The Main Thing – 5:1

Have you ever received counsel that took you totally by surprise, but that later proved invaluable in a totally different situation? I sure have. It went like this: in the second half of 2012 I fell for a girl really strongly, and it did not go at all according to plan; in reflecting on the results of that situation, I detected strong idolatry I my heart towards relationships. As such, my resolution for 2013 was, “I’m not going to date for a year.” But as it goes with the typical twenty year old male, another girl popped up on the radar less than 3 months into 2013. I told myself, “I have got to stick to my resolution or else I’m not a man of my word.” I talked to my pastor about it, and he said some words that I will never forget: “Stop it. You’re a hard-wired legalist; you need to loosen up. Perhaps God brought this girl into your life to be your wife? If you stick to your self-made plan, you could seriously limit yourself. Go check out Galatians 5:1.” (It wasn’t those exact words of course, but the basic gist of his message was just that.) I read Galatians 5:1, and maybe the whole book as well afterwards, and since then Galatians 5:1 has been etched in the back of my mind.

Fast forward two and a half years to the summer of 2015 and that girl is nowhere present in my life. However, I was receiving counsel from a pastor at another church—no longer in California, but rather in Missouri—and something seemed very off about the counsel. The counsel was directly related to escaping the clutches of certain sin patterns, but looking back I wouldn’t call it counsel, I’d use a different word that starts with the letter “c.” Condemnation. Week in and week out it was the same: if I had not stood well, it would be a barrage of, “how can you know you are saved?” type statements; if I had stood well, the statements sounded as if he assumed I was a new believer as of that week. It got to the point where I was thoroughly surprised that I was even accepted as a member of the church. Depression set in as a result of the counsel I was receiving—counsel that was devoid of hope, counsel that was devoid of Christ, counsel that was devoid of calling a sinner to repentance and faith in the Gospel.

One day that summer, I sat down in the park with my Bible and a notebook and found myself in the book of Galatians. I started at the beginning and read the whole book, but the verse that stuck out to me more than any other was Galatians 5:1, and my pastor’s counsel from 2013 reverberated back through my mind, “Don’t submit to the yoke this current pastor is putting on you” (the application I discovered based on the situation and the previous counsel from my gospel-saturated California pastor). As such, I left that church in August of 2015, and it’s really been nothing but a nightmare ever since as far as they are concerned (but that doesn’t need to be delved into right now).

I share all of that to explain what Paul is saying in our passage today. It’s only one verse today, but this one verse is the hinge of the whole letter. Everything prior leads to it, and everything after flows out of it. And, as the lengthy intro hopefully proved, it was this verse that led me to study this book in the first place, along with the request of a good friend who kept me from pursuing an Old Testament book on this blog (at least so far).

Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Most commentators want to lump this verse in with 4:21-31, which is probably fine: I mean, it ends by saying, “We are not children of the slave but of the free woman,” as if to say, “You have been set free.” And then Paul concludes that section by asking, basically, “Why, then, do some of you want to go back to being like Ishmael, who was a slave, an outcast, and separated from God?”[1]

The subject of Galatians 5:1 is “Christ.” Christ is the one who is responsible for the Christian’s freedom. This is very important in this day and age where it is too easily accepted, even in Christian circles, that you gotta do your best and let Jesus do the rest. Honestly, this was the vibe I was getting from that church in 2015, and it harkened back to one of my first mentors who came out of Mormonism, who told me once that one of the Mormon’s beliefs is, “Do your best and let Jesus do the rest.” That theology has no business at all in our churches. Like really: how much time did the thief on the cross have to do his best? (And I know they have a theory about that, but my point still stands.) Paul hits the nail on the head in Galatians 5:1 by saying that it is Jesus, and Jesus alone who is responsible for the Christian’s freedom. Jesus said Himself, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5), which means no thing. He said in John 8:35, “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” Before Christ we can’t make ourselves free, and after Christ we can’t be more free. The subject responsible for our freedom is Jesus, and He is the one we must hold out to people regardless of the sin they struggle with.

What has Christ done for us according to this verse? Christ has made us free. Luther explains,

There is also another kind of “liberty,” when people obey neither the laws of God nor the laws of men, but do as they please. This carnal liberty the people want in our day. We are not now speaking of this liberty. Neither are we speaking of civil liberty.

Paul is speaking of a far better liberty, the liberty “wherewith Christ hath made us free,” not from material bonds, not from the Babylonian captivity, not from the tyranny of the Turks, but from the eternal wrath of God.[2]

When I argue for the utmost importance of the liberty that Christ has brought us, I cannot emphasize enough that this liberty does not mean that drunkenness, sexual deviance, or using filthy language are allowable for the believer. John Calvin said, “Our adversaries raise a prejudice against us among ignorant people, as if the whole object of our pursuit were licentiousness, which is the relaxation of all discipline. But wise and skillful persons are aware that this is one of the most important doctrines connected with salvation.”[3] Paul will go on to say that this freedom cannot possibly excuse a Christian to live in sinfulness (cf. 5:13). In fact, given that the Galatians had never been under the Law prior to being converted, when Paul says, “Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (emphasis added), he is actively calling their pagan practices an enslaving yoke that needs to be kept off.[4]

When I had voiced my concern to the judgmental pastor a year and a half ago, I was told that I was wrong, because putting  more emphasis on my status as a believer in Christ would mean that I could justify my sin and would not take it seriously as a result. Paul would be incredulous at such a response, because Paul is here teaching, “Christ set you free! Don’t fear God as your enemy any longer! Cling to Him as your Father!” Paul would emphasize freedom, not law, because freedom proves Christ’s victory and law only repeatedly shows us our failures. Knowing Christ is victorious is a much better motivator to holiness than fearing that I will mess up again!

Paul writes “to be free,” repeating the word free because he wants to engrain it in our minds. The Galatians are free. We are free. They didn’t need Judaism to help them be free. We don’t need lists of “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not” to be free. We are in Christ and He won our freedom with the purpose that we might be free. The question is: have we started truly living in this freedom? Spend some time reflecting on that today. What enslaves you? A sin? Maybe a good, spiritual thing done for the entirely wrong reason? Christ is our hope! He set us free. Let’s live in that freedom.

