Who Is Leading Astray?

Galatians 5: 7-12

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the Truth? 

They had been doing so well, following what Paul had taught them. But now someone has come in and turned them away from the sufficiency of the Cross, telling them that they need to do something, too. 

This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. 

This opinion is not according to the Lord who called them to Salvation. 

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 

Just one wrong idea can spread through the whole congregation. 

I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; 

Paul knows that the Lord can keep them from falling away, by taking on any view contrary to trusting Jesus Christ to have done all the work of Redemption. 

but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. 

Paul doesn't know who this person is, but no matter what rank of authority he seems to have, he's leading these new Christians away from the pure simplicity of the Gospel that they had believed. 

Jesus said that, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18: 6). This horrific punishment is not as bad as the judgment this person is calling down upon himself for leading these "little ones," new believers, astray.  

But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? 

They're saying that their message is the same as Paul's, yet they still talk him down. 

Then the stumbling block of the Cross has been abolished. 

And if circumcision is necessary, then there didn't need to be a Cross involved at all, and there would be no problems of admitting that we deserve that kind of execution. That's a real "stumbling stone" if there ever was one. 

I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves. 

Now Paul's getting personal! He says that since they are advocating that you cut yourselves, then they should cut themselves, too, all the way! 

He is very upset that these teachers that came from Jerusalem would try to corrupt the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel in order to gain followers for themselves. Paul never promoted himself, he always taught what the Lord had taught him one-on-one when He saved him. 

Paul never even went to Jerusalem to confer with the other Apostles before he went out preaching everywhere, he wanted to be sure he was teaching only God's pure Truth.

And he is still focused on the purity and simplicity of the Cross of Christ, and His Resurrection. Jesus has accomplished and finished all the work of our rescue, without any input from us--at all. 

O my Father, Your Love is so incredible! It is so rich and full and all-encompassing. It is pure and wide and deep. It is so much more that I can ever comprehend, I just can't wrap my mind around its immensity--I'm too small!

Father, You have done everything possible, and even what is impossible, to rescue us from destruction. To Redeem us out of the slave-market and adopt us into Your own family as Your children. 

Father, You have washed us pristine clean, as though we'd never sinned--even though we're still in these flesh bodies and we "miss the mark" every day! You see us as Perfect, so You placed Your own Spirit of Life into our spirits, making them alive. And Your Spirit in us teaches us, and leads us, and guides us. By Him You are re-molding us into the very image of Your Son, growing us up as Your Royal princes and princesses, to prepare us to help You rule all the Universes You plan to create. 

O Father, please protect us from any teaching that would take us away from the beautiful simplicity and purity of Your Plan for each of us. Keep our feet firmly on the Rock, not slipping into any kind of deception at all. 

Dear Father, continue to lead us confidently in the narrow path that is hedged in, so that our every step is following You, our hand in Yours, as we travel each day toward that final victory. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, King of Creation, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever, Amen.

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!