Galatians 1:6 – “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,”
Someone kept asking, “Don’t you ever get tired of teaching on grace?” My response was “no,” because every other doctrine in the Christian faith is built upon and related to God’s sovereign grace. Grace is something that is charming and beautiful. Once you have come under the strong grip of God’s saving grace you can never be the same person again. And neither can you ever be a base ingrate, either.
The apostle Paul was “dumbfounded,” absolutely astonished, that there were people who professed faith in Christ who were turning to a counterfeit gospel. They were “so quickly deserting Him who called them by the grace of Christ for a different gospel” They were turning to a teaching and philosophy that was “no gospel at all” (v. 7). They were changing their minds and deserting the message of grace in Christ.
It is a strong word Paul uses meaning to desert or revolt in the military. Grace and works are mutually exclusive possibilities in regard to salvation. Either we are saved by God’s grace alone or we are trying unsuccessfully to save ourselves by our own works. There are no other possibilities. However, God has created us precisely “to do good works” as a result of being saved by grace alone. God prepared these works in advance for us to do.
It’s a brand new day! Keep enjoying Kharis!
Pastor Josh Laryea