Paul brings in a “therefore,” which proves that we needed the first four chapters to know what this is here for. And, as such, it made my study of this book—verse by verse—absolutely vital to doing this passage correct justice today. One commentator said, “If Galatians is the Magna Carta of Christian liberty, then [Galatians 5:1] has reason to be considered one of the key verses of the epistle.”[5] A short review will suffice to prove this point.[6]

The introduction proves that Christ gave Himself so that we can be free—rescued “from this present evil age” (1:1-5). The next verses clearly show that the Judaizers’ changing of the gospel is opposed to standing firm in freedom (1:6-10). Then, in the first section of Paul’s detailed chronology, we see that the faith Paul preached was agreed upon by the church, and is the Gospel that is presented throughout this book (1:11-24). Paul’s second section of detailed chronology explains that he withstood all attempts to overthrow Christian freedom (2:1-5). Paul’s third section of chronology proves that even the apostles agreed with Paul’s gospel of freedom (2:6-10). Paul’s final section of chronology explains that Paul opposed anyone who undermined the gospel’s freedom and availability to all, regardless of their “status” (2:11-14). Paul then goes on to explicitly claim that freedom comes through justification which is found in Christ and not in the Law (2:15-21). Paul asks a rhetorical question in 3:1 that proves someone was guilty of placing them in this yoke of slavery. Paul spends a lengthy amount of time differentiating between faith in the promise and works of the Law (3:2-14). Jesus is the promise about whom the Old Testament Law spoke (3:15-18). The Law enslaves, but Jesus frees (3:19-26). Slaves don’t inherit, but free people do (3:27-4:7). Everyone is a slave of something, and for that reason, everyone needs Jesus to free them (4:8-11). Paul tells the Galatians they have to deal with God, not him, if they stay enslaved (4:12-20). Finally, Paul even quotes the Law as proving it is better to be free (4:21-31). And thus we arrive at 5:1.

Paul then makes a command, the first one that would have a visible result (see 4:12 and 4:21 for the only other two commands, but notice the difference between those and this one). I see this command being yelled by Paul: “Stand!” In understanding the force of this command, Martin Luther is again helpful. “‘Be steadfast, not careless. Lie not down and sleep, but stand up. Be watchful. Hold fast the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free.’ Those who loll cannot keep this liberty. Satan hates the light of the Gospel. When it begins to shine a little he fights against it with might and main.”[7] Calvin adds, “It is an invaluable blessing, in defense of which it is our duty to fight, even to death; since not only the highest temporal considerations, but our eternal interests also, animate us to the contest.”[8] If we stop fighting for freedom in Christ, it is to our detriment. If we sit down in this fight, the Devil will overtake us and bind us down again. We must watch out for legalistic pressure and also licentious pressure, refusing both extremes, because both destroy our freedom.

Paul concludes the verse by telling the Galatians to not “submit again to a yoke of slavery.” There are two things to say about this. The first is related to how a person gets in a yoke of slavery, and the second is about the yoke itself.

First, the verb translated “submit” is in the passive tense, meaning the subject, the implied “you” Paul is speaking to, is being acted on instead of doing the action. For this reason I prefer to translate it as, “be placed in.” Slavery is something that is done to a person, not something that a person chooses. However, as is clear in this context, Paul is warning the Galatians that the only way to avoid being enslaved again is to stand. We must stand firm and not allow anyone to place a restrictive, condemning collar around us.

The “yoke of slavery” Paul is talking about avoiding at all costs is directly contrasted to another yoke mentioned in Scripture. Jesus tells of it in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is the yoke the believer in Jesus is to wear. The burden Jesus speaks of is the burden of walking rightly as a light in this fallen world. But this burden is light, because He is yoked with us, walking with us and enabling us to accomplish the task. If left to our own strength, we would fail. Paul says, “Don’t submit to a yoke of slavery, because that yoke will kill you—fear, depression, hopelessness. Instead, submit to Christ’s yoke which is easy and freeing, especially in comparison to the yoke of slavery.

So with all that said, how do we stand? How do we not let ourselves be placed back in slavery? We must preach the Gospel to ourselves everyday. But here’s my question for you: do you know the Gospel well enough to preach it? It can be as simple as quoting Romans 5:8 and 10:9 and recommitting yourself each morning to an active lifestyle of saying, “The gospel is true about me because Jesus is my Lord!” or it can be as detailed as the answer another of my California pastors gave me when I conducted a survey this week. He said the following,

The gospel is the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is set against the bad news that all of humanity has sinned and has fallen short of God's glory. We all sin in various ways, and are therefore guilty before God and are at war with Him, even if we don't realize it. Jesus came to remedy this. He is the 2nd person of the Trinity, who came down as a man, born of a virgin (thus not inheriting the sin nature), and lived a perfectly obedient life to God. On the appointed day, He traded places with sinners by dying on the cross. There, the Father poured His wrath on the Son for our sins. After Jesus paid all the debt of everyone who would ever believe in Him, He died, thus completing the transaction. On the third day, He rose from the dead, was glorified, and later ascended to the right hand of the Father. Everyone who places their trust in Jesus and surrenders to Him as Lord will be saved. So the fornicator can get right with God by simply trusting Jesus for salvation, and believing that Christ truly paid His debt and truly conquered death. If the fornicator gives his heart to the Lord, then his sins will be forgiven.[9]

The Reformation claimed that salvation was in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone. The emphasis of our gospel preaching must be on faith. It cannot be on the visible repentance that necessarily follows true faith. If we preach and teach about true belief, people will understand true repentance. If we had to repent before we could be saved, then we’d never be saved because the Christian life is a life of continual repentance. Until my dying day, I’ll be repenting, but it is my faith, placed squarely in the finished work of Jesus—who set me free—on July 1, 2010, that made me right with God. True faith leads to freedom, and true freedom is held onto by repentance, and true repentance is the other side of the coin that is faith.

The answer to the question, “How do I get right with God?” does not change if someone has two decades to live as opposed to two minutes. Belief in the finished work of Jesus is all that is required. Anyone who teaches otherwise needs to be thrown out of their pulpits, question their calling to ministry, and ask themselves, “Have I really placed my faith in Christ alone for salvation, or am I secretly also trusting myself?” This is why I left that church a year and a half ago: they weren’t pointing me to Christ’s yoke, but rather to a yoke of slavery. If you’re in a church that is similar, find one that places Christ primary, that preaches the gospel, and that pleads with people to believe. Only then can you stand safe against a possible lapse under a yoke of slavery.

