Today’s Galatians Text is short, but revealing!

Paul affirms: “I do not frustrate the grace of God.”(Galatians 2:21, really Galatians 2:21a)

And by “grace” here (in Greek “charis”) he means God’s “free gift” of salvation. Salvation bestowed “without human works.”

Salvation apart from obeying the Law of Moses, as a requirement!

The verb “frustrate” translates “atheteo” in  Greek, with the “a” being an “alpha privative.” That simply means it negates the meaning of the its stem! And the stem is a derivative of “tithemi,” meaning “to set, put, place” or “to make, appoint,” or even “to establish, ordain” something! (So many definitions and translations … a condition called a “wide semantic domain.”)

Here Paul is averring that (maybe even avowing) he WILL NOT MISPLACE the Grace of God!

He will not SET IT ASIDE!

He will not NULLIFY God’s Grace!

In a way, he will not IGNORE it!

Paul will always be a “Grace” Preacher!

So should we all.

Ephesians 2:8-9 … from the pen of this same Paul … via the Holy Spirit of God … “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Paul too here … “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10, still pure Grace, faith believing!

Wow!

Without Paul, these “Moses-helps-save,” these “Law-insisting” infiltrators in the Galatian Churches might have well won the day! Turned the hearts of Paul’s converts there back to “human works” instead of the “Blood of Jesus!”

Well done … faithful warrior! Paul really did “fight a good fight!”

So must we!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell