Grace in Galatians (Part 134): Why Grace Makes Religion Angry

https://youtu.be/aVpPSO0L7g4

Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)

"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."

(Galatians 5:4 TPT)

"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"

(Romans 6:14 ERV)

"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."

(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)

"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."

Scripture we will study today:

(Galatians 5:10-12 TPT)

“Deep in my heart I have confidence that the Lord, who lives in you, will keep you from believing this false message. But the one who is confusing you, whoever he is, will bear the judgment of God. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that we must be circumcised, why would I still be persecuted? If that were the case, the offense of the cross would be abolished. Alas, I wish that those who are disturbing you would not only get circumcised but would castrate themselves!”

(Galatians 5:10-12 ERV)

“I trust in the Lord that you will not believe those different ideas. Someone is confusing you, and he will be punished, whoever he is. Brothers and sisters, I don’t teach that a man must be circumcised. If I did, the Jews would not still be persecuting me. It would not be a problem for them if I preached that the cross of Christ is the only way to be saved. I wish the people who are bothering you would castrate themselves!”

Supporting scriptures:

(1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

(1 Corinthians 1:23 NLT)

“So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.”

(Philippians 3:2-3 NKJV)

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Setting the Stage:

Yesterday, we dealt with the “who” behind the distraction. We learned that toxic influences (people pushing performance-based religion), can cut in on us and hinder our race. Paul made it clear that this persuasion does not come from God.

Today, Paul turns up the heat. In these verses, we see the Apostle’s heart oscillating between his deep love for the church and real anger toward the legalists. First, he expresses confidence in the Galatians, not because they are smart, but because they belong to the Lord. Then, he addresses the “offense of the cross.” Have you ever wondered why the message of grace makes religious people so angry? It’s because the cross is offensive to human pride! The cross says, “You can’t fix yourself.” Finally, Paul uses some of the strongest language in the New Testament (borderline sarcasm), saying that if these legalists are so obsessed with cutting flesh, they should just go all the way and castrate themselves!

This shows us how serious the Gospel of Grace is. It is not something to be trifled with, mixed, or diluted. Paul was willing to be offensive to protect the purity of the message that sets captives free.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. I Have Confidence in You IN THE LORD.

After rebuking the believers in Galatia for turning away, Paul pivots back to encouragement. He says, “Deep in my heart I have confidence… that the Lord… will keep you.” Notice where his confidence lies. It wasn’t in the Galatians’ willpower or their intellect. His confidence was in the Lord’s ability to keep them.

How this applies to you:

— As a leader, a parent, or a friend, there will be times when the people you love start drifting toward error or bad decisions. Your confidence cannot be in their behavior; it must be in the Lord who lives in them. You can express your confidence that the same God who got a hold of you, will get a hold of them.

— Paul knew that if they were truly Born-Again, the Holy Spirit would eventually create an internal conflict with the false teaching. The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice, and eventually, they will reject the voice of a stranger.

— When you see believers struggling with legalism or bad doctrine, pray for them with confidence! Declare, “Lord, I trust You to bring them back to the truth. Your Spirit in them is stronger than the lie they are hearing.”

— You can sleep at night when you realize that God is better at being God than you are. He knows how to keep His children. He knows how to course-correct them.

— This doesn’t mean you stay silent (Paul certainly didn’t!), but it means your correction is wrapped in hope and confidence, not despair.

— God is faithful to finish what He started. If God saved you by grace, He is committed to keeping you by grace, even when you get confused along the way.

— So, lift up your head! If you have loved ones who have been swayed by religion or the world, put your confidence in the Lord. He is able to keep them from falling and to present them faultless!

2. The Cross is Offensive to Human Pride.

Paul asks a rhetorical question: “If I were still preaching that we must be circumcised, why would I still be persecuted?” In other words, if Paul had just added a little bit of Law to his message, the religious Jews would have left him alone. Why? Because the message of “Jesus PLUS my effort” is palatable to human pride. But the message of “Jesus ONLY” is offensive because it leaves us with no credit.

How this applies to you:

— The “offense of the cross” is simply this: The cross declares that you are totally unable to save yourself. That insults the ego!

