Freedom — From The Law – Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Galatians 2:5
…to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (ESV)
Several summers ago, I worked as a counselor at a “Christian” camp. Yes, those quotation marks are intentional. The reality is, there was nothing Christian about it. Having staff recite pagan prayers to the elements and using Oprah as spiritual guidance should give enough context to understand why I have since renamed this place “Heresy Camp.” For an entire summer, I was surrounded by people who claimed to follow Jesus, but had in reality exchanged truth for lies.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul has to display strength in order to fend off false teachers. He knows that it is his job to protect and defend the truth of the gospel so that anyone and everyone has a chance to hear about Jesus. We need strength in the church. It helps protect the flock from wolves that want to come in and destroy everything. But we cannot stand with strength in the truth when our minds have not been saturated with it.
In our world today, we are surrounded by people who are seeking to dismantle and dismember the truth right in front of us. They do this by masking their evil actions with words like “love thy neighbor” and “care for the least of these.” And don’t get me wrong, we absolutely should love our neighbors and care for others. But there are politicians, pastors, and peers who are sowing lies to the detriment of the gospel. Half-truths are still lies. There is a battle going on meant to distract and entrap you, and the only way to avoid being trapped is to be armed with the truth.
Romans 16:17-18 says, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (NIV).
We should be taking everything we hear and weighing it against God’s Word. Whether it's the news, a podcast, or a sermon, all of it should be held up to scripture and examined. The best way to defend against false teaching is to know the truth.
That summer at Heresy Camp, I was told by my boss (claiming intellectual superiority because of her “seminary” degree) that we simply read the bible differently. That she had been to school and had been shown “new truths” that I just didn’t understand. Friend, there is no such thing as “new truth.” There is simply the Truth, and His name is Jesus. The gospel does not change, and we must fight to protect it.
APPLICATION
Scott challenged us on Sunday that to grow in strength requires us to “saturate our minds with Truth.” The best way to do that is to study God’s Word! Jump in a group at southland.church/groups and link arms with us as we work to become a resilient church.
PRAYER
Pray for your one more today. Ask God to open up an opportunity to introduce them to the truth of Jesus.