Read Galatians 2:11–21
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be
gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
Galatians 2:21
Many people with whom we come in contact actually believe that
people are saved by faith in Christ plus doing good works or any
number of other religious pluses. We may not have the same apostolic
authority that Paul exercised, but we do have the Word of God to
proclaim, and it is our obligation to share the truth.
The best way to defend the truth is to live the truth. My verbal
defense of the gospel will accomplish very little if my life contradicts
what I say.
A new employee was instructed how to measure valve parts to make
sure they were ready for the final assembly. But after a few hours, his
foreman was receiving complaints that the parts he was approving were
faulty. “What are you doing?” the foreman asked. “I showed you how
to use that micrometer. You’re sending through parts that are oversized!”
The employee replied, “Oh, most of the parts I was measuring
were too large, so I opened up the micrometer a bit.”
Changing the standards will never make for success, either in
manufacturing or ministry. Paul maintained the standards of “the
truth of the gospel”—and so should we.
Something to Ponder
When have you been tempted to change the standards in your life?
What was the result?