A Great Teaching Tool

In the work of gospel ministry, churches and pastors use many teaching tools to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to those they reach. It is so encouraging to see all of the tools that have been given to us to proclaim the Gospel to people from literally every walk of life. Yesterday, I was reminded of one of these great tools that has been given to the local church for the proclamation of the Gospel: baptism.

Baptism takes many forms within churches today. I recognize there is even disagreement as to the role that baptism plays in the life of a person.^[1] Understanding Four Views on Baptism is a good resource I’ve found to share the prominent views of baptism. I hold to the view of baptism commonly known as “Believer’s Baptism” by immersion. This view sees baptism as an external symbol that points to an inward decision that has been made by a person.^[2] Acts 8:35-38; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:29-33

For the time I’ve been in ministry, I have viewed the act of baptism as a time of celebration (and it is!). Over the years, I’ve come to see that baptism is a great teaching tool to be used by the local church about some of our core beliefs as Christians.

Baptism teaches what we believe about Jesus

The act of baptism shows that a person has put their faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This picture is painted beautifully as the candidate comes into the water, is placed under the water, and is brought up out of the water. This is a great teaching point to show those gathered to witness that this person has placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Baptism teaches about what has happened within the person

The act of baptism also shows those witnessing the work the Holy Spirit has done within the person’s heart. As the person is placed under the water, they are acknowledging they were dead in their sins.^[3]Ephesians 2:1 As the person is brought forth from the water, they are showing they have been raised to walk a new life by faith in Jesus Christ.^[4]Romans 6:4

Baptism teaches about discipleship

The act of baptism also teaches about discipleship. This is the newest aspect of baptism that I’m seeing more clearly. Jesus commands His Church to go and make disciples.^[5]Matthew 28:18-20 This means that, as we introduce someone to faith in Christ, we also come alongside them and share with them what He has shown us. Making disciples is about helping others grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.

Our church had a great privilege this past Sunday to use baptism as a teaching tool about discipleship. I got to baptize a father in his 40s. After I baptized him, his two sons were baptized – by their father. To my knowledge, this had not been done before in our church. I took a quick moment to share that a part of baptism is the one doing the baptizing commits to the one being baptized to come alongside them and help them grow in their faith. I shared about how parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children. Because of this truth, we had the father do the baptizing of his children with me standing beside them to show that together, we will work to disciple these young men.

References[+]

References

↑1	Understanding Four Views on Baptism is a good resource I’ve found to share the prominent views of baptism.
↑2	Acts 8:35-38; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:29-33
↑3	Ephesians 2:1
↑4	Romans 6:4
↑5	Matthew 28:18-20

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Gentle Restoration

As we continue our series on the New Testament letter of Galatians, we have come to the final chapter. I hope this has been as much of an encouragement to you as it has been to me. It is good to study God’s Word as it was written and not always take pieces from here and there.

I have found myself more and more preaching through passages of Scripture rather than just taking one verse and going with it. But sometimes, you will come to a verse so packed that it has a whole message itself. What we are going to look at today is one of those verses.

¹ Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.

Galatians 6:1 CSB

When I was in middle school, I had a friend who spent a great deal of time with his dad restoring a 1969 Camaro. It didn’t look like much when they first got the car, but with months and months of tender loving care, blood, sweat, and tears, they finished it up… and it was NICE!

We hear about restorations happening all the time. One of my youngest son’s favorite TV shows is Fixer Upper. He loves to watch Chip & Joanna Gaines take a worn-out house and turn it into something beautiful. We see things like that and admire the hard work that goes into restoring a house, vehicle, or something else.

What about people? Do we have the same admiration for when we see a person’s life change completely for the good? I think we all like to hear a good turnaround story. But restoring a person is much like restoring a house or vehicle; it takes careful work from a skilled craftsman.

As Paul begins to close his letter to the Galatians, he takes a moment to remind us about an important ministry of the local church: the restoration of people. That is what Galatians 6:1 is all about.

‌Context of Restoration

The first words of this verse talk about where this restoration of a person takes place. It happens within the family of God. Paul uses the term — brothers and sisters — to show the family dynamic of the local church.

One of the Bible’s great metaphors used for the local church is the family of God.

¹² But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name

John 1:12 CSB

¹⁹ So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household

Ephesians 2:19 CSB

¹ See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. ² Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

1 John 3:1–2 CSB

Do we see our fellow church members as family, or are they just a group of acquaintances that we see once a week or so?

Paul wanted the Galatian churches to remember who they were and what one of the responsibilities they had was. You see, family looks after one another. Family doesn’t just let people fall through the cracks. Family lovingly cares for one another and stands up for one another.

