Many in today’s world misunderstand the essence of the gospel. Even people who attend church often view salvation simply as adherence to the Ten Commandments. In his book on researching the modern church, The Shape of Faith to Come, Brad Waggoner reported that of those surveyed, 66 percent believed that a person had to continually work toward salvation or risk losing it. At the same time, church attendees appear to be selective when it comes to which Commandments they chose to follow. Their righteousness is relative—many believe that any sin that doesn’t appear to impact others or is permissible in a court of law can be overlooked.

Paul covered these topics in his letter to the Galatians. Their church was beginning to accept a false gospel, one that included adherence to the Mosaic law. Paul addressed the issue, defining salvation as God’s grace realized through faith. But he also balanced his presentation of salvation by grace with a reminder that liberty doesn’t give license.

FBC Senior Pastor Dr. Jim Somerville will lead the study on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 in the Dining Hall. Come early and have dinner - the serving line opens at 5 p.m. Dinner tickets are $6 for adults. Snack meals are available for $4.