God’s Rebuke to Christians Today

Stop the Phony Dance: Paul’s Rebuke to the Galatians and Today’s Christians

This is a continuation of my previous article titled The Christian Phony Dance Between Law and Grace. Let’s turn to the apostle Paul and hear how he addressed this very issue nearly 2,000 years ago:

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was graphically portrayed as crucified. I want to know just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
— Galatians 3:1–3 (paraphrased)

Let’s pause here.

Why did Paul remind the Galatians of Christ’s crucifixion? My view is this: Paul wanted to shake them awake. Anyone who had truly grasped the horror and beauty of Christ’s death should understand what that death achieved—it wasn’t merely a symbolic gesture. It was the very means by which we receive the Spirit of God.

Grace Begins—and Ends—with Christ

Paul isn’t vague. He draws a stark contrast: you receive the Spirit by faith, not by keeping the law. In Romans 3:20, he already laid the foundation—no one will be justified by works of the law. That message doesn’t change here.

When we receive God’s Spirit, it’s not so we can now try harder to earn what Christ already died to give. It’s so we can understand and enjoy what has already been freely granted. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “We received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit from God, so that we may know the things graciously given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

The Galatians had believed this truth. Then something tragic happened. They reverted—back to rules, back to striving, back to human effort. Paul’s words aren’t gentle here. He calls this foolishness. Because it is.

Starting in the Spirit, Ending in the Flesh?

Paul’s question cuts through time: “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed in the flesh?”

What’s he saying? Simply this: If salvation began with Christ’s work, why would you think it needs your work to finish it?

That same warning applies today. Many Christians confidently claim, “Christ saved me,” but then add, “Now I must fight sin with God’s help.” Sounds spiritual, right? But it’s dangerously misleading.

Let’s break it down. If Christ made it possible for you to be saved, and now you must cooperate, strive, and prove yourself—then who, ultimately, finishes the work? You.

But that contradicts the Gospel. It is not Christ plus your victory over sin. It is Christ alone. Full stop.

When someone says, “You just have to overcome your sin—with God’s help,” what they’re really saying is: “You still need to complete your salvation in the flesh.” That is a denial of the cross, even if wrapped in spiritual-sounding language.

You Don’t “Fight” for a Gift You Already Have

Jesus didn’t come to be your “co-pilot.” He didn’t come to assist you in overcoming sin. He overcame it. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” He meant it.

Let’s make this practical. It’s humanly impossible to be truly motivated by grace while still believing you need to earn or prove your salvation. If you think the prize is still up for grabs, your behavior will always be driven by fear or performance—not by love and gratitude.

Imagine this: A Christian says, “Christ saved me,” but believes they must now overcome sin to prove they’re truly saved. Their focus inevitably shifts away from Christ’s finished work and toward their personal struggle. Their salvation becomes something to verify through moral performance, rather than something to celebrate as already won.

True grace changes that. It removes the burden of earning. It removes the fear of failure. Only when you know that you already have the prize can your motivation flow from genuine love and thankfulness—not obligation.

The Spirit Versus the Flesh

Paul teaches that God gives us the Spirit as a gift, grounded in Christ’s work—not ours. The Spirit is not a reward for effort. It is a seal of what Christ has already done.

And so, the Christian life isn’t about finishing what Christ started. It’s about resting in what He finished, and living in response to that reality. That’s what the Spirit empowers us to do: not to “complete” our salvation, but to walk in awareness of it.

Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are not merely tools to help you improve your life. They are your life. They are the source, the means, and the guarantee of your salvation.

Any attempt to “maintain” or “perfect” your salvation by your effort—even “with God’s help”—is flesh. It denies the sufficiency of the cross. It places confidence back in man instead of God. It may sound holy, but it’s hollow.

In Conclusion: Stop the Phony Dance

Let me say it plainly:
Any teaching that says, “You must overcome sin with Christ’s help,” is a denial of what Christ has already done. It turns grace into wages. It makes the cross insufficient. And it robs you of the joy of salvation.

Salvation is not Christ plus effort. It’s Christ, period.
We live in light of that—not to earn it, not to prove it—but because it is ours.

That’s real grace.
That’s the Spirit.
And that’s the end of the phony dance.