In this daily Bible reading Paul tells the Galatian Church, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” From what did Christ set us free? He set us free from the bondage to sin and the bondage to religion.
Some Jewish converts were telling the people that Faith in Jesus was not sufficient for their Salvation. The Jewish converts said that they must still adhere to religious rules in order to be saved. Specifically, the Jews were saying that the religious rule of circumcision was essential to Salvation. However, this was not a requirement that Jesus imposed. It was purely a religious requirement.
Religion is man-made. The Word of God is God-made. Therefore, the Word of God is preeminent over religion.
God’s new covenant with mankind is Eternal Life for those who truly believe in Jesus Christ. We must believe in Jesus to gain Eternal Life and be allowed into Heaven. Genuine belief in Jesus is evidenced by obedience to the Word of God in our lives. Therefore, we must obey God’s Commandments.
Jesus summarized God’s commandments as follows: 1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. We don’t need religion to tell us how to do this. We only need the Word of God, the Bible.
