The sound of a siren is meant to evoke a strong and immediate response. The powerful wail means one thing: There is an emergency, so be ready to act. You may need to stop, you may need to pull over—pay attention!

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul sounds a warning siren for a theological emergency. He had received a report that the Galatians had begun to change their minds about the gospel. He taught them that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to secure their salvation (v. 1) but now they had begun to believe that this was insufficient. They wanted to earn their salvation. “Are you so foolish?” asks Paul (v. 3).

The Galatians had a stunning change of mind. Paul points out that they received the Holy Spirit at salvation by believing (v. 2). The Spirit was the sign of their salvation, and they received that as a gift. He sounds the alarm even louder by pointing out that God had been working among them, and this was not because they earned it by doing good works (v. 5). No, they had believed, and God saved them, so why would they try to earn those gifts now? Abraham serves as the perfect example. When confronted by God, he believed, and God made him righteous (v. 6).

The Galatians needed to pay attention and act. They needed to think differently about their situation. They needed to accept the grace of God’s gift and stop trying to work for it. Their very salvation was at risk. If they tried to earn it, they would surely fail. No one can be righteous enough to overcome their sin problem! Thankfully, there is One who has taken care of it for us.