Date: 9/1/2009
<br>Author: Devin
<br>Title: Galatians
<br><br> I think somewhere along the way we missed it ..... and I am not exactly sure how we did it.  I mean, its been around for well over 2000 years, so you would think that we would have at the very least accidentally stumbled over it.  I would almost bet that every person that reads this bulletin has a least one copy of it ..... if not ten.  <br><br><br>The book of Galatians is one of the 13 “Pauline” epistles that we know of.  In fact, I suppose it would be more appropriate to call Galatians a letter rather than a book because that's exactly what it is.  Most scholars believe the Apostle Paul penned his thoughts to the people of Galatia somewhere in the late 40's or early 50's AD.  It has been said that this letter is the “Emancipation Proclamation” for the Church.  Written by the confident hand of one who had known slavery, it declares and defines Christian liberty.  Paul wrote it to combat those in the Church who were insisting that it was necessary to follow a law or code in order to be saved.  Many of the early Christians were Jewish Christians who were accustomed to following a law ..... in fact, around 613 of them to be exact.  Though they had accepted the gift of grace offered by Christ on the cross, some were falling away substituting God's gift with man's works.  Paul simply recognized this for what it was ..... legalism.<br><br><br>Now, I may have been a bit tongue and cheek in the first paragraph above, but I think the point still rings true.  Have we all been aware of the letter to the Galatians?  Have we even read some of it and heard sermons preached out of it over the years?  Could many of us identify Galatians as home to the “Fruits of the Spirit”?  I think the answer to all of these questions would be a resounding YES.  Fact of the matter is, many of us have known of the letter to the Galatians since we were small and learned the New Testament books song ..... “First and Second Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians”. (you know the tune)  But, as we all are aware, knowing something and obeying something are two entirely different things.<br><br><br>I must sadly say, I think in times past many of us have been exactly like those early Jewish Christians ..... we believed and obeyed the Gospel, but I'm not sure we really had faith in it.  Many rules and regulations (traditions) have been set in place by man over the course of time as an asterisk (*) or addition to the Gospel of grace and mercy for which Christ Jesus died.  I dare say that many congregations have their own individual “rights and wrongs” that have somehow found their way into matters of salvation and doctrine.  These man-made addendums are then regulated and dispensed as rock solid commandments straight from God.  The problem is, those addendums can't be found anywhere in God's Word.  <br><br><br><br>The foundation of the message of Christ is based solely on love.  Rather than me write it, why don't you turn to Matthew 22:34-40 and read what Jesus had to say about the most important aspect of the life of a person trying to please God.  And remember, he really should be the only one on our “please o-meter”.<br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin<br>