The Need for Restoration

Paul writes a word of instruction to the church in verse 1. He talks about noticing when “someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing.” The term “overtaken” has the element of surprise to it. This means that there is an action we should take as church members when we notice a fellow church member going in a direction contrary to God’s desires.

There are times in our lives when we can fall into sin. What is interesting about these times is they often lead to times of separation. Sin will bring about a separation from God’s blessings but also a separation between us and where we should be.

Have you ever noticed that allowing sin to stay in your life unchecked causes you to not be around the things of God?

“The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”‌

Dwight L. Moody

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Sin will not only keep us away from the Bible but also from other important things like meeting together with the church.

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Paul is writing in the context of the local church. He is not talking about people who are just in the community. He is talking about fellow members of the church.

Do we notice when someone is not present in our church? Are we moved to the point of checking on them when they are not present? We should. There would be a strange atmosphere if a family member were suddenly missing from a family. The same is true with the local church.

There is the importance that we are a family and need one another. There will be times when one of us has a time of slipping up. The last thing we need in those moments is just to ignore it.

‌The Manner of Restoration

‌This leads us to the point of the manner of restoration or how restoration should be done. Paul commands the church to work to “restore such a person.”

The word “restore” is very interesting. It has its origins in the medical field. It carries the idea of setting a broken bone so that it can heal properly. This word is also used in other places in the New Testament, talking about when a fisherman would mend his nets after fishing so they could be used again.

Restoration is a practice that must be done delicately. Paul is not calling for a “spiritual police force” to be assembled that patrols around looking for any wrongs. Remember, Paul uses family language. How we help another will truly bring about the help that person needs.

Jesus gives us an example of what this looks like in John 8:1-11. The scribes and Pharisees caught a woman in adultery and brought before Jesus. They said the Law of Moses condemns this woman, and she should be stoned to death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). They asked Jesus what He thought. Jesus replies,

⁷ When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

John 8:7 CSB

As the people began to drop their stones and walk away, the woman was left alone with Jesus. He then looks at her and says,

¹⁰ When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

John 8:10–11 CSB

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Restoration happens when you care about the person being right as much as you do about the issue being right.

This is a point that has gotten a lot of people and churches in trouble throughout the ages. You have modern-day Pharisees who think they know the Word well enough to police it in others’ lives. They tend to care more about the issue than the person. Jesus shows us that we must be concerned for the issue and the person.

‌Qualities of a Gentle Restorer

In Galatians 6:1, Paul shows us three important qualities we must have to be the gentle restorer of our brothers and sisters that we should be.

Spiritual

‌Paul calls for “those who are spiritual” to step up to the plate for this. Remember, at the end of Galatians 5, Paul shared some of the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. A person is considered spiritual by the Word of God when these things are evident and growing in their lives. When this fruit grows in our lives, it is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives.

One clear test of spiritual maturity in a person’s life is their willingness to help others properly. Do you realize that almost every part of the fruit of the Spirit Paul mentions has to do with other people?

‌Gentle

‌While gentleness is one part of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5, Paul emphasizes this in Galatians 6:1. He says that restoration is to be done with a gentle spirit. It is not to be done in a judgmental, harsh, or condemning manner.

‌Watchful

¹² So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12 CSB

‌At the end of Galatians 6:1, Paul warns that a person who wants to help others must be watchful because the temptation to fall into sin themselves is prevalent.

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Each of us has the ability to give in to sin in our lives. There is not one of us that can say that we are above falling ourselves. We need to make sure that we are in a solid place — fully depending on the Holy Spirit ourselves — to help others get to where they need to be, or we could very well end up in the muck and mire ourselves needing help.

‌Conclusion

‌Whether we want to admit it or not, the possibility of any of us falling into sin and getting off-track from where God wants us to be is present in our lives daily. One of the greatest gifts God has given to the Christian is a church family to be part of, especially for those times. The church is supposed to be reaching out with the gospel to those who haven’t trusted it yet and those who have.

There is a lot of talk about wanting to see revival in our churches. If we’re going to see God move in mighty ways in our churches, then we need to be the church He wants us to be — one that is reaching out to those who have never heard about Jesus and introducing them to Him, and we need to care for one another as the family of God. Yes, we have some crazy siblings in the family, but we are still one family under the name of Christ. When we see a fellow brother or sister going down a path contrary to God’s Word, we need to love them enough to go after them.

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

James 5:19–20 CSB

May we be that church!

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Walk By the Spirit

As we continue our study through the New Testament letter of Galatians, we come to the last half of chapter 5. Paul has been writing to these Christians in the area of Galatia (modern-day Turkey) to confront some false teachings that had crept into their churches. People were coming from Jerusalem saying that along with trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a person had to observe the Law of Moses if that person wanted to be right with the Lord. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that there is nothing that we can do in our own strength to make us right before the Lord. We are fully dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that work is sufficient for all of our needs.

