There may be no word that better describes the human condition than under. We live under pressure, under expectations, under the weight of past failures. We feel underappreciated, undercut, and undermined.  Spiritually, we feel it even more as we live under guilt, under shame, under the relentless burden of trying to earn what we were always meant to receive as a gift.

That's exactly why Paul wrote Galatians. The believers in Galatia had begun their Christian lives resting under the grace of Jesus Christ. Then teachers arrived who thought they had a “better” idea. Faith in Christ was a start, they said. But if you really wanted to be accepted by God, you'd need something more. Faith plus circumcision. Faith plus the Law. Faith plus religious performance.

Paul's response is not polite. It is not measured. It is a fiery declaration. Because when you add anything to faith in Christ, you haven't improved the gospel. You've corrupted it and made it an anchor that drags us under. These “teachers” have put the Gospel under attack.

Over the course of the next year, we'll trace this theme: from living under burdens to living under the only thing that was ever meant to save us. Grace. We can’t stand up under the law; bondage and religious striving. We were meant to be set free under the grace of God!

What are you living under?

Whether you connect with a Life Group on Sunday morning or a weekday Small Group, we hope you can find a group that will fill the God given need for connection with others.