“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 3:18

Grow in grace – not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fullness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward - having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in … the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.” He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is “life eternal,” and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet. Whoever has sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ does satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction that the appetite is not choked, but whetted. If you know the love of Jesus as the hart pants for the water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of His love. If you do not desire to know Him better, then you love Him not, for love always cries, “Nearer, nearer.” Absence from Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Do not rest content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of Him in His divine nature, in His human relationship, in His finished work, in His death, in His resurrection, in His present glorious intercession, and in His future royal advent. Live close to the Cross, and search the mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Jesus and a more perfect apprehension of His love to us is one of the best tests of growth in grace.

Its Definition
If I would have to give you a definition of what a spiritual gift is, I would go with this one: “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in ministry of the church.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 1016).

Now this holds a couple of elements. First, it’s any ability. This means it can include natural abilities (for instance: teaching, showing mercy, hospitality, administration, etc) as well as more miraculous abilities (for instance: prophecy, healing, distinguishing between spirits). Second, it’s empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the opening chapter of the book of Acts, right before Jesus’ ascension back into heaven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the whole church, Jesus told the disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,…” (Acts 1:8). And Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1 Cor. 12:11). In other words, any gift (or ability) only becomes a spiritual gift when it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. And third, it’s used in ministry of the church. Spiritual gifts are given to equip the church to carry out its ministry as the church until Christ returns (1 Cor. 1:7). Paul is quite explicit in this on a number of occasions. Listen to what he says: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7) “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (1 Cor. 14:26) “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:12). In other words, any gift (or ability) only becomes a spiritual gift when it is used to build up the church.

Its Number and Use
The Bible does not give us any definite number of spiritual gifts, but it does say that God gave the church an amazing variety of spiritual gifts, and they are all tokens of His varied (rich and diverse) grace, “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 4:10-11). This means that no two people’s gifts are exactly alike. We are all unique, not only in our combination of spiritual gifts, but also in how God uses our spiritual gifts to build the church up.

The practical outcome is that we should be willing to recognize and appreciate people who have gifts that differ from ours and whose gifts may differ from our expectations of what certain gifts look like. There is often, not always – as God apportions as He wills – a great diversity of gifts, and this diversity should not lead to fragmentation but to greater unity among the believers in the church (1 Cor. 12:12-26) as through these differences we are to depend upon each other.

Unity rather than disunity is to be the outcome of using our spiritual gifts. Unfortunately churches are often imbalances in their view, ranging from totally ignoring spiritual gifts and never talk about them, to being completely obsessed about spiritual gifts and compare and contrast members’ gifts, rank-ordering them, and trying to outdo one another. Now, although Paul does say to “earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31), which are those that build up the church more and bring more benefit to others, “especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Cor. 14:1), this should never lead to disunity (like saying that a person only has been filled with the Holy Spirit when he or she is able to speak in tongues – the Bible makes no such statements.

Within our church, we hope to strike a balance in which we neither ignore nor obsess about spiritual gifts, but rather meaningfully engage with these gifts, and use them in such a way that they build up the church, glorify God, and bring joy to you.

Paul and Peter are the ones who primarily talk about the different types of spiritual gifts, and you can read about them in:

• 1 Corinthians 12-14
• 1 Cor. 12:8-10 (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues)
• 1 Cor. 12:28 (apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, kinds of healings, helps, administration, tongues)
• Ephesians 4:1-17 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor-teacher)
• Romans 12:1-8 (prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leadership, mercy)
• 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (marriage, celibacy)
• 1 Peter 4:7-11 (whoever speaks, whoever renders service)

A Call to Strengthen
Gifts are given to every believer (1 Cor. 12:7, 11; 1 Pet. 4:10). They are given to the new believer as well as to the mature believer. Hence, spiritual gifts in and of themselves are not a sign of spiritual maturity. Yet the Bible does exhort us to use them (Rom. 12:6), and to seek to grow in their use that church may receive more benefit from the gifts of which God has allowed us to be stewards. In Paul’s letters to Timothy he exhorts us to “do not neglect the gift you have” (1 Tim. 4:14) and is reminding us “to fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Tim. 1:6). Why? Because it’s only a spiritual gift when it is strong enough to function for the benefit of the church; to build up the church.

Discovering, Seeking, and Applying Spiritual Gifts
I think that regardless if you know or don’t know what your spiritual gifts are, it is good to pray and seek the LORD for wisdom with regards to spiritual gifts. And it could be for a variety of reasons:

• It could be to get more insight into what your spiritual gifts are;
• It could be to get more insight into how God wants you to use your unique gift combination;
• It could be to “earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31), which are those that build up the church more and bring more benefit to others

It also could be to check if your motives are right. Paul says, “since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:12). It’s good to be eager for manifestations of the Spirit, but remember they are given to you to build up the church; not to build up your self-esteem. And, conversely, be content if God chooses not to give more. It is the Spirit, “who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1 Cor. 12:11)

We should strive simply to excel in loving others, caring for their needs, building up the church, and living a life in conformity to the pattern of Christ’s life. If we do that, and if God chooses to give us spiritual gifts that equip us for those tasks, then we should thank Him for that, and pray that He would keep us from pride over gifts that have been freely and graciously given, and which we do not earn.

“because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 2)

Once the truth of God has obtained an entrance into the human heart and subdued the whole man to itself, no power, human or infernal, can dislodge it. We entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house. This is a Christian necessity, and whoever does not believe this is not a Christian. Those who feel the vital power of the Gospel and know the strength of the Holy Spirit as He opens, applies, and seals the Lord’s Word would rather be torn to pieces than be torn away from the Gospel of their salvation. A thousand mercies are wrapped up in the assurance that the truth will be with us forever, will be our living support, our dying comfort, our rising song, our eternal glory. This is Christian privilege, and without it our faith is worth little. Some truths we outgrow and leave behind, for they are but rudiments and lessons for beginners, but this is not so with divine truth, for though it is sweet food for babies, it is in the highest sense strong meat for men. The painful truth that we are sinners is with us to humble us and make us watchful; the more blessed truth that whoever believes on the Lord Jesus will be saved remains with us as our hope and joy. Experience, far from loosening our hold on the doctrines of grace, has tied us to them more and more firmly; our grounds and motives for believing are now stronger and more numerous than ever, and we have reason to expect that it will remain this way until in death we clasp the Savior in our arms. Wherever this abiding love of truth can be discovered, we are bound to share in fellowship and to exercise our love. No narrow circle can contain our gracious sympathies; our communion of heart must be as wide as the ocean of grace. Error may be found mingled with truth received; let us go to war with the error but still love the brother for the measure of truth that we see in him. Above all let us love and spread the truth ourselves.

When I read this I was thinking: how much is Jesus the master of me (my house)? How much do I feel the vital power of the Gospel and know the strength of the Holy Spirit? I want to ponder on this more and it moves me to pray deeply and earnestly that Jesus is not just a guest, but master indeed, and that thus I allow the Holy Spirit to work mightily in me and through me.

#1. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery of self-reliance, self-righteousness, and self-gratification. And now that you are freed from all these, rely fully and only on Me, and My righteousness, and live a self-sacrificing life for Me and other as I have sacrificed Myself for you and others.

#2. Don’t idolize anything or anyone but Me. Don’t turn any good thing into a god-thing where you find your self-worth or self-esteem from it. Don’t treasure anything else in your heart but Me. I, the LORD your God, want to be number one on a list of one.

#3. In everything you do, in word, thought, or deed, represent Me well. Be an ambassador of your King. Don’t do or say anything on your own account, but do only what I tell you to do. Don’t use My name in a superficial or hypocritical way.

#4. You are made to work, but you are also made to rest. Do both well. Do both for Me. Do both with Me. Do both in honor of Me. For in them and through I proclaim both My creation as well as My redemption.

#5. Start by honoring your parents, for it will teach you to outdo others in showing honor as well, which is foundational for living a humble life.

#6. Consider another person’s life more precious than your own. Remember that I gave you life, and that I will justly take it away.

#7. Do not contaminate or violate the covenant of marriage, to both your eternal spouse or your temporal spouse, by any act of sexual immorality in word, thought, or deed, for your body is Mine and is made to glorify Me.

#8. Work with your hands for what is good, so you can give to those in need, for you were bought with a prize.

#9. Let your tongue be set on fire by the Holy Spirit, and not by the fires of hell. Let your words be full of life and peace.

#10. Be content with what you have for life is not about what you have, but who you have.

Elihu succeeded in preparing Job for what is to come, as we will see next week. Because of Elihu’s words, Job’s heart is softened and ready to receive God’s words. You see, effectually all that Elihu was saying to Job: “Your God is too small, Job. Let me make it bigger for you.” We need a big God. We need to see our God as big as He really is, because we will suffer. Being declared right before God on the basis of Jesus’ work does not exempt us from suffering. Maybe even on the contrary! And when we do, how we view God is crucial. Our God is gracious, just, and great.

By His sovereign grace, God chose us from before the foundation of the world. By His sovereign grace, God justified us freely through the gift of saving faith. And by His sovereign grace, God is sanctifying us through suffering according to His infinite wisdom. We should not “… despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Pro. 3:11-12). And, as John Piper beautifully says, “its aim is that our faith might be refined, our holiness might be enlarged, our soul might be saved, and our God might be glorified.”

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God Is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

Let’s take a step back and look at the situation from a wider angle. Like I said in the beginning, Elihu not so much addresses why Job suffers, but is more concerned with how Job suffers. Elihu is exhorting Job to suffer well. So then the question is: how do we suffer well?

Let me draw four principles out of these chapters which Elihu addresses:

We have to rightly assess our righteousness
Elihu talks about God’s righteousness for nearly three chapters (Job 34:1 – 36:23). Righteousness comes from God alone (Ps. 11:7). And Romans 10:3-4 says, “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” On the cross, Jesus gifted His righteousness to us who are unrighteous. It is given to us by Jesus is we believe, or have faith, in Him and His work alone. (2 Cor. 5:21). Rightly assessing the source of our righteousness helps us to understand that when God brings about suffering it is not because of something we have done, nor does it change our standing before Him.

We have to rightly assess our treasure
What the three friends fail to see is that Job’s greatest agony came from the fact that he thought that God abandoned him. Job’s greatest treasure was God, and the thought of losing God brought greater agony than the loss of worldly possessions. You see, in one sense, suffering happens when our treasure is taken away (or threatened to be taken away) from you. We should not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, but rather in heaven. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) Rightly assessing where our treasure is helps us to understand that when God brings about suffering to hold on to everything else but God with loose hands.

We have to rightly assess our knowledge
Elihu says, “Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind? Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?” (Job 37:15-18) We have to come to the conclusion that God knows more than us. Rightly assessing our knowledge helps us to understand that when God brings about suffering we do not have to question God about the reason, but remember and trust in God’s words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Pro. 3:5)

We have to rightly assess our words
Elihu says as his closing words, “The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” (Job 37:23-24). Elihu confronted what he believed to be Job’s arrogance in saying that man deserved an audience or a justification from God. Rightly assessing our words helps us to understand that when God brings about suffering we do not need to engage in an argument or debate with God, but we should simply fear Him “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Pro. 3:7-8).

Suffering will come, and it won’t be easy when it does. But I pray these four principles may help.

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God Is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

In his final speech, Elihu seeks to persuade Job to focus on God’s character in two ways, preparing him to fully open his heart for when God speaks:

He first proclaims God’s greatness in His dealings with humans: “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right. He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge.” (Job 36:5-12)

Elihu felt that Job needed a better theology on how compassionately God treats the righteous, never withdrawing His eyes from them but continually protecting and blessing them, and that if they do stray that He does everything to draw them back to faithfully serve him. The implication was that the unrepentant Job should welcome God’s discipline for He loves those He reproves and disciplines.

He then proclaims God’s greatness in His dealings with nature: “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?” (Job 36:26-29) “God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it. Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.” (Job 37:5-10)

Elihu wanted Job to not only appreciate the greatness of God, but also the submission of creation. The implication was that unrepentant Job should submit to God the way His creation does.

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God Is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

Well, after filling Job with hope, Elihu in his second and third speech really starts rebuking Job “for Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right’” (Job 34:5) and “he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’” (Job 34:9). Part of Job’s problem is that he sees God as unjust, unfair, and unwilling to explain what is going on.

And, again, don’t we do the same? Don’t we often demand an answer from God about why we suffer? And that we think it’s unfair and unjust of God not to answer us? Don’t we think that if we would just know why we suffer, it would make the suffering bearable? But you know what: explanation is a poor substitute for faith. Are we not commanded to “walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7)?

Let’s hear what Elihu has to say: “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. […] In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves. […] Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.” (Job 34:10-15, 20-22, 25)

Elihu defend God’s character saying that God is righteous and just in all His dealings with man. God is the just and sovereign ruler, rewarder and judge. In other words, nothing man does is hidden from the eyes of God, and thus man gets exactly what he deserves according to his works. We are to trust in God in knowing what is best for us.

Elihu continues: “Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? […] Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty. […] There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it. How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!” (Job 35:5-7, 9, 12-14)

Elihu tells Job that God is not under any obligation to answer man, or to give any reason for His actions. God is greater than man and so far beyond man that there is nothing man could do to God’s benefit. God is infinitely holy. Man is full of pride. God is righteous. Man is unrighteous. Thus since God is not dependent on human beings for anything, a person has no leverage with God. No amount of our good works benefits God or puts Him under obligation to anybody. Isaiah 64:6 says that “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” It is only by our dependence on the gift righteousness in the person and work of Jesus Christ that we will ever be acceptable to Him.

Elihu counsels Job to be patient and wait for God’s justice, for Job has been speaking prematurely and foolishly.

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God Is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

Yesterday I introduced Elihu by looking at his introductory words in Job 32:2 – 33:7. Today we will look at the first of the four speeches in the remainder of Job 33 (verses 8 to 33). Elihu begins addressing Job’s point that because God has been silent so far in all of his suffering, that this must mean that God is his enemy (that God is angry at him). Elihu says: “Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words. You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’ Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.” (Job 33:8-12)

Now this is interesting, because I think we often do the same, don’t we? When we suffer, we tend to cry out to God: why?! Expecting, maybe even demanding an answer from Him, preferably straightaway. And oftentimes He doesn’t. God remains silent. And we feel that God is angry at us in some way. That we have done something wrong to piss Him off, and now it is payback time, and that we need to work our way back into His love. I mean that’s how I often feel when I suffer. I cry out to God for an answer, for an explanation. And when He doesn’t give it, my thoughts go like: But I thought you loved me, God. Am I not your child? Doesn’t Your Word say, “Ask, and it will be given to you; […] For everyone who asks receives, […] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? […] how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:7-11)?

But Elihu is saying here to Job, “Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man’ words’? For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.” (Job 33:13-14). God does speak, but He does so in ways you may not not expect. He describes two ways God speaks to man: by his word and by suffering. “In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones” (Job 33:15-19). “Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, 30to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life.” (Job 33:29-30).

In other words, God’s purpose in suffering is not to punish but to save. Our God is a gracious God who loves us and wants us to turn from our prideful ways of life (which leads to death), and to “be lighted with the light of life.” In other words, He want us to see Jesus as our ultimate treasure. Jesus, who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). Same wording. Elihu does not picture God as an angry silent judge but as a Redeemer, a Savior. You could say that Elihu is delivering to Job a message of hope, because he wants Job to find full restoration with God.

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God Is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

Have you ever been in a situation where you have either been part of (or witnessed) a heated discussion, and after a while there is just this awkward silence because there is nothing more to say although there is no resolution? And that in that silence, all of a sudden, someone starts speaking. Someone who is usually quiet. But as that person speaks you are absolutely stunned by the wisdom with which that person speaks? Have you ever been in a situation like that?

Job and his three friends will experience such a situation. We have seen in the dialogues that his friends’ speeches became increasingly repetitive, hostile, and shorter. We have seen that Job’s friends continually argued that suffering is basically a punishment for sin and that prosperity is a reward for righteousness, and thus because Job suffers he must have sinned. We have seen Job defending himself against all their accusations, saying that based on his experience they are wrong. The righteous, the innocent, suffer too, and also the wicked prosper. And the more the friends persisted in saying that Job must have sinned to bring about all this calamity, the more Job persisted in claiming his innocence say that God was not punishing him for some committed sin. And after three rounds of brutal dialogues between Job and his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, it is Job who delivers such a powerful closing statement, declaring himself innocent, that there is just silence. After Job’s final speech, the friends are all out of words, and also Job stops speaking to await an answer from God.

Job had won the argument, but has still found no answer for his suffering. And that’s how most of us go through life. Like Job we believe that God is good, that God is sovereign, that God is just, and that since His ways are not our ways, we simply cannot know the reason for our suffering. And that is not a bad way to live. But the writer doesn’t leave it at that. The writer wants us to know that God reveals more of His purpose in suffering than we might think.

Well, in this silence, there is a young man by the name of Elihu who starts to speak. And in Job 32:2 – 33:7 he introduces himself. We read that Elihu is compelled to defend God’s honor. He is angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God, and he is angry at the three friends because they provided no real answer to his suffering yet condemned Job. He had witnessed all of the dialogues, he had listened well, and he had not spoken because of his youth. But now, since it is clear to him that being older doesn’t necessarily means being wiser, he will declare his opinion. Compelled by their silence, a desire to be objective, and the spirit within him, he speaks, believing that he can help Job, even though the others have failed, because he says to speaks pure knowledge from an upright heart.

Is he just an arrogant foolish young man, who just wants to speak his mind? Or will Elihu actually make a difference? I think the latter. I think Elihu is a key figure in this whole story. Look at it from this perspective: We just went through 28 chapters of dialogues on why Job suffered, without a conclusion. And now Elihu will give a six chapter monologue to basically say the same? I don’t think so! No, Elihu is not just an arrogant foolish young man who just wants to speak his mind. The next two weeks we will hear what God has to say about all of this, and it is interesting to note that God does not rebuke Elihu as he does the three friends. This implies that his words are true.

OK, so Elihu is different. But how? Well, Elihu disagrees with both sides of the argument, and has no intention of trying to settle the matter the way the three friends did, but focuses more on how Job is responding to his current suffering rather than on any sins that may have led to his suffering. Elihu addresses the issue that Job is so stubbornly resisting God’s discipline and that if he does not repent of his pride more suffering will come. And through that Elihu really does offer a new understanding of the suffering of the righteous that Job and his three friends had not perceived. Overall, we could say that Elihu’s goal is to prepare Job for what’s to come, namely God will speak to Job soon. He perceives that Job in his current state will not be able to receive the words of God, and so he wants to soften Job’s heart to receive what God has to say to him, and so be restored.

Next time we will look at Elihu’s first speech in the remainder of Job 33.

Elihu’s Rebuke #1: An Introduction
Elihu’s Rebuke #2: God is Gracious
Elihu’s Rebuke #3: God is Just
Elihu’s Rebuke #4: God is Great
Elihu’s Rebuke #5: Suffering as a Discipline
Elihu’s Rebuke #6: Conclusion

In 1 Thessalonians 1:5 a beautiful sequence of events is started when then gospel came to Thessalonica. We see in verse 6 that they responded by becoming followers of Jesus and imitators of Paul (and thus Jesus). Then, in verse 7, the Thessalonians responded by becoming (local) examples to others around them. And lastly, in verse 8, they responded by becoming (global) examples to others who heard about them. Paul confidently grounds the election of the Thessalonians, first, on their reception of the preached gospel and, second, on their subsequent obedience. The result is a beautiful sequence of events, which I believe is much desired. It portrays discipleship of four generations. And thus it invites us to take a closer look at the starting point, which gives us more insight I think in the role of a preacher

Let’s read verse 5 again: “because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.“

What does Paul about the gospel that came to the Thessalonians? First, Paul says that the gospel was characterized by word. I take that to mean that the preacher is giving a verbal proclamation and explanation of the good news of Jesus. Second, Paul says that the gospel was characterized by power. This could mean that preaching was combined with miraculous healing (like in Luke 10:8-9 for instance), but I would say that in any case there was a manifestation of power, in either preaching or healing or both, that was able to change minds, hearts, and lives. Third, Paul says the gospel was characterized by the Holy Spirit. I think there is a strong linkage here with his previous point that the gospel came in power, but I would say that there was some manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s approving presence. And, lastly, Paul says the gospel was characterized by full conviction, which I read as a transparent sincerity and integrity, bringing certainty to the hearer’s minds. The last part of the verse tops it off when Paul is saying that the Thessalonians knew what kind of men they proved to be among them for their sake. The coming of the gospel was reinforced by the evident of its preachers.

So, what can we say about the life of the preacher and the manner of his preaching, looking at these verses? I believe there are three aspects the preacher needs to be aware of and work into his life.

1. Be faithful students and servants of the Word
It is clear that the gospel comes by word, His Word, which is both verbally proclaimed, like a herald proclaims good news from the king, as well as explained so that everyone who hears understands the good news that has come to them. This means that as preachers we need to be able to both proclaim (herald) this good news as well as explain it. And we have to be able to do this from any passage from His Word because the whole of Scripture bears witness of Jesus (John 5:39). This takes serious study of His Word, and an understanding of hermeneutics, exegesis, and homiletics.

2. Be fully dependent on the Holy Spirit
In order to preach with full conviction and passion, a preacher has to be fully depending on the miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I would say there a threefold aspect here. First, he needs to be living by the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, he needs to be praying by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is in line with Haddon W. Robinson’s definition of preaching, which says, “the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical-grammatical and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, and then through him to his hearers.” For the Holy Spirit to first apply the text to the personality and experience of the preacher it requires the preacher to be living and praying by the power of the Holy Spirit. A third aspect then is that it is then applied through the preacher by the Holy Spirit to his hearers, which means that the preacher is preaching by the power of the Holy Spirit, so hearts and minds are changed.

3. Be disciplining yourself for holiness
This is obviously an aspect which applies to every follower of Jesus, who calls us to train ourselves for godliness (1 Timothy 4:7; 2 Peter 1:3). But I believe it is particularly important for a preacher. Again, Paul says, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” As preachers, our walk with Christ needs to be in like manner of our talking about Christ. This way our “full conviction” makes sense. This way we give the hearers examples to imitate and follow as we will be worthy to be imitated (1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; 2 Timothy 3:10-11)

I believe these are admirable and honorable aspects to work into my life, and spend a lifetime on.

But, to me two of the clearest verses on the crucifixion being a plan of God the Father and in complete agreement with His sovereignty are, first, in Acts 2:23, where Peter in his first sermon on the day of Pentecost in addressing the crowd says, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” And then two chapters later, when Peter and John came back from the Sanhedrin, having been told that they are to no longer spread the gospel, they return to the rest of the disciples and in their prayer for more boldness to proclaim the gospel they say, “for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27-28).

I don’t think it can get any clearer than this. Jesus’ crucifixion was not some tragedy. God wasn’t taken off guard by these horrific deeds against His Son. No, the crucifixion was an achievement, a plan made in the eternal counsels of God, executed exactly according to His eternal design. Every detail meticulously planned and orchestrated. And through this, God is saying “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 49:10-11)

No, the crucifixion was an achievement, and it is God’s ultimate display of love for us. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). God didn’t wait until we got our act together, but He sent us Jesus to die for us while we were yet sinners, because He loved us. Therefore, to genuinely say “Jesus died for me” you must also say “I have no strength to save myself. I am ungodly. I am a sinner.” Jesus died to save and transform these. It is love given to the undeserving, to those without strength, to the ungodly, to sinners, to us. This emphasizes the fact that the reasons for God’s love are found in Him, not in us. It would be easy to see the cross as demonstrating the indifference of God, a God who let the innocent Jesus be taken by wicked men, tortured, and crucified while He did nothing… Unless there is a sense in which the Father and Christ are one, it is not the love of God that the cross shows. But the Father and Christ are one, and it is the love of God. The work of Jesus on the cross for us is God’s ultimate proof of His love for you. The demonstration of God’s love isn’t so much in that Jesus died, but in whom Jesus died for – undeserving sinners and rebels against Him. Sinners and rebels like you and me. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16a)

No, it wasn’t the nails that held Jesus to that cross. It was His love for us! When Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34), when He had taken upon Himself all the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future (including yours and mine) and was no longer one with the Father or Spirit, it was out of love for us! And even in that moment of utter pain, condemnation, and separation, He expresses His love for us by praying for us to the Father, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 22:34)

No, it wasn’t the nails that held Jesus to that cross. It was His love for you and me! The cross is an invitation of love. An invitation that says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). An invitation that says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37).

So, let us say “Yes” to this beautiful invitation of love. Oh, Lord, “Let your mercy come to me, that I may live” (Psalm 119:77), “Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise” (Psalm 119:41). “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6) “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!” (Psalm 132:7)

1. Do you thirst for God?
2. Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?
3. Are you more loving?
4. Are you more sensitive to God’s presence?
5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?
6. Do you delight in the bride of Christ?
7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you?
8. Do you still grieve over sin?
9. Are you a quicker forgiver?
10. Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

Anyways, have a look for yourself.

The closest you are to God, the further you are from harm. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1). Jesus is our shield. “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true;he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

I abide in Christ by desperately seeking His face. 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” This abiding in Him, this fixing our gaze on Him, this looking to and thinking about Him, this putting Him before us again and again, basically this living together with Him, will mean that you see Him for who He really is, will result in becoming like Him, as you become like what you constantly behold. This work of transformation is a process. We are becoming like Christ. We are growing in our capacity to show Christ by being like Christ. That is God’s will for us. That we be progressively be conformed to the image of Christ. To me, this means being transformed to His image as a suffering servant on mission while we are here on the earth: showing His kind of character, which produces hope (Romans 5:3-4), showing His kind of love, which means laying your life down for your friends (John 13:34-35; 15:12-13), showing His kind of servant heart, which means through love serve another (Galatians 5:13-14), showing His kind of influence, which means be like salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16), and this ultimately means being transformed to His glorious body (Phillipians 3:20-21) when we shall be like Him and see Him as He is (1 John 3:2) for that is what we inwardly groan for (Romans 8:23).

It is a confronting question. And to be honest, I too often lose the fight. The workplace is such a place where I spend 40 hours a week with all non-believers and so my biggest exposure to “the world” in my daily life. And it’s a challenge. And it’s in the little things. There is a difference between not laughing about a improper joke, and still think in your heart that it is funny.

What sin do you think God hates the most? Pride. “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13). It is pride that’s the root of not acknowledging God: “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 10:4).

So, maybe the question should be: How much do you hate pride? A way of measuring this is to look at what the fruit of pride is in your life. When I look to the Bible for an answer, I come to the following six fruits, although I am sure there are more.

Six Fruits of Pride

• Retaliation
  • “Love the LORD, all you his saints!The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.” (Psalm 31:23)
• Disgrace
  • “When pride comes, then comes disgrace,but with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2)
• Destruction
  • “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
• Lowliness
  • “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)
  • “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11)
• Deception
  • “The pride of your heart has deceived you,you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’” (Obadiah 1:3)
• Works of the Flesh
  • “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” (Galatians 5:19-20a)

Two questions come out of this: How much do you see yourself in these? And, what are man’s enemies that tempt us to fall into sin leading to these? I will leave the first question for you to answer, but here is at least one answer to the second question.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

If we look at these three verses from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we can see three enemies:

1. The world (“following the course of this world“)
2. The devil (“following the prince of the power of the air“)
3. The flesh (“lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind“)

This echoes “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” from 1 John 2:16. The character of the world expresses itself through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These lusts seek to draw our own flesh away into sin and worldliness. The idea behind the pride of life is someone who lives for superiority over others, mostly by impressing others through outward appearances – even if by deception.

In listing these aspects of the world, John may have in mind the first pursuit of worldliness, that of Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). Of Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is said that she took of the forbidden fruit when she saw that the tree was good for food. She thought about how good the fruit would taste, how it would satisfy her flesh. She went after the lust of the flesh. Of Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is said that she took of the forbidden fruit when she saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. She saw how pretty and desirable it was, and it pleased her artistic sense. She went after the lust of the eyes. Of Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is said that she took of the forbidden fruit when she believed that it was desirable to make one wise. How smart the fruit would make her! How her husband would admire her! She went after the pride of life. God knows we have a fleshly, bodily nature, and physical needs that feel good when satisfied. Yet it is not in God’s nature to influence us through the lust of the flesh. God knows we have eyes, and that appearance means a lot to us. He made a beautiful world to please us! But God always looks beyond the outward appearance, and it is not in God’s nature to influence us through the lust of the eyes.

God knows we have emotional and psychological needs to be wanted and to accomplish things. He made us this way! But it is not in God’s nature to influence us through the pride of life. We often rarely appreciate how much the world dominates our thinking and how often our thoughts are more of the world than of the Father. We usually believe that we think much more biblically than we really do. We should rigorously measure our habits of thinking and see if they follow more the world or God our Father. Think of your standard for success: is it worldly or godly? Would you consider the apostle Paul a failure or a success? Think of your standard for what makes a person of the opposite sex appealing. Is it a worldly standard or a godly standard? Think of your standard for spirituality: is it worldly or godly? There is a worldly spirituality out there, and many people buy into it. There are many ways to measure our habits of thinking. And like Psalm 1 tells us, some are considered the way of the righteous, and some are considered the way of the wicked.

So, how much do YOU hate sin?

In these final verses history, theology, and ethics are interwoven in a convincing summary of the key points Paul had been trying to make in all that went before.

PAUL AUTOGRAPH (v.11)
It was common convention of Hellenistic writing that a secretary or amanuensis would prepare the main body of the letter while the sender would append his signature and perhaps a few closing words of benediction as a way of attesting the contents of the letter and assuring the reader of his full endorsement. Assuming that Paul did employ a secretary to do the actual writing of the bulk of Galatians, we have no idea who that person may have been, but it is reasonable conjecture that the scribe of Galatians was one of the unnamed brothers to whom Paul alludes to in the opening of the letter. But why did Paul write is such big letters? Was it Paul’s poor eye sight (Galatians 4:15)? Or was his hand twisted or defective as the result of some harsh persecution he had received? Of was Paul simply reflecting the fact that he wrote not as a professional scribe but as a workman whose hands were more accustomed to shaping leather and making tents than to cultivating the kind of precise penmanship many of his readers would perhaps expect from a religious teacher? All of these are intriguing possibilities, but none of them can be set forth with certainty.

BOASTING IN THE CROSS (v.12-16)
Throughout Galatians Paul waged a steady war against the Judaizers, who had sown great confusion among the apostle’s recent converts by teaching that becoming Jewish was necessary for salvation. As Paul said before and would reiterate again in this passage, the issue at stake was not circumcision per se rather the salvific significance the false teachers attached to this ceremony. Paul again revisits this debate and issues a final attack. Paul is claiming that their basic motive was to make a good spiritual impression outwardly. They wanted the Galatians to be circumcised that they may boast about their flesh. Paul did not deny that there was a sincere conviction among his opponents, but he did claim that there sinister and self-serving motivation at work as well. They wanted to boast and brag about how many Gentile Christians they had converted into Jewish proselytes. Paul suggests one additional motivation for the insistence of his Jewish Christian opponents, namely to avoid being persecuted for the cause of Christ. In other words, he was saying: Sure, I could have avoided persecution too had I been willing to compromise the message of salvation by grace alone.

In contrast to the false teachers, who boasted and bragged about their own accomplishments and who were especially proud of their success in winning over Gentile believers to the requirement of circumcision, Paul declared in the strongest possible terms that the only possible ground and object of his own boasting was the cross of Jesus Christ. There was a kind of boasting that not only was permitted but held up to the Galatians as desirable and worthy of imitation: it was boasting in the cross, it was boasting in the Lord. In this and in this alone he would make his boast, in life and death, for all time and eternity. The false teachers Paul confronted in Galatia found the cross a matter of severe embarrassment. They could not deny that the Messiah had in fact been impaled on a Roman cross. That was too palpable and public an event for anyone to try to hide. But if they could not deny the cross, they would certainly de-emphasize it. They would conceal the full meaning of atonement by arrogating unto sinful human beings a share in their own salvation.

Not only is the world crucified to believers through their identification with Jesus’ once-for-all victory on the cross, but through the ongoing process of mortification and self-denial, believers are also crucified to the world (meaning the world system that in its basic values and orientation is alienated from God. To be crucified to the world, then, means to walk in the light, to bear the fruit of the Spirit, and to live in the freedom with which Christ has set us free. The new creation, then, involves the whole process of conversion: the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit leading to repentance and faith, the daily process of mortification and vivification, continual growth in holiness leading to eventual conformity to the image of Christ. The new creation implies a new nature with a new system of desires, affections, and habits, all wrought through the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Who were the “Israel of God” for whom Paul also invoked divine mercy? This expression is found only here in the New Testament. It is tempting to follow the majority of commentators in interpreting this as a general appellation for the Christian church. But we cannot simply equate Israel and the church. First, while the grammatical structure of the verse is not entirely clear, the best translation would be, “May God give peace to all who walk according to this criterion, and mercy also to his faithful people Israel.” Second, it is strange that if Paul intended simply to equate the Gentile believers with the people of Israel that he would make this crucial identification here at the end of the letter and not in the main body where he developed at length his argument for justification by faith. Stranger still, Paul did not put his potent expression to use in his magisterial exposition on the role of Israel in salvation history in Romans 9-11. Third, although the New Testament elsewhere (1 Peter 2:9-10) refers to the Christian church as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people belonging to God, there is no explicit identification of the church as the “New Israel” anywhere in early Christian literature until AD 160. It is best, then, to see the “Israel of God” as an eschatological reference to the whole people of God, who will find mercy through the Messiah, including both converted Gentiles (the wild olive shoots who have been grafted in) and completed Jews (the natural branches God will yet redeem).

BRAND MARKS OF JESUS (v.17)
The Greek word for brand marks is ‘stigmata.’ Some have interpreted this word to mean that Paul actually bore in his hands, feet, and side the imprinted marks of Jesus’ passion and death. When Paul said he carried around in his body the death of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:10) and that he constantly bore the Lord’s brand marks, he was referring to the actual scars of persecution and marks of physical suffering he received throughout his apostolic ministry because of his witness for the gospel. He is no fair-weather Christian but one who has come to know his Lord in the fellowship of His sufferings as well as the power of His resurrection. From a different angle, we can see that the Judaizers had their distinctive marks of circumcision of which they boasted in the flesh, while Paul had his distinctive marks for boasting in the cross. In this sense his marks are a seal and sure evidence of true doctrine and faith. Finally, the brand marks of Jesus recall the fact of Christian baptism to which Paul referred to in the heart of the letter. We cannot and should not try to duplicate Paul’s sufferings, for they were unique to his own apostolic mission. But every believer who has been baptized into the death of Christ has become identified with Jesus in the ‘koinonia’ of His sufferings no less than in the triumph of His resurrection. Baptism signifies a breach with the world, a passage from the realm of Satan into the ownership of Christ.

BENEDICTION (v.18)
Paul already provided a benediction of peace in verse 16. Here he concludes his letter with a second benediction, which is a prayer for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with the Galatians, whom he called again his brothers. Paul closes his letter pointing to the central theme that had been his primary concern throughout the epistle.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What thoughts seem to be heaviest on Paul’s heart as he makes his final comments?
2. Do any of your words or actions imply boasting in something other than the cross? If so, how? What can you do to resist this temptation?
3. How can you live as one who is crucified to the world, and only have the new creation count for anything?
4. Are there any ways in which you feel persecuted right now?

