No Need for Circumcision

Galatians 2:15-16 (NIV) -

"We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

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Hey everyone! I know it's been a little while - I've had some internal stuff to deal with and didn't want to be posting anything while I was still struggling with that. But God by His great grace has been working in me, and I'm now back with a fresh word!

While reading through Acts 15 in preparation for some study today, God led me into an incredible revelation. Acts 15 talks about the Judaizers, a group of people who taught that in order to be saved, you needed to not only believe in Jesus but be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law. In other words, become a Jew. It is about this situation that Paul is writing to the Galatians when he says the words of our passage today. Fortunately, the leaders of the early church realised that these things aren't necessary to our salvation. So why is this such an important truth?

Think about it for a moment. If we could be saved by obeying the law, we would no longer need Jesus.

In fact, we would 'perfect'. By being able to fulfil the Law, we would no longer need to rely on God's grace and mercy, meaning we wouldn't need to have a relationship with Him. And that, my friends, is one of the most dangerous places you can ever be. You see, when we think we don't need God, we put ourselves in a hell of our own making, separated from the only true source of life in existence by a wall that we have raised - a wall of pride, accomplishment, and ability.

What this means, then, is that our failures lead us to realise how much we need God's grace. That's why Paul is able to say so confidently in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

God's gift of salvation is free to everyone, and those who receive it are made into a, "new creation." (2 Cor 5:17 NIV) From that point on, we are cleansed and forgiven of all sin - whether past, present, or future - and told by Jesus to "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11 NIV) God gives us ability by His grace to become more like Him each day, but so long as we still live in this world we will never be completely out of sin's reach. We will stumble, we will fall, we will make mistakes. Sometimes, we might even intentionally turn away for a time.

The incredible thing is, when we do relapse and slip, it doesn't have to be a cause for despair and shame. Yes, it should be a time of, "Godly sorrow [that] brings repentance." (2 Cor 7:10 NIV) But our mistakes remind us of how much we need God, and they also remind us that our sin, despair, death, and shame have already been eradicated by Jesus on the cross! So then, our stumbles (once repented) are a blessing and an opportunity to praise God because He has already made us clean and given us new grace to try again.

If our failures are a cause for celebration, how much more should we rejoice when God gives us grace to resist temptation and submit ourselves to Him! Not only has God completely cleared our ledger, but He is now helping us to become more and more like Him every day.

This revelation is something that has been born out of several weeks of trying, failing, and getting frustrated with myself for being seemingly incapable of getting things right. But that's the incredible, liberating power of the cross. Jesus died for us because we literally cannot get it right. Not all the time, at least. By making Him our Lord and Saviour, we not only receive grace to live a life according to His glorious purpose, but we are also set free from the confines of a law which brought death. All that is left is to love God and return to Him in repentance and submission. As long as you keep doing that, He will continue leading you by His grace, and you might be surprised to find the moment that everything changes.

I hope that this thought is as freeing for some of you as it has been for me. I look forward to getting back into these posts - I've been really missing them, but I take the responsibility of teaching seriously and didn't want to be sharing anything that wasn't going to be backed up by my own life.