In chapter 5 of this letter, Paul began emphasizing the freedom that a person has in Christ. This freedom is freedom from our trying to work ourselves into a right relationship with God — which cannot be accomplished.

In the passage that we will look at today, Paul encourages Christians to “walk by the Spirit.” This point is a very important truth that Christians must pay attention to. We must recognize that Paul’s words to the Galatians are not merely his thoughts or opinions. These words come from the heart of God by way of the Holy Spirit putting them into Paul’s mind. This is not so much Paul speaking to these people as it is God.

The Need to Walk by the Spirit

In verses 16-18, Paul shows the need that every Christian has to walk by the Spirit.

¹⁶ I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16–18 (CSB)

The word “walk” in verse 16 isn’t just about how you put one foot in front of the other to move about. It is a phrase that points to how a person lives. It is a continual action that lays out a person’s direction in this life.

Whether you realize it or not, something is leading the direction of your life. What directs your life is what determines the destination of your life.

Paul encourages the Galatian Christians (and us today) to walk by the Spirit that lives inside us. The Holy Spirit is not some mystical force that dwells among us. He is the third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit lives within everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. ¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

John 14:16–17 (CSB)

The guidance of the Holy Spirit is not just for those that some see as “super-Christians.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just live within missionaries, preachers, and the saints of old. The Holy Spirit lives within each person who trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

One of the reasons the Holy Spirit lives within Christians is to give them new desires so they do not have to submit to the sinful desires of their broken hearts. The Holy Spirit gives the Christian new desires — God’s desires — but He doesn’t force them upon the Christian. This is why Paul tells the Galatians to walk by the Spirit, so they do not carry out the desires of their sinful flesh (v 16).

In verse 17, we get a picture of the battle that takes place within every Christian. It is a battle for the heart. Walking by the Spirit cannot coexist with walking in the flesh. Verse 17 points out that these two things have completely different desires. They are going in opposite directions. Because of that, you cannot walk according to the Spirit and the flesh at the same time.

‌Evidence of Walking by the Spirit

In verses 19-23, Paul contrasts the fruit that comes from our sinful flesh with the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21 CSB

The Fruit of the Flesh

Paul lays out a list of fruit that comes from the desires of our sinful flesh. When you look at these things Paul listed, you realize nothing good can come from walking according to our sinful flesh.

Jesus shares in Mark 7 where all of these things come from.

²⁰ And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, ²² adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

Our hearts, by nature, are drawn toward sin. This is why we cannot just “trust your gut” or “follow your heart.” If there has not been a spiritual heart transplant that has taken place by us putting our faith in Jesus, then our hearts will lead us down a path where nothing good can come from it.

‌The Fruit of the Spirit​

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

In verses 22-23, Paul shows the stark contrast between the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives. These nine things that Paul lists can only be produced in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to note that Paul mentions this fruit in a singular manner. Each description Paul lists makes up a single fruit the Holy Spirit works in a person’s life. One commentator noted that Paul uses the singular form of fruit to show that they collectively make up what we know as Christlikeness. The new desire that the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives is to reflect Jesus more and more each day. This act will not happen by “trying harder.” It is a work the Holy Spirit does in our lives as we intentionally say no to our flesh and allow Jesus to lead our lives.

‌Three Important Reminders

In verses 24-26, Paul shares with us three important reminders.

‌Our Position

²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:24 CSB

When a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they are transferred from a kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light.

¹³ He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13–14 CSB

Our position is no longer one of condemnation. We are placed in a position of victory — Jesus’ victory.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:6 CSB

Though we may still feel the struggle with wanting to sin in our lives, we do not have to give into it any longer. We are positioned with Christ in order to share in His victory over sin.

‌Our Power​

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 CSB

We can walk or live each day with access to a power greater than anything we can muster on our own. We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit to live in victory over sin in our lives. Just because we have access doesn’t mean that we don’t have to do anything. We have to rely on His power fully and, as Paul said, “keep in step with the Spirit.” This means we are prayerfully living each day, leaning on His understanding and leading rather than our own. It means we spend time in the Holy Spirit-inspired Word to learn what direction to go.

‌Our Purpose

²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:26 CSB

We are not given a new position in Christ and His power to overcome sin in our lives to become conceited. Being conceited or arrogant only leads to us taking our eyes off Jesus and putting them on others. We begin to compare ourselves with others to gain validation. That is not our purpose.

Our purpose is to exalt Jesus above everything else and help others come closer to Him.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6–7 CSB

‌Conclusion‌

It is true that in this life, we face a battle. On one side, we have our flesh seeking to please itself. Doing so causes us to run away from God’s good and perfect plan for our lives. For the Christian, there is another side where the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us into God’s good and perfect plan. Which side will see more growth in our lives? The answer to that question is found in the path we are walking.

