What Matters

Often we spend out days wondering if we are doing what matters. Our time and energy is spent trying to discern things like who to date or whether to take a particular job. These things are certainly quite important and need careful discernment.

Then there’s a whole host of questions we ask that tend to be more moral or religious in nature: How much money should I give? Is it okay to drink as much as I do? How often should I go to church? Is God satisfied with my marital status? These are the sorts of questions that Paul is addressing in the book of Galatians.

Part of the reason that Paul addresses these issues is that they so easily tap into some deep seated assumptions about being good enough, or at least not being ‘bad’ (whatever that is). Over and over in Galatians Paul comes back to the basics, reminding the people there that religious rituals and even morals are not what maters most.

One of the questions that the Galatians obsessed over was the religious rite of circumcision for boys - which held a major place in the Hebrew Scriptures. (In Genesis 17 it is spoke of as ‘an everlasting covenant’ - definitely a big deal). But Paul tries to reorient the Galatians to who Christ is and what the ultimate purpose of all religious and moral actions.

These two verses summarize Paul’s thoughts. Read them through and see if you can put something in your life in place of ‘circumcision.’ Then read it out loud to yourself with the substituted word.

• 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

• Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. - Galatians 6:15

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