SATURDAY January 23, 2021

The Truth of the Gospel

Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Galatians 2:3-5

Judaizers influenced young converts to believe they must be circumcised to become Christians. These immature believers were once in bondage to the world and sin, but now these false teachers wanted to bring them back into bondage to the Law––sad. Is it true a Christian needs to be circumcised to be saved? No! Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ; it is solely by the grace of God.

Paul, Barnabas and Titus, a young man, came to Jerusalem. Titus was a Greek, and he was not circumcised. Judaizers who believed in the Law and circumcision fully expected Titus to yield to their doctrinal views. However, Paul would not allow Titus to be circumcised because it would compromise Paul’s position in preaching the Gospel of grace.

In Jerusalem, Paul went to the direct source of the problem. He came to deflate the thinking of those who had allowed such problems to exist in the Church. At a later time, Paul would confront Peter as he had separated himself from the Gentiles in order to fellowship with the Jews––as stated in the Law. He became sidetracked from the Gospel of grace.

In the book of Hebrews, Paul spoke of those who adhered to keeping the Law of God. In doing so, they had fallen from the grace of God (Hebrews 7:11-23). The Law condemns us; it is the schoolmaster that points out to us our sin. God’s grace is His unmerited favor given to us. The Law says “Do this.” Grace says “Done!” We just have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved!

The purpose of the Bible? Salvation. God’s highest passion is to get His children home. His book, the Bible, describes His plan of salvation. The purpose of the Bible is to proclaim God’s plan and passion to save His children.
~Max Lucado~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!