Are we living each day intentionally under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we taking time to pray and study His Word so that we hear His direction? Or are we just living each day under the guidance of the current of something else — just drifting along, taking whatever comes our way?

Paul shows us in this passage that we will never get where we need to be by just simply drifting along in life. Let us wake up to the reality that we have been given a new position in Christ, the same power that brought Jesus back from the grave, and a purpose to lift Jesus high and see others come to know Him.

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Stand Firm

We are back in our series through the New Testament letter of Galatians. This is a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to a group of churches in an area known as Galatia, which is in modern-day Turkey. These were churches that were started during Paul’s first missionary journey.

These churches had started off well until a group of false teachers came through teaching that the Galatians needed something more than just trusting in Jesus Christ to be right with God.

Today, I want to look at a passage of Scripture that is found in Galatians 5:1-15.

‌Diversity

‌Diversity seems to be a hot topic in our culture today. People like to talk about diversity in a number of situations where it is good. One of the most popular areas where diversity is talked about today pertains to the issue of race. It doesn’t take long to see that the human race carries a great deal of diversity. This is part of God’s plan. God displays His artistic ability through the diversity of ethnicities in our world. No one is greater than any other. We can even see that God welcomes the diversity of ethnicities into His presence in Revelation 7:9-10

⁹ After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!

Revelation 7:9–10 (CSB)

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Another area of our lives where diversity is celebrated concerns investments. People are told that the best plan of action with investments is to have a diverse portfolio. This means that you spread out your investments across different areas to reduce risk and bring about a higher return.

Sadly, one area in which too many try to practice diversity is the area of faith. We are told that we should use the same practices with our faith that we do with our finances, and we should spread it out among different things to help ensure we don’t miss out. While that may work well for finances, it does not work well for our faith. In fact, Jesus told us this is an impossible task.

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

‌​Matthew 6:24 (CSB)

The false teachers that had come into Galatia had tried to get the Galatians to diversify their faith portfolio. Paul writes to show them this action will only lead to failure and spiritual bankruptcy.

¹ For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. ² Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. ³ Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. ⁵ For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love. ⁷ You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? ⁸ This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰ I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. ¹¹ Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated! ¹³ For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

Galatians 5:1–15 (CSB)

‌Christ has set us free‌

At the beginning of verse 1 here, Paul shows that Jesus Christ has come to set us free. His finished work upon the cross has released any person who puts their faith in Him from sin’s grip and the destruction it brings.

Paul states that Jesus has set us free to experience the freedom God intended when He first created us. God doesn’t want us to live in the bonds of slavery to our sin. He wants us to be free to live for His glory and enjoy Him forever.

Stand firm and don’t go back

‌In the second part of verse 1, Paul issues a command to his readers:

¹ For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1 (CSB)

The phrase “stand firm” carries the meaning of standing one’s ground continuously. It isn’t just for a moment or when certain people are watching. It talks about a new way of life.

When Paul says “don’t submit,” he uses this term which means “to be under the control of something else.” Submission is seen as a weak or evil thing in our world today. What determines whether or not the submission is wrong is what we are submitting to.

Sadly, there are many who have tasted the freedom that only Jesus can bring to their lives and chose to return to a life of bondage to the very sin Jesus delivered them from. This is why Paul commands the Galatians not to return to the old ways that did nothing for them, but instead, live in the freedom that only Jesus brought to them.

In verses 2-3, Paul writes about circumcision. This was the main sign of the old covenant found in the Old Testament. It started with Abraham and carried through for generations. This was a sign that one was going to follow the laws of God given through Moses. For a person to be circumcised stated that they were seeking justification with God by another means than through the finished work of Jesus. This is why Paul states in verse 2 that if a person was circumcised (trying to keep the commands to earn God’s favor), then Jesus Christ is of no benefit whatsoever to them.

‌Fallen from grace

‌In verse 4, Paul uses a phrase that has caused some confusion through the ages. He states that if a person chooses to try and earn God’s favor by what they can do, then they have fallen from grace.

Some have wrongly taken this to mean that a person can lose their salvation. Paul is not saying that. In many other places like John 10:28-29, Ephesians 1:13-14, and Hebrews 6:13-20 to name a few the Bible states that a person who is truly saved can never lose their salvation.

What is Paul talking about in verse 4 then? He is stating that a person who chooses to live according to a doctrine that they have to do enough to earn God’s favor is not living by the doctrine of faith which the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that a Christian is one who sees their inability to pay for their sins and trusts in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for their salvation.

⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB)

‌Distractions along the way

‌In verses 7-9, Paul warns about a reality that each of us faces in different ways at different times. Paul warns about distractions that come along and tries to get us off-track.