SHARING WITH TEACHERS (v.6)
In this context of caring for one another, Paul instructs those who are taught to support (share in all good things) those who teach them. What does Paul mean by share in all good things? The idea is focused on financial support, but not limited to it. The right relationship between teacher and taught, or minister and congregation, is one of koinonia, ‘fellowship’ or ‘partnership’. It isn’t payment; it is sharing. 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 (1 Corinthians 9:11; 14; 1 Timothy 5:17; Luke 16:11).

It is interesting to speculate about why Paul felt it necessary to impart this particular word of instruction to the Galatian churches. We know that after the initial wave of evangelization in this region, Paul and Barnabas had appointed elders in every church, some of whom were perhaps singled out as the first pastors and teachers in these congregations. It could be that the Judaizing agitators had attacked the ministry of these men, who were far less able than Paul to defend the truth of the gospel against such interlopers. In turn, many of the Galatians may well have withdrawn material support from these church leaders in their infatuation with the new theology advanced by Paul’s opponents. In any event, Paul reminded them here of the importance of sustaining a faithful gospel ministry through generous financial support. Paul was not merely concerned to maintain the principle of paying the preacher. His burden was for the furtherance of the gospel, and he knew that the God-ordained means for accomplishing this was the steady proclamation of the Word of God by faithful men of God.

SOWING AND REAPING (v.7-8)
For those who are hesitant to share in all good things with those who teach them, Paul reminds them of God’s principle of sowing and reaping. Their giving isn’t like throwing away money; it is like planting seeds, and whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. In verse 7 the deception into which the Galatians had fallen, or were in danger of falling, was even worse. Make no mistake, Paul pleaded, for God is not about to be mocked. There will be a payment someday because a man reaps what he sows. You cannot outwit God; the crop you plant in the soil in the spring will inevitably sprout forth into the harvest of the fall. To regard sharing in all good things with him who teaches as a waste is to mock God. It is selfishness that mocks God’s generosity towards those who give to Him. Paul point is that God’s people should not share in all good things with him who teaches because it is good for the teacher. They should do it because it is good for the one who is taught and shares, and the principle of reaping and sowing demonstrates this.

If we continue to indulge in the works of the flesh, moving deeper and deeper into the pit of depravity, then we can be certain of the harvest we will receive – corruption. If we want to reap to the Spirit, we should not hesitate to sow to the Spirit with whatever resources God has given us. A farmer reaps the same as he has sown. If he plants wheat, wheat comes up. In the same way, if we sow to the flesh, the flesh will increase in size and strength. The farmer reaps the same as he has sown, but not exactly. The apple seed doesn’t just grow more apple seeds, but more apples with seeds. Even so, when we sow to the Spirit – even with material things – what we reap is not necessarily material things, but something better: of the Spirit we reap everlasting life. So we don’t give as a crude “investment” or money-making scheme, though we are completely confident we will never be the loser for giving. The farmer also reaps more if he has sown more, and the relationship between what he sows and what he reaps is exponential. A farmer can plant one apple seed and receive hundreds of apples over time. The principle of whatever a man sows, that he will also reap has application beyond giving and supporting teachers and ministers. It has a general application in life; what we get out is often what we put in. Yet, Paul is not promoting some law of spiritual “karma” that ensures we will get good when we do good, or always get bad when we do bad. If there were such an absolute spiritual law, it would surely damn us all. Instead, Paul simply relates the principle of sowing and reaping to the way we manage our resources before the Lord.

DON’T QUIT! (v.9-10)
Still trading on the agricultural imagery of seedtime and harvest, Paul here admonished his readers to persevere in the faith, knowing that at the proper time God will fulfill His promise and bring to pass the consummation of all things in accordance with the good pleasure of His own divine will. Throughout Galatians 5-6 Paul had instructed the Christians of Galatia to do a number of specific things: expel the agitators, love your neighbor as yourself, keep in step with the Spirit by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in your lives, practice church discipline by restoring those who have fallen, bear one another’s burdens, examine yourself in light of the judgment seat of Christ, and provide material support for those who instruct you in the faith. In verse 9, Paul summarized all these duties under the generic rubric of doing good. Doing good is in this sense the same as fulfilling the law of Christ. Paul’s message to the Galatians was simply, “don’t quit!” Faced with the temptation of legalism on the one hand and libertinism on the other hand, many of Paul’s converts in Galatia were in danger of losing their first love, being diverted from witness and being diverted from witness and service into petty bickering and greedy self-concern.

As we wisely manage our resources before God under the principle of sowing and reaping, we need patience. This is because the harvest does not come immediately after you sow the seeds. It is easy, but dangerous, to lose heart. It describes a time when the work is hard and painful, but also unfinished and unrewarded. It’s easy to lose heart when we feel like that, but that is exactly when we must hang on and not grow weary while doing good. Paul could not let go of the fact that there is coming a day in which all persons will be brought to see themselves as God sees them, a time when God’s perfect love and perfect justice will prevail in heaven, on earth, and even under the earth. This is the blessed hope of the believer and the greatest motivating force for Christian ethics and Christian missions in the church today.

Not losing heart, we seek to do good with our resources, and to do good to all – but especially to those who are of God’s family. When Paul writes as we have opportunity and let us do good, he clearly includes himself in what he writes. He speaks to himself here as much as to the Galatians. Because of the danger brought in by the legalists, Paul’s work among them had not yet really been rewarded, so he needed to remember not to lose heart either. As summarized in verse 10, Christian ethics has a dual focus: one is universal and all-embracing (let us do good to everyone), and the other is particular and specific (especially to those who are of the household of faith). Paul’s universalistic appeal was based on the fact that all persons everywhere are created in the image of God and thus infinitely precious in His sight. However, in addition to this unrestricted ethical imperative, there is a further, particular obligation for the Christian to do good specifically to those who are of the household of faith. The emphasis is on the fact that Christians are believers. What distinguished Christians from other people was their faith. They were people who had put their trust in Jesus as their Savior and this was the most important thing about them.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Describe one situation in your life where you have reaped what you sown?
2. What opportunities do you have right now to do good?
3. Are you losing heart (growing weary) of doing good? How can we pray for you?
4. It says to do good especially to fellow believers. Do you know of a fellow believer in need who could need your help?

The Christian life in this present evil world is inevitably one of conflict and tension, but by no means does this necessarily mean defeat. The God’s grace every believer has been transferred from the realm of slavery and alienation into the position of freedom and sonship. However, these benefits of Christ are not gifts to be taken for granted, but are realities to be owned in the daily spheres of obedience and testing. For this reason, Paul now turns to apply the principles he had outlined in the preceding chapter to specific cases in the life of the Galatian churches.

BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS (v.1-3)
Paul recognizes that there may be those among the Christians in Galatia who have been caught in any transgression. It connotes the idea of surprise: someone suddenly entrapped or discovered in an unseemly situation or heinous act. Paul’s wording here speaks of not a determined, hardened, sinner. Instead, the idea is of someone who has fallen into sin, finding themselves trapped in a place they never thought they would be. It is not the deliberate, the planned, aspect of sin that is stressed here, but rather the unwitting element. Mistake rather than misdeed is the force of the word, though without absolution of responsibility. Clearly Paul was responding to a real life situation in which concrete acts of wrongdoing such as those he had just listed among the works of the flesh were disrupting both the Galatians’ relationship to God and their fellowship with one another.

What were the believers to do in such a situation? The overtaken ones need to be restored. They are not to be ignored. They are not to be excused. They are not to be destroyed. The goal is always restoration. And Paul addressed this advice to those who are spiritual, which are those Christians who walk in the Spirit, are led by the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit. Those who are spiritually minded, that is, those whole lives give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, have special responsibility to take the initiative in seeking restoration and reconciliation with those who have been caught in such an error. But how is this to be done? “Kataritzo” means to “put in order” and so to “restore to its former condition.” It was used in secular Greek as a medical term for setting a fractured or dislocated bone. The verb is instructive. This job of restoration is often neglected in the church. We have a tendency to either pretend the sin never happened, or we tend to react too harshly towards the one who has sinned. The balance between these two extremes can only be negotiated by the spiritual. It should be normal to do what God says here, but it isn’t. It is all too easy to respond to someone’s sin with gossip, harsh judgment, or undiscerning approval. Restoration must always be done in a spirit of gentleness, with full understanding of our own weakness and corruption. Those doing the restoring must guard against the temptation of pride, as well as the same temptation the overtaken one struggled with. Thus while Paul was deeply grieved over the loose living and immoral behavior of the Galatian believers, he was equally anxious that the process of corrective church discipline would be conducting based on the fruit of the Spirit and the law of love.

The church of Jesus Christ is a family of born-again brothers and sisters supernaturally knit together by the Holy Spirit in a common fellowship of mutual edification and love. In this context Paul admonished his readers to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. When Paul brings up the idea of the one overtaken in any trespass, it paints the picture of a person sagging under a heavy load. Now, he expands the idea to encourage every Christian to bear one another’s burdens. The focus isn’t on “expect others to bear your burdens.” That is self-focused, and always leads to pride, frustration, discouragement, and depression. Instead, God always directs us to be others-focused, and says, “bear one another’s burdens.” This is a simple command to obey. Look for a brother or a sister with a burden, and help them with it. It isn’t complicated, and it doesn’t take a huge program or infrastructure to do it. Just look for a burden to bear and bear it!

We may gather four important truths about practical Christian living from Paul’s injunction to bear one another’s burdens:

1. The Reality of Burdens. All Christians have burdens. Our burdens may differ in size and shape and will vary in kind, but no Christian is exempt from burdens. Creation itself is broken and groaning, and believers groan with it, waiting for the final deliverance that will come only with the return of our Redeemer in glory.
2. The Myth of Self-sufficiency. We all have burdens, and God does not intend for us to carry them by ourselves in isolation from our brothers and sisters.
3. The Imperative of Mutuality. Because all Christians have burdens and since none are sufficient unto themselves to bear their burdens alone, God has so tempered the body of Christ that its members are to be priests to one another, bearing each other’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ. “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:24ff-26). The command to bear one another’s burdens in no way mitigates against the other New Testament imperative to cast all our cares on Christ, since He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). The duty of bearing one another’s burdens is stated in the imperative mood; it’s not an option but a command.
4. Living By the Law of Christ. Bear one another’s burdens, Paul said, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Nowhere else did Paul use the expression “the law of Christ.” This to Paul means the whole tradition of Jesus’ ethical teaching, confirmed by His character and conduct and reproduced within His people by the power of the Spirit.

What will keep us from bearing one another’s burdens and fulfilling the law of Christ? Pride, which is when anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing. It is often pride that keeps us from ministering to one another as we should. As much as anything, pride is self-focus. Pride doesn’t necessarily say, “I’m better than you are.” Pride simply says “I’m more important than you are, so I deserve more of my own attention and love than you do.” Instead, Biblical humility tells us, “I’m nothing but you are something. Let me care about your burdens and needs.” When anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, it also stifles ministry in another way. People, out of pride, will refuse to receive help when someone else reaches out to help bear their burden. It is important to understand that Paul writes to every Christian when he says, “when he is nothing.” In the sense Paul uses the idea here, it isn’t that some Christians are something, and others are nothing, and the problem is that the nothings think they are one of the somethings. Instead, Paul writes with the same idea behind Philippians 2:3b-4: “in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” If I esteem you above me, and you esteem me above you, a marvelous thing happens: we have a community where everyone is looked up to, and no one is looked down on! There are few things more self-deceptive than pride. To be proud is to be blind – blind to the freely given favor and gifts of God, blind to our sin and depravity, blind to the good in other, and blind to the foolishness of self-centeredness.

CARRYING ONE’S OWN LOAD (v.4-5)
Verses 4 and 5 need to be read in tandem, for they represent two diverse aspects of the Christian’s scrutiny and examination for God. The first, the serious self-examination Paul enjoined upon all believers regarding their Christian walk in this present life. The second, the evaluation that will be disclosed by Christ Himself when every believer appears before His Judgment Seat to give an account of the stewardship of his life. Instead of deceiving ourselves, we must take a careful and a sober examination of our works before God. If we don’t, and if we carry on under our self-deception, then we may think our works are approved before God, when really they aren’t. We want to have our work approved before God, so that our rejoicing on the day of reward can be for our own work (himself alone), and not in the work of another. There is another aspect to rejoicing in himself. It means having joy at your own walk with the Lord, instead of feeling spiritual because some around you perhaps are overtaken in any trespass.

1. The Difference Between Introspection and Self-examination. The former can easily devolve into a kind of narcissistic, spiritual navel-gazing that has more in common with types of Eastern mysticism than with classic models of the devotional life in historic Christianity. True self-examination is not merely taking one’s spiritual beat on a regular basis but rather submitting one’s thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the will of God and the mind of Christ revealed in Scripture. To test something implies there is some external standard by which the quality of purity of the object can be measured with accuracy. An important part of bearing one another’s burdens is to offer spiritual guidance and friendship to one another, holding each other accountable to the high calling of God in our lives.
2. Competition and Boasting in the Christian Life. God will not hold you accountable for the gifts he gave to someone else, so don’t compare yourself to someone else. God wants to bring your own life before the open pages of Scripture. Are you more loving and patient than you were this time last year? How do you gauge your gentleness and self-control, your kindness and faithfulness? No one who honestly brings his of her life before God in this kind of way is going to have any interest in comparing himself to someone else. This kind of scrutiny will issue in confession, not competition, in humility, not in vainglory.

It seems that Paul is contradicting himself within the space of three verses. In 6:2 he instructed the Galatians to carry each other’s burdens. Now in 6:5 he said that each one should carry each own load. There is no contradiction between bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and each one shall bear his own load (Galatians 6:5). In Galatians 6:5, Paul speaks of our final accountability before God. In Galatians 6:2, 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 Galatians 6:5 is a common term for a man’s backpack. The word for burdens in Galatians 6:2 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.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Is anyone caught in transgression at the moment? Has someone fallen into sin and feels trapped in a place you never thought you would be?
2. What do you think Paul means by “you who are spiritual”?
3. What would you practically consider to be a “spirit of gentleness”?
4. Are there any burdens that we can bear for one another?
5. Do you ever take a careful and a sober examination of your works before God?

THE TEXT
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:16-26)

CONFLICT AND VICTORY (v.16-18)
Paul’s diagnosis of the conflict that confronts every Christian begins with a command: walk by the Spirit, and a promise: you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Both the command and the promise are conditioned upon the freedom which Paul talked about earlier, which is always under attack as it can be subverted by for instance legalism. True Christian liberty avoids these dangerous extremes by expressing itself in loving service to the neighbor and joyful fulfillment of the law of God. But where does the believer acquire the resources for this kind of victorious Christian living? Paul’s answer: the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit of God who made us free from sin and given us new life in regeneration can keep us truly free as we experience through walking in him the power of sanctification. In chapter 5, Paul uses four distinct verbs to designate the Spirit-controlled life of the believer, all of which are roughly equivalent in meaning; each suggests a relationship of dynamic interaction, direction, and purpose:

1. To walk in the Spirit (v.16)
2. To be led by the Spirit (v.18)
3. To live by the Spirit (v.25a)
4. To keep in step with the Spirit (v.25b)

Paul continues to set forth in the starkest terms possible the ethical dualism that rages in the world at large and from which no believer who must live in that real world can be exempt. In verse 17, flesh and Spirit are portrayed as two warring forces locked in mortal conflict within the life of the believer. So long as we remain in this present life, we never outgrow or transcend the spiritual conflict Paul was describing in this passage. The conflict between flesh and Spirit, and not only with reference to sexual temptations, is intense and unrelenting. One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is complacency, the temptation to imagine oneself invulnerable to the allurement of the flesh. In closure, Paul reiterates what he just said in a conditional sentence that also brought back into view the central theological issue he had wrestled with throughout the letter. Life in the Spirit stands in irreconcilable conflict with the existence under the law. Believers are now energized to fulfill the true intention of the law precisely because they have been set free from the law by the possession of the Spirit.

VIRTUES AND VICES (v.19-26)
In verses 19-26 Paul developed further the antithesis between flesh and Spirit in terms of two distinctive listings of ethical qualities: the works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. These two lists bring to concrete expression Paul’s earlier admonition that the Galatians should not use their Christian liberty for indulgence of the flesh, as well as exhorting them to serve one another in love by walking and being led by the Spirit. At the conclusion of the two lists Paul appended two corresponding conclusions: first, the statement that belonging to Jesus Christ involves crucifixion of the flesh and, second, the reminder that living by the Spirit means keeping in step with the Spirit so that the freedom for which Christ has set us free becomes neither a pretext for libertinism nor a step backward into legalism. In contrasting the flesh and the Spirit, Paul was not spinning out a general theory of ethics but rather addressing particular problems related to practical Christian living in the Galatian congregations. For Paul flesh and Spirit were two powers locked in conflict on the battlefield of every individual Christian. We have not properly understood the eschatological tension that characterizes the church of Jesus Christ in this present evil world until we have placed Paul’s antithesis between flesh and Spirit in its broader cosmic context.

We do well to notice two important differences in the way the two lists were formulated:

1. Paul did not contrast the works of the flesh with opposing works of the Spirit. The works of the flesh are the products of fallen human beings in their devising, conniving, and manufacturing efforts of self-actualization. The works of the flesh have littered the human landscape with misery, violence, and death. When Paul proceeded to describe the modality of the Spirit-led life, however, he deliberately shifted from the language of technology to that of nature. That which the Holy Spirit effects in the lives of the believers is the result of his indwelling presence and the spiritual metamorphosis that dynamic reality brings about, just like the product yielded by a fruit tree is a gift.
2. Paul’s list of heinous sins is deliberately defined as plural in number, while the fruit of the Spirit is noticeably singular. There is one fruit of the Spirit that manifests itself in nine Christian graces nicely grouped in three well-balanced triplets: (1) love, joy, peace; (2) patience, kindness, goodness; (3) faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. By contrast, the works of the flesh are a seemingly random assortment of terms with no inherent consistency or logical sequence.

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH: A CATALOG OF EVIL (v.19-21)
Paul has just written about the battle between the flesh and the Spirit in every believer. Though it is an interior, invisible battle, the results are outwardly evident. We can’t see the flesh, but we can see what it does. It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit never leads anyone in any of these things.

Sensual Sins
It is significant that the first three acts in Paul’s list of sins have to do with loose sexual relations. It resonates Jesus’ own categorizing of unclean acts that comes out of the heart and defile the whole person (Mark 7:20-22). Why this prioritizing of sexual immorality? It is not because these sins are more intrinsically heinous than the others but rather because they display more graphically the self-centeredness and rebellion against God’s norm that mark all of the others as well. For believers to be caught up in sexual misconduct deeply grieves the Holy Spirit, whose presence within their lives has made of their bodies temples unto the Lord.

Sexual immorality (porneia)
The word ‘porneia’ originally meant “prostitution” although by the time of Paul it had gained the more general meaning of sexual immorality. It includes any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery and incest. Acts of sexual immorality, although often done in the name of love, are really the antithesis of love, which is the foremost fruit of the Spirit. Whenever a couple is afraid to follow through with a proper, legal marriage, it shows they don’t fully trust each other or don’t fully trust God – yet they want the benefits of marriage without the commitment of marriage. The Apostle Paul and the Bible has a word for that: fornication.

Impurity (akatharsia)
This word literally means “uncleanness” and has both a medical and ceremonial connotation. Even after Jesus had healed or cleansed a leper, he required him to complete the ritual of purification in accordance with the Old Testament provision. Uncleanness, then, speaks of the defilement of sexual sin and the separation from God that it brings. It should be thought of as the opposite of purity. If it isn’t pure before God, then it is impurity. Many today excuse themselves by saying, “Well, we did this and this and this, but we didn’t go all the way.” Others say, “My pornography habit isn’t wrong, because I’m not actually committing sexual sin with another person.” But the word for uncleanness here is general enough to let us know that all of these things are works of the flesh. Impurity also covers impure speech, or suggestive speaking filled with double meanings.

Sensuality (aselgeia)
A love of sin so reckless and so audacious that a man has ceased to care what God or man thinks of his actions. It speaks of the total loss of limits, the lack of restraint, decency, and self-respect. It speaks of someone who flaunts their immorality, throwing off all restraint and having no sense of shame, propriety, or embarrassment.

Religious Sins
Paul moved from deeds of impurity to consider two items associated with the heathen worship of false gods. They are sins of worship, and remind us that it isn’t only tragic to worship the wrong God, or seek the wrong spiritual power – it is sinful as well.

Idolatry (eidōlolatria)
Idolatry is the worship of any god except the Lord God revealed to us by the Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ. When people serve a god of their own opinion, of their own creation, they reject the true and living God – and that is sin. Someone might say, “Well, I can believe whatever I want!” and they certainly can. But they can also bear the consequences of their wrong belief.

Sorcery (pharmakeia)
At the root of this word is ‘pharmakon,’ literally “drug,” from which we derive our English word “pharmacy.” In classical Greek it referred to the use of drugs for medicinal or more sinister purposes, e.g. poisoning. In the New Testament it is invariably associated with the occult. Although it conveys the idea of black magic and demonic control, its main meaning is the use of drugs with occult properties for a variety of purposes.

Interpersonal Sins
The following set of eighth sins are “people” sins. They are sins that primarily express themselves in how we treat others. God cares about our sexual and moral purity, and He cares about the purity of our religion and worship. But He also passionately cares about how we treat one another. The fact that Paul uses more words to describe these interpersonal sins shows how important our treatment of each other is to God.

Enmity (echthrai)
This is the opposite of love. In Romans 8:7 Paul used this same word to describe hostility of the sinful mind to God. Here, however, its destructive force is played out on the plane of human relationships. It is an attitude of the heart which expresses itself in many different ways (which are described subsequently), but this word describes the inner motivation for the ill treatment of others.

Strife (eris)
Originally, this word had mainly to do with the rivalry for prizes. It means the rivalry which has found its outcome in quarrellings and wrangling. Most commonly it is translated as strife (as in Romans 13:13 and 1 Corinthians 3:3), and simply speaks of a combative and argumentative spirit. Paul was aware of some who even preached Christ “out of envy and rivalry” (Philippians 1:15). This shows that it is possible for the Lord to use even unworthy motives and selfish means to accomplish the greatest good.

Jealousy (zēlos)
Jealousy can be used in the Bible in a good sense to describe even God himself. But here a negative connotation is meant. A jealous person is someone who wants what other people have. At the root of jealousy is the basic posture of ingratitude to God, a failure to accept one’s life as a gift from God.

Fits of anger (thymoi)
It speaks of a sudden flash of anger, not a settled state of anger. It means to lose your temper, being unable to control your anger. Such fits of rage are a form of conduct unbecoming to a Christian. They drag us away from God and the promptings of his spirit and further enmesh us in the works of the flesh.

Rivalries (eritheiai)
This Greek word has an interesting history. It started out as a perfectly respectable word meaning “to work for pay.” Over time, it began to mean the kind of work that is done for money and for no other reason. Then it was used to describe politicians who campaign for election, not for what service they can give to the government and the people, but only for their own glory and benefit. It ended up meaning ‘selfish ambition’, the ambition which has no conception of service and whose only aims are profit and power. It is the heart of a person whose first question is always, “What’s in it for me?”

Dissensions (dichostasiai)
This word literally means “standing apart.” It carries political overtones suggesting the cultivation of a party spirit or exclusive elite within the church. Whenever this happens, the unity and fellowship of the body of Christ is fractured.

Divisions (haireseis)
This word originally simply meant “to choose.” Over time, it came to mean someone who divisively expressed their “choices” or opinions. We think today of heresies in terms of wrong ideas and teachings; but the emphasis in the word is actually the wrongful dividing over opinions. Divisions can be thought of as hardened dissensions. There is all the difference in the world between believing that we are right and believing that everyone is wrong. Unshakable conviction is a Christian virtue; unyielding intolerance is a sin.

Envy (phthonoi)
Envy doesn’t so much want what someone else has (as in jealousy), but it is bitter just because someone else has something and we don’t. The Greek word implies a plural, suggesting the multitude of expressions of envious desire.

Social Sins
The following can be thought of as social sins – sins that are often committed in the company of other people. The fact that Paul includes these two sins in his list shows that they were works of the flesh that the Galatian Christians had to be on guard against. They let us see that the early church was not made up of people whose pre-Christian lives were of the highest standard.

Drunkenness (methai)
While Christians may differ as to if a Christian can drink alcohol, the Scriptures precisely forbid drunkenness. We must not think that only being “falling down drunk” is a sin; but being impaired in any way by drink is sin, as well as drinking with the intention of becoming impaired.

Orgies (kōmos)
This word doesn’t mean simply having a party or a good time. It means unrestrained partying. In all of the cases where it’s used in the New Testament (Romans 13:13; 1 Peter 4:3) it is linked with the sin of drunkenness.

Throughout these verses Paul has led us down fifteen steps into the pit of depravity. He has shown us the ugly reality of the flesh. Only the interposition of divine grace made operative by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit can rescue one from the snare of such a loveless life. To walk in these works of the flesh is to be in plain rebellion against God, and those in plain rebellion against God will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul knew that we are saved by God’s grace and Jesus’ work alone, not by what we have done, are doing, or promise to do. But he also knew that those who are saved by God’s grace have a high moral obligation to fulfill – not to earn salvation, but in gratitude for salvation, and in simple consistency with who we are in Jesus. When we come to Jesus to have our sins forgiven and our soul saved, He also changes our life. It doesn’t happen all at once, and the work will never be perfected on this side of eternity, but there will be a real change none the less (1 John 3:5-9). The idea isn’t that a Christian could never commit these sins, but that they could never stay in these sins.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: A CATALOG OF GRACE (v.22-23)
The works of the flesh seem overwhelming – both in us and around us. God is good enough, and big enough, to change everything with but the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit can always conquer the works of the flesh. Significantly, it is the fruit of the Spirit set across from the works of the flesh. Works are works, and fruit is fruit. Fruit has several important characteristics. Fruit isn’t achieved by working, but is birthed by abiding. Fruit is fragile. Fruit reproduces itself. Fruit is attractive. Fruit nourishes. Paul used the plural is describing life after the flesh (works of the flesh), but he uses the singular (fruit, not fruits, of the Spirit). In the big picture, the Spirit has one work to do in all of us. These aren’t the gifts of the Spirit, which are distributed on an individual basis by the will of the Spirit; this is something for every Christian. The fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is the work which His presence within us accomplishes. They are not individual fruits from which we pick and choose, but it is one nine-fold fruit that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Each of the nine qualities flows into each other, mutually enriching and reinforcing the process of sanctification in the life of the believer. Here, then, are the evidences of a Spirit-filled life.

Dallas Willard writes in his book “The Great Omission” the following about the fruit of the Spirit with regards to Christian spiritual formation (the forming or maturing of the Spirit within us): “The fruit of the spirit is simply the inner character of Jesus Himself that is brought about in us through the process of Christian spiritual formation. It is the outcome of spiritual formation. It is “Christ formed in us.” It is called fruit because, like the fruit of trees or vines, it is an outgrowth of what we have become, not the result of a special effort to bear fruit. And we have become “fruitful” in this way because we have received the presence of Christ’s Spirit through the process of spiritual formation, and now that Spirit, interacting with us, fills us with love, joy, peace, … Clearly, as the fruit of the Spirit increases within us it becomes a dynamic element in its own right, in the ongoing process of spiritual formation. To be possessed of love, joy, peace … is to have rich resources for sustaining and enhancing a faith-full life and for growth in all dimensions of inward and outward grace. The fruit of the Spirit and spiritual formation become mutually supportive as spiritual formation progresses in the individual.”

Believer’s Attitude to God

Love (agape)
Agape is a love more of decision than of the spontaneous heart; as much a matter of the mind than the heart, because it chooses to love the undeserving. Agape has to do with the mind: it is not simply an emotion which rises unbidden in our hearts; it is a principle by which we deliberately live. It means unconquerable benevolence. It means that no matter what a man may do to us by way of insult or injury or humiliation we will never seek anything else but his highest good. We could say that this is a love of the Spirit, because it is a fruit of the Spirit. It is also helpful to understand the works of the flesh in the light of this love of the Spirit. Sensual sins are counterfeits of love among people. Religious sins are counterfeits of love to God. Interpersonal sins are all opposites of love. Social sins are sad attempts to fill the void only love can fill.

Joy (chara)
We could say that this is joy of the Spirit, because it is a higher joy than just the thrill of an exciting experience or a wonderful set of circumstances. It is a joy that can abide and remain, even when circumstances seem terrible. It is not the joy that comes from earthly things, still less from triumphing over someone else in competition. It is a joy whose foundation is God.

Peace (eirēnē)
This peace is peace with God, peace with people, and it is a positive peace, filled with blessing and goodness – not simply the absence of fighting. We could say that this peace is a peace of the Spirit, because it is a higher peace than just what comes when everything is calm and settled. This is a peace of God, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It means not just freedom from trouble but everything that makes for a man’s highest good. Here it means that tranquility of heart which derives from the all-pervading consciousness that our times are in the hands of God.

Believer’s Attitude to Other People

Patience (makrothymia)
Patience means that you can have love, joy, and peace even over a period of time when people and events annoy you. God is not quickly irritated with us (Romans 2:4, 9:22), so we should not be quickly irritated with others.

Kindness (chrēstotēs)
Like patience, kindness is a characteristic of God intended to be reproduced by the Spirit in God’s people. God is forbearing and kind toward sinners in his wooing of them to salvation. Kindness is an expression of relationship. Each one of the qualities talked about in passages like Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:12, express themselves in relationship. A significant measure of the Christian life is found simply in how we treat people and the quality of our relationship with them. This doesn’t just happen; we have to be diligent (constant in our effort).

Goodness (agathōsynē)
Goodness means uprightness of heart and life. It’s the quality or moral excellence of the good person. It’s a kindly disposition towards others. God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval (Luke 18:19). Only God is good, none other.

Believer’s Attitude to Self

Faithfulness (pistis)
The idea is that the Spirit of God works in us faithfulness both to God and to people. Our God is a faithful God. He is “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). If we understand how much it hurts God is we are unfaithful to Him (read about the prophet Hosea for instance) then we can and should only respond by being faithful to Him. It’s an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, a form of love, to be faithful (not only towards God but also towards others). And like all other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, it’s not achieved by working, but it birthed by abiding in Him. And so there is an interaction: He is always faithful to us (covenant), but the more we are faithful to Him, the more we abide in Him, the more we are faithful to Him.

Gentleness (praotēs)
The word has the idea of being teachable, not having a superior attitude, not demanding one’s rights. It isn’t timidity or passiveness; It is the quality of the man who is always angry at the right time and never at the wrong time. It means moral goodness or integrity. It signifies not merely goodness as a quality; rather it is goodness in action, goodness expressing itself in deeds. It’s a kindly activity on their behalf. We have a gentle God, who says to “take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29), who “like a shepherd will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes” (Isaiah 40:11)

Self-control (egkrateia)
It is the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. This type of self-control is also spoken of in 2 Peter 1:5-7, which talks about growing in Christian virtue. Evident here is that you need knowledge (understanding) in order to practice self-control; and that self-control leads to perseverance which ultimately leads to godliness and (agapē) love. Self-control goes hand-in-hand with putting up a good fight, working hard. Self-control, then, is being in control of one’s self; in the context of the Scriptures, the control of self so as to be in harmony with the will of God. You say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ. The self-control that is the fruit of the Spirit is actually Christ-control.

DEAD OR ALIVE (v.24-26)
Verse 24-25 serve as a dual conclusion to Paul’s two catalogues of vices and virtues. In these verses Paul asserts the sufficiency of the Spirit to deal with the flesh by pointing the way to Christian victory. That way is the path of sanctification Paul describes here in terms of the dual process of mortification (daily dying to the flesh) and vivification (continuous growth in grace through the new life of the Spirit). In verse 24 crucifixion of the flesh is described not as something done to us but rather something done by us. Believers themselves are the agents of this crucifixion. Paul was here describing the process of mortification through the disciplines of prayer, fasting, repentance, and self-control. Verse 24 tells us that there is no shortcut to spiritual victory in the life of a Christian. No second blessing, or rededication, or spiritual quick-fix can take the place of consistent, obedient, vigilant, renunciation of the world.

Paul continues by giving us an exhortation to obedience. Having been engrafted into his body of faith, we are to walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit every day of our lives. It suggests the basic idea of discipleship: conformity to Christ under the leadership of the Spirit. Paul concludes this section of walking in the Spirit with this warning, knowing that some will become conceited in their own walk in the Spirit. What a masterful stroke of Satan this can be! Finally, a child of God is walking in the Spirit – then he tempts them to be conceited about it. Soon, they are sure they almost always sure they are right and everyone else is wrong. When we are conceited – always sure we are right, always confident in our opinions and perceptions – it definitely provokes other people. When we are conceited, we also are open to the sin of envy. If we know someone is more right, or more successful than we are, we resent it and envy them.

This whole chapter lends itself to a searching examination of ourselves. We often think that our problems and difficulties are all outside of ourselves. We think that we would be fine if everyone just treated us right and if circumstances just got better. But that ignores the tenor of this who chapter: the problems are in us, and need to be dealt with by the Spirit of God. With that kind of reality check, we can see a new world, and a new life – and not one other person, one other circumstance has to change! All we must do is yield to the Spirit of God, and begin to truly walk in the Spirit.

THE QUESTIONS

1. How does the Spirit express His desires to us? How do you know if an internal prompting is from the Spirit of God or just our own thoughts?
2. What part does human thought and effort play in producing the fruit of the Spirit?
3. What can a person do to counteract all the stimulation and attention the sinful nature gets?

THE TEXT
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 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. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:1-15)

INTRODUCTION
Today we are going to talk about what I would consider the greatest paradox in the Bible. And if by the end of our time you understand this paradox that would be great… because then you can explain to it me. I’ve been thinking a lot about this section of Scripture, the first half of Galatians 5, where Paul moves from doctrine to practice, from theology to ethics. And to be honest with you, the text bothers me quite a bit. Not because I don’t understand what it says, because I think I do. It bothers me because Paul contrasts legalism and love. Paul contrasts those who practice legalism with those who practice love. And both are very subtle. And I know for me it’s easy to think that I am not a legalist on the one hand, and that I love people on the other hand. But I’ve come to realize that’s a dangerous assumption to make, and one that actually could be quite self-righteous. It is self-righteous to think that when it comes to my love for God and my love for others, that although not perfect, most of the time I am doing well in this.

The reason why I am saying this is because I think that if I could sit in a café and have a cup of tea and apple pie with Jesus, and would ask Him to explain what it means to love Him and to love others in a non-legalistic way, that His answer would be so far removed from what I think it means that my reaction would be: “Really? Are you kidding me? Is this really what this means?” Now, you could say that I am hard on myself for thinking that I am a legalist, or that I am not loving God or loving people. But that’s not what I am saying. What I am saying is that I do not want to assume that I am not a legalist or that I am loving God or people. There is a difference. So, that’s why I am so bothered by this text. It affects me deeply on a practical level. But it also affects me on a theologically level, because, as you will come to see in a minute, there is a great paradox that Paul will tell us here. There are some difficult things in this passage, but I want to keep it simple and really try to get to the heart of the message, and what I want to do is contrast the legalism and the love.

