“But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.” Galatians 5:11
April 24, 2023
It was Jesus who said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (Jn. 15:18). Are you a child of grace? If you are, expect to be growled at by enemies of the cross. To be a child of grace you will have placed the full weight of faith in Christ alone to save you. Baptism won’t do this, or church membership, giving to charities, believing a doctrinal statement, doing any amount of good deeds, being anti-racist, being tolerant of all religions. Different teachings abound as to how to go to heaven when you die. Expect persecution for believing there is only one way to be saved and that is by trusting in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The apostle Paul was an early champion of grace alone. He was a target of hostility by those who insisted that Jewish rituals, like circumcision, could earn oneself acceptance by God. Grace strips away any pretense of spiritual achievement. The message of the cross is offensive to those who think that God helps those who help themselves. Like Paul, you can tell a lot about anyone by the kind of enemies they have. The Jewish rite of male circumcision is not a major issue as it was in the early church. But to give any sinner the news that he or she cannot save themselves is not just a dead end street, it is a road paved with good intentions that leads to eternal judgment. If you are persecuted for believing like this, count it a privilege.
H
“It is to be reaffirmed that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.” Adapted from The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.