The Danger Of Adding Rules To God’s Grace

This summer, we’re walking together through the letter to the Galatians—a fiery, heartfelt word from Paul that cuts right to the center of our life with Jesus. If you’ve ever felt the weight of religious “shoulds” or wrestled with whether you’ve done enough to belong, Galatians offers a deep breath of hope. It invites us to stop building fences and start drawing near to the well of God’s grace.

Paul wrote Galatians to a group of churches in the region of Galatia—a multicultural community with leaders who had never been Jewish. This was significant because, until then, most Christian communities had Jewish leaders who carried with them centuries of tradition, law, and cultural identity.

When missionaries from the church in Jerusalem arrived in Galatia, they brought with them a message: If you want to belong, you need to follow our rules—especially circumcision. To the Jewish believers, circumcision had been the sign of belonging for thousands of years. It marked people as part of God’s covenant family. So they thought, Shouldn’t everyone do the same if they want to follow Jesus?

But Paul saw the danger. These added rules weren’t drawing people toward Jesus. They were building fences that kept people out. Galatians is Paul’s passionate plea to center the church on grace, not law.

Sociologists describe three ways communities define belonging:

• Bounded communities: These communities build fences. There are clear rules. You're in if you follow them, out if you don't.
• Fuzzy communities: These communities have no clear boundaries or center. People belong, but no one is sure what that means.
• Centered-set communities: These communities gather around a shared center– like a well in the desert. People are invited to draw near, no matter where they start.

Paul urges the Galatians—and us—to choose the centered model, where Jesus and His grace are at the heart. The work is not to guard the fence, but to invite people toward the well.

It’s easy to see why we build fences. Fences feel safe. They keep what’s familiar in and the unknown out. In Paul’s day, the fence was circumcision– adherence to the law felt like a way to safeguard identity and protect the community from persecution.

Today, fences might look like unspoken dress codes, certain political views, or cultural expectations or habits.

We’re tempted to build or guard fences. But too often, they keep people away from the living water of God’s grace.

Galatians 2 gives us a real-life example. Peter (also called Cephas) had been eating with Gentile believers, showing that grace had broken down old barriers. But when Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem, Peter pulled back. He was afraid of criticism. His actions created a fence. Paul saw the harm and spoke up: That’s not what grace looks like.

Peter’s behavior confused people. It sent the message that these Gentile believers weren’t good enough–  that some were “less than” in God’s family. Even Barnabas was led astray. Paul reminded them: We are justified by faith in Jesus, not by observing the law.

We may not argue over circumcision today, but we build fences in other ways:

• A church tells a young woman she can’t serve because of a visible sin, while ignoring hidden sins in others.
• People pressure each other over what holidays “real Christians” should or shouldn’t celebrate.
• Long-time members act as gatekeepers, making newcomers feel they have to prove themselves.

These fences are subtle. They’re often built with good intentions—trying to protect what’s good or uphold standards. But fences that God didn’t command end up blocking people from His grace.

What does it mean to truly center our lives on Jesus-- on grace?  It means:

• Inviting, not excluding. Like a well in the middle of the field, grace draws people in. When people taste God’s grace, they want more. Our job isn’t to guard the well—it’s to point people to it.
• Trusting God’s work. Grace changes hearts. It’s not our rules that transform people. It’s God’s Spirit at work in them, just as He’s at work in us. 
• Letting go of control. Fences give us the illusion of control. Centering on grace requires faith that God is big enough to handle people’s journeys.

Centering on grace doesn’t mean we abandon conviction. Paul had strong convictions– had been a Pharisee of Pharisees.

But his encounter with Jesus tore down every barrier. From then on, his mission was simple: open the way to grace for everyone. He urged people to live lives worthy of the Gospel. Convictions guided his faith—they didn’t become fences for others.

Where do you see fences in your own life? Where might God be inviting you to tear them down and draw near to the well of grace?

Maybe it’s time to let go of an old expectation that’s keeping someone at arm’s length. Maybe it’s time to extend grace to yourself, trusting that God is working in you just as much as He is in others.

The message of Galatians is as relevant today as it was then: The grace of Jesus Christ is enough. No add-ons, no extra rules, no fences needed. As we draw near to the well, we’ll find freedom ourselves—and we’ll create spaces where others can experience the same.