In summary, the issue in Galatians is very simply this: the church had been started by the apostle Paul and he had left to go on his missionary journeys to plant other churches. In his absence the church had gotten off to a pretty good start, doing well, loving Jesus, obeying the commands of God out of love for Jesus, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and growing. However, what had happened was that false teachers had infiltrated the church to spy on their freedom in Christ. They had come in to fix this church and to fix these people. And what they were not doing was pointing toward Jesus, but they were pointing toward themselves. They had brought legalism and division into the church that was threatening the very existence of the church.

Now the goal of the church is to glorify God, who is our Father, by loving, serving, obeying, and following Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So it’s about living by the power of the Holy Spirit in such a way as to glorify and to follow Jesus as we honor the Father together with Him. That’s the Christian life. What had happened is that these false teachers had come in and told them that it was all good and well to follow Jesus, but that they also needed them; their teaching, their rules, their regulations. And that by adding these things they would become even better followers of Jesus.

So Paul starts off by telling us what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us.

IT’S ABOUT FREEDOM IN CHRIST (v.1)
What the Bible teaches is the opposite of how we perceive the world works. We believe that we are free people, born in a free country, who are free to do or become whatever it is that we desire. We think of “the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; a license to do as one wants” (as dictionary.com beautifully says). The Bible tells us the complete opposite. It says that we are born enslaved to sin and death. That we are literally in slavery to those two things. Jesus said in John 8:34 that “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” James 1:14-15 says that “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” 1 John 5:17 says that “all wrongdoing is sin”, James 4:17 says that “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” And Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death”. We are enslaved to sin. We cannot help ourselves. And it leads to death. We all die. No matter how much we try to fight it by whatever means you can think of, we cannot stop sinning or not die. But here’s the thing: God knows that we are in this predicament, and what He has done is give us Jesus, who has come to us in ultimate humility and he has lived without sin and He has died for our sin. Our sins were literally placed upon Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it best: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus has taken our sin and Jesus has taken our death. And He resurrected, conquering sin and death, and so no longer must we be enslaved to sin and enslaved to death. But by God’s grace we are liberated, we are freed so we no longer have to die, but have eternal life. We are freed so we don’t have to be enslaved to our sin. We are free to love God and walk away from our sin. Jesus and sin cannot coexist. So the closer you are to Jesus the further you wander from your sin. Paul is saying that we shouldn’t focus on being moral, or being religious, or being spiritual, or being good. Focus on Jesus, and you will find that you will become spiritual, and you become moral. You become a different person. And it’s not to improve you, it is to honor Him. The focus goes off of self and it goes toward loving Jesus. And that is the mark of Christian freedom: it’s no longer about me, it’s about Jesus. It’s not about me being good, it’s about Him being good. It’s not about what I can do, but about what I can do through His power in me. And then all of the glory and all of the joy goes to Jesus. It’s worship. When you first received the Holy Spirit, you also received the gift of freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Paul is exhorting us to make full use of our precious birthright as a believer, our freedom. And we have to remember it’s Christ who made us free. We don’t make ourselves free. Freedom is a gift of Jesus, given to us and received by faith. If we live in bondage to a legal relationship with God, it isn’t because God wills it. God pleads with us to take His strength and walk in that freedom, and to not be entangled again with a yoke of slavery. It’s a freedom from the penalty and power of sin right now, and it’s a freedom from the very presence of sin in the future.

Paul then goes on by telling the consequences of forgetting this simple truth, because we are prone to forget, and forget about Jesus, and we get into doing all sorts of things. But as we walk further away from Jesus, we walk further away from freedom into slavery.

CONSEQUENCE #1: IF YOU DON’T ACCEPT JESUS, YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT (v.2-4)
Here is what Paul is saying; there are two ways to get saved. You accept Jesus. You accept what He has done. You accept that He died, that He was buried, and that He rose again, and through that you accept the gift of His righteousness, which gives you a right standing before God; or, you have to be perfect. You don’t accept Jesus and try to attain your own righteousness. You try to get a right standing before God by what you do instead of what Jesus has done for you. But, if we come to God on the basis of our own law-keeping, then our law-keeping must be perfect, because God is perfect. Remember what James said? “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10). No amount of obedience makes up for one act of disobedience. If you are pulled over for speeding, it will do not good to protest that you are a faithful husband, a good taxpayer, and have obeyed the speed limit many times, because all that is irrelevant. You have still broken the speeding law and are guilty under it. Paul warns us that it’s an all or nothing deal when it comes to your standing before God: You either say that you need Jesus, and accept His righteousness (and thus live in it!), or you say you don’t need Jesus, and try to do it on your own (but then realize that you’ve already failed, because you are not perfect!) Now the thing is that you might be saying: “Well, that’s simple. I believe Jesus. I choose Jesus”. And Paul is saying: “Great! But then why are you still trying to do it on your own?!” And the truth is that we believe we need a more obvious indicator. Well, I got baptized, I spoke in tongues, I memorized these verses, I read the Bible every day, I go to church every week, I volunteer a lot, or I do this or that every day. And Paul says, no, it has to be just Jesus. You don’t need to add any human effort to the gospel to make it work, to show that you are a Christian. The only way to show that you are a Christian is that you love Jesus and the Spirit of God indwells you. If you don’t love Jesus it’s all pointless. But what ends up happening is that Jesus transforms us and then we do certain things out of that new life. We get baptized, we memorize verses, we read the Bible, we pray, we go to church. But some people swap cause and effect, and think, well, if I do those then it will have this cause. It will cause me to be a Christian. And Paul says you are a Christian by Jesus and then the effects are these things. But these things are not the goal. The goal is always love Jesus. That’s why Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, see also John 14:21; 15:10; 1 John 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6). You will obey Jesus. The issue is not obedience, it’s loving Jesus. It can’t be about works, it has to be about grace. It can’t be about us, it has to be about Jesus. It’s trusting in Jesus and what He has done already. He said “It is finished!” (John 19:30). And it is.

CONSEQUENCE #2: A SLIGHT DEVIATION IS A FULL DEVIATION (v.7-12)
Here Paul gives us a second consequence. He says that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. A little yeast puffs up the whole dough. A slight deviation is a full deviation. Paul’s opponents had not overturned the whole system of Christian teaching but were only making a seemingly minor adjustment to it. But even a seemingly minor adjustment or deviation on such a fundamental matter of the faith can bring total ruin. He says they were running hard after Jesus, but something got in their way which caused a slight deviation and took them off course. And so my question, in all humility, is, you may be running (hard), but are you running in the right direction? Are you still running after Jesus? We (as a church) may be running (hard), but are we running in the right direction? Are we still running after Jesus? Because God does not persuade you, or us, to run in a direction that isn’t directly toward Jesus. A little yeast, and all the dough rises. As Paul says here, the truth of the gospel is not only something to be believed but also something to be obeyed and the cross is tremendously offensive. I know for me, my yeast is books and knowledge. Anyone who knows me knows I love theology and reading difficult theological books, and I probably have an opinion about everything regarding the Bible. And I have come to realize that what matters most is trusting and loving Jesus. And it’s really hard for me because I suffer from intellectual pride, and I need to repent of that. I need to repent of thinking that all that knowledge about Jesus equals knowing Jesus, because it doesn’t. And I am now trying to get back to also simply trusting and loving Jesus. And it’s a challenge. Now I am not saying that knowing theology or reading difficult theological books aren’t good things; they have their place, but there is a simplicity about loving Jesus that’s the most important thing. Paul closes off this section with both the funniest and the harshest statement in the Bible. He wishes that those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! Now I could tell you that Paul isn’t joking here at all but is very serious and sarcastic, and that he is referring to Deuteronomy 23:1, which says that, “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord”, and that he is saying that just as the false teachers were urging the Galatian believers to have themselves circumcised in order to become part of the true church or people of God, so Paul may have suggested that his opponents get themselves castrated and so be once and for all excluded from the church. But, truth be told, it’s just plain funny! What he means is that if you are saying you need to get baptized to go to heaven, and if it’s good to get them wet, then just keep ‘m under permanently. That will be really good. It’s funny! But, Paul is also incredibly serious. Legalism is no little thing, but a serious offense. It takes away our liberty and puts us into bondage. It makes Jesus and His work of no profit to us. It puts us under obligation to the whole law. It violates the work of the Spirit of God. It makes us focus on things that are irrelevant; it keeps us from running the race Jesus set before us. It isn’t from Jesus. A little bit will infect the entire church. And, most importantly, it takes away the glory of the cross.

But, there is another way, Paul says. You may have noticed that I skipped verses 5 and 6. And that’s because here is Paul’s answer to our legalism, to our own efforts of either get a right standing before God, or improve on our standing before God.

THE ANSWER: FAITH WORKING THROUGH LOVE (v.5-6)
Righteousness, a good standing before God, does not come by obeying a list of commands. It comes by the Spirit of God indwelling us so that we might trust Jesus, and then His righteousness is given to us, and our sin is given to Him. And it is through faith in Christ and the Spirit of God. You have faith? Wonderful; but it must be faith working through love. If your faith doesn’t work, it isn’t real faith. As James says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? […] So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:15,17). The word here for ‘working’ in the Greek is ‘energeō’ from which we get the word ‘energy’, so it actually says that it’s about faith which gets energized (or is made active) by love (agapē). Wow! Also, if it doesn’t work through love, it isn’t real faith. Your love alone isn’t enough. Your love must also have faith. An abiding trust in who Jesus is and what He did for us. Faith must work through love. Real faith, saving faith, will work through love. And the faith that operates through love is nothing other than the faith by which we are justified before God. We are justified by grace through faith, a faith that indeed is active in love leading to holiness.

Within the space of two verses Paul brings together the basic triad of Christian virtues: faith, hope, and love. None of these are self-generating qualities or mere human possibilities. They are gifts from God actualized in our lives by the presence of His Spirit in our hearts. So, if our freedom in Christ should lead to by faith working through love, on the basis of hope, then how do we exercise this freedom in such a way that it is by faith through love? Paul answers this in verses 13-15.

THE LAW OF LOVE (v.13-15)
We live by the Holy Spirit, we live by Jesus’ grace, we live to the Father’s glory. That’s freedom. That’s worship. But here’s the problem: people become Christians. You tell them: “Look. Jesus has forgiven all your sins. Anything you’ll ever do, He’ll forgive you.” Is that true? That’s totally true. Married people, if you commit adultery, will God forgive you? He will. Single people, if you fornicate, will God forgive you? He will. So then the legalists come in and they say “You know what? People are gonna sin if we tell them that they are free, so what do we need? Rules. Lots of rules. And we’ll write down all the rules and we’ll tell ‘m not to do that and then they won’t do it. If we write down all the rules will they still break the rules? Of course. Why? Because there’s an internal problem. We’ve got a seed of rebellion from Adam that naturally just wants to disobey. And so rules will not make us holy. What makes us holy is loving Jesus. If you love Jesus, will you be faithful to your spouse? You will. If you love Jesus, will you wait till you’re married? You will. If you love Jesus, will you not get drunk, will you not do drugs, will you not lie, will you not steal? You will. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). Trying to obey Jesus without loving Him is absolutely impossible and foolish. Trying to love Jesus without obeying Him is absolutely impossible and foolish. And Paul says, don’t use your freedom to sin. Use your freedom to serve others. What happens is we hear we’re free and think: “Great, now I can do whatever I want.” Biblical freedom is this: “Great, now I can do whatever you need. Now I can do whatever God declares.” All of our sin, all of our legalism, all of our rules is where we go to hide from Jesus. And the only way you’ll truly be transformed is through God’s love and loving Him back. If you have an alcohol problem, you don’t have an alcohol problem, you have a Jesus problem. If you have a sexual problem, you don’t have a sexual problem, you have a Jesus problem. If you have an anger problem, you don’t have an anger problem, you have a Jesus problem. You must understand His love for you and you must dwell in that so that that love transforms you to be more like Him. And as you more like Him, alcohol, sex, anger, whatever it might be, will fall away, because Jesus and sin do not coexist. The closer you draw to Jesus, the further you get from sin. But if your focus is to get away from sin, and you don’t go to Jesus, you will get away from one sin and you will go to another sin. You will go from alcohol to pride. You will go from pride to gossip, and from gossip to lust, but you will never get to Jesus. But when you get to Jesus, now you are free because you’re sins are further away as you draw nearer to Him. And that’s what Paul is telling them. The freedom is not freedom to go from one sin to another sin. The freedom is that Jesus died for our sins so that we could draw near to God. And the more intimate we become with God, the more that sin ceases to be delicious to our taste, and righteousness becomes what we thirst for.

How do you use your freedom? Through love serve one another. Now, the English word “serve” doesn’t do it justice as the Greek word is rooted in the word “doulos”, the Greek word for slave. This is in my opinion the greatest paradox. Paul introduces us to the concept of freedom and love, and what links these two together? Slavery! The very thing Paul earlier said that Christ delivered us from! Through love, we should make ourselves slaves to one another. True freedom is realized only in the slavery of love. What a paradox! Paul’s admonition to mutual service is thus not a restriction on freedom, but rather the very of its actualization. More than anywhere else the freedom that results in the slavery of love is exemplified in the passion and death of Jesus Christ. This echoes Paul’s words in Romans 6, where he says, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:16-18). True freedom is realized only in the slavery of love. What a paradox! We are slaves of righteousness. Now, don’t turn this into another legalism. It is not a slavery of “now I have to love God and others”, but “now I get to love God and others”. I don’t have to, like a duty. I get to, like a privilege.

Truth is I feel really challenged lately on what it means to love God and to love others. I am not saying I am not doing it, but I have come to a point were I don’t want to assume that I do very well in this. I just think that God’s love is radically, radically different than our human concepts of love. In the world today, God’s type of love is impossible. Even if we, Christians, don’t lay our will and our lives down, this kind of love is impossible. Only when we die to our self can this kind of love be manifested. It was only because Jesus died for us that His love was given to us and it’s only as we, by the Holy Spirit, can pass God’s love on to others. God demonstrated “his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8), and “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) And now we can love. We can love God. And we can love each other. Does that love transform us? YES! But what happens when don’t let His love transform us and love each other? Paul says in verse 15 we will go on biting and devouring one another, and we will destroy each other.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Could a person do the same activity with human effort as he could with the Spirit’s power? If not, why not? If so, what would be the difference?
2. Are you living daily on the same basis by which you were saved? How can you live by the Spirit this week?
3. Think about the kind of faith Abraham had to have to believe God would give him a son at the age of eighty. What does this tell you about the kind of faith in Christ that a person needs to have?

THE TEXT
“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For 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.’ Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But 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. But 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.’ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:21-31)

PAUL WILL APPEAL TO THE LAW TO THOSE WHO CLAIM THE LAW (v.21)
Now Paul writes directly, both to those who promoted legalism and to those who succumbed to legalism. He writes to those who desire to be under the law, living under law keeping as the basis for their relationship with God. Who would ever desire to be under the law? Many people. There are many advantages to being under the law as your principle of relating to God:

1. First, you always have the outward certainty of a list of rules to keep;
2. Second, you can compliment yourself because you keep the rules better than others do;
3. Finally, you can take the credit for your own salvation, because you earned it by keeping the list of rules.

Under the law, it is what you do for God that makes you right before Him. Under the grace of God, it is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ that makes us right before Him. Under the law, the focus is on my performance. Under the grace of God, the focus is on who Jesus is and what He has done.
Under the law, we find fig leaves to cover our nakedness. Under the grace of God, we receive the covering, won through sacrifice that God provides.

Paul senses that he hasn’t made his point yet, so he will now approach the matter with another illustration from the Old Testament. Essentially, Paul says “Let’s have a Bible study. Open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 16.” It is important that Paul refer back to the Scriptures again and again. The legalists among the Galatians presented themselves as the “back to the Bible” bunch. Yet Paul will show that they are not handling the Old Testament Scriptures correctly, and he will show that a true understanding of the Law of Moses will support the true gospel he preaches.

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO SONS OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND ISHMAEL (v.22-23)
The legalists who troubled the Galatians protested that they were children of Abraham, and therefore blessed. Paul will admit they are children of Abraham, but they forget that Abraham had two sons! Ishmael was Abraham’s son, but he was the son according to the flesh and unbelief and trying to make your own way before God. It often doesn’t look like it, but legalism is living according to the flesh. It denies God’s promise and tries to make your own way to God through the law. This is living like a descendant of Abraham – but it is living like Ishmael. Abraham’s second son was named Isaac. He was born, miraculously, through Abraham’s wife Sarah (the freewoman). Isaac was Abraham’s son, and he was the son of God’s promise and faith and God’s miracle for Abraham.

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN MOUNT SINAI AND MOUNT ZION (v.24-27)
Paul wants it understood that he speaks using pictures from the Old Testament. His reference to Hagar and Ishmael were pictures, meant to illustrate his point. Now he will bring in another picture. In the Bible, a covenant is a “contract” that sets the rules for our relationship with God. Paul brings it right down to the issues confronting the Galatian Christians. The legalists wanted them to relate to God under one set of rules, and Paul wanted them to relate to God under the “rules” presented by the gospel.

It’s worth reminding ourselves of the extreme relevance of all this. Many people look at the issues Paul is passionate about here and they just yawn. They say, “Paul, you are dealing with theological speculation. I’ve got other problems. My marriage is in trouble. I can’t pay my bills. I’ve got a lot of personal problems. You would do me much more good by teaching me about those things than going on and on with your theology about being right with God.” But Paul would respond, “The most important thing in your life is being right with God. If that isn’t right, than nothing else really matters. If that is right, God will bless you and teach you about your marriage, your money, and your personal problems. Regarding the solutions to our day-to-day problems, Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

One covenant is associated with Mount Sinai, the place where Moses received the Law (Exodus 19-20). This covenant gives birth to bondage. Since it is all about what we must do for God to be accepted by Him, it doesn’t set us free. This covenant is associated with Hagar, the “surrogate mother” who gave birth to Ishmael. It is therefore, if used wrongly, a covenant according to the flesh (Galatians 4:23). This covenant corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, that is, earthly Jerusalem which was the capital of religious Judaism. This was the way most Jewish people in Paul’s day tried to be right with God – by trusting in their ability to please God by keeping the law.

The other covenant is associated with Jerusalem, with Mount Zion – but not the Mount Zion of this earth. Instead, it is associated with the Jerusalem above – God’s own New Jerusalem in heaven. Paul will now tell us more about the covenant represented by the heavenly Jerusalem. This covenant brings freedom – it is free. It is free because it recognizes that Jesus paid the price, and we don’t have to pay it ourselves. This covenant has many children; it is the mother of us all. Every Christian through the centuries belongs to this new covenant, the covenant of the heavenly Jerusalem. And every birth under this covenant is a miracle, like the fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah 54:1, Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Every one is born because of a miracle by God.

THE APPLICATION OF THE TWO CONTRASTS (v.28-31)
As Christians, we don’t identify with Ishmael. We identify with Isaac, as children of a promise that was received by faith. Ishmael and his descendants persecuted Isaac and his descendants. So we should not be surprised that the modern day people who follow God in the flesh persecute those who follow God in faith through the promise.

The answer to this problem is clear, though not easy. We must cast out the bondwoman and her son. Law and grace cannot live together as principles for our Christian life. Hagar and Sarah could not live together in the same house (Genesis 21:8-14). We could argue all day long whose fault it was, but that isn’t the point. The point is that God told Abraham to send Hagar away. So also every Christian must send away the idea of relating to God on the principle of law, the principle of what we do for Him instead of what He has done for us in Jesus Christ. Significantly, Sarah could live with Hagar and Ishmael until the son of promise was born. But once Isaac was born, then Hagar and Ishmael had to go. In the same way, a person could relate to the law one way before the promise of the gospel was made clear in Jesus Christ. But now that it has been made clear, there is nothing to do but to cast out the bondwoman and her son. Ishmael was not necessarily a bad man, or a cursed man. But neither was he blessed with the promise of inheriting the glorious covenant of God given to Abraham and his descendants. That was the inheritance of one heir – Isaac, the son of the freewoman. For Paul, one of the great issues in this was freedom. He knew the bondage of trying to earn his own way before God, because he lived that way for decades. Now he knew the freedom of living as a son of God, free in Jesus Christ.

A SERIES OF CONTRASTS

1. The first contrast Paul draws between real Christianity and legalism is the contrast between freedom and slavery. One son of Abraham was born by a freewoman, and one was born by a bondwoman. Which son of Abraham illustrates your life with God?
2. The second contrast Paul draws between Christianity and legalism is the contrast between a work done by God’s promised miracle and a work done by the flesh. Is your relationship with God based on your own works, or the work of God’s promised miracle?
3. The third contrast Paul draws between Christianity and legalism is the contrast between heaven and earth. Is your relationship with God a matter of heaven coming down to earth, or is it like earth reaching up to heaven?
4. The fourth contrast Paul draws between Christianity and legalism is the contrast between many more and many. The abundance and glory of the New Covenant is shown by the fact that it would soon have more followers than the Old Covenant.
5. The fifth contrast Paul draws between Christianity and legalism is the contrast between persecuted and persecuting. The legalists – represented by Ishmael – have always persecuted true Christianity, represented by Isaac. As we walk in the glory, in the freedom, in the miraculous power of this New Covenant, we should expect to be mistreated by those who don’t.
6. The sixth contrast Paul draws between Christianity and legalism is the contrast between inheriting all and inheriting nothing. While the “Isaacs” of this world may be persecuted, they also have a glorious inheritance that the “Ishmaels” of this world will never know. We are heirs of God through the principle of grace, not works!

THE QUESTIONS

1. Which son of Abraham illustrates your life with God?
2. Is your relationship with God based on your own works, or the work of God’s promised miracle?
3. Is your relationship with God a matter of heaven coming down to earth, or is it like earth reaching up to heaven?
4. How do you experience the abundance and the glory of your many brothers and sisters in Christ?
5. Are you “persecuting” your brothers and sisters with your legalism, or you are being persecuted by your brothers and sisters for your freedom in Christ?
6. Are you aware of the glorious inheritance that you have?

THE TEXT
“Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and 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. What 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. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.” (Galatians 4:12-20)

This passage provides a window into Paul’s pastoral heart, and they breathe Paul’s own tears. Although the language is compressed, we should not imagine that in these verses he had been so overcome with emotion that he had produced here an erratic train of thought, one totally disconnected from the preceding doctrinal discussion. What deeply agitated Paul in Galatians was not that certain people had misconstrued the doctrine of justification on a theoretical plane, but rather that men and women whom he loved dearly were in spiritual jeopardy because of this doctrinal deviation. This concern, more than anything else, prompted Paul to leave the lofty heights of theological argumentation and address himself to the Galatians in this deeply personal and emotional appeal.

PAUL APPEALS: BECOME LIKE ME (v.12)
For many of us today, these are strange words from Paul. How could he ever urge them to become like him? Should he only point them to Jesus? In what way should the Galatian Christians become like Paul? Paul knew well that he wasn’t sinlessly perfect. He wasn’t standing before the Galatian Christians, saying “Look at how perfect I am. Don’t worry about following Jesus, just follow me.” He simply wanted them to follow him as he followed Jesus. Instead, Paul knew the Galatian Christians should imitate his consistency. The Galatians started out with the right understanding of the gospel, because Paul led them into the right understanding. But some of them didn’t stay there like Paul did, and in that way, they should become like Paul. Paul knew the Galatian Christians should imitate his liberty. Paul was free in Jesus, and he wanted them to know the same freedom. In that way, they should become like Paul. Paul can say to the Galatian Christians, “When it comes to legalism, I know where you are at. I used to live my whole life trying to be accepted by God because of what I did. In that regard, I became like you and saw that it was a dead end. Take it from someone who knows where you are coming from.” Paul has used pretty strong words with the Galatians. It would be easy for them to think he spoke just out of a sense of personal hurt. Paul assures them that this wasn’t the case at all. Paul wants them to get this right, but for their own sakes, not for his.

PAUL APPEALS: REMEMBER HOW YOU USED TO RESPOND (v.13-16)
Apparently, Paul was compelled to travel into the region of Galatia because of some type of physical infirmity he suffered while on his first missionary journey. The book of Acts doesn’t tell us as much about this as we would like to know, but we can piece together a few facts. We know that when Paul was in the region of south Galatia, they tried to execute him by stoning in the city of Lystra (Acts 14:19-20). His attackers gave him up for dead, yet he miraculously survived. Some think that this was the cause of the physical infirmity he mentions. But Paul was already in the region of Galatia when that happened; his wording in Galatians 4 suggests that he came into the region because of a physical infirmity. What exactly was Paul’s physical infirmity? Some believe his problem was depression, or epilepsy, or that his illness was connected with the thorn in the flesh mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12. None of these can be established with certainty. Even though Paul was not a great example of strength and power because of his physical infirmity, the Galatians still received him, and they received him honorably. They embraced Paul so generously that they would have plucked out [their] own eyes and given them to Paul if that could somehow meet his need. This leads some to believe that Paul’s physical infirmity had something to do with his eyes. But the real point here is that despite whatever Paul’s infirmity was, the Galatians did not despise or reject him. Even though Paul seemed weak and afflicted, they embraced him and responded to his message of grace and God’s love. In light of the great love and honor the Galatians had shown towards Paul, and in light of the great blessing they received from God when they showed such to him, the Galatians should not think that Paul has now become their adversary when he confronts them with the truth. They needed the truth more than they needed to feel good about where they were at.

PAUL APPEALS: BEWARE THE AFFECTION THE LEGALISTS SHOW YOU (v.17-18)
Paul will admit that the legalists zealously court the Galatians; and legalism often comes wrapped in a cloak of “love.” But the end result is for no good. Paul’s legalistic opponents wanted to draw the Galatian Christians away into their own divisive group. They actually wanted to exclude the Galatians from other Christians, and to bring them into the “super-spiritual” group of the legalists. The zeal cultivated by legalism is often more a zeal for the group itself than for Jesus Christ. Though they name the name of Jesus, in practice the group itself is exalted as the main focus, and usually exalted as the last refuge of the true “super-Christians.” Paul certainly isn’t against zeal. He wants Christians to be zealous in a good thing always. But it is important to make sure that our zeal is in a good thing, because zeal in a bad thing is dangerous. The Galatian Christians were no doubt impressed by the zeal of the legalists. They were so sincere, so passionate about their beliefs. Zeal in the service of a lie is a dangerous thing! Paul knew this well, because before he became a Christian, he had plenty of zeal, even persecuting the church (Acts 7:58-8:4). Later, Paul looked back at that time of great zeal in the service of a lie and deeply regretted it (1 Corinthians 15:9, 1 Timothy 1:15). Paul wanted the Galatians to be zealous for what is good when he was absent, not only when he was present among them.

PAUL APPEALS: I LOVE YOU LIKE A FATHER, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME (v.19-20)
In the two preceding verses Paul’s tone had been sharp as he brought within his sights the false teachers who dishonorable wooing of the Galatians had led them so far astray. Now, however there was a sudden change of mood as Paul turned to address himself with great tenderness to his misled flock. Throughout the letter Paul had admonished the Galatians to move beyond such infantile behavior and to claim the full inheritance that was theirs as the children of God through Jesus Christ. In the present context he showed how deeply invested he himself was in their spiritual struggles. Paul rightly considers himself to be a father to the Galatians. Yet this challenge has made him feel as if he must bring them to Jesus all over again. Paul knew that his work of forming Christ in them was not complete until they stayed in a place of trusting Jesus. The idea of Christ is formed in you is similar to the idea of Romans 8:29. Paul wished two things. First, that he could be present with the Galatians. But he also wished that he did not need to speak to them in such strong words, that he could change his tone. But their danger of leaving the true gospel has made such strong words necessary, and has made Paul’s doubts necessary to address.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What do you think Paul means by saying “Become as I am, for I also have become as you are”?
2. Is there a difference between how you responded to the gospel when you first heard it, and now? If so, how is it different?
3. Are there people (or maybe things) in your life right now that make much of you, but for no good purpose?
4. If Paul would be present with you/us right now, would he be perplexed about you/us too? If so, about what?

THE TEXT
“I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But 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? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.” (Galatians 4:1-11)

OUR PAST CONDITION (v.1-3)
The word child has the idea of a minor. It doesn’t suggest a specific age, but someone who is not yet legally recognized as an adult. In both Jewish and Greek cultures, there were definite “coming of age” ceremonies, where a boy stopped being a child and started being a man, with legal rights as an heir. In the Roman custom, there was no specific age when the son became a man. It happened when the father thought the boy was ready, when he thought the time was right. When Paul uses the phrase until the time appointed by the father, he shows that he has the Roman “coming of age” custom more in mind than the Jewish custom. Before a minor comes of age, he has no legal rights at all. He is an infant. To be in this condition is no different from being a slave. The guardians and managers who supervise the estate of the child during the time of his minority are comparable to the ‘paidagogos’ we have seen earlier, although here their function is different in the life of their client. The ‘paidagogos’ was a harsh disciplinarian charged with supervising daily activities; the guardians and managers referred to here control the property and finances of the minor depriving him of all independent action so that in reality his liberty is reduced to that of a slave.

Paul applies to the Galatian Christians the legal illustration of the minor deprived of his inheritance until the time appointed by his father. The radical character of this bondage Paul now expressed in terms of a universal subjection to a sinister coalition of evil powers “elementary principles of the world”. This expression is found four times in Paul’s writings (Galatians 4:3, 9; Colossians 2:8, 20). There are different interpretations of what this expression means, but it most likely refers to a whole host of spiritual beings headed by Satan himself, including the fallen angels who rebelled along with Satan and thus were expelled from heaven from before the creation of the world. They are locked in a fierce cosmic conflict with the people of God in every age. Their goal is to separate believers from the love of Christ. To this end they will use trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, destruction, hatred, and death. We have to remember though that these spiritual powers also belong to God’s creation (Romans 8:39). There is no independent realm of devilish darkness existing apart from God’s creative act and permissive will. Yet, while Jesus has dethroned the powers of darkness through His triumphant death and resurrection so that true believers are no longer subjected to their tyrannical dominion, Christians are nonetheless engaged in continual, lifelong struggle against the evil designs of these elemental spirits. False teaching is according to these elemental principles, and not according to Jesus (Colossians 2:8). In Jesus, we die to the elemental principles of the world (Colossians 2:20).

THE COMING OF CHRIST (v.4-5)
These verses contain one of the most compressed and highly charged passages in the entire letter because they represent the objective basis, the Christological and soteriological foundation, for the doctrine of justification by faith. When we analyze these verses in terms of their structure, we find four central ideas brought together:

1. A Temporal Introduction. “But when the fullness of time had come…”
2. The Announcement of God’s Supernatural Intervention in the Mission of Jesus Christ. “God sent forth his Son”
3. The Condition of the Status of the Incarnate Son. “born of woman, born under the law”
4. The Reason for the Coming of Christ and the Benefit for the Believers. “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons”

In a remarkable way, Paul brought into focus here both the person and the work of Jesus Christ. Paul united these twin peaks of evangelical doctrine (Christology and soteriology) under the controlling rubric of God’s gracious initiative and divine purpose. In the analogy of the heir-in-waiting just developed by Paul, the time designated by the father for his son to enter into the inheritance corresponds to the time in human history fixed and appointed by God for sending forth his Son. What does Paul mean by the “fullness” of time? While on one hand it pointed to the lapse of a definite period of time (see Daniel 9:24) that had to occur before the occurrence of the Messiah, it is sufficient to say with Calvin that “the time which had been ordained by the providence of God was seasonable and fit… Therefore the right time for the Son of God to be revealed to the world was for God alone to judge and determine.” One could hardly find a more succinct summary of the Christian gospel than the expression “God sent his Son.” Implicit in these words are two ideas, both which are fundamental to a holistic Christological affirmation: divine intentionality and eternal deity. The coming of Jesus Christ into human history was not an accidental happening. Not only was the incarnation the fulfillment of myriads of Old Testament prophecies, but it was also the culmination of a plan devised within the eternal counsel of the triune God before the creation of the world. The confession “God sent his Son” can only mean that Jesus Christ is the eternally divine Son of God sent forth from heaven. Similarly, in the parable of the unworthy tenants (Mark 12:1-11) Jesus is the “beloved Son” who stands in a unique and unparalleled relationship to God on whose behalf he undertakes his dangerous mission. Christ did not begin to be the Son of God at Bethlehem, or the Jordan River, or at his resurrection or ascension. He is the only begotten God resident in the bosom of the Father from eternity (John 1:18; 17:1-10). In sending Jesus, God did not send a substitute or surrogate. He came himself.

Having asserted so boldly the eternal deity of Jesus Christ, Paul now affirmed his true humanity and representative as one “born of woman” and “born under the law.” The phrase “born of woman” is used elsewhere in Scripture as a common Jewish expression denoting simply one’s status as a human being (Job 14:1; Matthew 11:11). Paul was affirming that during his earthly life Jesus experienced all of the finitude and fears, trials and temptations that are the common lot of every human being. As Hebrews 4:15 expresses it, Jesus was put to the test in every conceivable way that we can be put to the test – yet without sin. Paul also asserts that Jesus was “born under the law.” Not only was he a man, but he was also a Jewish man, circumcised on the eighth day as all Jewish males were. He grew up in a Jewish home reading the Torah, praying to his Heavenly Father, attending synagogue, faithfully fulfilling, as no one before or after him has ever done, all the precepts and demands of the law. Yet he always acted in perfect freedom and filial obedience only to the Father. Jesus was not enslaved to the bondage of the elements but was victorious over them. Although Jesus was “under the law,” he was nevertheless not under sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Son of God became a human a being human and was put under the law in order to redeem those who were under the law and so that we might become God’s sons.

THE SPIRIT WITHIN (v.6-7)
Paul moves now from Christology and soteriology to pneumatology. Just as God sent his Son into the world, so also he sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. We should not imagine, of course, that the Holy Spirit was ever absent from the Father or the Son in the divine accomplishment of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the sign and pledge of our adoption so that by his presence in our hearts we are truly convinced that God is for us, not against us, but indeed he is our Heavenly Father. The evidence Paul gave for this wonderful assurance is not that through the Spirit we are empowered to do miraculous works, receive ecstatic visions, speak in tongues, or any other kind of sensational phenomena. Rather, the first, most basic indication of our adoption is that we have a new form of address for God. The Spirit invites us to join in his invocation, crying ‘Abba, Father.’ I believe in God the Father, the God who planned from all eternity to redeem his people and who in the fullness of time sent his Son. I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became fully human and who suffered under Pontius Pilate the curse of the law. I believe in the Holy Spirit who effects the forgiveness of sins and a new relationship with the Father. Therefore, because all of this is true, you are no longer a slave, but a son. You are no longer under subjection to the elemental spirits. No longer a minor heir with no rights to the inheritance. No longer is your relationship to God determined by your race, rank, or role. No longer are you shut up in the prison house of sin. No longer are you under the curse of the law. The promise given to Abraham and fulfilled in the prophetic Seed, Jesus Christ, has now been extended to all of those who through faith in him have become sons, crying ‘Abba’ and heirs of the living God.

