Galatians 4:17-20 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! (Galatians 4:17-20)
"Those people" in v.17 are the false teachers who had come from Jerusalem. The motivation in the hearts of "those people" is themselves and getting the Galatians to think they were most spiritual.
In v.19, the Apostle Paul describes spirituality which is the forming of Christ in the life of the believer. The result of this spirituality, among other things, is freedom from the idea that we have to earn God's favor. The Greek word Paul uses for "formed" is "morphothe", which points us to the slow process whereby a baby is developed in the womb of its mother. This is not an over night event. No, it is a process that produces a heart for God in the heart of the believer.
The message of the false teachers was diametrically opposed to the teaching of the Apostle Paul. In v.17 we read "Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them." The motive of the false teachers was human praise. And to get this type of attention they tell the Galatians they will miss God's blessing if they don't accept their teaching of good works.
So the Galatians were circumcised in hopes of earning favor with God. Their behavior was rooted in pride, since they thought that our acceptability before God depends on our good behavior. This is outward compulsion and is always the pattern of the Devil. God always works in the opposite, from the inside out. And, it takes much time to win hearts.
In contrast, in v.19, Paul's message was full of desire to bring glory to the Lord Jesus. When Christ shapes and forms our hearts after His, the result will be the bowing of our lives to Him. This is the product of love.
Faith is the assurance that what God will make of us, and as Christ is formed in us, we naturally want to reciprocate the favor. Faith, in addition, is the confidence that the work of Christ in our lives is far more wonderful than all the praise we could get from people. The problem with self-made men is they tend to worship their creator.
The lesson for us is to surrender our lives to the sovereign One who has our best interest at heart. And, when we do this, we will worship our Creator.
Note that in v.20 Paul was perplexed by the behavior of the Galatians. He was perplexed because he had experienced the grace that alters the heart to the point that we place ourselves on the altar of love.
It is impossible to appreciate God's grace without understanding God's law. His law is like a mirror. When we look into the mirror we see our imperfection. This is where His grace comes in. At this point, it is refreshing, because if the law of God has done it's work, we will be looking for some relief. Once we experience the relief of grace, how can we turn away from Him? This is what perplexed Paul.
In Hebrews 13:9, we read, “It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.” The healthiest people in the world are those who are aware of their inadequacies and are able to say, “Lord be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Showing posts with label Galatians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Galatians. Show all posts
Thursday, May 02, 2019
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Galatians 4:12-16
Galatians 4:12-16 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:12-16)
The greatest beauty of Christianity is that it brings with it the remaking of our hearts and minds. Like the Apostle Paul, if we pursue a meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus, it is inevitable that He takes control of our lives and rearranges a few things. He does this by granting to us His heart for Himself and for others. Yet, our love for the praise of men remains a problem, because in our hearts we still have an intense love for self.
Saving faith is the result of coming to the place where we rest in the all sufficient work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Paul highlights in v.13 where he reminds us that our trials ultimately translate into hope for ourselves and for others. This is the main point of our sanctification, the process whereby our minds and wills are aligned with God's mind and will.
In context, the false teaching of the Jews from Jerusalem did not conflict with the pride in the Galatian believers. No, their false teaching bolstered their pride. These false teachers offered the law as a means of enjoying one's pride in a morally acceptable way. And so their teaching appealed to people who wanted to be religious and moral but did not want to become vulnerable and moldable in the hands of God.
When Paul wrote, "Become like me," he meant, "Die like I have died and live by faith in the Son of God so that it is his life in you that shapes and forms who you are."
Our freedom comes on the heels of our decision to die to our default selves, the flesh, the sinful desires within us all. True freedom in Christ stirs up gratitude in our hearts for what He did for us at Calvary. And, this gratitude produces sustainability to our faith or our hearts ability to see God and subsequently we choose to live for Him.
In v.13, Paul preached the Gospel to these believers in Galatia due to an illness that he had. This underscores a very important leadership skill: we lead best through our weaknesses.
It’s called being vulnerable. We share our weaknesses by admitting that there are limits to our knowledge, ability, and spirituality. And being vulnerable is always risky. There will always be people who don’t want us to be that human.
Honest seekers of the truth will find our leadership through our weaknesses hope giving, because we all share the same human story: we are all fallen just the same. And, as Napoleon once said, "leaders are dealers in hope."
So, share your stories of failure with others, so that they can meet, for themselves, the God who causes ALL things to work together for our good and His glory.
12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:12-16)
The greatest beauty of Christianity is that it brings with it the remaking of our hearts and minds. Like the Apostle Paul, if we pursue a meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus, it is inevitable that He takes control of our lives and rearranges a few things. He does this by granting to us His heart for Himself and for others. Yet, our love for the praise of men remains a problem, because in our hearts we still have an intense love for self.
Saving faith is the result of coming to the place where we rest in the all sufficient work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Paul highlights in v.13 where he reminds us that our trials ultimately translate into hope for ourselves and for others. This is the main point of our sanctification, the process whereby our minds and wills are aligned with God's mind and will.
In context, the false teaching of the Jews from Jerusalem did not conflict with the pride in the Galatian believers. No, their false teaching bolstered their pride. These false teachers offered the law as a means of enjoying one's pride in a morally acceptable way. And so their teaching appealed to people who wanted to be religious and moral but did not want to become vulnerable and moldable in the hands of God.
When Paul wrote, "Become like me," he meant, "Die like I have died and live by faith in the Son of God so that it is his life in you that shapes and forms who you are."
Our freedom comes on the heels of our decision to die to our default selves, the flesh, the sinful desires within us all. True freedom in Christ stirs up gratitude in our hearts for what He did for us at Calvary. And, this gratitude produces sustainability to our faith or our hearts ability to see God and subsequently we choose to live for Him.
In v.13, Paul preached the Gospel to these believers in Galatia due to an illness that he had. This underscores a very important leadership skill: we lead best through our weaknesses.
It’s called being vulnerable. We share our weaknesses by admitting that there are limits to our knowledge, ability, and spirituality. And being vulnerable is always risky. There will always be people who don’t want us to be that human.
Honest seekers of the truth will find our leadership through our weaknesses hope giving, because we all share the same human story: we are all fallen just the same. And, as Napoleon once said, "leaders are dealers in hope."
So, share your stories of failure with others, so that they can meet, for themselves, the God who causes ALL things to work together for our good and His glory.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Galatians 4:8-11
Galatians 4:8-11 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (Galatians 4:8-11)
When the believer in Christ turns away from Him, he will be the slave to something else. Previously, the Galatians did not know the God of the Bible, so, they were enslaved to their definition of life. As a result, these people were trapped in earning the favor of their gods.
According to v.8, their bondage to the law was connected to their lack of a personal relationship with God.
