In the passage (please click this link), we find Paul giving details on his apostleship and gospel ministry to the Gentiles. Under God’s hand this ministry had brought much fruit for His kingdom. Paul explains that after 14 years he was then led by God to go to Jerusalem to meet with the leaders of the church there. This was to confirm the validity of the spread of the gospel, through Paul, among the Gentiles.

We now find more detail on the ‘different’ or false gospel.  It was about a requirement being imposed by some men from a Jewish background on Gentile believers. The requirement was  that the Gentile believers also be circumcised. This was very serious because it was saying, in effect, that faith in Christ was not enough to make a person right with God. A person had to obey the Jewish law as well, which included circumcision. Paul strenuously resisted this because he saw the danger. It would nullify the gospel of God’s grace.

Paul goes on to say that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem saw that He had been given the responsibility of preaching to the Gentiles just as the apostle Peter had the responsibility of preaching to the Jews (literally ‘the circumcised’). He says in Vs8 of Ch2:

For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Galatians 2:8 (NIV)

So we start to see the contradiction appearing which showed up much more clearly when the apostle Peter came to Antioch, a Gentile church where Paul had been involved. Peter had been greatly used, many years earlier, in the salvation of thousands of Jews who had gathered at Pentecost. This makes it all the more startling when we find Paul saying here that he ‘had to oppose him (Peter) to his face, because he stood condemned’. Let’s read together what Paul further wrote in Vs 12-13:

¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 

Galatians 2:12-13 (NIV)

Here we have the full exposing of the problem. It is good to be reminded of it a second time. The problem was caused by the arrival in Antioch of what is called the ‘circumcision group’.  These apparently were a group of men from a Jewish background who were circulating in the church and it appears that they were requiring all believers to be circumcised. When Peter sided with these men it was like a denial of the gospel. Paul said that ‘they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel’. He puts it quite simply in vs 16 where he says that ‘a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ’, and he also says ‘by the works of the law no one will be justified’. Peter should have resisted these men not sided with them.

This brings us to the first of Paul’s ‘guidepost’ questions in Vs 17 as follows:

But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!

Galatians 2:17 (NIV)

The sense is taken to be ‘If we remove the law doesn’t that make us ‘sinners’ (in inverted commas) like the Gentiles’. By associating with the Gentiles and proclaiming justification by faith, Paul was, in a way, removing the law. It could be wrongly said that therefore Christ, who justifies us by faith, is encouraging sin. By going back to eat with the ‘circumcision’ Peter was rebuilding the law which they had removed by their preaching on justification by faith.

This also exposes something which was very dangerous in the Jewish ‘mentality’ about their relationship to the law. It becomes apparent that they may have seen their relationship to the law as a type of ‘righteousness’. Not just in terms of obeying it but in just having it.  Hence with the removal of the law as a requirement to be right with God they became ‘unrighteous’ or ‘sinners’ (in inverted commas) like the Gentiles. This helps to explain, perhaps, some of the motivation of the ‘circumcision’ group. They were seriously wrong … they were dangerously wrong … but they thought that what they were doing was right.

The chapter finishes with Paul’s words in Vs 21 which are like a very concise summary of what has been said:

 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!           

Galatians 2:21 (NIV)

The next chapter Ch3 begins with a stinging rebuke and warning to the Galatians.  ‘You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you.’ Paul says.  He then shows and stresses, for 3 verses, the absurdity of adding the works of the law to faith in Christ as a requirement to be right with God. He finally says in Vs 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?

Galatians 3:5 (NIV)

Abraham is now introduced, as an example, in the next 15 verses. There are a number of reasons for this.  Abraham had received the promise a long time earlier … hundreds of years before the law had been given to the nation of Israel.  So the law could not have been the basis of his standing before God. Abraham looked forward to Christ by faith … he was justified by faith.  We see this in Vs 6-9 (NASB) as follows:

Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.⁷ Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.⁸ The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

Galatians 3:6-9 (NASB)

We also have Jesus’ words, recorded in John’s gospel:

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”    John 8:56 (NIV)

 

This brings us to the second of Paul’s two ‘guidepost’ questions in Galatians which is in Vs 21:

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be!

