A Little Yeast

Galatians 5:9 “A little yeast works through the whole butch of dough.”

It is the small compromises that get us in trouble. Although each one individually might not be that significant in itself, the accumulated effect can be devastating. The smallest detail can all but ruin the effort.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was first launched it didn’t work as intended. Something was wrong with the equipment. The optics, the center and reason for the telescope being there were failing. Some small detail had been missed in the design and implementation of that design. It too a repair mission to correct the problem. Now we receive the best images of the universe without the interference of the atmosphere.

But if they hadn’t been able to repair the equipment, the small error would have made the telescope almost useless. And the flaw lay in the shape of the lens. It was off by a thickness of about 1/50th the thickness of a human hair. This extremely small error in calculation and manufacture was at fault.

Sometimes in life we make small concessions without realizing the longterm affects these small compromises will make.

Paul uses the picture of yeast and bread to illustrate this principle. The Galatian church was experiencing difficulty. They had some teachers who were introducing small changes that fundamentally altered the Gospel. They were teaching that it was necessary to keep the provisions of the Old Testament Law in order to serve Jesus.

But Paul wrote in no uncertain terms that this was NOT true. Trusting in Jesus, having faith in Him and what He did for us on the Cross and through His resurrection, is what brings us into relationship with the LORD and keeps us in relationship with Him. Introducing a set of rules, no matter how well intentioned, is introducing yeast into dough.

Once we start adding to the Gospel, where do we stop? At what point does the freedom the Gospel brought into their lives stop? When does the message stop being the Good News that it is?

We could add political affiliation to the Gospel, and some have. We can see the results play out in our county. Instead of being united in Christ, we are divided and without Christ. The Cross has lost its power to transform us, unite us in one body, and send us on a unified mission to walk out the Gospel.

Let’s not lose the Gospel!