I conclude with lyrics from Hillsong’s song, “Christ is Enough.” The bridge says, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”[10] That’s my anthem. Is it yours? I pray it is, as I pray that it becomes such for every church in this nation that we call America.

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria. Solus Christus.

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[1] John MacArthur, Galatians, 128.

[2] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.

[3] John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians.

[4] J. B. Lightfoot, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, 185. Commenting on “again”: “Having escaped from the slavery of Heathenism, they would fain bow to the slavery of Judaism.”

[5] Quoted in David Platt and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition – Exalting Jesus in Galatians, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, Tony Merida, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2014), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 96.

[6] I will stick to sections, even though I could argue almost verse by verse at points how everything in this letter screams, “5:1  is the thesis statement.”

[7] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.

[8] John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians.

[9] Stephen Feinstein, in an email to the author, January 11, 2017.

[10] Hillsong Live, “Christ Is Enough,” (© 2013 Hillsong Church), 4:16.

“It’s a Trap” – 4:21-31

As I’ve said before, I love Star Wars. And, as I may not have mentioned, the original trilogy is the best. My favorite episode is 6: The Return of the Jedi. There is a line that has forever been immortalized by one rebel alien: “It’s a trap.” When I think of Admiral Ackbar—the orange Mon Calamarian—I think of that line. In fact, when I saw his “cousin” in Rogue One a few weeks ago, I immediately thought of that line. And now, after studying this passage in Galatians, all I can say is, “It’s a trap!”

Galatians 4:21-31 says, “Tell me, those of you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.  But the one by the slave was born according to ⌊the impulse of⌋ the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.  These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and 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, childless woman, who does not give birth. Burst into ⌊song⌋ and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.  Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.  But just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now.  But what does the Scripture say? Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.  Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.”

Paul had concluded verse 20 by saying, “I don’t know what to do about you,” and Luther points out, “Here Paul would have closed his Epistle because he did not know what else to say. He wishes he could see the Galatians in person and straighten out their difficulties. But he is not sure whether the Galatians have fully understood the difference between the Gospel and the Law. To make sure, he introduces another illustration.”[1] Paul had already gone through his personal encounter with Christ, and the agreement of the other apostles with Paul’s status as an able teacher; he had already gone through all the theology about grace and Christ as opposed to the law; he had even explained his own heart regarding his Galatian brothers, and reminded them of their reception of him. With all that said, he says, “I don’t know what to do about you,” and then brings in an illustration that totally traps the Galatians. Their only out is to say, “Okay, Paul, we want to follow the way of promise.”

Paul follows in the footsteps of Jesus, The Great Debater, when he totally turns his tone around in verse 21 by saying, “Tell me, those of you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?” It harks back to Jesus, who often asked the Pharisees, “Have you not read…?” (cf. Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31). In Jesus’ case, the Pharisees were supposed to be top notch scholars of the Word; Jesus consistently pointed out that they didn’t know it even close to as well as He did, and as such their indictments of Him could do nothing but fall flat. Paul here touches on the fact that the Galatians were wanting to follow the Law, so he brings up a passage where the Law itself says, “The law leads to slavery.”

Now before we go any farther, two potential objections must be put to rest. First, “The stories in Genesis are not the Law,” and second, “This illustration Paul uses has nothing to do with the original context in the Genesis story.” As far as the first, when Paul speaks of the Law, he is speaking of the hrwt (Torah), the first five books of our Old Testament, often referred to as “the Law of Moses.” Any Jew back then would have understood all of Genesis as being part of the Law. As for the second objection, it is true that Paul takes it farther than the original Mosaic intent. In fact the word the HCSB translates as “illustrations,” is literally the word from which we get “allegory.” Two things are true despite the fact that Paul took this illustration farther than Moses’ original intention: first, the Jews had no problem with allegorical interpretations of their Scripture (cf. the writings of Philo);[2] second, this passage is in a text that is bound with other texts that fall under the description of 2 Timothy 3:16 (God-breathed, inspired Scripture). Even though allegory is a terrible way to understand Scripture, God inspired that it should be used to accomplish His purpose in this specific passage.

To fully understand this passage of Scripture, I have adopted my outline from John MacArthur’s commentary: verses 22-23 are the historical background, verses 24-27 are the divine interpretation, and verses 28-31 are the personal application.[3]

Paul gives the historical background in verses 22-23: “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.  But the one by the slave was born according to ⌊the impulse of⌋ the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.”

The story Paul is talking about is fleshed out by Moses in Genesis 15-16 and 21. In Genesis 15, God comes to Abraham and says, “You will inherit a large reward.” Abraham basically replies by saying, “How is that, since it will leave my family after I die since my heir is a servant and not my son?” God answers and says, “No. You will have a child. In fact, your descendants will be as numerous as the stars.” Abraham believed that message. Chapter 16 picks up the story presumably when Sarah, Abraham’s wife, hears the news. She says, “Abraham, I haven’t been privileged to have a child. Sleep with my servant and she will have your son for me.” Abraham listens to her. Ishmael is born from the slave woman, Hagar. Then chapter 21 rolls around, and we read in verses 1-3, “The LORD came to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him.  Abraham named his son who was born to him—the one Sarah bore to him—Isaac.” Thus we see that Abraham had two sons, one by the flesh and the other according to the promise of God.

Paul explains the divine interpretation in verses 24-27: “These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and 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, childless woman, who does not give birth. Burst into ⌊song⌋ and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.”

The Jews would have freaked out here. We can follow Paul’s comparison easily, and so could they, that the two women represent two covenants: Hagar’s descendants were slaves and Sarah’s descendants were free. However, Paul switches it by saying that Hagar corresponds to present day Jerusalem. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul understood Judaism as being trapped in slavery. The Jews—especially the Judaizers—would have declared Paul crazy. Paul’s point though is that this is an interpretation of the Law, and the Law itself is here declaring the fleshly way—that opposed to faith—as enslaving. While the Judaizers promised freedom, Paul says they only enslave.