Galatians 3:21a (NIV)

Paul uses this question to show that the law is not inherently bad.  Also some parts of the law were only temporary. The problem comes when we misunderstand the purpose for which God has given it. The law is good, it comes from God, but, because of our indwelling sin, it can never make us right with God … we can never obey the law perfectly. That is why we must receive the promise by faith in Christ Jesus. In this way we have His perfect right-ness, like wearing a spotless garment, which puts us in a right relationship with God. Forgiven and set free.

The remainder of the chapter gives us more information about the purpose of the law. It is described as a ‘guardian’ or a ‘tutor’ to Christ. It shows us our sin and therefore our need for the one who was and is sinless … our Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we are united to Him by faith we are children of God, Abraham’s spiritual descendants, and we have an eternal inheritance which awaits us in His kingdom.

CONCLUSION

In the early Christian church there were very serious errors which came about through misunderstandings of the ‘good news’ … the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Two major errors which occurred were connected with wrong views of the place and purpose of the law. This was a huge problem because the Jews had come to identify their relationship with God and their relationship with the law as being interconnected. The gospel, however, has to be free. The only connection that a person needs in order to be right with God is to be united to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.

What then were these two errors? The simplest way is to think of one of the modern marketing slogans which we often hear called ‘buy one get one free’. The one we get for free is not really free if we have to pay something to get it. The reverse also applies. ‘Get one free buy one’. The one we get for free is, once again, not really free for the same reasoning as before.

The problem which the apostle Paul addressed in Romans was like ‘buy one get one free’. It was a type of spiritual adultery whereby a person was still holding onto the law in order to be right with God, whilst coming to Jesus for the free gift of being made right through faith union with Him. This is like ‘buy one get one free’. Here in Galatians the problem is the reverse. People who had been made right with God by trusting in what Jesus had accomplished for them on the cross were being told that they must also be circumcised to be truly part of God’s family. This is like ‘get one free buy one’.

The problem for those from a Jewish background is clearly seen in what Paul says elsewhere  about having a right standing before God, or righteousness, as follows:

³⁰ What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness have not attained their goal. ³² Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 

Romans 9:30-32 (NIV)

Someone may ask ‘what about the 10 commandments’. The 10 commandments are referred to as the ‘moral law’ and as such are ‘holy and righteous and good’. We must take this law very seriously and with appreciation as being given from God. We must also always keep in mind that even the strictest adherence to the ‘moral law’ can never make a person right with God. We are part of the body of Christ by faith in Him alone. The law and the gospel have been given by God for two very different purposes. Simply put, the law has been given to reveal sin in our lives. The gospel has been given to save us from our sins.

Having described two problems addressed in Romans and Galatians, there is one other situation which needs to be mentioned. An illustration here is helpful. A  fast food restaurant chain has an offer to senior customers of a free coffee. Some stores however say that you have to buy something to get it. It is not therefore free … but what about when 2 people are involved. If the first person buys a coffee he or she can then give the senior’s coffee to the other and in this case it is truly free to that person. This is a wonderful picture of the good news of Jesus Christ. At enormous cost to Himself He gives us a priceless gift.

The implications of what we have seen here in these Chapters in Galatians are far reaching. The gospel makes Christians truly free in the most important and enduring sense of the word. Therefore we need to be gracious in our interaction with other members of the body of Christ. If we don’t do this we may be putting a stumbling block in the way of others. This is because we misrepresent the gospel as Peter did in siding with the circumcision group.

The apostle Paul wrote the following to the church in Phillipi which appears to have been troubled by the same problem:

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.                                                        

Phillipians 3:1-9 (NIV)

The church in Rome, the Galatian churches and the church in Phillipi … we too need to be on the lookout for ‘circumcisions’ of the gospel which can ringbark the tree of our joy and peace in believing. We cannot be fruitful as Christians if we are constantly trying to justify ourselves. Through believing in what Jesus has done for us in His death on the cross and resurrection, and in this alone, we become children of the promise, Abraham’s spiritual descendants and eternally secure.