—  Human nature wants to participate in its own rescue. We want to say, “God did His part, and I did mine.” But grace says, “God did it all, and you just received it.”

— If you start preaching pure grace, get ready for some pushback. Religious people will call you a heretic. They will say you are giving people a “license to sin.” Why? Because you are removing their basis for boasting.

— When you live #TheGraceLife, you are admitting that you are bankrupt without Jesus. That takes humility. Proud people love the Law because the Law gives them a way to measure themselves against others.

— Paul was persecuted because he refused to compromise. He could have made his life easier by preaching a “mixed” gospel, but he chose to suffer for the purity of the truth.

— Don’t try to make the Gospel “cool” or “acceptable” to the world or to religion. Let it offend! It confronts us so it can convert us.

3. God Will Deal With Those Who Confuse You.

Paul doesn’t mince words about the false teachers. He says, “The one who is confusing you… will bear the judgment of God.” And then, in verse 12, he uses shocking irony: “I wish that those who are disturbing you would not only get circumcised but would castrate themselves!” He is saying, “If they think cutting the flesh makes them holy, why stop at the foreskin? Just cut it all off!

How this applies to you:

— God takes it personally when people mess with His children’s freedom. The person who brings confusion and legalism into the Body of Christ will bear God’s judgment.

— You don’t have to fight every battle. God is the Defender of the Gospel. He sees those who are troubling you, and He will deal with them.

— Paul’s extreme language (about castration) teaches us that we should have zero tolerance for legalism.

— The devil uses confusion to stop your momentum. But God is not the author of confusion; He is the author of peace. If a teaching leaves you confused about your standing with God, it is not from God.

— The devil does not want you to know the truth, because when you know the truth, you can spot a lie from a mile away.

— Don’t let the “troublers” steal your peace. Paul says, “Let them cut themselves off!” In other words, let them go their own way, but you stay on the path of grace.

— Your job is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Let God handle the critics, the legalists, and the haters. You just keep running your race, fueled by His grace! I don’t need to defend God, He can do that just fine.

4. Persecution is Proof That You Have Not Compromised.

In verse 11, Paul uses a brilliant logical argument to defend his ministry. He asks, “If I were still preaching that we must be circumcised, why would I still be persecuted?” Do you see what he is doing? He is using the attacks against him as proof of his purity. He is saying, “Look, if I were preaching a mixture of Law and Grace, the religious system would love me! The fact that they are hunting me down proves that I haven’t watered down the message.”

How this applies to you:

— If everyone agrees with your theology, you might have watered it down to make it palatable.

— Seeker-friendly churches today don’t want to offend anyone, so they water down the truth. But the truth offends. Not everyone is going to heaven. Not every person who died was saved. We must hold to the truth, whether people get offended or not.

— Paul could have stopped the persecution instantly by just adding a little bit of Law to his message, but he refused to sell out.

— Persecution is not always a sign that you are doing something wrong; often, it is proof that you are doing something right!

— You must decide if you want the applause of men or the approval of God; you often cannot have both.

— The devil doesn’t waste ammunition on empty targets; if the enemy is attacking your message, it’s because you are a threat to his kingdom.

— If no one is talking about you, you are probably NOT doing or saying anything of significance!

— Wear your scars as badges of honor. Your willingness to be misunderstood for the sake of the Gospel is evidence of your love for Jesus!

That's enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that my confidence is not in my flesh, but in the Lord who lives in me!

I trust You, Lord, to keep me from deception and to lead me into all truth.

I embrace the offense of the cross! I acknowledge that I cannot save myself, and I refuse to take any credit for my salvation.

I strip myself of all pride and boasting. My only boast is in the cross of Jesus Christ!

I reject the praise of men that comes from compromise. I choose the persecution that comes from standing for the truth.

I refuse to be confused by those who peddle a mixture of Law and Grace.

I declare that the Gospel of Grace is the power of God unto salvation, and I am not ashamed of it!

I leave the judgment of false teachers in Your hands, Father. You are the Defender of Your bride.

I run my race with clarity, certainty, and confidence, knowing that it is ALL by Your grace.

I am living the Grace Life, free from the burden of the Law, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!

This is Today's Word. Apply it and prosper!