Galatians 1. The apostle Paul writes this letter to the churches in Galatia, congregations he either started or ministered to previously in his journeys that were recounted in Acts 9-16. Galatians is the earliest of Paul’s thirteen letters in the New Testament and it deals with the question of a different gospel and some people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ (1:6-7).

The true gospel is that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, that one is accepted by God solely by faith (apart from keeping the laws of Moses), and that faith and participation is open to Gentiles and Jews equally. The distortion of the gospel the Galatian churches were facing was that some were saying Gentile converts needed to become Jewish to be saved. Paul will spend the next six chapters of Galatians saying NO emphatically. “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to this, let him be accursed.” (1:9) The Jerusalem Council also said no in Acts 15, “We believe we [Jews] will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they [Gentiles] will.” (Acts 15:11)

At first glance, all this arguing about who must do what to be saved seems to be a bit much to us. It was a long time ago, and we who live in a post-Reformation world so easily uphold the saved by grace alone doctrine. (Just a reminder, the whole Protestant Reformation drama was also about this argument of who must do what to be saved – so variations of the disagreement did in fact endure for some 1500 years…)

We will follow the theme of saved by grace alone for several chapters in Galatians, so I want shift gears briefly and point out the one verse that jumped out at me today:

“For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? For if I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (1:10)  

That verse is a knife to the heart for me. It’s one or the other – either my highest allegiance is to be doing what is right before God, regardless of how others perceive it; or I am driven to do what makes other people happy and makes me look good. It’s impossible to please both God and all the people, all the time… and look good while doing it. Paul makes it clear, if you are going to be a Christ follower, you must give up pleasing people. Darn it, that is so difficult to do.

So, if you still trying to identify what to give up for Lent – give up pleasing people and trying to look good. Lean in and follow Christ wholeheartedly. Seek the favor of God – not by doing all the extra things, but by having a heart that is wholly His.

What stood out to you in Galatians 1?