So Soon Removed

Gal 1:6 ¶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Here in this passage, the apostle Paul is writing to the Galatians about removing themselves from the grace of God. He wonders with amazement that they would leave Jesus for something so inferior. Paul had gone to Galatia and preached the good news of Jesus Christ to them, and they believed it and were saved. They had their sins washed away in the blood of the Lord Jesus. They truly had peace with God through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They finally had a relationship with the Living God and had the satisfaction of knowing that they had eternal life. They were free from trying to please God through religious acts and customs. They no longer had to keep the holy days, the feast days, with all it's pomp and ceremony in order to earn favour with God. They were clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and were free from their empty religion that was only an affront to God. They were free from a sacrificial system that only covered their sins temporarily, but didn't remove them. They could now boldly come before the throne of grace because their sin and guilty conscience no longer prevented them. It was all paid for by Jesus Christ. It was finished.

Then some men came in unawares and bewitched them. They told the Galatian Christians that Jesus wasn't enough. They told them that they needed "Jesus plus". They told them that it is a free gift, "but you got to do your part". They told them that they needed to keep the law in order to please God and earn merit and favour with Him. These accursed men told them that Christ's righteousness was insufficient and that they needed to start keeping the holy days and keeping the religious dietary laws so as to please God. These men would have preached holy living, personal righteousness, and lots of practical teaching. No doubt they were the same type of men that Paul writes about to the Corinthians.

2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be TRANSFORMED AS MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; whose end shall be according to their works.

Over and over Paul warns of men that will come into the church, deceiving people and leading them away from the grace of God and away from Jesus. Men that coerce and intimidate people through guilt and fear, preaching holy living while deceptively leading them to resort back to trusting in their own works again. Men that take the people's focus of Christ, the cross and the empty tomb, and lead them after self gain and self merit. Men that lead them back to working for their own salvation. Men that lead them back to eat from the same vile trough of religion that they ate from before. This is a favourite ploy of Satan. He attempts to get people to step out of the grace of God, and start following after the law and there is no salvation there, only condemnation and death. He attempts to get them to stop living by faith, and start living by the works of the law.

Stepping out from the grace of God is forgetting or not focusing on the fact that Jesus died for your sins and supplied all the righteousness needed for us to be presentable to God. The free gift of God is God applying righteousness to our account as a free gift, thereby making us worthy. There is nothing that we can do in God's sight to improve our standing with Him. He does it all, and when we try to do it ourselves, we frustrate the grace of God. If we could get righteous by doing the law, then Christ would have died in vain. There is no greater slap to the face of God then when we turn our back on what He did for us on Calvary, and start doing religious things to try and gain His favour. The only way we can stand blameless in God's sight is on the merit of Jesus Christ. Only by faith that what He did is enough to get us into heaven, can we have eternal life. It's a free gift and when we ignore that, we ignore God's salvation. We essentially are saying to Him, "Yes Lord, I see your free gift but I reject it and will attempt to do in my way". It is saying, "God I'm coming on my own terms, and not on yours".

Paul marvels that they are so soon removed. It is amazing how little it takes someone after being born again and has perceived the love of God, and finally had real joy and peace, to go back to the same position they were in before they got saved. It is so easy it seems, for some people to stop praising and thanking God for their salvation, and resort back to their old mindset of trying to earn God's favor. It is amazing how some people could leave Jesus and the grace of God, for something so worthless.

What it boils down to, is when we leave our fervent zeal for Jesus... If we stop loving Jesus, the next thing you'll know is, someone is offering us a cheap substitute. The truth is, there is nothing better then Jesus. Who or what is better then God in the flesh dying for the sins of the world and resurrecting from the dead to justify us and give us eternal life? What could possibly be better then that?

When men try and give you a substitute for Jesus, whether it be holy living or personal righteousness, don't take it. When someone attempts to lead you the empty trough of religion or toward anything that is not toward Jesus, don't give them the time of day. Don't let anybody tell you that Jesus isn't all you need.