THE DANGER OF TURNING BACK (v.8-11)
The bondage is natural when we did not know God and when we served those things that are not gods. But why would someone who knows the true God, and has been set free, place themselves under bondage? This is what the Galatians are doing! Paul makes an important point when he says or rather are known by God; it is really more important that God knows us (in the sense of an intimate, accepting relationship) than it is that we know God. Remember the terrible words of judgment in Matthew 7:21-23: I never knew you. In turning to legalism, the Galatians were not turning to a new error, but coming back to an old one – the idea of a works relationship with God. As Christians, we can place ourselves under the bondage of a works based, “cause and effect” relationship with God – but this is moving backward, not forward. By writing turn again, Paul shows that the Galatians were not turning to a new error, but coming back to an old one – the idea of a works relationship with God. These elements of the world are weak because they offer no strength; they are beggarly because they bestow no riches. All they can do is bring us again into bondage. The false teachers among the Galatians demanded the observance of days and months and seasons and years and other such legalistic matters acted as if this would lead them into a higher plane of spirituality. But all these weak and beggarly elements of legalism did was bring them into bondage. Paul seems amazed that someone would turn from the liberty of Jesus to this kind of bondage. But legalism caters to and recognizes our flesh by putting the focus on what we achieve for God, not on what Jesus did for us. The liberty of Jesus gives us status as sons and a rich inheritance, but it won’t cater to our flesh. Paul’s fear is that this attraction to legalism will mean that his work among the Galatians will amount to nothing and end up being in vain. At the end of this section, Paul puts a choice before the Galatians, and before us. We can have a living, free, relationship with God as a loving Father based on what Jesus did for us and who we are in Him. Or we can try to please God by our best efforts of keeping the rules, living in bondage as slaves, not sons. Living that way makes the whole gospel in vain.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Could a person do the same activity with human effort as he could with the Spirit’s power? If not, why not? If so, what would be the difference?
2. Are you living daily on the same basis by which you were saved? How can you live by the Spirit this week?
3. Think about the kind of faith Abraham had to have to believe God would give him a son at the age of eighty. What does this tell you about the kind of faith in Christ that a person needs to have?

THE TEXT
“Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is 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. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:19-29)

WHAT IS THEN THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW? (v.19-20)
Everyone who has been declared righteous before God, Jews and Gentiles alike has come into this relationship through faith in Jesus Christ and not by observing the law. Even you Galatians have to admit that you received the Holy Spirit witnessed his miraculous works through the hearing of faith and not by works of the law. You have to make a choice. It’s either law or promise, works or faith, grace or merit. This leads to the question in verse 19. If we are not justified by law, if our receiving the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the law, if Christ was cursed because of the law, if our inheritance depends on grace and not on works and law, then what is the purpose of the law? Has Paul so totally dismissed the law that it no longer has any place within God’s overall redemptive scheme? Had Paul so fused Abraham and Christ that there was no room left for Moses?

So Paul had an answer to the question he had posed? It is an answer in four almost cryptic statements:

1. It was added because of our transgressions. As the context makes clear, the law in question is the law of Moses. It was added in order to accomplish some subordinate and supplementary purpose. Romans 5:20 says, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. It literally says that the law “came in by a side road”. The law has the character of something additional, designed not to lead to a separate destination, but to point its travelers back to the main road.
2. It was until the Seed had come. Paul here spoke of the temporal parameters and the limited duration of the law. Its point of origin was Mount Sinai, and its point of termination was Mount Calvary. Paul interpreted the law eschatological in terms of fulfillment and cancellation (Col. 2:14) in the messianic mission of Jesus. Paul everywhere in Galatians presupposed the decisiveness of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the one hand and the hope of his return in glory on the other. The entire letter is in fact bracketed by two powerful apocalyptic signals: the opening statement in 1:3 and the closing declaration of 6:15. Here is the very center of the book; we are reminded that the purpose of the law must be defined both christologically and eschatologically.
3. It was put into effect through angels. The last two statements show the inherent inferiority of the law in terms of the way it was given and administered. Paul is saying that it was not on the same par with the covenant of promise because it was chronologically limited and handed down by angels with a man acting as a go-between. The Hebrew text of Exodus 19 does not refer to angels, but it does describe Mount Sinai as surrounded by thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, and billows of fire (Exodus 19:16-19). Deuteronomy 33:2 and Psalm 68:18 interpret these natural phenomena to mean that a large number of angels, the fiery host of heaven accompanied God in his giving of the law. This is further confirmed in the New Testament (Acts 7:38; 53; Heb. 2:2). God ordained the law through angels by the hand of a mediator. God used angels to pass the law to Moses.
4. It was put into effect by a mediator. The only other place in Paul’s writings where he used the word ‘mediator’ is in 1 Timothy 2:5 (“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”), where it appears as a title of Jesus. But here the mediator is not Jesus, as here Jesus is the Seed of the Abrahamic covenant, not as the middle man of the Mosiac one. Here the mediator could only be Moses, who Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:2 portrays as a type of Christ. Paul did not intend to denigrate Moses but simply show the transitory and totally inadequate character of the law as a system of salvation. Paul’s point was that the promise of Abraham came directly from God, neither through angels, nor by means of a merely human mediator such as Moses, which means that the covenant of promise is unconditionally given and thus stands as steadfast and sure as the unity and sovereignty of God himself. For Christians the implications of this foundational truth are astounding. Through Jesus Christ we may approach the throne of grace with boldness. In the Holy Spirit we can know God with the same kind of immediacy that Abraham enjoyed. Because in Jesus Christ, God did not send a substitute, no angelic mediation, no merely human go-between. In Jesus Christ, God came himself.

WHAT ARE THE THREE FUNCTIONS OF THE LAW (v.21-25)
Is the law opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! (God forbid!) Paul had just confessed in the powerful words of the Shema, the oneness of God. He was now ready to give a more complete answer on why then the law was needed:

1. The law enters that it might fail (v.21). By no means can the law be against the promises of God, simply because no law can be found that is able to bestow the eternal life and blessing promised by grace alone. Paul’s comment raises the serious theological question of the function of the law both in the process of salvation and in the intention of God. (See Romans 7:10). Paul insisted that there was no defect in the law, rather it was holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). The problem is not the law but our sinful disobedience that the law brings to light. Also, none of this has caught God off guard or taken him by surprise. God always intended to save by faith, apart from the law. God gave the law, but he gave it in order that it would condemn all and thus negatively prepare for redemption on the basis of faith.
2. The law condemns that it might save (v.22-23). Just as the law enters that it might fail, so too it condemns that it might save. How did the law perform this strange work? By so provoking transgressions, by so exposing human wickedness to the scrutiny of divine holiness, by so eliminating every avenue of self-justification that the sinner is drawn to the only place where authentic redemption and liberation can be found. Thus we cannot move from Abraham to Christ, from promise to fulfillment, without going through the law after all. However secondary and subordinate in God’s overall economy of salvation, the law nonetheless has a necessary and irreplaceable role to play. In the eternal design of God, the law entered that it might fail. It put to death so that there could be a resurrection. We were locked up in prison by the law until faith should be revealed. Paul paints a picture of imprisonment. The bars of the cell are sin, keeping us confined. The Scripture put us in the prison, because it pointed out our sinful condition. So we sit imprisoned by sin, and the law can not help us, because the law put us in the prison! Some protest, and say “I’m not a prisoner to sin.” There is a simple way to prove it: stop sinning. But if you can’t stop sinning, or ever have a record of sin, then you are imprisoned by the law of God. Only faith can break us out of our confinement to sin. The Law of Moses can show us clearly our problem and God’s standard, but it cannot give us the freedom that only Jesus can give. The freedom is given to those who believe. The bars of our sin are strong; we can’t saw through them ourselves. There is no chance of a jailbreak. Instead, an offer is made by the warden Himself to simply open the door and walk out – but you have to acknowledge you are confined, that you deserve to be in the cell, and ask Him to free you. When the prosecutor accuses the warden of not being just, the warden simply points out that the freed prisoner’s sentence was completely fulfilled – by Himself!
3. The law disciplines that it might set free (v.24-25). In ancient Greece and Rome wealthy parents often placed their newborn babies under the care of a wet-nurse who in turn would pass them on to an alder woman, a nanny who would care for their basic needs until about the age of six. At that time they came under the supervision of another household servant, the paidagogos, who remained in charge of their upbringing until late adolescence. The dominant image of a pedagogue was that of a harsh disciplinarian who frequently resorted to physical force and corporal punishment as a way of keeping children in line. The unfortunate translation of paidagogos as “schoolmaster” has misled many preachers to interpret this metaphor in terms of educational advance or moral improvement. However, that function is clearly not within the scope of Paul’s meaning here. In Galatians 3 the law is a stern disciplinarian, a harsh taskmaster. Yet in its very harshness there is a note of grace, for the function of discipline, as opposed to mere torture, is always remedial as it leads us to Christ. And this leading is not a kind of gradual moral or educational development. The law does lead to Christ not by weaning us from our sins but rather revealing them clearly and even causing them to be multiplied and increased to the point where we stand before God utterly void of any hope of self-reclamation. The law is the silent preparation for the revelation of faith.

OUR IDENTITY IS WITH JESUS CHRIST, BY FAITH (v.26-27)
Up to this point Paul has presented the grand sweep of redemptive history from Abraham to Christ, using the language of justification, covenant, and inheritance. Now the focus shifts from the historical to the personal, from the institutional to the individual. In Galatians 3:6-25 Paul traced the actual course of salvation history from Abraham through Moses to Jesus, from promise through law to faith. From Galatians 3:26 to 4:31, Paul would argue backwards from the realization of faith through the former bondage toward a final restatement of the promise. The reason for this method of argumentation is that the Galatian churches were primarily made up of Gentile converts, although there was also a mingling of Jewish believers among them as well. Also, the Judaizers who were attacking Paul’s apostolic authority and theology of grace were most likely Jewish Christian missionaries. With this in mind we can see clearly how Paul’s argument in 3:6-25 is developed with a primary focus on the Jewish Christian situation. In 3:26-4:31 Paul turned the spotlight on the Gentile Christian community. If Jews could only be justified by faith alone, how much more so the Gentiles. Compared to what was being taught among the Galatians, this was a revolutionary statement. In traditional Jewish thinking (carried into Christianity by Jewish Christians), your standing before God was measured by your obedience to the law. To truly be close to God – considered sons of God – you had to be extremely observant of the law, just as the Scribes and Pharisees were (Matthew 23).

Here, Paul says we can be considered sons of God a completely different way: through faith in Christ Jesus. The standing is impressive: to be among the sons of God means that we have a special relationship with God as a loving, caring Father. It is a place of closeness, a place of affection, a place of special care and attention. The method is impressive: to become a son of God through faith in Christ Jesus means much more than believing that He exists or did certain things. It is to put our trust in Him, both for now and eternity. Using the picture of baptism, Paul illustrates what it means to have faith in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t say we were baptized into water, but baptized into Christ. Just as in water baptism a person is immersed in water, so when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, we are immersed in Jesus. How many Christians seem content with just “dipping a bit” into Jesus! God wants us to be fully immersed in Jesus; not sprinkled, not just a part of us dipped. When a person is immersed in water, you don’t even see the person much anymore – you mostly see the water. When we live as baptized into Christ, you don’t see so much of “me” anymore; you mostly see Jesus. It should be stressed that this is the baptism that really saves us: our immersion into Jesus. If a person isn’t baptized into Christ, they could be dunked a thousand times into water, and it would make no eternal difference. If a person has been baptized into Christ, then they should follow through and do what Jesus told them to do: receive baptism as a demonstration of their commitment to Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Another way of expressing our immersion in Jesus is to say that we have put on Christ. How we dress has a real impact on how we think and act. How we dress has a real impact on how we appear to others. We also need to know how to dress appropriately for each occasion. People should see that you belong to Him by looking at your life. You should live with the awareness that you are adorned with Jesus. Some people might wonder if this is only play-acting, if it is really an illusion, like a child playing “dress-up.” It is only an illusion if there is no spiritual reality behind it. In this verse, Paul really speaks of the spiritual reality – those who were baptized into Christ really have put on Christ. Now they are called to live each day consistent with the spiritual reality. The stress here is on our identity in Jesus through faith. We aren’t simply associated with Jesus; we are identified in Him. We aren’t associated with Jesus; we are in Jesus.

OUR EQUAL STANDING WITH OTHERS WHO COME TO GOD THROUGH FAITH (v.28-29)
The whole problem among the Galatian Christians is that some wanted to still observe the dividing line between Jew and Greek. Now that Jesus is our identity, that is more important than any prior identity we possessed. This doesn’t mean that there are no differences. Paul knew that there was still a difference between Jew and Greek: There are still different roles for male and female in the home and in the church. There are differences in role and in function. When we say that Christ has abolished these distinctions, we mean not that they do not exist, but that they no longer create any barriers to fellowship. It is belonging to Jesus that sets us free from each place Paul said the law put us. This is a three-dimensional attachment which we gain when we are in Christ – in height, breadth and length. In its height, it connects us to God. In its breadth, it connects us with each other in Jesus. In its length in connects us with the long line of God’s people throughout all ages.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Knowing now the purpose and function of the law, how can we as Christians reap the benefits of this?
2. Can you share an experience when you really felt like a child (son/daughter) of God?
3. How much are you immersed in Jesus?

THE TEXT
“For 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.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ 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’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 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. Now 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. This 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. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.” (Galatians 3:10-18)

In verses 6-9, Paul set forth a positive argument for justification by faith. In verses 10-14 he turned the tables and argued negatively against the possibility of justification by works. On one level the passage can be analyzed in terms of four major propositions, each is confirmed and explained in detail in the Old Testament, namely:

1. Those who rely on observing the law are under a curse. Deuteronomy 27:26 says, “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.”
2. No one can be justified by means of the law anyway. Habakkuk 2:4 says, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”
3. Law and faith are not mutually compatible ways to God. Leviticus 18:5 says, “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”
4. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Deuteronomy 21:23 says, “his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.”

If you look at these four propositions you can see that (1) and (4) can be considered as problem and solution, while (2) and (3) are in apparent contradiction to each other. So this passage builds up from problem to solution, and then adds two purpose clauses in verses 15-18, namely in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, and that by faith we might receive the promised Spirit.

THE CURSE OF THE LAW (v.10-12)
Verse 9 was talking about the blessing of “those of the faith,” while verse 10 talks about the curse of those who observe the law. For anyone familiar with the Torah, the juxtaposition of blessing and curse would immediately make you think about Deuteronomy 27-28. In this passage the twelve tribes of Israel were standing on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, six tribes on each, while the Levites were to recite the litany of the blessings of obedience and the catalog of curses for disobedience. If there were any doubt that Paul had this passage in mind, he quoted the concluding curse as a confirmation of his statement that those who relied on their performance of the law for acceptance with God were under a curse. Paul also may well have the words of the Deuteronomic curse painfully impressed upon his memory, not only from his rabbinical training but also from the five time he received the “forty lashes minus one” at the hands of certain synagogue authorities (2 Corinthians 11:24). The synagogal manual outlining detailed procedures for such lashings required that the curses of Deuteronomy be read intermittently while the punishment was being carried out.

The Bible says that those who do not perfectly obey the law are cursed, and in fact those who seek to be justified by works really are under such a curse because no one (except Jesus) ever has or indeed can fulfill the entire law. The epistle to the Hebrews explains in graphic details that cultic sacrifices of the Old Testament were never intended to expiate the guilt of sin from any transgressor. They were instituted as a way of announcing the gospel in advance to the chosen people who lived before the advent of the Messiah, the true Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The repetition of the temple sacrifices was a daily reminder of their inadequacy. Only in the light of Jesus Christ can we understand either the true nature of humanity as God intended it to be or the radical character of human rebellion in this fallen world.

Before moving on to the remedy in verse 13, Paul sandwiched two verses both containing a quotation from the Old Testament, which seem on the surface to offer two alternative ways of salvation: the one who is righteous by faith versus the one who does the things of the law. No doubt there were some people in Paul’s day, as there are in ours, who held that justification by faith was a good idea so long as it was not taught to the exclusion of justification by works. “God helps those who help themselves” is a maxim of theology as well as economics. Paul, however, would tolerate no such theory because the law is not based on faith. Paul has already proven this point in the Scriptures by examining the life of Abraham (Galatians 3:5-9). Thus he brings in another passage from the Old Testament, Habakkuk 2:4, which reminds us that the just live by faith, not by law. The Jews themselves sensed that because none could keep it perfectly, salvation could not come through keeping the law. This is why they placed such emphasis on their descent from Abraham, essentially trusting in Abraham’s merits to save them because they sensed that their own merits could not. If you are found to be just – approved – before God, you have done it by a life of faith. If your life is all about living under the law, then God does not find you approved. Some might come back to Paul and say, “Look, I’ll do the best I can under the law and let faith cover the rest. God will look at my performance, my effort, and my good intentions and credit to me as righteousness. The important thing is that I am really trying.” Paul proves from the Old Testament itself that this simply isn’t good enough. No; the paths of approval by the law and faith don’t run together, because the law is not of faith. If you want to live by the law, you must do it. Not try to do it, not intend to do it, and not even want to do it. No, it is only the man who does them who shall live by them. It is very easy to comfort ourselves with our good intentions. We all mean very well; but if we want to find our place before God by our works under the law, good intentions are never enough. A good effort isn’t enough. Only actual performance will do. The effect of Paul’s use of Scripture in Galatians 3:10-12 is overwhelming. We understand that we don’t actually do the law. We understand that we don’t actually do all the law. And we understand that this put us under a curse. Galatians 3:10-12 is the bad news; now Paul begins to explain the good news.

REDEMPTION THROUGH THE CROSS (v.13-14)
Verses 10-12 painted a very grim picture of the human situation. The law requires a life of perfect obedience in order to be right with God. Yet no person can meet such a high standard. Consequently, everyone in the world has become a prisoner of sin, which leads us to ask the question, “who then can be saved?” If what Paul said about the gravity of sin and the certainty of judgment is true, then human beings can only despair of ever obtaining divine favor. Paul’s answer to the dilemma came in the form of a confessional statement. But in what sense could Christ become a curse for us? Although Jesus was born under the law (Galatians 4:4), he did not merit the curse of the law for any wrongdoing he had committed because he was as “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). Yet both the fact and the manner of his death brought him inexorably under the curse of the law. To prove this point, Paul reached back to Deuteronomy 21:23; the implication being that by being impaled on a cross, becoming a gory spectacle for all to see, Jesus exposed himself to the curse of the law. The cross was neither an accident of history nor a divine emergency measure brought in to remedy an unforeseen situation. There was a cross in the heart of God from all eternity (1 Peter 1:20). This means that the only explanation could be that the Messiah had willingly taken upon himself the dreaded curse that rightfully belonged to others. This is the Christian doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement.

We can summarize Paul’s understanding of Christ’s death in this passage in three affirmations:

1. Christ was cursed. The curse in this context assumes an almost personified form, indicating the totality of God’s righteous judgment and wrath that finally will be displayed in the blazing fire and eternal punishment of those who don’t know God and reject the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
2. Christ was cursed by God. Although Christ was put to death by wicked men, this happened in accordance with the eternal purpose and predetermined plan of God.
3. Christ was cursed by God for us. In effect the curse of Deuteronomy 27:26 has been cancelled by the counter curse of Deuteronomy 21:23. Paul was working here from the idea of an exchange curse by which the sin, guilt, and hell of lost men and women are placed upon Christ while his righteousness, blessing, and merit are imputed to those in whose place he stands. For us, the Son of God became a curse. For us, he shed his precious blood. For us, he who from all eternity knew only the intimacy of the Father’s bosom came to stand in that relation with God which normally is the result of sin, estranged from God and the object of his wrath. All this – for us! What response can we offer except that of wonder, devotion, and trust!

The argument concerning the curse and the cross can thus be stated in two purpose clauses that point to the benefits secured by Christ’s atoning death:

1. That the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ;
2. That the promise of the Spirit might be bestowed by faith

Here, Paul had all Christians in mind, Jews and Gentiles alike, since all believers have been redeemed from the curse through the death of Christ, and all true Christians have also received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Another notable thing is the way Paul carefully intertwined the status of justification and the reception of the Holy Spirit. We can say that here Paul brought together three key soteriological concepts that will dominate the later discussions in Galatians: justification, redemption, and regeneration. Each represents a distinct dimension of the salvation effected by Christ. Through pardon and acquittal Christ has removed our condemnation (justification). He has also set us free from the power of sin and death (redemption) and bestowed upon us a new life in the Spirit (regeneration).

THE PRIORITY OF THE PROMISE (v.15-18)
Paul first establishes the principle that even with a covenant among men, the covenant stands firm once it is made – no one annuls or adds to it. Paul’s point isn’t really about covenants among men, but to say “how much more with a covenant God makes!” In Genesis 22:18, God promised Abraham that in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Paul observes that the singular for seed is used, not the plural. Paul’s emphasis on the single seed brings together two ideas that serve as a unifying theme throughout Galatians 3 and 4, namely solidarity in Christ and unity in the church. Our solidarity in Christ implies unity in the church. The point is clear: “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. God is referring to one specific descendant of Abraham, not all his descendants in general. This covenant and promise was made not only to Abraham, but also to Jesus the Messiah. So we cannot think that it was over-ruled by the covenant God later established with Israel at Sinai. The unchanging nature of God’s covenant with Abraham is an important principle; it was a one-sided covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15) that was promised forever (Genesis 17:7-8). There is no if in Abraham’s covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15); but there are plenty of “ifs” in the covenant of Moses (Deuteronomy 28). The Mosaic covenant was a two-sided covenant, with two both parties obligated to uphold it, not a one-sided covenant (Exodus 24:3-8). This means that promise of a land (Genesis 12:1; 13:7; 15:18-21), a nation (Genesis 12:2; 13:16; 17:4-6; 22:17) and of a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3; 22:18) stands eternally to Abraham and his descendants, though spiritually the promise of a blessing comes to every nation through Jesus, by faith. By stressing the seniority of the Abrahamic covenant over the Mosaic Law, Paul was extolling the God who keeps his promises. Although Paul focused here on the great time span between the two divine disclosures as a way of stressing the fidelity of God, the contrast between the Abrahamic promise and the Mosaic Law is not only one of timing but also of character. In other words, for Paul the law was not merely a late addition in the history of salvation; rather it was a completely different kind of covenant than the one God had concluded with Abraham centuries before.

Finally, Paul brought together the three main points he made: the faithfulness of God, the lateness of the law, and the gratuity of the promise. At this point, Paul introduces for the first time the term “inheritance”. The inheritance is the blessing promised by God and ratified (established) to him and to his “seed” by means of an unconditional covenant. For Paul it was crucial that this original covenant of promise be distinguished from the law of Moses. If the inheritance offered to Abraham was on the basis of law, it might not be permanent – because it would depend, at least in part, on Abraham’s keeping of the law. But since the inheritance was offered on the basis of promise, God’s promise, it stands sure.

The word ‘gave’ here is the Greek word ‘kecharistai’, which is based on the Greek word ‘charis’ – grace. God’s giving to Abraham was the free giving of grace. The word is also in the perfect tense, showing that the gift is permanent. Through all this, Paul demonstrates again by the Scriptures that the approach to God on the ground of faith (not works or works plus faith) is thoroughly Biblical. In addition, the Law of Moses, even though it came after the covenant with Abraham, in not way overrules it. The approach to God on the ground of faith stands sure, right along with Abraham’s covenant.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What do you think Gal. 3:10-12 is trying is saying you would experience if you tried to win God’s blessing by rules and self-effort?
2. Why wouldn’t it be better if God made us work for His blessings? If God’s blessings come solely by faith, where does human effort come in?
3. Why did God give the Law instead of sending Christ sooner? Are there any parallels with our present wait for Christ’s return?

THE TEXT
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And 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.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:1-9)

In these verses in chapters 3 and 4, Paul stated what he now had to prove: that the only way for anyone, Jew or Gentile, to be declared righteous before God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this task, Paul would set forth a series of arguments or proofs drawn primarily from Scripture and intended to show that the message of salvation he had proclaimed to the Galatians was no novel doctrine but one based firmly on the holy oracles and divine promises of God himself. One scholar characterized it as “a maze of labored exegesis, puzzling illustration, and cryptic theological shorthand.” As such a verdict would drive us towards an attitude of despair in studying this text, it is important to remember three basic principles. First, Paul regarded the Old Testament Scriptures as the divinely inspired error-free Word of God, a living dynamic reality in the present. Second, we must remember that Paul was not doing theology in abstraction but was writing to a particular context and setting of which we have only partial awareness. We are overhearing, as it were, one half of a conversation. Third, it is important to remember that the Holy Spirit has inspired every single word of Scripture, including the more obscure and difficult passages, for our benefit (Romans 15:4). For this reason we must study the Scriptures with both diligence and reverence every seeking to handle it correctly (2 Timothy 2:15)

A BEWITCHED CONGREGATION (v.1)
Paul here not only addresses the Galatians by name, he also characterized them in a very unflattering way as foolish, stupid, senseless, idiots, and silly. The bluntness of Paul’s language should not blind us to the fact that he had earlier referred to them as “brothers” (1:1) and that he would later call them “his children” (4:19). Paul’s language does not contradict his principle of restoring with gentleness those believers who have lapsed into error and sin. Paul loved the Galatians and he wanted them to be restored to spiritual and theological soundness. To accomplish this, however, something sterner than mushy sentimentality was required. Paul’s harsh rebuke is an example of tough love. The strong words are well deserved.

In calling the Galatians foolish or stupid, Paul is not saying they are morally or mentally deficient. The Galatians were not lacking in IQ, but in spiritual discernment. Paul uses the Greek word ‘anoetos,’ which has the idea of someone who can think but fails to use their power of perception. The Galatians were obviously enthralled by the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit in their midst. At the same time their grasp on the fundamental truths of the gospel was woefully inadequate. One of the most dangerous dichotomies in the Christian life is for the spiritual to be divorced from the doctrinal, experience from theology. In the most explicitly charismatic passage in the New Testament, Paul insisted that we should sing and pray not only in the spirit, but also with our minds (1 Corinthians 14:15-19). Somehow the balance between sound doctrine and Spirit-filled living had gotten out of shape among the churches of Galatia. Not being firmly grounded in their faith, they had been led astray by undisciplined thinking and careless theology to the point where they were now on the verge of embracing dangerous doctrines.

‘Bewitched’ has the idea that the Galatians are under some type of spell. Literally the word means “to give someone the evil eye, to cast a spell over, to fascinate in the original sense of holding someone spellbound by an irresistible power.” Paul doesn’t mean this literally, but their thinking is so clouded – and so unbiblical – that it seems that some kind of spell has been cast over them. Someone had misled them. The “evil eye” was thought to work in the way a serpent could hypnotize its prey with its eyes. Once the victim looked into the “evil eye,” a spell could be cast. Therefore, the way to overcome the evil eye was simply not to look at it. In using this phrasing, and using the word picture of bewitched, Paul is encouraging the Galatians to keep their eyes always, steadfastly, upon Jesus. How easily the church can be bewitched today! It is wonderful to have a soft, tender heart before God. But some people have softer heads than hearts. Their minds are too accommodating to wrong, unbiblical ideas, and they don’t think things through to see if they really are true or not according to the Bible. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity, even as a baby will stick anything into its mouth.

The idea behind clearly portrayed is something like “billboarded,” to publicly display as in setting on a billboard. Paul wonders how the Galatians could have missed the message, because he certainly made it clear enough to them. Their vision of Jesus Christ and Him crucified has become cloudy. They no longer see Him and His work on the cross as the center of their Christian lives, now it is Jesus plus what they must do for Him. When they left the message of Jesus and Him crucified, they left the message Paul preached. Paul’s preaching was like setting up posters of Jesus all over town – if you saw anything, you saw Jesus. Paul doesn’t mean that they literally saw the crucifixion of Jesus, or even that they had a spiritual vision of it. He means that the truth of Jesus and Him crucified and the greatness of His work for them was clearly laid out for them, so clearly that they could see it. Actually watching the death of Jesus on the cross might mean nothing. Hundreds, if not thousands, saw Jesus dying on the cross, and most of them only mocked Him.

WHY THE SPIRIT? (v.2-5)
In these verses the term “Spirit” is introduced for the first time in Galatians. Here the Holy Spirit is introduced in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity. Paul had just spoken of his proclamation of the cross of Christ, and in verse 5 he would refer to the Father who gave his Spirit to the Galatians. In verses 1-5 Paul asks the Galatians a series of rapid-fire questions, all of which he expected them to answer on the basis of their Christian experience. Paul is here promoting the coherence of sound doctrine and holy living. To answer, the Galatians had to reflect theologically on the experience of the Spirit in their midst. Paul led them to this by posing three contrasts for them to consider:

1. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing of faith? Paul here proposed the one question that could decisively settle the whole dispute. The implied answer to this question was undisputed for one reason: the Galatians had been saved and blessed with the Spirit as a result of Paul’s preaching of “Christ crucified” long before the Judaizers had appeared in their midst. And how did this marvelous outpouring of the divine Spirit came about? It happened through the hearing of faith. While the content of what is heard is crucial, Paul was rather thinking here of the process by which one comes within the orbit of God’s saving grace. The term “hearing” refers to the passive posture of the recipient. The focus is not merely on the physical faculty of hearing but on the awakening of faith that comes through the preaching of the gospel. Thus the contrast Paul was drawing was between doing works and believing in Christ. However, these are not merely two kinds of human activities but rather alternative ways of approaching God. The Galatians were deceived into thinking that spiritual growth or maturity could be achieved through the works of the flesh, instead of a continued simple faith and abiding in Jesus. This lays out one of the fundamental differences between the principle of law and the principle of grace. Under law, we are blessed and grow spiritually by earning and deserving. Under grace, we are blessed and grow spiritually by believing and receiving. God deals with you under the covenant of grace; are you trying to deal with Him on the principle of law? Do you believe God wants to bless you? Which is it: by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
2. Are you being made perfect in the Spirit or in the flesh? Paul now posed a question that went to the heart of their motivation for abandoning the gospel of free grace he had preached to them. There is a twofold contrast in this question: beginning/completing and spirit/flesh. By turning to a different gospel, they had not advanced forward in the life of the Spirit but, on the contrary, lapsed into the realm of the flesh. This is indeed foolishness. This deception is cultivated by Satan to set our Christian life off-track. If he cannot stop us from being saved by faith, then he will attempt to hinder our blessing and growth and maturity by faith. And, when the works of the flesh are substituted for faith, self-confidence and pride are the inevitable result.
3. Have you suffered for a purpose or in vain? While there is no positive evidence that the Galatian Christians actually suffered such persecutions, it is not unreasonable to suppose that they would have been subjected to the same kind of harassment and violent assaults that Paul and Barnabas experienced when they first brought the gospel into that region (Acts 13:14). We know that Paul did suffer persecution in this region. Acts 14 makes it clear that Paul and his companions were persecuted vigorously (Paul even being stoned and left for dead) by the Jews when they were among the cities of Galatia. According to Paul, avoidance of persecution was a major motive of the false teachers themselves (6:12). A better translation of the phrase “Did you suffer so many things in vain” may be “Have you had such wonderful spiritual experiences, all to no purpose?” This may fit the context better. Paul wonders if all the gifts of the Spirit they had received would amount to no lasting value because now they try to walk by law, not by faith. But, Paul also indicates that the situation in Galatia was not yet hopeless. Although the situation was desperately bad, it was not beyond the reach of divine rescue, because God is sovereign. His purpose cannot be thwarted nor His word return void.

THE CASE OF ABRAHAM (v.6-9)
Among the Galatian Christians, the push towards a works-based relationship with God came from certain Christians who were born as Jews, and who claimed Abraham as their spiritual ancestor. Therefore, Paul uses Abraham as an example of being right before God by faith, not by faith plus works. Galatians 3:5 ended with a question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit and see miracles among you by the work of the law, or by faith? Paul assumes the answer, being “Of course we received the Holy Spirit and have seen miracles through faith.” Now Paul will show that it is more than a matter of personal experience; God’s work revealed in His Word demonstrates the same truth. Paul quotes here from Genesis 15:6. It simply shows that righteousness was accounted to Abraham because he believed God. It was not because he performed some work, and certainly not because he was circumcised, because the covenant of circumcision had not yet been given. Genesis 15:1-6 shows that when Abraham put his trust in God, specifically in God’s promise to give him children that would eventually bring forth the Messiah, God credited this belief to Abraham’s account as righteousness. Abraham was not justified merely because he believed that God would multiply his seed, but because he embraced the grace of God, trusting to the promised Mediator.

There are essentially two types of righteousness: righteousness we accomplish by our own efforts, and righteousness accounted to us by the work of God when we believe. Since none of us can be good enough to accomplish perfect righteousness, we must have God’s righteousness accounted to us by doing just what Abram did: Abraham believed God. This quotation from Genesis 15:6 is one of the clearest expressions in the Bible of the truth of salvation by grace, through faith alone. It is the gospel in the Old Testament, quoted four times in the New Testament (Romans 4:3, Romans 4:9-10, Romans 4:22 and here in Galatians 3:6). Romans 4:9-10 makes much of the fact this righteousness was accounted to Abraham before he was circumcised (Genesis 17). No one could say Abraham was made righteous because of his obedience or fulfillment of religious law or ritual. It was faith and faith alone that caused God to account Abraham as righteous. We should be careful to say that Abraham’s faith did not make him righteous. Abraham’s God made him righteous, by accounting his faith to him for righteousness. Abraham’s experience shows that God accounts us as righteous, because of what Jesus did for us, as we receive what He did for us by faith. If God accounts Abraham as righteous, then that is how Abraham should account himself. That is his standing before God, and God’s accounting is not pretending. God does not account to us a pretended righteousness, but a real one in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t that Abraham believed in God (as we usually speak of believing in God). Instead, it was that Abraham believed God. Those who only believe in God, in the sense that they believe He exists, are only as spiritual as demons! (James 2:19). Believed, of course, means more than that he accepted what God said as true (though, of course, he did that); it means that he trusted God. Generally speaking, ancient Rabbis did not really admire Abraham’s faith. The believed he was so loved by God because he was thought to have kept the law hundreds of year before it was given. For these and other reasons, when Paul brought up Abraham, it would have been a complete surprise to his opponents, who believed that Abraham proved their point.

The emphasis is clear. Paul is making an important point, and he wants every one of his readers to understand it. Since Abraham was made righteous by faith, and not by works, Abraham is therefore the father of everyone who believes God and is accounted righteous. What a rebuke this was to the Jewish Christians who tried to bring Gentile Christians under the law! They believed they were superior, because they descended from Abraham, and observed the law. Paul says that the most important link to Abraham is not the link of genetics, not the link of works, but the link of faith. This would have been a shocking change of thinking for these particular opponents of Paul. They deeply believed that they had a standing before God because they were genetically descended from Abraham. At that time, some Jewish Rabbis taught that Abraham stood at the gates of Hell, just to make sure that none of his descendants accidentally slipped by. John the Baptist dealt with this same thinking when he said, “do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9). Paul is knocking down their blind reliance on genetic relation to Abraham, and showing that what really matters is faith in Jesus. It’s the same today when people believe God accepts them because they come from a Christian family. God is a Father, not a grandfather; everyone must have their own faith in God.

