No Fine Print

I have been reading and studying Galatians now with my Sunday School Class *The BEST SS class...EVER.. by the way* and one thing that has struck me about the whole situation there in Galatia...

Paul has written this letter to the Galatians for the purpose of addressing an error that had been growing there.  Namely, there was a group of Jewish people who stated to the Christians there that Paul really had the Gospel wrong...and if not entirely incorrect, he was off by a magnitude.  That is, since Jesus was Jewish first, His followers, to be true followers, must first become Jews before they became a Christian. Not only that, not only did they need to become Jews, but they must also follow all the Jewish laws and customs even after they because Jews and followers of Christ.  After all, they reasoned, since Jesus was Jewish, his followers must also be exactly the same.


This was bad news for the Gentile believers.  Now they needed to change in order to express their faith. They needed to change in order for God to accept them. The males needed to become circumcised and both sexes needed to follow the old law and all the food laws and the thousands of other laws and regulations which Jesus himself railed about.  Paul was not about to take this affront to the Gospel that was approved from the Lord Jesus and from the original Apostles in Jerusalem which Paul met with on more than one occasion.

It appears to me that this same problem is cropping itself up in today's church.  I hear many people say that they have the "secret" to being a Christian.  They have a word which could bring enlightenment and peace of mind. They and only they, seem to have a special word from God himself which was given only to them.  It would really benefit you to listen to them to see if they can help you out on your path to enlightenment.

I laugh at that, because truthfully, we have all the knowledge, all the tools, all the information that we need to find salvation.  And as we, who are Christian KNOW, it  is found in no one else but Jesus Christ Himself.  Salvation can only be found through HIM. (John 14:6 for example). Salvation is not a secret...it is a person. The one who died for your sins on the cross.

The Bible is our sole source for truth.  And one thing I KNOW...one thing I have discovered...there is NO FINE PRINT in the BIBLE.  It is straight forward.  It presents God and His plan.  It is the rock upon which I base all my actions for faith and action...for life.  Read it yourself and you will come to the same conclusion.

So if anyone comes up to you, or if you hear and read anything about someone who has a "secret" they want to share with you...beware!  Laugh in their face, turn on your heals and walk away.  Because you know the real 'secret'...God does nothing in shadow or riddles or codes.  He is LIGHT.  He is transparent. What you see...what you know..what you read in the Bible, God's Word...is the TRUTH, the whole TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH. Amen?

Blessings All!

--El