Galatians 5-6

Gal 5:19-21 ..Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy;
drunkenness, orgies, and the like;

So, how many did *you* tick off on the above list? If you're like me, the answer is too many (and even one is too many).

Gal 5:22-23 ..Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Well, I miss a few ticks on this list as well. I wish I had the full set, and I'm working towards it slowly...

Paul's message throughout Galatians, and stressed especially in chapters 5 and 6, is that we are saved by Grace. As an excellent Pastor once put it, "grace + NOTHING = salvation". God's grace is all we need, and there's nothing we can do to add to it. There are no levels of salvation; it's binary. Yes or No. On or Off. And once we've accepted it, there's nothing else we need to do. Paul's issue - and the reason he wrote to the churches in Galatia - is that there were Jews out there with a different (and incorrect) perspective. They were claiming that new Christians had to follow Jewish dietary laws, and be circumcised; thereby claiming that salvation was the result of grace plus works. Paul was a Jew - he knew all those rules - but he also understood the basis of his salvation, and he wasn't going to let anyone be led astray by wrong teachings.

By accepting the Holy Spirit into ourselves, we no longer want to do any of the list a the the top of this post, because we're hurting God. But if we do slip, we know that we're covered by Gods grace, and we will be forgiven. It truly is like a parents love for children; you love them for who they are, not for what they do, and no matter how much they hurt you, you never stop loving them.

It's such a simple message that it often gets lost in the theology of the Bible; You want salvation? Just ask! But no - people try to read all sorts of strange pet theories into the Bible; who can forget Eric Von Daniken's 1968 best seller 'Chariots of the Gods', claiming biblical proof that Jesus was a spaceman? There's someone who might be missing out on salvation..

We ourselves often forget to ask. It's like a couple driving to an unfamiliar restaurant. The husband wants to stop and ask for directions, whilst the wife insists that she knows where she is, and it's just around the corner*. They'll get there eventually - we hope - but they'll be hungry, and they'd have gotten there faster if only they'd asked for help. It's just like that with God's salvation.

* Identities changed to protect the innocent. But when we're in the car together, Kat rarely drives...