Grace, Not Law
(Day 8 – 26 Feb 2026)
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6
The Galatian church, made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers, was being divided by Judaistic teachings that insisted on adherence to the Mosaic Law and claimed that circumcision was necessary for salvation. This stood in direct opposition to Paul’s teaching of justification by faith and grace through Jesus Christ.
Paul had already made this clear in Galatians 2:16: “A person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” To insist that obedience to the law — including circumcision — is required to earn salvation contradicts the very heart of the Christian gospel. Scripture teaches that by His grace, Christ paid the full price for our sins through His death on the cross, once and for all, so that we might receive eternal life.
To add legalistic requirements to salvation is, in effect, to say that Christ’s death was not sufficient — that we must contribute our own efforts to complete what He has done. Such thinking diminishes the cross and undermines the grace of God. It is no wonder that Paul was deeply distressed and upset (Galatians 5:7, 12).
Paul therefore urges the believers not to turn back: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free… do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Why return to the bondage of the law when Christ has already secured our freedom? God does not desire that we fall away from His grace.
As believers, we are free from the law’s condemnation.
Yet this freedom is not a license to indulge the sinful nature. Instead, Paul calls us to live by the Spirit and to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). True freedom expresses itself not in self-indulgence, but in loving service and unity with one another.
As we enter the season of Lent, let us examine our hearts. Are there beliefs or practices in our lives that subtly shift our trust away from Christ’s finished work? Are we relying on outward performance rather than inward faith?
Kenneth Kwok🙏✝️
Westjoy Cell