Paul had found a radically...
Illustration
Paul had found a radically different motive for his life when he made the choice to serve Jesus Christ rather than the rules laid down by human beings. Bruce Kenrick has written about his experience in New York City as part of the ministerial team at the East Harlem Protestant Parish. He says the Moralistic approach to changing people's lives simply would not work in that community. Tell the people not to commit adultery because it is against the Ten Commandments, and they would reply, "The Ten Commandments was a punk movie anyway."
First, says Kenrick, you had to tell people about the grace of God, which meant they were loved and accepted by God, regardless of their moral standards. Only then could the people have a motive strong enough to choose to serve God rather than men. Kenrick tells about a young Puerto Rican boy named Luis. One night, when a gang of teenagers burst into the church hall with a crate of stolen apples, Luis blazed out at them furiously, "You think you're smart. I tell you you're fools! One day you'll do this and the cops'll come. And when they come, they'll shoot. They won't care whether they plug you in the leg or in the heart." The group stood motionless as Luis glared around at them. "And listen, I'll tell you something. You can't believe in God and then go and steal someone's apples. It's wrong! You just can't do it!"
Paul is reminding the Galatians of all they owe Jesus Christ. He knew Christian morality begins, not with a set of rules, but with a knowledge of the Father's love and a sense of obligation to that love to choose the way of Christ over the way of the world.
First, says Kenrick, you had to tell people about the grace of God, which meant they were loved and accepted by God, regardless of their moral standards. Only then could the people have a motive strong enough to choose to serve God rather than men. Kenrick tells about a young Puerto Rican boy named Luis. One night, when a gang of teenagers burst into the church hall with a crate of stolen apples, Luis blazed out at them furiously, "You think you're smart. I tell you you're fools! One day you'll do this and the cops'll come. And when they come, they'll shoot. They won't care whether they plug you in the leg or in the heart." The group stood motionless as Luis glared around at them. "And listen, I'll tell you something. You can't believe in God and then go and steal someone's apples. It's wrong! You just can't do it!"
Paul is reminding the Galatians of all they owe Jesus Christ. He knew Christian morality begins, not with a set of rules, but with a knowledge of the Father's love and a sense of obligation to that love to choose the way of Christ over the way of the world.