 

 

 

The story of the Good Samaritan is very well known at a general level. The three questions which follow, however, help us to look deeper to find a most wonderful truth. The first question is: ‘What shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ The passage is really about salvation … not what we have done but what has been done for us.

The second question is: ‘Who is my neighbor?’ The lawyer tries to justify himself by asking this question. Jesus proceeds to tell the story. It is about who really helped the beaten man when those who seemed most likely to show love for him passed him by. The lawyer starts to find that the parable is showing him personally there is nothing he can do to inherit eternal life.

The third question reveals the most important point of the parable: ‘Whose neighbor am I?’ The requirement of love is far greater than mankind is able to perform. We are like the beaten man ourselves … broken down by our sins. We are the ones who need the ‘Neighbour’. Jesus is the one who has paid the enormous price at the cross to bring about our ‘healing’. All who call upon him will be saved.

 

When an employee is  caught out for not acting in his employer’s best interests it will often lead to his dismissal. Rewind 2000 years and we find something similar but with a very interesting outcome. What this passage doesn’t mean is (1) that Jesus approves of stealing’ or (2) that a worthwhile end justifies the means.

What the passage does mean is that there is a fine but important difference between a dishonest man’s shrewdness and a shrewd man’s dishonesty. The fact that this story involves a bad man’s shrewdness makes the argument more compelling … how much more compelling is a good man’s shrewdness.  The message is about the importance of being ‘shrewd’ in the use of material things now for eternal good.

Far too many believers use their money for this life. This is not being ‘shrewd’. There are three realities to consider. Firstly, wealth will fail … you can’t take it with you. Secondly, material things in this life are a stewardship … we don’t really own anything. Thirdly, if you let it, money can become your master. The ‘good news’ of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross, received by faith, changes attitudes toward material things. Jesus died to set us free forever.

With activities beginning for the New Year it is surprising how quickly we move on to the next big thing. Let’s take some time to look back to the coming of Jesus which was celebrated in December. He is the light of the world. The writer of this passage, John, wants us to see the connection between the first beginning at creation and Jesus’ coming. For us this involves the getting of life and how we are found by it.

As we read, Jesus is presented as our life. This refers to the life that is embodied in him. Why did he go to the cross? John’s answer is that he came to bring life into deadness. When dead lost man truly meets Jesus he comes alive. Jesus said to Martha elsewhere ‘I am the resurrection and the life’. Only Jesus can give us true life … meaning and purpose. Believers also have the hope of eternal life. A life given to God is a life well spent.

Jesus is also the light. The light shines in the darkness. Jesus taught that this light can be within us so that we can be children of the light. In Genesis God separated the light from the darkness but in this passage we find that the light shines in the darkness. It shines a light on evil. We are told that the darkness does not overcome the light. Faith in Jesus Christ brings light into our spiritual darkness.

We can all think of leaders in recent times who have been through difficult situations and suffered under the burdens of responsibility.  This passage, however, points us to a leader who delights in God, the One who will bring in a new government which will deal perfectly with the matter of injustice.

The one who wrote this Psalm, King David, had experienced the joy of answered prayer in his many victories over enemies. If we have experienced God’s deliverance, through what Jesus has done on the cross, we will also be joyful … responding not just with our minds but also with our hearts. The ultimate blessing though is not so much the gift, as wonderful as it is, but the living presence of the Lord himself.

The coming of God in victory brings in the perfect rule of justice in His kingdom. All who are united to Jesus by faith share in this victory over sin and death. Sadly, those who don’t know Jesus or those who have rejected him will never experience the joy of God’s presence. Corrupt people will not win in the end. Those who believe have their hope, not in a new leader but, in Jesus himself … the ultimate blessing.

 

 

 

There is a universal love among people for a good story. Sometimes, however, it doesn’t have a happy ending. This is the case with the story of the Pied Piper where all the children of the village are taken away.  In some ways it is also the case in this parable which Jesus tells. The difference with this one is that we are all in it.

The background to this parable is the Roman occupation of Judah and the cruel king Archelaus who the Romans had left in charge. Jesus is approaching the end of his journey and the people were wanting him to rule over them as their king. He tells them though that he must leave them. Jesus did come to save them but his rule was to be very different. Unlike Archelaus he was not going to cruelly oppress them but to be a sacrifice for them.

