The end of Galatians 2 is one of my favourite passages of the Bible.
Paul is writing to the church of Galatia to urge them to resist giving into the temptations of following certain ritual laws that some other teachers are telling them they need to follow in order to call themselves a church.
Paul tells them it’s not about the laws of the “works” they do, because if all it took to call yourself saved was to be able to follow some rules, then there’s no need for Jesus Christ!
Jesus came to build relationships. He came to draw people to God and show them God’s love. He also showed us how to share that love with others, helping them be drawn to God also. If it was about following rules around rituals, then Jesus’s death and resurrection are meaningless.
I asked in church yesterday what our “rules” might be today. What are the things which keep us from being the church Christ is leading us to be? Are we following the urging of the Spirit, or are we expecting people to conform to what we have already established?
Let us be one in Christ. Let us respond to the love of God by building relationships with the people around us. Let us not be examples of the church, but examples of Christ. It is through him we come to know our Father in heaven.
Robin Mark performs a song to these verses of scripture, written by Steve Merkel and Wes Tuttle, called “I Have Been Crucified With Christ”. Enjoy…