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Monday Morning Blog - July 14, 2014

FREE OF RELIGIOUS RITUALISM - Galatians 5:2-4


Paul speaks of the shackles of the "Law" when he refers to the Jewish Religious Ritual (and Requirement ... before Christ came) of circumcision. He does so to compare the Law with Grace. Essentially the Law was a bondage ... a burden; because no one could keep it acceptably. One could try but any failure caused the whole thing to be labeled "FAILURE". 

God provided freedom from the bounds of the law in Jesus Christ (who, by the way, is the only one who kept the Law perfectly, being impeccable Himself - without sin). Freedom in Christ Jesus erases all facets of bondage included religiousness! The words Paul wrote, he wrote from the Holy Spirit who used Paul's own experience as a Hebrew and Jewish Leader. See what he says in verses 2-4. (NIV) 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 

 God's design was that the law was good and necessary in pointing all mankind to their need for the "Perfect One", Jesus Christ. No one but Christ himself ever kept the Law fully. He became our substitute for fulfilling the Law - so in reality ... Christ is better! Christ via "Grace" broke the demands of the Law. Exodus 20 shows the demands of the Law (10 Commandments) while Ephesians 2 display the marvel of Grace ( 8 "for by grace you've been saved through faith ... it is the gift of God")!

 There is provided for all a Grace Liberation! And it's a Grace Freedom Reality! Jesus Himself is that Grace Reality that sets man free. God's blueprint for setting man free is GRACE. God's pattern for man's freedom from the Law is GRACE. God's plan for releasing man fro shackles of sin is GRACE. GRACE FREEDOM REALITY is in the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Freedom comes gift-wrapped to you from the Almighty in a Five-Letter Word: G-R-A-C-E!





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