No Longer I

Paul ends his letter to this community with an encouragement to walk this life out in confidence. Not a confidence in the flesh, but a confidence in the cross of Jesus.

In Galatians 6, the Apostle Paul speaks to something that we all face, everyone gets tired in doing good. His encouragement is to keep going, to not give up on doing what God's called us to do. This message is an encouragement to keep going, and how our focus affects our ability to do that.

Paul's reason for writing the book of Galatians was his heart for a community of people, who were being affecting by others distorting the gospel. The focus of Christ was being replaced with a focus on self. This message is about the beautiful affect of the gospel, to move us beyond ourselves to love and care for others.

Just as important as the content of Paul's letter to the Galatians is the structure of it. He spends the first four chapters encouraging our faith, then the last two chapters addressing the good works that show up because of our faith. It's completely backwards from religion, it's the picture of a life of freedom!

There is so much pressure around us to conform and measure up to some impossible, invisible standard. Christ has come to remove that burden, now we're free to live this life and run this race as the person He's made us to be.

We all want our lives to count, to have purpose, meaning and fulfillment. The Apostle Paul makes a big, bold statement to the church in Galatia, that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Instead of exhausting ourselves trying to measure up to God, we can rest in what He's already done for us.

A conversation about the battle that is happening within the Christian community in Galatia, over what they truly believe. (Galatians 3:1-14)

A conversation about the Apostle Paul's statement: "It's no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-21)

(Galatians 1:6-10) Why do we feel the need to balance grace with something else?

The introduction to our series No Longer I, a journey through the book of Galatians.