How are we "new creatures" when we accept the Lord?

The letter to the churches in Galatia focuses on the divisions that Jewish Christians were causing among new Gentile converts. These Judaisers were trying to convince the Gentiles that first, Paul's authority was given by men and not by God, and secondly, that they needed to be circumcised and to keep the ritual law in order to be saved. Paul argues that both Jew and Gentile alike enjoy in Christ complete salvation. Through Christ they can be justified, that is, reckoned right with God, by association with the Promises made to Abraham. Reliance on the Law would only lead to death, and could not produce life-giving freedom, as only Christ could grant that freedom. Paul was showing that all legalistic variations of the Gospel are perversions of it and should be shown as such.

The letter is divided into two sections. The first section outlines the blessings and spiritual riches in Christ; the second section describes the walk in imitation of Christ. The letter illustrates the abundance of spiritual riches that Christ himself received, namely grace, glory, mercy, immortality, and was written to foster the development of Christ-like behavior. By doing so, the believer would learn to walk worthy of his vocation; not as Gentiles, which know not God, but as children of light who show forth love and walk correctly in all aspects of life and action until the return of the Lord Jesus. It is thought that this letter was one of several letters which were circulated to the different churches in Asia and that it was written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28 v 30).

Jesus not only is our motivator, but He is our strength and our energizer. Not only does he move us to want the right things, but he makes it possible for us to do them. He provides the energy that fulfills the desire. It is mental torture to a give a person great desire but then not to give him the ability to fulfill it. That is a certain recipe for frustration. Jesus gives complete fulfillment. He supplies our strength as well as our desire.

The basic application for us today is the total and complete sufficiency of Christ for our lives, our sanctification and our salvation. We must know and understand the Gospel so as not to be lead astray by subtle forms of legalism and heresy. We must be on guard for any deviation that would diminish Jesus as Lord and Savior. Any "religion" that tries to equate themselves using books that supposedly stand on equal authority of the Bible, or combine human efforts in reaching for God's favor or freedom from sin must be avoided. Other religions cannot be combined, mixed in or added to Christianity. Jesus gives us absolute standards of moral conduct. Christianity is, a relationship not a religion. Good deeds, astrology, occultism and horoscopes do not show us God's ways, but Jesus does. His will is revealed in His word, His love letter to you and I, we must get to know it!