What a comfort this was to the Gentile Christians who were regarded as “second class Christians” by many! Now they could know that they had a real, important link to Abraham, and could consider themselves sons of Abraham. Sadly, Christians have taken this glorious truth and misapplied it through the centuries. This has been a verse that many claim in support of replacement theology – the idea that God is finished with the people of Israel as a nation or a distinct ethnic group, and that the Church spiritually inherits all the promises made to Israel. Replacement theology has done tremendous damage in the Church, providing the theological fuel for the fires of horrible persecution of the Jews. If Galatians 3:7 were the only verse in the Bible speaking to the issue, there might be a place for saying that the Church has completely replaced Israel. But you have to understand the Bible according to its entire message, and allow one passage to give light to others. For example, Romans 11:25 states clearly that God is not finished with Israel as a nation or a distinct ethnic group. Even though God has turned the focus of His saving mercies away from Israel on to the Gentiles, He will turn it back again. This simple passage refutes those who insist that God is forever done with Israel as Israel and that the Church is the New Israel and inherits every promise ever made to national and ethnic Israel of the Old Testament. We are reminded of the enduring character of the promises made to national and ethnic Israel (such as Genesis 13:15 and Genesis 17:7-8). God is not “finished” with Israel, and Israel is not “spiritualized” as the church. While we do see and rejoice in a continuity of God’s work throughout all His people through all generations, we still see a distinction between Israel and the Church – a distinction that Paul understands well. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ are sons of Abraham; but Abraham has his spiritual sons and his genetic sons, and God has a plan and a place for both. But no one can deny that it is far more important to be a spiritual son of Abraham than a genetic son.

Paul is speaking from the Scriptures. He has already spoken from his personal experience, and from the experience of the Galatian Christians themselves. But this passage in verses 8-9 is even more important, because it shows how Paul’s teaching is correct according to the Bible itself. Remarkably, Paul refers to the Scriptures virtually as a person, who foresees, preaches, and says. This shows just how strongly Paul regarded the Bible as God’s word. Paul believed that when the Scriptures speak, God speaks. Paul observes that even back in Abraham’s day it was clear that this blessing of righteousness by faith was intended for every nation, for Gentiles as well as Jews, because God pronounced that in you all the nations shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The intention is to destroy the idea that a Gentile must first become a Jew before they can become a Christian. If that were necessary, God would never have said this blessing would extend to every nation, because Gentiles would have had to become part of the Israelite nation to be saved. The idea is that the gospel goes out to the nations, not that the nations come and assimilate into Israel. The blessing we receive with believing Abraham is not the blessing of fantastic wealth and power, though Abraham was extremely wealthy and powerful. The blessing is something far more precious: the blessing of a right standing with God through faith.

The most important question to ask is, “Am I of faith?” Do I believe God even as Abraham did? When God says it, do I believe it? Do I live as if I really believe God is true? Can others see that I am trusting God?

THE QUESTIONS

1. Could a person do the same activity with human effort as he could with the Spirit’s power? If not, why not? If so, what would be the difference?
2. Are you living daily on the same basis by which you were saved? How can you live by the Spirit this week?
3. Think about the kind of faith Abraham had to have to believe God would give him a son at the age of eighty. What does this tell you about the kind of faith in Christ that a person needs to have?

THE TEXT
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For 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. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But 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?’ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet 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. But 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! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I 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. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:1-10)

PAUL DEFENDED THE GOSPEL AGAINST PETER’S HESITANCY AT ANTIOCH (v.11-14)
Paul is completing his list of five historical proofs from his own life and ministry with his defense of the gospel against Peter’s hesitancy at Antioch. Peter came to spend time in Antioch, Paul’s home church, and the third largest city in the Roman Empire at that time, with a population of more than 500,000 people of which some 65,000 were Jews. During that time, Peter was eating with the Gentiles, but when certain Jewish believers from Jerusalem came he drew back and separated himself from them. What is happening here?

Peter had known that God did not require Gentiles to come under the Law of Moses for salvation. He learned this from the vision God gave him in Acts 10:23. He learned this from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles who believed (apart from being circumcised!) in Acts 10:44-48. He learned this by the agreement of the other leaders of the church in Acts 11:1-18. He had approved of Paul’s gospel and ministry when Paul came to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9). Now, Peter turns back from all that he had known about the place of Gentiles in the church, when these men, probably Christians of Jewish background, came from Jerusalem. Peter knew these men be “offended” at his fellowship with Gentiles who had not come under the Law of Moses. In their eyes, these uncircumcised Gentiles were not really Christians at all, so to please them and avoid a conflict, Peter treated these Gentile Christians as if they were not Christians at all. Peter withdrew and separated himself. This separation was probably at the church potluck dinner, which they called “the agape banquet” or the “love feast.” They would also remember the Lord’s death at this dinner, and take communion together.

But was the gospel really at stake here? Could not Peter have appealed to Paul’s own principle of accommodation (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), according to which Christians willingly forego the exercise of their liberty out of respect for their “weaker” brothers and sisters? By separating himself, Peter treated the Gentile Christians as if they were still sinners while they (the Jews), because of their ritual purity and obedience to the law, stood in a different, more favorable relationship to God. He was basically treating the Gentile Christians as if they were not Christians at all! Yet Jews and Gentiles alike had been redeemed by the same Christ, regenerated by the same Holy Spirit, and made partakers of the same fellowship. Who then could dare say they should not come to the same table to partake of the same Lord’s Supper?

Why did Peter do this, when he knew that God welcomed Gentiles into the church without placing them under the Law of Moses? Peter acted against what he knew was right out of fear. It is easy to criticize Peter; but every person knows what it means to do something you know is wrong. Everyone knows what it feels like to go against what you know very well is right. Everyone knows what it feels like when social pressure pushes you towards compromise in some way. This is the kind of behavior that dominated Peter’s life before he was transformed by the power of God. This is like Peter telling Jesus not to go to the cross, or Peter taking his eyes of Jesus and sinking, or like Peter cutting off the ear of the servant of the High Priest when they came to arrest Jesus. We see that the flesh is still present in Peter. Salvation and the filling of the Holy Spirit have not made Peter perfect; the old Peter is still there, just seen less often!

When Paul sees this happen, he decides to rebuke Peter in public as he believes that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. What a scene this must have been! There they are, at the church of Antioch potluck. The Gentile Christians have just been asked to leave, or are told to sit in their own section away from the “real” Christians. They also wouldn’t be allowed to share the same food that the “real” Christians ate. Peter – the honored guest – goes along with all this. Barnabas – the man who led many of the Gentiles to Jesus! – goes along with all this. The rest of the Jews in the church at Antioch go along with all this. But Paul won’t stand for it. Because this is a public affront to the Gentile Christians, and because it is a public denial of the truth of the gospel, Paul confronts Peter in a public way. It must have been hard, knowing that Peter was the most prominent of all the disciples of Jesus, the spokesman for the apostles, and probably the most prominent Christian in the whole world at the time. It must have been hard, knowing that this was before any of Paul’s missionary journeys, and before he was an apostle of great prominence. At this time, Paul was far more famous for who he was before he was a Christian than he was for who he was as a Christian. It must have been hard, knowing that Paul had against him Peter, Barnabas, these certain from James, and the rest of the Jews. Paul was in the minority on this issue. It was him and all the Gentile Christians against all the Jewish Christians! As hard as this was, why did Paul do it? Because he knew what was at stake. This wasn’t a matter of personal conduct, or just personal sin on Peter’s part. If that were the case, it is unlikely that Paul would have first used such a public approach. This was a matter about the truth of the gospel, proclaiming, “This is how a man is right before God.” Paul exposes Peter’s hypocrisy in appearing to live under the law. Paul first reminded Peter that he himself did not live under strict obedience to the Law of Moses. In other words, Peter is not keeping a kosher diet by eating bacon and lobster, but now because of these visitors he is acting as if he keeps these dietary laws all the time. I am sure this amazed these certain men from James to hear this! What? Peter, the most prominent of all the apostles, Peter doesn’t live under the Law of Moses? Peter eats bacon and lobster? Peter eats with Gentiles? Paul gives his side of the story for three reasons: (1) To underscore the independence of his apostolic calling; (2) To highlight the truth of the gospel that even so great an apostle as Peter was pressured to compromise; (3) To warn the Galatians against giving into the same kind of legalistic appeal being pitched to them by the Judaizers.

THE PRINCIPLE: JUSTIFIED BY FAITH (v.15-21)
In the remainder of chapter 2 Paul brings to a conclusion the historical argument he has been pursuing and launching into the theological exposition that will preoccupy him in the next two chapters. It is difficult, if not impossible, to say where the history stops and theology begins, for the two are inextricably interwoven in Paul’s mind. In these seven verses Paul used some of the most compress language found anywhere in his epistles to set forth the central thesis he wanted to impress upon the Galatians: acceptance with God is effected through a simple act of trust in Jesus Christ and not through anything else. What did Paul mean by the terms “justification”, “works of the law”, and “faith”? In what sense could Paul have “died to the law” or been “crucified with Christ”? What is the relationship between acceptance with God and the life of faith that follows from it? These are all questions that Paul will unpack in the four concluding chapters of Galatians. He introduces them here to show that what is at stake for the Galatians is nothing less than the truth of the gospel. Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority has led him to this definitive declaration of doctrine. The central theme is justification by faith, the very principle posed by the problem of table fellowship at Antioch.

THE DOCTRINE DECLARED (v.15-16)
In its most basic meaning, justification is the declaration that somebody is in the right. Justification should not be confused with forgiveness, which is the fruit of justification, nor with atonement, which is the basis of justification. Rather it is the favorable verdict of God that one who stood formerly condemned has now been granted a new status at the bar of divine justice. Justification is by imputation, that is, the righteousness of Christ is counted or reckoned to the sinners so that their standing before God is “as if” they possessed the kind of standing before the Father that would allow Him to say to them, as He did of Christ, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”

It is equally important to grasp the eschatological character of justification in Paul’s thought. Deeply embedded in Jewish apocalyptic thinking was the idea of a future judgment at which God would finally vindicate his people, right all the wrongs of human history, and render his final and eternal verdict on the fate of all peoples. While Paul fully accepted the futurity of the final judgment, he believes that the ground of God’s final judgment has moved from the end of history to its center, that is from the Second Coming of Christ to the cross and resurrection. This means that the basis of our standing before God has shifted from the future (last judgment) and the present (our moral strivings) to the past (the finished work of Jesus on the cross). This was, of course, the very point that so irritated the Judaizers who wanted to make obedience to the law the prerequisite of a right standing with God. Verse 16 is a stylistically convoluted verse because within the scope of one sentence Paul says the same thing in three slightly different ways: (1) We (Jewish Christians) know that a person is not justified by observing the law; (2) For this reason even we have trusted in Christ in order that we should be justified by faith rather than by the works of the law; (3) Since no human being can be justified by the works of the law.

What does Paul mean by the “works of the law”? The word “law” is found 119 times in Paul’s letters where means variously the Old Testament Scriptures, the will of God, or a general principle. However, the law usually refers to “the sum of specific divine requirements given to Israel through Moses.” Paul’s argument was to show that the nature of the law is such that it cannot produce a right standing before God. Since this is true, it’s plain to see how foolish and wrong it was for Peter to separate from these Gentile Christians because they had not put themselves under the Law of Moses. Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified, then what difference does it make if a Gentile is circumcised according to the Law of Moses? What difference does it make if a Gentile keeps a kosher table? All that matters is their faith in Christ, because that is how we are made right before God. What does Paul mean by “faith in Christ”? Traditionally the faith in question is that of those who believe in Jesus Christ. However, more recently, scholars have argued that this expression is referring to the faith or faithfulness of Christ. In any case, when Paul spoke of faith as essential for justification, he was thinking of the necessary human response to what God had objectively accomplished in the cross of Christ. However, we must guard ourselves against the temptation to turn faith itself into one of the “works of the law”. Saving faith is a radical gift from God, never a mere human possibility. Faith is not an achievement that earns salvation, but rather the evidence of saving grace manifested in the renewal of the heart by the Holy Spirit.

ANSWERED OBJECTION #1: WE ARE MADE RIGHT BEFORE GOD BY FAITH IN JESUS AND NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW (v.17-18)
Now, Paul deals with an objection that the certain men from James would raise. It’s important to remember that Paul made this statement publicly, with the concerned parties right in front of him. On one side of the room are the certain men from James, who believed that God would not accept the Gentiles unless they put themselves under the law of Moses. Peter is sitting with these men, and so is Barnabas, who is Paul’s best friend. In fact, all the Christians of Jewish background are sitting with these Christians from Jerusalem who don’t believe that the Gentiles in the church at Antioch are really saved at all. In a real-life setting like this, Paul can’t just speak his mind without answering the objections of those who disagree with him. As the men from Jerusalem saw it, the idea that we are made right before God by faith in Jesus alone wasn’t “real” enough. After all, Christians still struggled with sin. How could they have the “accepted by God” issue settled if they still battled sin? In their thinking, this made Christ a minister of sin, because Jesus’ work of making them right with God apparently didn’t make them right enough! Paul’s answer is brilliant! First, yes, we seek to be justified by Christ, and not by Jesus plus our own works. Second, yes, we ourselves also are found sinners, that is, we acknowledge that we still sin even though we stand justified by Christ. But no, this certainly does not make Jesus the author or approver of sin in our life. He is not a minister of sin. Why? Paul’s answer is subtle, but brilliant. Essentially, Paul says there is more sin in trying to find acceptance before God by our law-keeping than there is sin in everyday life as a Christian. What Paul shows is that by putting themselves under the law again, they (the Judaizers) are sinning worse than ever! 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.” 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).

ANSWERED OBJECTION #2: YOU ARE DEAD TO THE LAW, SO IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE LAW TO BE THE WAY TO STAND ACCEPTED BY GOD (v.19-20)
Paul makes a bold statement, saying that he has died to the law. If he is dead to the law, then it is impossible for the law to be the way he stands accepted by God. Notice that it isn’t the law that is dead. The law reflects, in its context, the holy heart and character of God. There was nothing wrong with the law. It isn’t the law that died, but Paul died to the law. However, Paul was not saying that the law of God had lost all meaning or relevance for the Christian believer.

How did Paul die to the law? The law itself “killed” Paul. It showed him that he never could live up to the law, and fulfill its holy standard. He came to the point where he really understood the law – understanding it in the way Jesus explained it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), realizing that the law made him guilty before God, not justified before God. The law itself, by revealing the inadequacy of human obedience and depth of human sinfulness, set the stage, as it were, for the drama of redemption effected by the promised Messiah who fulfilled the law by obeying it perfectly and suffering its curse emphatically. When Paul died to the law, then he could live to God. As long as he still tried to justify himself before God, by all his law-keeping, he was dead. Luther says the following about this, “When a person is a Christian he is above law and sin. When the Law accuses him, and sin wants to drive the wits out of him, a Christians looks to Christ. A Christian is free. He has no master except Christ. A Christian is greater than the whole world [...] We are not to think that the Law is wiped out. It stays. It continues to operate in the wicked. But a Christian is dead to the Law. For example, Christ by His resurrection became free from the grave, and yet the grave remains. Peter was delivered from prison, yet the prison remains. The Law is abolished as far as I am concerned, when it is has driven me into the arms of Christ. Yet the Law continues to exist and to function. But it no longer exists for me.”

What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ”? In one sense this is presumptuous language because the mystery of atonement requires that the death of Christ be unique, unrepeated, and isolated. On the cross Christ suffered alone forsaken by His friends, His followers, and finally even His Father. And yet Paul’s point is that the very benefits of Christ’s atoning death, including first of all justification, are without effect unless we are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. Thus to be crucified with Christ is to know Him in the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). Paul’s flow of thought is saying that he died to the law in order that he might live for God having been crucified together with Christ. The new life Paul had received flowed from his identification with the passion and death of Christ. It is this experience of divine grace that makes the doctrine of justification a living reality rather than a legal fiction.

Since we died with Christ on the cross, we have a different life. Our old life, lived under the law, is dead. Now we are alive to Jesus Christ, and Jesus is alive in us. Paul realized that on the cross, a “great exchange” occurred. He gave Jesus his old, try-to-be-right-before-God-by-the-law life, and it was crucified on the cross. Then Jesus gave Paul His life to life – Christ came to live in him. So Paul’s life isn’t his own anymore, it belongs to Jesus Christ! Paul doesn’t own his own life (that life died); he is simply “managing” the new life Jesus gave him. Paul can only “manage” the new life Jesus gave him by faith. You can’t live the new life Jesus gives on the foundation of law-keeping. You can only live it by faith. When Paul says I now live in the flesh, he doesn’t mean that he lives a chronically sinful life. By ‘flesh’ Paul understands what Jesus meant in the third chapter of John, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) ‘Flesh’ here means the whole nature of man, inclusive of reason and instincts. ‘This flesh,’ says Paul, ‘is not justified by the works of the law.’ The point of this verse isn’t the flesh, it is faith. Faith is not simply a topic about which Paul preached from time to time. Nor is it a virtue which he practiced occasionally. It is central in all that he does. Luther says the following, “Faith connects you so intimately with Christ, that He and you become as it were one person. As such you may boldly say: ‘I am now one with Christ. Therefore Christ’s righteousness, victory, and life are mine.’ On the other hand, Christ may say: ‘I am that big sinner. His sins and death are mine, because he is joined to me, and I to him.’”

The faith Paul lives by is not faith in himself, faith in the law, or faith in what he can earn or deserve before God. It is faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ – who loved me and gave Himself for me! Before, Paul’s relationship with God was founded on what he could do for God – his faith was in himself. Now, the foundation is what Jesus Christ has done for him – his faith is in Jesus. What confidence Paul can have in giving his life to, and living His life for, someone who loves him that much! When we realize the great love God has shown for us, it makes everything in the Christian life easier. Paul can confidently give himself to Jesus because of the love Jesus has demonstrated in the past. The past tense is important. It is this past tense gospel the devil hates. It is very important to realize that Jesus gave Himself for me. For me is very emphatic. It is not enough to regard Christ as having died for the salvation of the world; each man must claim the effect and possession of this grace for himself personally.

THE TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE (v.21)
Grace is the operative word, and Paul is saying that if it were possible to obtain a right standing by God through works of the law, then Christ had no business dying. Everything is at stake! Was Christ a false messiah? Paul said that if we persist in building again the wall that Christ has torn down, if we try to climb up to heaven by some other way, if we add works of the law to the sacrifice of the cross, then indeed we make a mockery of Jesus’ death. And that’s a terrible alternative!

THE QUESTIONS

1. Do you think Paul was right to rebuke Peter publicly?
2. Can you think of church behavior today that deserves to be called “hypocrisy”?
3. What is the practical day-to-day significance of your crucifixion with Christ? How does having Christ’s life within you affect you in practical ways?
4. Who looks to you for standards of behavior (as some men looked to Peter)?
5. What can you do to see that your behavior communicates faith in God?

THE TEXT
“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I 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. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 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— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And 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. On 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 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and 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. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:1-10)

Paul is continuing his list of five historical proofs from his own life and ministry. In chapter one he listed three already, and this text describes the fourth proof, namely that Paul’s apostolic work was recognized by church leaders at Jerusalem.

This first half of chapter two is Paul’s defense of his apostleship. He tells of a private meeting he held on his second visit to Jerusalem with the church leaders there. The purpose of the meeting was to set before these leaders the gospel he had been proclaiming for some years among the Gentiles. Upon hearing his testimony they fully endorsed his message and him. From Paul’s perspective this meeting was a smashing success, because the false brothers were unsuccessful in their efforts to compel Titus to be circumcised, and Paul and the Jerusalem leaders arrived at a common missionary strategy for the spreading of the gospel. Paul eagerly agreed with the request that this practical division of labor might not result in a loss of love between Jewish and Gentile Christians.

PAUL’S TRIP TO JERUSALEM (v.1-2)
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. 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. This trip to Jerusalem is most likely the one mentioned in Acts 11:27-30, when Paul brought a gift from Christians in other cities to the Christians in Jerusalem, who suffered under famine. When Paul was in Jerusalem at this time, he assured the leaders in Jerusalem that he was obedient to God in his presentation of the gospel to the Gentiles. Knowing this contention of the Judaizers was present, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem wanted to know what Paul taught, and when he visited Jerusalem it was the perfect time to tell them, so Paul communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. Paul knew he had the true gospel; but he didn’t know how everyone of reputation in Jerusalem would receive it. He did the best he could to not publicly embarrass those who were of reputation in Jerusalem. What love and sensitivity on Paul’s part! It would have been easy for him to say, “I’m right and anyone who disagrees with me is wrong, and I can’t wait to get in their face publicly.” But he didn’t. He knew that being right didn’t give you the privilege of being rude. What made Paul fear that he might run, or had run, in vain? Probably it was the fear that an unnecessary conflict with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem leaders might damage his reputation and ministry in some way. Also, the danger was that false teachers – if encouraged in some way by the leaders in Jerusalem – might undo Paul’s work in planting churches and raising disciples for Jesus, and would make his work in vain.

TITUS’ CIRCUMCISION (v.3-5)
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 was the sign of initiation into the Jewish faith and the Mosaic covenant. Yet, the lack of circumcision in Titus became an issue because of false brothers who attempted to bring Paul and other Christians into bondage. Paul realized that if the message of the gospel was compromised, it wasn’t just bondage for the Gentiles, but bondage for everyone who named the name of Jesus. In response, Paul remained steadfast: we did not yield submission even for an hour. Some might react this way out of pride or just plain stubbornness. But Paul did it so that the truth of the gospel might continue.

A SUMMARY (v.6)
Paul knew that in his day, there were leaders of high reputation – “famous” Christians, if you will. But they did not overly impress or intimidate Paul. Even though Paul met with influential and “famous” Christians a few times, they did not give him the gospel he preached. The leaders in Jerusalem added nothing to the gospel Paul preached or the apostolic authority he possessed. Paul didn’t wait for someone else to make him a great Christian. He knew that it came down to a personal relationship between himself and Jesus. This isn’t to say that Paul received nothing from others, or that no one else could ever bless him. But his Christian life was not built upon what other people did for him.

JERUSALEM’S APPROVAL OF PAUL’S GOSPEL (v.7-10)
The leaders of the Jerusalem church accepted Paul and his ministry to the Gentiles. They approved Paul’s ministry, knowing that Paul did not require the Gentiles to come under the Mosaic Law to find favor with God. Paul’s main ministry was to Gentiles, and Peter’s main ministry was to Jews. These distinctions were not absolute; each did minister to the other groups. Yet, the distinction is interesting, especially because Roman Catholics claim that the Pope is the successor of Peter – but where is his ministry to the Jews? John Calvin said this: “But if Peter’s apostleship pertained peculiarly to the Jews, let the Romanists ask by what right they derive from him their succession to the primacy. If the Pope of Rome claims the primacy because he is Peter’s successor, he ought to exercise it over the Jews. Paul is here declared to be the chief apostle of the Gentiles; yet they deny that he was the bishop of Rome. Therefore, if the Pope would enter into the possession of his primacy, let him assemble Churches from the Jews.” The only caution from the leaders in Jerusalem was that Paul should remember the poor. In this case, probably the poor saints in Jerusalem, whom Gentile believers should not forget.

The two key themes in this passage are: the truth of the gospel, and the unity of the church. In a moment of crisis Paul found it necessary to stand strongly against the heretical doctrine and improper demands of the false brothers. At the same time, Paul greatly valued the unity of the church and sought to strengthen it in every way possible. There are three great lessons I think in this section. First, a pattern of cooperation about the truth of the gospel. Paul could not work together with the false brothers (although they claimed to be fellow Christians), because their theological position was inconsistent to the gospel message itself. Paul was eager to work closely together with other Christian leaders who shared with him a common commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Secondly, the apostles found it necessary to distribute the work of evangelism by a practical division of labor. Thirdly, The word about caring for the poor point to the life and mission of the church. Paul steadfastly refused to divorce conversion from discipleship. His mission included both a social and an evangelistic responsibility, knowing that the gospel he preached addressed to living persons in all their broken humanity and need for wholeness.

THE QUESTIONS

1. In chapter 1, Paul affirmed that his message came clearly from God. Why, fourteen years later, would he fear that he had been wrong?
2. Consider how Paul handled the strife in 2:1-5. What aspects of this are worthy of imitation?
3. Are people today ever pressured to conform to an “acceptable” lifestyle in order to be Christian? Do you think Paul would find modern Christian rules more justifiable than the Jewish ones he opposed?

THE TEXT
“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And 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. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, ‘He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me.” (Galatians 1:11-24)

NOT HUMANLY DEVISED, BUT DIVINELY GIVEN (v.11-12)
Paul’s language is really strong in verses 11 and 12. This is not a matter of secondary importance. While Paul is rebuking the Galatians he is still calling them brothers, appealing them as a loyal family member, all subjects to the divine grace, seeking to rescue his loved ones. There is a parallel here to verse 1, but here he is adding two extra negatives: ‘not receive it from any man’ and ‘nor was I taught it’. By that he is saying that he didn’t receive it (the initial reception of the gospel) through tradition, and that he wasn’t taught by anyone (refering to his growing understanding of its contents).

Paul was contrasting normal rabbinical Judaism, where there is an oral tradition that was handed through from one rabbi to the next. You can read more about that in posts on discipleship, starting with ‘Discipleship 101 #1 – Old School‘. Paul is saying that he received it independent from the other apostles. Paul wasn’t opposed to or ignorant of the developing Christian traditions, but simply said he was not dependent on them for his knowledge of Christ.

He continues to say in the last half of verse 12 that it was divinely given. After the two negatives, Paul closes this train of thought with a positive: the declaration of the revelation. Revelation (Greek: ‘apokalypsis‘) literally means “unveiling, a laying bare, the removal of that which conceals or obscures.” On the Damascus Road, Jesus Christ himself appeared to Paul as the revealing one; what he disclosed was the true nature of the gospel. Paul knew about Jesus’ earthly ministry, and had persecuted vigorously, but now Jesus revealed Himself to Paul. It reminds me of Peter in Matthew 16:15-17, where “He [Jesus] said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’” Peter knew about Jesus’ earthly ministry, had heard Him teach and seen Him perform miracles, but none of this sufficed to bring Peter a true awareness of who Jesus really was. That revelation came from God!

From verse 13 until halfway chapter two, Paul is going through five historical proofs from his own life and ministry, to further build his case on the authenticity and authority of his apostleship. The first three proofs are listed in the remainder of this chapter. The five proofs are:

1. Nothing in Paul’s religious background could account for his acceptance of the gospel (1:13-17)
2. Paul was not commissioned by the Jerusalem Church (1:18-20)
3. Those Paul formerly persecuted glorified God because of the change made happen in him (1:21-24)
4. Paul’s apostolic work was recognized by church leaders at Jerusalem (2:1-10)
5. Paul defended the gospel against Peter’s hesitancy at Antioch (2:11-14)

Through these five proofs, Paul moves from Paul the persecutor to Paul the preacher.

NOTHING IN PAUL’S RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND COULD ACCOUNT FOR HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THE GOSPEL (v.13-17)
Paul starts off with proofing that he had a history of persecuting the Church. He didn’t do this to brag on his misdeeds of his pre-Christian life, but to hold high the sovereign initiative of God. He then continues talking about his zeal for religion. Why was Paul so zealous? In order to understand this we need to understand Pharisaic Judaism. This leads to two reasons for Paul’s zeal:

1. It was not solely the claim that Jesus was the Messiah, but also that He was crucified, buried, raised, and now exalted in heaven with the status of a deity, which demanded the kind of worship only properly given to God. This was considered blashemy.
2. The “stumbling block” of the cross was offensive in the highest degree: to be crucified was to come under the curse of God (Deuteronomy 21:22-23), an unthinkable condition for God’s anointed one from the perspective of strict Pharisaic Judaism

Paul contrasts his religious background with the initiative of God. Paul said he was set apart by God before he was born. This echoes Ephesians 1:3-6 which says, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6). Election is God’s gracious grace choice of certain individuals unto eternal life. After being set apart he was then called. This refers to the whole complex of events, including repentance and faith, by which a lost sinner is converted to Christ. This calling is beautifully displayed by Jesus when He raised Lazarus from death. John 11:43-44a records, “When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out.“

And in all this, Gos revealed His son through Paul. Paul literally saw Jesus, and confirms that in several verses, like “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1) and “I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 12:1). Does God have a sense of humor? Yes! He selects a man before he is born for the job of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. And that man grows up hating Gentiles, and believing that the only reason God made Gentiles was so they would fuel the fires of hell.

After his conversion, Paul goes to Arabia. There is some debate on exactly where in Arabia. Some say Paul went all the way to Mount Sinai, but that’s not really important I think. Generally there are two reasons recognized for his trip to Arabia. Paul went there for an extended time of prayer, meditation, and reflection. Or Paul went there to continue the preaching ministry he had started in Damascus. Probably both are true.

PAUL WAS NOT COMMISSIONED BY THE JERUSALEM CHURCH (v.18-20)
He saying that only after three years he went to Jerusalem. Paul was not concerned with chronological precision here, but to refute the false charges against him. To do this it was only necessary to show that his trip to first Jerusalem was occurred after a considerable lapse of time from his conversion. His time with Peter was not to seek authorization of his message or validation of his ministry, but to seek close fellowship as well as a strategic partnership in their common apostolic mission. The idea is that Paul was not commanded to come to Jerusalem to give an account to Peter or the other disciples, but he came of his own accord, and visited as a “tourist.”

THOSE PAUL FORMERLY PERSECUTED GLORIFIED GOD BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE MADE HAPPEN IN HIM (v.21-24)
From 25 BC to 72 AD, Syria and Cilicia were united a single Roman province with a common governor based in Syrian Antioch. Tarsus, Paul’s home town was the capital of Cilicia (southeastern region of Asia Minor). If Paul did not learn the essential content of the gospel from any man, then it is also true that the early Christians were slow in learning just who Paul was in Jesus. All they really knew was that he had been dramatically converted – for which they glorified God. After his conversion, Paul was a “normal Christian” for many years. Paul’s status as unknown is certainly different from our own habit of puffing up any prominent convert as soon as they come to Jesus. Paul was happy and well served to spend many years in obscurity before God raised him up.

In this whole section, Paul shows there was enough contact between him and the other apostles to show that they were in perfect agreement, but not so much that it would show that Paul got his gospel from them instead of God.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Does your gospel (or Christian experience) come from God, or have you made it up yourself?
2. Do you think a Christian can be too dependent on others in his quest for spiritual understanding? What would be the evidence and problems of that condition?
3. What are the dangers of being completely independent of others for one’s beliefs? How can we strive for a sound balance between these two errors?
4. Do you think that those who do not have a dramatic change in their lives after conversion are at a disadvantage in testifying about Jesus or in growing more holy?

THE TEXT
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But 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. As 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. For 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.” (Galatians 1:6-10)

THREE CRUCIAL UNDERSTANDINGS
It is interesting that the text doesn’t define the gospel. That is what the rest of the letter does, and so at this point we shouldn’t focus on the content of the gospel but rather on how crucial the gospel is. It is crucial because if there is no other gospel, no other good news of salvation, that means that there is no other way to heaven. You cannot reject the gospel of Christ and still be saved and get to heaven. It is crucial because the text implies that the different gospel the Galatians heard was apparently a close counterfeit to the real thing. It was not a different gospel in the order of proposing Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism. It was an in-house distortion, preached by Christian “brothers.” This means that we need to be extra on guard as to what we exactly believe the true gospel is, so that no distortions can spring up in our hearts, our community, our church. It is crucial because not knowing exactly what the gospel is, including its implications, means that we are turning away (if only slightly) from the gospel, and thus the person of Jesus Christ, and thus from the grace of God. John Piper says on this point:

“Hearts are filled with the love of Christ, and mouths are filled with praise. The concern for evangelism and justice rises. But in all the glorious stirrings of heart there begins to be an impatience with doctrinal refinements. Clear doctrine requires thought, and thought is seen to be the enemy of feeling, so it is resisted. There is the widespread sense that the Holy Spirit will guard the church from all error, and so rigorous study and thought about the gospel are felt to be not only a threat to joy but a failure of faith. The result over a generation is the emergence of a people whose understanding of biblical teaching is so hazy and imprecise that they are sitting ducks for the Galatian heresy.”

THE GENERAL MESSAGE
The truth that underlies this passage is that there is only one gospel. Out of this truth are three statements which are very crucial for us to hear and believe, because nothing has happened to change them between Paul’s day and ours:

1. It is astonishing when a person hears and believes the gospel but afterward turns away from it (1:6-7)
2. If a person rejects the gospel, he stands under God’s curse, whether he is an angel or an apostle (1:8-9)
3. That the servant of the gospel seeks to please God alone, not men.

TO TURN AWAY IS ASTONISHING (v.6-7)
There are two reasons why turning away is so astonishing. First, it’s a turning from a calling God. They are not just turning from a doctrine, or an idea. The gospel is the very personal good news of God’s call to you. If you turn to a different gospel, you turn away from God, and that is astonishing. Second, it’s a turning from grace. Paul is simply stunned that so soon after his beautiful portrayal of Christ crucified for their sin they would begin to turn to another gospel.

TO TURN AWAY BRING GOD’S CURSE (v.8-9)
When a person rejects the gospel (the free, gracious gift of God’s forgiveness), then he remains under the divine curse for his sin. When a person is cursed he is cut off from Christ and doomed to eternal punishment. Paul says this elsewhere in Romans 9:3, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” and in 2 Thessalonians 1:8b-9, “…those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might“. Also, we read in 1 Corinthians 16:22 that “if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed,” implying that this curse does not only apply to false teachers, but to anyone! We need to meditate on the horror of rejecting the gospel! Satan does his very best with television, internet, etc to create in us a mind that the gospel is so trivial that we don’t really understand the terrifying truth what is implied in being cursed in turning away from it!

TO TURN AWAY MEANS PLEASING MAN RATHER THEN MAN (v.10)
There is something about the message of the true gospel that is deeply offensive to human nature. The gospel offends our pride. It tells us we need a savior, and that we cannot save ourselves. It gives no credit to us at all for our salvation; it is all the work of Jesus for us. The gospel offends our wisdom. It saves us by something many consider foolish – God becoming man and dying a humiliating, disgraceful death on our behalf. The gospel offends our knowledge. It tells us to believe something which goes against scientific knowledge and personal experience – that a dead man, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead in a glorious new body that would never die again. Paul’s position is that pleasing people is much lower on his list of priorities than serving Christ. Two things are at stake when the gospel is perverted: the glory of Christ, and the salvation of sinners. If the gospel is twisted, the all-sufficiency of Christ’s work is dishonored, and the way to salvation for sinners is blocked. Therefore, in order to serve Christ – to advance his glory and achieve his saving purpose – Paul must oppose the perversion of the gospel with all his might, whether it pleases people or not.

THE QUESTIONS

1. In what ways are we distorting the gospel and turning away from it (if only a slight deviation)?
2. How can we discern what is the true gospel and avoid being led astray?
3. Is the gospel offensive to you? In your response to the gospel are you pleasing God or man?

THE TEXT
“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:1-5)

THE BACKGROUND

Who wrote the letter?
Even the most liberal scholars who doubt the authorship of some epistles say that Galatians, together with Romans, and the two letters to the Corinthians, are the Great Four from Paul.

To whom was it written?
It was written to the churches of Galatia. Galatia was a region rather than a city and individual, and the term “Galatia” was an elastic term reflecting the changing political developments in central Asia Minor. The boundaries of Galatia expanded and contracted with the rise and fall of invading tribes, nations, states, and empires. All of this has led to much confusion and controversy concerning the identification of the Galatians to whom Paul addressed his letter. When in 500 BC the Celts appeared as a distinct ethnic group in central Europe, their bravery in battle and restless spirit made them spread out in different directions, from France to the British Isles and Scottish Highlands. Other groups moved into Asia Minor to serve as mercenaries for several kings, and they ended up after a defeat in the defined region around Ancyra (the modern capital of Turkey). By the time of the Roman Empire, the Celts (called Galatians) had organized themselves into an independent kingdom, which the Romans for a while allowed to exist for a while within their empire. In 25 BC, Augustus Caesar reorganized the Galatian kingdom into a Roman province, and for administrative purposes the geographical boundaries were extended to not only include the original Galatians territory around Ancyra (“North Galatia”), but also the southern regions of Phrygia and Lycaonia (“South Galatia”).

