When my son was a little boy, he asked for a pocketknife for Christmas. He was interested with those who could take a piece of wood or a stick and whittle it into a figure or an animal. Watching an experienced woodworker use a little knife to create amazing little figures was fascinating to a young boy.
Of course, I got him his first pocketknife, and we talked about how it was very sharp. We talked about how to hold the knife and how to begin the process of whittling away. I warned him not to put his finger on the blade and to respect it. Of course, the first thing he did was rub his finger across the blade – and cut himself. Just a slight bump against the blade and the cut was deep enough to draw blood – and a few tears.
The writer of the book of Hebrews describes the Word of God as being sharper than any type of edged weapon (4:12). Like a pocketknife, it can cut deep – deep into the mind and heart of the believer. God’s Word judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Like an impartial judge sitting on the judgement seat, the Word of God judges what is within us. The Word of God judges if we are resting in God’s grace or in human works. We can work hard and perform many good deeds for ministry. But those good deeds will not save us. Only the grace of God through faith in Jesus can save us from our sin. We can fool other people, but the Word of God makes it very plain that we cannot fool God. He will judge us rightly and with justice. If our faith is in Christ, we will find a sympathetic savior, who while tempted in every way, did not sin. He is perfect – and wants us to trust in His father as He did. The Word of God makes it very plain – our salvation is through grace by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot pretend to “earn” our way into God’s Kingdom. His Word testifies to the truth – that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and trusting in him allows us to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Remember to honor and obey God’s Word. While it contains the awesome message of salvation, it also opens our lives up to the all-knowing, all seeing eyes of God. Sharp indeed!
Questions for Discussion:
How could Jesus experience EVERY temptation? (4:15)
One of the strongest building materials is steel. All the great towers and skyscrapers today are built out of steel. It is a very hard metal and very durable. But it does not start that way. It begins as a piece of iron ore. To transform the iron ore into steel, the iron must be heated to extreme temperatures and exposed to blasts of super hot air to blow out the impurities. When it is quickly cooled, the result is steel – a pure form, durable, and able to stand the test of time. It is only tough and useable because of the intense “heat and violent blasts of air” that transforms it.
The apostle Peter wrote his letters to Christians scattered out across Asia Minor (Turkey today). The Christians there were struggling because of hardship and persecution. Living a life of faith in God was very difficult and dangerous. As the Roman empire continued to persecute the Christians across the empire, the apostles, like Peter, worked hard to encourage the children of God.
Peter reminds us in his letter that we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3-4). No matter what kinds of trouble we experience in life, we can be assured that the hope that we have in Jesus is true and eternal. We know this because Jesus has been raised from the dead, proving that every promise that He made is true. No matter what kinds of sorrow we face in this life, we can be assured of an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Jesus promised to return to this world to make things right. Then, our promise will be revealed before our very eyes as we enjoy eternity with God the Father and His son Jesus Christ in God’s glorious earthly kingdom.
Despite being persecuted and threatened by the Romans, Peter reminds the Christians that they are to put their faith in God and serve Him. Like the first Christians, God allows us to experience trouble and sorrow because, like heat to iron, He wants to create a tougher, more usable child of God. God desires for each of us to endure troubling times. We are a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10). As God’s chosen people, we can be assured that He will use hard times to strengthen us. It is God’s will that we suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:17). Jesus suffered greatly on the cross. But the result of His suffering has brought us closer to God (3:18). Who knows what incredible things God will bring about because His people are willing to suffer for doing good?
Questions for Discussion:
Are good works the way to earn a blessing? (1 Peter 3:9-12)
Why be gentle and respectful to unbelievers? (1 Peter 3:15)
Let’s talk about distractions. One of my greatest frustrations and fears while driving is distracted drivers. I feel a bit ridiculous when I say things like, “It didn’t used to be like this,” with the unsaid “back in my day” hanging uncomfortably in the air. But it’s true. I started driving before cell phones, screens in cars, and most other technology that might take my attention from the road. But now I can’t go anywhere without being cut off or having to swerve my car out of the way of someone crossing that center line. I notice it even more now that I’m teaching my daughter to drive. It’s terrifying.
Speaking of teenage daughters, it seems every time I give them a task and come back later to see it is not done, the response is always, “I got distracted.” I’m just as guilty. We all are. We are a distracted society.
I had to read through these two chapters a few times, trying to decide where I wanted to focus this devotion. What was God trying to tell me here? But I saw a common theme that I’ve never noticed before, and it was distractions.
