The Freedom to Wear a White T-Shirt

Galatians 1

Galatians 2

Galatians 3, part 1

Galatians 3, part 2

Galatians 4

Galatians 5

Galatians 6 verses 1-3:  When someone falls into sin, they do not need your judgment, your glances of disapproval, your wagging finger…Surely you can be more creative than that!  They need your mercy, your love, your forgiveness.  Likely, you’ll need those things by day’s end.  Reach out to them.  Share in their hard luck and bad times.  This is how you are the righteousness of Christ!  You are not too good for the dirty work, so stop pretending that you are!

Verses 4-5:  Take stock of who you are, both in Christ and without.  Search deep.  Be honest!  Compare yourself with Christ if you want honesty.  Comparing yourself, your love, your mercy to others will only leave you wanting.

Verse 6:  Are you living the common, participatory life?  With those you’ve taught and with those who’ve taught you?  Because that is what you;ve been called to, not separation but relationship.

Verses 7-8:  Make no mistake.  Separation breeds separation.  Do you live removed from people?  Without love?  Without mercy?  In judgment and criticism?  The harvest will be weeds.  But, if you love in participation, your harvest will be love.

Verses 9-10:  Never, ever, stop doing good.  Don’t let your guard down.  Stick to it!  You will be tempted to quit, to say, “Enough!”, to say that it is someone else’s turn…but that is not the way it works.  A good harvest requires a good worker.  A faithful worker.  A consistent worker.  So, start inward, with the believers, and work outward.  Planting and harvesting are cyclical. You are never done.

Verses 11-13:  I’m writing this in big handwriting, because I want you to understand the seriousness of what I’m telling you; I don’t want you to miss it.  The only reason people preach works is so that they will look better than you.  They lack the guts to actually live for Christ: they cannot, they REFUSE to show love, mercy, patience, kindness, grace;
all these people have is works and good-looking outward appearance.  They tithe, show up to church every week, read their Bibles, pray, lead study groups…but they are full of it.  They couldn’t keep the law if they tried, so they pick and choose.  They simply want to gain followers.  They want people to adhere to an archaic form of faith.

Verses 14-16:  The only thing that I care about, the only thing that I will boast in is Christ, his sacrifice.  Because of His work, I am dead to all of those rules.  I’m not interested in pleasing others and fitting into their mold.  It’s why I wear a white t-shirt on Sunday mornings.  Your silly rules and expectations only make me desire more freedom.  It’s not about the rules that we create and follow; it’s all about what He is doing and He, friends, is making…us…free.  All those that are free are his.

Verse 17:  The argument is old.  This is pettiness and takes us away from what we are about: love, mercy, peace.  The focus on rules only sets me down a path toward bitterness and I’ve been there.  It caused me to be separated from God: rules about what kind of music to listen to, when not to wear jeans, how long my hair could be.  The scars from those rules that were imposed on me run deep.  Is this what we want?

Verse 18:  Jesus gives you freedom.  You.  Me.  Us.  Them.  Embrace it.

Freedom!

Paul has been clear in chapters 1-4 of Galatians: those teaching a gospel of tradition and law are liars about God and pretend Christians.  They lead people astray: Jesus referred to these teachers as “sons of hell” and aid that the people converted under these lies were “twice the sons of hell” as the teachers.  This burden, this yoke of law is unbearable, cannot be met.  It is here that Paul brings us to the climax of his letter: Freedom in Christ.

Verse 1: Paul tells that Jesus died so that the believer would be set from from adherence to law and tradition.  They no longer “had” to do anything; they can approach God freely, confidently, openly and unencumbered by anything.  Paul now speaks directly to the Gentiles that are under pressure to accept physical circumcision.

Verses 2-6: He tells them that the moment that they give in to this practice, Christ’s death becomes ineffective.  They return to the prison of law and must follow ALL of it.  They return to the bondage of tradition.  First it is tradition, then law, and then feasts, festivals, sacrifices- all of which are empty shadows now that Christ has come and died.  He tells them that while they were not setting out to do this, the consequence of living out personal righteousness sets them against the righteousness of Christ, basically, it it faith expressed in works opposed to faith expressed in love.

Verses 7-10:  Paul tells them that they were doing well until someone came along and deceived them in their pursuit of Christ’s righteousness.  He begs them to not be tricked further.  On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal.  What’s the harm in observing tradition?  Paul expresses confidence that the people will remain true now that they’ve heard the truth while warning the deceivers that they will bear God’s wrath.

Verses 11-12:  Apparently, Paul is rumored to still be preaching circumcision, so he addresses it head-on.  If he were, why would he face persecution?  No one would be offended.  These liars about God are so obsessed with circumcision, that they may as well chop the whole things off!  If a little skin off the end has merit…the whole thing must really impress God!

Verses 13-15:  Paul now gives warning, the path of freedom means that the believer must be aware that their freedom from law and tradition does not lead to a no-holds-barred form of religion.  If this is the case, they will find themselves enslaved in a different way.  The way to live in freedom is to serve one another in love, or as Paul put it earlier: faith expressed in love.  That is real freedom.