Because Paul only references to the churches of Galatia, and not to either the North or the South, there is confusion and debates as to whom Paul wrote. It was traditionally held that Paul wrote to the Northern region, because of how Paul uses the term “Galatians”, the development of Paul’s theology over the years in relation to when the letter was written, and because of some chronological concerns. Paul was in southern Galatia on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:13-14:23), he went through northern Galatia on his second (Acts 16:6) and third (Acts 18:23) missionary journeys. More recently, scholars belief Paul wrote to the Southern region, which includes the congregations at Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch, which he founded on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). There was a wide difference between North and South Galatia in respect to language, occupation, nationality, and social organization. The northern region of Galatia was made up of small cities and mostly agricultural development. The southern region of Galatia was full of cities and commerce.

When was it written?
There is much debate here, depending on whether you hold to a Northern or Southern view. As the Southern view is most likely, and the letter is written to the churches that Paul and Barnabas had founded on their first missionary journey, and written sometime after Paul’s return to Syrian Antioch and before (or on the eve of) the meeting of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, around 49-50 AD. Paul and Barnabas sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus, and from there to the mainland of Asia Minor to Pisidia Antioch, and then to the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Then Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch by the same route.

Why was it written?
If I would have to summary the message of this letter in one sentence, it would that working to impress God doesn’t work. False teachers, Judaizers were telling Christians that they were still bound by some of the Old Testament requirements (like circumcision). Paul wrote this letter to make it clear that salvation comes through faith in Jesus and not through obeying the law. Soon after Paul and Barnabas’ departure the new churches in Galatia were thrown into great confusion by the arrival of another team of Christian missionaries who contradicted much of what Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed concerning the way of salvation. These men also had huge criticism of Paul and his apostleship. These same men, or at least their partners and allies, also had appeared in Antioch teaching their law-observant gospel. So great was their disturbance at Antioch that Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to discuss the whole matter with Peter and the other apostles. In the meantime Paul had received word that these false brothers had spread this perverted gospel among the newly planted churches of Galatia. Unable to visit these congregations in person, he wrote this letter as a way of restoring order.

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

Paul wished grace and peace unto his readers from both God the Father and God the Son. Now, Paul will briefly expand on the work of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing he says about Jesus is that He gave Himself for our sins:

• Jesus gave
  • We know from John 3:16 that God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. But the Father didn’t do the only giving. Jesus gave. Jesus is a loving, giving God, and a loving, giving Savior;
• Jesus gave Himself
  • What did Jesus give? He gave the greatest thing anyone can give – Himself. Of course, one might debate if it was more a gift for the Father to give the Son (as in John 3:16), or if it was more of a gift for the Son to give Himself. Jesus gave the greatest gift He could; He gave himself.
  • “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
• Jesus gave Himself for our sins
  • This is why Jesus had to give Himself. Our sins had 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! The love was always there; but there would never have been the need for Jesus to give Himself if our sins had not placed us in a terrible place

Martin Luther on who gave Himself for our sins: “Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of Satan with this and similar passages of Holy Scripture. If he says, ‘Thou shalt be damned,’ you tell him: ‘No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins. In accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting your own throat, Satan. You are reminding me of God’s fatherly goodness toward me, that He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In calling me a sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure.’ With such heavenly cunning we are to meet the devil’s craft and put from us the memory of sin.”

Why did Jesus give Himself for our sins? That He might deliver us from this present evil age. In many ways, the Galatians were battle with and sometimes losing against this present evil age. They needed to know that Jesus had come to save them from this present evil age. The idea behind the word deliver is not deliverance from the presence of something, but deliverance from the power of something. We will not be delivered from the presence of this present evil age until we go to be with Jesus. But we can be experience deliverance from the power of this present evil age right now. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14). “and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5). “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4:10).

Ther are two things that this deliverance accomplish: (1) A change of heart, so that we don’t love the same things; (2) A change of mind so that we don’t think the world thinks). The purpose of this saving work is not primarily to benefit man (though that is part of the purpose). Instead, it is to glorify God the Father. False doctrine was a real problem in the Galatian churches, and their false doctrines robbed God of some of the glory due to Him. By emphasizing the rightly recognized glory of God and His plan, Paul hopes to put them more on the right track.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Paul introduces himself the way he did in this letter? Consider the situation he was facing
2. Why do you think Paul incorporates the gospel message into his greeting?
3. When it says that Jesus delivered us from the present evil age. What does that mean? And to you personally?
   1. How much are we still in love with this present age?
   2. Where do we need to be delivered (liberated) from our thinking?

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” (Malachi 3:3)

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘ He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘ Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Three pairs of foundational teachings are the Hebrews instructed to leave:

1. Repentance of dead works and faith toward God;
2. Instruction about washings and the laying on of hands;
3. The resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment;

Now, although it’s true that many Christians have not digested this milk yet and have no clue about these things and are not mature, yet this is not the writer’s point. We have to remember that the writer is talking to Hebrew Christians here. And so the question we should ask is how this relates to their immaturity specifically.

The writer is admonishing them not the lay again a foundation, by which he refers to the old Jewish practices rather than Christian doctrine. You have to ask yourself the question what is distinctively Christian about this list. Where is the mention of Jesus or salvation by grace alone? Can you believe or practice these things and not be a follower of Jesus Christ, believing Him to be the Messiah? No!

Let’s look at them again:

1. Something has changed regarding the way of repentance and faith towards God. Our faith should now be in Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). Repentance should now be based on conviction from the Holy Spirit, which is now available through the resurrection of Jesus, and sin should be put to death. “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:10-11)
2. The specific ancient Greek word translated baptisms is not the word regularly used in the New Testament to describe Christian baptism. It is the word used on two other specific occasions (Hebrews 9:10 and Mark 7:4) to refer to Jewish ceremonial washings. Yet these washings will not save you. Only Jesus’ blood will save you, and Christian baptism should only be seen as an outward sign in obedience to Jesus of an inward change which is a work done by the Holy Spirit. The laying on of hands is also a reference to these washings.
3. The object of their hope has changed! No longer should they aim to please God through works, thereby escaping the final judgment and be resurrected from the dead. Now their hope should be in Jesus! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Now, these elementary principles to move beyond are all items in the “common ground” between Christianity and Judaism. This was a “safe” common ground these Jewish Christians retreated to. Because Christianity did grow out of Judaism, it was a more subtle temptation for a Jewish Christian to slip back into Judaism than it was for a formerly pagan Christian to go back to his pagan ways. Of course, these Jewish Christians did not want to abandon religion, but they did want to make it less distinctively Christian. Therefore, they went back to this “common ground” to avoid persecution. Living in this comfortable common ground, you would not stick out so much. A Jew and a Christian together could say, “Let’s repent, let’s have faith, let’s perform ceremonial washings,” and so forth. But this was a subtle denial of Jesus.

1. Prepare your minds for action (v.13)
To prepare our minds for action is to get rid of loose and sloppy thinking, and to bring the rational and reflective powers of your mind under control. It means to control what you think about, what you decide that you will set your mind upon. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2). The same concept is talked about by Paul in Ephesians 6:14 where we are to gird our loins with the truth (or fasten on the belt of truth). Putting on the belt prepares you for action, it frees your movements, and it put him in a battle frame of mind. The belt of truth can be described as the whole of what you believe about Christ. It is a foundation you live upon all the time, your understanding of and confidence in the basic doctrines of the faith. In effect we should never take off the belt of truth. We should always be ready for action.

2. Be sober-minded (v.13)
To be sober-minded basically means to have the ability to take a serious look at life. It is an attitude of self-discipline that avoids the extremes. It is one of character qualifications of an elder (1 Timothy 3:2), it is Paul’s charge to Timothy to withstand the apostasy in his church (2 Timothy 4:5), it is something that comes with years (Titus 2:2). Paul links being sober-minded with “having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (2 Thessalonians 5:8). I wrote a blog post about this once, which you can read here

3. Set your hope fully on the grace [...] of Jesus Christ (v.13)
Peter has told us a lot about God’s grace. He greeted us with grace (1 Peter 1:2). He told us of the grace that came to us in Jesus, predicted by the prophets of old (1 Peter 1:10). Now he goes further, writing of the grace that is to be brought to you when Jesus comes back. The only way we will be able to stand before Jesus on that day is because of the unmerited favor He gives and will give to us. Grace isn’t just for the past, when we first gave our lives to Jesus. It isn’t only for the present, where we live each moment standing in His grace (Romans 5:2). It is also for the future, when grace will be brought to us. God has only just begun to show us the riches of His grace.

4. Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance (v.14)
We should not be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). We should “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16) and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:14). We should “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). But I think Paul describes it best in Titus 3:3-7, where he says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.“

5. Be holy in all your conduct (v.15)
This is really the summary of Peter’s statement. God says repeatedly in Leviticus to be holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26; 21:6). We are to be holy as the Lord has set us apart, or as Leviticus 20:26 says, “separated… from the peoples, that you should be mine.” Paul picks up this theme as well when he says that “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4). We are to train ourselves in godliness (1 Timothy 4:7), and we are to pursue godliness (1 Timothy 6:11). Our conduct should translate in our works (James 3:13)

All in all, these exhortations are all words of action and are linked together. As we set our hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ we realize that He calls us to be holy in all our conduct. This should stir in us a desire to then not be conformed to the passions of our former ignorance, which means that we should prepare our minds for action and become sober-minded.

1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house, He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3. God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4. God won’t ask what your highest salary was. He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5. God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6. God won’t ask how many friends you had. He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7. God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8. God won’t ask about the color of your skin, He’ll ask about the content of your character.
9. God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation. He’ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell

Jewish tradition offers many reasons different individuals may choose to pray at different times:

• Prayer can be an opportunity to talk to God;
• Prayer can be an expression for self-reflection;
• Prayer can be the expression of hopes, desires, and visions, both communal and individual;
• Prayer can be a vehicle for awareness or mindfulness of individual moments, which may lead to an appreciation of their uniqueness;
• Prayer can be an opportunity for participation in a community;
• Prayer can be a link to tradition and to one’s heritage or background;
• Prayer, if performed regularly, can be an opportunity to develop self-discipline;
• Prayer can be seen as [...] something we do because God commands it;
• Prayer can be an occasion for textual study, which may lead to intellectual growth or aesthetic appreciation of meaningful poetry;

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

“We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come – even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. 8 For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.” (2 Corinthians 13:7-9)

There are some prerequisites here:

• We need to be a people who are called by His name
• We need to humble ourselves
• We need to pray
• We need to seek His face
• We need to turn from our wicked ways

All these steps are necessary, and can only happen in this order. It is so easy to think that we are called by His name. I mean, how many people are out there calling themselves Christians (to whatever extent), saying they believe in God. But it is God “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:9-10)

Yet even when we are sure of our calling, we need to humble ourselves. Being humble provides us with a set of character traits or attributes which will put us in a position in the world in which we can show the love of God through our good works and sincerity of heart. Secondly, being humble is not an end goal to be achieved, but a starting point to obtain from which all our transformation into Christ-likeness happens. Strangely enough a great book to study humility is James. I did this once, and it was really amazing.

When studying the book of James on the theme of humility my aim was to go through each verse and see if the character of humility was to be found in there. The main two distinctions is what character humility will produce, and what humility will give us. Humility is being patient (James 1:4, James 5:7-8, James 5:11), being self-controlled (James 1:19-20; 3:2), being content (James 4:1-3), being receptive to the Word (James 1:21), being repentant (James 4:8-9), being submissive (James 4:15), and being self-sacrificial (James 5:4-5). Humility will give us glory (James 1:9-10; 4:10), will give us grace (James 4:6), will give us rewards for work (James 1:25), and will give us spiritual healing (James 5:16). For each of the above, we at least need to find the humility to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5; 3:13).

Our humility should (and maybe can only) drive us to our knees, to pray. The reason prayer has such great potential for changing things is God. And the reason prayer is surrounded by such difficult problems is God. If it weren’t for the power of God over natural process and over the human will, there would be no hope in praying for change in the world or in people. And it is that very same power and prerogative of God that creates the problems we stumble over in prayer. This is what Spurgeon said:

“It is our full belief that God has foreknown and predestinated everything that happeneth in heaven above or in the earth beneath, and that the foreknown station of a reed by the river is as fixed as the station of a king, and “the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses.” Predestination embraceth the great and the little, and reacheth unto all things; the question is, wherefore pray? Might it not as logically be asked wherefore breathe, eat, move, or do anything? We have an answer which satisfies us, namely, that our prayers are in the predestination, and that God has as much ordained His people’s prayers as anything else, and when we pray we are producing links in the chain of ordained facts. Destiny decrees that I should pray — I pray; destiny decrees that I shall be answered, and the answer comes to me.”

And prayer is hard work! “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). The Greek word used here for “devote yourselves” is “proskartereō” and means to “to be devoted, steadfastly attentive, persevere, constant readiness, be strong”. Wow, to be devoted to prayer means to be constant ready, to be steadfastly attentive. Prayer is hard work. I never considered prayer to be hard work. I mean, do you ever need to take a shower after you’re done praying because you sweat so much of the hard work? I don’t! The other verse is “Epaphras… always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12). The Greek word for “laboring earnestly” is “agonizomai” meaning “to contend with adversaries, fight, to endeavour with strenuous zeal”. So it’s not only hard work, it’s a fight.

But not only pray, but also seek His face. The Bible talks about this in a number of verses:

• Jehoshaphat sought God’s face on the eve of a great battle (2 Chronicles 20:2-4);
• We are commanded to seek His face (Psalm 24:5-6; 27:7-9; 105:4; Hosea 5:15)
• We receive justice through it (Proverbs 29:26)
• Daniel sought His face in his prayer about the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:3)

Turning towards God, seeking His face, means being confronted with His glory. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are being transformed – progressively, degree by degree – into the image of Christ the Lord. This work of transformation is a process. We are becoming like Christ. We are growing in our capacity to show Christ by being like Christ. That is God’s will for us. That we be progressively be conformed to the image of Christ. When we behold the glory of God we see the face of Jesus Christ, and it transforms! God’s life in us is started or brought into existence and our human heart life, love, thoughts and power is replaced by God’s supernatural life, love, thoughts and power. It cannot be that we are beholding the glory of God and are not being transformed. Yes, we have our own willpower, but “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6) must have as a result that we turn from our wicked ways…

And the result? God will listen, and respond. Isn’t that amazing!

Have you ever considered how much Scripture the Pharisees ever memorized? You can say a lot about their character and conduct, but they must serve as an example with regards to their zealous and almost fanatical dedication and discipline to Scripture memorization. Granted, the heart must be there as well, but still. Let me start by giving you an overview of their educational system, and then baffle you with some statistics I figured out.

The Jews in Jesus’ day had three levels of education, which was most likely instituted by Ezra after the exile in order to teach the people the Scriptures again. The first level was called ‘Bet Sefer’. At the ages of six through twelve, the Jewish boys and girls would begin their education in the synagogue school, learning how to read and write. The textbook was the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and the goal was to memorize the sacred text. The Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 21a:6 says, “Before the age of six do not accept pupils; from that age you can accept them, and stuff them with Torah like an ox.” Incredible, isn’t it! Can you imagine having memorized the Torah by the age of twelve?! This level is concluded with a Bar Mitzvah for the boy, to welcome him into the community as a full member. This was also the age from which they were allowed to read the Torah out loud in the synagogue during services.

The next level was the ‘Bet Midrash’. This was only for the best of the best. I would assume for those who indeed memorized the Torah. This level was from age thirteen to fifteen, where they continued studying and memorizing the entire Tanach (in other words, the complete Old Testament). Very few were selected for this pursuit.

The final level was the ‘Bet Talmud’, which was the longest in duration as it went from the age of 15 to 30. To participate, he must be invited by a Rabbi and, if selected, he would begin a process of grooming that would lead to the potential of becoming a Rabbi at age 30. Those who were chosen were referred to as Talmidim. They would literally follow in the dust of their rabbi – desiring to emulate him in all of his mannerisms. They would eat the same food in exactly the same way as their rabbi. They would go to sleep and awake the same way as their rabbi and, more importantly, they would learn to study Torah and understand God the exact same way as their rabbi.

I could say a lot more about this and how this reflects on Jesus and His disciples, but the goal of this post was not to dive into the Jewish educational system, but to consider Scripture memorization. As I mentioned at the first level they learn and memorize the Torah by the age of 12. Just to give you an idea: that’s 187 chapters, or 5852 verses or 156,058 words. Just to give you the equivalent from a New Testament perspective, that is in terms of chapters, memorizing from Matthew until 1 Thessalonians including; in terms of verses it’s roughly memorizing from Matthew until 2 Corinthians including; and in terms of words (which is probably the most accurate measuring method) it’s roughly memorizing from Matthew until more than half of Hebrews. Can you imagine!! And that at the age of 12!!!

Let’s do the math: 6 years = 72 months = 312 weeks = 2184 days. Thus, memorizing the Torah (which is 5852 verses) is roughly 3 verses per day (2.68 to be exact). I don’t even want to know what that would mean memorizing the remainder of the Old Testament in only 3 years.

Now, I am not saying that we should all memorize the Torah, but there are definitely advantages to memorizing complete books of the Bible. Deuteronomy 8:3 says that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” and “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Also, with memorizing verses there is a greater likelihood of taking verses out of context or missing the flow of argumentation. For example, for any verse starting with “therefore…” you would need to know what preceded this verse in order for it to make sense.

Let’s make it practical. Let’s say you aim for memorizing one verse per day and you would only focus on the New Testament, then this would mean that within 2 weeks you could memorize 2 John or 3 John, but you may find these maybe not the most attractive books to start with. But doing Philemon or Jude in 4 weeks sounds like a good option, because these are great letters. Or think about memorizing Ephesians in only 6 months. Another great option is of course memorizing some psalms. There are 150, varying in length between 2 verses (Psalm 117) and 176 verses (Psalm 119), but the average length is about 16 verses, which means that on average a psalm can be memorized in two weeks.

My advice is this: don’t be overwhelmed by memorizing Scripture. Take it slow, pick something that appeals to both the mind and the heart, and just do it! All you need is a decision, a plan to memorize and refresh, and accountability. Take baby steps, and before you know it you have memorized a psalm, a chapter, or a complete letter or book. Once you start training your mind to hold the information you will get better at it and will be able to memorize more verses a day.

Now, why is this so important? “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). Don’t we all want to sin less?! I know I do! Less sinning means giving more glory to God, which means more and more the object of our worship will be God, and that is what He desires and delights in.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

“All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27)

There are two instances that I want to discuss here, and then give some thoughts about these.

Instance 1: Genesis 1:1
As you may know, Hebrew letters have numerical values. If you examine the numerical values of each of the Hebrew letters, and the numerical value of the words, and apply them to this formula: (The number of letters * the product of the letters) / (The number of words * the product of the words), then the result is 3.1416 x 10-17. The mathematical value of pi to four decimal places! Coincidence? Maybe. The ancient Hebrew sages believed, of course, that God created the heavens and the earth. However, some of them believed that the Word of God was the very template with which He did it. This strikes some of us as simply a colorful exaggeration that goes beyond any direct evidence. But there are hints here and there…

Instance 2: John 1:1
Also Greek letters have numerical values. And so let’s examine the numerical values of each of the Greek letters as well, and the numerical value of the words, and apply the same formula as above. The result is 2.7183 x 10-65. The mathematical value of e to four decimal places! Curious to say the least.

Each of these is another of those puzzling ostensible “coincidences” that are too astonishing to dismiss, and yet present challenges in suggesting any real significance. And taken together, they do evoke some conjectures. There are, however, at least two problems: why just four decimal places (they both deviate from the fifth place onwards) and what do you do with all the “extra zeroes”? It could be a hint of something deeper maybe.

OK, enough math… What does this all signify? Simple. It signifies the beauty of God! Let’s see what the mathematicians say about pi (quotes taken from the above mentioned source):

“pi is an irrational number, meaning that it cannot be written as the ratio of two integers.“
Integers are mathematically the natural numbers. They are numbers that can be written without a fractional or decimal component. They are the “simple” numbers. God is irrational in the sense that you cannot just get a clean picture of Him by just working with some simple things. You can in the way of just believing in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, but then you conclude that God is 3.14. Yet there are so many more digits to take into consideration when trying to get a full picture.

“pi is also a transcendental number, meaning that there is no polynomial with rational coefficients for which pi is a root. [...] An important consequence of the transcendence of π is the fact that it is not constructible.“
God is also transcendental in that He is superior, supernatural, one, true, good, etc.

Let’s see what the mathematicians say about e (quotes taken from the above mentioned source):

“The mathematical constant e is the unique real number“
God is also unique and real.

“e is one of the most important numbers in mathematics“
God is the most important person in the universe.

“The number e is irrational; it is not a ratio of integers. Furthermore, it is transcendental“
Same explanation applies here as with pi.

So, in summary, what does it signify? That everything, absolute everything in our universe points to God. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

IF YOU

{
receive my words (v.1)
treasure up my commandments with you (v.1)
make your ear attentive to wisdom (v.2)
incline your heart to understanding (v.2)
call out for insight (v.3)
raise your voice for understanding (v.3)
seek [wisdom] like silver (v.4)
search for [wisdom] as for hidden treasures (v.4)
}

THEN YOU

{
will find the knowledge of God (v.5)
will understand the fear of the LORD (v.5)
will understand righteousness (v.9)
will understand justice (v.9)
will understand equity (v.9)
will understand every good path (v.9)
will have wisdom come into your heart (v.10)
will have knowledge which will be pleasant to your soul (v.10)
will have discretion watching over you (v.11)
will have understanding guarding you (v.11)
will walk in the way of the good (v.20)
will keep to the paths of the righteous (v.20)
will inhabit and remain in the land (v.21)
will be delivered from the way of evil (v.12)
will be delivered from men of perverted speech (v.12)

{
who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness (v.13)
who rejoice in doing evil (v.14)
who delight in the perverseness of evil (v.14)
who have paths that are crooked (v.15)
who are devious in their ways (v.15)
}

will be delivered from the forbidden woman, the adulteress with her smooth words (v.16)

{
who forsakes the companion of her youth (v.17)
who forgets the covenant of her God (v.17)
}

}

ELSE

{
your house sinks down to death (v.18)
your paths will sink to the departed (v.18)
you will be cut off from the land (v.22)
you will be rooted out of the land (v.22)
}

How can we be sure of this? Because of the amazing character of the LORD

1. the LORD gives wisdom (v.6)
2. from his mouth comes knowledge (v.6)
3. from his mouth comes understanding (v.6)
4. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright (v.7)
5. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity (v.7)
6. He is guarding the paths of justice (v.8)
7. He is watching over the way of his saints (v.8)

Aren’t these amazing promises! I love how the conditions are few yet the outcome is great. It gives me great enthusiasm to go for it! I think the conditions can be summed up as one who by grace of God is pursuing humility and diligently searches for God’s heart and is eager to have an unveiled face to behold the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:18), to see “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6) and be transformed into His image. Wow!

Over at Enjoying God Ministries, Sam Storms, keynote speaker for our upcoming pastors conference, gives some helpful instruction on preaching.

In the second of three articles in his series An Appeal to All Pastors: Why and How Should We Preach, Sam gives us eight reasons why pastors should be committed to biblical preaching.

1. We must preach because of the power of the Word of God to change human lives and to transform the experience of the church.
2. We must preach because preaching is God’s ordained means for making himself known to us.
3. We must preach because preaching not only communicates truth about God, it also mediates the very person and power of God.
4. We must preach because preaching (aside from reading) is the most effective means for transmitting the truths of Holy Scripture.
5. We must preach because preaching is the fuel for worship. Preaching fans the flames of passion for Jesus.
6. We must preach because preaching is not simply the fuel for worship, preaching is worship.
7. We must preach because preaching is the catalyst for church growth, renewal, and revival.
8. We must preach because preaching is the means by which the glory of God is revealed and imparted to those who listen with faith.

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in Sam’s series.

This is a familiar verse and is often used in the context of evangelism, and it is good to be reminded of this verse, but sometimes it is also good to approach it from a different angle. We are commanded here by the Lord Jesus to ask Him to send out workers in His harvest field, but what is a worker? If we know what a worker is, then we know what we ask for, right? And since the workers are few, and Jesus wants more of them, it is good to know what a worker is, so that we can become one ourselves.

The Greek word for ‘worker’ is ‘ergatēs’ and occurs 15 times in 14 verses (Matthew 9:37-38; 10:10; 20:1-2; 20:8; Luke 10:2; 10:7; Acts 19:25; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Philippians 3:2; 1 Timothy 5:18; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 5:4). I want to pick out the verse from 2 Timothy 2:15 and dwell on this.

Approved and Not Ashamed
“Be diligent [hard-working, eager, constant] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)

We should strive to approve ourselves to God and do not be ashamed. If we look at the concepts of approved and ashamed in the Scriptures, then two verses stand out: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12), and “But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1 Peter 4:16). It seems that presenting ourselves approved and not being ashamed are linked to each other through suffering. We don’t glorify God for suffering, but we do glorify Him in suffering, and we glorify Him for what He will accomplish in us and through us with the suffering. Also, it requires faith (taking God at His Word) and walking securely in it. “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9). Again, we see this concept of suffering. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this:

Resist. Be more prayerful every time he is more active. He will soon give it up; if he finds that his attacks drive you to Christ. Often has Satan been nothing but a big black dog to drive Christ’s sheep nearer to the Master.

On top of that we have to accurately handle the Word of truth. That takes diligence and humility, and a zeal (enthusiasm) for God. “Now these {Bereans} were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Eagerness means a readiness of mind and heart. Now, the Greek word for accurately is ‘orthotomeō’ and is a compound of ‘orthos’ (straight), which in Hebrews 12:10-14 is used in reference to discipline, and ‘tomos’ (sharper), which in Hebrews 4:12 is used in reference to the Word of God being a sword.

The Unashamed Workman
If we then read 2 Tim. 2:15 in context of that whole section (which is all about the unashamed workman), we can extract 20 things which defines a workman:

1. Tell false teachers not to wrangle about words (v.14)
2. Be diligent to present himself a workman (v.15)
3. Not be ashamed (v.15)
4. Accurately handle the Scriptures (v.15)
5. Avoid worldly and empty chatter (v.16)
6. To abstain from wickedness (v.19)
7. Be a vessel of honor (v.21)
8. Be sanctified (v.21)
9. Be useful to Jesus (v.21)
10. Be ready for every good work (v.21)
11. Flee from youthful lusts (v.22)
12. Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (v.22)
13. Pursue those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (v.22)
14. Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations (v.23)
15. Not be quarrelsome (v.24)
16. Be kind to all (v.24)
17. Able to teach (v.24)
18. Patient when wronged (v.24)
19. Be gentle (v.25)
20. Be correcting those in opposition (v.25)

What Is a Worker?
It is one who studies and examines the Bible eagerly and in humility, in order to walk in God’s truth and resist the world. It is one who is useful to Jesus for good works, and who is firm in his faith and perseveres under trial and glorifies God through it.

What Does a Worker Do?
First, he prays! To the LORD for more workers (us!): “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Secondly, he goes and harvest for Jesus: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10)

Now, let’s get back to our starting verse. We are to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. Did you know that the same word for “to send out” (ekballō) is the same word that is used for driving out a demon?! In other words, it takes a lot of power (from God!) to drive us out to work! We need God, so we need prayer!

“Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” (Acts 14:23)

“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” (Acts 16:25)

“Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.” (Acts 28:7-9)

“God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.” (Romans 1:9-10)

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” (Romans 12:12)

“For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)

“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly” (Ephesians 1:16)

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18)

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy” (Philippians 1:3-4)

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6)

“We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 1:3)

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.” (Colossians 1:9a)

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2)

“We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

“Night and day we pray earnestly for you” (1 Thessalonians 3:10a)

“Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

“So we keep on praying for you” (2 Thessalonians 1:11a)

“In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.” (1 Timothy 2:8)

“Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” (2 Timothy 1:3b)

“I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon” (Philemon 1:4)

But, man, what a challenge it is to love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind! How I would love to study and meditate on Him day and night and to be firmly planted, in other words, be like Abraham who “did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:20-21). I want to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). It is all about His faithfulness, not mine. And that is comforting to know…

Yet at the moment I feel like an Ephesian, having left my first love, and I trying to figure out ways to remember, repent and do the first things again. It is a challenge, but I want to do it, because He is more precious than anything. So I guess I should start meditating on the Torah, get close to Jesus again in my heart so my love can grow and my soul can be restored.

I’ve heard it said that a man would climb a mountain just to be with the one he loves.
How many times has he broken that promise? It has never been done.
I’ve never climbed the highest mountain, but I walked the hill of Calvary

Just to be with you, I will do anything
There’s no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away

I’ve heard it said that a man would swim the ocean just to be with the one he loves
All of those dreams are an empty motion; It can never be done.
I’ve never swam the deepest ocean, but I walked upon the raging sea

Just to be with you, I will do anything
There’s no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away

I know that you don’t understand the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don’t realize how much that I give you
But I promise, I would do it all again

Just to be with you, I’ve done everything
There’s no price I did not pay no
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away
Just to be with you

1. You can’t really love (1 Tim. 1:5)
2. You can’t really draw near to Him (Heb. 10:22)
3. You can’t really seek Him (Ps. 27:8)
4. You can’t really speak truth (Ps. 12:2)
5. You can’t really stand in His holy place (Ps. 24:3-4)
6. You can’t really sing praises (Ps. 57:7)
7. You can’t really see God (Mat. 5:8)
8. You can’t really treasure Christ (Mat. 6:21)
9. You can’t really be precious in God’s eyes (1 Pet. 3:4)

No, our prayer should be to say yes to God’s question: “Give me your heart, My son, and let your eyes delight in My ways” (Pro. 23:26) and ask Him to “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10), so that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 4:7) and that the law of my God is in my heart and my steps do not slip (Ps. 37:31). Then we can say to God: “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart” (Ps. 26:2). “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” (Ps. 17:3), and “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” (Col. 3:12-13)

I would say that Jesus added two things to the Shema:

1. You shall love the Lord you God with all your mind
The Greek word for mind is ‘dianoia’ and could be translated as ‘will power.’ We receive this will power when we are born again as the Lord at that moment puts the Law into our minds (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). This addition matches the addition of the porch to Solomon’s temple to the original tabernacle. The porch represents the entrance or doorway between our life into our hearts, and thus determines which direction we take, ours or God’s.

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself
This is echoed in John 13:34-35 where He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Greek word for new (kainos) here implies freshness rather than recent or different. It’s for instance also used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation“). It’s not that Jesus just invented this command, but that He presents it in a new and fresh way. So what’s so fresh about it? Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18), the New Commandment is that they should love the brothers better than themselves, and die for their friends. The command to love wasn’t new, but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

To love as Jesus loved results in to serve as Jesus served. The key verse here is Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Clearly, we can choose to use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. That option (or danger) is open to us. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others. This is the antidote for using freedom as an occasion for the flesh. The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others. But when we through love serve one another, we conquer the flesh. This is exactly the pattern set by Jesus. He had more freedom than anyone who ever walked this earth did. Yet He used His liberty to through love serve one another. The idea is that as we naturally take care of ourselves, we should also take care of others.

Paul is apparently surprised that his own teaching on the end times had not stopped the Thessalonians from believing the false claim, so he rehearses that teaching. The man of lawlessness cannot be unveiled while what is restraining (Greek ‘to katechon’, neuter participle of ‘katechō’, ‘to prevent, hinder, restrain’) him now is at work. In verse 7 Paul refers to he who now restrains (Greek. ‘ho katechōn’, masculine participle of the same word). This implies that the restrainer is neuter, yet the personality is masculine, in other words the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He prevents the premature manifestation of the man of sin as the very embodiment of iniquity. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit assumed a special relationship to the Church as its indweller, who would be there forever (John 14:16-17). And as Jesus said in John 16:7 that if Jesus doesn’t go away the Holy Spirit doesn’t come, likewise, at the end, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t go away the man of sin doesn’t come. In other words, as the Holy Spirit and the Church are forever bound to each other (the Church is sealed in Him – Ephesians 1:13-14), the restraint can only be lifted when the restrainer removes Himself, and thus the Church removes herself, which happens at the rapture. This would imply that the people who are saved between the rapture and the final hour will experience the Holy Spirit in a similar matter as the saints before Pentecost, i.e. on a personal basis and not as a collective unified body.

This is an amazing piece of text by the apostle Peter. Can you imagine being Peter, witnessing all the miracles Jesus performed, seeing the Holy Spirit ascending on Jesus like a dove, literally hearing the voice of God come out of heaven twice (both at the baptism and at the transfiguration), seeing Jesus in all His glory at the transfiguration, seeing the empty tomb, sticking His fingers in the nail prints, seeing Jesus go back up to heaven? And what does Peter say here?! Oh well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I tell you that the prophetic word is even a better testimony than me being an eyewitness! Crazy!! The prophetic word, which prophesied all the things which Peter witnessed up close, has come true indeed, which means that all the other prophecies are thereby also validated to be sure to be fulfilled as written. And this is amazing news! And what is Peter’s instruction? To pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. In other words, we are commanded to invest time in figuring out all the prophetic words because they will bring light in a dark place, comfort and joy where there is not, and it confirms and builds our hope until our hope is fulfilled at the end.

Amazing!

Some other interesting observations:

1. In Matthew 28:10, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” You can interpret this verse in different ways. It definitely meant seeing Jesus physically, as His physical appearance to the disciples is recorded many times. But, if it also meant seeing Jesus spiritually, then this is a prophecy and a promise!
2. In Mark 16:10-11, Mary Magdalene “went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.” It seems that just hearing about His resurrection (although Mary had seen Him) did not avail to much for the other disciples who had not seen Him yet (also many did not even believe when they also say Him).
3. In Mark 16:12-13, Jesus “appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.” I wonder what this means (Jesus appearing in another form), but this is the story of the Emmaus road where in Luke 24:16 it is said that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” It is clear from this verse that Jesus is sovereign over who really sees Him and not, yet Jesus also said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Something similar is written in Mark 16:14, where Jesus “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” Believe is always a heart issue! Then later “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30-31), “and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35). Again a beautiful verse displaying the sovereignty of the LORD!
4. In John 20:20, Jesus “showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Thomas likewise needed to see the marks in His hands and side. Although it seems that “seeing is believing” applies here, I do believe that Jesus opened their heart first, because there are many occasions where “seeing is believing” does not apply.
5. In John 21, “Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” (v.4), and “that disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!‘” (v.7) only recognizes Jesus after He repeats the miracle of the great catch (see Luke 5:1-11). Was this a not knowing as in that they weren’t aware someone was watching them in the first place? Or that they saw someone standing there, but did not physically recognize him (not so much because of scars etc, but because He was standing too far off or it was early in the morning so maybe foggy or still not fully day? Or that hey did not recognize Him spiritually? In any case, later on in the story we read in John 21:12 that, “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.“
6. In Luke 24:12, after being told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen, Peter “rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” Although Peter had to see with his own eyes that the tomb was empty, it seems that seeing the empty tomb himself did do the trick for him.