Paul talks first about being too focused on our own past and on ourselves. We get so wrapped up in everything we’ve done and said that we lose sight of the fact that none of that matters. Pride or shame sets in. Paul lists why he had every reason to be proud of who he was and where he came from, but that it all meant nothing. We get distracted by ourselves and are no longer focused on a relationship with the only one who can actually save us. Paul tells us in 3:13, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Don’t get distracted by the past or yourself but push on toward Christ.
Next, we are distracted by worldly people and their ways. He says in 3:17, “keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” Stop trying to be like those of the world and surround yourselves instead with Christ-like examples. Stop trying to impress those that don’t matter with what you wear, what you do, and what you say. Reserve your attention and your actions for Christ and his message.
And, finally, my personal favorite distraction – anxiety. Whether you worry about everything, or overthink, or are overly concerned with what others think or do – all distractions. Paul tells us what to focus on instead: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Reflection Questions:
What is distracting you from a real relationship with Christ? What attitude within yourself should you change? What habits should you destroy and with what should you replace them?
What are some true, noble, pure, and praiseworthy things you should be focused on and how can you shift your attention toward them more often?
Prayer:
My prayer for you today is that you are able to pick out distractions in your life and burn them away. I pray that you have a closer relationship with Christ and that it outshines everything else. Like Paul said, “…press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Press on and focus on Jesus.
Wow – today we have the whole book of Colossians to read and digest. After Ephesians Colossians is the next doctrinal and correction teaching which we have in our Bibles. The message of the kingdom is proclaimed all through the Old Testament and the blessing to the Gentile nations is included in that message. However, the fulness of the teaching of the mystery of the church of the body of Christ is hinted at in Romans 16:25, talked about in 1 Corinthians 2 and especially in 15:50-58, explained at length in Ephesians 3, and now the glory of the mystery proclaimed in Colossians 1:26-27. What is this mystery and why is it so important to the church that Paul would put so much emphasis on it?
The book of Colossians is one of the ones written by Paul while in prison at Rome. It follows Ephesians in the pattern where the first half of the book is doctrinal teaching and the second half of the book is a practical section correcting and teaching us how to live out this amazing Christ in us. Read these 4 short chapters with this main distinction in mind.
Colossians 1:15-18(NKJV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
The meaning of the mystery is that it is the sacred secret of God’s purpose which has been revealed to those that have the ears to hear and eyes to see. Christ died for our sin and to give us a newness of life which we now can receive. This brings us as children into the family of God, members of His own household. The body of Christ is a spiritually bonded people who all have the DNA of holy spirit to bring us together. Whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female we all become one in Christ. All tribalism is swallowed up by the coming of the one body of Christ with him as the head. It is Christ in each one of us which then unites us together. Amazing what God has done for us!!
The message of the kingdom changes on the day of Pentecost when the new covenant is instituted with believers in Christ. The time period between the passion of Christ and his glorious kingdom on earth was not revealed in the OT Bible. That is why the apostles ask him before Jesus ascends whether the kingdom is going to be restored that day. Jesus answers them that the timing of all these events are in the Father’s hands. The mystery revealed by Paul and Peter later on is that the time of the church of the body of Christ is now and is alive in Christ.
Colossians 1:24-28 I(NKJV) now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:6-7(NLT) And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
How does the mystery revealed intersect with our preaching and teaching of the kingdom message?
Colossians 2:6-10(NLT) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Chapters 3 and 4 are the practical application teaching us about the doctrine taught in chapters 1-2.
How do the message themes compare between chapters 1-2 to chapters 3-4?
Colossians 3:12-15(NLT) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
What is our motivation for doing the good works God calls us to do?
Colossians 4:2-6(NLT) Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. 5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
How do we develop our willingness and ability to give a Godly answer to every person we talk to about Christ?
I pray for you as did Paul centuries ago that you will live out this wonderful mystery of Christ as part of the body of Christ, his church. Remember who you are this day!
Acts 27:1-2(NLT) When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.
Notice the “we” in the first sentence. Luke is the writer of Acts and appears to accompany Paul on his journey to Rome by ship. Many difficulties of sailing at that time are shown in this record. They go with the wind in directions that are not necessarily to Rome but used because of the wind direction for sailing. Ultimately they are caught up in what appears to be a northeaster blow that lasts for many days, finally driving the ship ashore on the island of Malta. This is a miracle of its own as this is the only land anywhere in that part of the Mediterranean Sea. Further God shows Paul that no one on the ship will perish but all will be alive but shipwrecked.
