3205.) Galatians 6

Galatians 6 (ESV)

Bear One Another’s Burdens

¹Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

“Let the ministers of the Gospel learn from Paul how to deal with those who have sinned. ‘Brethren,’ he says, ‘if any man be overtaken with a fault, do not aggravate his grief, do not scold him, do not condemn him, but lift him up and gently restore his faith.'”

–Martin Luther

Philippians 4:5 (CEV)

Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

“If we can overlook our own shortcomings and wrong-doings, we ought to overlook the shortcomings of others in accordance with the words, ‘Bear ye one another’s burdens.'”

–Martin Luther

(To whom can you/should you express your gratitude? — Thank you, my friend, for helping carry my burdens.)

³For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵For each will have to bear his own load.

There is no contradiction between bear one another’s burdens (in verse 2) and each one shall bear his own load (verse 5). In the latter, Paul speaks of our final accountability before God. In the former, he speaks of our need to care for others in the body of Christ.

There is also a difference in the wording Paul uses. The word for load in verse 5 is a common term for a man’s backpack. The word for burdens in verse 2 is a different word meaning “heavy burdens” — those that are more than a man should carry. In the end, we will are all responsible for our own work, but we can help bear the burdens of others.

–David Guzik

⁶ One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.

This is a basic, though sometimes neglected, spiritual principle. Those who feed and bless you spiritually should be supported by you financially. Paul repeated this principle in several other places. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? (1 Corinthians 9:11). Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine (1 Timothy 5:17). If you trust them with your spiritual health, you should also trust them to steward the gifts of God’s people (Luke 16:11).

⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

(Whom can you encourage by saying — Thank you, my friend, for not growing weary of doing good.)

Final Warning and Benediction

¹¹See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. ¹² It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. ¹⁴But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears, two wonders I confess:
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

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Music:

HERE  is “Lift High the Cross” — The Chancel Choir, The Chapel Choir, Broadway Baptist Church and The Oratorio Chorus, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, The Festival Brass — a beautiful rendition!

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¹⁵For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. ¹⁶And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. ¹⁷From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

(To whom should you say — Thank you, my friend, for dealing with me in peace and mercy.)

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

“After the storm and stress and intensity of the letter comes the peace of the benediction. Paul has argued and rebuked and cajoled but his last word is GRACE, for him the only word that really mattered.”

–William Barclay

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English Standard Version (ESV)    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Galatians 6:14.  https://www.heartlight.org/gallery/book/galatians/

Help to carry . . .     http://www.have-faith-in-god-uk.org/4_step13.gif

backpacks.   https://hubpages.com/health/Galatians-62-and-65-Biblical-Contradiction-or-Admonishment-Against-Codependency

Keep going.   https://www.textmessages.eu/messages/encouraging-messages-for-friends/

the cross.   https://bulldogcatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Blog-Photo-1.jpg

3204.) Galatians 5

Galatians 5 (ESV)

Christ Has Set Us Free

¹For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

This is the will of God for you: your freedom. Uncompromising, unrelenting, indomitable freedom. For this Christ died. For this he rose. For this he sent his Spirit. There is nothing he wills with more intensity under the glory of his own name than this: your freedom.

–John Piper

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Music:

HERE  Chris Armfield sings “For Freedom,” a song he based on this verse.

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²Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

“Tongue cannot express, nor heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless.”

–Martin Luther

³I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Paul is explaining that if someone chooses circumcision as a way to please God, then he is under contract, so to speak, to continue in the law. It shows he distrusts grace, and trusts rather in his own ability to keep the law. Then Christ does no good for him, since he must first trust Christ.

⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

See how carefully, how logically, how powerfully Paul has set out his argument? I bet he was the captain of his high school debate team! He says:  What does not matter? Circumcision (law). What does matter? Faith working through love (gospel). He could not make it any clearer!

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹²I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

“‘Circumcision’ stands for a religion of human achievement, of what man can do by his own good works; ‘Christ’ stands for a religion of divine achievement, of what God has done through the finished work of Christ. ‘Circumcision” means law, works, and bondage; ‘Christ’ means grace, faith and freedom. Every person must choose.”

–John Stott

¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

“If you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how much you love yourself. If you were to get into trouble or danger, you would be glad to have the love and help of all men. You do not need any book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought to love your neighbor as yourself.”

