Pursuing Perfection

Week 7

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:1-13 NLT

Why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Paul was most certainly talking to the Galatians, somewhat rhetorically, as he challenged them to consider the state of their faith. But isn’t he also speaking to us? It could be easy to miss this message, since it is nestled in the middle of the book, dense with spiritual issues that may seem irrelevant. We could easily think, “Oh, that’s theeeiiirrr problem. Those silly Galatians. Now what were they thinking? Paul must surely be overreacting.” Oh no. Paul was not overreacting AND it is very much a relevant issue facing the body of believers today.

Think back to Paul’s convicting statement at the end of chapter two, “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” (Galatians 2:28). Now look at the question from this passage, “Why are you trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” Do you see the connection?

Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the only means to having a right relationship with God and guarantee of spending eternity in heaven. Yet under the influences of Judaizers, the Galatians were forsaking this great gift, trying to earn God’s approval and their salvation.

Does this not apply to us today? I certainly think so. Our culture places great value on what we accomplish, and modern Christianity often adapts that philosophy with a religious twist. We get caught in the cycle of serving and doing in order to earn approval from God and onlookers. We also pursue perfection in our spiritual disciplines, forsaking our relationship with God.

Many folks honestly think they are good enough just the way they are. I, personally, have never had this problem. My issue was that I didn’t believe I was good enough to get into heaven on my own merit. But many people come from really good situations with great self-esteem. They have lived a morally A-okay life and can’t ever imagine God not keeping a place for them in heaven. It is a subtle, but warped theology, that sounds like this: “Well, I haven’t ever murdered anyone. I do my best to keep the Ten Commandments. Oh, well, I’m a really good and kind person, even though…”. If we are all just good enough the way we are, which implies that God accepts us without hesitation, then why would Jesus have to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins? His sins were not the problem. He had none. We do. That means that none of us are okay just the way we are. We all need a Savior. As Paul writes, “…Christ has rescued us from the curse…when he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” (v. 11-13)

Our righteousness is not determined by our worthiness in God’s eyes. We cannot make ourselves right enough for God to accept us and guarantee us a place with Him in heaven. Yes, God loves us. That’s why He gave up Jesus for us (John 3:16). We are His children, but through faith we are called His heirs. The Word is clear. There is only one way to be right with God, and that is by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Galatians were quick to forsake that truth and try their hand at law-keeping instead. How about us? Or are we wise enough to learn from their mistake?

Heavenly Father, this is so much to take in…that you would be willing to give up your own prized son so that the rest of us could be with you eternally. O, Lord, I pray your spirit of truth would open our eyes and hearts and minds to fully understand your amazing love and extravagant grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Faith Walking

• Why do you think the Galatians were trying to live by the law?
• What does it mean to be right with God through faith in Jesus?
• Read Hebrews 11, known as the Hall of Faith. In your Bible, write in your name after the last verse of the chapter.

The Next Step

Take some time to reread this passage. Pray for the Lord to speak to you personally. Ask God to show you in detail this week the ways in which you have been trying to earn your salvation instead of receiving it. Then commit to living by faith in those particular areas. Be willing to let go of old habits and let Jesus shake up your life a bit!

Faith Walking Challengers…
How are you doing this week? What have you been able to praise God for? Be sure to leave a comment or a link to your blog post to let us know, so that we can keep praying for you.

Galatians Devotional 7 in Word

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© 2007 All rights reserved by Elisa Pulliam.

This devotional is downloadable and printable for your personal use. However, it may not be reprinted for distribution with out permission from Elisa Pulliam. You may contact her at extragrace (at) gmail (.) com.

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