He then says that while the Jerusalem on earth is enslaved, there is a Jerusalem that is free, and it is the spiritual Jerusalem that bears children according to the promise. When Paul says, “The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother” (verse 26), he has just explained how believers now are children of Abraham (3:10-26). God is our Father through the promise to Abraham. The point is not that Sarah is our spiritual mother,[4] let alone that Abraham is our spiritual father. The point—the goal Paul has been aiming at since 3:1—is that God is a keeper of His promises and there is ZERO we can do to add to it or earn it. Paul then quotes a verse to say, “Rejoice in this truth! Refuse to be deceived anymore and rejoice in your freedom and blessing.”

Paul applies it to the Galatians personally in verses 28-31: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.  But just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now.  But what does the Scripture say? Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.  Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.”

And here Paul explicitly ties it all together, proving the point I made above. However, in the midst of it, he explains why the Judaizers have been troubling them. He ties it back to Genesis 21:9, where Sarah sees Ishmael mocking Isaac. Paul says, “Just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now.” The Judaizers were jealous of the Galatian’s freedom and were trying to trouble them. Paul then quotes Genesis 21:10 in order to tell them what they should do with the Judaizers. “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!” Paul wants them to kick out the deceivers. He wants them to not even feign fellowship with the fakes. He doesn’t want them to be confused anymore about who they trace their lineage from.[5] The Galatians are not from earthly Jerusalem, but spiritual Jerusalem. They are free; they are not slaves.

This is true of us today too, if you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you belong to Him, you are free; you are no longer a slave to sin, death, and the Law. It isn’t about what you do or don’t do; it’s about who your Father is.

If you don’t know Jesus, you are still a son or daughter of the slave woman. Here’s the good news though: God is in the adoption business. We all started out as children of Hagar, but through Jesus’ death on the cross—believing that He was and is who He claims to be—we can be made children of God. If you don’t yet believe, I beg you to place your faith in Him today! If you do believe, never return to slavery! (More on that next time.)

And just like that, Paul concludes the brunt of his theological section. Sure, there’s more theology, but the focus of the rest of the book is application. Be prepared for challenges. And, now that you know that belief in Jesus is the way to escape the trap of slavery, warn everyone you meet—like Admiral Ackbar—“It’s a trap to ignore the truth of Jesus and take any path but the way of God’s promise.”

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria

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[1] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, trans. Theodore Graebner, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1939; repr., Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1999), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Galatians 4".

[2] R. Alan Cole, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Galatians, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 180.

[3] John MacArthur, Galatians, 123-127.

[4] It is important that the free woman is never named as Sarah in this allegorical interpretation that Paul gives.

[5] Perhaps I will touch on this at a later time: Paul is not being very loving towards the Judaizers. How does that fit into the “live in love” theology I have come up with?

Sermons over the past five years

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ZJpfyVqZA5TW83WUM3UFNHbE0

This is a link to be able to hear the sermons i've preached over the past 5 years and on into the future.

Starting from the Bottom?

So 2016 is at an end in less than five hours. What a year it’s been. Like really, I don’t have a clue how else to put it. Starting out, I was so confident that it was going to be a good year, but less than one month in it quickly went south.

Depression hit worse than it had ever been since at least high school as early as the middle of January. February was very dark due to the depression. By the middle of March, my girlfriend dumped me because I was too depressed. April and May were a serious struggle to escape the depression. June was probably the most positive month. July initiated another set of bad luck: I started talking to a girl from a very controlling church who judged me hardcore along with the rest of her church for struggles Jesus was actively taking out of my life. August saw the end of that friendship and depression settle in yet again. By the end of September the depression was stronger than ever before. October saw my ex from the beginning of the year start dating my roommate—they are engaged now too—which meant, for all practical purposes, the end of a friendship (he’d been the first one I called when she broke up with me). November was when things started to improve (see two paragraphs from here), but the depression was always much too close. December saw me move from Bolivar, MO to Springfield, MO, and the stress of the move, with the holiday season and working full time, has been tough.

As for my goals for 2016, given the incredible amount of depression this year and working full-time all year, it was not as productive as I hoped. I did move to Missouri officially, I did find a good job—much better than expected actually—and I did keep up with this blog. However, while I started the year working out, by August I wasn’t working out at all; while I wrote a short story in January, I failed most of the rest of the year. My CD is still not finished. The fourth draft of Stranded has yet to be finished. My Romans 7 paper was organized, but I haven’t written a single word more of it since December of 2014. Oh, and given the break up in March, I not only was kept from pouring into that relationship, but I was estranged from a lot of other relationships.

However, at the same time, 2016 has not been a total waste. Given the fact that I now have a great job, I have also met a lot of awesome people. Between people I serve at work, and people I work with, my days are never exempt from time with people. Immediately before the breakup, I got to fellowship with the leadership of my home church in California at the 2016 Shepherd’s Conference. Of all of 2016, that was one of the three greatest highlights. The next one was in November when I got to celebrate my childhood best friend’s wedding celebration with him as his best man. Along with that, I got to spend a few days with my family (and my cats) that week. The third highlight was Thanksgiving. And sure, it was only one day, but I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family for the first time in four years.

While I lost friends, I gained many more, some of whom I never would have met or invested in if my relationship with her hadn’t ended (like a guy I met tonight in Springfield at Starbucks as I wrote this). Also, I’m very excited for my best friend from SBU to return to the states in about a week. Finally, I got a cat today, so that’s fun. (I hope he’s a little more comfortable with the place by the time I get home this evening.)

With a year that has too easily been focused on the negatives, it’s much too easy to say, “There’s nowhere to go but up from here.” However, that thinking is so wrong. While the following verse got me through the depression this year, it is so much more valid than just as a “keep on going” verse: “The righteous one will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4b).

The truth is, I am not righteous because I keep going. I am not righteous by anything in myself. While the popular song, “we started from the bottom but now we’re here,” could be understood as describing where I’m starting in 2017, I cannot allow myself to take that attitude. Since I don’t make myself righteous, God has already set me in the heavens with Himself (cf. Ephesians 2:4-9). This needs to be my attitude going forward. I cannot allow myself to be defeated by regret or by fear. God loves me; God chose me; God is protecting and guiding me. All I must do is follow Him.

