Galatians 3:6 – 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.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. (NLT)

Just yesterday a family member was telling me about a friend of hers.  She said he was a religious man, and that he goes to church, but he believes that we earn points with God by doing good things.  She told me that this man believed that when our life is over, God will count our points and see if we have made the cut! Two things amaze me about such thinking.  First, I am amazed at just how many Christians believe something to this effect.  Secondly, how can anyone who has actually read the Bible believe that we must earn something from God?! 

For centuries the Jewish people lived under the system of the law.  They believed that if they kept the law, then they could make things right with God.  The problem was, no one could keep the law!  Everyone stumbled, everyone slipped up.  Many of the pagan people of that time also had elaborate rituals and sacrifices that they performed in an effort to make their gods happy. When Christianity began to spread, the people called it “Good News” because it was so radically different from anything that anyone had ever heard.  How sad that many Christians still insist on taking the “Good” out of the “Good News”. 

Paul’s letter to the Churches in Galatia was written in response to Christians who were trying to earn points with God by keeping the law.  In verse eleven from the passage above, Paul writes: “So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law.” Consider what Paul says later in this letter: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).  When we try to earn God’s favor, we have put on the yoke of slavery.  There is not much good about that news!

Today, let us celebrate our freedom from the yoke of slavery.  Let us give thanks to God that God loves us so much that we do not have to earn anything.  Thanks be to Jesus Christ that he has made us right with God.  That’s Good News!  That’s Good Stuff! 

Posted by Ramón Torres