Galatians 3:1-14 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! ² The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? ⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing?-- if it really was for nothing. ⁵ Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? ⁶ Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," ⁷ so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. ⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." ⁹ For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed. ¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law." ¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for "The one who is righteous will live by faith." ¹² But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, "Whoever does the works of the law will live by them." ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-- for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"-- ¹⁴ in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Our human way of thinking suggests that our good deeds will be rewarded. We work hard at our job and expect that we will stay employed and get advancements. Our minds believe that God is like a good boss. But Paul reminds us that if we are to be rewarded by God, we need to be perfect. What is that anyway? Not sometimes or most of the time but to be perfect all the time. Love God perfectly, from your first breath on. Love your neighbor with all the strength you love yourself - even those who are wicked and deserve punishment. THEN, you can live forever in God's presence. Otherwise, you will die.

We know that we will all die. But that is NOT natural. God built us to live forever. Who bewitches us? Our old sinful nature, the world, and Satan make us think our behavior determines our future. On earth, maybe! Before God, never! God seeks only a complete trust in him, a trust that comes when God INSTALLS it. God FIXES us. We believe in Christ's perfection. That is our claim before him. We believe Christ did what we could not do, when he suffered and died our death and gave us his perfect life.

Unless you are perfect (Listen up! Jesus was and is the ONLY One!), you need help before God. And it has come. Before God our mouths will be silenced. Claim Christ's goodness and his death in your stead, or be apart from him forever. Deeds do not open our caskets to life everlasting. We NEED to hear that again and again. We condemn ourselves, our children, family, and friends to be lost forever if we think that we and they do not need to hear it. The Triune God is God for our good. But he is God, not a pal, not a baker or doctor or fireman or adviser to be seen once in a while. He calls for our worship and witness. May we praise him in this Easter season from the depth of our new life! May he move our hearts to love and serve him as our Savior and Lord. NOTHING else matters in eternity than being justified by our faith in His dying for us and rising for us and bringing us to live with him forever instead of apart from him. Be not bewitched by any other foolishness and nonsense, especially what seems reasonable. Satan wants us all to keep God in his place, in the corner for special needs. Death! But we ARE alive in Christ alone, by faith. Life!

In Christ our Lord and Savior,
Pastor Thomas Trapp