Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 5:22-26

It is amazing how many laws we have, how many books are written trying to explain the law, and how many books exist showing how the laws have been implemented and why.  There are laws about laws that specify how laws are to be made and enforced.  There seem to be laws that control every aspect of our lives.  And yet there are no laws against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  We are free to do those things all we want.  Perhaps even more amazing is if we lived perfectly according to the fruit of the Spirit, we wouldn’t have to have all those other laws, for no one would do that which is illegal.  We are so enslaved by our sinful natures, we have to make laws against them, and those laws of course enslave us as well.  But the life of the Spirit is one of freedom.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 5:19-21

Lifestyles are an expression of who we are.  Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous was a popular TV show for almost 10 years.  Several shows have followed in those footsteps showing the popularity of this type of voyeurism.  They showed us the lifestyles of those that we might envy and even want to become.  We start comparing our own lifestyle with those of others and wonder how we can become more like them or become glad we are nothing like them.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 5:16-18

Live by the Spirit. We encounter this verse very frequently in our lives.  But how do we determine if want we want do is from the Spirit?  Paul gives us a simple rule to guide us.  The Spirit does what is contrary to our sinful nature.  What this means is that anyone who would follow Christ lives in a conflict between the desires our fleshly and sinful human nature and the desires of the Holy Spirit to lead us in what our Father in Heaven is calling us to.  Each one of us needs to recognize and admit the reality of this struggle.  On the other hand, each of us truly desires to eradicate sin from our lives.  We should not be content to live with sin.  The question is: Can sin be eradicated from our hearts but not from our deeds?  Or can sin be eradicated altogether?  The reality of our experience supports the former.  We are forgiven yet still walk in sin rather than the Spirit.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 5:7-15

Paul has moved into the home stretch in chapter five and he is asking the Galatians to look at their own lives and what the effects of their becoming ‘law-abiding’ Christians have had on their lives and compare what they are doing now with what they were doing before they were ‘cut in on’ as they ran their race of faith.  I see three things in these verses that we need to pay attention to.  The first is that this call to legalism is not the call of the Holy Spirit, the second is that the Cross is an offense, a ‘stumbling block’ (NASB) and the third is that the whole point of this race is to love our neighbors as ourselves.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 5:1-6

The true test of freedom is whether or not we can choose slavery.  If we do not have the ability to choose to pick up and put on that slave collar once again, we are not truly free.  And let’s face it; within us all is that desire and the potential to return to the perceived security of our slavery.  We deceive ourselves into thinking that it really wasn’t that bad and we certainly didn’t have to face the challenges and uncertainties come along with freedom.  The test of our faith comes in those challenges and uncertainties that stir up fear within us.  It is in the fear and uncertainty that we must recognize that it is for this freedom that Christ set us free and we must stand firm and refuse the temptation of going back to that yoke slavery.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 4:28-31

Sometimes we run across a passage in the Bible like today’s reading that leaves you scratching your head.  You wonder why in the world is that in the Bible and why is it included in the daily reading?  What in the world is Paul saying?  Hopefully you are, in fact, asking those questions and more, not only for more cryptic passages but for each and every passage you read in Bible.

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Why Religion Doesn’t Work: Galatians 4:21-27

We often use examples to explain what we mean.  Sometimes we even take them to extremes or stretch the meanings a bit far.  Some people think that Paul is doing the same and goes to extremes in our passage.  He certainly surprises some with his example.

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