Galatians 3

“… in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Gal 3:26

How are you trying to get into Heaven? How am I? How was I saved, if indeed I have been? How were you saved?

Salvation is central to Paul’s message in the third chapter of Galatians. The context of the error he’s dealing with may be specific to his time and circumstances, but we still struggle with the same error today in our own context.

When I was a child, I was not taught salvation by grace through faith. I was taught salvation by baptism, and retention of salvation by obedience. This was a huge, if un-recognized problem! Dr. Tom Constable explains the problem much more clearly that I ever could:

“… whenever we add anything to faith for salvation we inevitably neglect faith. If we make something besides faith supreme we establish a rite (e.g., baptism). When we establish a rite, practice of the rite becomes the message of the religion, …”

Although I am (now) saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), I was an adult before I clearly understood this. I lost many years of opportunity to teach the true gospel to others.

That’s why I ask the questions: How are you saved? How are you trying to maintain (keep) your salvation?

There are so many in today’s world who believe they’ll be made acceptable to God and granted entry into Heaven by going to church, or by not committing any of the “big” sins, or by living more righteously than 90% of their neighbors and friends. None of these are valid beliefs, and none are saving beliefs. I’m deeply concerned that Hell will be populated by many who are surprised to be there!

Dr. Constable writes “It is folly to mix law and grace.” Isn’t that what we’re doing when we’re trying to be “good enough” to get into Heaven? As Paul asked in verse 2: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” For those in Paul’s time, the law was the ten commandments of Exodus 20 and the extensive list of regulations in Leviticus. In my childhood, the law was “Don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t curse.” Either way, obeying a list or a book of commands doesn’t lead to salvation. “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse” (verse 10).

Why did we ever have the Mosaic Law if if couldn’t save us? Paul answers that in verse 24: “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

The primary example we get from Abraham, and what we were all supposed to learn from him, is faith. “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” (verse 7). Paul wraps up that thought at the end of the chapter with this glorious declaration: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

My obedience to Christ won’t save me. It will, however, honor the Christ who has already saved me!

Galatians 2:20

“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.”

The application of this verse is obvious — we no longer live for ourselves. The real question to ask is, how are we doing with that?

The root of sin is selfishness — being all about ourselves instead of regarding the needs of others and seeking God’s will first. As Christians, we have entrusted our needs to Christ, and now live for Him. BUT … we’re still human, still living in the flesh, and still struggle with our selfishness trying to poke its ugly head up out of the spiritual grave now and then.

Can we be honest with ourselves, and with God? Can we truly assess how we’re doing at living for Christ instead of for self? Where we fall short, God will provide whatever we need to remain within His will … if only we ask!

Galatians 2:11-14

“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?'”

I’ll admit it — when I first read this passage a few days ago, I was tempted to skip over it. After all, it relates a bit of history between Paul and Peter; good to know, but the whole Jew-Gentile thing is hardly an issue today. I thought there was more relevant material in the remainder of the chapter. (We’ll get there!)

Then I realized, these four verses are speaking to me, today!

First, when Paul met Peter in Antioch, he “opposed him”. The lesson here is in what Paul did NOT do. He did not keep his thoughts to himself. He did not just “let it go”. He did not grumble to his friends about Peter. He did not bad-mouth Peter to the churches as he traveled on. He opposed Peter, and told Peter publicly why he thought Peter was in the wrong. He did not take the easy way out.

How about me? What do I do when I see someone failing to live up to the blessing Christ has bestowed upon them? Do I speak up and attempt to set them straight? Or do I keep quiet and not make waves? What would Jesus have me to do?

The second lesson in this scripture is closely related to the first: When Paul opposed Peter, he “opposed him to his face“. Not behind his back. Not behind closed doors. Not to his friends, nor to Peter’s friends. He spoke directly to Peter, and explained to Peter his inconsistent behavior.

It’s not easy to speak up directly to the person with whom you disagree. It’s so much easier to speak about that person rather than to that person. The problem is, it is only by speaking directly to that person that anything positive and productive is accomplished. Jesus taught his disciples this principle in Matthew 18:15-17.