Acts 27:10-11(NLT) “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul
Acts 27:22-26(NLT) But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
How does Paul get such a good understanding from God when he has disobeyed God about going to Jerusalem?
Why does Paul not get depressed and morose about all that happens?
Ultimately, they get to Rome where Paul goes into house imprisonment. This took money and support from some source in order for him to be in a house and not some dungeon somewhere. How do you think he was supported there? God gives him opportunity to speak, teach and write letters of which are many of the ones we read today. God truly does make lemonade out of the lemons that Paul finds himself in the middle of. He even preaches to the Jews at Rome the message of Christ to try to persuade them to become believers also.
Acts 28:23-24(NLT) So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.
Paul openly teaches and preaches the message of the kingdom of God to all that are Rome. He strengthens the Roman church and also talks to all that come to see him at his house. He is still imprisoned and eventually put to death, but God works mightily in his life and witness to change the whole world of that time.
Acts 28:28-31 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” 30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
God also directs Paul in writing these letters from Rome while imprisoned there. Ephesians , Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy are those epistles that scholars believe Paul wrote while in Rome. A large body of our present scripture was written while he was imprisoned which to me is amazing and thoughtful. Paul also fellowships with the believers in Rome and directs Timothy, Titus, Epaphra and others in the work of the ministry to the Gentiles.
Acts 23:11(NKJV) But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
How does Paul stay in fellowship with God when his life is so constrained by his circumstances?
What is the lesson we can learn from this record of trust in God?
In this next episode Paul is arrested by the Jewish leaders, and they conspire to put him to death because of their hatred of Paul and Christianity. As we read the rest of the chapters of Acts the largest questions that stare at us are:
What is the relationship of what we want to do in life vs what God would have us do?
What does God do when we disobey His direction and do what we decide is the better course?
How much more could Paul have done for God if he were not arrested?
The Roman legion commander comes to Paul’s rescue because he claims to be a Roman citizen, which is true. The commander realizes that Paul cannot get a fair trial of any kind in Jerusalem and sends him to Caesarea to the governor to be tried there in a Roman court. The Jews have men also that have taken an oath to kill Paul and try to do it on the way. When Paul is tried by the governor, there is no decision and then Felix listens to Paul but is hoping that Paul will bribe him to be set free.
Acts 24:12-16(NLT) And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. 16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.
What do you think about how Paul goes to Jerusalem and how he is now arrested and in great difficulties?
Acts 24:27 – 25:5(NLT) After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison. 1 Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, 2 where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. 3 They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). 4 But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. 5 So he said, “Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.”
Acts 25:10-12 So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. 11 For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”
Was this a good decision by Paul?
Acts 26:25-32 But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 26 For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” 29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” 30 When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31 and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” 32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
With my 20/20 hindsight I am shouting inside for Paul not to do what he did. I want him to do the things that will get him released, not go in chains to Rome. Easy for me to think now, but we also are guilty of doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Good intentions and sincerity are not the way to do God’s calling. Walking in the spirit every day in Christ will get us the correct results. True good works are doing what God has prepared for you to do.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (NKJV)
Devotion by Merry Peterson (Canada)
In the part of Ontario where I live there is a museum called ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’. Inside there are lots of strange and unusual items and displays about occurrences that are most, well, quite frankly unusual! The sign says it all – believe it – or not. Some things in that museum I find really hard to believe.
Faith is really about belief. Our belief that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. That’s the tenet of having faith – those beliefs about God. His existence as the supreme ruler of the universe and that His declarations of what He will do He follows through on.
In the previous chapter we see that Abraham was justified by his faith even though the whole salvation plan through Jesus dying on the cross for our justification hadn’t happened yet in his time. It was Abraham’s belief that God was in control and able to do what He said He would do that brought him justification.
We as Christians have received justification through Christ’s sacrifice because we live in a different time frame than Abraham. Christ, the promised savior that God declared would become the sacrifice for sin has indeed died, and risen again, and our justification comes through that fulfilled promise.
Notice that the fulfilled promise brings peace. We have peace with God through Christ. We have peace knowing that our sin is covered by Jesus’ blood, that we are no longer God’s enemies because of our sin. The blood of Christ washes away the debt of our sin. We become in good standing with God. How is this achieved – by our belief that God is in control and follows through on his promises. He said that Jesus would be the once for all atoning sacrifice for mankind bringing us justification with Himself. We believe it!
For Reflection:
Do you have friends or family members who have a hard time with faith?
When did you first start to have faith and believe?
Was there something or someone who helped you truly believe?
Are there ways that you could help guide another person to belief?
