Thursday, July 10th
Read: Galatians 5:7-12
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves.
Spend a few minutes discussing questions you have about the passage. Here are a few to get you started:
What do you think it means when Paul says “you were running a good race?”
Who cuts in and keeps us from disobeying the truth?
What will the penalty be for those who throw you into confusion?
Does it ever feel like there is an opposition against you, as you seek Christ more and more? Well, there most likely is! His name is Satan, and he comes to kill, destroy, and pervert everything good that comes from God. Satan is an enemy of God, and has devoted his existence to luring people into what separates them from God— sin. Satan tempts us to sin because he is fearful of the power that lives within us. As believers in Christ, we are the stronger opposition to Satan, and are therefore a threat to his plans. There are all sorts of methods that Satan uses to try to mess up our relationship with God. He may use other humans, circumstances in our lives, or spiritual walls to block us from God. Satan can even cause people to misunderstand, or miss the truths, in Scripture.
Galatians 5:7-12 agrees that there is an opposition trying to persuade people to disobey the truth. The beginning of this passage celebrates the fact that the church in
This constant battle can seem heavy and overbearing, but there is hope. Galatians 3:10 says that Paul is confident that God’s people will not fall to the temptations of the evil one. This is good to know! Paul also goes on to say that those who are causing confusion within God’s people will pay a penalty. This penalty refers to the judgment of God. This is not a penalty we are to issue, but to leave up to God.
In this passage, Paul, recognizes the struggles often faced in being a believer. In this case, the message that circumcision of the heart was needed, not circumcision of the body, was a new idea that many believers found hard to accept. Paul spent multiple days in jail because of this truth. There was a definite opposition against him. Satan caused many to be blind to the truth that God gave to Paul, and made it difficult to continue ministry. Does this mean that our lives as Christians are going to be a never ending battle? Yes and no! Satan will always try and tempt us to sin, but as we grow in relationship with Christ, He will make us strong. God will teach us to resist the evil one by changing our hearts to hate sin. There will always be opposition, but God promises that He will never allow His people to be tempted beyond what they can bear. This is a good truth to live by and understand. The devil is miniscule compared to God, and although we are mere humans, we have authority over him as well.
Process:
– Is it normal that there is spiritual opposition to us knowing, and living like Christ? As believers in Jesus— do we authority over Satan? Can Satan pervert the words of the Bible?