Today we start Galatians. This book was written by Paul in response to allegations that Jesus did not replace Judaic law, just built on it. That is, the message given to people in Galatia was that belief in Jesus wasn't enough, you also had to follow the Mosaic law to be saved. Paul's letter crossed ethnic and cultural boundaries to let the people know that Christ is sufficient for salvation and by clinging to Christ, our faith will grow.
In Galatians 1:8 we read, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
This reiterates the message at the start, but it also serves as a warning to us. We need to be clear and accurate in what we tell others about Christ, which is why our studying, learning, and church attendance is so important. By growing our faith and knowledge in Christ, we are able to preach the gospel as it is, not "any other gospel". It also serves us to be on the lookout for preaching that is not quite right. Some cults will take the gospel, and make a slight twist to it. To a lay person, it can seem truthful, because there's just enough accuracy to it to seem correct. But deep understanding of God's word protects us from this deceit and we are wise to continue growing our faith by building our relationship with Christ.
Today in Proverbs we read in chapters 19 and 20 and in Proverbs 19:9 we read, "A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish."
This seems appropriate given what we just discussed from Galatians. How would you like to be the one that speaks lies about God's word? Well, this verse in Proverbs indicates that other lies will also cause punishment for us; the ones we might tell just in our day-to-day lives, otherwise known as "little white lies." Maybe they don't hurt others, but we could end up punished. When we tell them to not hurt the feelings of others, it could be better to remember Solomon's counsel to remain quite and thought wise, then to speak up and say something you'll regret.
Proverbs 20:7 tells us, "The righteous man walks in his integrity, His children are blessed after him."
A fitting verse for today that started with keeping to the gospel of Christ and not building on it. Keep our integrity toward Christ, and it will cause us to live our life with integrity and honesty. It will keep us from telling lies or bearing false witness. With a life like this, God will bless our families.
Blessings to all
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