Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” — Galatians 3:1–2 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

Paul’s opening words in Galatians 3 are both sharp and sorrowful. “Foolish” and “bewitched” are not words of casual rebuke—they are words of heartbreak. The Galatians had started well in faith but were drifting toward the dangerous belief that they could somehow earn or maintain God’s favor through their own works.

Paul reminds them—and us—that righteousness has never been earned. Abraham was declared righteous 430 years before the Law ever existed. “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). It was faith, not performance, that made him right with God. Habakkuk would later echo it: “The just shall live by faith.”

So why the Law? It was given because of sin—to reveal humanity’s inability to keep it perfectly. The Law exposes our need for grace; it does not supply the power to achieve it. The one who tries to be justified by keeping the Law is under its curse, because even one failure is enough to condemn. Only One ever kept it fully—Jesus Christ—and He did so on our behalf.

To be “bewitched” means to be deceived by something that appeals to our pride. And nothing flatters human pride more than the thought that we can help save ourselves. But this deception is deadly. The Law can convict us but never cleanse us; it can show our guilt but never grant grace. Only Jesus can.

The religious often struggle most with this truth. Jesus said that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom ahead of the self-righteous because they knew they were sinners. They weren’t bewitched by the illusion of goodness. They knew they had nothing to offer but faith and repentance.

We face the same temptation today. We may begin in faith but slowly slip into performance—trying to “earn our keep” as Christians. But when we stand before God, we won’t point to our achievements or our obedience. We’ll simply fall before the cross and say, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”

If you cling to Christ, you have everything you need. He kept the Law, fulfilled it, and bore its curse—so you could live free in His grace.

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of your faith are you tempted to rely on your own performance rather than on Christ’s finished work?
2. How does remembering that you are justified by faith alone change your daily walk with God?
3. Who in your life needs to hear the freeing truth that salvation is not earned but received?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for doing what I never could—perfectly fulfilling the Law and bearing its curse for me. Forgive me for the times I try to earn what You have already given freely. Teach me to rest in Your grace, to trust in Your mercy, and to cling to Your cross alone. May my good works flow not from pride but from gratitude for all You’ve done. Amen.