Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all….. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1-6 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)
These verses contrast the freedom and salvation of the Lord Jesus with the bondage and lostness of religion and human effort. The people that Paul is writing to had formerly tried to save themselves by keeping the commandments and traditions of the Jewish Law — circumcision, avoiding certain foods, not touching certain things, etc. The Law had been given by God to lead the Jewish people to Jesus and real salvation. After Jesus had come to earth there was no more need for the Law. Salvation was now in Jesus, not in the Law of Moses.
And yet, many were tied to traditions and laws, and were convinced that they could save themselves by following the Law. They didn’t believe that Jesus alone was the way of salvation. In their opinion it was: Jesus + the Law + Tradition = Salvation. But Paul the apostle insisted that the truth is: Jesus + 0 = Salvation. Anything other than Jesus leads to bondage and a loss of the freedom we have in Him. What God wants is genuine faith in Jesus that manifests itself in obedience and following Him.
These people were in danger of deserting Jesus and going back to their old ways. Paul said plainly that if they start trusting in obedience to the Law for salvation, they would be separated from the Lord Jesus and would end up lost. Jesus is the One and Only Savior. Obedient faith in Him is what saves. We cannot save ourselves by obedience to the Law or by good works. No religion can save you — only the Lord Jesus can.
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