These young believers were being tempted to depend upon their good behavior for their spirituality. In v.10 we read, "You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! " These religious activities included being circumcised, following strict dietary laws and observing certain holy days. They did this in order to gain and maintain God's blessing upon their lives.
The most surprising thing in this passage is that these Christians had entered into a personal relationship with Christ. But their problem was that they were immature in their understanding of God and His Gospel. They were wrongly equating, as most do, spirituality with morality.
Our understanding of the the word "know" used in v.8 and in v.9 is crucial to our understanding of that which Paul is describing here. In v.8 the Greek word used is "eidos" which is the Greek word for see or recognize. The Greek word used in v.9 for "know" is "gnosko" which means to know something experientially or seeing God with our hearts. Note that our knowing God experientially is preceded by being known by God first. This being known by God is followed by faith which is God persuading us to see Him with our hearts.
In Ephesians 1:18, Paul puts it is that you must have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know." The heart has eyes beyond comprehension. Pascal put it this way, “The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. We feel it in a thousand things.” There is a spiritual seeing through and beyond seeing with the eye. There is a spiritual hearing through and beyond hearing with the ear. There is spiritual discerning through and beyond reasoning with the mind.
The key my friend is trusting Him and depending on Him to define you and your world. In Romans 1:21 Paul wrote, “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him." The key is letting Him have control of your life, not so that you can go to heaven, but that heaven can come to you, now and every day. This, the Bible calls, wisdom, truly knowing as a result of being known by the One who knows all.
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (Galatians 4:8-11)
When the believer in Christ turns away from Him, he will be the slave to something else. Previously, the Galatians did not know the God of the Bible, so, they were enslaved to their definition of life. As a result, these people were trapped in earning the favor of their gods.
According to v.8, their bondage to the law was connected to their lack of a personal relationship with God.
These young believers were being tempted to depend upon their good behavior for their spirituality. In v.10 we read, "You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! " These religious activities included being circumcised, following strict dietary laws and observing certain holy days. They did this in order to gain and maintain God's blessing upon their lives.
The most surprising thing in this passage is that these Christians had entered into a personal relationship with Christ. But their problem was that they were immature in their understanding of God and His Gospel. They were wrongly equating, as most do, spirituality with morality.
Our understanding of the the word "know" used in v.8 and in v.9 is crucial to our understanding of that which Paul is describing here. In v.8 the Greek word used is "eidos" which is the Greek word for see or recognize. The Greek word used in v.9 for "know" is "gnosko" which means to know something experientially or seeing God with our hearts. Note that our knowing God experientially is preceded by being known by God first. This being known by God is followed by faith which is God persuading us to see Him with our hearts.
In Ephesians 1:18, Paul puts it is that you must have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know." The heart has eyes beyond comprehension. Pascal put it this way, “The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. We feel it in a thousand things.” There is a spiritual seeing through and beyond seeing with the eye. There is a spiritual hearing through and beyond hearing with the ear. There is spiritual discerning through and beyond reasoning with the mind.
The key my friend is trusting Him and depending on Him to define you and your world. In Romans 1:21 Paul wrote, “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him." The key is letting Him have control of your life, not so that you can go to heaven, but that heaven can come to you, now and every day. This, the Bible calls, wisdom, truly knowing as a result of being known by the One who knows all.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Galatians 4:6-7
Galatians 4:6-7 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)
The justice and law of God demanded that man be punished and excluded from His presence for our rebellion. In order to adopt sinners into his family, God sent His Son to die a cruel death on the cross of Calvary. The Cross of Christ stands between Law and Grace.
In v.6, the Apostle Paul uses an Aramaic word, "Abba." Jesus spoke this word to address His Father, in spite of the fact that virtually no one in Jewish culture referred to God as such. God gave us His very Spirit who enables us from a heart of deep conviction to cry out to Him, “Abba.”
The Holy Spirit wrote the word of God and It is He that enables us to understand the word of God. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us the word of God. And, in the word of God, we discover the heart of God. And, the Holy Spirit is crucial to the execution of God's plan.
I have three sons. I remember when the oldest of the three was born. I could not resist the love in my heart for my son. In fact, he could not do anything to change the fact that I love him. Then, we found out that we were going to have another son. I worried if I could love him like the first son. Sure enough, I love my second and my third son, just as much as my first. And, I could not deny my love for my three sons.
God is the same with me and you. He can not deny His love for you and me. He loves us because of His capacity to love, not our capacity to earn His love. There is a special place in the heart of God for you. You must believe this ... then you will have a heart for God.
The Holy Spirit is crucial to our relationship with our heavenly Father as our Abba. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us a heart for God. It is in 1 Samuel 13 that the phrase "a man after God's own heart" is used of King David, the second king of Israel.
To have a heart for God means that I have realized that God has a heart for me. It is the response of the heart that has been captured by the intense and never ending love of God for me.
I close with the scene in Luke 18 when children were brought to the Lord Jesus. The disciples were put out by this because children had no place in their society. Then Jesus tells the disciples “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” They had a place in the father heart of God.
Oh, to be defined by God's love for me more than I am defined by my love for God. The expression of this in our lives is seen when we live our lives as children not as slaves. The freedom and security of the lifestyle of a beloved child is the result. We do this because we see the father's heart for us.
To invest in BYM, click here
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)
The justice and law of God demanded that man be punished and excluded from His presence for our rebellion. In order to adopt sinners into his family, God sent His Son to die a cruel death on the cross of Calvary. The Cross of Christ stands between Law and Grace.
In v.6, the Apostle Paul uses an Aramaic word, "Abba." Jesus spoke this word to address His Father, in spite of the fact that virtually no one in Jewish culture referred to God as such. God gave us His very Spirit who enables us from a heart of deep conviction to cry out to Him, “Abba.”
The Holy Spirit wrote the word of God and It is He that enables us to understand the word of God. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us the word of God. And, in the word of God, we discover the heart of God. And, the Holy Spirit is crucial to the execution of God's plan.
I have three sons. I remember when the oldest of the three was born. I could not resist the love in my heart for my son. In fact, he could not do anything to change the fact that I love him. Then, we found out that we were going to have another son. I worried if I could love him like the first son. Sure enough, I love my second and my third son, just as much as my first. And, I could not deny my love for my three sons.
God is the same with me and you. He can not deny His love for you and me. He loves us because of His capacity to love, not our capacity to earn His love. There is a special place in the heart of God for you. You must believe this ... then you will have a heart for God.
The Holy Spirit is crucial to our relationship with our heavenly Father as our Abba. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us a heart for God. It is in 1 Samuel 13 that the phrase "a man after God's own heart" is used of King David, the second king of Israel.