The distraction for the first-century Galatians was mainly these false teachers and what they were selling. While what they said seemed to be a help to them, it was truly a distraction to move them away from the truth of the gospel.

We must be alert to the distractions that seek to get us off-track in our walk with Jesus.

¹ Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

​Hebrews 12:1–2 (CSB)

It doesn’t take much to get us distracted. Too often, many of us are like the dog in the Disney movie, “Up!” We go along seeming to be fine, and all of a sudden… “Squirrel!” Before we know it, we are chasing something that we have no business chasing.

⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough.

Galatians 5:9 (CSB)

Paul shares that it doesn’t take much to get us off-track of where we should be. If you have done any cooking with leaven, you know that it doesn’t take much to affect the whole batch.

There are times when we may be tempted to think, “I’ve got this… this is no big deal…” When, in fact, the distractions or sin that so easily ensnares us is a big deal. One of Satan’s greatest weapons against Christians today is the idea that our “distractions” are not a big deal.

Our liberty is not a license

‌One final word that Paul points out in this passage is for believers not to use the freedom they have in Jesus Christ as a license to sin.

We love liberty. Our country just celebrated the liberties that we enjoy so much this past week. Liberty is a beautiful thing as long as it is kept in its proper place.

In verses 13-15, Paul warns the Galatians (and us) not to abuse the liberty we have in Jesus, but to fully understand it.

While we do not have to earn a right standing before God on our own, we are not free to live as we please.

¹ What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? ² Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Romans 6:1–2 (CSB)

¹⁵ What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, ¹⁸ and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

​Romans 6:15–18 (CSB)

As much as we love freedom and independence, the truth is that we are dependent creatures. God created us to be dependent upon Him. There is a part of us that seeks a master to guide us. There is only One who is worthy of fulfilling that role, and His name is Jesus Christ. He alone has our best interest at heart. He alone knows what we need and can provide it for us.

When we choose to submit and follow anything other than Jesus in any area of our lives, it will always lead to destruction. Paul warned the Galatians in verse 15 that the biting and devouring of one another would lead to their being consumed by their sin.

When we allow anything other than Jesus to lead our lives, it leads us to trust in ourselves which leads to us seeing everyone and everything as an enemy. The church of Jesus Christ cannot afford to see one another as the enemy. We have one enemy — Satan. The people that we come in contact with are not our enemies. Where in-fighting is present, you can be sure that defeat is not far behind. Paul warns the church about this truth.

Conclusion

‌In our day when diversity is sought by so many, we should understand where it is really needed. In our financial investments? Sure. In our neighborhoods and communities? Yes. In the church? Of course — we see it around God’s throne, why shouldn’t we see it in our churches?

But when it comes to the place of faith, there is no room for diversity. There is only room for one on the throne of our hearts. Who we allow to take that place will determine the entire direction of our lives — both here and for eternity.

Jesus Christ has come to give us freedom. No one else can do that. Will you allow Him to have the sole place of our faith, or will you try to diversify it and miss out on everything?

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Living With Passion

Paul wrote Galatians to a group of churches in the area of Galatia to help them understand the freedom they have in Christ. There were false teachers who were coming into these churches telling them they needed something more than Jesus to be right with God. Paul shows clearly through this letter that all we need has been provided to us by the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

As you are finding Galatians 4, I want to talk a little about passion.

‌What is passion?

‌Passion is one of those words that we know when we see it, but it may be a little harder to give a clear definition for it. Back in the old days, when you wanted to know what a word meant, you would go to the dictionary. When you look to the dictionary to find the clear meaning of passion, you find they have a hard time summing it up as well. One of the best definitions that I came across was “an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction.”

Passion is the word that has often been used to define the sufferings that Jesus went through from the Last Supper with His disciples to His death on the cross. I can’t think of a better word to describe those events. It was Jesus’ passion for God’s plan of salvation that carried Him through everything He endured. He knew that as difficult as it was, the end result (the only path back to God) was completely worth it.

Passion is not a bad thing necessarily. Passion is a drive the Lord has placed within each human being which draws them to something.

In our world, we see people all around us living out of a passion for something or someone. It doesn’t take long to find out what a person is passionate about. It will come up in almost every conversation you have with them. If you were to see a copy of their bank statements, you would be able to see what they are passionate about. If you were to examine a person’s free time, you would quickly find out what they are passionate about.

Jesus said in the middle of His famous Sermon on the Mount:​ “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 CSB).

What are you passionate about?

‌If someone were writing your biography, what would they write about is your passion in life? It could be a number of things:

• ‌Your family
• A hobby
• Your job
• Your reputation

As I ask that question, you may be thinking, “I really am not sure as to what I am passionate about.” You may enjoy a lot of things, but you have trouble nailing down one particular thing that you would say you are passionate about.

