salvation is by trusting in the death of Jesus for the sins of the world and receiving His boundless forgiveness, and by believing in the resurrection of Christ and receiving the hope of eternal life with Him.

Questions:

1. What are some of the religious practices in which you have participated (i.e. communion, worship, prayer, sacrifices, meditation)?
2. In what ways have you found yourself simply going through the motions?
3. Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection? If not, what is keeping you from doing so?

If you would like to receive God’s forgiveness and the hope of eternal life, put your faith in Jesus today and invite Him to be the Lord and Leader of your life (see Romans 10:9). This prayer may help you express your faith to God: “Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner in need of your salvation. I need your forgiveness. I believe in Jesus Christ–His sacrifice for my sins and His resurrection. Please become the Lord of my life. Fill me with Your Spirit and empower me to live my life for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you have recently accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please let our pastors know. You can send a message to us at info@flatlandchurch.com. Feel free to include any questions you may have. We’d love to hear from you!