–Martin Luther

Walk by the Spirit

¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

How easily we rush through these sins, thinking perhaps that most of them don’t apply to us — but I have found it a good exercise to go through the list slowly, searching my heart and mind, confessing how many of them DO apply to me. Thank you, Lord, that You are willing to forgive me and renew me!

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

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Music:

HERE  is a fun and funny song to help you remember the fruits of the Spirit! Thank you, Brian Dunn!

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from Experiencing God Day-by-Day,
by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Regardless of who you are, the Spirit works from the same model, Jesus Christ, to produce Christ’s character in you. The Spirit looks to Christ in order to find the blueprint for your character. The Spirit will help you experience and practice the same love that Jesus had when He laid down His life for His friends. The same joy He experienced will now fill you. The identical peace that guarded the heart of Jesus, even as He was being beaten and mocked, will be the peace that the Spirit works to instill in you. The patience Jesus had for His most unteachable disciple will be the patience that the Spirit now develops in you. The kindness Jesus showed toward children and sinners will soften your heart toward others. There will be a goodness about you that is only explainable by the presence of the Spirit of God. The Spirit will build the same faithfulness into you that led Jesus to be entirely obedient to His Father. Christ’s gentleness will be displayed in you. The Spirit will teach you self-control so that you will have strength to do what is right and to resist temptation.

²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Galatians 5:1.   https://www.flickr.com/photos/49030844@N05/8392359081

debate.    https://pcoastcompelled.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/img_3122-0.gif

loving your neighbor.   https://www.cotrquitman.com/2012/02/21/the-love-focus-part-3/love-your-neighbor/

fruit of the Spirit.    http://www.ceflongbeach.com/fruit-of-the-spirit-pre-cut/

3203.) Galatians 4:21-31

 

Galatians 4:21-31 (ESV)

Example of Hagar and Sarah

²¹Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. ²³But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

Let’s go back to Genesis 15 and remind ourselves of what happened to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham is downcast because he and Sarah have no children, no heir to fulfill the promises of becoming a great nation (12:2). There is only Eliezer the slave. But God says, “This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.” God’s intention was to give Abraham a son and an heir when it looked humanly impossible so that Abraham would have to rely solely on God.

But in Genesis 16 Abraham and Sarah weaken in their faith for a time and devise a plan by which they will use their own resources to help God fulfill his promise. Sarah gives Hagar, her handmaid, to Abraham so she can bear him a son. So, “Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him Ishmael.” So when Paul says that Ishmael was born “according to the flesh,” it means that he was the product of self-reliance. Abraham ceased to rely on God’s power to fulfill his word and instead relied on his own power and ingenuity to get a son.

Then, 14 years later, in Genesis 17, God says to Abraham that his wife, Sarah, will have a son. God intends to fulfill his promise in a way that removes all ground for boasting. “Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah who is ninety years old bear a child?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘O, that Ishmael might live in thy sight!’ God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.'” God rejects what Abraham was able to produce on his own and promises again that in spite of Abraham’s age, he will have a son by his own wife.

So in Genesis 21 it says, “The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.” Isaac was not born according to the flesh because his birth was the result of God’s supernatural intervention in fulfillment of his own promise. Abraham had learned his lesson: the only acceptable response to God’s merciful promise is trust in that promise, not works of the flesh that try to bring down God’s blessing with our efforts. So Paul sums it up: “The son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise.”

–John Piper

So Paul presents the truth through a story all the Jews know very well. The legalists present themselves as those who are true sons of Abraham. Well, yes, Paul says, but Abraham had two sons. Then he asks them:  Which son do you represent? One son was born to a slavewoman, the result of human manipulation (law). The other son was born to the wife, the result of God’s miraculous power (grace). Paul says that those who allow believers only to follow the law end up denying the grace.

²⁴Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

²⁸Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

from This Day with the Master,
by Dennis F. Kinlaw

We are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Galatians 4:31

Have you ever stopped to notice that Abraham received the fulfillment of all God’s promises through his son Ishmael? The promises of descendants, nations, and land all came through Ishmael’s children. Ishmael had twelve sons, each son was a prince, and each son became a nation. There was only one thing Isaac gave to the world that Ishmael could not: the Christ. Jesus, the One who would bring redemption to the world, is the descendant of Isaac.

What made the difference between the two sons of Abraham? Ishmael represents humans working in their own strength. The results look productive, but there is no salvation in them, and ultimately they create violence and destruction. Isaac displays the action of God in human life, and the hope of the world is being fulfilled when we allow God to work through our lives. Ishmael is a result of an individual forming his own character, and Isaac is a result of a person allowing God to put his own character in the human heart. We are eternally barren if we attempt to work in our own way.

