How Foolish Can You Be?

Meditations for Ragamuffins

October 30, 2023

How Foolish Can You Be?

 

Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

Galatians 3:3

Our culture differs greatly from that of the Galatians. Most of the people in our culture do not believe in any gods, much less in the Christian God. Many Christians, while affirming their faith in God, see their faith as a way to a better quality of life, not a way to be in a right relationship with the God of the universe. I believe it is in the DNA of Americans to be proud, rebellious, and self-reliant. When I visited the Museum of Western Expansion in St. Louis, I saw this character trait embodied in a quote from the journal of someone who was a part of a wagon train heading west: ‘We had preceded only a few days travel, when the American character was fully exhibited. All appeared to be determined to govern, but not to be governed.”

However, it was vitally important to the people in the Galatian congregations to be in a right relationship with God. This was not optional to them. It is not hyperbole to say it was a matter of life and death to them. You can sense Paul’s frustration. Paul had proclaimed the Gospel to them, and the Galatian Christians had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They had entered into a right relationship with God by grace, through faith in Jesus. Now the church leaders were backing up and forcing their congregations to keep rules and laws in a desperate attempt to stay in a right relationship with God. Do you remember the third chapter of 2 Corinthians where Paul talked about the veil being removed? The Galatians were putting the veil back up, and Paul was doing his best to get them to remove the veil and live by grace, not work.

Seeking the life in Christ is hard work! On one hand, we rejoice that God loves us, unconditionally, just as we are. On the other hand, we know this marvelous grace of God does not give us a license to keep on sinning. We are called to crucify our flesh with its sinful desires. On one hand, we want to glorify God and live in a manner that others can see Christ in our mortal flesh. On the other hand, the witness of Christ within us comes by grace, not an accumulation of good works. (See 2 Corinthians 4)

My Takeaway: It has been my experience that reaching a balance where our good works are evidence of God’s grace at work in our lives is more of an art than it is a process to be learned. As we seek to release the graceful artist within us, we’ll do well to remember Paul’s admonishment to the Galatians, “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.