So 2017… Here’s my goals: follow Jesus so closely I am covered with Him.

Ultimately if I accomplish that I don’t care if I fail in every other area. But here’s some other things I’d like to accomplish:

·         Love God’s people well

·         Keep up on this blog

·         Finish Stranded—completely done

·         Finish my new CD

·         Finish another book (it’s a secret)

·         Write a short story every quarter (a month is too short)

·         Work out more regularly than I did this year

·         Follow God’s leading regarding the next chapter of my life (to stay in Missouri, or move home, or to take a different, third option)

But that’s where I’m at on the eve of 2017. God is good; He’s led me this far; He will continue to lead. I just need to follow and obey.

Soli Deo Gloria

Loyalty Requires Perseverance – 4:8-20

Since my last Galatians entry, I finished my first full television series. It was originally aired a few years ago, but I started watching it on Netflix, and I had to purchase the full series on DVD in order to finish it because it was pulled off Netflix. While I can’t recommend it as a clean, family friendly show, it definitely is not evil. It is called Chuck, and it is about a guy named Chuck Bartowski who gets a supercomputer full of government secrets downloaded into his brain. As such, agents from two government agencies are sent to keep him safe. The camaraderie and loyalty exemplified, especially from Chuck, throughout the show’s five seasons are my favorite thing about the show. He’s not perfect—nowhere close—and in no way does he claim to have any ties to a certain religion, but for the most part “loyalty,” “faithfulness,” and “perseverance when times get tough” describe him perfectly. This is important, because it ties very closely into what Paul is talking about in this section of his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 4:8-20 says, “But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods.  But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?  You observe ⌊special⌋ days, months, seasons, and years.  I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.  I beg you, brothers: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me;  you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a physical illness.  You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus ⌊Himself⌋.  What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.  Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?  They are enthusiastic about you, but not for any good. Instead, they want to isolate you so you will be enthusiastic about them.  Now it is always good to be enthusiastic about good—and not just when I am with you.  My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you.  I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.”

This section is closely connected to the previous. Especially at the beginning. However, the first word of verse 8 is “but” and that is very important. It draws a contrast between Paul urging the Galatians to realize their new position in Christ away from the elemental things they were enslaved to and his new argument—“you’ve deserted me, the one you trusted so highly when I came to you.” This section, especially verses 12-20, “are the strongest words of personal affection Paul uses in any of his letters.”[1]

He begins similarly to how he was speaking in the previous section. Verses 8-10 say, “But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods.  But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?  You observe ⌊special⌋ days, months, seasons, and years.” He wants to remind them that they were slaves to something before that ultimately had no power over them. Before they knew God, things enslaved them that didn’t have any right to enslave them. He then says that things are different now. He says they know God now and that should keep them from returning to their former slavery, because God really is God and He truly has power. He then explains in what way they’ve decided to return to slavery. The Jewish law is full of special days, months, seasons, and years—Leviticus 23 and 25—that those under the Law were to follow. The Judaizers must have convinced the Galatians of their need to follow these calendar events for salvation, which in turn led them to remove themselves from the grace of the gospel. The very gospel Paul had brought to them.

Paul makes a curious statement in verse 9, that I just can’t gloss over. He says, “since you know God, or rather have become known by God.” There is a theological point to be made here, but I would argue that that is not Paul’s primary point here. The theological point is that we are not the ones who seek to know God; God is the one who actively seeks to know us, and then our seeking Him is our response to His initial seeking. Paul proved this theology through his own story in 1:15-16: “But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased  to reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles…” However, I don’t believe for a minute that this was Paul’s goal in using that phraseology in this section. Paul is seeking to make a transition from the Galatians’ return to slavery to his love and concern for them. He is essentially saying in this phrase, “Galatians, God got to know you through my coming to you. He used me to get to know you. Don’t turn your back on Him!” This transition is completed in verse 11 when Paul says, “I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.”

Verses 12-15 describe Paul’s first experience with them. “I beg you, brothers: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me;  you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a physical illness.  You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus ⌊Himself⌋.  What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.”

This passage doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense. All we know for sure is that Paul is describing his time with the Galatians. It is interesting that verse 13 does not say, “physical illness,” but rather, “in weakness of the flesh.” Many have understood this as being a sickness (as the HCSB translates it), though literally “weakness of the flesh” often refers to temptation to sin. Martin Luther explains a third option, which I think is best, in the following lengthy quote:

When Paul speaks of the infirmity of his flesh he does not mean some physical defect or carnal lust, but the sufferings and afflictions which he endured in his body. What these infirmities were he himself explains in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” And in the eleventh chapter of the same Epistle the Apostle writes: “In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck,” etc. (2 Cor 11:23-25.) By the infirmity of his flesh Paul meant these afflictions and not some chronic disease. He reminds the Galatians how he was always in peril at the hands of the Jews, Gentiles, and false brethren, how he suffered hunger and want.

Now, the afflictions of the believers always offend people. Paul knew it and therefore has high praise for the Galatians because they over looked his afflictions and received him like an angel. Christ forewarned the faithful against the offense of the Cross, saying: “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matt 11:6). Surely it is no easy thing to confess Him Lord of all and Savior of the world who was a reproach of men, and despised of the people, and the laughing stock of the world (Ps 22:7). I say, to value this poor Christ, so spitefully scorned, spit upon, scourged, and crucified, more than the riches of the richest, the strength of the strongest, the wisdom of the wisest, is something. It is worth being called blessed.[2]

They received Paul as Jesus Himself. In a very real sense, Paul is saying also that through their heeding of his message, they literally received Christ by believing in Him. They were not offended by Paul, but rather drawn to the Savior.

Paul explains that they received him so eagerly, without being offended, that he could have asked them for anything and they would have done it. The phrase, “if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me,” has often been understood as contributing to the view that Paul had a physical illness, perhaps an optical illness, and needed their eyes to see better. With the above understanding from Luther, this cannot be the case, and it is enough to say that they trusted Paul so highly that they would have done anything he asked. This is quite a contrast with the next verses.