Have we slipped from the high ground where we let Christ form his character in us, down to the marshy lowlands where we attempt to define our own character? If Christ works in my life, then my focus will rest on him, and I will be open to him. If I am the only one at work in my life, my attention will be completely absorbed in myself, and that is always destructive.

Is your life an occasion for you or an occasion for him? In your answer to that question dwells the difference between light and darkness, between life and death, between God and you.

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Music:

HERE  is “Who But You?” a song from Abraham and Sarah.

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

 The Son of Promise.   https://shop.audiomemory.com/The-Son-of-Promise-Abraham-Sarah-and-Isaac-from-Genesis-mp4-AbrahamIsaacmp4.htm

Sarah and Hagar.    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lightinaction/5446417099/in/photostream

Abraham and his two sons.   http://faithtalkministries.com/abraham-had-two-sons/

Abraham’s legacy chart.   http://markmeynell.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/gal-4-21-31-overview-e1297340852846.png

3202.) Galatians 4:1-20

Galatians 4:1-20 (ESV)

Sons and Heirs

¹I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ²but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,

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Music:

“When the fullness of time had come,”  when everything was perfectly ready, in God’s eyes — Jesus came so we could be reconciled to our loving heavenly Father!

“It was a time when the pax Romana extended over most of the civilized earth and when travel and commerce were therefore possible in a way that had formerly been impossible. Great roads linked the empire of the Caesars, and its diverse regions were linked far more significantly by the all-pervasive language of the Greeks. Add the fact that the world was sunk in a moral abyss so low that even the pagan cried out against it and that spiritual hunger was everywhere evident, and one has a perfect time for the coming of Christ and for the early expansion of the Christian gospel.”

–James Montgomery Boice

HERE  — Selah sings “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

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born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

“Let the Law, sin, and the devil cry out against us until their outcry fills heaven and earth. The Spirit of God outcries them all. Our feeble groans, ‘Abba, Father,’ will be heard of God sooner than the combined racket of hell, sin, and the Law.”

–Martin Luther

⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

There is a beautiful progression. First we are set free from slavery. Then we are declared sons and adopted into God’s family. Then, as sons, we are made heirs.

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

⁸Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

¹²Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am,

“All Christians should be able to say something like this, especially to unbelievers, namely, that we are so satisfied with Jesus Christ, with His freedom, joy, and salvation, that we want other people to become like us.”

–John Stott

for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Tell Me
by Shel Silverstein

Tell me I’m clever,
Tell me I’m kind,
Tell me I’m talented,
Tell me I’m cute,
Tell me I’m sensitive,
Graceful and wise,
Tell me I’m perfect —
But tell me the truth.

What a powerful line:  Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? How many times have I counted someone as an “enemy” because he or she told me a truth I did not want to hear — about myself, about my speech or behavior, about someone else? Lord, give me ears to hear Your truth whenever it comes to me!

¹⁷They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Paul is talking about “they,” the Jewish legalists, who insisted that to become a believer in Christ, one had to follow all the rules for becoming a Jew. He says it is fine to have zeal, but it must be for what is true. The legalists are often more concerned that you join their group and follow their beliefs, than they are about serving the Lord in grace and peace. (Remember, Paul himself had been quite a legalist, imprisoning and even killing people to keep them, if you will, good Jews! He knows just how dangerous a misplaced zeal can be!)

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Abba Father (people).  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/abbafather_t_nv.jpg

Abba Father (stars).  http://www.turnbacktogod.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Abba-Father.jpg

Child of God.   http://www.ridgeviewbiblechurch.com/archives/2293

Truth.   https://medium.com/athena-talks/i-wish-i-could-tell-the-truth-f6402f65ae8f

3201.) Galatians 3:15-29

Galatians 3:15-29   (ESV)

The Law and the Promise

The law shows us a need that only grace can fill.

¹⁵ To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions,

The law has two functions. On the positive side, it reveals the nature and will of God and shows people how to live. On the negative side, it points out people’s sins and shows them that it is impossible to please God by trying to obey all his laws completely. God’s promise to Abraham dealt with faith; the law focuses on actions. 

