Circumcised. To be or not to be?

Just before half-term we saw in this passage in Galatians how Paul met with church leaders who had put up a barrier to salvation in the form of requiring circumcision. Although circumcision may not be an issue for us in this culture, the principle that Paul was fighting for is still vitally important - that the gospel to be preached and believed is a sufficient and complete gospel, needing no addition or subtraction from us. Paul presented his gospel as God's gift of salvation from our sin for those who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, who confess him as their Saviour and Lord.

But even someone as sure of his faith as Paul could be worn down by pressure and criticism. He needed to come back to the beginning, to trusted friends, to find reassurance for the gospel he had been preaching. Unlike the critics were saying, the Gentiles didn't need to be circumcised or anything else before following Jesus! Although lifestyle is important to an extent, as we live out of gratitude for all that Jesus has done for us and seek to follow Him as Lord, salvation depends entirely 100% on our personal faith in what Jesus accomplished when he died in our place and rose again for us. How we live in response to this is a sign of our true faith, motivated by honouring God, not the means of our salvation.

Paul finds confirmation of this one true gospel. And we can be assured of God's grace when we are preaching and relying on the same gospel that Jesus taught. Your past, present and future ministry is not in vain! No matter how long you have been walking with Jesus or what circumstances you find yourself in, we can trust this gospel good news. Trust in this gospel is never in vain.🙏🏼