Galatians 3:1
“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”
The Galatians were deceived in a serious way. They added a supplement to salvation. It’s supposed to be “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast”, (Ephesians 2:8,9). They included keeping of the law to some degree.
We can be fooled by persuasive people. This can also happen if we don’t have a solid grasp on the truth. We are also vulnerable if we are hurting. I think of the parable of the sower that Jesus told (Matthew 13). Only 25% of the soils were receptive. 75% of them failed.
The first soil that failed was the seed that fell on the path. Jesus said it was snatched away from the evil one (v.19). He can remove God’s Word from our minds as well as distort it. We saw this with Adam and Eve. The devil is God’s adversary, therefore His children are also his prey.
The second soil is among the rocky places. This one receives it with joy, but because there is no depth. So, when persecution arises, he falls away (v.20,21). Shallow understanding can cause us to fall away. Difficulties will arise that seem to challenge our faith. A support group or someone that can provide some answers can be very helpful.
The third soil is the one that fell among thorns. The thorns are the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth. These choke off the small plant, causing it to become unfruitful (v.22). This one also has growth, but those bad influences cause no fruit to grow. Those difficulties can result in growth or no fruit. We all have the some influences. We can go to the Word and allow the Lord to cut back or limit the weeds or we can believe the deception of wealth and allow the weeds to choke off God’s Word.
The last soil was good. This one understood the Word and bore fruit. Some one hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty (v.23). The Galatians were once following the Lord in a healthy way. However, someone bewitched them.
Lord, help us to understand Your Word. I think of the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”, (Matthew 6:13). With so many influences out there, help us to filter them all through Your Word.