The Big Read – Galatians

Powerpoint Pictures: Brownie; Professional Footballer; Fireman; Mensa Logo; Shredded Cheese

Think for a moment about how you become different things.

How do you become a Brownie? [You need to be a girl between the ages of 7 and 10; you need to pay membership fee and termly subscription].

How do you become a Professional Footballer? [Be good at football; spotted by a talent scout of a club; be offered money to play football].

How do you become a Fireman? [Pass various tests – medical, eye, psychological, physical plus an interview].

How do you become a member of Mensa? [Your IQ needs to be in the top 2% of the population; Pass a test to prove it].

How do you become an expert in shredded cheese? [Love cheese; Hard work, focus, dedication on the subject of shredded cheese].

How do you become a Christian?  That was the question Paul answers in the book of Galatians.

In the churches in Galatia, there were some people saying that to become a Christian you needed to trust Jesus and obey the Old Testament law by becoming a Jew.  But they were wrong, and Paul wanted to make sure that the Galatian Christians knew this.

He writes: “So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not be observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

The only way someone will be accepted by God is by trusting in Jesus.  No-one will ever be accepted by God by keeping the law, because no-one could ever do this.  Now because the way you become a Christian is by faith in Christ, this means that anyone can become a Christian, whoever they are.

So Paul says: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus… There is neither Jew not Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26, 28)

You may not ever be able to be a Brownie or a professional footballer or a member of Mensa, but you can be a Christian if you trust in Jesus.