What makes today a success? When the day’s work is finished, and I’m lying in bed preparing to sleep, and I look back on where I’ve been and what I’ve done, how will I know if the day was a success or not? That’s an important question! Similarly, when I string together the days God has set aside for me on this earth and I look back on my time here, I must have a way to evaluate whether my time here was well-spent.

In a sense, that’s the kind of lens Paul is putting before the Galatians. He may come off as a little dramatic as he pleads with them to reject the circumcision demanded by the Judaizers, but to Paul, that acceptance of circumcision represents a fall away from Grace. The people would be moving squarely into the arena of religion, where they must earn God’s favor with good works and pious checklists. That type of life would sever the people from the work of Christ. After all, He came precisely because that kind of life can’t work. We can do nothing in ourselves to justify us before God. We need a Savior!

That’s why Paul tells the people, “Circumcision or uncircumcision are the same. When you look back at the end of the day, neither will change your standing with God. But faith working through love will.