Why Strong Starts Don't Mean Strong Finishes

This January, we've been going through the book of Galatians, and I've enjoyed some wonderful articles. Last week's ones were especially good.

• Rebecca Adams shared from Galatians 2:14 and why it's important not to allow our fears to keep us from being Biblical.
• Renee Muir wrote from Galatians 2:15-16 about why it's important to stop trying to earn your way to God.
• Andrew Botres wrote from Galatians 2:21 and shared some lessons he has learned from disappointments in 2025.

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One of the constant themes of this series is the Apostle Paul's sadness that those who once believed in the sufficiency of Christ have now shifted into a works-based form of salvation. We can sense this frustration in Galatians 3:1-5 when he writes:

You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ² I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? ⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? ⁵ So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard—

Where People Go Wrong

When Paul says, “Who has cast a spell on you,” he’s not talking about literal magic. He’s describing how irrational their shift has been. They clearly understood the message of Jesus crucified, not as a rule-giver but as a Savior who gave himself for them.

Paul then reminds the Galatians that their experience of God’s presence, power, and transformation did not come from keeping Jewish law. As L. Ann Jervis writes, "the death of Christ means that the law is no longer the means by which to live for God or to live righteously."^[1] It came through believing the gospel they heard.

The Galatians recognized this at one point. They had started their faith journey by relying on what God did in them. Now, because of false teachers known as the Judaizers, they were trying to complete that journey through human effort, rule-keeping, and external markers of righteousness. As Robert K. Rapa writes, "The Judaizers were teaching the Galatians the need for 'observing the law' in order to perfect their salvation in Christ."^[2]

But the point Paul was making is that the gospel, the good news, doesn't need to be perfected. You don’t start with divine grace and then switch to human self-improvement as if that’s an upgrade.

Don't Forget Where You Started

Last week, I was saddened to see the news of the popular Christian writer Philip Yancey stepping back from ministry after admitting to an eight-year affair.

What made this fall from grace so especially sad was that Yancy had spent much of his life writing and speaking on the topic of grace. In What's So Amazing About Grace, Yancey wrote:

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more... And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less... Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.

For decades, Yancey spoke about the full sufficiency of Christ, but somewhere along the line, he stopped believing what he wrote. And like the foolish Galatians, he drifted into a form of self-sufficiency. Was it because he thought he was entitled to live out the desires of his youth? Did he think God's grace meant his private sins were not that big a deal?

I have no idea. But what I can safely say is he drifted, and his story should serve as a stark warning. Perhaps you started your journey with Christ on the right foot. You recognized that he was enough. But maybe you've started to drift. And year by year, you become increasingly more self-sufficient.

• You're more likely to fix problems on your own rather than going first to God in prayer.
• You're more comfortable talking about God to others than you are spending time with him.
• You quietly judge your Christian walk not on the basis of connection with Christ, but on personal performance—good things like church attendance and charity work.

And today, even though you'd struggle to admit it, you feel a bit entitled. Entitled to a few secret sins. Entitled to have a few areas of your life that are off limits to God's eye.

If this is where you're at today, let Paul's words be a wake-up call, and remember that a strong start doesn't mean a strong finish. Everyone can drift. So be vigilant and continue putting your Sunday belief into Monday action.

^[1]L. Ann Jervis, Galatians, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011), 78.

^[2]Robert K. Rapa, “Galatians,” in Romans–Galatians, vol. 11 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised Edition. eds. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland; Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 591.