Verses 16-20 describe Paul’s current experience with them. “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?  They are enthusiastic about you, but not for any good. Instead, they want to isolate you so you will be enthusiastic about them.  Now it is always good to be enthusiastic about good—and not just when I am with you.  My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you.  I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.”

This is where Paul’s loyalty and perseverance for those he loves comes into play explicitly. The simplest way to understand this section hinges on the word “now” in verse 16. He is anticipating their current response as they are reading the letter. “Are you now upset with me for being honest?” Loyalty and faithfulness to people involves the hard task of telling the truth. There’s no more unloving thing to do than to actively withhold the truth from those who are erring off the path of life. Paul made it clear in 1:6 that the Galatians are standing over the pit of hell in their decision to follow the Judaizers instead of Jesus: “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ ⌊and are turning⌋ to a different gospel.” Paul has been telling the truth since the start of the letter, and here he asks them to be honest about their feelings: “Are you mad at me for loving you enough to tell you that you are wrong?” He then says, “Look, these Judaizers might try to tell you differently, but your eternal soul is at stake in this! Don’t listen to them!”

Are we truth tellers like Paul, or do we hope someone else is going to do the job God has given to us? I know that for me I am too often guilty of saying, “I’ll raise spiritual issues later,” when I’m not guaranteed a later time at which to raise those issues. The fact that Carrie Fisher died this week is proof that we don’t know how much time we have on this planet. This also again ties back to Chuck. As government agents, their lives were in danger every episode. As such, they had to be ready for the worst; how much more, in real life, must we be ready for the end? If we know the truth, we must spread it to those we know. Especially if we, like Paul are called to active ministry roles in a church, we need to not take the, “I’ll wait for someone more qualified to share the gospel with my peers,” attitude. We must do it ourselves.

Paul is fighting for them, and he compares his anguish for them to the pain of a woman in labor. They were his spiritual children and he wanted to see them grow up into Christ. R. Alan Cole explains,

Paul says he is in labour all over again until Christ be formed in you, or ‘until you take the shape of Christ’ (NEB). No-one doubts his meaning: it is the agony of the pastor, watching for signs of Christian growth in his flock. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:28 that this was the heaviest burden which he had to bear. It is therefore inadequate to think of Paul merely as the prince of evangelists; he was also the prince of pastors, and nowhere is this more clearly seen than in passages like this.[3]

Second Corinthians 11:28 would prove that the weakness of the flesh Paul dealt with in front of the Corinthians was the trials of ministry, and the fact that they were turning their backs on him made it even harder. Second Corinthians 11:28 says, “Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches.” This is why he concludes the Galatians section today by saying, “I want to see you. I am at a loss about you.”

Chuck Bartowski from the television show Chuck is loyal to all of his friends throughout that television series. In a similar way, Paul was loyal to his Galatian friends. Are we as loyal to our friends? Do we tell them the truth even at the risk of making them our enemy, like Paul did here? We should. The truth is that Jesus died on the cross to break down all enmity for those who believe in Him. And who knows, even if my sharing the gospel with a coworker makes our friendship totally different, perhaps it will plant the seed that will eventually sprout elsewhere and destroy that enmity that I was worried about. I for one would rather risk enmity than know with certainty that a peer is headed to hell. Paul would agree with me on that. How about you?

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria

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[1] John MacArthur, Galatians, 114.

[2] Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians.

[3] R. Alan Cole, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Galatians, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 175.

A Christmas Miracle?

So life has changed quite a bit over the past year, though this is not the post to get into all that—wait til Saturday night. One thing I will say right now is that this was the first Christmas I have ever spent away from my family. I was dreading it with everything in me for most of the past month, even though it never really came out vocally. Christmas is my favorite holiday: the lights, the songs, the REASON, my mother’s cookies, giving gifts and seeing their reactions when they open them. For these reasons, especially the last two, I did not want to be alone. How baseless my worries were.

It all started well when I went to a Christmas Eve service in Springfield, MO at a very gospel centered church. One thing the pastor mentioned that stuck with me—that I definitely needed to hear—was that we are too often guilty of focusing on how others can bless us, but we really should think about how we can be a blessing for others. Basically, that is the true story of Christmas (see Philippians 2:5-8). That instantly helped to start pulling my eyes back to where they needed to be in this Christmas season.

After the Christmas Eve service, I drove back home—to my half-moved into/unpacked house—and decided to start a Christmas tradition of my own. This year was the prep for future years, so I wrote down all the verse references I could think of that had anything to do with the coming of Jesus. I came up with a list of about seventeen passages—some long, some a single verse. In the midst of this, I FaceTime’d with my family back in California and talked about Christmassy things. Afterwards, I opened the gifts that they had mailed me, and then I watched It’s A Wonderful Life, which if you have never seen you need to see as soon as possible. (Something I noticed this time around was the fact that the whole story is based around the fact that intercessory prayers are heard and answered, which further convinced me I need to pray more.)

After that, I went to bed and woke up Christmas morning in time to get dressed for work. Looking ahead to Christmas, this was the thing I dreaded the most, even more so than being alone. However, I went to work and prayed on the way that I would have a good attitude and be a hard worker. It was the best work day of my life. Almost every customer that came in thanked me for being there so that they could get their prescription filled despite the fact that it was Christmas. They wanted to be in there just as much as I did—meaning not at all—because who wants to be sick on Christmas and have to go to the hospital? And then, to just add to the goodness of the day, one gentleman who I helped with prescriptions had to get a jumpstart for his car afterwards, and I was the only one in the store with jumper cables. I was yet again reminded that I am right where God wants me to be.

Holding onto this positive attitude is the struggle of my life right now, but God is faithful and I can trust Him. Please pray for me.

Soli Deo Gloria

Hopefully, my next Galatians post will be published tomorrow. God bless!

Reigning, not Ruled – 4:1-7

I remember a book I read as a child by Mark Twain. Sure, it was the condensed version, but it was called The Prince and the Pauper. It is about two children who realize they look almost identical and that they could switch places and learn about life through each others’ eyes. One grew up in riches; the other grew up in poverty. The one who begins to experience life in more poverty than he is used to begins to understand what the poor have to go through daily; the one who moves up the social ladder is scared that he will be found out as a fraud. Paul sort of speaks to this in our passage today. However, he flips it. Believers are all royalty in God’s eyes. We’ve already lived our lives of poverty in sin, and we don’t need to go look back on those things with longing; at the same time, we don’t need to fear being found out as frauds, because we truly are heirs of God and we can know it experientially through the Spirit.