Have you ever wondered what makes Christian fellowship oh so sweet? Paul in this passage has expressed his earnest desire to be among his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. His heart aches to be present with them, instead he finds himself writing a letter to them. He states in Romans chapter 1, verse 12 so “that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith”. What he is expressing is his desire for the encouragement that comes from fellowshipping with one another.
When we get together as Christians to worship, sing, hang out together, share a meal, or other activities where we truly interact is when fellowship is sweetest. For an extended period of time I lived on the west coast. Let me tell you it is a very long way away from most of our churches in our conference of churches. I loved our 2 local congregations but it was ever so sweet when I would get to attend a camp or conference activity with other like-minded believers back east. I always found it encouraging and always had the opportunity to encourage and minister to others as we fellowshipped together. It was rejuvenating. The Apostle Paul is longing for that same rejuvenating fellowship.
Notice he mentions by mutual faith – that is why it is so important that we should fellowship together as believers. In Proverbs 27:17 we read “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” To sharpen iron it must be rubbed against another piece of iron. This picture reminds us that by fellowshipping together – sometimes literally rubbing elbows – we are strengthening and encouraging one another providing the most mutual benefit. That is why Paul in other writing mentions not to forget the assembling of ourselves together – so we don’t lose the mutual benefit of encouraging one another. In our technological age of on-line church and digital meeting spaces let’s not forget what the Apostle Paul really yearned for, and felt was most beneficial – fellowship with other Christian believers. Let’s remember that meeting together is for mutual benefit in the faith – uplifting, encouraging, and helping to rejuvenate our brothers and sisters in the faith so they too can have joy for the journey.
For Reflection:
How can I be more diligent in taking part in opportunities to fellowship with other believers?
Have I taken this sweet, refreshing gift for granted that Paul longed for?
Prior to the New Covenant, the Jews were like slaves to the law, in the sense that children are slaves to their parents’ rules until the time has come to set them free to do what they’ve learned is right without their parents’ involvement. This is what Paul is trying to reiterate regarding the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ/law of liberty to the Galatians.
When Jesus ratified a new covenant with them (and us), the Jews were set free from the Law of Moses in the same manner that a child is set free from her parents’ rules/laws once she becomes an adult. Because Jesus came, the Jews are now free to walk by faith like Abraham did, without a law to teach him what to do, but with God’s wisdom about what to do, having already learned what is good from their “childhood.”
To make this point clearer, think of the things you still do as an adult because your parents taught you well when you were a child, like holding the door for the person behind you, or waiting patiently for your turn while in line, etc. They’re not things that you’re doing because you’re still under your parents’ rules and will receive consequences from them if you don’t (or do). They’re things you’re doing because they’re ingrained in you to do from their discipline of you, and because you’ve learned that they are good practices to help you live well (to keep yourself and others from harm and to do good to others).
If you engage in the good things your parents taught you once a “free to do as you please” adult, you will probably do well in life. If not, you will understand that you’re not really free, you’re just not under your parents’ authority anymore. They’re not going to be the ones providing you with consequences for your actions because you’re not under their yoke. You’re under a free society’s yoke – one that obviously still expects you to do what’s right so that you won’t harm yourself or others.
And there will be some behaviors that you’re no longer expected to engage in in your free society, such as not talking to strangers. Though your parents may have taught you to heed this rule when you were under their yoke to keep you from harm, it no longer applies in your free society. The opposite is actually expected for love and respect’s sake.
If they (and we) now identify in Christ, they are free from the Laws of Moses (free from their “parent” Moses’s rules), its consequences, and its authority. They are adults, free to serve God without specific laws about how they must live, beyond what their new authority Jesus says to do, which is to love as Jesus loved, giving the world the royal treatment (love your neighbor as yourself).
What’s ingrained in a Christ follower is the Holy Spirit, not the laws from the Law of Moses. It is the Spirit that writes the law (of Christ) on our heart, urging us to do what pleases God. If we (both Jew and Gentile) listen to the urging of the Spirit, we are walking by the Spirit and pleasing God. If not, we’re walking by the flesh and pleasing ourselves (sinning/choosing our own will).
We will reap what our behavior sows in the end, either to the flesh, which leads to death, or to the Spirit, which leads to life. Jesus, our authority under the New Covenant, will be our judge.
So, how have you been doing in loving God and loving people?
If you don’t know how to love like Jesus, ask God for his wisdom about how to love your neighbor (and God), or what actions you should take to love them. His desire is to give you his wisdom about what to do when you ask.
First Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus has become wisdom for us, so look to him for wisdom; look at his words to help you to know what God’s will is. Look at the people that Jesus entrusted God’s word with, like Paul. At the end of almost all of his letters, he gives those he’s writing to some practical application in how to love like Jesus. James gave us a lot too!
The more we follow the urging of the spirit to do God’s will, the more we become like Christ and will do God’s will. Becoming this type of person takes time, molding, and shaping. There will be times when we miss the mark and wander off the path. Isn’t it a blessing though to be under the law of liberty, free to make mistakes without the consequences from the Law of Moses when we do? What a burden that would be! Thank God that we won’t receive the consequences from the Law of Moses when we miss the mark on our race.
Under the New Covenant, God urges us to restore one who’s wandered off, gently, as consequence. We must help each other stay on the path of righteousness and bear each other’s burdens, like Paul is with the Galatians in his letter. This is how you fulfill the law of Christ/the law of liberty.
So, should we follow the Law of Moses to be sure we are living well? No. We should read and understand all scripture, as it is all God breathed, “profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate” (2 Tim. 3:16-17), but we should apply what we read and do in light of the New Covenant we are under with our new high priest and mediator Jesus. It is a better way to live, with a lighter yoke. Jesus teaches us how to do this (seek God’s wisdom through him).
For example, before Jesus was crucified, he shared in the Passover meal with his disciples. The Passover was a meal shared to remember what Yahweh God had done for the Jews, leading them out of slavery from the Egyptians, to serving him. But at the last supper Jesus has with them, he tells them to remember something new when they have Passover. He says to remember him, remembering what he did for them in shedding his blood and breaking his body.
Gentiles don’t celebrate Passover, because it doesn’t apply to them. But many Christians do share a meal together once a year that they call communion, remembering Jesus’s shed blood and his broken body for us. God didn’t give Gentiles a law telling them they must celebrate Communion under the New Covenant, but his son told his disciples to remember him. We must remember what Christ did for us too.
Communion is a good practice to help us remember, but it is not a law we must abide by to be in Christ (identified as a Christ follower). What we must abide by is what Jesus said, which is to remember what he did for us.
It is easy to forget what Jesus did for us when we don’t engage in practices that help us remember. However, if a Gentile chooses not to remember Jesus’s blood and body every year, he is not condemned to not enter the kingdom of God. But each year he forgets about Jesus’s sacrifice, the more off track he may get, which can put him in jeopardy of not entering the kingdom of God at the end of his race.
And Jewish Christians no longer need to celebrate Passover/Seder. But it is okay if they do, so long as they’re not doing it to separate themselves from Gentiles as righteous. But when they do, it would be good practice to primarily remember what Jesus did for them, which is much better than what Moses did for them. If they don’t, they are not condemned to not enter the kingdom of God in the end, but the more they forget about Jesus’s sacrifice for them, the more off track they may get, which can put them in jeopardy of not entering the kingdom at the end of their race.
The Galatians (and we) should understand that teaching anyone, even a Jew, to follow the Law of Moses for the purpose of being identified as righteous, is wrong. It is a false gospel. Doing what Christ says to do is the true gospel, and it identifies you as a child of God in Christ. Faith in Jesus, with the faith of Abraham/of Jesus, identifies you as a true child of God.
Paul emphasizes his point with an analogy of two women from the Old Testament. Hagar was a slave, Sarah was free. The enslaved woman will have no part of the inheritance of the free woman, so the Galatians need to get this right. Lives are at stake.
When Paul first preached the Gospel to the Galatians, they were fulfilling the Law of Christ because of their great love for Paul, not only listening to him and receiving his teachings, but also taking great care of him while he was sick. They treated him like he was a messenger from God, like Jesus himself. Paul said if it were possible, they would have torn out their eyes to give them to Paul if he needed them. That is loving like Jesus. It’s sacrificial love. It is giving their neighbor Paul the royal treatment.
There is no law about what exactly we must do to love like Jesus the way the Galatians did at first. But we know that to love like Jesus when we see a brother sick and in need means doing something to help that brother. Think on the wisdom we received from James to understand (James 2:15-17). Your faith is worthless if you don’t give a brother what he needs, and it makes you a sinner.
Again, 1 John 3:16 tells us what loving like Jesus is, and that we should follow suit. This is how we know what love is, Jesus the Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters. What this verse is saying is that love is sacrifice. We are to sacrifice our lives to love someone else, in all of our doings under our new authority.