–Life Application Bible notes

until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels

“Through angels”?  As Stephen said in his speech to the Sanhedrin:

Acts 7:38 (NLT)

Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.

by an intermediary. ²⁰Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

²¹Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²²But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 

“It enables me to answer the most  basic of all human questions — ‘Who am I?’ and to say, ‘In Christ I am a child of God. In Christ I am united to all the redeemed people of God, past, present, and future. In Christ I discover my identity. In Christ I find my feet. In Christ I come home.'”

–John Stott

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. grew up under the shadow of a large man. His father was the hero of San Juan Hill and the President of the United States. The pressure to excel often caused him problems, but Teddy, Jr. went on to be a highly decorated Brigadier General during World War II, receiving the Medal of Honor for heroism. He was also the Governor General of the Philippines, Governor of Puerto Rico, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
During World War II, while waiting for a flight at an airport, Teddy, Jr. saw a sailor step to a ticket window and ask for a ticket. “I want to see my mother,” the sailor explained. “I don’t have much time.”
The indifferent woman at the ticket window was not impressed by the sailor’s sense of urgency, “There’s a war on, you know,” she rudely replied.
At this point, Roosevelt, who had overheard the conversation, stepped to the ticket window and told her to give the sailor his seat. A friend of the general spoke in surprise, “Teddy, aren’t you in a hurry too?”
“It’s a matter of rank,” he replied. “I’m only a general; he’s a son!”
Sons of God. What a marvelous name! This is what the Bible calls everyone who trusts in Christ. Do you sometimes forget you have the rank of a son? Today give thanks that you have been bestowed with this high rank.

²⁷For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

“One in Christ” by Australian artist Lance Stirling

At that time, the Rabbis quoted a morning prayer that was popular among many Jews of that day. In that prayer, a Jewish man would thank God that he was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Paul takes each of these categories and shows them to be equal in Jesus.

–William Barclay

²⁹And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

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Music:

Lord Jesus, we love you!

HERE  is “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

 verse 28.   https://biblia.com/bible/esv/galatians/3/28

Moses holding the tablets of the law.   http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/main/2010_02/Moses-holds-the-tablet-of-Law-coloring-page.jpg

verse 26.   https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/2351-galatians-315-29/gal3-children-of-god/

Stirling.  https://wjcollier3.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/united-together-in-christ-in-or-out-part-3/

3200.) Galatians 3:1-14

Galatians 3:1-14 (ESV)

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

Galatians 3:1 (J. B. Phillips)

O you dear idiots of Galatia, who saw Jesus Christ the crucified so plainly, who has been casting a spell over you?

²Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

“Although I am a doctor of divinity, and have preached Christ and fought His battles for a long time, I know from personal experience how difficult it is to hold fast to the truth. I cannot always shake off Satan. I cannot always apprehend Christ as the Scriptures portray Him. Sometimes the devil distorts Christ to my vision. But thanks be to God, who keeps us in His Word, in faith, and in prayer.”

–Martin Luther

⁷Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

“Faith says to God, “I believe what you say.'”

–Martin Luther

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” ¹²But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— ¹⁴so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The relationship between trusting God and standing righteous before him is that God looks at our faith and counts us righteous. The reason God can do that for us sinners is that Christ took the punishment for our iniquities on himself. Already in Isaiah 53:11 this is plain:  “By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.” When God reckons a person righteous because Christ died for him and because he puts his trust in Christ, that is what we call justification by faith and that is the heart of the gospel.

–John Piper

“At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith. Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.”

–Martin Luther

Dear friends, are you living by faith upon the Son of God? Are you trusting in God? Are you believing His promises? Some think that this is a very little thing, but God does not think so. Faith is a better index of character than anything else. The man who trusts his God and believes His promises is honoring God far more than is the man who supposes that by any of his own doings he can merit divine approval and favor….I never had a better idea of believing in Jesus than I once had from a poor countryman. Speaking about faith, he said, “The old enemy has been troubling me very much lately, but I told him that he must not say anything to me about my sins. He must go to my Master, for I had transferred the whole concern to Him, bad debts and all.” That is believing in Jesus. Believing is giving up all we have to Christ and taking all that Christ has to ourselves.

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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Music:

HERE  is “The just shall live” — Rich Mullins.  Love this song.

