Galatians 5:2 (NLT) – Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. 

There are a number of passages in the Bible that people just seem to ignore, or gloss over.  This doesn’t happen because they don’t understand the passage, but because they don’t think it applies to them.  Today’s reading is one such example.  At first glance this passage seems to be all about circumcision.  Not at all!  In this passage Paul is writing to a church that was putting an emphasis on circumcision, and other Jewish laws, as well.  They were doing this in an effort to earn God’s favor.  The spiritual application, however, is very pertinent to our lives. 

Basically, this passage boils down to the question: Are we trying to earn God’s grace?  The Galatians believed that they could make God happy by adhering to the Jewish law.  Paul makes it clear that Jesus is the one who makes us right with God, and nothing else!  We can certainly apply this to our own lives.  Do we seek to make God happy by going to church, by helping out at church, by going on a mission trip?  These things, and anything else, are not what makes us right with God.  It’s only Jesus.

Then why do those things?  Paul tells us in verse six – The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  We worship because we love God.  We serve others because we love God.  Our faith in Jesus is expressed through loving action.  Paul and James really aren’t so different!  James says: “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” (James 2:26).  Paul says that faith should express itself in love.  I do not see how either contradicts the other.  Faith produces an action.  Each of us may express our faith in different ways, but faith should be expressed! 

Let’s express our faith in Jesus Christ today in loving ways! 

Posted by Ramón Torres