For Jesus, it looked like living a sinless life and dying on the cross to save us. For the Galatians when they first met Paul, it was to take care of him in his ill state. Paul is now loving them by urging them to remember their first love (acts of love towards him when he had a need) in the rest of their doings.
There are many things that we can do to love like Jesus. We are going to need to seek God’s wisdom to know the specifics and be led by the spirit in our various circumstances, but we can all heed this bit of wisdom at the end of Paul’s letter to the Galatians to remain on the path of righteousness under the New Covenant through Christ:
Instead of allowing someone to enslave you with their false teaching, a good practice is to serve one another through love, like the Galatians did at Paul’s first preaching. This is the freedom they have in Christ, to do good until Paul without a law that tells them so.
We are called to freedom, but we should not turn our freedom into an opportunity to sin just because there’s no law under the New Covenant. Remember, there’s wisdom! The whole Law (of Moses) is fulfilled in one word, the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Under the new Covenant, this is also wisdom from God. But if you bite and devour one another, you may just be consumed by one another. You won’t be entering the kingdom of God if you’re doing this because you’re not loving your brother like Jesus taught. Instead, walk by the Spirit so that you won’t carry out the desires of the flesh.
The desires of the flesh (not God’s will) are whatever is opposed to the desires of the Spirit of God (God’s will). The spirit he put inside you urges you to do his will, while the flesh urges you to do your own will, or what you think is good for you to do.
If you want to know if you’re walking by the spirit or walking by the flesh, Galatians 5:19-21 gives you a pretty clear list of things that people do when they’re walking by the flesh. These are things that are going to harm yourself or others and if practiced (meaning ongoing without repentance), they’re going to make you forfeit your entrance into the kingdom of God.
Instead, walk by the Spirit’s urging about what you should do, and the fruit of the Spirit will follow. They are things that are produced by people who love like Jesus. If you want to know if you’re a disciple of Jesus, they’re great identifiers: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). If these characteristics are yours, you’re not under a law (you can call it the law of liberty if you really want to be under a law). You’re in Jesus’s free society (free to love like Jesus based on the needs of those you’re serving, based on God’s wisdom about it, not by a law outlining specifics you must do to be righteous).
If you are a Christian, you crucified the flesh with its passions and desires when you entered the New Covenant. I think this means that since becoming a Christian, you have decided to live by the urging of the Spirit inside you, as opposed to your former ways following the desires of your flesh, just like Paul proclaimed of himself. But if one of you practices one of those things from the flesh list, then your brother who is spiritual should restore you gently. Be sure the restorer is spiritual though, being sure the one restoring the brother sinning doesn’t have a log in his own eye to clean out first, lest he also be tempted. And bear one another’s burdens. I love how Paul basically reiterated how to fulfill the law of Christ in this situation using the same wisdom that Jesus used when teaching his disciples how to live from the from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
Some more wisdom to stay on track to the Kingdom of God include sharing good things with the one who teaches you the word. If the one teaching you God’s word took time away from doing other things to support their family, then in return you should support your teacher.
Remember, God is not mocked. Whatever a person sows, he will also reap, whether to the flesh (ongoing sin/your own will) which leads to destruction or to the Spirit (God’s will), which leads to eternal life. The one preaching the false gospel will reap what he sows.
Don’t grow weary in doing good. This can be a hard one with all of life’s ups and downs. I remember when I knew I was growing weary, so I cried out to God to help me keep going. He simply reiterated it back to me through the prophetic word of a dear sister in Christ, and then told me what to prioritize.
In due time, if we don’t become weary, we will reap good things. While we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, especially those who are of the household of the faith. Amen!
I find it hilarious that Paul says, “See what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!” It sounds like he’s saying that he’s using Caps Lock to shout out to the Galatians this point: All who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. In other words, they’re not trying to teach you their false gospel to help you, they’re teaching it to try to help themselves.
Wouldn’t we all like to be able to say this after trying to reprove a fellow Christian, “I boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Circumcision and uncircumcision is nothing. What’s something is a new creation in Christ.” If you think and behave in a way knowing this, then peace and mercy to you who are now the Israel of God.
Reflection Questions
1. Have you witnessed the cry, “Abba! Father!” since receiving the Spirit of God’s son into your heart?
2. How did the son who was born according to the flesh persecute the one who was born according to the Spirit (Gal. 5 29)?
3. Gal. 5:1 says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. What do you think “freedom” means in this verse? Freedom from what and to what? (I think it means a little more to a Jew than to a Gentile).
When I began reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians, I noticed that this bold man had doubts and fear that he wasn’t preaching correctly at times after his initial conversion. It took him 14 years (after an initial 3 + years to talk to Peter for 15 days) to talk to those of repute about the Gospel. I can relate.
