When Christ Is No Longer Enough

Scripture Focus
 
Galatians 5:2 (NASB1995) “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”
 
 
 
Sermon Reflection
 
Have we gotten so used to Jesus that we’ve forgotten what it means to need Him?
 
This is the sobering question that echoes from Paul’s warning in Galatians 5:2. The church at Galatia had subtly, but dangerously, shifted their trust from Christ alone to Christ plus. They still believed in Jesus, but they wanted to add rituals, titles, and traditions to their righteousness. And Paul makes it clear that any time you add something to Christ, you remove your ability to fully receive from Christ.
 
You can’t hold on to grace and perform your way into favor. You can’t cling to the cross while building your own scaffolding of works and preferences. When Christ is no longer enough for us, the fruit of faith stops growing, and religion takes His place.
 
This sermon reminded us that our faith is not just about belief on paper, it’s about a life that bears fruit. Paul is not just critiquing external traditions, he’s exposing the internal tendency to drift from grace. When we trade the sufficiency of Jesus for performance-based Christianity, we don’t just lose clarity, we lose power.
 
 
 
How Should I Respond?
 
Here’s the personal question this devotional places before you: Have you added anything to Jesus? Maybe it’s your spiritual routine. Your denomination. Your Bible knowledge. Your morality. Maybe it’s the idea that you have to be “on” all the time to feel accepted by God.
 
Friend, whatever you’ve added, lay it down. Jesus doesn’t need help being Savior. He doesn’t need our rituals. He wants our trust.
 
Today, choose Christ alone over Christ plus. Let go of the need to perform. Rest in the finished work. And watch your faith grow not because of what you do but because of what He’s already done.
 
 
 
Weekly Prayer
 
“Lord Jesus, forgive me for the ways I’ve tried to add to Your finished work. Strip away my pride, my performance, and my preferences. Remind me that salvation is not earned but received through faith. Help me to walk in the freedom You’ve already secured, and to trust fully in You, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. In Your name, amen.”
 
 
 
5-Day Devotional Application Plan
 
Day 1 – Examine Your Heart (Galatians 5:2)
Ask God to reveal where you’ve shifted your trust to things other than Christ. Write them down and surrender them in prayer.
 
Day 2 – Remember the Gospel (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Read these verses slowly and thank God that your salvation is by grace, not works. Let that truth settle deep in your spirit.
 
Day 3 – Root Out Ritualism (Mark 7:6–9)
Reflect on any habits or traditions that have replaced genuine trust. Ask God to help you return to true worship.
 
Day 4 – Faith That Bears Fruit (James 2:17–18)
Faith must be visible. Today, look for one way to put your faith into action: serve, give, encourage, obey.
 
Day 5 – Trust Christ Alone (Romans 10:3–4)
Meditate on the righteousness that comes through faith. Let go of self-effort and celebrate the sufficiency of Jesus.
 
 
 
Final Thought
 
Grace doesn’t need your help, just your heart. When Christ is no longer enough in your eyes, you begin to live as if the cross wasn’t complete. But when you return to Christ alone, you return to freedom, fruitfulness, and the fullness of joy.
 
Don’t forfeit the benefit of Jesus by reaching for what He already finished. Christ is enough. Always.