To have a heart for God means that I have realized that God has a heart for me. It is the response of the heart that has been captured by the intense and never ending love of God for me.
I close with the scene in Luke 18 when children were brought to the Lord Jesus. The disciples were put out by this because children had no place in their society. Then Jesus tells the disciples “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” They had a place in the father heart of God.
Oh, to be defined by God's love for me more than I am defined by my love for God. The expression of this in our lives is seen when we live our lives as children not as slaves. The freedom and security of the lifestyle of a beloved child is the result. We do this because we see the father's heart for us.
Friday, April 26, 2019
Galatians 4:1-5
Galatians 4:1-5 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:1-5)
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul is using the Roman rite of passage into manhood to illustrate the goal of God in the life of each believer. The goal is maturity, spiritual maturity, which includes a deepening appreciation for God's grace.
In the Roman society, the father decided when a son would become an adult. Every year, the Romans held a festival. At this feast, if the father thought his son was ready, he would be formally adopted by the father as his acknowledged son and heir. After the celebration, the son was considered to have come of age with new privileges and responsibilities.
The Apostle Paul is referencing this age old Roman event to illustrate the goal of God in the life of the believer. In his illustration, Paul is referencing a boy who is the heir of a large estate. As long as he’s a child, he is no different from a slave, he has no freedom. He’s subject to what his guardian says, until he reaches the age at which his father decides that he’s an adult.
Paul is illustrating our condition before we became followers of Jesus Christ. The word the Apostle uses for “spiritual forces” describes misguided religious understanding. As we see throughout the scriptures, we show our spiritual immaturity when we major on the minors and ignore the majors. This is what was happening in the church at Galatia.
The phrase “when the set time had fully come” dovetails with this Roman rite of passage, illustrating the time that God sovereignly chose to send His Son into the world to redeem mankind.
The world at that time had experienced a social revolution that made it perfect for Jesus to come to earth. The world was united under Roman rule, something called pax Romana, Roman peace. Roads lined the Roman empire, making travel and commerce possible in a way that hadn’t been before. The world spoke a common language, Greek, making communication much easier. On top of all this, people were spiritually hungry. Time could not have been better for God to send his Son, the Lord Jesus, at just the right time.
According to v.5, God intervened in history to change our relationship with Him. He redeemed us through the obedience of His Son. He came to buy us out of slavery to misguided religious understanding which included the wrong teaching that we were obligated to keep the law perfectly in order to be made right with God.
Oh, the timing of God, it is always spot on. When I graduated from high school, I was not a believer in Christ. The following October, just three days before my dad died, I trusted Christ as my Savior. A year and a half later, I enrolled in Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina. It was during my Junior year that I met the girl who would become my wife. Think about it, had I enrolled at CBC right out of high school, I would have missed her. Not to mention that I almost left CBC several times during my Freshman and Sophomore years. And here's the kicker, God raised up a man and his wife to pay for my college education. So many variables, so much design. We can trust God like that! He's got this!
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:1-5)
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul is using the Roman rite of passage into manhood to illustrate the goal of God in the life of each believer. The goal is maturity, spiritual maturity, which includes a deepening appreciation for God's grace.
In the Roman society, the father decided when a son would become an adult. Every year, the Romans held a festival. At this feast, if the father thought his son was ready, he would be formally adopted by the father as his acknowledged son and heir. After the celebration, the son was considered to have come of age with new privileges and responsibilities.
The Apostle Paul is referencing this age old Roman event to illustrate the goal of God in the life of the believer. In his illustration, Paul is referencing a boy who is the heir of a large estate. As long as he’s a child, he is no different from a slave, he has no freedom. He’s subject to what his guardian says, until he reaches the age at which his father decides that he’s an adult.
Paul is illustrating our condition before we became followers of Jesus Christ. The word the Apostle uses for “spiritual forces” describes misguided religious understanding. As we see throughout the scriptures, we show our spiritual immaturity when we major on the minors and ignore the majors. This is what was happening in the church at Galatia.
The phrase “when the set time had fully come” dovetails with this Roman rite of passage, illustrating the time that God sovereignly chose to send His Son into the world to redeem mankind.
The world at that time had experienced a social revolution that made it perfect for Jesus to come to earth. The world was united under Roman rule, something called pax Romana, Roman peace. Roads lined the Roman empire, making travel and commerce possible in a way that hadn’t been before. The world spoke a common language, Greek, making communication much easier. On top of all this, people were spiritually hungry. Time could not have been better for God to send his Son, the Lord Jesus, at just the right time.
According to v.5, God intervened in history to change our relationship with Him. He redeemed us through the obedience of His Son. He came to buy us out of slavery to misguided religious understanding which included the wrong teaching that we were obligated to keep the law perfectly in order to be made right with God.
Oh, the timing of God, it is always spot on. When I graduated from high school, I was not a believer in Christ. The following October, just three days before my dad died, I trusted Christ as my Savior. A year and a half later, I enrolled in Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina. It was during my Junior year that I met the girl who would become my wife. Think about it, had I enrolled at CBC right out of high school, I would have missed her. Not to mention that I almost left CBC several times during my Freshman and Sophomore years. And here's the kicker, God raised up a man and his wife to pay for my college education. So many variables, so much design. We can trust God like that! He's got this!
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Galatians 3:26-29
Galatians 3:26-29 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)
In our text today, Paul contrasts the status of the believer in Christ before and after he became a child of God. Before, he was under the care of the law, illustrated here by a tutor or a guardian.
Among other purposes, the law exposed mankind's sinful condition and subsequent need for a Savior. And, when Christ fulfilled the law, He made it possible for you and me to have a personal relationship with God. He did this by sharing His perfection with all who would receive His free gift of sonship.
When we, through faith, trusted Christ, we became children of God. And, we, through Christ, inherited the promise of the Holy Spirit (the baptism which Paul speaks of here in v.27 is spiritual baptism). As a result, we are no longer held in the custody of the law. We are now freed from the curse of the law and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to enjoy a personal relationship with God.
Further, we are “clothed in Christ” which means when God looks at us he sees the perfection of His Son, Jesus Christ. And, when believers in Christ look at each other we ought not make any distinctions. Our cultural background should make no difference.
This was a radical departure from the foregone Jewish Christian idea that only Jews could be made right with God through their obedience to the law. In the culture of the Jew, Gentiles, slaves, and women did not have the same access to God as the Jewish men.
Paul concludes this portion with two key phrases in v.29: 1) "If you belong to Christ" and 2) “heirs according to the promise.”
The first phrase begins with the word "if" which makes it conditional. Only those who have made the decision to trust in Christ for salvation belongs to Him. This word "belong" clearly shows that we are the possession of Jesus Christ. The amazing part of this is: the Holy Spirit, by indwelling us who believe, placed us in Christ.