We are called to preach the Gospel, but we don’t want to teach something that’s inaccurate if it leads others down the wrong path because lives are at stake. But that’s exactly what was happening with the Galatians.
The once fearful Paul boldly asks the Galatians who bewitched them, attempting to enslave them to a different gospel, which was a distorted gospel of Christ. The distortion was in teaching others to follow certain laws from the Law of Moses (commandments they must follow to be identified as righteous), instead of having the freedom in Christ to follow Jesus through the urging of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will. Paul goes so far as to say that the ones doing this should be accursed!
*Note, I believe the issue is not about salvation. You were saved (rescued) from sin and death and placed on the path of righteousness for the purpose of serving God through Jesus when you first believed. And you can’t “lose” your salvation. Said another way, no one can stop what was already done for you when Jesus rescued you (when you believed). But you can decide if you’ll remain on that path of righteousness (doing what Jesus says is right to do under the New Covenant terms) or not before you reach the Kingdom of God, when you’ll be saved from this present evil age.
Someone(s) was trying to lead the Galatians to look back to what was already fulfilled in Christ by teaching the Galatians to follow the Law of Moses, particularly to follow the law to be circumcised for the purpose of being made righteous, or as a member of the Jewish community. Though some may have been teaching this practice to save the Gentiles from Roman persecution that Jews were exempt from, Paul teaches them that it’s better to be persecuted for the sake of Christ than to be enslaved to the Law of Moses or to look back at our former life before Christ. We should all do well to remember Lot’s wife.
Aside from the issue dealing with circumcision, Paul recounts a similar issue when Peter was hypocritical, separating himself from eating with Gentile Christians in the presence of other prominent Jews (called “from the circumcision”). I believe this all happened after the record we read in Acts when Peter boldly recounted his experience with Cornelius, proclaiming that he was not to call any person unholy or unclean, and that God is not one to show partiality (Acts 10). This was really bad, as the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, which led others astray.
Paul goes on to help clarify why the distorted version of the gospel was so devastating to the true gospel.
Jews by birth who now identify in Christ understand that they are not justified by the works of the law, but by faith (trusting) in Jesus the Christ (i.e., they do things that Christ says to do because they put their trust in him to tell them how to do what is good, not in Moses/the Law of Moses). But if the Jews sin under Christ, they are just as guilty as the “sinning Gentiles,” as such they defined them when under the Law of Moses (this statement makes me think that the main motive for teaching the Gentiles to become like Jews was pride).
When you entered the New Covenant with God through Jesus, you died to your old man/old ways of living (sinning). If you rebuild what you destroyed (the sinning person), you are quite the wrongdoer indeed! For Jews wanting to rebuild who they identify in via following laws from the Law of Moses, they’re sinning! They’re nullifying the work of Jesus, and even worse, teaching new Gentile Christians to do the same.
Through the Law of Moses, Paul died to the Law, so that he could live by letting Christ lead him via the Holy Spirit instead of the old man he was, who followed Moses.
The Law of Moses was beautiful, just read about what David says about it. But it should not be forced on anyone as necessary to be righteous or a child of God. If you are a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian who would like to engage in behaviors commanded from the Law of Moses (those that weren’t meant to separate Jew from Gentile regarding your identity in Christ) because you think if applied, they can help you live well in this age, you can, because they will, if you apply them as you would under the law of liberty/the New Covenant, like Jesus taught. But part of how to do that would be to first ask God for wisdom about them so that you’ll be led by the Spirit, and not your own will in doing them (especially so that in so doing, you won’t lead others astray with your behavior).
For example, under the New Covenant, Jesus applies a new way of thinking to many of the laws from the Law of Moses using the new commandment of love (as he loved) as motivation for all that a Christ follower should do. So, instead of abiding by a law that says don’t murder from the Old Covenant, Jesus teaches his followers not to have contempt in their hearts for their brother in the first place. If they can do that, they won’t even come close to murdering their brother.
But how does one really do that? Did Jesus just make a new law for us to follow that’s even harder to do than refraining from murder? No, he gave us wisdom about how not to murder, and that’s by not allowing contempt to be in your heart in the first place. You read about how to keep contempt out from the word, such as by acts of love towards your brother before contempt can grow, by prayer, by turning the other cheek, by gently correcting your brother, etc. Seek wisdom from God about how to keep contempt out by reading the Bible and asking him. Then don’t be surprised when you get an urging from the Holy Spirit to do what God wants you to do to keep contempt out. He is a good and faithful God who will give you the wisdom you desire when you ask.