I would share with you something that I’ve learned over my short years: If you don’t choose a passion for yourself, someone will choose one for you.

The culture that we live in today is filled with people and things that want to grab your passion. Billions of dollars are spent every year trying to grab someone’s devotion to them or their products. We are the ones who ultimately determine what our passions will be. We will either actively choose something to be passionate about, or we will hand that power to someone else.

In Galatians 4, Paul writes to the churches in Galatia about this very thing. He writes about how these false teachers were coming in and trying to move the churches’ passion away from where it should be.

¹⁷ They court you eagerly, but not for good. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them. ¹⁸ But it is always good to be pursued in a good manner—and not just when I am with you. ¹⁹ My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. ²⁰ I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.

Galatians 4:17–20 (CSB)

As Paul writes these words, he speaks about passion. In verses 17-18, he uses the word “pursue.” This word carries the same meaning as passion. In the first century, this word meant “to have a deep concern for or devotion to someone or something.” Do you see how it is tied to the idea of passion?

Paul writes about these false teachers who were coming into their churches and trying to move the people’s passion away from Jesus to other things. These false teachers would not leave Jesus out. They just wanted the people to put other things on the same level as Jesus — primarily the Law of Moses. That doesn’t go over well. Jesus is called the Holy One because there is no one or nothing like Him. He stands apart and above all other things.

As Paul writes to these Galatian churches that he cares about so much, I see two clear things that Paul points out for these Christians (and us, too) to be passionate about.

‌Be passionate about conforming to the image of Christ

‌In verse 19, Paul writes about suffering labor pains for them until Christ is formed in them. Paul is talking about a process that is called sanctification. A person experiences three stages in salvation.

• ‌Justification = When a person trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord, they are made fully right with God. Their sins are forgiven, and they are brought into the family of God.

• Sanctification = The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life to conform them to the image of Christ. This process is the changing of desires to align with what God wants and not our sinful flesh. This process takes the rest of our time here on earth.

• Glorification = When Christians take their last breath, they are ushered into the presence of Jesus in heaven. At that point, there is no more struggle with sin, sickness, or anything else that was an effect of the Fall in the Garden of Eden.

When Paul talks about being conformed to the image of Christ, he speaks about the process the Holy Spirit is working in the life of every Christian to make them more like Jesus. Paul writes about this topic on many occasions.

²⁸ We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 8:28–30 (CSB)

² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 (CSB)

What is the message that God is trying to get to us through His word? Here’s one key point about the Bible: if something is repeated, you should pay special attention to it.

What Paul is saying to the Galatian Christians (and us) is we need to be passionate about seeing more of Christ in us than ourselves.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

With each passing day, we should look less and less like we used to before we trusted Christ and more like Jesus. A Christian is a disciple of Jesus. A disciple’s primary passion should be to look as much like their master as possible.

⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Luke 6:40 (CSB)

How to be passionate about conforming to the image of Christ

While it would be awesome to have a little checklist that we could mark off and be assured that we would be conformed to the image of Christ, the only checklist that we have been given is not so easy nor does it look exactly the same for all people.

²³ Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (CSB)

Being conformed to the image of Christ is about denying what our sinful selves want to do and doing what the Lord wants us to do. Any person who is doing this will tell you that it is not easy work. It takes complete dependence on the Holy Spirit who lives within us now for this to happen.

We learn what the Lord wants us to do by studying His Word, through prayer, and through obeying what He says.

Through the study of the Bible (both privately in devotions and together in the gathering with others), the Lord reveals His heart and plans to us. Nothing the Lord wants to do will ever contradict His Word.

Through the communication of prayer, we speak to God and hear from Him. Prayer is not a time for us to bring our wishlist to God and dump it on Him. It is the sweet time of fellowship where we get to spend time with the living God of the universe.

Through obedience, the Lord teaches and molds us into the image of Christ. There will be times when the full answer of what God wants to do in and through your life will come on the other side of obedience — just ask Abraham.

Paul desired for the Galatian Christians to be passionate about conforming to the image of Christ. I would ask this question of you and myself: is conforming to the image of Christ a passion in our lives, or is it just a side project? Can it be said of us that we long above all other things to be more like Christ, or do others see it as nothing more than a hobby in our lives that has no real impact?

If we do have a passion to be more Christlike, it will awaken within us another passion as well, and Paul shares this also in verse 19.

‌Be passionate about others knowing Christ

In verse 19, Paul talks about suffering for the Galatians to know Christ. He used the imagery of a woman going through labor pains. I’ve been told that may be the greatest pain a person can go through in this life. While I’ve never done it, I have seen it firsthand, and I don’t desire to experience that.

If we are becoming more like Christ, we will see a growing passion arise in our lives for others to come to know Him as well. Many people have used the saying before, “Evangelism is one beggar showing another beggar where the bread is.” This is true. The more our passion grows to be like our Savior, the more a passion for others to experience Him grows in our hearts.

