Galatians 5:1-6 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Paul is adamant that those who allow themselves to be bound to the law for salvation in one place (circumcision) bind themselves to achieving their own salvation by obedience to every part of the law, including the ceremonial aspects of the law, and even the dietary regulations. The extreme downside is that they will have willingly stepped out of salvation by grace through faith, into the arena of salvation by willpower and human accomplishment.

Unfortunately, since the sacrifice of Jesus had been made, the perfect sin offering once for all, God no longer was willing to accept animal sacrifices for payment of sins. If they were still acceptable, then Jesus’ sacrifice was of no account, and people could still rely on their own possessions and rituals to achieve forgiveness.

Therefore, those who turned away from forgiveness and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone would have no recourse should they break even the smallest commandment. The forgiveness made possible by Jesus would no longer be available to them since they had turned away from Him to a salvation by works, and animal sacrifices wouldn’t be accepted as legal tender to pay their sin debt. Those who decided to turn back to the law were not allowed to keep Jesus in their hip pocket just in case they needed him later, in effect giving first allegiance to the law, but keeping Jesus as a backup. No one is allowed to have any God besides the true God (Exodus 30:3-6), not even the law, nor are Christians allowed to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), even if one of them is the law.

As Paul points out in verses 5-6, true righteousness does not, cannot come through ritual observance of the law. Instead, it comes only through the indwelling Holy Spirit who makes us spiritually alive (Ezekiel 37:11-14), who purifies our hearts by faith (Acts 15:8-9), who empowers us for service and mission (Acts 1:8), and who cleanse us from every other allegiance and move us to follow God’s laws and commandments from the heart (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Father, I’m not sure why we so often tend to do things the hard way, through our own effort and striving, instead of the easy way, through simple faith in what Jesus has already accomplished for us by His death and resurrection, through His ascension and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit into our hearts to purify us and empower us. Maybe it’s because we prefer to keep at least some measure of control over our lives, a subtle idolatry that makes us the real lord of our lives. Thank You for the clear warnings that that way lies death and failure, so that we stay the true course, trusting in Jesus, and only Jesus, for our holiness and our salvation, now and on into the future. Amen.