The second phrase “heirs according to the promise” helps us in our understanding of the first. We are Christ's possession through the indwelling Holy Spirit (the promise made to Abraham) who has forever placed us in the family of God. And, we are heirs with Christ. In reality, God is the inheritance of the believer.
Our inheritance is described in Revelation 21:3 like this: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Clearly, the Christian life is a personal relationship with God who lives within our spirit.
In our text today, Paul contrasts the status of the believer in Christ before and after he became a child of God. Before, he was under the care of the law, illustrated here by a tutor or a guardian.
Among other purposes, the law exposed mankind's sinful condition and subsequent need for a Savior. And, when Christ fulfilled the law, He made it possible for you and me to have a personal relationship with God. He did this by sharing His perfection with all who would receive His free gift of sonship.
When we, through faith, trusted Christ, we became children of God. And, we, through Christ, inherited the promise of the Holy Spirit (the baptism which Paul speaks of here in v.27 is spiritual baptism). As a result, we are no longer held in the custody of the law. We are now freed from the curse of the law and empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to enjoy a personal relationship with God.
Further, we are “clothed in Christ” which means when God looks at us he sees the perfection of His Son, Jesus Christ. And, when believers in Christ look at each other we ought not make any distinctions. Our cultural background should make no difference.
This was a radical departure from the foregone Jewish Christian idea that only Jews could be made right with God through their obedience to the law. In the culture of the Jew, Gentiles, slaves, and women did not have the same access to God as the Jewish men.
Paul concludes this portion with two key phrases in v.29: 1) "If you belong to Christ" and 2) “heirs according to the promise.”
The first phrase begins with the word "if" which makes it conditional. Only those who have made the decision to trust in Christ for salvation belongs to Him. This word "belong" clearly shows that we are the possession of Jesus Christ. The amazing part of this is: the Holy Spirit, by indwelling us who believe, placed us in Christ.
The second phrase “heirs according to the promise” helps us in our understanding of the first. We are Christ's possession through the indwelling Holy Spirit (the promise made to Abraham) who has forever placed us in the family of God. And, we are heirs with Christ. In reality, God is the inheritance of the believer.
Our inheritance is described in Revelation 21:3 like this: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Clearly, the Christian life is a personal relationship with God who lives within our spirit.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Galatians 3:23-25
Galatians 3:23-25 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:23-25)
In today's text, we learn before "this" faith came we were arrested by the law, the law had us in handcuffs. The law functioned like a guardian of the family who was responsible to watch over the son, from his earliest days to his entrance into manhood.
A modern equivalent to the guardian could be a drill instructor at basic military training camp. He ensured that the young person in his control paid attention and learned his lessons. The law provides direction and self-control. It prescribes the way we "should" behave. But it could not give us a new heart nor could it give the inheritance which we have seen is the Holy Spirit.
"This faith" is the mark of maturity which the law prescribed, and so the law kept Israel under restraint until faith came. The law instructs us on how we are to live a life of faith, but our response has always been rebellion. And so, the law functioned to expose our sinfulness and control us until the day God began gave us a heart to trust him.
If we don't have a heart to trust God and rely on his mercy, the law will be offensive to us and will harden our hearts further toward God. This is why the law has to break us down, in order for the grace of God to build us back up through the gift of the perfection through Christ.
Once we have a heart to trust God and rely on his mercy, then the law will feel like a much-needed and desired prescription from a wise and loving father.
Once the process has happened, we will experience the freedom that we have in Christ, and the result will be gratitude giving birth to maturation in our relationship with God. When "this faith" comes, we will live a life of freedom and responsibility.
Freedom is the central theme in the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption.” While it is not obvious that most of us are locked up in some kind of a prison, we all could use more understanding of the fact that God loves us no matter what. Since we are not aware that we are imprisoned, we will not bother trying to escape.
Andre Gide once said, “To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom.” This is a very applicable quote when we consider the teaching of Paul to the Galatians. It is also very instructive to us, as well.
There is another figure in "Shawshank Redemption" from whom we can learn. Brooks Hatlen had been at Shawshank prison for five decades. He was most secure within the confinements of prison. Then, the day came for him to be freed on parole. Life on the outside of the predictable and gray of Shawshank was too must, so he hangs himself.
Brooks is a picture of many Christians, yet the goal of God in our lives is freedom. And, this freedom that Christ offers us is so freeing. The freedom is tantamount to being defined by God. This freedom is the ability to respond to life without having the past or future interfere in our actions. This freedom provided the unshackling of the incessant voices which tell us we must measure up in some way.
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:23-25)
In today's text, we learn before "this" faith came we were arrested by the law, the law had us in handcuffs. The law functioned like a guardian of the family who was responsible to watch over the son, from his earliest days to his entrance into manhood.
A modern equivalent to the guardian could be a drill instructor at basic military training camp. He ensured that the young person in his control paid attention and learned his lessons. The law provides direction and self-control. It prescribes the way we "should" behave. But it could not give us a new heart nor could it give the inheritance which we have seen is the Holy Spirit.
"This faith" is the mark of maturity which the law prescribed, and so the law kept Israel under restraint until faith came. The law instructs us on how we are to live a life of faith, but our response has always been rebellion. And so, the law functioned to expose our sinfulness and control us until the day God began gave us a heart to trust him.
If we don't have a heart to trust God and rely on his mercy, the law will be offensive to us and will harden our hearts further toward God. This is why the law has to break us down, in order for the grace of God to build us back up through the gift of the perfection through Christ.
Once we have a heart to trust God and rely on his mercy, then the law will feel like a much-needed and desired prescription from a wise and loving father.
Once the process has happened, we will experience the freedom that we have in Christ, and the result will be gratitude giving birth to maturation in our relationship with God. When "this faith" comes, we will live a life of freedom and responsibility.
Freedom is the central theme in the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption.” While it is not obvious that most of us are locked up in some kind of a prison, we all could use more understanding of the fact that God loves us no matter what. Since we are not aware that we are imprisoned, we will not bother trying to escape.
Andre Gide once said, “To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom.” This is a very applicable quote when we consider the teaching of Paul to the Galatians. It is also very instructive to us, as well.
There is another figure in "Shawshank Redemption" from whom we can learn. Brooks Hatlen had been at Shawshank prison for five decades. He was most secure within the confinements of prison. Then, the day came for him to be freed on parole. Life on the outside of the predictable and gray of Shawshank was too must, so he hangs himself.
Brooks is a picture of many Christians, yet the goal of God in our lives is freedom. And, this freedom that Christ offers us is so freeing. The freedom is tantamount to being defined by God. This freedom is the ability to respond to life without having the past or future interfere in our actions. This freedom provided the unshackling of the incessant voices which tell us we must measure up in some way.