One way that you can know that you are conforming to the image of Christ is by the passion you have to see others come to know Jesus. Does people’s state before a holy God bother you? You may feel bad or troubled by it, but that is not passion.

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

Charles Spurgeon

Can that be said of us? Is there a burning passion within our hearts to see others come to know Jesus as He truly is? When was the last time that you prayed for someone to come to faith in Christ? When was the last time you took the time to share with someone the good news of Jesus? We may be tempted to offer excuses such as “I didn’t have time…” or “I didn’t want to come across as pushy.” What our silence communicates oftentimes is that we do not think it is that important.

‌Conclusion

Human beings are God’s greatest creations. There is no other creation that God has loved so much. It was for us that He gave His one and only Son as the atoning sacrifice so that we could be brought back to Him. Within each of us, God has placed a passion. We get to choose what that passion will be directed to. As I said before, if we do not do it, someone else will do it for us.

Today, my prayer is that each one of us would crave a passion to be more like Jesus. That starts by placing our faith and trust in Him. If you haven’t done that, I would encourage you to do that today. There is no other way for your sins to be forgiven and receive the abundant life He has for you. After that is done, we spend time with Him through Bible study, prayer, and obeying what He tells us to do. As we do that, we will begin to see a passion for His will in our lives above all else. Part of God’s will for every Christian is to share with others how they can experience this wonderful gift that you have.

May God give us one pure and holy passion for Him.

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Trusting in God's Word

I invite you to find Galatians 4 in your Bibles this morning as we continue looking at this letter Paul wrote to a group of churches in the first century. As you are finding your place in God’s word today, I want to talk about simplicity a little bit.

We like for things to be simple in our lives. The least amount of steps that something requires, the more we seem to like it. While we like things to be simple, we often do not trust when things are simple.

I think about the movie, Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington. He plays the character of Herman Boone, a coach who comes into a new high school as the new head football coach. As they are leaving for camp with the team, he shares the offensive playbook with the other coaches. Coach Boone says about his offensive playbook, “I run six plays… split-veer. It’s like novocaine. Give it time… it always works.”

While we like simplicity, we are often critical of simplicity because far too many things in life are not as simple as we’d like.

In Matthew 22, we are told about an expert in Jewish law who wanted some simplicity. He asked a question of Jesus about the law of God. We know this question was meant to trap Jesus, but Jesus still gave an answer to it.

³⁶ “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22:36–40 (CSB)

The Old Testament law had 613 commands in it. This guy wanted some simplicity. Jesus showed how to fulfill the entire law of God with two statements: love God with everything you are and love your neighbor as yourself.

Could it really be that simple? Simple – yes; Easy – no. While this person was trying to trap Jesus in what he thought was an impossible situation, Jesus used to teach an important lesson. Jesus shows with His statement that these two commands are the heart of the entire Law. You cannot have one without the other. A person cannot love God with all they are and not care for those around them. In the same way, a person cannot fully love their neighbor as themselves without loving God above all things and being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

‌Could this simplicity really work?

‌Paul shows in Galatians 4 that yes, this simple answer Jesus gave can and does work in life.

¹² I beg you, brothers and sisters: Become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have not wronged me; ¹³ you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh. ¹⁴ You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. ¹⁵ Where, then, is your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ So then, have I become your enemy because I told you the truth?

Galatians 4:12–16 (CSB)

‌Trusting in God’s Word

‌In these verses, Paul shows that Jesus’ simple answer does work by trusting in God’s Word. Trusting someone’s word is not always easy. There are so many times in our lives when people’s word doesn’t mean much. We experience people lying to us or going back on their word. The difference between God’s Word and some person’s word is that God does not have the ability to lie. While that should comfort us, it is still hard at times to trust God’s Word.

In these verses that we are looking at today, Paul shares two important points about trusting God’s word.

Trusting God’s Word is Work

Because we are surrounded by so many people who do not keep their word, trusting God and His Word can be a work in our lives.

In verse 12, Paul says that he became like the Galatians. The people in the churches of Galatia were primarily Gentile (non-Jewish) people. When Paul talks about becoming like them, he is talking about putting aside the ways in which he was raised — as a Jewish man — in order to reach the people of Galatia with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Racism is an ugly sin in our world today, but it is not a new sin. It has been around in many forms for a long time. Even in the first century, Jewish people were taught not to associate with Gentiles outside of a business mindset. You were not to eat with them, go to their houses, or have them in your house.

When Paul experienced life change through a relationship with Jesus, he laid aside the ways he was raised that didn’t line up with what God’s Word taught. He began to understand that he was to love his neighbor as himself — even if that neighbor wasn’t Jewish.

