#171-G116 ~ Galatians 5:12-13a
I begin with an exhortation for you to share this wonderful gospel–good news message we have concerning what Jesus Christ has done for us and how anyone can accept Him as their Savior and someday end up in a wonderful place called Heaven.
Here I point out that Paul is warning people about falling into some system of works for salvation. Salvation comes to someone only by grace through faith in Christ. In our passage the subject is circumcision. People were trying to say that people couldn’t be saved apart from it. Today, it is other works that tend to be emphasized–being baptized, joining a certain church, and much more. But then it was circumcision that was being emphasized. Like today, people wanted some credit for their works. But no credit is ever provided. It is the work of Christ–His death, burial, and resurrection — HIS work that must be accepted as one’s means of salvation.
In our last session we were looking at Ephesians 2:8-18. There, among other things, we see that salvation, not faith, is a GIFT. We’re GIVEN salvation by grace through faith in Christ. We then looked at Ephesians 2:10, a verse people try to use as a basis for salvation by works. But NO! What this verse is talking about is the works that SHOULD come forth AFTER one has gained salvation. People will even be rewarded in eternity for those good works. But in no way do they contribute to the gaining of one’s salvation in our time. After going on through this passage and down to verse 18, I talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is something a believer doesn’t feel, but it is a real baptism conducted by the Holy Spirit. It is through this DRY baptism [1 Corinthians 12:13] that every believer is placed in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Here it is said that we actually become members of His body, a mystical body made up of others believers of our time with Jesus Christ as its head.
I then go into some comments about the security of our salvation. I hope you’ will watch the video because I approach this important subject in several ways. The bottom line to it all is that once we are saved, we are always saved. That’s not just a Baptist or denominational doctrine; that’s a biblical doctrine we all need to know and believe.
I then conclude our study with a close look at Galatians 5:12 and some introductory comments about verse thirteen. What Paul is actually saying here might surprise some people. Because of this verse no one will ever be able to say Paul didn’t have a sense of humor. The King James Version certainly doesn’t make it clear. So, watch the video and you’ll get the details. I hope you find it helpful. Thank you for tuning in.
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