Furious Chapter 21 Devotional

Forgotten Grace

When Paul first brought the Gospel to the Galatians, he was physically weak—perhaps even disfigured or visibly suffering. In the ancient world, people believed in something called the “evil eye,” a superstitious fear that certain individuals carried a curse that could bring misfortune simply by their appearance or presence.

In our earlier devotional on Galatians 3:1, we explored this concept more deeply. Paul had asked, “Who has cast an evil spell on you?” (NLT). The Greek word he uses—ebaskanen—was rooted in this very superstition. Paul wasn’t just accusing them of being misled. He was drawing on a cultural image they would have understood instantly: You’re acting like someone has cursed you—clouded your judgment and distorted your vision.

Here’s the irony: those Judaizers who claimed Paul was the cursed one were actually the ones putting the “spell” on the Galatians. It’s as if Paul was saying, “They’ve hypnotized you. You’re not thinking clearly. You’ve fallen under their spell.”

And that brings us to Galatians 4:14, where Paul says, “Even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away.” The Greek word he uses for “reject” is exeptysate—literally, “to spit out.” Spitting was a superstitious act meant to ward off the evil eye, to protect oneself from a perceived curse. Paul is saying, “You didn’t do that to me. You didn’t treat me like someone cursed. You didn’t recoil or turn away. You received me like an angel from God, even like Christ Himself.”

But things are different now. The man they once welcomed in love—despite his appearance—is now being viewed with suspicion. The grace they once embraced so freely has become unfamiliar to them. Paul is drawing a direct line between their past clarity and their current confusion. They once saw the Gospel clearly. They once saw Paul clearly. But now, clouded by legalism and fear, their affections have changed.

In chapter 13, we noted how legalism distorts our vision of Christ and the cross. But here, Paul reveals something further: legalism also changes how we treat people.

This is what legalism does. It doesn’t just alter your theology—it hardens your heart. It makes people cautious where they used to be generous. Cold where they used to be warm. Suspicious where they used to be open. Where grace once brought freedom, now there’s posturing and performance. Where joy once flourished, now there’s criticism and comparison.

Let me put it like this: legalism makes people mean!

One of the clearest signs that someone has lost sight of grace is that they stop being gracious. Even toward those who are weak, inconvenient, or unworthy. Gossip and backbiting start to sound like spiritual insight. Slander gets baptized as “truth-telling.” Hospitality dries up. Generosity shrinks. Suspicion grows.

The Galatians had once received Paul with joy and honor—despite his illness, despite his weakness. They saw Christ in him. But now, under the spell of legalism, they were pulling away.

Paul isn’t just confronting them—he’s pleading with them: Remember. Remember how you received me. Remember the Gospel. Remember the joy, the warmth, the kindness that grace awakened in you. Don’t lose it. Don’t trade it for law and fear. Don’t let rules make you loveless.

🔥 Reflection

Have you noticed your heart growing colder or more guarded? Has your posture toward others changed as you’ve drifted from grace into performance or pressure? What would it look like to return to the simplicity and joy you first had in Christ?

🙏 Prayer

Father, protect me from the subtle lies that cloud my vision of Jesus. Remind me of the joy and openness that grace brought into my life. Soften my heart again. Help me to receive others—and to receive You—with the same affection and wonder I once knew. Amen.

📣 Call-to-Action

Think back to when you first encountered the Gospel. How did it change the way you saw people? How did it open your heart? This week, return to that memory. Let it shape your posture. Let it revive your affection. Let grace be at home in you again.