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
Viktor E. Frankl
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Galatians 3:19-22
Galatians 3:19-22 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:19-22)
Our text today gives two reasons why God gave the law. First, it was added because of sin. Second, that the promise might be given to those who believe."
"The law was added because of transgressions" means the law identified the transgressions, and, as a result, it identifies them them as transgressions. The law requires obedience, but when we do not comply, hidden rebellion is brought out into the open. The rebellion of the human heart is identified when it meets up with the law.
In v.21-22 we read: "20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law." The law, which came 430 years after the promise to Abraham and his seed, does not annul the promise. As v.21 says, the law could not impart life to the believer. So, the purpose of the law was not to make people alive, but to hold us in sin until Christ came.
Christianity is the only "religion" that teaches "Original Sin" which means we were spiritually dead in sin at conception and because we were separated from God by our sin, we were without the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. However, when the Lord Jesus came and died on the cross, He made it possible for us to be "born of His Spirit."
The beauty of it all is seen in the fact that God told us in the Old Testament that He would do certain things so that we would get it. In Deuteronomy 30:6 we read: "The Lord your God will circumcise your heart . . . so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
Then in Jeremiah 31:33 we read, "After those days, says the Lord, I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts." And then in Ezekiel 36:26 we read: "A new heart I will give you (says the Lord), and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances."
This was the plan all along in the Old Testament, however, our hearts had to be prepared by the breaking that the law brings into our existence. The bad news is the law clearly breaks us by showing us who we really are, broken and separated from God. Then, we are prepared to recognize the utter beauty of the gospel. After being "born again", we out of gratitude pursue a meaningful, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Blaise Pascal said it well when he said, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."
To invest in BYM, click here
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:19-22)
Our text today gives two reasons why God gave the law. First, it was added because of sin. Second, that the promise might be given to those who believe."
"The law was added because of transgressions" means the law identified the transgressions, and, as a result, it identifies them them as transgressions. The law requires obedience, but when we do not comply, hidden rebellion is brought out into the open. The rebellion of the human heart is identified when it meets up with the law.
In v.21-22 we read: "20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law." The law, which came 430 years after the promise to Abraham and his seed, does not annul the promise. As v.21 says, the law could not impart life to the believer. So, the purpose of the law was not to make people alive, but to hold us in sin until Christ came.
Christianity is the only "religion" that teaches "Original Sin" which means we were spiritually dead in sin at conception and because we were separated from God by our sin, we were without the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. However, when the Lord Jesus came and died on the cross, He made it possible for us to be "born of His Spirit."
The beauty of it all is seen in the fact that God told us in the Old Testament that He would do certain things so that we would get it. In Deuteronomy 30:6 we read: "The Lord your God will circumcise your heart . . . so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
Then in Jeremiah 31:33 we read, "After those days, says the Lord, I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts." And then in Ezekiel 36:26 we read: "A new heart I will give you (says the Lord), and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances."
This was the plan all along in the Old Testament, however, our hearts had to be prepared by the breaking that the law brings into our existence. The bad news is the law clearly breaks us by showing us who we really are, broken and separated from God. Then, we are prepared to recognize the utter beauty of the gospel. After being "born again", we out of gratitude pursue a meaningful, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Blaise Pascal said it well when he said, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."
Friday, April 19, 2019
Galatians 3:15-18
Galatians 3:15-18 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Galatians 3:15-18)
In Galatians 3 the point is: we can't enjoy the promise or the life changing work of the Spirit, if we are living by "works of law." In order to enjoy the power of the Spirit, we must live daily by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
Our efforts to measure up to the law as a means of gaining or maintaining God's favor is a transgression of the law itself (Galatians 2:18), and it brings a person under the law's curse (Galatians 3:10). When we try to supplement our faith with works of the law, we are promoting deadly legalism.
Now, in Galatians 3:15–18, 430 years after Abraham, God gave the law to Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai to make clear that our inheritance does come from works of the law. Our inheritance or experiencing the life changing power of the Holy Spirit in our lives comes through our choice to trust Him daily.
In v.15 Paul uses an illustration. In their culture at that time, there were covenants of property or inheritance arrangements or oaths which could not be cancelled or changed. Paul is illustrating how the Mosaic law can not annul or alter the terms of the Abrahamic covenant which were received by faith and realized by faith.
In v.17 Paul gives the application of the illustration which is: the law, which came 430 years later, does not annul the promise previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. It was God who spoke the promise to Abraham and it was the same God who gave the law to his descendants.
Paul is careful to say that God, through the law, was not telling us to earn God's blessing by our good works. If that were the case, the covenant with Abraham would have been nullified.
The main point of v.16 is that Jesus Christ is the seed, or the descendant of Abraham. And, it is only through a personal relationship with Christ do we realize the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit made to Abraham.
According to v.18, if the inheritance is achieved by means of keeping the law, then Christ would not be needed, had the inheritance already been attained. But God gave the inheritance (salvation) to Abraham by a promise, namely, through Christ.
At the end of the day, Jesus Christ is the end of all the searches of our hearts. It is only in a real and honest relationship with the Lord Jesus do we receive from Him eternal life. Our problem is we do not know what eternal life truly is. A healthy exercise is looking up quotes on the subject of eternal life. It is sad when you read the quotes.
Why do so few know how to describe eternal life? Because, in order to describe eternal life, one must have experienced it. So what is eternal life? In John 1, we are told Jesus came FULL grace and truth. Eternal life is to receive from Jesus Christ fullness. At the root of all our sin is our lack, our deficiency. When the created is united with its creator, eternal life is experienced. Eternal life renders selfishness null and void for at the root of our self is our flesh.
Oh to be defined by the love of this one who has no lack, no need, no selfishness. When we are defined by Him, this one who came to serve and to not be served ... Now, that is eternal life.
To invest in BYM, click here
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Galatians 3:15-18)
In Galatians 3 the point is: we can't enjoy the promise or the life changing work of the Spirit, if we are living by "works of law." In order to enjoy the power of the Spirit, we must live daily by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
Our efforts to measure up to the law as a means of gaining or maintaining God's favor is a transgression of the law itself (Galatians 2:18), and it brings a person under the law's curse (Galatians 3:10). When we try to supplement our faith with works of the law, we are promoting deadly legalism.
Now, in Galatians 3:15–18, 430 years after Abraham, God gave the law to Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai to make clear that our inheritance does come from works of the law. Our inheritance or experiencing the life changing power of the Holy Spirit in our lives comes through our choice to trust Him daily.