I know the just shall live
I know the just shall live
I know the just shall live
By faith

‘Cause You won’t let Your Holy One
No, You won’t let Your Holy One
You won’t let Your Holy One
See corruption in the grave

Because He put His trust in You
Because He put His trust in You
Because He put His trust in You
Many shall be saved

And I know that You will raise them up
I know that You will raise them up
I know that You will raise them up
On the last day

For the Lord looks down on the sons of men
To hear the cries of the innocent
And the guilty will not stand

For the day of reckoning soon will come
And the whole world will see justice done
By the Lord’s almighty hand

So I’m telling you the just shall live
I know the just shall live
I know the just shall live
By faith

And You will raise them up
I know that You will raise them up
That You will raise them up
On the last day

And the prayers stand where the fighters fell
And time testifies with the tale that it tells
That the meek shall inherit the earth

And the Church advances on the gates of hell
And she clings to a light that will not be quelled
By the kingdoms of this world

I’m telling you the just shall live
I know the just shall live
I know the just shall live
By faith

And You will raise them up
I know that You will raise them up
You will raise them up
On the last day

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Galatians 3:11.   http://www.knowing-jesus.com/galatians-3-11

Jesus is the truth.     https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/jesusisthetruth.jpg

Have faith in God.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/faith.gif

FAITH carved in stone.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/faithsign.jpg

3199.) Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:15-21 (ESV)

Justified by Faith

¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

“To give a short definition of a Christian:  A Christian is not somebody who has no sin, but somebody against whom God no longer chalks sin, because of his faith in Christ. This doctrine brings comfort to consciences in serious trouble.”

–Martin Luther

¹⁷But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

How is it a sin to build again a way to God through the Law of Moses? In many ways, but perhaps the greatest is that it looks at Jesus, hanging on the cross, taking the punishment we deserved, bearing the wrath of God for us, and says to Him, “That’s all very nice, but it isn’t enough. Your work on the cross won’t be good enough before God until I’m circumcised and eat kosher.” What an insult to the Son of God!

Of course, this is the great tragedy of legalism. In trying to be more right with God, they end up being less right with God. This was exactly the situation of the Pharisees that opposed Jesus so much during His years of earthly ministry. Paul knew this thinking well, having been a Pharisee himself (Acts 23:6).

–David Guzik

¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

“Blessed is the person who knows how to use this truth in times of distress. He can talk. He can say:  ‘Mr. Law, go ahead and accuse me as much as you like. I know I have committed many sins, and I continue to sin daily. But that does not bother me. You have got to shout louder, Mr. Law. I am deaf, you know. Talk as much as you like, I am dead to you. If you want to talk to me about my sins, go and talk to my flesh. Belabor that, but don’t talk to my conscience. My conscience is a lady and a queen and has nothing to do with the likes of you, because my conscience lives to Christ under another law, a new and better law, the law of grace.'”

–Martin Luther

²¹I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

from Experiencing God Day-by-Day,
by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

AN EXCHANGED LIFE

The Christian life is an exchanged life:  Jesus’ life for your life. When Christ takes control, your life takes on dimensions you would never have known apart from Him. When you are weak, then Christ demonstrates His strength in your life (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When you face situations that are beyond your comprehension, you have only to ask, and the infinite wisdom of God is available to you (James 1:5). When you are faced with humanly impossible situations, God does the impossible (Luke 18:27). When you encounter people whom you find difficult to love, God expresses His unconditional love through you (1 John 4:7). When you are at a loss as to what you should pray for someone, the Spirit will guide you in your prayer life (Romans 8:16). When Christ takes up residence in the life of a believer, “all the fullness of God” is available to that person (Ephesians 3:19).

It is marvelously freeing to know that God controls your life and knows what it can become. Rather than constantly worrying about what you will face, your great challenge is to continually release every area of your life to God’s control. The temptation will be to try to do by yourself what only God can do. Our assignment is to “abide in the vine” and to allow God to do in and through us what only He can do (John 15:5). Only God can be God. Allow Him to live out His divine life through you.

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Music:

HERE  is Steve Green and “Embrace the Cross.”

From your friendly English teacher!  —  Synecdoche (pronounced: si-nek-duh-kee) is a kind of figurative language in which a part stands for the whole. Saying that you are “paying with plastic,” meaning a credit card, is an example of synecdoche. Saying “All hands on deck,” to mean everybody get to work, is another example. Here, “the cross” stands for Christ and all Christ has done for us to obtain salvation.

