Freedom

We are continuing to study Galatians at our Church. It has been a great journey with a ways to go. This week we will be looking at Chapter 2:1-10. 

Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 

6 As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.  8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Cephas, and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. 

Here Paul is telling us that; as Pastor Tullian Tchividjian would say, Jesus plus nothing equals everything. The Gospel gives us freedom. Or that, by grace though faith in Christ alone provides for our salvation. And the Galatians were on that slippery slope of adding regulation/tradition/ceremony to the salvation equation. The beauty of the Gospel is that 'all that' has been fulfilled in the finished and complete work of Christ. At times, it is hard for us as broken humans to understand or grasp this. Do we possibly see some of this in some of our denominational battles? 

Martin Luther wrote; “the true Gospel teaches that works are not the ornament or perfection of faith, but that faith of itself is God’s gift and God’s work in our hearts, which justify us because it takes hold of Christ our Redeemer. Human reason has the law for its object, thinking, ‘I have done this; I have not done that.’ But faith in itself has no object but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, given up to death for the sins of the whole world. It does not say, ‘What have I done? In what have I offended? What have I deserved?’ It says, ‘What has Christ done? What has He deserved?’ He has redeemed you from you sin, from the devil, and from eternal death. Faith therefore acknowledges that in this one person, Jesus Christ, is forgiveness of sins and eternal life.” 

Can you see the freedom the Gospel offers? And while our freedom is a gift from God there is truly a heart transformation that should occur and an attitude of gratitude (isn’t that cute). And out of that gratitude a desire to become more and more like our savior. So while there is freedom in our salvation, over time there will be a grateful obedience to Christ. So the Gospel tells us we are free; free from sin, free from works, free from ceremony, free from regulation and free to worship, free to be transformed, free to follow and obey our loving Savior with what Keller calls a “grace-gratitude motive”. 

Grace and Peace!

Galatians

Our new church; Harbor Community, is starting a series on Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. I am excited...more so than usual and looking forward to studying along with our Pastor. This is a book I have read many times, but I get this feeling this time is different; that there will be more. God’s word is that way you know; it provides a lifetime of learning, growing, discovering. 

Just to delve into it a little; Hendriksen reminds us: “ ‘The Epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. To it I am as it were in wedlock. It is my Katherine.’ Thus spoke Luther, who considered Galatians best of all the books in the Bible. It has been called ‘the battle cry of the Reformation,’ ‘the great charter of religious freedom,’ ‘the Christian declaration of independence.’ It is important because in any age it answers the basic question asked by the human heart: ‘how can I find happiness?’” 

Tim Keller says; “The book of Galatians is dynamite. It is an explosion of joy and freedom which leaves us enjoying deep significance, security, and satisfaction – the life of blessing God calls His people into.” 

And finally, Martin Luther wrote; “I hope you are not ignorant of the meaning of grace and peace, seeing that these terms are common in Paul and are not now obscure or unknown. We have undertaken to explain this letter not because it is necessary or because there is anything very hard in it, but so our consciences may be strengthened against heresies yet to come, and so we will keep on repeating things that at other times we teach, preach, sing and write about, for if we neglect the truth of justification, we lose everything...These two words, grace and peace include all that belong to Christianity. Grace releases sin, and peace makes the conscience quiet.”

How would it even be possible to not be excited? As Paul writes in Chapter 1:3-5... 

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen! 

Grace and Peace!

Seeing Clearly

I have been reading through Romans and have found Chapter 2 very concerning. This is a chapter on God’s judgment and the timing seems well just perfect as Easter approaches. 

Understanding the Cross, the ultimate and final sacrifice can be a little intimidating, but it is so vital. It is vital to see the finished work of Christ as our only hope of salvation. So how does this all relate to Chapter 2 of Romans? 

Well I think Paul is breaking down our self-righteousness trying to get us to see clearly our desperate need of rescue. Commenting on this passage, Tim Keller says; 

“All face judgment, and all deserve wrath. It is only from this ground that we are able to look at the cross and see it clearly. We cannot appreciate who Christ is unless we first acknowledge who we are.” 

Father, this Psalm Sunday...Thank you that you are God and thank you for your plan for salvation through the finished work of Christ. Father, help us all to see clearly our desperation, help us to know and appreciate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the sacrifice made. Amen. 

Grace and Peace!

Relationships

There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless - a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 

There is so much in this passage, we see that we need relationship, we need fellowship, we need to serve together, to persevere together, to do this thing called life together. In other words we need Church and a Church family. But there is so much more... 

In this passage from Ecclesiastes the “preacher” shows us the need we have for relationship. Even in this world where we will be continually let down, make mistakes of our own, and generally just mess up, we need and desire relationship. It is also so import to note the link to the gospel, to notice that while we may be forsaken in some of our worldly relationships, we know that our Savior was most certainly forsaken in His worldly relationships all the way to the cross, yet he loves us still and promises to never leave or forsake us. (See Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5) Amazing! 

Father, thank you for your amazing word, thank you for relationships and mostly thank you for Jesus who will never leave us or forsake us. Now that is a relationship! 

Grace and Peace!