Voltaire once famously wrote, “In the beginning God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since.” I’m not often in the habit of citing Voltaire, but in this case he was spot-on. Everywhere I look I see people trying to shape Jesus to look like they look and think like they think, and they distort His Gospel until it barely resembles the clear teaching of Scripture.

When Paul left Galatia, he had laid the foundation for a new Church to build upon. He preached that Jesus is enough. The sacrifice Jesus made for sin is sufficient for all of us. As soon as Paul left, however, Judaizers appeared and started to teach a perverted Gospel: Gentile Christians must convert to Judaism to be redeemed. They must keep the Old Testament law AND accept Christ.  Their arguments were persuasive. Their reasoning appeared righteous. Their impact was immediate. The Galatians lined up for a works-based “gospel.” They liked the idea of earning their salvation.