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READ   Galatians 4:28-29   28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.     Paul stressed that the believers in Galatia were children of promise as Isaac was. They were saved by grace through faith. Those who thought one could become right with God by kee

READ   Galatians 4:30-31   30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.     Paul wrote that believers in the law would never inherit what the believers in Jesus would. In this parallel, believers are children of the free woman. The law was given

READ   Galatians 5:1-4   1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with

READ   Galatians 5:5-6   5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.     Paul reminded his readers that if they had trusted in Christ by faith, then what they had done or not done concerning a command of the law was not important. A legalist is one wh

READ   Galatians 5:7-10   7 You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. 9 This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! 10 I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.     Those who had been called to freedom from the law had become

READ   Galatians 5:11-12   11 Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. 12 I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.     Paul was being persecuted and that indicated he was preaching a message of grace rather than one of law-keeping

READ   Galatians 5:13-15   13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.     Some people erroneously think that if salvation is by grace a per

Galatians 5:16-18   16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under ob

READ   Galatians 5:19-21   19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.     Jesus said you would know

READ   Galatians 5:22-23   22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!     Galatians 5:19-21 lists the characteristics of unbelievers. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the characteristics of believers. Remember, you will know them by their fruit. Because the word “fruit” is singular, some think it refers to “love” and the others flow

READ   Galatians 5:24-26   24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.     Paul used the expression of something nailed to the cross to tell the Galatians to do so with their sinful nature’s passions an

READ   Galatians 6:1-3   1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.     Paul urged spiritual believers to help other b

READ   Galatians 6:4-6   4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.     Paul continued to warn believers about not comparing themselves to other believers. Each person should try to be his or her best for Je

READ   Galatians 6:7-8   7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.     Paul stressed that the way one lives will be evident later. It is important for people to realize the way they live will have consequences. Choices in life hav

READ   Galatians 6:9-10   9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.     Many Christ-followers are weary. It takes physical energy to have a spiritual ministry. Paul encouraged them to keep on with their good work. Note this should be done for everyone but especially for fe

READ   Galatians 6:11   11 NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING.      The New Living Translation capitalizes all of these words to emphasize Paul’s point. Not all translations do this. The statement is also what gives more evidence to some who believe that Paul had eye problems. They join this with what Paul wrote in Galatians 4:15. The letter was dictated to a secretary and then Paul signed this one in his own large handwriting

READ   Galatians 6:12-13   12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.     Paul wrote that those wanting the Galatians to add law keeping to believing in Jesus for salvation

READ   Galatians 6:14   14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.      The only thing that Paul would boast about was what Jesus accomplished when He died on the cross. Although the cross is thought of as putting one to death, Paul said it also put to death his interest in the world and the world’s interest in him. 

READ   Galatians 6:15-16   15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.     For the legalists who have their lists of what they think people ought to do to be considered believers, Paul says those items have nothing to do with one becoming a new creation in God. Paul wrote the similar truth i

READ   Galatians 6:17-18   17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. 18 Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.     Paul referred to the scars he had because of preaching a gospel of grace and not of works. This revealed he truly belonged to Jesus. Read 2 Corinthians 11:16-27 that tells what Paul had experienced. No one should have questioned

A reflection on Romans 12:2 and how to discern whether you're being transformed by God’s truth or simply following cultural groupthink.

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? It's true, and we read about it in the Gospel of John. In the hours before His death, Jesus spent much time on His knees in prayer for those who would be restored to the Father through the death and resurrection of the Son. Find out more about what Jesus prayed for you in this episode.

STEP 1 - RECEIVE (Receive God's Word and Grow in Bible Knowledge) Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? It's true, and we read about it in the Gospel of John. In the hours before His death, Jesus spent much time on His knees in prayer for those who would be restored to the Father through the death and resurrection of the Son. Find out more about what Jesus prayed for you in this episode. STEP 2 - REFLECT (How does this Scripture Apply to your life?) "I'm not good enough." "

Do you ever feel like you're not enough? You're not alone. Karmin leads our prayer today as we ask to be reminded that we are sufficient in Christ.