The third lesson I find in this passage is the issue that Paul took up with Peter: that of inconsistent behavior (hypocrisy). That’s not just a Jew vs. Gentile thing. Is my behavior the same when I’m in the office as it is when I’m in church? Do I speak to people the same way on my out-of-town work trip that I do on Sunday morning in worship?

It’s true that my usual work topics, databases and relational design, may not come up very often in my Sunday school class, but my choice of words should never vary. I need to be displaying the same respect for people at work, or in the shopping mall, as I do in the church.

I’ll close this meditation with another quote from Jesus: “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.” (John 13:34-35)

They (the “all people” of whom Jesus spoke) won’t know, if they don’t see that love in me.

Galatians 2:1-10

Paul continues his defense of his ministry

This section, which begins at verse 11 in the previous chapter, is Paul’s defense of his ministry. I have chosen not to write about that topic, as in current times, very few Christians actually dispute Paul’s authenticity or his authority. I do, however, want to “zoom in” on a side note in Paul’s writing which I believe has continuing significance for us today.

“to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, …” (v. 5, ESV)

The “them” Paul refers to here are the “false brothers” he described in verse 4. These false brothers were seeking to burden all Christians with the traditions and rituals of the Jewish faith. They were saying, in effect, "You must first be a righteous Jew, then and only then can you become a saved Christian. Fortunately, we don’t have much of a problem with such false teachers today. … Or do we???

No one has ever told me that I had to become a Jew first to be a Christian, but I have been told I’m not acceptable to Christ unless I wear a suit to church! How many teenagers have been told they can’t claim Christ and still have fun with their friends at a pool party?

It seems that the modern church is abounding with “rules” that Christians must follow out of tradition, or respect for their elders, which are supported nowhere in the Bible. Paul and his companions did not submit to the extra-Biblical rules which false teachers attempted to impose upon them; neither should we.

With this reading and meditation, here are the questions I’m asking myself …

Am I trying to be “more acceptable” to Christ, or to my church, or to certain individuals in my church, by submitting to “rules” which have no basis in inspired scripture?
Am I seeking to impose any such “rules” on others?
Am I thinking negativly about others who aren’t following the “rules” I hold them to in my mind, even if I’ve said nothing to them about these rules?
If I’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, when will I repent and change my thoughts, words and actions?

Galatians 1:6-9

“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.”

What is the “different gospel” to which Paul is referring here? Most scholars agree that Jews, probably from Jerusalem (i.e., the “Judaizers”), had come to the Galatian churches in opposition to Paul, teaching that the Galatian Christians had to accept Jewish faith and practice first, before they could become true followers of Christ. Paul wrote to refute those false teachings, and to defend himself against the personal accusations of those Judaizers.

Before we can apply this scripture to ourselves, we must first ask the question: “What is the false gospel which troubles us today and tends to lead us away from Christ?”.

One of those false gospels which we will encounter as we talk with people to lead them to Christ is Universalism: the teaching that all people, regardless of their religious faith and practice, will be accepted and saved by God. This belief states that God is “too good” and “too loving” to reject any of His creation or leave anyone behind.

That’s a very comforting-sounding teaching, but it’s simply false. Jesus told His disciples “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV) This false teaching can cause people to miss out on true salvation!

For many Christians, however, perhaps the most tempting false gospel to believe is the self-lie that “I’m not so bad. Others are so much worse. God will overlook the small things.” Jerry Bridges wrote a book about this: Respectable Sins. It’s a very uncomfortable book to read! Mr. Bridges makes the point that there is no such thing as a “respectable” or “acceptable” sin. It’s all sin in God’s eyes.

For an application of this scripture, I’ll let the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors speak for me, as Karen Lehner wrote:

Am I comfortable with where I am in saying “no” to sin in my life?
Do I justify sin by convincing my heart that I am not so bad because of the “greater” sins of others?
Do I regularly assess my words and conduct and the heart desires producing them?
Do I respond to “seemingly small” sins with repentance and sorrow?

Galatians 1:1-5

“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:” (v. 1-2, ESV)

Paul makes the point within his greeting that no man, no earthly authority, had any part in appointing him and authorizing him to serve as an apostle. At the time Paul wrote the letter, some questioned his motives and/or his apostolic authority. Very few Christians today have the same questions. So, what does this greeting say to us today?