Verses 16-18:  Here’s the way to do it: be open, honest and motivated by the Spirit within.  This cannot be done in a religion based on outer appearance.  Why?  Self-interest and love are not the same.  Freedom in Christ is not fickle; you are either enslaved or free.

Verses 19-21:  How does freedom that is taken advantage of lead to slavery?  “repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community.”  That sounds just like a pursuit of the American Dream!

Verses 22-23: Freedom in Christ brings a different set of fruit: “affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”  This is faith acted out in love.

Verses 23-24:  Addiction to law and tradition only gets in the way.  If you are focused on “getting your way” and doing whatever others tell you to do to achieve holiness without thought, these things need to be killed in your life.  This is how we are crucified with Christ, this is how we put to the death our sinful nature.

Verses 25-26:  Paul writes that we have freely chosen this lifestyle.  We were not coerced into it.  Because of that, we must move beyond an intellectual assent; we must implicate it into our daily lives.  It must be worked out.  It is not about a comparison to others, but a comparison with Christ.  Going back to what he wrote in chapter 1, working out our faith through love means that we are unconcerned with how we appear.

• What might “faith expressed in love” look like for you?
• Are you living in freedom or wavering into slavery?

 

On Slaves and Sons

In Galatians 4, Paul builds on the closing imagery from the previous chapter, namely, “What does it mean to be in the family of God?”

Verses 1-3: Paul says that as long as the person is a minor (child from chapter 3), he/she is bound by the rule of law.  Essentially, it is the spiritually immature that are addicted to the law, that must follow up.  Here, God is loving, yet stern.  Minors, writes Paul, are slaves to the Father.  He writes it down, they follow.  Yet…

Verses 4-7:  Here we find that something has changed.  The Son, the True Heir, has come down, and his message is (you guessed it!!) Grace and Peace.  The Law, which captured us, has been overturned.  We are free!  How do we know this?  Because the Spirit testifies to the freedom, yes, we shout “Father” but it is “Papa.”  It is because we can approach him in this way that we know that we truly are in relationship with Him.  It is this Spirit, this inner testifying that is the proof of inheritance.

Verses 8-11:  Before their participation in this inheritance, their slave-master was false gods.  So, why return?  Why, having been enslaved and now freed…why would you want to return?  And, by observing tradition and law, that’s all you do: return to slavery.  Paul fears that the Gospel preached to them “has gone up in a puff of smoke.”

Verses 12-16:  Back to the matter at hand: the divide between Jew and Gentile.  The key to love, the love of one that has inherited it all, is humility, is sacrifice.  Sensitivity, kindness.  It’s how Paul was treated when he arrived in Galatia, sick.  They loved him and welcomed him.  And now, he is their enemy for no reason beyond expecting them to love!

Verse 17:  They are falling into this trap because of the false teachers, the liars about God from chapter 1, those stuck in tradition in chapter 2, and those enslaved by law from chapter 3.  They want to bind you back up because then, and only then, do we again need to depend on people for freedom.  If you’ll remember from chapter 1, Paul was bound by no man, he did not care what they thought of him.  He lived for the approval of God, rather than the applause of man!  Living by the rules of man only makes sinful man feel important.

Verses 18-20:  Paul says that “doing good” is excellent, but they should be pursuing the righteousness of Christ always, not just when Paul is rumored to be heading their way.  He tells them that he is not only burdened by them, but that he wishes he were there in person, so that he could really communicate his anger.

Verses 21-31: Here, Paul essentially asks, “How is that adherence to the Law working out for you?”  Going back to the Old Testament (which drives the liberal textual critics mad, no doubt), Paul points to two sons of Abram: Ishmael and Isaac.  Ishmael was of man’s “connivance”, and is now imaged by those bound by tradition and law.  These are coming from people enslaved, but think they are free.  They are merely creating more slaves.  Isaac, however, was of God; a child of God from a barren woman.  Why?  Because God PROMISED it to Abram and Sarai…sort of like an inheritance!  This is the kind of things giving to sons and daughters, those that are borne of freedom.  The believers in Galatia were free.  And freedom has a life of its own.

For your consideration:

• Are there times in your walk with God that feel more like a slave than a son or daughter?  What do those times look like?
• Are you aware of the false gospels that people are trying to enslave you under?
• What might living in the promise of freedom look like?

Grace, Tradition, Law- Part 2

To sum up chapter 3 thus far…keeping the Law is empty for both righteousness and salvation.  Tradition for tradition’s sake is worthless.   The Gentiles are invited in because of the gospel of grace and mercy.  And, Paul is telling the religious Jews that claim Christ, that if they don’t like any of the above, if they insist on teaching tradition and law over grace…that they are not only teaching a false gospel, but they are lying about God and pretend Christians.  Ouch!

 Verses 15-22: Paul explains that a legal document may not be change by anyone but the writer.  God promised a Gospel of Grace and Peace through Jesus, and the Jewish believers are trying to add to it.  If that is not foolish enough, the attempted addendum is counter to the legal document itself!  The Law had a purpose; it was designed to help the people remain true to God by sharing with them His rules-after all…He can make these rules because HE delivered them from Egypt.  It is not the Law itself as written by God that was bad, it was the attempted end-run around grace!  Grace cannot be overrun by the Law!  If it could, there would be perfection according to it by everyone.

