Blessed Or Cursed?

“Faith brings the blessing of the Spirit, legalism brings a curse.  We are either living under the blessing or under the curse and there is no third option” – Bruce Adkinson

Week 7 Scripture: Galatians 3:1-14

Paul finishes this section by warning the Galatians that by not following the truth of the Gospel (that Faith in Jesus is enough to obtain right standing with God), they are in danger of living a life that is cursed.  Again, he points them back to what Jesus did on the Cross; he died so that we do not have to live a life under a curse, a life lived by the Law.  Paul essentially tells them that acts of holiness cannot save you. In fact, they separate you from the blessing.  The danger is that the Galatians have found themselves living a cursed life in one of the following two ways: (1) By believing they are saved by works alone, or (2) by believing they are saved by Faith and belief in the Gospel, but have been deceived (or bewitched or hypnotized) by others who claim that saving faith is only evident through good works.  The curse this second group faces is not the loss of their right standing before God, but the loss of their liberty in God’s saving grace and the insecurity they gain about whether or not they have eternal life.

            Acts of holiness, or good works, are not a bad thing.  Don’t get me wrong.  They are wonderful things.  However, holiness and good works are an outpouring of the grace that God has given us, a fruit of our righteous; not a vehicle to righteousness.  Ministry and service, in and of themselves, are not bad things, however our heart while participating is in these good works should constantly be evaluated by us.  When we feel burned out in serving, often times it is because serving has been reduced to a “job” (a means to an end) and not a “joy” (an overflowing of gratitude).

Questions to reflect on:

1)   Has another Christian or the church every made you feel guilty for not participating in Christian service (aka ministry)?  How did you respond?

2)   Have you ever felt burned out from serving others? What did you do to shake off that burned out feeling and renew your joy in serving others?