Galatians 4:1-7 says, “Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.  Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father.  In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world.  When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  to redeem those 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.”

So far in our study of this book, we have seen several things: Paul started by composing a letter to the Galatians in which the introduction holds up Jesus as the answer to our sin problem (1:1-5). From there, he showed shock at their current straying from that foundation (1:6-10). He continues by anticipating the objection, “Who are you to say this?” and answers by telling them, “Jesus revealed this to me” (1:11-24); and then he says, “the Apostles at Jerusalem confirmed my message” (2:1-10). He continues to show that he was not influenced by men in the proclamation of the gospel by explaining his confrontation with Peter, and arguing that the gospel promotes freedom, not rules and regulations (2:11-21). Then he interrogates the Galatians about their straying from the truth (3:1-5). He explains that we need faith, which gives life, and not law, which breeds death (3:6-14). He explains the source of that faith—promised 430 years before the Law to  Abraham—which was Jesus, the seed of Abraham (3:15-18). And finally, lest people accuse Paul of being a blaspheming Jew who’s turned his back on the Law, he explained that the Law does serve a purpose (3:19-29).

And it is there that we pick up today. Galatians 3:24 said, “The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith,” and it is with that metaphor that Paul continues in 4:1-7. He seeks to show that while the Law is holy, and from God, it is not ultimate; it serves a purpose. He seeks to prove that we should not submit ourselves to the law as ultimate if we have been freed from it by Him Who is Ultimate. (Again, Paul is not teaching do-whatever-you-want theology; chapter five, which follows chapter four, is very ethically oriented; but we’ll get there soon.)

Paul starts by relaying the guardian image again. However, this time the focus is on the person under the guardian, not the guardian itself. Verses 1-2 say, “As long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.  Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father.” This is relatively simple to understand. Until a certain age, a child in ancient Greece had no privileges. He might have been from a rich family, and been the heir of a large inheritance, but he couldn’t take advantage of any of it. There were family slaves that watched, protected, and aided the child until he reached the appropriate age. He was treated as a slave by these slaves, until the time would come when he reached the age where he could inherit his rank of sonship from his father. Basically, the slaves prepared him for this day, treating him like he was a slave until he was old enough/mature enough to become an adult with responsibilities and privileges.

Paul continues by relating this analogy to our spiritual situation. Verses 3-5 say, “We also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world.  When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

He starts by saying we were in slavery. However, it is very key to note that he doesn’t say, “You were enslaved to the Law.” This is important, because the people he is writing to were Gentiles who had never had the Law of Moses. Acts 13-14 describes this missionary journey of Paul to the Gentiles, and it was in a state of checking up on them that this letter was written. Instead of accusing them of being enslaved to the Law, he says, “we were in slavery under the elemental things of the world.” The fact that he includes himself would argue that the law of Moses is part of the elemental things of the world. So what exactly were we enslaved to?

The Greek word translated “elemental things” is somewhat tricky to nail down its precise meaning. And while many scholars have debated, argued, and spilled much ink over the meaning of the phrase “elemental things of the world,” one explanation screams for recognition. “It denotes that whereon the existence of this world rests, that which constitutes man’s being. Paul uses it in a transferred sense for that whereon man’s existence rested before Christ even and precisely in pre-Christian religion, that which is weak and impotent, that which enslaves man instead of freeing him.”[1] The elemental things of this world are whatever building blocks a person has built his identity out of. These things do nothing for us, except beat us up and show us our need of deliverance. For a Jew, it is clear that the Law of Moses functioned in this way. Paul’s point to the Galatians is, “Don’t put yourself back in slavery. You never experienced that kind. Don’t go there now!”

However, some of us reading this are already returning to, or maybe have never even left the elemental things of this world. Perhaps you find your identity in being able to drink more alcohol than the next guy; give it up, because it’s enslaved you. Perhaps you find your identity in a relationship with the opposite gender; you will never find true purpose or meaning there, so don’t let it enslave you more. Perhaps you find your identity in a homosexual relationship; again, it is enslaving, so turn away from it. Perhaps your slavery of choice isn’t so obvious to the world: do you find your identity in being a good person, or in always being happy, or in helping other people? What’s your motivation for these good things? If it is so people will think highly of you, you are in a heap of trouble. Our motivation for goodness should never be our reputation, but rather God’s. The second half of this list of six forms of slavery is the more dangerous side: Jesus said in Matthew 9:12, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do.” Until a person is able to admit their need for a doctor, they will remain sick. Those who are enslaved to active sins—drunkenness, sexual deviance, murder, etc.—are more likely to see their need for help than those enslaved to passive sins—pride, self-idolatry, self-righteousness. Don’t stay in slavery, regardless of which side you fall on.

He continues by explaining how we can be released from slavery: it’s through Jesus, the Son of God. I said in the previous paragraph to turn from your slavery, but I didn’t say where to turn. This is where you need to turn. Do it now! Admit your need for saving, your refusal to remain a slave any longer, and choose to believe that Jesus bore the curse meant for you on the cross and choose to follow Him for the rest of your life.

Paul highlights two aspects of Jesus that are key to understanding our freedom from slavery: Jesus was born of a woman, and He was born under the law. The fact that Jesus was born of a woman means that He was fully human. This means simply that He can relate to us. He understands our fears and our desires. He knows what it is like to be tempted and tried. He even knows what it’s like to live under the Law: He was born under the Law, and the beginning of His life was marked by strict adherence to the Law (see Luke 2 after the Christmas story). In fact, this is what Paul means by the second phrase: born under the Law. However, the key here is how Paul words this section: “God sent His Son.” God didn’t just send Jesus as a man. He sent Jesus as His own personal heir. Jesus is the one who gave the Law, so the Law cannot hold Him down. In fact, He’s above us and able to pull us out from under the Law and set us firmly on grace. He is amazing.

