Here is an excerpt from the book I am trying to finish hopefully by the end of the year…
Galatians 5:2-4 (English Standard Version)
2Look: I, Paul, say to you that(A) if you accept circumcision,(B) Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that(C) he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4You are(D) severed from Christ,(E) you who would be justified[a] by the law;(F) you have fallen away from grace.
Grace is the unfair advantage we have in Christ. When people live a legalistic life, he tries really hard but the end result is frustration. On the other hand, a man who lives by the grace of God surrenders to God and let God do His work in their lives and the end result is God’s miraculous provision, presence and power. That is so unfair.
A legalist tries really hard, like what most all self help book encourages us to do, he chants, he memorizes power lines to motivate himself to be good, he does everything according to the rules of life but he ends up in a yoke of slavery. Because of his desire to try to please God, in the process he doesn’t let God get involved because he wants to surprise God the same way the people in the tower of Babel tried to go up the ladder of success to surprise God but in the process takes God out of the picture. That is what Galatians 5:2-4 was saying. We severed Christ when we do things our way and eventually we fall away from His grace.