Text: ...."You started out so well; but what and how did you go wrong?"... Galatians 5:7

Fallen from grace is understood by some and referred to by others as a loss of salvation. On a larger scale it really means to have a change of heart or attitude. Faith in Christ brings about not only justification before God but also growth in the Christian's life until we are completely glorified by God and freed from the presence of sin. This is our true hope of righteousness. We are assured that we will be declared righteous before the Lord on that day because we have a foretaste of that righteousness from the Spirit who lives in us. The Galatians' splendid start in the race of the Christian life had not continued as Paul wanted as they detoured into legalism and out of God's will.

Legalism is SIN and it makes the message of Christ void and of no effect. SIN is pure disobedience to the truth. Do you know anyone who started out well and today you wonder if they are even still in the race? The Galatians had a great start in their Christian walk but false doctrine hindered them. The Judaizers, the legalists, and the false apostles misled them in erroneous teaching that caused them to disobey the truth of God. Their SIN was nothing more than their own self-inflicted-nonsense. These false teachers propagated false teaching to Gentile believers regarding a mandate to be circumcised in order to receive salvation.

Salvation after the cross had nothing to do with the removal of foreskin; it was all about the condition of one's heart. Paul speaking with authority as a true Apostle insisted that to depend on circumcision as a prerequisite for salvation rendered the message, the mission, and the motives of Christ valueless. This ideology declared a gospel of human effort apart from divine grace. It was an intruder and a sinister influence purposely aim to destroy the body. Paul recognized that the devil was attempting to take the gospel of free forgiveness from the Galatians if they permitted it. This was SIN. Satan's legal tactics was an attempt to persuade the Gentiles that circumcision and law keeping should be added to faith. To such the cross was an offense because it proclaimed God's unmerited grace leaving no space for a person's good works.

Satan's methods were demonically inspired, diabolically planned, and deliberately destructive. It was SIN. Paul was so serious about the matter that he suggested that those propagating this message should go beyond mere circumcision but to castrate themselves. His suggestion revealed the Apostle's frustration. The church needs to get frustrated with SIN. We cannot allow the enemy to muddle the clear gospel of God's grace. Paul refers to such heresy as leaven. The natural tendency of leaven is to affect and infect everything it comes in contact with and eventually it will consume its' victim. SIN consumes. Like leaven, SIN is never static it is dynamic. SIN defends itself with lies and by adding more lies it destroys. SIN is like garlic; there is no such thing as a little of it.

At the end of the day, SIN is a matter of the heart. Paul decides to deal with SIN head on. There is only one way to confront the enemy is directly. A coward will never confront SIN if his life is entangled in SIN. The liberty or freedom afforded us via grace is not a right to SIN. A church incapable of dealing with SIN probably has a leader with a tattered life who fears retaliation, rebuttal, and reprisal. SIN will not just go away, it is persistent and will grow if it is not assassinated. A Christian may be tempted to view freedom in Christ as a selfish opportunity to do whatever he or she wants but this is a carnality.

The liberty of the Christian is a freedom to serve others and not Satan. It is a license to love and to aid all humanity. As Christians we do not live under the Law of Moses but under the Law of Christ. Living in Christ empowers us to love others, which is the fulfillment of the law. Carnal Christians that follow sinful desires begin to criticize and contend with one another. This is SIN. Such self-centered behavior is self-defeating and is a matter of the heart. Those who criticize and contend eventually end up consumed by worthless struggles. SIN or Self-Inflicted-Nonsense is a matter of the heart. Wherever a man or woman's heart lies so does their treasures.

The heart is one of the most complex organs in the human body. It is the second greatest component of the human anatomy. It is second only to the brain and any with dysfunction or disruption can render a man decease. What is the condition of your heart. The heart is home of the Spirit of God, the consciousness of man, and the resting-place of the soul. From the heart the mouth speaks. What does your mouth say about your heart? More importantly, what does your heart say about your life.

Are you filled with SIN? Be honest, are you a candidate for a heart transplant. God is expecting us to live with a pure heart. He wants our heart to be at peace that we might hear his voice and be receptive to His spirit. God desires for our heart not to be easily shaken, quickly disturbed, or impulsively shattered. The reverse of the same is the result of SIN. Self-Inflicted-Nonsense is not acceptable and it should not be tolerated. Today, Christ is ready to purge your heart.. will you let Him?

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Amen! Rev. Good Word, and I love that Acronym!

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