major scenes from the cutting room floor

The Word for today:
Galatians 5:2-24

Oops! It's been a topsy-turvy week here at Stand in the Rain's world headquarters. Amongst other minor mishaps, we inadvertently published yesterday's article a day early--which makes this article a day late! We apologize.

With only 7 days in Galatians, so much got left on the cutting room floor. So in this, our final Galatians article, we've decided to round up some short statements about big matters that we didn't have enough space to treat at length.

These snippets are presented in no discernible order. We offer them with the hope that you'll encounter a helpful concept or two.

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This is Paul’s fighting epistle. (see 1:8-9; 5:12)
He has no toleration for legalism. In Galatians he takes up controversially (from his heart) what was presented in Romans systematically (from his mind).

Faith plus nothing.
In Galatians, Paul addresses one of the oldest and longest-lasting heresies: adding something to the gospel of grace, saying you must believe, plus. The plus is the heresy.

In no uncertain terms.
If anyone adds anything to the gospel of salvation by faith in Christ, let him be damned…twice.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)

Justification by faith came before the law. (Galatians 3:6; see Genesis 15:6)
Abraham was justified by faith 400 years before Moses, and before God gave him the commandment of circumcision.

BC or AC, Old Testament or New, God has had only one way to salvation—the cross of His Son.
God made the old covenant with Abraham, looking to the cross in the future (Before the Cross).
God makes the new covenant with us, looking back to the cross (After the Cross).
Both the old covenant and the new covenant declare that a man is justified by faith alone.
Don’t let anyone tell you that the Old Testament and the New Testament differ. They are only called ‘Old’ and ‘New’ relative to when they were given—BC or AC.

The preaching of something else added to the gospel makes it palatable to the natural man—like hiding leaven in dough to make it palatable. The "offense of the cross" is that it makes us beggars—we come empty-handed to the cross for a handout. (5:11)

The life of legalism and the life of license won’t work. We are called to a life of liberty in Christ. (5:13)

Walking by the Spirit turns the commands of the Bible into promises, into results:
By the Spirit, “Thou shalt” becomes a promise…
You shall love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

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