7/23 - Galatians 3

Scottswonton wrote: I have some meetings tomorrow with some people that figure rather largely in the "enemies" catagory. I pray that God blesses them and teaches me to love them.

I prayed for you this morning and I hope your meetings go well!

Yes, good question, I should have explained a bit more with what I was thinking. When we have laws to follow it takes the guess work out of some things in how we are to react to God and the world, such as working on the Sabbath or tithing 10%. Now through faith God may require me to give beyond 10% or to actually do works that may help someone on Sunday, such as when Jesus healed on the Sabbath and the Pharisees were condemning Him for it. We seem to get into a routine with our days and don't tend to rely on the Lord in faith. So I know that I need to give each day to the Lord and allow Him to work in me and through me. Cliche thinking and it sounds good, but this may simply involve speaking to my wife about her day, or praying with her and the kids. We are all busy and sometimes we just need to give the Lord a portion of our day and He will bless us immensly for it. We tend to have made our own laws for ourselves during the day and it becomes routine and actually blocks God out from working in us.

Hope this makes some sense, God is dealing with me in this area.

Jeff,

You wrote...."Even though I've just started on my journey towards Christ, I seem to have fairly optimistic that somehow Christ will solve all my problems. But somewhere deep down inside, I know that this isn't Christ's goal. And I believe he's telling me to have faith, that while his goals may not coincide with my own goals, to endure through my future hardships and to not let go of Christ and follow my own path, a practice I've frequented many times in the past. Today, I will act on this by persevering through my personal struggles and failings and place my faith in Christ."

Oswald Chambers proposes, and I agree, that God did not come down to earth to die on the cross to save us from our trials and tribulations, but to save us through them. Talk about love. To know that God has our ultimate best interests at heart is awesome.

Two passages that mean a lot to me are 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Mathew 22:36-40. The core of those passages is that love is the greatest commandment. Without love, us and our actions, i.e, the law is nothing. I think that we see, today and in Paul's time, that being a slave to the law enabled people to lose sight of love. It is for love that Christ died on the cross.

But love is tough, yes? To love Christ is to admit that you have a shortfall and need him. It is to admit that you are a flawed being. You must make yourself vulnerable to Him and say "Lord, your will be done, not mine." In many ways, it would be easier to follow the law. You do not have to deal with the personal pain of acknowledging your sins, but with your actions only.

In fact, if you read A Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, you are exposed to two people that attempt to get to heaven by the law. They are not humble before Him, they are haughty. They feel that through their own efforts, they can win their way to heaven. If that were the case, then there would not have been the need to crucify Christ.

My greatest struggle is to love my enemies (people that cut me off in traffic, irritate me, et cetera) as I love those that love me. It is easy to love those that love me. Hard to love those that hurt me. I can't imagine how vast Gods love must be for us because we crucified him.

Sorry, I know that I am rambling, but I feel that love is everything.

I think that Paul is chastising the Galatians because they have lost sight of faith in Him and have not put their trust in God and in his love. They are trying to take the easy way out. The Galatians are not to be scorned, but pitied. "But for the grace of God, there go I", yes? The legalistic view of God and religion is a trap. Amongst other things, I think that it removes love.

I will pray about this today and tomorrow. I have some meetings tomorrow with some people that figure rather largely in the "enemies" catagory. I pray that God blesses them and teaches me to love them.

Scott

Thanks for clearing up that business about "the law", it makes more makes sense now to re-read the passage with that understanding.

I am curious though Mr. "Sweetness T" you mentioned:

sweetness t wrote:This tells me that I need not to seek my own ends or even the ends that the law requires of me, but the very outworking of my faith through the Spirit who works in me to do His will. .

How is this something that can apply to your day? (I'm not chastising just, confused )

Paul is scolding the Galatian church for trying to add onto Christ's death and resurrection the fact that one must continue to observe circumcision as a requirement for belief and works in Christ. Paul is clear in bringing them back to the fact that the works of the law are past and that (vs. 5) "he that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith." This tells me that I need not to seek my own ends or even the ends that the law requires of me, but the very outworking of my faith through the Spirit who works in me to do His will. The law was meant to be a pointer to Christ (vs.24), so now that we have Christ and His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, we need not look back to the law to save or sustain (sanctify) us in our faith. In vs. 11 it even states that we have justification by and in our faith, not in the law. The law was only good for the remission of sins, there had to be a payment for sin and in the days of the law that payment was an animal (vs.19). Vs. 21 states that if there was a way that the law could bring life then we would be justified by the law, but the law only could take a man so far. That is where Christ comes in. Now through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross we can now have life in that Jesus is our covering. Vs.27 says that as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The end of the chapter is cool in that now God's vessels are no longer simply the Jews but has been extended to those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God, there is to be no seperate or private revelation given to only a select few, but God will share His wisdom and will with all who seek Him. This gives even a stubborn Italian, like me, the availability to follow Him and worship Him in spirit and truth.

I'm not entirely sure what is meant by the various references to "the law". Are they speaking of the Old Testament, prior to Christ's death on the cross? Or are they speaking of the Laws of Man? Regardless, I'm guessing that Paul is making a statement for faith and endurance.

I believe God is speaking to me in verses 3-4:


Even though I've just started on my journey towards Christ, I seem to have a fairly optimistic view that somehow Christ will solve all my problems. But somewhere deep down inside, I know that this isn't Christ's goal. And I believe he's telling me to have faith, that while his goals may not coincide with my own goals, to endure through my future hardships and to not let go of Christ and follow my own path, a practice I've frequented many times in the past. Today, I will act on this by persevering through my personal struggles and failings and place my faith in Christ.

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

6Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."7Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The Law and the Promise
15Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Sons of God
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.