This week we begin a new morning series in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
This is one of Paul’s strongest worded letters for there was a lot at stake. People were undermining the sufficiency of belief in Christ alone for salvation, they were teaching that following Old Testament laws and practices (like circumcision) were necessary to be a good Christian.
Paul said no, people were going back to living “in the flesh” as opposed to living in the Spirit. The essence of Christianity is not living under the law but by trusting in Christ and depending on the Holy Spirit and God’s word to lead us.
It is easy for us to veer into legalism by adding on requirements to faith that actually subtract from the gospel. In this series we will look at the essentials of the gospel, we will explore legalism old and new, and we will see how we can subtly impose our own cultural expectations on people which actually detract from living out the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit today.