Although none of us are called to be apostles today, every one of us has a role to fulfill within the church, a role designed and appointed to us by God. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV) We must be careful that the role we accept and work is the role to which God has appointed us, and not the role to which we have appointed ourselves, or the role that has been appointed us by enthusiastic supporters.

God hasn’t prepared any of us to be omni-talented, taking on whatever comes at us. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that we each have an individual role to play in service to the body of Christ. Not all the roles are as public-facing, and not all the roles are as well-known. We must not judge the importance of various roles within the church by man’s standards; that will skew our perception and our values.

This brings to mind a moment at my stepfather’s funeral. The pastor related how my stepfather had built and installed a very useful and frequently-used cabinet in the church basement. Until that moment, I never knew he had done that, and apparently most of the people at his church didn’t know it either. His work would continue to bless his church long after he had departed to Heaven, but apart from that mention at his funeral, very few there knew where it came from.

I pray that I will continue in Christ’s service, in the role to which He has appointed me and for which He has prepared and equipped me.

2 Corinthians 13:5

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (ESV)

Paul wrote this to the Corinthian CHURCH … those whom he accepted as having been saved, and who thought of themselves as saved. Is Paul questioning their salvation?

Apparently not. Dr. Thomas L. Constable writes “Nowhere in the Bible is a Christian asked to examine either his faith or his life to find out if he is a Christian. He is told only to look outside of himself to Christ alone for his assurance that he is a Christian.” Our assurance of salvation is the Holy Spirit: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14, ESV)

Paul is warning the Corinthians (v. 1-3) that he plans to come again, and will sternly admonish those whose lives and practices don’t measure up to God’s standard of living for the saved, the body of Christ. In the whole chapter, this may be the most important take-away for us: Are we living daily in such a manner as to reflect glory upon our Savior?

What do we need to give up? What do we need to change? What do we need to take up? If we are growing in Christ, growing closer to His standard, is there evidence in our lives to demonstrate that growth? If sanctification was a crime, would evidence be found to convict us?

Personally, I confess that I fall short in many ways. I’m so thankful our study has brought us to this chapter, to this critical verse, to give me the “kick in the seat” that I need to get back on the road and set aside those things that don’t need to be drawing my time and attention away from Christ!

2 Corinthians 10:12

“But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

As previously noted, all of chapter 10 is a defense of Paul’s ministry. In seeking to find relevance in an argument over a 2000-year-old dispute, we’re focusing on a couple of key verses in this chapter; verses where we can find challenges and guidance for our own walk with Christ. Today’s verse is the second of those.

A few weeks ago, I had a significant disappointment at the doctor’s office. They weighed and measured me, and found I was about 20 pounds heavier than I thought I was, and about an inch and a half shorter than I know I’ve always been! I decided I didn’t like their standards of measurement.

Their weight scale had become more sensitive over the years. Their vertical measure had grown, leaving me to appear shorter in the comparison. I decided then and there that, instead of referring to myself as 65 inches tall, I would now be 165 centimeters tall. Same measure, but in centimeters it sounds better! Just like 104 kilograms sounds so much better than 230 pounds!

Don’t we do so much the same in our spiritual lives? It’s comforting (in a strictly humanistic way) to compare ourselves to neighbors and acquaintances whose lives are filled with more trouble, more dysfunction, and more sin than our own. We can always find someone to compare ourselves to who will make us look great in comparison, at least in our own eyes.

That’s not, however, how God measures us. He doesn’t see us through our own eyes, or measure our spirits in comparison to our neighbors. Instead, God measures us in comparison to His own matchless perfection. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

What a high standard! Is it even possible? Not according to Romans 3:10: “None is righteous, no, not one.” How can we possibly meet such a high standard?

Not on our own. Jesus has accomplished for us what we could never accomplish without Him. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

In this life, we won’t achieve perfection; Jesus’ disciples didn’t either. We will come much closer to it, however, if we first learn to measure our thoughts, words and actions as God Himself measures them; against the standard of His perfection. Having measured ourselves properly, we can then yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and walk ever more closely in step with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:5

“… take every thought captive to obey Christ”

All of chapter 10 is a defense of Paul’s ministry; a response to critics accusing Paul of self-service in his ministry to the Corinthian church. I confess: it’s difficult to find relevance in an argument over a 2000-year-old dispute. Today, no one questions Paul, his motives, or his ministry.