Through Jesus, God always gets at the heart of the issues that led to the Law of Moses, to shape people into those who do good because of love for God and others. But doing good for love’s sake even under the New Covenant doesn’t save you. Christ’s works saved you. Doing good once saved keeps you on the path of righteousness.
So, we must be careful not to enslave someone with our preaching of a law from the Law of Moses that we must keep to be identified as righteous since we are under the New Covenant. We are righteous when we do what is right. What is right is what Jesus says is right to do (1 John 3:7), as opposed to what Moses said is right to do for his time, or what the other gods who the Gentiles formally served said was right to do, or what our own will desires for us to do. If you want to know what Jesus wants you to do, read his words and ask via the Holy Spirit.
A good question to ask someone who tries to enslave others to keep the Law of Moses for the purpose of identification as righteous is to ask them what Paul asks the Galatians, “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” If the answer is the latter, don’t force a yoke on someone that Jesus carried for us.
Or ask them this, “Does he who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by works of the Law or by hearing with faith?” The latter of course is the answer. The righteous one will live by faith, like Abraham did. Abraham did what God told him to do without a law to tell him.
The point of this letter is to overemphasize to the Galatians that identification as righteous comes by way of faith (trust) in Jesus, not by faith in Moses (via works from the Law of Moses).
*Note, under the Law of Moses, before Jesus came and inaugurated the New Covenant, the Law of Moses did keep an Israelite on the path of righteousness, because that was God’s will at the time. But it could never save. Belief in Jesus’s work on the cross saves.
We mustn’t confuse faith in Jesus with hearing only either. We know what Abraham did to receive his title as faithful, with promises to his faithful seed. He did all that God commanded him (Genesis 26:5). Jesus is that promised seed, who did all that God commanded him. God made him both Lord and Christ. If we identify as “in Christ,” because of the works he did, it follows that we who have made Jesus our Lord by definition, will do what he says. Those are the terms we entered into under the New Covenant.
Why the Law of Moses then if what God promised to Abraham was what would last forever, as opposed to what God gave to Moses? The Law of Moses was added on account of the violations of God’s commands by the Israelites, until the seed would come to whom the promise was made.
I take this to mean that the Israelites weren’t living by faith (i.e., they didn’t trust God to be faithful to them, so they weren’t faithful to do what he said). They were sinning. They needed help to get on the path of righteousness. They needed something to guide them so that they’d live in such a way that it would be well with them and they’d stop sinning. They needed God’s wisdom about how to represent him well as his children, as lights to the world, rather than allowing them to continue to rely on their own wisdom about how to live (which never ended well). Even so, they still failed to be who God wanted them to be by doing their own will, and the Law of Moses came with a heavy yoke.
But since the promised seed has come, they are no longer in need of a guide (or a guardian to keep them on track) that separates them from the rest of the world who have decided to do God’s will. Instead, both Jew and Gentile under the New Covenant receive a guide inside them, guided by Jesus via the Holy Spirit. And it’s a much easier yoke to bear.
We have something in us that urges us to do the will of God. It urges us to do God’s will when we seek wisdom about it. We seek God’s wisdom about what to do because we’ve read his book and witnessed that what God says is good for us is good. We’ve witnessed that when people chose to follow the urging of their flesh to do their own will, their fall was great.
We’ve witnessed that God’s wisdom is found in the man Jesus, not Moses, because Jesus always did our father’s will, because of his great love for everyone (even his enemies). We’ve learned that everyone who desires to be like Jesus, a person who desires God to be judge over our lives so that no harm will come to anyone, will be saved. We’ve learned that God made that man Jesus our Lord who will do the judging in the end. We learned that no one can enter who desires to do their own will because it will affect us all. See this current age as example.
We don’t want to preach something that’s inaccurate, and we don’t want to fear preaching because we may lead others astray. Let’s start by asking God for his wisdom about what we should do, look at Jesus’s words, and do the things that the word says to do to be filled with the spirit so that we can walk by it/let it lead us, just like our Lord Jesus, because we desire life for all. But don’t enslave someone with laws they must do to be righteous. Show them how to love through your good works. To do that, seek God’s wisdom (it’s found in Jesus) and follow the urging of the Holy Spirit to do his will.
Reflection Questions
1. Do you think those preaching a distorted gospel should be accursed?
2. What is right is what Jesus says is right. What is wrong?
3. How did Abraham know what was right to do without a law to tell him?
Seek Grow Love 