We are starting Galatians in our 5x5x5 reading plan. Galatians is another “Jesus and” book – this time focused purely on Jewish laws including circumcision. Paul jumps right into it. Anything different from what he preached to them is “another gospel,” and if you’re touting it, to hell with you. 

Let me be blunt: If one of us—even if an angel from heaven!—were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I’ll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed. (Galatians 1.8, 9, MSG)

Preference is one thing. If we’re going to sing, a music style is required, and yours might be different from mine. Dress codes vary from culture to culture and from one historical era to another. No problem. Just don’t make a requirement out of any of it. 

In telling his history, he reveals something about religion: it is something you can competitively advance in:

For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1.13, 14, ESV)

But “relationship” is not a competitive sport as Paul makes clear in Philippians (writing about the same topic – the Law):

…circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3.5 – 9, ESV)