Day 5: A Frustrating Departure

Galatians 1:6  :

I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;

Did you know that there is only one kind of Christianity that God accepts? That’s what this short verse tells us.

Because the Galatians quickly “updated” their form of Christianity, Paul accused them of quickly deserting God Himself. That is a serious accusation and it comes with real condemnation as we see later.

If different forms of “Christianity” don’t lead to God, how could different religions even come close? Yet that’s what some “Christians” believe today. Paul clearly says there is one “good news” of Christianity that you can either accept or reject. In this letter to the Galatians, Paul goes to great lengths to explain a kind of perverted Christianity that is still very common today.

By believing that Christianity can be modified, you actually make up a different religion and desert God in the process. My pastor says that Satan loves religion. In fact he’d be glad to help us make up one!

Notice that subject of grace, or favor of Christ, comes up again here. This was what the Galatians stopped trusting in as a result of their perverted “Christianity.” Paul will go on in this letter, to explain the nature of grace and how making subtle changes to Christianity can can completely destroy it. When Christianity gets an “upgrade,” it is often grace that is left behind as a result. Why would anyone give up God’s favor for their own form of Christianity? It’s easy to see why Paul thought that this was unbelievable!

Day 9: The Children of God

John 1:12-13 : But to all who did receive Him, But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

A Child of God; That’s what you are when you believe. It’s worth concentrating on; you really are a child of God. This is one my favorite things to think about as a Christian. I really am a child of God because I “believe in His name” like it says right here in God’s word.

“Believing in His name” may sound kind of odd, but Jesus’ name actually does have historic meaning. It is actually the same as the Hebrew word, “Joshua”. Joshua was the leader that established Israel in the Promised Land in the Old Testament. Moses was not allowed to go in. It is very interesting that Moses represents the law and Joshua represents Jesus. The law is not able to save us. Only Jesus can.

We need to believe that Jesus will lead us into Heaven. No man on earth can save us. If you think a man will save you other than Jesus, you are not a child of God. If you think anyone else will save you, you are not a child of God. If you don’t think anyone needs to save you, you are not only seriously mistaken, you are not even a child of God. Only Jesus has the ability to make you a child of God. This makes Christianity exclusive. Unlike popular belief today, Christianity doesn’t believe that there are many ways to God or to Heaven. It clearly teaches that Jesus is the only way (John 10:1, John 14:6).

When you are born of God, you are born in a special way (read John 3:3-8). God has given birth to our spirits making us alive like His Son. This was entirely God’s doing. No man had a choice in any part of it. God decided to have you and now you are His child and no one can change that. I find it very comforting that my future depends on God not on myself (John 10:27).