Book: Galatians

Join us as we search for the gospel in Galatians.

Think of all the things we give power to define us. Our last name. The accidents of our birth. The community to which we choose to belong. What we do for a living. The Christian story says that, in Christ, and through the gospel, God is calling you to a new identity. It comes with a new name. A new birth. A new community. And a new vocation. This is who you are called to be. This is who you really are.

Where does the gospel lead? What does the gospel create? What develops as a result of the gospel? Can you imagine an advertisement to be “free from weight loss” where the before and after picture looked the same? In the New Testament, the gospel that frees, the gospel that saves, the gospel that redeems leads to freed, saved, redeemed people living free, saved, redeemed lives. It means recognizing not just what we were saved from, but also what we were saved for.

What is your “one thing”? The headline that defines your life. We can probably name some really bad, truly wrong headlines that seem to define life for many people. “Might makes right,” or “All that matters is who wins.” These are counterfeit gospels. But then there are good things. Maybe great things. Even essential things. But if they take top billing in what defines our identity and purpose in life, they are counterfeit gospels.

The gospel is not just a list of beliefs about something that happened 2,000 years ago. It’s the controlling narrative that makes sense of everything that’s ever happened, and everything that will happen. It is the constant flowing river underneath every commandment, every prophetic message, every story of conflict between good and evil, and every hope expressed to God by a people crying out for deliverance.

What do Moses, Jesus, and a servant compelled to go one mile have in common? The willingness to accept the task assigned. This is meekness.

Before God’s Spirit can build us up in the fruit of love, joy, and peace, he must first break us down–whether our problem is the self-assured pride of will-worship, or the careless disregard for how we conduct our lives. God sows the seed, but God also tills the soil. And he can do remarkable things if we will let Him.

God will take your faith that wanes and give you back a faith that sustains. Part of the fruit of the Spirit series.

Part 5 in the “Fruit of the Spirit” series.