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Galatians 2:20 (with clouds).    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/galatians-2-20.jpg

 I am a Christian.    http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcji1jOJ8W1qf75ino1_500.jpg

Galatians 2:20 (words in caps).   http://spreadthewordbykj.blogspot.com/2016/02/galatians-2-christ-lives-through-me.html

Abide in Christ.   http://www.abideinchrist.com/gra/jn15v5b.gif

3198.) Galatians 2:1-14

Galatians 2:1-14   (ESV)

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

Warren Wiersbe introduces Galatians 2:1-10 with a quote – “This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” So wrote veteran news analyst Elmer Davis in his book But We Were Born Free, and his convictions would certainly be echoed by the Apostle Paul. To Paul, his spiritual liberty in Christ was worth far more than popularity or even security. He was willing to fight for that liberty.

–The Bible Exposition Commentary

¹Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas,

In Galatians 1:18-19, Paul described a trip he made to Jerusalem three years after Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Now, he describes a second trip to Jerusalem, fourteen years later. Remember Paul’s point from Galatians 1. He demonstrated that his gospel came by a revelation from Jesus, not from man, not even from the apostles in Jerusalem. Two visits to Jerusalem over 14 years shows that Paul did not sit at the feet of the disciples of Jesus to learn the gospel.

–David Guzik

taking Titus along with me.

In Titus 1:4, Paul calls Titus “a true son in our common faith.” It is clear that Paul loved and trusted Titus, and regarded him as a valuable co-worker in the faith.

²I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. ³But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

Paul’s point is that the leadership in Jerusalem accepted Titus, a Gentile convert, even though he was not circumcised in accord with the Mosaic law. This shows that the Jerusalem leadership accepted Paul’s gospel of grace.

Why would anyone compel someone like Titus to be circumcised? Why was it even an issue? Because circumcision–the cutting away of the male foreskin–was the sign of initiation into the Jewish faith and the Mosaic covenant. If a Gentile man wanted to become a Jew, he would have to be circumcised as an adult. Jewish men were circumcised as babies. Since all Jewish men were circumcised, and most all Gentile men were not, it was an easy way to refer to “those part of the covenant” and to “those outside of the covenant of Moses.”

–David Guzik

⁴ Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— ⁵to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

No doubt the “false brothers” thought of themselves as true brothers, upholding what was right and good! Oh, Lord, give us eyes to see Your truth!

⁶And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. ⁷On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), ⁹and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Mark 10:21 (NLT)

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Paul Opposes Peter

¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

¹²For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. ¹³And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Does no one remember that Jesus ate with publicans and sinners? He broke the law! So why is Peter afraid to eat with Gentile believers?

¹⁴But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

________________________

Music:

HERE  is “I Am Free!”

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

 Liberty.    https://www.leylandmethodist.org.uk/guard-against-false-brothers-and-fake-news-to-quote-someone-else-today/

Jewish circumcision.  http://leftcoastvoices.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/circumcision.jpg

“Christ and the Rich young Ruler”  by Heinrich Hofmann (1824-1911).   https://redeeminggod.com/rich-young-ruler/

Paul confronts Peter.    http://www.preceptaustin.org/galatians-2-commentary

3197.) Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24 (ESV)

Paul Called by God

¹¹For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹² For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

The story of Paul’s dramatic conversion is told in Acts 9:1-9. This painting, “The Conversion of St. Paul on the Road to Damascus,” is by Hans Speckaert  and is in the Louvre.

¹³For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Martin Luther speaks for Paul:  “Did God call me on account of my holy life? Or on account of my Pharisaical religion? Or on account of my prayers, fastings, and works? Never. Well, then, it is certain God did not call me on account of my blasphemies, persecutions, oppressions. What prompted Him to call me? His grace alone.”

¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,

We forget how amazing this fact is! Paul was raised to hate Gentiles; some rabbis claimed that God made Gentiles only to fuel the fires of Hell. The “grace and peace” of Christ had really transformed Paul’s heart and mind.

I did not immediately consult with anyone; ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.

Paul’s point here regarding his trip to Jerusalem is that he got the gospel from Christ, not from any people — not even the disciples of Christ.

²⁰(In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

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Music:

HERE  is a hymn written in 1905 but even so, as pertinent for Paul 2000 years ago and for us today:  “I Stand Amazed at the Presence.” With a Celtic twist!

