This morning I felt encouraged to spend some time reflecting upon some statements Paul makes in his letter to the church in Galatia. Much of this letter is Paul reminding them of the truth and calling them back to it. Sometimes when I read these verses, I think, "how foolish can they be to have forgotten something so basic?" Then about two days later I find myself doing the same thing. :-) I am so glad that the Lord is merciful and well acquainted with out human proclivity to forget the lessons that we have learned!
Here are the verses I am reflecting upon - Galatians 3:1-6 NIV:
[1] "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. [2] I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? [3] Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? [4] Have you experienced so much in vain---if it really was in vain? [5] So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? [6] So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
- and -
Galatians 5:1-9 NIV:
[1] "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [2] Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
[7] "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? [8] That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. [9] “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”
Paul is reminding the people in the church in Galatia that salvation through faith alone (believing) was their path forward in Christ and the Holy Spirit. There were those that had come preaching faith+works, or even embracing the strictures of the Law (circumcision). Paul's description of this is that this focus is keeping the people from obeying the truth! That is exactly the opposite of how these additional requirements would have been communicated. I find that most every time I run into someone preaching faith+works, they are selling it as some special revelation of some practice which increases one's favor before the Lord, and that is impossible to do!
God is unchanging in His love and affection for us! God loved us while we were still sinners. He loved us before the creation of the world. He loves us from a place outside of time, so He sees our whole life, everything we have ever done and will do, and from that vantage point He loves us! What activity that we would ever do on earth or in time could change His perspective; He who lives outside of time?
If we could just grasp this truth, the sales pitch of the faith+works people would fall on deaf ears! We could immediately recognize the deception and reject the lies it is based upon. God loves us the same today, far beyond our best and highest imagination, as He did when we were still sinners and captives to our own selfishness and sin.
Our biggest problem is that we have a hard time imagining anyone could love us this way. Almost every marketing pitch, every commercial is telling us that if we just change our clothes, our hair color, our body type, our weight, our appetites that we will become more desirable, more loveable, more attractive. We think that by some action, some change on our behalf, that we can be more acceptable and loved. In our worldly and human life, and in other's eyes, this might be the case, but in God's perspective and in His environment this is absolutely wrong.
This doesn't mean that God won't lead us down paths of self-improvement, but those paths are for the bettering of our lives and our abilities to fulfill our purpose in life, not so He might love us more. God doesn't play favorites, or have any favorites (Rom 2:11), because we are all His favorite. He loves each of us for our own uniqueness, which He created! There is no one like us exactly, even identical twins are different from one another in His eyes! We are each one, His son or His daughter! In the same way, God doesn't live vicariously through us, like some of us do through our children, pushing them to succeed so that we can experience some of the glory. God takes great joy in our accomplishments, but nothing we ever do could add anything to Him, He is infinite in His power, glory and majesty.
Finally, I want to go back to Paul's statement in Chapter 5, verse 1, "do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery." This is how Paul is referring to a faith+works mindset. Adding anything to the Gospel of Salvation through faith is ascribing to the yoke of slavery. This makes me think, what is the 'yoke of slavery'? Slavery, in my understanding, amounts to someone else controlling one's life, having ownership, and telling one what to do in every area. The slave has no personal will that is recognized, no freedom to do anything unless it is allowed by their owner. When we begin to add "works" or "requirements" to our faith, we start allowing someone or somthing else to control our lives. I mean, who makes up these new rules, these new requirements? Are they being taken from the Old Testament law, if so, Christ Jesus put an end to those requirements (Heb 8:13). Are we taking the teachings of the New Testament and making a new set of Laws and requirements? Is it rules that some group of church elders decided to enforce, or worse yet, some pastor's whim? None of this is required for salvation!
To be clear, like exercise and any form of personal discipline, these teachings from the New Testament have their benefits, but they cannot become requirements for salvation, nor carry with them the promise of greater favoritism or blessing from God. God pours forth blessing (imagery of rain) on both the sinner and saint. Jesus, in probably one of His more difficult teachings said it this way, Matthew 5:43-48 NIV:
[43] “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Thus, let us be free in our minds and our hearts as Christ Jesus meant us to be! Let us be perfect as the Father is perfect; loving all, praying for all, and recognizing that God loves all those around us, even those we dislike. Let us throw off any shackles of a "works mentality" any yoke of slavery, allowing someone else to set upon us requirements of behaviour or thinking. Let us reject teaching that promises special favors or favoritism from God in exchange for compliance!
God could never love you or me more than He does now, did previously and ever will, for it is all the exact same to Him! He interacts with us in this plane of time, but He is outside time, so the changing of time and our activities within time have no affect on Him. He loved us since before the world came into being, since before creation (Eph 1:4)! He loved us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8).
Oh Lord, help us to grasp how great You really are! Amen!
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