November 30 - Galatians 1-3
The book of Galatians shows the wonder of the gospel. I am sure that it was hard to get used to the gospel after having lived under the Old Testament Law or under other pagan religions, but the new believers needed to make the adjustment, so they could grow in the Lord. They had come to know Christ through faith. Then, God saved them freely apart from doing works. It was not good for them to think that they could then grow in the Lord by doing works of the law. The Christian life is not a life of works. It is a relationship with Christ, in which each individual seeks to love Jesus and walk with Him. Then, when Jesus tells that person what to do, the person does it out of love, and he does it by the grace of God given to him through Christ, not in his own strength. This is a radical shift from religion, but it is necessary for all believers to understand this.
In Galatians Paul is trying to show this to the believers in Galatia, because false teachers had come after Paul had led them to the Lord. These teachers were telling the new believers that they had to follow the Old Testament Law first, before they could follow Christ. This was a contradiction, so Paul was very concerned. He tells them how concerned he is, and he tells them that they should believe him instead of following this new teaching, because he had received his teaching from the direct revelation of God. (v.1,12) To prove his point Paul gives a long testimony about how he was learning from God for many years, before he conferred with the men in Jerusalem very much at all. Then, in chapter 2 he says that he went to Jerusalem after 14 years, because God told him to go. (v.2) He was going not to ask their permission to keep preaching the gospel, but to make sure they were on the same page. They were in agreement on salvation by grace through faith, but it was hard for even Peter and Barnabas to break their old ways, so Paul had to confront them.
Paul says all of that so that he can tell the Galatian believers and us that our life comes from Jesus living in us. (2:20) It does not come from keeping rules. In fact, if you only have a religion of keeping rules, you do not have Christ. The rules of the Law are only to show us our sin and to lead us to put our trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. Once we come to know Him, we live through our relationship with Him and the power of the Spirit. We are informed by the Law, but we are motivated to do service, not to make us righteous, but to obey our Lord out of relationship. This is what Paul shows the Galatians in chapter 3. We are sons of God after we come to know Christ. We are no longer just slaves to keep the Law. We do the Law, but we do it, because it is right and the Lord shows us how to live in His power. It is totally different from religion. I pray that you understand what God is saying here, and that you have been set free from the religion of keeping laws or doing works to be right with God. I pray that you know Christ, because He lives in you, and He walks with you each day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Galatians 4-6.
In Galatians Paul is trying to show this to the believers in Galatia, because false teachers had come after Paul had led them to the Lord. These teachers were telling the new believers that they had to follow the Old Testament Law first, before they could follow Christ. This was a contradiction, so Paul was very concerned. He tells them how concerned he is, and he tells them that they should believe him instead of following this new teaching, because he had received his teaching from the direct revelation of God. (v.1,12) To prove his point Paul gives a long testimony about how he was learning from God for many years, before he conferred with the men in Jerusalem very much at all. Then, in chapter 2 he says that he went to Jerusalem after 14 years, because God told him to go. (v.2) He was going not to ask their permission to keep preaching the gospel, but to make sure they were on the same page. They were in agreement on salvation by grace through faith, but it was hard for even Peter and Barnabas to break their old ways, so Paul had to confront them.
Paul says all of that so that he can tell the Galatian believers and us that our life comes from Jesus living in us. (2:20) It does not come from keeping rules. In fact, if you only have a religion of keeping rules, you do not have Christ. The rules of the Law are only to show us our sin and to lead us to put our trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. Once we come to know Him, we live through our relationship with Him and the power of the Spirit. We are informed by the Law, but we are motivated to do service, not to make us righteous, but to obey our Lord out of relationship. This is what Paul shows the Galatians in chapter 3. We are sons of God after we come to know Christ. We are no longer just slaves to keep the Law. We do the Law, but we do it, because it is right and the Lord shows us how to live in His power. It is totally different from religion. I pray that you understand what God is saying here, and that you have been set free from the religion of keeping laws or doing works to be right with God. I pray that you know Christ, because He lives in you, and He walks with you each day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Galatians 4-6.