What to say from all of this? It seems to me that it is primarily a matter of the heart that the disciples did not recognize Jesus:

• Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for gardener not so much because of His mutilated physical appearance (although a plucked beard indeed could make someone unrecognizable – by the way, do you think this was on purpose, to enhance the spiritual aspect of seeing Him?), but because she believed that His physical body was stolen (i.e. she did not believe He would resurrect);
• Peter accepted Jesus’ resurrection just seeing the empty tomb (i.e. he did believe without seeing Jesus);
• The two disciples on the Emmaus road were spiritually blinded by Jesus (by the way, do you think this was in order to give Jesus the opportunity to tell the whole history in a nutshell?) before their eyes were opened by seeing the nail prints when Jesus broke the bread;
• Jesus on several occasions rebuked the disciples for their hard hearts;
• Although John recognizes Jesus, it did take a realization that He repeated an earlier miracle;

There is definitely a component of His physical mutilation which hindered them from recognizing Jesus, but to me this only emphasizes even more their hardheartedness. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

The next time we read of Barnabas is in Acts 9:27 when Barnabas “took [Saul] and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” Again, Barnabas is encouraging the other believers by being an example of his loving spirit (in comparison to the other disciples who were afraid of Saul). Barnabas exemplifies 1 Corinthians 13:7 (“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.“)

Then we read about Barnabas in Acts 11:22-24 when the church in Jerusalem hears about the great things happening in Antioch, and they send Barnabas to check it out. “When [Barnabas] came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.“

After that, in Acts 11:25-30, Barnabas, seeing the advancement of the gospel, goes to Tarsus to get Saul and go back to Antioch to further instruct many people. And when prophets came to Antioch with news that a great famine would come, Barnabas (with Saul) is sent to the brothers in Judea to sent relief.

Then, Barnabas accompanies Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) to Cyprus (Barnabas’ home), Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, and Derbe.

It is Barnabas (with Paul) who is appointed to go to the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:2), and brought great joy to the brothers in Phoenicia and Samaria on his way (Acts 15:3). During the council, Barnabas (again with Paul) encourages the council by telling about all the great “signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” (Acts 15:22). Barnabas gets to take the letter back to Antioch to encourage the believers there about the great news of the outcome, and “teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also” (Acts 15:35)

The last we hear from Barnabas is when he stood up for the young John Mark when Paul did not want to take him with him on the second missionary journey.

In summary, Barnabas is a great example of how, filled with the Holy Spirit, one can be a great example in giving, loving, teaching and preaching, exhorting, and defending other believers and the faith. He is truly a son of encouragement, and I feel greatly convicted (yet encouraged) by his example. But praise the LORD for Barnabas and the opportunity to always grow in walking in the Spirit. And what Paul said of himself, Barnabas can surely say about himself too, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Two words come to mind when I think about Leviticus: holiness and worship. In those days the holy LORD was present in the midst of the people (Ex. 40:34, Lev. 1:1). The people of Israel must therefore properly address their sin and impurity and must strive for personal holiness. In order to approach God, worshipers must be wholehearted in their devotion (1:1–6:7; 22:17–30). The same applies to us today. We are called and commanded to worship the LORD. In order to do this we need to present ourselves appropriately. By the grace of God, through Jesus, are able to come before the LORD with confidence (Heb. 4:16, 10:19-22, 10:35). Yet, this does not mean that we don’t have to worry about our holiness! We, like in the old days, are still called to strive for personal holiness, to sanctify ourselves completely (1 Thess. 5:23), and in the truth (John 17:17), through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2), and have Jesus reign in our hearts as LORD (1 Peter 3:15).

The book of Leviticus gives us a picture of the seriousness of sanctification, the utter holiness of the LORD, the utter separation we have through sin, and the foreshadowing of Jesus in the midst of it all, as it is impossible from the human side to present ourselves clean before the LORD.

The book of Leviticus gives us these pictures as it discusses the need for offerings (ch. 1-7), the need for a priesthood (ch. 8-10), the need for explaining cleanness and uncleanness (ch. 11-15), the need for atonement (ch. 16), the need for blood to atone (ch. 17), and the need for holiness (ch. 18-22). This all builds up to Jesus in chapter 23 where the holy feasts are explained prophetically for the appointed times and the ultimate redemption (jubilee and the law of redemption). The book closes then off with a series of blessings and curses (ch. 26) and vows and dedications (ch. 27).

In other words, the whole book is a picture the need for holiness as the LORD is holy, with the purpose of worshiping the LORD in all we do and are.

If I would have to choose a psalm which has/had the most impact on my life it would have to be Psalm 26. Why? Simply because I would love to be able to say this for myself. I long for it! David’s statements are incredible! I mean, to ask the LORD to prove his innocence?! Come on, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:3b). I think verse 8 is my favorite: “O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells.” This is an amazing verse to meditate on and to be used for when you want to worship God, when you are thankful to God, when you feel the beauty of Christ’s completed work in your life, when you repent, etc. I need to be reminded often of this psalm and its beauty and its truth, and renew my mind with it. Wouldn’t it be a great testimony to God for generations to come if my epitaph would say something like: “Here lies Marc. A godly man who walked with integrity and trusted in the LORD without wavering”? Oh well, there is a long way to go, but “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

Some tidbits

• In the NASB, the word ‘savior’ appears 37 times in 37 verses (13x OT; 24xNT). In Hebrew the word for ‘savior’ is ‘yasha`’ which can mean ‘to save, to deliver, to help, to preserve, to avenge, to be victorious’. In the Greek the word is ‘sōtēr’ and comes from the root ‘sōzō’ which means ‘to save, to make whole, to heal, to be whole’.
• In the NASB, the word ‘LORD’ appears 7873 times in 6679 verses (6063x OT; 616x NT). In Hebrew the word for ‘LORD’ is mostly ‘Yĕhovah’ which means ‘the existing One’. In the Greek the word is ‘kyrios’ and comes from the root ‘kuros’ which means ‘supremacy’.
• Peter is the only New Testament writer you uses the term ‘Lord and savior’ (in 2 Pet. 1:11; 2:20; 3:2; 3:18).

Savior
To me, there is a huge difference between God being my savior or God being my Lord. He is first of all my savior in that He saved me, delivered me (redeemed me) from from so many things. From God’s wrath in the first place and from myself in the second place. He also rescued me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of Jesus (Col. 1:13). It goes without saying that all of this is fully by His grace and all accomplished by justification (the past tense of being saved) and will be fully completed ultimately by glorification (the future tense of being saved). For a lot of people, who see God only as their savior, this is where it ends. God saves as a once-and-for-all deal, they continue living without change, and they will be glorified at the end.

LORD
But, He is also my savior on a day-to-day basis. This is sanctification (the present tense of being saved), a process which will take a lifetime. By the power of the Holy Spirit, through the completed work of Jesus Christ, becoming more and more like Jesus, continuously being purified until God the Father sees His image in my life. This process, through faith, is what can only happen when you see God not only as savior but also as Lord. In my research for this question I came across the following verse, which I think says it all. It’s Isaiah 48:17 which says, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” Do I need to say more? I don’t think so. How can I not want to follow Him?! “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat. 11:28-30). But, although His yoke is easy, that doesn’t mean it will be easy. We must allow the dead to bury the dead (Mat. 8:22), we must deny ourselves (Mat. 16:24), we must serve Jesus (John 12:26), and we must be like sheep (John 10:27).

This to me is the difference between seeing God as savior and seeing God as Lord. And boy, what a challenge it is! Maybe that’s the reason why the word ‘Lord’ appears 213 times more in the Bible than the word ‘savior’?

But with regards to not taking the name of the LORD your God in vain, I think there may be some confusion. I don’t think this has to do with use of words but with ambassadorship; how well do I represent Him in my daily life. It reminds me of Colossians 3:1-17. Maybe it’s good to dig into this a little bit.

Set Your Mind On Things Above (Col. 3:1-4)
The starting point is to keep seeking the things above, which we do by setting our mind on things above. A transformation of the mind is what’s needed. In other words, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phi. 3:10) and step away from appetite being my god because I set my mind on earthly things (Phi. 3:19). See also Colossians 2:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. Our mind needs to be fixed on heaven. To seek the things above is to be desire it, to have a passion for it. We need to develop a passion for Christ. Without it we won’t seek Him and keep setting our mind on earthly things as we are used to. I think it’s also interesting that it says that Christ is our life. This can be taken literally (John 11:25, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:10), but also figuratively, where if something is your life then it is the main thing in your life, your passion. Think about a hobby or so. The best way to describe this is of course how Paul says it in Philippians 1:21, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Putting Off The Old Self (Col. 3:5-9)
Now this is quite the list! Consider yourself dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. Wow! What do these things lead to? Idolatry (i.e. the first commandment). Also put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech, and lying. As if the first list wasn’t enough conviction! Couple of things stand out to me in this long list. Impurity makes me think of getting ourselves refined like gold until all the impurities are out of our character and God sees Himself reflected in us. Things like anger, wrath, malice and slander make me think about getting back at someone or reacting to wrong being done against you. What we need to realize in those circumstances is that Christ died for their sins as well, and He will set everything right at the end. In other words, leave it up Him to deal with injustice as He will do a much better job at it than we can, considering He is both just and the justifier.

Putting On The New Self (Col. 3:10-17)
Again Paul makes it clear that it starts with “being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of [Christ]” (Col. 3:10). This is quite a list as well! A heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, and love. This list resembles the listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. I think verses 15-17 are the perfect summary:

• Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart;
• Be thankful;
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
• Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus;
• Give thanks through Jesus to the father;

The latter two is the ambassadorship and a reflection of Commandment #3. Even if you would things in accordance with this list but you don’t do it in the name of Jesus, then it is all in vain. In summary, by renewing our mind we are putting off the old self after which we can put on the new self and make ourselves available to God to really be His ambassadors. Wow, what a challenge!!

This all also reflects what Jesus says are the two greatest commandments:

• “You shall love the lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
• “You shall love your neighbor like yourself” (Matthew 22:39)

TRUTH: While the KJV uses the phrase “Lord Jesus Christ” 81 times throughout its version, Eugene Peterson completely eliminated that phrase from his version. How convenient!

QUOTE: “The New Testament says the church is the body of Christ but for the last 100 years the hands and feet have been amputated. The church has been nothing but a mouth for 100 yrs.” – Rick Warren

TRUTH: In the last century there have been more martyrs in the church than in all 19 centuries before that. In the last century more copies of the Bible have been distributed than in all 19 centuries before that. In the last century more people have come to know Christ than in all 19 centuries before that.

QUOTE: “The reason the Hebrews didn’t enter the promised land was because of their lack of faith and lack of self-esteem robbed them of their fruitful future. They never fulfilled their destiny because of the way they saw themselves.” – Joel Osteen

TRUTH: “So the LORD said, ‘I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.’” (Numbers 14:20-23)

QUOTE: “The church has been preoccupied with the question, ‘What happens to your soul after you die?’ As if the reason for Jesus coming can be summed up in, ‘Jesus is trying to help get more souls into heaven as opposed to hell, after they die.’ I just think a fair reading of the Gospels blows that out of the water. I don’t think that the entire message and life of Jesus can be boiled down to that bottom line.” – Brian McLaren

TRUTH: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” – Jesus (John 3:36)

QUOTE: “I don’t think we’ve got the gospel right yet. What does it mean to be ‘saved’? When I read the Bible I don’t see it meaning, ‘I’m going to heaven after I die.’ Before modern evangelicalism nobody accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior or walked down an aisle or said the sinner’s prayer.” – Brian McLaren

TRUTH: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” – Jesus (Matthew 7:21)

QUOTE: “Stop preaching sermons, start telling stories” – Erwin McManus

TRUTH: I don’t even know where to start! Copy these verses in BibleGateway.com or so and see for yourself. Nowhere in the Bible does preaching equate to telling stories: Matthew 4:17, Matthew 10:7, Matthew 24:14,  Mark 3:14, Mark 6:12, Mark 16:15, Luke 4:43, Luke 8:1, Acts 5:42, Acts 8:4, Acts 8:35, Acts 10:42, Acts 14:7, Acts 28:30-31, Romans 10:14-17, 1 Corinthians 1:17, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 15:12, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Galatians 1:8, 2 Timothy 4:1-2

The classic text on the weapons of warfare is Ephesians 6:14-18. They can be subdivided in three different sections. It is interesting to see that the order as they are listed is also the order in which the soldier puts on the armor.

The Spiritual Armor To Have
These pieces of the armor are the bare necessities. They are foundational, but they also always should be present. They all three indicate some sort of readiness to move forward.

1. Have Your Loins Girded With Truth (Eph. 6:14)
Technically speaking the belt of truth is not part of the armor, but is put on beforehand. When a man sat down and was relaxed, he took off his belt. Putting on the belt prepares you for action, it frees your movements, and it put him in a battle frame of mind. The belt of truth can be described as the whole of what you believe about Christ. It is a foundation you live upon all the time, your understanding of and confidence in the basic doctrines of the faith. In effect we should never take off the belt of truth. We should always be ready for action. The same idea is conveyed in Luke 12:35 (“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.“) and 1 Peter 1:13 (“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.“)

2. Have The Breastplate of Righteousness Put On (Eph. 6:14)
The breastplate provides protection for the vital organs. Important to here is to understand that it is Jesus’ righteousness (received by faith), not our own, that we have to put on. It is our defense against spiritual depression. It gives us a general sense of confidence, an awareness of our standing and position. Abraham believed in the LORD and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us” (Deu. 6:25). “How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!” (Ps. 106:3). We read in Proverbs 2:1-10 all the prerequisites to discern righteousness.

3. Have Your Feet Shod With the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace (Eph. 6:15)
The idea here is a readiness for action, to take the Gospel out to the world. They are combat boots, ready not only for action, but also for longevity it is good to have good shoes. “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Is. 52:7). Although good news is brought, you have to stand firm in your shoes to withstand the opposition. It reminds me of Galatians 1:6-9 and Paul’s call to not let the Gospel get perverted. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” It is “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15)

The Spiritual Armor To Take
The next three pieces of armor, on top of those you always have on (truth, righteousness, gospel), depend on the situation for them to be used.

4. Take the Shield of Faith (Eph. 6:16)
Faith is represented as a shield, protecting us from the arrows of the devil. It makes me think of the movie “300″ where the Spartan in close formation completely protect themselves from the enemy. No arrows come through. It is also interesting that Paul specifically talks about arrows. These are not weapons for close combat, and they were often used for surprise attacks from far off. The attacks which are less obvious. It is our faith that protects us here as a shield.

5. Take the Helmet of Salvation (Eph. 6:17)
The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph. When we are properly equipped with the helmet of salvation, it’s hard to stay discouraged.

6. Take the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God (Eph. 6:17)
The Word of God is the only piece of armor used for attacking the enemy. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12). I think that’s interesting. It reminds me of Jesus in the wilderness and how three times in a row he uses Scripture. It seems like he is defending Himself instead of attacking, but the devil did leave Him, like James says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jam. 4:7). Think of a soldier or a gladiator in training, practicing sword thrusts and moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time, and if he is a superior fighter, and has a great fighting instinct, at the time of battle he will instantly recall which thrust, which position suits the precise moment. He will never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practiced it, but he still needs to make the move at the moment. Therefore, effectively using the sword takes practice. Lots of practice.

The Spiritual Strength
The whole armor comes together in one thing: prayer.

7. Pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18-20)
The weapons for warfare are spiritual because they are rooted in prayer, which is our most powerful resource. Prayer is to permeate believers’ lives as a universal practice. There are three aspects here: when (at all times), how (with all prayer, alertness and perseverance), and for whom (for all the saints). “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Rom. 8:26-27). And prayer for what? To make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, that in proclaiming it I may be be spoken boldly, as it ought to be spoken!

1. Enoch lives a normal life for 65 years
2. Enoch gets a son and calls him Methuselah (meaning: his death shall bring)
3. Enoch walks with God for 300 years, and then God takes him

So, Enoch walks with God after he begot Methuselah. Considering the name of his son you would think that God revealed Himself to him, and His plan, and that after his birth he becomes a prophet because of it. Interesting is that Enoch means “teaching” and he is a prophet. Now, the only prophecy we have of Enoch is recorded in Jude 14-15, and from what he said I can imagine he was not the most popular guy around. Enoch knew about the coming judgment (upon the death of his son), Enoch knew about the final judgment. I believe that these things compelled him to believe God, obey God, fear God, and walk closely with Him. Methuselah was born to die, and his death would usher in the wrath of God. His dad knew it. And he lived differently because of it. I think that is why Enoch walked with God. “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; And he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” (Heb. 11:5). And what’s the verse straight after that? “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6).

To me, walking with God means walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), walking in the Light (1 Jhn. 1:7) and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3), walking with integrity (Ps. 15:2; Pr. 2:7), walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walking in love (Eph. 5:2), walking as wise men (Eph. 5:15), walking in Christ (Col. 2:6), walking in a manner worthy of God (1 Thess. 2:12), and walking in the truth (3 Jhn. 1:4)

Lately I feel more and more convicted about my walk with God. Sometimes it feels like it’s a long distance relationship and He sends me long love letters and I send Him post-it notes or Twitter notes (i.e. short notes) in return. It’s not that I am not spending time in the Word, but it’s that I tend to have an intellectual pathway to God and forget the step from head to heart. I sometimes think if it would be an idea to leave the Bible as a book for a little while and spend time just talking, walking and meditating on God (like in the “old days” when people didn’t have their own copy of the Bible). All I want to say is that knowing is not enough, I must apply; and talking is not enough, I must walk.

“And He gave:

• the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers:
  • to equip the saints for the work of ministry
  • for building up the body of Christ
• until we all attain:
  • to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
  • to mature manhood
  • to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
• so that we may no longer be children:
  • tossed to and fro by the waves and
  • carried about by every wind of doctrine,
  • by human cunning,
  • by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
• Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way
  • into him who is the head,
  • into Christ,
• from whom the whole body,
  • joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,
  • when each part is working properly,
• makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)

What struck me in this section is that it all starts with the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers who apparently have two tasks within the body to bring to whole body to maturity in Christ (meaning no longer children), and that a major key in this is to speak the truth in love in order to build the body up in love. Another major key is that the whole section starts off by saying that it is Jesus who gives.

During the summer months they are doing some maintenance (for the new North/South connection) on the metro track between Amstelveen and Amsterdam. Now, normally I could easily hop on the metro and within 25 minutes plus a 5 minute walk be at my work, but now I had to take a bus to station South/WTC (20 minutes), take the train to Duivendrecht (10 minutes), take the metro to Spaklerweg (5 minutes) and then walk 5 minutes to work. All in all, about a one hour ordeal. Think this a bad start to of the week? Read on.

At work I called my car dealer and asked if I could come by this afternoon to get my tire fixed (meaning get the flat tired replaced and put the spare back in the trunk). They told me they would have to look if they had the tire on stock and would call me back, which they never did. At the end of my working day I made my way back to the gas station in the same manner as that morning, yet I accidentally took the wrong metro back (and I only noticed that when I was one stop away from the final stop – which meant adding another 25 minutes of traveling), and was ready for a first time ever replacing of a flat tire. My lovely wife was so sweet to come and support me (having more experience and expertise in this field). So, we jacked the car, removed the flat tire, got the spare out of the trunk, but when trying to put it on we realized quickly that the spare tire (which had been in my trunk for 10 years!) did not fit as the spaces between the screw holes were different. So, I called the Mitsubishi Service Desk, and their advice was to tow my car, which I really didn’t want as it would take a long time and cost a lot of money, so I gracefully declines their offer. Instead I decided to retry putting air in my flat tire (which failed before when it was still on my car) and see how fast it deflated. This was successful and it didn’t deflate immediately, so I decided to quickly put the “flat tire” back on my car, and drive as quickly as possible to my car dealer so they could take care of the problem. Think this a bad start of the week? Read on.

The car dealer told me that they did not have my type of tire on stock so they needed to order it and would come in a day later. Considering I couldn’t do much about this I had to accept the situation, and left my car there overnight. But then, they called me on Tuesday that they made a mistake in the order and I had to wait another day for the tire to come in. This means now three days in a row taking the huge public transport 60+ minutes detour to work (instead of a 12-minute car ride). Oh well, not much I could do. So, on Wednesday I waited and waited for a phone call from the dealer telling me that my car was all fixed again, but it never came. So I went to the car dealer at the end of the day, and I saw that my car was ready, but just didn’t call me. Lucky enough I was able to get my car back, yet I still don’t have a new spare tire in the trunk (considering the current one is useless).

Elated Grace
So, long story but where’s the grace? Well, obviously not getting a flat tire while driving is grace. Not getting in either an accident or my flat tire running off the wheel while driving to the gas station is grace. But, “real” grace happened on Monday afternoon on the way back home with the public transport. Remember I told you I got on the wrong metro? Well, it turned out that when I ended up at the end of the wrong line and got on the metro back to my original stop I was minding my own business, staring out the window, when all of a sudden next to me a guy stood up and started preaching (proclaiming Jesus!) right in the middle of the metro. It was a big African-American guy with an old-fashioned King James Bible in his hand. Now I have sort of a love/hate relationship with street preachers because I don’t know who they are and what they’re up to, but this guy was something else! He didn’t do the usual “you’re all gonna burn in hell” preaching, but showed a genuine heart for the people in the metro, sharing the Good News of Jesus with passion and love, then starting singing a hymn, and ended his time with a powerful prayer which literally brought him to his knees. I was impressed!

We happened to get off at the same stop, and when I walked passed him he asked me what I thought of the words he spoke. I shook his hands and said: “Amen, brother! Jesus Christ is LORD!” I could see the complete surprise on his face. Here we are, in the heart of the “black” district in Amsterdam, and a white guy says he loves Jesus. We started talking and I found out that he is an American missionary, who’s been in Amsterdam for about a month, started a church in Amsterdam South-East (called “New Wine Christian Center”) and his main ministry is metro preaching, which he has been doing for years in different parts of the world. It was really great to see a brother with so passion for the Bible. We ended up exchanging contact details. I thanked God for sending me intentionally in the wrong direction so I could meet this guy.

So, although it was obviously quite a bad Monday and following, I think I will treasure this meeting for the rest of my life as a beautiful moment of experiencing God’s grace, sovereignty and presence in my life.

Jesus is patient and kind; Jesus does not envy or boast; Jesus is not arrogant or rude. Jesus does not insist on His own way; Jesus is not irritable or resentful; Jesus does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Jesus bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Jesus never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when Jesus comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and Jesus abide, these three; but the greatest of these is Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

What a sad story, and what a sad truth! And the question needs to be raised who’s to blame? Is it the influence of sports (read: 24/7 sports entertainment at your disposal, via television and internet) on present day society? Is it because the definition of fatherhood is changing, due to cultural developments? Is it because there are different demands from children on their parents?

I don’t think so. I find it really disturbing that fathers need anything else but there unconditional love for their child for actually having a relationship with them. I find it disturbing that by using something (or especially) like sports, which in general does not bring out the best qualities in men, be the main thing that children (and especially boys) see there father, since there is an inherent desire in children (and especially boys) to be like their father, and so boys think it’s ok to scream and curse and be violent (yes, I am generalizing here), and then parents are surprised that their children are rebellious.

What is the solution to the problem? Many things probably, but the main thing is that the father from the birth of each of his children needs to be consistently and consciously involved in being a relationship with each individual child, and not wait until they hit puberty to start with this and then bring them to a soccer game (in which there is very little interaction and relationship built, as you are both watching the game) and try to make up for lost time. NO! Fathers are there to love, and instruct and admonish and encourage and discipline their children, always, from the very start.

A great little book to read on the topic of fathers is “Pastor Dad” by Mark Driscoll, which can be freely read online here.

Before the Sanhedrin
The Jewish high court consisted of 71 members (70 elders according to the pattern of Numbers 11:16 plus the high priest as presiding officer). It was dominated by the priestly Sadducees with a Pharisaic minority, represented mainly by the scribes (lawyers) of the court. Annas was of the Aaronic priesthood, but he was deposed by the Romans, and Caiaphas was put in his place. Caiaphas was the acting high priest, but appointed by the Romans; he was not of the line of Aaron. Caiaphas was in power for the Romans, but not really accepted by the Jews. Annas is still of powerful influence, although not officially in power. When Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin the next morning, they are asked by what power or name they do their work. Again it’s Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, who takes charge and speaks up, saying that if they are being charged for doing “a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by him this man is standing before you well.” (Acts 4:9-10). Peter doesn’t point to himself for healing the lame beggar. He also doesn’t just point to Jesus. He makes it perfectly clear that it is the Jesus whom the Sanhedrin crucified and whom God raised from the dead. Again Peter is pointing to the finished work of Jesus Christ and also putting the finger where it hurts. He says to the Sadducees that Jesus was raised from the dead and alive as they speak. Then Peter continues by quoting from Psalm 118:22, which is the psalm the Jews sang on Palm Sunday, and is also a reference to Isaiah 28:16, where Peter points out again that the miracle is because of Jesus Christ. He is answering their question twice. A double whammy!

And then Peter tops it off by verse 12: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved“. Wow, talk about directness and boldness. He is definitely not beating around the bush here. Peter’s statement that there was salvation in no other name was an implicit invitation to the Sanhedrin to place their faith in Jesus. It was Jesus’ name that brought physical deliverance to the lame man, the same powerful and exclusive name that brings eternal salvation to all who call upon him. Peter emphasizes this by saying that it is the only name under heaven by which a person can be saved. Further, there is no other name among men that saves. This echoes the words of Jesus on all sides, who said that “all things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27), and who said “I am l the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Boldness, and More Boldness
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition” (Acts 4:13-14). The boldness of Peter and John, combined with the fact that they were uneducated common men who had been with Jesus, shut the Sanhedrin up. They had nothing to say. After they conferred with each other, the Sanhedrin cowardly don’t even confirm publicly that a miracle has happened, while the lame beggar is standing right there! Instead they command Peter and John not to talk or teach in the name of Jesus anymore. Peter is really on a roll here and continues his attack against the Sanhedrin saying, “whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

Now when Peter and John return to their friends and explained what had happened, what do you think they did? They not only pray for even more boldness (Acts 4:29-30), but they also pray for the Sanhedrin! They are praying to God who made the very material world which the Sadducees rely upon! Their prayer for boldness in witness shows a determination to directly disobey the command of the Sanhedrin. They do not pray against those who persecute them but pray for their own faithfulness in witness. They quote Psalm 2 which is a dialogue between the world (we have no king but Caesar), God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And in light of that they define the world as Herod (the Hebrew authority), Pontius Pilate (the Roman authority), the Gentiles (all nations), and the peoples of Israel (Acts 4:27). So basically everybody. Their prayer is based on the sovereignty, wisdom, and active government of God. And what happens? The LORD grants their prayer, and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31).

The Sanhedrin was the leading Jewish authority at that time. Do you stand up against our current day authorities when the finished work of Jesus Christ is put into question? Do you pray for the authorities you have to deal with? Do you pray for more boldness to stand against any opposition to Jesus Christ? Are you expectant of being filled by the Holy Spirit and your dependence on Him? This is a call for boldness. Do you accept the challenge?

Here is the second part of my teaching notes:

So What Is the Point?
So, what can we learn from Jehoshaphat’s life so far? It seems that overall Jehoshaphat was a pretty good guy. At the end of the story it is even said that he was “doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20:32). From his point of view, helping out Ahab was just an honest mistake, motivated by his desire for peace. He was not trying to be rebellious or do evil. But was it “just” a mistake? He was forgetting that his dependence needed to be on God. He not only willingly helped his pagan friend Ahab in war, he even arranged for his own son to marry one of the daughters of Ahab and Jezebel. And for what?! Political gain; an artificial peace which is little more than the absence of hostility. His “honest mistake” carried much more weight than he probably realized. When we continue to read what happened after the battle we come to the key verse in the story of Jehoshaphat. The Bible says it like this in 2 Chronicles 19:1-2: “Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.’” It is important to note here that ‘love’ denotes not emotion but the commitment to support a treaty. Here’s the point I want to make: Jehoshaphat went too far in developing a friendship with his buddy Ahab, whose lifestyle and faith opposed everything he stood for. And in that he crossed the line of legitimate tolerance into an unacceptable endorsement or approval. Should Jehoshaphat not have been friends with Ahab? Of course not, but he took it too far. It is okay to be tolerant, but endorsing it, supporting it (like Jehoshaphat did) is quite another thing.

Now, what does this mean for us? I think that we too should heed the warning of Jehu: Where do we “help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord”? Where do we exercise rightful tolerance or intolerance? Where do we endorse or support or approve of sin in our friendships, and in our own lives? Where do we draw the line before our tolerance goes too far? I think the answer to that question is: where Jesus draws the line. We should be tolerant where Jesus is tolerant; We should be intolerant where Jesus is intolerant.

But let’s talk about tolerance a bit before looking at what Jesus has to say about it. Tolerance can be described as having “a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own” or to have an “interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one’s own” or to have “a liberal or broad-minded viewpoint.” It is a good word which, in one sense, implies the compromise of one’s convictions, and to yield ground on important issues. Yet, an over-tolerance (if I can say it like that) in moral issues makes us soft or devoid of a conviction, almost indifferent maybe. Think about the “gedoogbeleid” (tolerance policy) of the Dutch drug use or the euthanasia policy. Tolerance (or broadmindedness) has sort of overruled our convictions!

Jesus’ View on Tolerance
Now, Jesus was very tolerant when it came to sinners. He was actively engaged with (and loved) tax collectors, sexually-immoral people, and foreigners. His grace and mercy are evidence of His tolerance. And I love Jesus’ tolerance, because I am a sinner. We all are sinners. But Jesus still loves me. Jesus still loves us. But Jesus was also intolerant…

Jesus was intolerant about the way of salvation
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). He plainly pointed out that there are two roads in life. One is broad – lacking in faith, convictions and morals. It is the easy, popular, careless way. It is the way of the majority, the way of the world. He said, “those who enter by it are many.” But he pointed out that this road, easy though it is, popular though it may be, heavily traveled though it is, leads to destruction. And in loving, compassionate intolerance He says, “Enter by the narrow gate… For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life“

Jesus was intolerant toward hypocrisy
He pronounced more “woes” on the Pharisees than on any other sect because they claimed outward reverence for God but inward pretend. In Matthew 23, Jesus addresses 7 woes against the scribes and Pharisees (in contrast of the 7 beatitudes or blessings in the Sermon on the Mount), and each of them Jesus starts with “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” Matthew 23 is a great chapter to read… unless you’re a Pharisee of course (and yet we all, to a certain extent, are a Pharisee. It might be a lot closer to home than we want to admit).

Jesus was intolerant toward selfishness
To the rich young man, Jesus said: “‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:21-22) It wasn’t the giving of his goods that Jesus demanded, but his release from selfishness and its devastating effect on his personality and life. “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’” (Matthew 16:24-25) Self-centeredness is the basic cause of much of our distress in life. Most of us suffer from spiritual near-sightedness. Our interests, our loves, and our energies are too often focused upon ourselves. Jesus was intolerant of selfishness. The ‘life’ which Jesus urges us to lose is the selfishness that lives within us, the old nature of sin that is in conflict with God. So, in your life and mine, ‘self’ must be crucified and Christ enthroned. He was intolerant of any other way, for He knew that selfishness and the Spirit of God cannot exist together.

Jesus was intolerant toward sin
To the adulteress Jesus said: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11) He forgave her because he loved her; but he condemned sin because He hates it. Some more examples: “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34, NASB). “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:4-5,7-9, NLT)

Jesus is intolerant about the way to salvation, hypocrisy, selfishness and sin… but He is tolerant toward the sinner. And so should we…

What Does This Mean for Us?
As Christians we owe it to each other in love to correct on another, to rebuke each other when it is necessary, and to encourage one another in our desire to live authentic Christian lives, faithful to the Word of God. We must love the sinner, but we must hate the sin. We must recognize that we are sinners, and love ourselves, but we must hate the sin that is in us. The same is true of our neighbor. Paul says in Galatians 5:14 that “the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” We must love our neighbor always, but we must hate the sin that is in them. Hating the sin is necessary if we are to truly love them. If we do not hate our neighbor’s sin, we do not love our neighbor at all. If we do not hate our own sin, we do not love ourselves at all. It was perfectly fine for Jehoshaphat to be friends with Ahab, but he should have continued to be faithful and obedient to God and in that way not only be an example to Ahab (love the sinner), but also to point out Ahab’s disobedience to God (hate the sin), instead of going along with Ahab in his sin. Although being friends with people like Ahab is okay, we should aim in building our strongest friendships with people who will encourage us to obey God’s Word and follow His plan for our lives. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul says that we should “not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” This verse is most commonly used in relation to marrying an unbeliever, but Paul means much more here than only marrying an unbeliever. It really applies to any environment where we let the world influence our thinking. When we are being “conformed to this world” and are not being “transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2) , we are joining together with unbelievers in an ungodly way. This unequal yoke, or ungodly influence, may come through a book, a movie, a television show, a magazine, or even through worldly Christian friends. We all like to believe that we can be around ungodly things as much as we want, and that we are strong enough to resist the influence. But we must take the words of Scripture seriously: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). As Christians, we must bring every aspect of our lives under God’s control and authority. Otherwise, we can hinder our walk greatly and suffer consequences God never intended for us to experience.

What Did Jehoshaphat Do?
What did Jehoshaphat do in response to the rebuke of Jehu the prophet? He repented and starts reforming the whole country. “He went out again among the people… and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 19:4). He instructed the nation’s judges to “consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord“(2 Chronicles 19:6). He told other leaders: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart” (2 Chronicles 19:9). And then, in the defining moment of his life, Jehoshaphat demonstrates great trust in God in the face of overwhelming circumstances. When a colossal coalition of three large armies marched against Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat called all Judah to prayer and fasting and publicly confessed to God, “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). We too are powerless against the sin of the world, yet we have Jesus, who died to take away our sin and give us new life through the Holy Spirit to overcome power that sin has in our lives.

Jehoshaphat wins the battle because the Lord is with him, and overall it is said that “he walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:32), but ultimately Jehoshaphat made some unfortunate choices that blemished his otherwise good legacy.

In closing, let me give you three questions to think about, in light of all of this:

1. Who or what is the Ahab in your life? Who is the person in your life which you may have let influence your choices a bit too much, and who you could serve better by being an example to instead? What is the thing in your life that pulls you away from Christ, and be unequally yoked?
2. What is your motivation for joining in with the Ahab in your life? Jehoshaphat’s motivation was political gain. He wanted peace where maybe there shouldn’t have been. What is your motivation? What do you want to gain or achieve by this?
3. Are you as tolerant as Jesus? Have you drawn the line of tolerance where Jesus draws it, or are there areas in your life in which you are being too tolerant toward hypocrisy, selfishness or sin?

Here is the first part of my teaching notes:

Who is King Jehoshaphat? Quick Facts
Okay, let me start by setting the scene for Jehoshaphat’s story. The story of Jehoshaphat can primarily be read in 2 Chronicles 17 – 21. Now, it can never hurt to repeat that there used to be a unified kingdom called Israel, but that after the reign of Solomon the kingdom was split in two. Judah is the southern kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capitol, and that Israel is the northern kingdom, with Samaria as its capitol. The story of Jehoshaphat starts 61 years after the split up of the kingdom, and in total he reigned for 25 years and his reign overlaps greatly with King Ahab’s reign of the southern kingdom. The crossing of their paths as kings will be the center piece of our time together. But first, to get a good picture of Jehoshaphat, let’s read 2 Chronicles 17:1-13.

“Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. In the third year of his reign he sent his officials […] to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites […] and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 17:1-13)

So far so good, right? He walk in the ways of David; He sought God; He ways courageous; He strengthens the nation’s military capabilities (most likely because of the border conflicts with the northern kingdom which marked the previous reigns). The next couple of verses mention that the mighty men of valor sum up to a total of 1,160,000 soldiers! He also carries out a national program of education of God’s Word by sending out officials, Levites and priests to instruct the nation in the Law of Moses; The result was that the Lord was with him (v3), the Lord establishes his kingdom (v5), he had great riches and honor, and all of Judah and surrounding peoples like the Philistines and the Arabians brought him many gifts. It is said that the kingdom prospered most under the reign of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat is off to a good start. What do you think? Will he screw it up?

Despite his high standing (even with someone as hard to impress as the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 3:14)), Jehoshaphat ultimately made some unfortunate choices that blemished his otherwise good legacy. How? By cozying up to the evil king Ahab!

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab
“Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?’ He answered him, ‘I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.’” (2 Chronicles 18:1-3)
Ahab was the evilest king Israel ever had, and was king of Israel while Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Now why would Jehoshaphat make a marriage alliance with Ahab? What has happened that would cause a good king like Jehoshaphat to make an alliance with a king as wicked as Ahab? Jehoshaphat agreed for political reasons though he should not have done so for spiritual reasons; he was a godly king, faithful to the Lord. It was intended to seal peace between the kingdoms after 50 years of hostilities. Although I can see why Jehoshaphat would choose for peace, it was unwise of him. The wise strategy would have been to continue to rely on obeying God for the protection of his kingdom instead of compromising it. The marriage between Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, and Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel had disastrous effects on the kingdom of Judah, and it’s only due to God’s faithfulness to His promise to preserve the house of David is it that Judah survives. Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 21:6). The Bible reports that Jehoram “departed with no one’s regret” (2 Chronicles 21:20). But, for now, Jehoshaphat is at peace with Ahab and the northern kingdom.

Main thing is that Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to go into battle with him. This was a smart move by Ahab. Ramoth-gilead was a city southeast of the Sea of Galilee, some 65 kilometers from Jerusalem where Jehoshaphat lived, although deep into Israel’s territory. It was captured by the Syrians during the reign of Ben-hadad, and he promised to return certain cities to Israel (1 Kings 20:34) in exchange for leniency after defeat in battle. Apparently this was a city Ben-hadad had never returned to Israel. Ahab wants it back because it was in strategically important location (it was one of the cities of refuge – Joshua 21:38). What then is told in rest of the chapter is a most amusing story which I would encourage you to read on your own, but the main jest is that Ahab’s false prophets prophesied that Jehoshaphat and Ahab will triumphantly win the battle, and a prophet of God prophesied that not only that God put a lying spirit in the mouths of the false prophets, but that they will lose the battle, and that Ahab will actually die. Do you want to guess what happens? Ahab is enticed into battle, as the spirit had promised (v. 20). So, Jehoshaphat and Ahab go out to battle, but events turn out the opposite of what Ahab intended: Jehoshaphat is delivered in battle as a consequence of his desperate prayer (v. 31), while Ahab dies from an apparently random arrow (v. 33), which is clear evidence of God’s sovereign direction of events. The irony of the situation is that Ahab is told the truth but does not recognize it as such, even though he had insisted that Micaiah the prophet tell him the truth, and so Ahab says, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.” (2 Chronicles 18:26)

“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TjBNjc9Bo”

(as embedding of this clip has been disabled I can only post the link)

Transformed Mind
Read: Colossians 2:8; Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

• What are some of these philosophies or human traditions that we have to deal with?
• What kind of weapons has Jesus given to us to destroy these arguments?

Transformed Character
Read: Matthew 4:1-11

• What does Jesus’ reaction on the three temptation say about His character?
• How do the three temptation relate to 1 John 2:16, and what does that mean for us?

Transformed Relationships
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Jude 1:20-21

• How does 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 relate to the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)?
• What does it mean to “keep yourself in the love of God”?

Transformed Habits
Read: 2 Timothy 2:3-6; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

• What do the three analogies of the soldier, athlete and farmer mean?
• How do you exercise self-control in all things?

Transformed Service
Read: Matthew 6:24; Titus 3:14

• What are possible masters in your life that you need to get rid off?
• What are good works that are needed in your city or neighborhood?

Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led
Read: John 13:1-11; Acts 4:5-13

• What does Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet tell you about influence and/or leading?
• How did the apostles’ discipleship by Jesus affect their mission?

Back in March I gave a teaching called “Discipleship 101″ where I tried to provide a definition for what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The teaching notes for this can be found here:

• Discipleship 101, Part 1 – Old School
• Discipleship 101, Part 2 – Jesus Made It Unique
• Discipleship 101, Part 3 – Paul, An Example
• Discipleship 101, Part 4 – New School
• Discipleship 101, Part 5 – What Shall We Say Then?

In summary, a disciple of Jesus can be defined in the following five points:

• A disciple is a reborn follower of Jesus (Matt. 4:18-20; Matt. 8:18-22; Jn. 10:27);
• A disciple submits to at least one other person who teaches him how to follow Jesus (1 Pet. 5:5; 2 Tim. 3:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Cor. 4:15-16; Eph. 5:21);
• A disciple learns Jesus’ words (Jn. 18:31-32; Ps. 19:7-8; Ps. 1:1-3; Ps. 119:11);
• A disciple imitates Jesus’ life and character (2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Tim. 4:7; Gal. 5:22-23,25; Lu. 14:25-27,33);
• A disciple finds and teaches other disciples who also follow Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Matt. 9:36-38);

This teaching can be considered the follow-up, Discipleship 201, and discusses the transformational aspects (or marks) of when you imitate Jesus’ life and character.

Beholding the Glory of the Lord
According to John 15, we need to be abiding in Jesus, in order to bear fruit, we so we can become like Him, be transformed in His image. Since we are in Christ, we have a new regenerated heart from which we can live, with the help of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says it like this: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.“

I think there are three questions that Paul wants to answer for us here:

How are we being transformed? – “with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord“
We are transformed into His image by looking at His glory. How do we get an unveiled face? Paul tells us two verses earlier: “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed” (2 Corinthians 3:16). You become what you constantly behold. It is about fixing our gaze on Him, look at Him, think about Him, and put Him before us again and again. This is key to becoming like Him.

To what are we being transformed? – “transformed into His image“
As we look into God’s mirror, we will be changed into the same image of the Lord. When we spend time beholding the glory of the God of love, grace, peace, and righteousness, we will see a transforming growth in love, grace, peace, and righteousness. We are being transformed – progressively, degree by degree – into the image of Christ the Lord. This work of transformation is a process. We are becoming like Christ. We are growing in our capacity to show Christ by being like Christ. That is God’s will for us. That we be progressively be conformed to the image of Christ.

Who is doing the transforming? – “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit“
With these last words, Paul is emphasizing two things. First, this access to God and His transforming presence is ours by the new covenant, because it is through the new covenant we are given the Spirit of the Lord. Secondly, this work of transformation really is God’s work in us. It happens by the Spirit of the Lord, not by the will or effort of man. We don’t achieve or earn spiritual transformation by beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. We simply put ourselves in a place where we can be transformed by the Spirit of the Lord.

So if we are to be transformed into the image of Jesus, what is it that will be transformed:

1. Transformed Mind: Believe What Jesus Believed
2. Transformed Character: Live the Way Jesus Lived
3. Transformed Relationships: Love as Jesus Loved
4. Transformed Habits: Train as Jesus Trained
5. Transformed Service: Minister as Jesus Ministered
6. Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led

Transformed Mind: Believe What Jesus Believed
We need to be transformed to have the same mind as Jesus. Believe what He believes. It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s quite another to believe what Jesus believed. And the first cannot be what it should be without the second. The key verse here is Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The world (in other words, the popular culture and manner of thinking which is in rebellion against God – will try to conform us to their pattern, yet we need to resist this process. Renewing the mind has not as much to do feeling nor with doing. A life based on feelings says: “How do I feel today? How do I feel about my job? How do I feel about my wife? How do I feel about worship? How do I feel about the preacher?” A life based on doing says: “Don’t give me your theology. Just tell me what to do. Give me the four points for this and the seven keys for that.” It is not that God is against either feeling or doing, but rather we should ask “What is true here? What does God’s Word say?” It also not necessarily mean to get more knowledge (or better knowledge), for Ephesians 4:23 says that we should “be renewed in the spirit of your minds,” but it is the ability to set our mind on the right things.

Some more verses for personal study on the mind: Psalm 26:2; Proverbs 28:26; Matthew 16:23; Luke 24:45; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:2, 4:7; Colossians 3:2; 1 Peter 3:8.

Transformed Character: Live the Way Jesus Lived
We need to be transformed to have the same character as Jesus. Character being defined best in this case as maturity. The key verse here is Romans 5:3-4, which says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” From suffering to endurance to character to hope. This is sort of a golden chain of Christian growth and maturity. One virtue builds upon another as we grow in the pattern of Jesus. We build character through endurance (or perseverance) which comes through suffering (or trial). James says it like this: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4). When it comes to daily worldly opposition trials fall under the three categories of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (2 John 2:16). And if you think this is a new thing, consider that these three were exactly what caused Eve to sin in the garden. We read in Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was a delight to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise [boastful pride of life], she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.“

Some more verses for personal study on character: Matthew 4:1-11

Transformed Relationships: Love as Jesus Loved
We need to be transformed to show the same type of love in our relationships as Jesus did. The key verse here is John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Greek word for new (kainos) here implies freshness rather than recent or different. It’s for instance also used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation“). It’s not that Jesus just invented this command, but that He presents it in a new and fresh way. So what’s so fresh about it? Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18), the New Commandment is that they should love the brothers better than themselves, and die for their friends. The command to love wasn’t new, but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

Some more verses for personal study on love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:3-4; Jude 1:17-21

Transformed Habits: Train as Jesus Trained
We need to be transformed to incorporate the same habits as Jesus. The key verse here is Luke 6:40: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Training is not trying. We must not try, but train. Training means that we commit to rearrange our lives around the practices of Jesus. We don’t try to practice spiritual disciplines, but we train ourselves to implement them into our lives because Jesus did. And over time, through a patient process, we allow the positive effects of discipline to change us. We need to train hard, be disciplined, so that we will be perfected in unity with Jesus Christ (John 17:23), perfected in holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1), perfected in patience (1 Timothy 1:16), perfected in faith (James 2:22), perfected in love (1 John 4:12). We get encouragement for training and discipline by reading Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.“

Some more verses for personal study on training: Proverbs 22:6; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 1:5-7; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Transformed Service: Minister as Jesus Ministered
We need to be transformed to have the same servant heart as Jesus had. The key verse here is Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Clearly, we can choose to use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. That option (or danger) is open to us. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others. This is the antidote for using freedom as an occasion for the flesh. The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others. But when we through love serve one another, we conquer the flesh. This is exactly the pattern set by Jesus. He had more freedom than anyone who ever walked this earth did. Yet He used His liberty to through love serve one another. The idea is that as we naturally take care of ourselves, we should also take care of others.

Some verses for personal study on serving: Matthew 6:24; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:24-27; John 12:26; Romans 12:11; Romans 14:18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:10, Titus 3:14

Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led
We need to be transformed to have the same influence as Jesus had. The key verse here is Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Disciples are like salt because they have a preserving influence. Salt was used to preserve meats and to slow decay. Disciples are like salt because they add flavor. Christians should have a preserving and flavorful influence on their culture. We are not only light-receivers, we are also light-givers. Jesus never challenged us to become salt or light. He simply said that we are – and we are either fulfilling or failing that given responsibility. The world will see the light of the kingdom through the good works done by Jesus’ disciples (and believers today), with the result that the Father who is in heaven will be glorified.

Some more verses for personal study on influence: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 26:9-23; Philippians 2:5; Acts 4:5-13

What I mean by preaching is expository exultation.

Preaching Is Expository
Expository means that preaching aims to exposit, or explain and apply, the meaning of the Bible. The reason for this is that the Bible is God’s word, inspired, infallible, profitable—all 66 books of it. The preacher’s job is to minimize his own opinions and deliver the truth of God. Every sermon should explain the Bible and then apply it to people’s lives. The preacher should do that in a way that enables you to see that the points he is making actually come from the Bible. If you can’t see that they come from the Bible, your faith will end up resting on a man and not on God’s word.

The aim of this exposition is to help you eat and digest biblical truth that will:

• make your spiritual bones more like steel,
• double the capacity of your spiritual lungs,
• make the eyes of your heart dazzled with the brightness of the glory of God,
• and awaken the capacity of your soul for kinds of spiritual enjoyment you didn’t even know existed.

Preaching Is Exultation
Preaching is also exultation. This means that the preacher does not just explain what’s in the Bible, and the people do not simply try understand what he explains. Rather, the preacher and the people exult over what is in the Bible as it is being explained and applied. Preaching does not come after worship in the order of the service. Preaching is worship. The preacher worships—exults—over the word, trying his best to draw you into a worshipful response by the power of the Holy Spirit. My job is not simply to see truth and show it to you. (The devil could do that for his own devious reasons.) My job is to see the glory of the truth and to savor it and exult over it as I explain it to you and apply it for you. That’s one of the differences between a sermon and a lecture.

Preaching Isn’t Church, but It Serves the Church
Preaching is not the totality of the church. And if all you have is preaching, you don’t have the church. A church is a body of people who minister to each other. One of the purposes of preaching is to equip us for that and inspire us to love each other better. But God has created the church so that she flourishes through preaching. That’s why Paul gave young pastor Timothy one of the most serious, exalted charges in all the Bible in 2 Timothy 4:1-2: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word.“

What to Expect from My Preaching and Why
If you’re used to a twenty-minute, immediately practical, relaxed talk, you won’t find that from what I’ve just described.

• I preach twice that long;
• I do not aim to be immediately practical but eternally helpful;
• and I am not relaxed.

I standing vigilantly on the precipice of eternity speaking to people who this week could go over the edge whether they are ready to or not. I will be called to account for what I said there.

That’s what I mean by preaching.

Peter’s Second Sermon
Peter’s second sermon is a response to the fact that all who witnessed the healing of the lame beggar were “were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:10). Again, like in his first sermon, Peter is addressing the Jews. He starts off by asking why the Jews are so amazed at this for Jesus performed all sorts of miracles when He walked the earth. Thereby saying that this miracle should not be ascribed to them but to Jesus. Again, he addresses that the Jews denied and killed Jesus (remember, Pilate tried to let Jesus go, but the crowd wanted Barabbas). Pharisees are the legalists, the literalists. They, to a fault, tried to take every detail of the Law and make a burden out of it. They were the extremists. The Sadducees were the opposite kind, they were the modernists, the liberals. They did not believe in the resurrection, and did not believe in angels, and did not believe in the supernatural. So during the life of Christ His conflict seemed to be in large measure with the Pharisees, because that was the power ruling block at the time. In the time shift here between that era and now, the primary power group were the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. They were the ones that got unglued with a display of the supernatural. Certainly, the healing was a problem; but even more so the presentation that Jesus Christ rose from the dead was something that the Sadducees clearly could not handle. It went completely contrary to their whole position.

But then Peter says that the Jews “acted in ignorance” (Acts 3:17), although they were responsible and held accountable. Remember that Jesus says on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). The significance behind this idea is that ignorance makes the difference between premeditated murder and manslaughter. For manslaughter the remedy is the City of Refuge (Numbers 35:9-34). The principle here is that in ancient Israel there were no prisons or police force, and so six cities were appointed to where one could flee in case of manslaughter. A close relative thus became responsible to serve as the “avenger of blood,” (verse 12) and execute the divine sentence on a murderer. The cities of refuge were necessary, for fear that an angry relative take revenge on a person who killed a loved one inadvertently. This wise and humane system not only protected the innocent, but also secured Israel from the dangerous rounds of blood feuds common in many societies. One could hide in a City of Refuge until the High Priest died. Remember that all of Scripture talks about Jesus? Put Jesus in the center here and you will see that we all by our sins are responsible for the manslaughter of Jesus, that we should be kept safe from the Avenger of Blood (God the Father), and are in need of a City of Refuge. Who is our City of Refuge? Jesus. Who long can we stay there? Until Jesus (our High Priest) dies. When is that? Never! Once you are in the City of Refuge you are kept safe forever from the penalty of sin. Wow, what a security!

Peter then promises three results of repentance: (1) forgiveness of sins; (2) times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and (3) the sending of Jesus Christ, which refers to His Second Coming of which Peter then continues to talk about. In Luke 4:16-20, at the start of His ministry, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2, but notice that when you read Isaiah 61:1-2 that Jesus does not finishes the second verse, but stops at the comma. Jesus did not include “and the day of vengeance of our God” because the display of his wrath awaits Christ’s second coming. But to “proclaim liberty to the captives” is a reference to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10). The Jubilee year is very important to God. The Sabbatical year was so important the God put Israel into slavery for 70 years for not obeying the law. (2 Chronicles 36:21). In any case, Peter makes it clear that Jesus will remain in heaven until the times of restoration of all things, and since the repentance of Israel is one of the all things, there is some sense in which the return of Jesus in glory will not happen until Israel repents. Peter is essentially offering Israel the opportunity to hasten the return of Jesus by embracing Him on a national level, something that must happen before Jesus will return (Matthew 23:37-39; Romans 11:25-27). The main thrust of Peter’s sermon is that this is the natural outcome of their history. To the extent that they understood the Old Testament, they should not be surprised.

The Feast of Pentecost is prophetic for the birth of the Church (being the spiritual Body of Christ). It is described in Leviticus 23:15-17, which says: “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.” Now you have to be aware of Jewish customs to notice something peculiar here, namely that the breads are baked with leaven. All the other Jewish feasts and offerings are dealing with unleavened bread. In Exodus 12:15; 12:19-20; 13:7 it is actually described that leaven should be removed from the house during these feasts, except for Pentecost. The idea of leaven is always used negatively for the reason that leaven corrupts the dough by puffing up and is therefore symbolic for sin. So, the symbol for the Church is leaven. Now it is said that this is because the Church is not perfect (yet who is!), but I think it also has something to do with the fact that the Church are Gentiles, which are considered unholy from a Jewish viewpoint.

The Holy Spirit is Coming
Now all the disciples (about 120) were all gathered in one place, which is mostly likely the upper room where they were regularly met, and is most likely close to the temple grounds (for we will see that they will be baptizing 3,000 new believers soon – which would be quite hard in the upper room). Now, in John 3:8 Jesus makes reference to the Holy Spirit as wind, but it seems that this wind is much wilder. So strong that it causes attention throughout the town. When they are filled with the Holy Spirit they are speaking in tongues, but this must not be seen as a gift of the Spirit (as in 1 Corinthians 14), but must be translated as speaking in other languages as they were understood by various people present in Jerusalem. Could the fact that they could all understand each other have something to do with lifting the curse of Babel? Who knows… Now there 16 countries listed here which are present in Jerusalem, but I assume more countries are actually represented for Pentecost is one of the mandatory festivals and it mentions men “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5)

Peter’s First Sermon
Peter’s sermon answers their question, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12), and it’s is a very intricate masterpiece. We also see here that the Holy Spirit is indwelling Peter. In the Gospels Peter is often speaking without thinking, but here he is being skillful and elegant. Although the sermon answers the question about what does this [the Holy Spirit] mean, it is in fact not a sermon about the Holy Spirit, but about Jesus, the Son of God. It is important to recognize that Peter is addressing the Jews here. The sermon is built on three sections of the Old Testament, namely Joel 2:28-32, Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1.

The Foretelling of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)
Peter picks out a section of the Old Testament which is not the earliest nor the latest, but the most crisp passage on the promise of the Holy Spirit. Interesting detail maybe is that whilst in “our” Bible this section of Scripture is part of the second chapter, in the Hebrew Bible this section gets its own chapter and thus stands out quite a bit. This section of the promise of the Holy Spirit is followed by some end-time prophecy. Peter speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as what was prophesied by Joel, but he also implies that not the complete prophecy has come to pass yet. The start of this section will probably shock every Jew as Peter says that God will pour His Spirit on all flesh (meaning also the Gentiles!). Furthermore, the idea of prophesying is no longer limited to the prophet (as they were used to having a prophet and a priest), but that it will be made available to everybody. Verse 19 and 20 obviously speaks about end-time prophesy as this clearly hasn’t happened yet. In Matthew 24:29-31 Jesus says that “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” It may be that one of the reasons that Peter includes this prophecy which is still to come because he wants to get to the closing line which says that “it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21), which give him the opportunity to say that “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 22-24)

Hope of Everlasting Joy (Psalm 16:8-11)
Peter then moves on by using a psalm by David to be used as a prophecy of Jesus, where it first talks about life (Psalm 16:8,9a), then death (Psalm 16:9b, 10) and then resurrection (Psalm 16:11). Peter’s point here is that this cannot apply to David for “he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” (Acts 2:29), but that Jesus is “exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out” (Acts 2:33). Peter’s central theme is the study of the person of Jesus Christ: His role, mission, character, and nature of the Messiah.

Sit at My Right Hand (Psalm 110:1)
Peter’s final verse is to point out that David’s body did not ascend into heaven, but that it is Jesus who ascended back into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father until He makes His enemies His footstool. Jesus Himself refers to this same verse in the Psalms. Notice that it says “until.” Christ’s enemies will definitely be made His footstool. What a great promise!

What’s the Point?!
Peter has now quoted from three portions of the Old Testament, building his sermon on Jesus Christ. The result? The Jews were cut to the heart and ask Peter what to do. Peter’s answer? “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In the subsequent verse Peter says that this call is not only for Israel, but also “for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:39)

Forty Days of Ministry
The book of Acts is the only place where it mentions the exact number of days between the resurrection and the ascension, namely 40 days (Acts 1:3). In those days Jesus was talking to His disciples about the Kingdom of God. Some of these accounts are recorded in the Bible, such as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18) and the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), but I can only imagine how great it must have been to sit in on those private Bible studies where Jesus is explaining the Kingdom of God.

Jesus also told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come. It is not that the Holy Spirit is making His first appearance in Acts for He is already there from the beginning in Genesis 1:2. But there are some special considerations regarding the Holy Spirit’s appearance in Acts 1:2 besides the fact that He will baptize (indwell) the Body of Christ (not just those who happen to be there!) on Pentecost. This has to do with what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:7, where He says: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.“. Here Jesus implies that He and the Holy Spirit basically cannot be there at the same time (which has nothing to do with His omnipresence, for at Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit is there), but this is maybe a topic for another blog.

The Ascension
At the ascension the disciples ask Jesus whether He is going to restore the Kingdom to Israel, which was a natural question to ask as a lot of the Old Testament prophesies were pertaining the restoration of the Kingdom. The Jews however were thinking about a political kingdom and that Jesus would overthrow the Roman oppression and rule Israel. Yet Jesus was talking about a totally different Kingdom. The Jews did not know of His plans, nor where they really equipped for what was coming. Jesus’ answer was that it was not for them “to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8). Notice the small difference between what Jesus says here and in Matthew 24:34 or Mark 13:32 where He says: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). The verses in both Matthew and Mark say that no one knows, not even the Son (Jesus). Yet here in Acts, Jesus does not mention Himself to not know. Was Jesus informed by the Father between then and now, in the three days maybe between His death and resurrection? It could be accidental, but I don’t think that anything in God’s plan is accidental. Still, it is conjecture.

Notice also that Jesus does not cancel the Kingdom of Israel. It is about timing, not an event. In Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus sends His disciples on a small field trip with the following instruction: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This is in complete contrast to the mission He is about to send them on in Acts, which is to go not only go to Jerusalem and Judea, but then also to Samaria and to the end of the world, which are the Gentiles. The Kingdom message was first exclusively for Israel. John 1:11 says that Jesus “came to His own, and His own people did not receive him.“. Israel rejected Him, and Jesus “drew near and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41-44). Because of this Israel has been set aside for a time, for Romans 11:25 says that “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” The Book of Acts is a transition between the Kingdom message, which is the primary thing we see in the Gospels, and that mystery which is called the Church. Then the book of Revelation is going to be a transition from the Church (chapters 2-3) back to the Kingdom.

The Two Men
Who are the two men? A topic of wide debate. Are they Moses and Elijah (like with the transfiguration)? Are they the same two men who accompanied the Lord in Genesis 18 with Abraham? Are they the two witnesses in Revelation 11? In any case they give an interesting prophecy that Jesus will come back the same way as He went, of which Zechariah 14:4-9 says, “On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to o the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.“

The Upper Room
The rest of the chapter deals with the disciples going back to the upper room to pray, and to find a replacement for Judas to complete the eleven remaining apostles. After casting lots (which is a biblical principle – see Proverbs 16:33) they chose Matthias as the new twelfth apostle. There are scholars who say that choosing Matthias was a big mistake, and that Peter (like in the Gospels) was speaking to quickly here. The reason being that Paul (Saul) would be the twelfth apostle, and that’s the reason why Paul in nine of his fourteen epistles is beginning with defending his apostleship.

May you wield it with grace and mercy.

May your heart be filled with the power and love of God so that you have the strength to love and serve all.

May the Lord be your wisdom.
May He be your leader and teacher.
May your heart be humble and contrite, trembling at His Word and fearfully obeying His decrees.

Let the glory of the Lord ring forth from Jerusalem, that all may declare His praises.

In Christ our Lord.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:7)

Over the last couple of months the topic of Calvinism versus Arminianism has become an item in many conversations both in personal as well as church settings. Those that have invested some time in reading up on either of them will quickly come to the conclusion that this has been a hot and debated topic for the last couple hundred years, and still is. And although the seems to be that lately the Calvinists are “winning” (do a Google search on “New Calvinism”) this doesn’t mean they are right (although I am not saying that they are wrong either). In order to get a basic feel for the debate I have read some documents and studies, listened to some teachings, and I can say that from what I have read and heard and from personal knowledge of the Bible you could say I am a Calvinist. But, this doesn’t mean that I am one hundred percent convinced of this, nor that I understand fully why (and/or could argue against). At first I thought I would call this series “Calminianism,” for it is quite certain that neither John Calvin nor Jacob Arminius was one hundred percent right in their statements and so the truth is to some extent a mixture of the two, but I want to avoid the assumption as a starting point.

In any case, it is always good to come to your own convictions on any teaching in the Bible, and thus this is also the case here. But I must admit that I was, and maybe still am, hesitant to study this one for it is a doctrine that is not only spread throughout the whole Bible (which means I have to read through the whole Bible from the angle of this doctrine), but is also often implicit in the text (meaning that many if not all of the verses which are used to defend either side always have to been seen in the context of the Bible as a whole, and cannot be viewed isolated). So, this is quite the study, but I have decided to take it on nonetheless.

My Approach
My approach is going to be a bit unusual maybe, hence my statement that this will be a very long series over a very long time. In my studies and subsequent blogs I am not going to defend or attack either Calvinism or Arminianism. I am also not going to study the verses which are commonly listed in their defense and build my conviction from that. I am also not going to do biographical studies on the two main characters (although maybe I will do that at the end). But here is what I am going to do: I will start off this series with just a generic study on these five points and whether these doctrines are central or peripheral; then I will take a look at the Bible as a whole in light of these five points; then I will study out each individual book of the Bible in light of these five points; and then at the very end I will start drawing conclusions on what the Bible says about these five points.

So, I am looking forward to this series, but please don’t expect a new blog post on this every couple of days as most of this study will take a long time.

Mark Driscoll goes after the men at his church who have attended for years and yet still abuse, neglect, and dishonor the woman in their life. Mark has had enough of this. You can visit http://www.marshillchurch.org to download the entire sermon: Marriage and Men from the Trial Series.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/06/06/the-50-best-pun-stores/

English is Tough Stuff
A poem on the difficulty of pronouncing English

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation — think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough –
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!

All of this can be summed up in what Jesus said to the Pharisees: “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matthew 22:34-40)

So, the question I have to ask is: Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind? Do you really love Jesus with everything you got, trusting Him and following Him no matter what? Do you have the Word of God (the Bible) as the highest authority in your life? Do you read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, and apply it into your life? Do you really seek God with your whole heart? (Psalm 119:10). Do you really long for Him with your soul? (Psalm 84:2). Do you really want your mind to be renewed? (Romans 12:2). Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you love your enemies? (Matthew 5:44). Do you consider all to be your neighbor, as Jesus explains in the parable of the Good Samaritan? Do you live by the “golden rule” of Matthew 7:12? “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets“

Discipleship is something you are, not something you do. It is a way of life for all of life in all areas of life (work, school, marriage, family, friends, etc.). It is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. We are called to be and make disciples!

I am currently reading the book “Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ” by John Piper, and the topic of the first chapter is about the glory of God, which ends with a prayer that I thought conveys beautifully the heart all of us should have towards God, and so I want to close off with this prayer by John Piper:

“O Father of glory, this is the cry of our hearts – to be changed from one degree of glory to another, until, in the resurrection, at the last trumpet, we are completely conformed to the image of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Until then, we long to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord, especially the knowledge of his glory. We want to see it as clearly as we see the sun, and to savor it as deeply as our most desired pleasure. O merciful God, incline our hearts to your Word and the wonders of your glory. Wean us from our obsession with trivial things. Open the eyes of our hearts to see each day what the created universe is telling about your glory. Enlighten our minds to see the glory of your Son in the Gospel. We believe that you are the All-glorious One, and that there is none like you. Help our unbelief. Forgive the wandering of our affections and the undue attention we give to lesser things. Have mercy on us for Christ’s sake, and fulfill in us your great design to display the glory of your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.” (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, p17-18)

A disciple is a Reborn Follower of Jesus
There is no distinction between being a Christian and being a disciple. Christian means “belonging to Christ” and thus that Jesus Christ is your Master, your Rabbi, which means that you are His disciple, and thus follow Him. Now, here we could go into all sorts of discussions of belonging to Christ means justification, and that those who are being justified also will be glorified (Romans 8:30), so that no sanctification or following is required of a Christian/disciple/follower of Christ, for you will be glorified anyways. But regardless of the fact that this is true, this doesn’t take away the fact that Jesus Christ demands a lot from a Christian, which (if He is your Master, because you are His follower) must be obeyed. For those interested to find out what Jesus exactly demands from a Christian (and the world), a good book to read would be John Piper’s “What Jesus Demands from the World” which lists 50 demands from Jesus. Like I said in my first post, in the old Jewish tradition, the relationship between a disciple and his teacher is one of complete loyalty, dedication and submission. In Matthew 4:18-20 we read about the immediacy of following Jesus where it says, “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” And in Matthew 8:18-22, Jesus tells us what it means to follow Him, “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.’” But I think John’s writing is the most clear when he wrote, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

A disciple Submits to At Least One Other Person Who Teaches Him How to Follow Jesus
Character develops in community, but in order for character to develop it requires something. It requires submission. You need to be willing to submit to someone and letting that person speak into your life, and this requires humility (“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5). So, humility leads to submission leads to character development (which means transformation into Christ-likeness). Humility is a starting point, not an end goal (see my post “Good Works Versus Humility” for more insights). The Apostle Paul in particular points this out in several of his writings. He says to Timothy, “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me” (2 Timothy 3:10-11), and “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). And Paul says to the Corinthians, “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16). And we read in Ephesians 5:21 to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Being a disciple means to be a servant, and in this case it is a servant/servant relationship towards each other.

A disciple Learns Jesus’ Words
On this point obviously much can be said. Like the old Jewish disciple had an oral tradition which required them to memorize everything their rabbi said (and often meant memorizing the whole Law (the Torah or the Pentateuch or the five books of Moses) and much of the Prophets), so we should learn Jesus’ words. This should not be taken lightly at all. We should know Scripture by heart. It should ooze out of us, ready to be used “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We should have Jesus’ words ready in our heart for all circumstances, which means next to the aforementioned verse also for defending and confirming the gospel (Philippians 1:7) and for fighting the devil (Ephesians 6:11-17), which includes the Word of God being a sword (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). I like what Donald S. Whitney says in his book “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” when talking about Scripture memorization, where he explains the Word of God being a sword to be used. He says that if you need to defend yourself and you take out your sword, that knowing only Genesis 1:1 and John 3:16 will not be sufficient to defend yourself in most situations. (This obviously does not mean that we should turn the Word of God into a list of handy verses to be used for different situations!).

“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32). We need to abide in His Word if we are truly are His disciples. Why? Because we will know the truth! But there are more reasons, and the Psalmist says it quite beautifully. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7-8), and “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-3), and “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). So, the Word of God is perfect, it revives the soul, it makes wise the simple, it rejoices the heart, it enlightens the eyes, and it keeps you from sinning. In other words, it is life-giving!

A Disciple Imitates Jesus’ life and Character
This could actually be the most important one, although this should flow naturally out of submitting yourself to Jesus. Yet, this is a thing that many times is skipped in the process of being a Christian. Imitating Jesus’ life and character means sanctification, means spiritual formation, and means transformation into the image of Christ. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). It means that we should “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).

Imitating Jesus’ life and character leads to living a life of humility, for “do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3). Imitating Jesus’ life and character leads to living a life of sacrifice, for “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1). Imitating Jesus’ life and character leads to living a life of submission, for “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). Imitating Jesus’ life and character leads to living a life of obedience, for “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36) and “Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” (Acts 5:29). Imitating Jesus’ life and character leads to living a life of persecution, for “indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

A Disciple Finds and Teaches Other Disciples Who Also Follow Jesus
Jesus spent three years teaching and training the apostles, and when He left He told them in Matthew 28:19-20 to “go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The Great Commission is the normal job of a disciple: to raise up more disciples, and we could say that the Christian faith has done a pretty good job in ‘going’ and ‘baptizing,’ but that unfortunately the ‘making disciples’ and ‘teaching them’ could be described as the Great Omission. Something Dallas Willard wrote a whole book about. With the great commission transformation became mission. It reveals Jesus’ heart and priority. It launches a rescue mission. All followers receive orders to take action: “When he saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Matthew 9:36-38). When all who become disciples make disciples, the result is not reproduction (adding one disciple at a time), but multiplication (one become two, becomes four, etc)

These are the things that Jesus demands from His disciples.

Traditional Upbringing
He spent the better part of his life learning the ins and outs of traditional Jewish discipleship from Gamaliel, which means Paul was accustomed to the “old way” of discipleship. Paul says, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day” (Acts 22:3). In other words, Paul was raised up based on the traditional way of Jewish discipleship, which means he knows and practiced what I have been talking about in my first post.

A Father to Many
Paul regarded himself as a father in Christ to both the Corinthians, the Thessalonians and to Timothy. He said to the Corinthians, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” (1 Corinthians 4:14-16). Of Timothy Paul said, “But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how a as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.” (Philippians 2:22). And to the Thessalonians he said, “For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

The father/son language is characteristic of the Jewish teacher/disciple model. Furthermore, he urges the Corinthians to imitate him, thus spurring them on to live out their discipleship. Paul’s language of father seems to contradict Jesus’ words of “call no man your father on earth,” but Paul doesn’t instruct them to call him ‘father’ (as in the “old way” use of language), but merely refers to the fact that he laid the foundation of the church and the gospel among them. They were made Christians by his ministry. He is their spiritual father, but he does point them to Jesus for he said, “What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)

A Disciple-Maker
Paul made disciples in Christ everywhere he went. In Corinth, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:1-2). In Philippi, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” (Philippians 3:17). In Thessalonica, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7)