“You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.”
Galatians 5:7-12 NLT
Paul understood the dangers in inherent in allowing a bad idea into a sincere path and love for God. The particular thing the Galatians were wrestling with wasn’t just any difficult thing to understand, it was the very thing Paul didn’t understand. It took his Damascus encounter to change all that. But as James writes about how a tiny rudder can steer the ship off course, the “yeast,” of “justification by works,” had led A young Paul to becoming a murderer. Now there were those claiming that he still taught the law above faith. It was a particular perturbance to him. His example teaches us that we cannot treat these slights without prejudice. As Christians, we sometimes believe that we need to be gracious to false narratives, but Paul’s demeanor toward them and their advocates is one of judgement. Where these lies and liars effect the gospel message and mar the work of God in our lives, we must be bold and decisive in our words and deeds. This is something many western Christians lack.
JOSH McGARY. COM 