In v.15 Paul uses an illustration. In their culture at that time, there were covenants of property or inheritance arrangements or oaths which could not be cancelled or changed. Paul is illustrating how the Mosaic law can not annul or alter the terms of the Abrahamic covenant which were received by faith and realized by faith.
In v.17 Paul gives the application of the illustration which is: the law, which came 430 years later, does not annul the promise previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. It was God who spoke the promise to Abraham and it was the same God who gave the law to his descendants.
Paul is careful to say that God, through the law, was not telling us to earn God's blessing by our good works. If that were the case, the covenant with Abraham would have been nullified.
The main point of v.16 is that Jesus Christ is the seed, or the descendant of Abraham. And, it is only through a personal relationship with Christ do we realize the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit made to Abraham.
According to v.18, if the inheritance is achieved by means of keeping the law, then Christ would not be needed, had the inheritance already been attained. But God gave the inheritance (salvation) to Abraham by a promise, namely, through Christ.
At the end of the day, Jesus Christ is the end of all the searches of our hearts. It is only in a real and honest relationship with the Lord Jesus do we receive from Him eternal life. Our problem is we do not know what eternal life truly is. A healthy exercise is looking up quotes on the subject of eternal life. It is sad when you read the quotes.
Why do so few know how to describe eternal life? Because, in order to describe eternal life, one must have experienced it. So what is eternal life? In John 1, we are told Jesus came FULL grace and truth. Eternal life is to receive from Jesus Christ fullness. At the root of all our sin is our lack, our deficiency. When the created is united with its creator, eternal life is experienced. Eternal life renders selfishness null and void for at the root of our self is our flesh.
Oh to be defined by the love of this one who has no lack, no need, no selfishness. When we are defined by Him, this one who came to serve and to not be served ... Now, that is eternal life.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Galatians 3:13-14
Galatians 3:13-14 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:13-14)
Galatians 3:10–14 makes three alarming statements which we will consider today and tomorrow. The first statement is v.10: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The second is v.13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." The third, in v.14, gives the purpose of the second: "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Having considered the first alarming statement in v.10, today we consider the second and third. The second alarming statement in v.13 is, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law."
Christ redeemed us. The word that Paul uses here for "redeemed" is "exegorasen" which means to buy a slave out of the market-place. This happened because God doesn't just love or do love, He IS love.
The story of Hosea illustrates this so well. God tells Hosea to go find his wife, Gomer, who was running around with the men of the city. Many of the men in the city had known her. Hosea walks the streets to find his wife. Eventually, he found her, and he bought her for 15 pieces of silver and 1 1/2 homers of barley, the equivalent of what Judas received for betraying Jesus.
The amount that Hosea paid illustrates that he was not a wealthy man for he had to empty his cupboards to purchase her back (1 1/2 homers of barley). He bought back what was already his, his wife. God did the same; He sent His Son to earth to buy back what was His already. And He emptied His cupboards, He gave all He had, even His life.
The heart of the gospel is "Christ, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus measured up to the law perfectly and in so doing, He undergirded truth itself. In order to extend this blessing to those who would believe in Him, He had to be cursed by God on our behalf.
In v.14, we read, "in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." When we quit holding on to our efforts of measuring up to gain God's acceptance and trust in Christ's righteousness, then we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit.
We like to think that the greatest display of God's power is seen in the parting of the sea or the raising of Lazarus or the healing of the blind man. No, no, no. The greatest display of God's power is the changing of a human heart. Look for Him to do this in your life as you yield to Him.
After Hosea found Gomer, his wife, and brought her home, her name is never mentioned again in the book of Hosea from the fourth chapter til the end. In light of the fact that when her name was mentioned before, it was not in a good light, I believe it's a good bet that she never left Hosea again. Why? Because of his great love. Oh to be defined more by God's love for me rather than my love for God.
To invest in BYM, click here
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:13-14)
Galatians 3:10–14 makes three alarming statements which we will consider today and tomorrow. The first statement is v.10: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The second is v.13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." The third, in v.14, gives the purpose of the second: "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Having considered the first alarming statement in v.10, today we consider the second and third. The second alarming statement in v.13 is, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law."
Christ redeemed us. The word that Paul uses here for "redeemed" is "exegorasen" which means to buy a slave out of the market-place. This happened because God doesn't just love or do love, He IS love.
The story of Hosea illustrates this so well. God tells Hosea to go find his wife, Gomer, who was running around with the men of the city. Many of the men in the city had known her. Hosea walks the streets to find his wife. Eventually, he found her, and he bought her for 15 pieces of silver and 1 1/2 homers of barley, the equivalent of what Judas received for betraying Jesus.
The amount that Hosea paid illustrates that he was not a wealthy man for he had to empty his cupboards to purchase her back (1 1/2 homers of barley). He bought back what was already his, his wife. God did the same; He sent His Son to earth to buy back what was His already. And He emptied His cupboards, He gave all He had, even His life.
The heart of the gospel is "Christ, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus measured up to the law perfectly and in so doing, He undergirded truth itself. In order to extend this blessing to those who would believe in Him, He had to be cursed by God on our behalf.
In v.14, we read, "in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." When we quit holding on to our efforts of measuring up to gain God's acceptance and trust in Christ's righteousness, then we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit.
We like to think that the greatest display of God's power is seen in the parting of the sea or the raising of Lazarus or the healing of the blind man. No, no, no. The greatest display of God's power is the changing of a human heart. Look for Him to do this in your life as you yield to Him.
After Hosea found Gomer, his wife, and brought her home, her name is never mentioned again in the book of Hosea from the fourth chapter til the end. In light of the fact that when her name was mentioned before, it was not in a good light, I believe it's a good bet that she never left Hosea again. Why? Because of his great love. Oh to be defined more by God's love for me rather than my love for God.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Galatians 3:10-12
Galatians 3:10-12 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” (Galatians 3:10-12)
The book of Galatians is God's reminder that we are in constant danger of false assurances. The enemy is constantly at work trying to get us to think if we are good enough, we are where we need to be.
By the grace of God through Christ Jesus and our abiding faith in His work on the cross, we are right before God. Nothing has to be added to His finished work on the cross for our justification. The book of Galatians consistently brings us back to the one thing that keeps us close to the heart of God: the GRACE of GOD.
Galatians 3:10–14 makes three statements which we will consider today and tomorrow. The first statement is v.10: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The second is v.13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." The third, in v.14, gives the purpose of the second: "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
First, "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The opposite of a curse is a blessing. Since the blessing is the Holy Spirit (v.14), the curse must be the absence of the Holy Spirit. In v.10 Paul writes "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse," which means that they are without the Holy Spirit. And, if they are without the Holy Spirit, they are depending upon their good performance which will never be good enough to merit God's favor.