The parable tells us also that Jesus is a king who rewards. Forgiveness is a free gift to all who trust in him but the use of the ‘minas’ he gives to his people does result in rewards. Every servant of his is given spiritual gifts which are meant to be used for his kingdom. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending for some. Rejecting Jesus as king has fatal results.

People tend to think about relationships only on a horizontal level. It is easy to become preoccupied with those around us in the various interactions we have in the home, in social activities and in the school or workplace. This passage, however, speaks about the most important relationship of our lives and one about which most are either unconcerned or are misinformed .

The apostle John records Jesus’ words for us which raise 2 questions about our relationship to God. How well do we really know him? How do we get to know him better? Jesus uses his relationship to the Father to describe his relationship with his disciples. He says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. And also ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’.

Jesus goes on to make a number of promises to his disciples. These include that they will work his works, that their prayers will be answered, that he will give them life, love and peace. He then goes on to tell about his authority in making these promises … that it is from the Father and from the evidence of the miraculous works he has done. The priority in our lives needs to be relationship with God. This comes through Jesus Christ who leads us away from sin, love of the world, boasting and an easy life.

There have been many and varied approaches to the matter of authority over the years. Perhaps one of the most surprising was that of the Queen’s uncle, King Edward VIII. His relationship with an American divorcee, who he wanted to marry, sparked a constitutional crisis. This ended up in him abdicating the throne rather than ending the relationship.

In this passage we find a startling approach to authority by the apostle Paul where he sets aside his authority and appeals to Philemon, in the matter of forgiving his runaway slave, on the basis of love. The slave, Onesimus, had become a Christian while he and Paul were in jail. Paul was not in jail for anything he had done wrong but for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We can learn 3 things about authority in the way Paul writes to Philemon, who had also come to Christ under Paul’s ministry. Firstly, authority should prefer to appeal rather than command. Secondly, authority should be willing to intercede. Paul uses paternal language in writing to Philemon about his slave. Thirdly, authority is willing to take the place of another. Paul had been willing to give up everything to everyone that they might come to Christ. It is a beautiful picture of how Jesus used his authority for us. He did this by going to the cross.

 

 

Christmas is widely regarded as a great time of year because we do things we don’t do at other times. It distracts us from all the problems of this world such as Syria, domestic violence and the ice epidemic. It is like a tropical island. We need to focus, however, on the child being born into this world, God foreknowing the suffering his beloved Son would have to endure.

In this passage we find that we can think of God’s Son by the two names he is known. Firstly, ‘Jesus’ because he would save his people from their sins. This is why Christmas is so powerful in contrast to every other religious ‘system’. It points us to Easter and the cross.  You will never be good enough but, through trusting in him, Jesus saves.

The second name for God’s Son is ‘Emmanuel’. This name means ‘God with us’. Overseas children in orphanages often receive financial aid from people in other countries. This is a good thing but they really know that someone loves them when they come and live with them where they are. We can know God’s love by seeing what he has done in the person of his Son coming among us. This shows not only his love though but also how much we can trust him. Think of his two names … will you have the time to love him?

Christmas time invokes many different emotions and thoughts … presents, giving, Santa Claus etc. For some people this time is a bit of a chore. For others they see it as a party, family or holiday time. These things, however, need to be put in a proper perspective. They are not the reason for Christmas itself.

For a minority, Christmas is a time of real celebration because of Jesus’ birth. Where sin had destroyed the relationship between God and man, Jesus’ birth heralds the way this can be restored. It was, however, lost on most of the people of Jesus’ time. Only a small number, during his earthly life believed that he was born to die as a sacrifice and substitute for them. Later this was to become many millions all throughout history.

These passages about Jesus’ first and second coming, tell us that the Christmas story is not the end. Things will be very different when Jesus comes a second time. It is then that he will appear in great power and glory as the King of kings. Those who have turned from their sins and trusted in him will be saved. Those who have rejected him, and gone their own way, will be rejected by him to suffer eternal punishment with all his enemies.