Today's readings are Psalm 118.10-18, Judges 7.1-23, and Galatians 1.1-24.
We've talked frequently about the distinction between Law and Gospel here. Today's reading from Galatians draws our attention to the issue as Paul chastens the Galatians for their falling away from the grace of God in Christ. The people of Galatia have departed from the Gospel, going into "a different gospel" (v. 6, ESV). Paul points out that this different gospel is no gospel at all. The Galatians have begun trusting on themselves rather than on the Lord who has saved them from their sin.
To believe the Gospel is to believe that God in Christ has earned your salvation, period. You can bring nothing to the table except your shame. The Gospel of Christ prohibits us from any glory, from any pride over doing what is right. It means that we confess that God has done all that is necessary to our salvation. It means that we have no hope in ourselves. As soon as we start trying to earn our salvation or to do anything to keep our salvation we have bound ourselves to the entire weight of the Law. We see we are carrying a crushing load which nobody can manage.
May the Lord guard us from this false gospel and bind us to the true gospel, that salvation is in and through Jesus Christ alone. May he protect us from any ideas that we have merit of any sort. Thanks be to God.
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