Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Jan 19, 2024 - A Little Leaven”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsA Little Leaven
Reading: Galatians 5:7-15
The Galatian churches are beset by teachers who are promoting their hybrid “Torah + Jesus” gospel. They “hindered”(Gal 5:7) the Galatians, “troubling”(Gal 5:10) and “(unsettling)”(Gal 5:12) them. The essence of the message is that there is something lacking in their service to Jesus that circumcision and law-keeping would resolve; this deeply bothers the young churches. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”(Gal 5:9) as this thinking spreads throughout the region. Paul insists that circumcision is not a part of the gospel—or else why would he be persecuted primarily by Jews (Gal 5:11)? In holy frustration, he wishes that these troublemakers would castrate themselves (a pagan practice, Gal 5:12) rather than forcing such surgeries on the Galatians.
These teachers have also caused some friction between the Galatians themselves. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another”(Gal 5:13). Freedom from the Law does not mean freedom to harm or hate others. Even the Law teaches us to love our neighbors (Gal 5:14), an instruction Jesus also repeated. “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another”(Gal 5:15). Like wild animals, Christians can turn on each other and (emotionally and spiritually) destroy one another. Faith is wounded, unity is compromised, and the gospel is stymied. Satan wins.
I am convinced that the “little leaven” Paul refers to here is the nagging sense that our service to Jesus is incomplete as-is. We are not good enough. There is something more (circumcision, law-keeping, etc) that we must do, say, or be to be right with him. Like leaven, this thinking is contagious and tremendously damaging. It promotes insecurity amongst otherwise faithful disciples. It starts us looking for that new idea, teacher, or book to fill in the “missing piece” of our faith. While we should always seek to grow in Christ, we can live secure in the fact that as we respond in faith to Jesus, we remain “in Christ.”
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One Thing to Think About: How have I seen “a little leaven” spread and do damage?
One Thing to Pray For: A heart to serve my brother rather than “bite and devour” him
