Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel.”
Paul, In Galatians 1:6
The believing Gentiles in Galatia had been persuaded by some Jewish believers to add to their faith the rituals God gave to Israel by the hand of Moses and David. That’s all. They had not ceased from praying; they had not stopped believing in Jesus as God’s Son; they had not quit reading their Bibles or given up hope of the resurrection from the dead. They had only added to their worship physical circumcision and the ceremonies and holy days contained in the Law Moses gave Israel. That is all.
Upon learning of this, Paul’s judgment was not that the Galatian saints had merely erred but that they had forsaken Christ. The addition of ceremony to the worship of Gentile believers was, to Paul, a matter of supreme importance. You need to know why Paul felt this way. If you do not agree with Paul, or if you do not understand why Paul said that to engage in religious ceremony was to abandon Christ, then you do not understand the most basic elements of the New Testament, and you need to ask Jesus to open your eyes to the brilliant truth Paul taught.