Today’s passage from Galatians illustrates the Holy Spirit’s power in Christ followers’ lives. Written by the apostle Paul to the non-Jewish congregation in Galatia, this letter outlines the importance of pursuing righteousness by faith as opposed to the works of the flesh.
How are believers today at risk of pursuing legalism or lawlessness rather than the love of God just as the church in Galatia did? Why is it essential to live in step with the Holy Spirit’s guidance instead of false doctrines or the whims of our flesh?
Though thousands of years have passed since Paul first penned this writing to believers in the place known today as Turkey, today’s Christians still wrestle in the faith as they did back then—between the belief that we must earn salvation and the tendency to forgo good works altogether. For the Galatians, the issue at play was a mistaken belief that circumcision was necessary upon coming to faith.
Paul discussed how being led by the Holy Spirit in faith is our hope of righteousness; it is not our works that save us, but faith in the work Christ did on our behalf. Even so, good works are the evidence of His power in action within our lives. Christ kept His promise to send the Holy Spirit, and He in turn empowers and enables us to be His witnesses on mission to the world through our words and our actions.
The balance between legalism and lawlessness could never be attained by doing more good things or by avoiding being bad; rather, the steadiness we seek is only found in following the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The proof of our following is the fruitfulness in our lives, as seen in the ways we love God and our neighbors.
As you prepare to teach Galatians 5 to your kids, consider sharing how the Holy Spirit’s guidance has shaped your own spiritual journey. May we all continue to grow in fruitfulness as we yield to the power of the Spirit in our own lives.
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