Reflect

It’s so easy to judge other people by what they do or what they say. How can she be a Christian when she has such a potty mouth? How can he be a believer when his business dealings lack integrity? We can even judge ourselves by our own behavior. Am I really saved if I keep on sinning over and over? 

Paul reminds us that we should not “make a good showing in the flesh.” It is not our outward behavior that impacts our standing with God –  it is the fact that we are made righteous by Christ, and are therefore a new creation. 

Respond

What visible behaviors have you observed in yourself or others that make it tempting for you to judge their standing with God? How have you seen yourself or other people try to “make a good showing in the flesh” by behaving a certain way?

Why do you think people often try to make salvation harder than it really is? In what ways do people complicate God’s free gift of “grace through faith?” 

Looking back over the book of Galatians, how would you summarize its theme in one sentence? Write that sentence out and put it someplace where you will see it often this week. 

Go Deeper

Learn more about Galatians 6:11-18 from our sermons series.