The purpose of Jesus’ coming was so that we would receive adoption as sons. Just as Jesus was God’s heir, so God wants us as His heirs also. Jesus’ death on the cross redeemed us from slaves to all sorts of various things to sons and daughters of God. That is the gospel. Believe it!

Paul concludes this section by explaining what is the significance of us as sons of God. Verses 6-7 say, “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.” Paul says here that the proof of our sonship is the Spirit. And it is very interesting here that Paul doesn’t say, “You cry out, ‘Abba, Father,’” but rather, “the Spirit is crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” The way it is worded, it is clear that the Spirit is actively crying out for God, and when we find ourselves crying out for God it is a sign that we truly do belong to God.

The Spirit’s crying out for God, and especially when the Spirit speaks as much through our mouth in prayers or even cries for help, is proof that we are no longer slaves. In fact, it should be a very strong deterrent from anything in this world that would seek to reenslave us. This is Paul’s point here: “Galatians, you claim to have been redeemed by Christ, so why would you enslave yourselves to a new elemental thing when you have Jesus as your Savior, as the Ultimate Person?” Paul is saying, if you are children of God, redeemed from a childhood of slavery, then don’t return to childhood. You did away with those things. John MacArthur relates how an ancient tradition in Rome at this time was burning one’s toys to show that a person was no longer a child.[2] Galatians 2:18 says, “If I rebuild the system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.” Paul doesn’t want this to be the case. He wants them to see that they have been remade anew, and the old no longer exists or exercises any authority, just like the slaves in a Roman household after the child comes to adulthood.

Paul takes a final jab at the Judaizers (those trying to turn the Galatians to Jewish practices for salvation) by saying, “if you’re a son, then you are an heir through God.” The clearest way to understand this would be to see Paul as saying, “you are an heir through the agency of God.”[3] It is not because the Law exercised power that someone becomes an heir of God; it is not because some other enslaving system of the world exercises power that someone becomes an heir of God; it is not even because a person does something that they become an heir of God. Rather, it is simply due to God’s working that anyone becomes an heir of God. God is in control. Nothing else ultimately is. For this reason we can trust God, and we should run to Jesus. He is our hope.

Let’s live as the princes and princesses we are, and never return to the pauper life of sin.

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria

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[1] Gerhard Delling, “stoicevw, sustoicevw, stoicei`on, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 7:685.

[2] John MacArthur, Galatians, 104.

[3] Cf. James A. Brooks and Carlton L. Winberry, Syntax of New Testament Greek, 24-25.

The Death of Christ

"Like a romantic movie that always has a breakup before everything becomes 'happier forever,' Jesus had to die before anyone could ever live happily ever after because of His resurrection."

Preach the Gospel!!!

"There is a dearth of Christian preaching in our country. Now don't get me wrong: there's a lot of 'biblical' preaching in our country. I say 'Biblical' because while it comes from the Bible and seems to accurately interpret the text, it doesn't have anything specifically Christian about it. The Bible points to Jesus. 'But wait,' you may yell, 'there's lots of preaching about Jesus in our country!' And I'll admit that His name gets thrown around in a lot of sermons, but that doesn't mean the sermon is accomplishing the text's primary goal: if a preacher fails to take a text from its original context to the cross, bury it in the grave, and then spring it out victorious in resurrection, proclaiming life because of His life to all who will believe, the sermon, not to mention the preacher, has failed."

Back to the Past

I still remember the first time I was introduced to the Stephen Speilberg classic, Back to the Future. I had been sick to my stomach all day, and I just wanted to watch a movie since I didn’t feel like doing anything else. And as a (let’s just say) thirteen year old who had fallen in love with Star Wars and everything involved therein, that was my natural choice for a movie to watch. I remember my dad trying to change my mind by offering Back to the Future as an alternative. I don’t remember exactly how he described it, though he said something about a young guy and a car, but I remember my response: “Why would I want to watch a movie about a guy who lives life with his back to the future?” So I watched a Star Wars movie that day, and only later ended up watching Back to the Future.

I watched the whole trilogy again this week, and one of the last lines in the movie comes from Doctor Emmett Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd. He says, “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.” That line reminded me clearly of my first impression of the movie—relayed above—and challenged me in my day-to-day living. Then, meditating on Leviticus 26:12-13 this morning further engrained it in my head: “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.  'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect” (emphasis added).

It’s that final, italicized line that I want to focus on. Too often, I find myself—and maybe you do too—living scared of the future, living with my back to the future, staring at the past, saying, “based on that, how can anything ever get any better?” If anything, I have lived much of the last six years of my life—post-salvation—with my shoulders hunched over, as if a ball and chain were attached to my neck. Fortunately, the Gospel is better news than that. The gospel screams that the opening words of verse 12 are true even now for the believer in Jesus: “I will also walk among you and be your God.” If there is anything in this world that brightens your day more than that fact right there, you should repent of your idolatry. And because Jesus walks among His people even today, October 5, 2016, we can walk with heads held high.

In all actuality, it probably is our idols that keep our shoulders hunched over. We look to them for joy and happiness in this world, and when they let us down, we lose our hope and joy and our ability to walk well in this life. The Lord wants us to walk well in this life. He doesn’t want our past to dominate us. He wants us to look to the future with hope. He doesn’t want us to stare at the past with our backs to the future; He wants us to walk into what He has for us tomorrow with our backs to the past. The sins that we have struggled with for x number of years don’t have to bother us again, because, as Doc Brown said, “Your future hasn’t been written yet.”

And lest I upset some people who view life (and God’s sovereignty) as making Doc Brown’s statement a lie, I would clarify that as far as we are concerned our future hasn’t been written yet. God has sovereignly orchestrated all of world history—past, present, and future—for His perfect end, and He knows every detail about your life story—past, present, and future—and mine, but no one on this planet knows anything about their life story except what has already taken place.

For this reason, when we sin, let’s not believe the lies Satan speaks into our ears. The lies that say, “You’ll never be free of this.” Instead, let’s believe the gospel. The Gospel that screams, “Walk upright! Look to Me! I’ve set you free! Don’t return to your old idols!”

So, in closing, I ask: Are you going to live with your back to the future, and obey Satan, or are you going to walk with your face to the future, and trust Jesus? It’s your choice!

Grace and peace