Gospel Freedom

It seems like a long time since we have looked at the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians. Galatians is about getting the gospel, right? This church had been planted by Paul. Paul witnessed these Galatians once enslaved to idolatry but freed by the power of the gospel. Yet these young Christians were moving away from faith in a gospel centered on the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus. False teachers had come in and added other requirements to be among the people of God. These false teachers were adding obedience to law, specifically getting circumcised, along with faith in Jesus. Paul had a genuine spiritual concern for this church. He charged them not to submit again to the law as a means of coming to God but to live in freedom that comes from the gospel. In other words, there are two ways to live. One is in the freedom from sin and shame that comes through faith in the gospel. The other way wants to add to the gospel other requirements such as human efforts. This is not simply foolish but according to the apostle, fatal.