When Paul referred to legalism, he used the terms "law" or "works of law," and then he trusted that the context would clarify the meaning.
Paul says this is not consistent with the gospel (2:14). In 2:18 he wrote, "If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker." That is, if we start again to depend on "works of law" to show our value to God, then we show ourselves to be lawbreakers. The law itself condemns the use of its own commands as a way of trying to earn God's blessing. Paul uses the term "works of law" to refer to this legalistic misuse of law.
So the "works of law" in 3:10 refers to our efforts at obedience to earn God's favor. This is why "works of law" are contrasted with faith in v.5: "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?"
"Works of law" are not the "good works" that a Christian does in reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. They are our efforts at obedience to earn God's favor. Therefore, the phrase "works of law" is synonymous with legalism, and the law itself condemns legalism.
In Galatians 3:1–5 the legalistic teachers told the Galatians that it is OK to start the Christian life by faith, but then you have to do "good works" to maintain God's favor. But, God supplies the Spirit to the believer does so only by faith, not by works of law.
Galatians 3:10 confirms this: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”'
The curse in v.10 is not because you fail to do the works of the law. It is because you do them with the wrong motive. The advice of the legalists to supplement faith with "works of law" has exactly the opposite effect from the one intended, it brings a curse, not a blessing.
The problem with the Legalists is not their failure to follow the detailed teachings of the law; the problem was that they missed the larger teaching: without a new heart, without the enablement of God, and without faith, all efforts to obey the law are just works of the flesh.
In v.12, Paul contrasts faith with legalism, and that the Mosaic law itself pronounces a curse precisely on that legalism. The word "law" in v.11-12 refers not to the teaching of Moses but to the distortion of the law into legalism by the Legalists.
Our conclusion: good, moral, religious people, who have not been "born again" and do not have God's Spirit living within them are under a curse from the law itself. I believe this explains that passage in Matthew 7:21-23 where the Lord Jesus said to those who were known for their "good works", "depart from me for I never knew you."
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” (Galatians 3:10-12)
The book of Galatians is God's reminder that we are in constant danger of false assurances. The enemy is constantly at work trying to get us to think if we are good enough, we are where we need to be.
By the grace of God through Christ Jesus and our abiding faith in His work on the cross, we are right before God. Nothing has to be added to His finished work on the cross for our justification. The book of Galatians consistently brings us back to the one thing that keeps us close to the heart of God: the GRACE of GOD.
Galatians 3:10–14 makes three statements which we will consider today and tomorrow. The first statement is v.10: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The second is v.13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." The third, in v.14, gives the purpose of the second: "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
First, "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse." The opposite of a curse is a blessing. Since the blessing is the Holy Spirit (v.14), the curse must be the absence of the Holy Spirit. In v.10 Paul writes "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse," which means that they are without the Holy Spirit. And, if they are without the Holy Spirit, they are depending upon their good performance which will never be good enough to merit God's favor.
When Paul referred to legalism, he used the terms "law" or "works of law," and then he trusted that the context would clarify the meaning.
Paul says this is not consistent with the gospel (2:14). In 2:18 he wrote, "If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker." That is, if we start again to depend on "works of law" to show our value to God, then we show ourselves to be lawbreakers. The law itself condemns the use of its own commands as a way of trying to earn God's blessing. Paul uses the term "works of law" to refer to this legalistic misuse of law.
So the "works of law" in 3:10 refers to our efforts at obedience to earn God's favor. This is why "works of law" are contrasted with faith in v.5: "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?"
"Works of law" are not the "good works" that a Christian does in reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. They are our efforts at obedience to earn God's favor. Therefore, the phrase "works of law" is synonymous with legalism, and the law itself condemns legalism.
In Galatians 3:1–5 the legalistic teachers told the Galatians that it is OK to start the Christian life by faith, but then you have to do "good works" to maintain God's favor. But, God supplies the Spirit to the believer does so only by faith, not by works of law.
Galatians 3:10 confirms this: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”'
The curse in v.10 is not because you fail to do the works of the law. It is because you do them with the wrong motive. The advice of the legalists to supplement faith with "works of law" has exactly the opposite effect from the one intended, it brings a curse, not a blessing.
The problem with the Legalists is not their failure to follow the detailed teachings of the law; the problem was that they missed the larger teaching: without a new heart, without the enablement of God, and without faith, all efforts to obey the law are just works of the flesh.
In v.12, Paul contrasts faith with legalism, and that the Mosaic law itself pronounces a curse precisely on that legalism. The word "law" in v.11-12 refers not to the teaching of Moses but to the distortion of the law into legalism by the Legalists.
Our conclusion: good, moral, religious people, who have not been "born again" and do not have God's Spirit living within them are under a curse from the law itself. I believe this explains that passage in Matthew 7:21-23 where the Lord Jesus said to those who were known for their "good works", "depart from me for I never knew you."
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Galatians 3:5-9
5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:5-9)
In Genesis 12:1–3 God gave to Abraham a promise of His continued blessing on him and all who came after him who would choose to believe in Him, the God of the Bible. As a result, Abraham and those who would believe were given a mission to "be a blessing" to all the nations. This mission included telling others of God, of His salvation and His goodness.
Now, in Genesis 17:4-5 God spells out the terms of his covenant with Abraham: "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." The word "multitude" includes "all the nations of the earth." So, from the beginning, God hasn't only promised His salvation to the believing Jews, but also to those non-Jews who would believe.
The blessing includes justification, which means that in spite of all our sins, God counts us to be righteous through His Son. Romans 5:18-19 sums it up well: “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
"To be justified means more than to be declared "not guilty." It actually means to be declared righteous before God. It means God has imputed or charged the guilt of our sin to His Son, Jesus Christ, and has imputed or credited Christ's righteousness to us."
- Jerry Bridges
The blessing also includes regeneration by the Spirit of God who seals us for eternal life. Galatians 3:14 says that Christ became a curse for us "that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, in order that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
"The indwelling Spirit shall teach him what is of God and what is not. This is why sometimes we can conjure up no logical reason for opposing a certain teaching, yet in the very depth of our being arises a resistance."
-Watchman Nee
Monday, April 15, 2019
Galatians 3:3-4
Galatians 3:3-4 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
In Galatians 3:1-4, the Apostle Paul identifies three reasons we backslide. We have considered the first two: 1) We forget the cost of our salvation and 2) We forsake a life of faith.
Today, we will consider the third of these three. We forbid the Holy Spirit from working in and through our lives.
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul juxtapositions the flesh with the Spirit. Of course, you will remember that the flesh is a term for the "evil desires" that are within us. You see, when Adam and Eve rejected God's definitions of everything, they unknowingly invited these evil desires to rule within their souls and spirits.