There are, however, a couple of key statements within Paul’s self-defense wherein we can find challenges and guidance for our own walk with Christ. The first of these is in verse 5: “… take every thought captive to obey Christ”.

All sin begins in our thoughts. We are enticed to sinful choices before we take sinful actions. We are tempted towards inaction and self-appeasement before we sinfully neglect to do the Lord’s work. We resist God’s will in our minds before our steps turn away from Him.

Obedience is a big deal. In John 14:15, Jesus told his disciples “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Do you love Jesus? Are you His disciple? Then obey Him. Keep His commandments. Do what He says. Live life His way.

The Nike shoe company says “Just do it.” Simple to say, hard to accomplish. Hard enough with exercise; harder still with every work and action in life!

If we’re going to “just do it” with regard to following Jesus, we need to know how to just do it. Paul answers this question in today’s scripture: take every thought captive. If we are in control of our thoughts, we will be in control of our words and of our actions.

Application: What thoughts do I need to take captive today? What thoughts are pulling me away from Jesus, and from living life His way?

2 Corinthians 8

First of all, RELAX! I’m not going to cover the whole chapter! I’ve found in this chapter four key verses which teach and admonish me about current-day Christian life, and I’m going to focus on those four verses.

Verse 5

and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

All too often, when “giving” is taught in our churches, the emphasis is upon monetary giving. There are so many ways to give of yourself within the body of Christ, and while monetary gifts pay the bills, they are perhaps the least important of our gifts. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome “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.”

God wants my whole being … heart, soul, mind and body … as my living sacrifice to Him. My money is just another tool in my toolbox of service, by which I express my love for God and my gratitude for Jesus Christ.

My question for myself at this verse is: “Have I given all of myself, heart, soul, mind, body and resources, into God’s service? Am I willing to go wherever He sends, to whomever He sends me, to do for them whatever He bids me to do?”

Verse 9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

How can we not pour ourselves out in gratitude for all that Jesus has done for us, when we begin to realize the immensity of all He has sacrificed for us. It was so much more than a physical life given on the cross in our place! He gave all His life before the cross to serve and teach a fallen mankind. Paul perhaps says it best in Philippians 2:5-8:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What is your response to such limitless sacrifice for you? How am I showing Jesus I understand all that He sacrificed to reconcile me to God? What am I holding back? Am I really “all in”, or just 99%?

Verse 14

… your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.

Throughout history, and even in some cultures today, there are concepts about economic equality which sound quite foreign and bizarre to modern American ears. Some even in Bible times believed that possessing significantly more than needed was and injustice, and in some cultures, a moral offense.

Here in Charlotte, and indeed in many inner cities, the poorest people living on the street are often the most generous! They will give a large portion, or perhaps all they have, to help someone in even more dire circumstances. The thought is that, if they help someone today, then tomorrow when they themselves are in need, another homeless person with a bit more than they have will return the help.

Paul seems to be referring to a similar expectation here, where the Corinthians have the “abundance” to share and help their brothers in Christ in Jerusalem, in the confidence that when the tables are turned and the Corinthians are in need, God will make help available to them.

What about you? What about me? Am I holding back significantly more than I need, and regarding the needs of others too little? Does my giving and my saving display a love for God and His people, or does it reflect my lack of confidence in God to provide?

Verse 21

for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

To live without sin is an admirable goal, but according to Paul, still not enough. Paul points out that the world around us only knows our reputation within this world; they don’t know what God thinks of us. People will want to hear what we have to say, or will scoff at what we say, according to our reputation “in the sight of man”.

While instructing Timothy on the qualifications to be required of elders in the church, he added “he must be well thought of by outsiders”. The importance of our reputation goes beyond the church; it is quite important how we are regarded by the surrounding community.

So I must ask myself, Am I living a life which will draw others in, wanting to know more about the God whom I call ‘Father’? Am I saying or doing things to harm my local community reputation?