Perseverance
Scripture Reading: Psalm 81; Isaiah 8-10; Galatians 1
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel...
- Galatians 1:6
Paul doesn’t waste time with small talk in Galatians. He jumps straight in: “I’m astonished. You’re deserting Christ for something else—and that something else isn’t even the gospel.”
That’s strong language. But Paul’s not being dramatic; he’s being pastoral. He sees the danger. These churches were flirting with a false gospel that added law-keeping to grace. It sounded spiritual. It looked religious. But in reality, it was slavery dressed up as salvation.
This is why I prefer the phrase “perseverance of the saints” over the slogan “once saved, always saved.” Perseverance reminds us that faith will be tested. Temptations, trials, and false teaching all press on our souls. And genuine faith—by God’s grace—endures.
Not because God needs proof. He already knows who are His. But for our sake. Testing reveals where our hope really lies. It forces us to ask: Am I leaning on Christ alone, or am I mixing in my own works? Am I holding fast to grace, or grabbing at substitutes?
The Galatians were at that crossroads. Would they repent and cling again to the gospel of Christ? Or would they keep turning away? Their perseverance—or lack of it—would reveal whether their faith was real.
The same is true for us. Our faith isn’t proven by never facing doubts, struggles, or setbacks. It’s proven by returning to Christ again and again, no matter what. The gospel that saves is the gospel that keeps.
