September 19 - Galatians 5:1-12 - The Only Thing that Counts

One of the most controversial moments in Olympic sports history occurred during the Los Angeles Summer Games of 1984. American Mary Decker and Englishwoman, by way of South Africa, Zola Budd were meeting in the 3000m race. Budd was diminutive and meek, but attention-getting in that her South African homeland was banned from the games because of their practice of apartheid. Budd had somehow fast-forwarded her citizenship to qualify as a Brit. She also garnered attention because she was fast; the fastest woman miler in the world at the time of this race. Mary Decker was the darling of American track, breaking world records and winning championships in a variety of distances since she was 12 years old.

Entering the home stretch with just over three laps to go, Zola Budd changed lanes to the inside directly in front of Mary Decker. Decker was hemmed in all around and Budd’s foot made contact with Decker’s thigh. Budd stumbled several steps but regained her footing. Decker stumbled and fell into the infield, injuring her hip. The gold medal would hang around neither Budd nor Decker's neck. But the controversy over whether Zola had intentionally cut Mary off would hang around for decades.

The apostle Paul uses a race analogy in today’s text. He asks, “Who cut you off?” “You were running a good race.” The Galatian Christians had come to faith in Jesus Christ through Paul’s preaching. His exhortation had always been to believe in the Son of God, who took their sins to the cross and satisfied the requirements of the Law by His sinless life and sacrifice. But somehow somebody had run the Galatians off the track of “grace through faith.” They had been diverted to another lane; the lane of religious works toward salvation. Paul reminds them that that lane goes nowhere. No one can adhere to a religion of perfect law-keeping. But by God’s grace, Jesus has fulfilled the Law for us and we stand saved by grace.

 So, does that mean that a religion not based on Law is a religion of license? When Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free,” does he mean free to do whatever we please? ‘After all, we’re only human and Jesus has got us covered.’ ‘We can call our new movement Lax Pax; keep the peace and do as you like.’ (Well, actually, that’s the Wiccan standard – An it harm none, do what ye will.) No, neither legalism nor license is the answer.

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” God loved us and sacrificed His only Son for our salvation, our healing, our freedom. We embrace this and receive its benefits through faith. And when that faith in Love is expressed in love, that’s what counts. Counting how many good things you’ve done doesn’t count. Counting how many people you have convinced to imitate the same religious practices you practice doesn’t count. Counting how many people you pastor or how many buildings you’ve built or how much money you have in your endowment doesn’t count. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.”

Who have you loved as an extension of Christ’s love for you? The freedom you’ve been set free for is the freedom to love like Jesus. Not the freedom to do Christianity in the way that makes you comfortable. The freedom to love with the disciplined, unselfish, holy and painful love of Christ.  That’s what Jesus is counting on.

Who do you love?

Pray: Perfect God, thank you for loving this imperfect man. Help me to run down the middle of your Way and not get bumped to the edges of legalism or license. Help me to understand the nature of the freedom you have purchased for me with Your blood. Help me to understand and apply the kind of love that counts.