Reading Galatians Opened up Freedom from Perfectionism

But I thought today I would talk to you about this bewitchment because what do you think of when you think of the word bewitchment? You might think of the TV show Bewitch.

You might think of witchcraft.

You might think of sorcery.

You might think of some spell being put on you or maybe paganism or things like that.

But when Paul, the Apostle Paul, used this, the context in how he used it was actually not in those kind of avenues.

It actually was showing us how law and the mindset of the law, how it can infiltrate our thinking.

But when it arrives, it's like it looks like it's something good.

Because this word bewitched, I'm going to open up my... my Bible app here, so you can follow along with me.

Those of you who are wondering, I use the Olive Tree Bible study app to use for display.

I also use Logos, too, but I often find this to be a real easy, slimmed-down software that I use.

But anyway, this word bewitched means to—I can pull it up right here, you can see it—to fascinate by false representation.

You can see there.

To fascinate by false representation.

When Paul was using this word, he was actually bringing out that the church had been fascinated by something that was false.

It was like they saw some kind of thing that impressed them and drew them in.

And do you know what it was? It was going back to performance and perfectionistic-based living.

And in the context of it was going back to law-based additions that they were trying to stack on top of Christ.

So they were saying, yes, we're following Christ, but you know what? These works of the law, these things, we're going to keep those things and you better do them too.

This is why Paul had to bring it out, because those who were the leaders and the influencers of the time were pushing these kinds of mindsets.

And so what I want many of you to understand is many of you have been under this, because while you may not be sacrificing goat and sheep or trying to promote circumcision, the influence of the mindset of the law is still very much at work today.

Pulling believers where we step into the kingdom by grace through faith, but then we get pulled back into old ways of performance and perfectionism.

And so Paul had to bring a strong word.

And whenever you see these very strong words, oftentimes what it is, is it's rebukes to leaders and influencers who have been bringing teaching that's burdening the people down, deceiving the people, putting bondage on them.

And Paul calls this bewitchment.

He also calls it a yoke of bondage.