Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Wrap Up

Looking back over these past six weeks in the study of the book of Galatians, what stands out to me is the absolute need within me for the Law.  I need and want to have a concrete set of do’s and don’ts through which I can see the world and guide my behavior; I want to be able to come to God with my list of ‘good works’ to present to Him so that I might please Him.  This way of thinking is so embedded within me that it is difficult to think about the Gospel in any other way, it colors absolutely every aspect of my relationship with God and the world around me.  But I don’t necessarily want to see what a legalist I can be.  The proof of how flawed my thinking is came when faced with Paul’s saying ‘Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial’ (1Corinthians 10:23).  My immediate reaction was one of acceptance of what I already knew, but as I continued to think about it, the ‘Surely not that…’ came.  And the kicker was the immediate desire to run after what my Law had denied me.

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