"weak and miserable principles"

"Paul writes that the Galatians are ``turning back to those weak and miserable principles''. But you can only go back to what you've previously been in.........

The ``weak and miserable principles'' are those that underly every religion, not just Judaism: the attempt to earn God's approval by doing good deeds and avoiding bad ones. This is the fundamental difference that separates Christianity from every other religion: we simply accept God's love while religions try to earn what is freely given.

This is truly ``Amazing Grace''.
We too easily grow used to the thinking of the world that surrounds us - in contravention of Paul's exhortation, ``Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.'' (Romans 12:2). There are plenty of non-Christians who actively do not want grace - their attitude is, ``No-one's ever given me anything; everything I have, I earned myself.''

This position is based on an appalling misunderstanding of the relationship between God and man - yet it is so prevalent that elements of it can seep into our own thinking.

Among the reasons that even Christians who know better can slip into this mode of thinking:
Unbelief in God's grace - we need to keep reminding ourselves of Amazing Grace because it's so different from our experience of the world."

by Mike Taylor