When we believe on Jesus as our savior, the Holy Spirit makes us "born again." It is our spirit that has been "born again" which means our once dead spirit has been made alive to God. And now, we are positioned to have a personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit's activity is essential in our pursuit of a personal relationship with God.
I am sure that it was the desire of the believers in Galatia to know God. Yet, in their attempt to know Him, they served the flesh. And, as indicated in Galatians 2, they were following the example of Peter. Remember Peter? Peter was the one who made his declaration that he would not betray Jesus. When he made that declaration he thought that he was being most spiritual. And, he was not. The Spirit will always lessen us, at the same time validate us.
In v.4, Paul uses the word epathete, most often translated "suffer." The NIV translates this word "experience." This word is best translated, "did you suffer?" This and many other verses teach us that God uses a variety of things to sanctify (to get us to think and choose like God) the believer, especially suffering. And, remember, sanctification is the process whereby God changes our thinking and choices to be more in line with His.
I have grown the most in my walk with the Lord during those times that I have suffered the most. And, what I realized during those times is that the Christian life is more of Him and less of me. Suffering frames up the Christian life best, because in tandem with the Holy Spirit, suffering forces us to live for and depend upon the most important One in this life.
To invest in BYM, click here
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced (suffered) so much in vain, if it really was in vain?(Galatians 3:3-4)
In Galatians 3:1-4, the Apostle Paul identifies three reasons we backslide. We have considered the first two: 1) We forget the cost of our salvation and 2) We forsake a life of faith.
Today, we will consider the third of these three. We forbid the Holy Spirit from working in and through our lives.
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul juxtapositions the flesh with the Spirit. Of course, you will remember that the flesh is a term for the "evil desires" that are within us. You see, when Adam and Eve rejected God's definitions of everything, they unknowingly invited these evil desires to rule within their souls and spirits.
When we believe on Jesus as our savior, the Holy Spirit makes us "born again." It is our spirit that has been "born again" which means our once dead spirit has been made alive to God. And now, we are positioned to have a personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit's activity is essential in our pursuit of a personal relationship with God.
I am sure that it was the desire of the believers in Galatia to know God. Yet, in their attempt to know Him, they served the flesh. And, as indicated in Galatians 2, they were following the example of Peter. Remember Peter? Peter was the one who made his declaration that he would not betray Jesus. When he made that declaration he thought that he was being most spiritual. And, he was not. The Spirit will always lessen us, at the same time validate us.
In v.4, Paul uses the word epathete, most often translated "suffer." The NIV translates this word "experience." This word is best translated, "did you suffer?" This and many other verses teach us that God uses a variety of things to sanctify (to get us to think and choose like God) the believer, especially suffering. And, remember, sanctification is the process whereby God changes our thinking and choices to be more in line with His.
I have grown the most in my walk with the Lord during those times that I have suffered the most. And, what I realized during those times is that the Christian life is more of Him and less of me. Suffering frames up the Christian life best, because in tandem with the Holy Spirit, suffering forces us to live for and depend upon the most important One in this life.
Following the leading of the Spirit is tricky. But, there are two ways to know His leading: The Holy Spirit always points us to the Lord Jesus and the Word of God will enable us to recognize His voice.
"We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules, and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. We measure each step, calibrate each turn, and flop into bed each night exhausted from another day of dancing by the book." Max Lucado
We must learn to hear the Holy Spirit, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and marvel at how we fit in to what He is doing. There is no substitute for prayer and a daily study of God's word, but if we just stop their without interacting with Him, then we have just followed the book and ignored the music.
byoungministry@gmail.com
"We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules, and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. We measure each step, calibrate each turn, and flop into bed each night exhausted from another day of dancing by the book." Max Lucado
We must learn to hear the Holy Spirit, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and marvel at how we fit in to what He is doing. There is no substitute for prayer and a daily study of God's word, but if we just stop their without interacting with Him, then we have just followed the book and ignored the music.
byoungministry@gmail.com
Friday, April 12, 2019
Galatians 3:2
Galatians 3:2 Podcast
To invest in BYM, click here
To invest in BYM, click here
In Galatians 3:1-4, the Apostle Paul identifies three reasons we backslide. Today, we will consider the second of these three.
Whereas, the first reason we backslide, given in v.1, is that we lose sight of Jesus' cross, the second, found in v.2, is we forsake a life of faith.
Paul writes, "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?" Faith has always been the basis upon which one is made righteous in the eyes of God. In fact, Romans 4:3 reads, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” And, in Hebrews 11:6 we read, "without faith it is impossible to please God."
Faith is the only human thing that pleases God. Yet, faith is the primary responsibility of God in the life of the believer. The key for the believer is receiving, perhaps the hardest thing we can do. The Greek word for faith is "pistis" which means to persuade.
Our trust in God is not based on our efforts to hold on to God, it is based on His persuasion. God persuades us through revealing Himself to us and showing His goodness to us. So, faith is a gift, and it is not the product of those who are stronger or better in any way.
The issue is the object of our faith. Jesus said, "no one gets to the Father but through me." Believing in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross and the fact that He was buried and He rose from the dead results in what life is really about. Real life, the life Jesus died to give us, produces everything we all long for in this life. And the more we respond to Him, the more He persuades us to believe bigger. And He is big. In fact, our understanding of Him is way too small, due to our lack of faith.
I am told the African Impala can jump up to 11 feet up and 30 feet out. If we were to go to our local zoo to observe the Impala, we would notice that the walls containing the empala is only 4 feet tall.
Naturally, we question, " why do the Impalas stay? Why do they not just jump the short barrier before them? The answer? The African Impala will only jump to the spots which he can see with his eyes. This illustrates why we do not take leaps of faith. We have lost sight of where to jump.
God is holy which means He acts consistently with His character. He does for us what we can not do for ourselves. It is impossible to please God without faith in His Son because His Son has measured up for us who have placed our faith in Him.
Years ago I coached varsity baseball at a local high school. One day, after a big region victory, my four year old son (at that time) climbed up the bleachers behind me. I was not aware of him being up on the top rung, about five feet off the ground. When I noticed him, he said, "Daddy catch me." I walked over to him, about a foot away and I told him to "jump." He then said, "back up, Daddy."
I tell you this story to illustrate this point: to the degree that we know how good and how big God is, we will want to show off His ability to catch us. Now, if my son was illustrating his ability to jump, well, that's another story. But, for the sake of our subject today, I accentuate my son's Daddy's ability to catch him. If I, his earthly Daddy, delights in catching my trusting little boy, how much more does God want to display His ability to do the same for His trusting child?
Finally, I am glad that God does not quantify the amount of our faith that we need to be "acceptable" by Him. No, He accentuates the object by saying, "Come unto ME."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)