What Counts?

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

One of my favorite movies is "Braveheart", starring Mel Gibson, who plays William Wallace, a Scottish warrior.  Gibson leads a Scottish rebellion against England to lead to Scotland to eventual independence. The film is set in the late 13th century.  And my favorite line is when William Wallace shouts as they go into a crucial battle,

"They may take out lives, but they will never take our freedom!"  

Paul is fighting for another kind of freedom.  Some in the church were saying the Gentile converts to Christianity needed to be circumcised as prescribed by Abraham and Moses.  Paul essentially says to the Galatians, "If you go back to the law you have fallen away from the grace that saved you."  Why? If obeying the law could save them then Jesus died for nothing.  

Then Paul says something very important. One of the most important verses in the bible.  He says, "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision has any value.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love!"

Paul is saying something radical and something simple.  The Israelites had hundreds of laws to try and live up to let alone remember.  Paul says in Christ the ONLY thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.  This sums up the whole Christian life and what it means to be a Christian.  First, faith in Jesus that he is the only one who can save you from your sinful nature. Second, living out this faith by loving people the way Jesus loved people.  

As you think about your Christian life do you focus on faith expressing itself in love or something else. If not you might want to focus on it because it is the ONLY THING THAT COUNTS!  Let's make our live count in Jesus' name.