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

 Galatians 1:15.   https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/2347-galatians-111-24/gal1-v15/

Speckaert.  http://www.lib-art.com/imgpaintingthumb/3/7/t39173-conversion-of-st-paul-on-the-road-to-damascus-speckaert-hans.jpg

saved by grace.     http://mormonisminvestigated.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/saved-by-grace.gif

Matthew 5:16.    http://www.knowing-jesus.com/matthew-5-16

3196.) Galatians 1:1-10

Galatians 1:1-10   (ESV)

Greeting

¹Paul, an apostle— not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers who are with me,

Paul wrote this book; his authorship of this magnificent letter is virtually unquestioned.

And what a magnificent letter this is! Galatians has been called the “Declaration of Independence of Christian liberty.” The great reformer Martin Luther especially loved this letter; he called Galatians his “Catherine von Bora,” because, he said, “I am married to it.” Leon Morris wrote, “Galatians is a passionate letter, the outpouring of the soul of a preacher on fire for his Lord and deeply committed to bringing his hearers to an understanding of what saving faith is.”

Many scholars believe that Galatians was written in the late 40’s or the early 50’s; an approximate date of 50 A.D. is often given. It seems that Paul wrote this letter before the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15, because although he mentions several trips to Jerusalem, he makes no mention of the council. Because the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 dealt with the exact issues Paul writes about, it would seem strange if it had already happened, yet he made no mention of it. If it is true that Galatians was written around 50 AD, then Paul would have been a Christian for about 15 years, being converted on the road to Damascus around 35 AD.

–David Guzik

To the churches of Galatia:

This letter was addressed to the churches of Galatia, because Galatia was a region, not a city, and there were several churches among the cities of Galatia.

“During the third century bc some Celtic peoples (or Gauls) migrated to this area and, after fighting with the people they encountered, they settled into the northern part of Asia Minor. In due course they came into conflict with the Romans, who defeated them, and from this time they remained under the authority of the Romans as a dependent kingdom. The name ‘Galatia’ covered the territory settled by the Gauls.”

–Leon Morris

Galatia contained the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, among others. These cities were visited by Paul during his first missionary journey. The entire region is within present-day Turkey.

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins

Now, Paul will briefly expand on the work of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing he wrote about Jesus is that He gave Himself for our sins.

“Throughout the epistle Paul points the Galatians to the centrality of the cross. He cannot wait to make this plain, and we find a reference to it in his very first sentence.”

–Leon Morris

Jesus gave. We know from John 3:16 that God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Yet God the Father was not the only giver; Jesus also gave. Jesus is a loving, giving God and a loving, giving Savior.

Jesus gave the greatest thing anyone can give – Himself.  Jesus gave the greatest gift He could. There is a sense in which we do not even begin to give until we give ourselves.

Jesus gave Himself for our sins.  Our sins put us on a road to ruin and destruction. If God did not do something to save us, our sins would destroy us. So out of love, Jesus gave Himself for our sins!

“These words, ‘who gave himself for our sins’, are very important. He wanted to tell the Galatians straight out that atonement for sins and perfect righteousness are not to be sought anywhere but in Christ . . . So glorious is this redemption that it should ravish us with wonder.”

–John Calvin

to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

“These two terms, grace and peace, constitute Christianity.”

–Martin Luther

No Other Gospel

⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The message of the gospel is what Jesus did on the cross for us as revealed by the Scriptures and proven by the resurrection. Yet there is something about that message that is offensive to many people. They prefer not to think of themselves as helpless sinners, in need of a Savior, as ones who can do no good in and of themselves. Eventually they begin to think that instead of them needing God, God is pretty lucky to have them. Do not listen to the voices telling you to be proud of yourself, your knowledge, your goodness, Paul says. Instead, turn your eyes to Jesus and His grace.

¹⁰For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

“I am a servant of Christ!”  This is a heavy saying. We want to maintain good relations with others, especially family members and co-workers who are in our daily lives. But more important is to maintain a faithful and obedient relationship with Christ. It is never wise to disobey God in order to keep the peace with people. Remember Peter in the High Priest’s courtyard, and how he wept once he realized that the opinion of a servant girl had mattered more to him than faithfulness to Jesus!

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Music:

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is my prayer each day for you, my fellow DWELL-ers.  HERE  it is as a song, sung by Fernando Ortega.

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English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Free to live for Christ.     https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/galatians-cover.jpg

map of Galatia.   https://dshiflett.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/galatia-map.jpg

Luther(an) rose.    http://www.lcgs.org/images/lutheran%20rose.jpg

Peter weeps.   https://www.trinitybelleplaine.org/how-do-you-recover-from-denying-jesus/