Verses 23-27: The Law as written was, again, meant to guide the people as they waited for the Law-Giver to come!  It served to keep the people from distraction, from danger.  But now, they’ve grown into grace (or so we think).  Grace is here!  Peace with God is possible!  You are ready to fully embrace the life that the legal document says that you have.

Verses 28-29: The Gentiles are in.  We are all God’s family, in relationship with Christ and with one another.

Questions:

• To which do you gravitate: law or grace?  Why?
• When we are asked about our relationship with God, why do we default to that amount of Bible we read or the number of times we pray?
• How might we add to the legal document of grace and peace?

Grace and Tradition, part 2

Picking up from yesterday…Galatians 2:

Verses 1-5: 14 years had passed since Paul began his ministry to the Gentiles in Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21-24), so Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem to report in.  While there, a few things happened: they preached the same message of grace and peace, and, some “pretending to be Christians” (see 1:6-9) snuck in.  Wow.  I am blown away by that last “happening”.  In chapter 1, Paul says that anyone preaching a gospel of law was lying about God, and now, he is saying that these same people are not even Christians!  We know that Paul is linking these two because he writes, “Their ulterior motive was to reduce us to their brand of servitude.”  Make no mistake, people that desire a return to the law…ANY law, want to put you (and I) in bondage.

Verses 6-10: Paul is not caught up in pomp and circumstance.  The people that are “considered important” within the body?  He remains unimpressed, and stated that they were so neutered by their adherence to the Law that they had nothing to add to the Gospel of grace and peace.  They then left for ministry, their task confirmed by the church leaders (the “pillars of the church”, as opposed to those “considered important).

Verses 11-13: Paul shares a confrontation that he had between the Gospel of Grace and Peace and the gospel of law.  In Antioch, all was well initially between Peter and Paul, until “the conservative group” (those pretending to be Christians? Proclaimers of lies about God?) showed up.  When they did, Peter acted like the Gentiles did not exist, and had nothing to do with them.  What’s more, even the other Jews joined Peter, including Barnabas in “this charade”!

Verses 14-16: Paul, apparently not in a “Matthew 18″ kind of mood, (the one who does not “speak strongly to manipulate crowds, or curry favor with God, or get popular applause”-see chapter 1:10) went to Peter in front of the whole crowd and called him on it.  In essence, Paul tells Peter that the old rules just don’t apply anymore, and that it is the height of hypocrisy to act like they do…especially just to impress Peters’ “old Jerusalem cronies.”  Paul reminds Peter that the Jews had the best system of rules ever devised, and that they were, and are, utterly worthless.

Verses 17-18: Paul continues this public assault by telling Peter (and now everyone) that no one is perfect.  If perfection is not automatic through Christ…is Jesus causing them to sin?  No!  If Paul was simply “trying to be good”, the entire concept of the Gospel of Grace and Peace is a joke , a failure.  So, should we revert to the law?  The law that we know brings death?

Verses 19-21: Paul busted his hump trying to keep the law, even resorting to the punishment of those that did not “keep up.”  Because that’s what happens when the law reigns supreme, especially a law impossible to keep.  So, Paul quit trying.  He died.  That’s was the Damascus experience really was.  The death of Saul and the birth of Paul.  He died and became a new creature, the scales were removed and, like Jesus, he became fully alive.  And, it’s not about Paul!  He is no longer interested in appearing righteous or looking good.  Why?  He is dead.  Christ lives in him.  Ultimately, the return to rules = death, an unnecessary death of Christ Himself.

For discussion:

• Is the true Gospel, the One of Grace and Peace being preached, discussed and proclaimed in your church?  In your youth ministry?  In your conversations with people?
• If God is not impressed with appearance, why do we try so hard to “adjust our suit of figs” (thanks to Derek Webb!!)?
• Do we confront people that proclaim a false gospel?
• Once we participate in Grace and Peace, why do we seek to return to the law?
• How have you died in Christ?

 

 

 

Checklist Christianity

Ahhh, the checklist.  We just love them.  Christians, I mean.  We have so much fun creating a set of rules for people to follow.

This past weekend at our All-Church Retreat, spent a few days talking about what God was doing at our church and how we might be part of it, how we might join Him.  And of course, some wanted to reduce our joining of God to a checklist, we wanted to reduce a relationship to a measurement.  And, those measurements?

• How often we read our Bibles
• How often we pray
• How many small group we participate in
• How often we attend Sunday services
• Who sits/stands during worship
• Who did/did not attend the retreat

This morning, I was reading Romans 14.  Hear what Paul has to say about checklists.

“None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters.  It’s God we are answerable to – all the way from life to death and everything in between – not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and lived again: so that He could be our Master across the range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. (emphasis mine).

No doubt, people should count their lucky stars that I am not God, because my checklist would be an unbearable burden for you.  Just as your list for me would be unbearable.

Thanks be to God for grace, mercy and Jesus.