"You see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised only less they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ for neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature; and as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy even upon the Israel of God."
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...Paul came preaching this message to the Galatians, because you see the Galatians had been the victims of preachers who had come after Paul to preach the religion of human achievement. Paul had established the churches in the area known as Galatia and he had established them on the truth of divine accomplishment. He had given them the gospel of grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his perfect work of bearing sin on the cross and he had established that in their hearts and minds and the churches were born, and behind him then came those who said, no that's not enough, there must be human achievement. You must have circumcision and you must maintain the Mosaic Law or you cannot please God. You have to get involved in saving yourself. And so he has dealt with this issue in the Galatian epistle and I believe as we come to verse 11 he sums it all up and he makes a comparison between the religions of human achievement and divine accomplishment. One glories in the flesh, the other glories in the cross. And this is helpful, I hope, to you to understand if you're confused about the many religions of the world that there really aren't that many, there's just God's and Satan's. God's is the truth, Satan's is a lie and it is an accommodating lie for it finds enough forms to please almost all godless, Christ-less people.
You will notice at the end of verse 13 phrase, "Glory in your flesh" and then in verse 14, "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." There are only two religions in the world. That's all, just two. In spite of the myriad of claims, there are only two. One is God's, one is Satan's. One is called the religion of human achievement. That is Satan's religion and it based upon man's own effort and ability. The other is the religion of divine accomplishment. That is God's and it is based solely and only on God's sovereign ability. One, you see, depends on what man can do and the other depends on what God did. One is earned, the other is a gift. One is by human effort; the other is by divine grace. One is by works, one is without works. And sadly but clearly, most people on the face of the earth in human history have banked their time in eternal destiny on the religion of human achievement that says, “I'm good enough. If I just behave myself and carry out certain religious functions, God will accept me.” from a sermon by John MacArthur
Continued - Now the religion of human achievement comes in many, many forms and packages, but it is all really the same religion. It is all the satanic counterfeit and if God says that men are saved by grace through faith apart from anything they can do; Satan will say men are saved by what they can do, and all religion falls into those two conflicting categories.