“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9
With these words, the apostle warns of the effects of doctrinal error. Like a little bit of yeast leavens the entire batch of dough, doctrinal errors — even seemingly small and insignificant errors — affect the entire body of doctrine. Errors in one article of faith affect all articles of faith, and all false and erring teachings are of the devil and used to weaken and destroy faith in Christ.
O God, preserve me from the leaven of false doctrine that I may be preserved in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7
Through the Bible, God calls us to seek Him before it is too late. He calls on us to turn from our evil thoughts and sinful ways to Him for mercy and abundant forgiveness through faith in the atoning sacrifice of His own dear Son, Jesus Christ! Have you heeded God’s call?
Grant to me a penitent heart, O God, and have mercy on me and forgive my sins for the sake of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for the sins of all. Amen.
“You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.” Galatians 5:7-8
The believers in Galatia had been running well, trusting they were acceptable to God through faith alone in Jesus Christ and His cross, but false teachers, not sent by God, were hindering them and turning them away from the truth by saying that the believers needed to be circumcised and obey the worship laws of the Old Testament. We, too, need to be on guard against false teachers who would turn us back to reliance upon works of the law or man-made traditions rather than upon God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.
Grant that I hold fast to the truth and trust solely in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for my salvation. Amen.
“For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” Galatians 5:5-6
The Spirit of God, working through His Word, has given us the sure hope that we are counted righteous by God through faith in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter. What counts is having genuine faith in Christ Jesus, not a dead faith but a faith that also moves us to love God and neighbor.
Thank You, O God, for accepting me and counting me righteous through faith alone in the Son. By Your Spirit, move me to live my life to Your glory and for the good of my neighbor. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:2-4
When people think it is necessary to be circumcised and observe the worship laws of the Old Testament — resting on the Sabbath, observing feast days, abstaining from certain foods — or when they depend on their religious rites and traditions to be acceptable to God, they fall from grace and lose the blessings that Christ won for them because they seek to be acceptable to God by their works under the law. They fail to see that they must keep every demand of God’s law perfectly to be justified by it, and no one but Christ has done so.
Grant that I trust solely in Your perfect righteousness and in Your sacrifice for my sins, O Christ, and not overthrow Your grace by seeking to be counted righteous by my keeping of the law. Amen.