As we walk with the Lord, we begin to realize that the work that He is doing within us will call for us to work it out in our daily lives. It will not just happen for us all of the time. There will be times when we have to make adjustments in order to be obedient to what God’s Word tells us.

Like Paul, we do this by keeping before us that the message is more important than our comfort. Because Paul did that, he was given the opportunity to bring the gospel to a people that would not hear it. Paul was able to share the gospel and welcome these people into the family of God.

‌Trusting God’s Word isn’t always easy

If you have not experienced this yet, you will. There will be times when you come across something in God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will spur you towards obedience in it, and it will be difficult. It will call for you to draw some lines in the sand that are not popular. It may cost you some relationships, popularity, or even opportunities.

I don’t know where this false gospel that is going around started, but it says that if you will come to faith in Jesus then everything will be perfect in your life — no sickness, no hardships, no worries.

³¹ Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? ³² Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. ³³ I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

John 16:31–33 (CSB)

Trusting God and His Word is not always easy. Paul experienced this on two levels.

‌Paul faced persecution

‌When Paul became a Christian, the Jewish people turned on him. They treated him like a traitor. They saw him as one who left his heritage to follow some crazy guy who claimed to be the Son of God.

Paul was in line for big things in Jewish life. Some believe that he could have been one of the great Jewish leaders — even high priest at some point.

But the persecution Paul faced wasn’t just from outside the church. Sadly, persecution even came from within the church. Many Jewish Christians did not like the fact that Paul was focusing on sharing with so many Gentiles, but that is what God had called him to do.

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.

Acts 9:15 (CSB)

It may be hard to believe, but sometimes the most pushback you will receive in following God’s Word will come from those who seem religious. Those who claim to be following God sometimes do not want to listen to what He says.

Paul faced persecution from many angles in the religious community because what God was calling him to do went against what they thought should happen. As Christians, we are to follow the Lord’s clear leading that He gives to us through His Word.

‌Paul faced personal hardships

‌In verse 14, Paul talks about his “physical condition” and how the Galatian Christians did not reject him because of it. We are not told specifically what this physical condition was. Some have said Paul may have had malaria. Others believe it was something that affected his eyesight because he talks about them being willing to give them their eyes in verse 15. Whatever the condition was, it was a struggle for Paul and others.

This points to the fact the Lord may not remove some of the issues that we deal with in our bodies. Just because we may have a medical condition that some see as a hindrance, God may want to display His glory through it.

This is one of the reasons I do not give any weight to what is known today as the “prosperity gospel.” This false teaching will tell you that if you have enough faith, you will not have any issues in this life. We have already seen how Jesus spoke against this.

Trusting in God’s Word shows that though there may be physical, emotional, or other issues present in our lives, He is greater and can still use us in great ways.

‌How do we trust in God’s Word?

‌Paul shows that the simple answer Jesus gave in Matthew 22 does in fact work. It is about trusting God and His Word. How do we do that?

‌Experience God’s Word

A person cannot trust in something they have never experienced. I use the term “experienced” specifically because it is so much more than a simple read of words on a page. In order to experience God’s Word, one must read and study it. They have to wrestle with what it says at times.

I cannot count the times I’ve had people say to me, “Doesn’t the Bible that …?” I like to reply by saying, “Show me where.” Too many times, we depend on someone else’s interpretation of the Bible to stand as complete in our lives. Just because someone stands on a stage, has a microphone, or a podcast does not mean that you should take what they say as gospel. Be like the Christians in Berea (Acts 17:11). They took what was taught by anyone and studied the Scriptures for themselves to see if it lined up or not.

‌Understand the Source

We come to learn that we can trust God’s word because it didn’t come from any human mind. The words of the Bible came from the heart of the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, ²¹ because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20–21 (CSB)

When you begin to understand the source of the Scriptures, it is easier to trust it. God is perfect and so is His Word. His Word is His instruction to guide us in a life pleasing to Him.

‌Submit to God’s Word

While we can acknowledge that the Bible is God’s Word and experience it for ourselves, there is another important step if we are going to fully trust it. In fact, no one can honestly say they trust God’s Word without this step. We must submit to it.

We may not necessarily like what God’s Word says on a particular subject, but we don’t get to change the fact it is perfect and right. Our responsibility is, as we encounter God’s Word, we are to come under its authority. We do this knowing that it is right.

This is the most difficult aspect of trusting God’s Word. In fact, we cannot do it without the Holy Spirit’s help. That is one of the reasons the Holy Spirit lives within each Christian: to open their eyes to the truth of God’s Word and enable them to submit to it. It is in this submission that one finds true freedom.

‌Conclusion

‌Paul found His purpose and strength by trusting in God’s Word. We can find our purpose by doing the same thing. Is it easy? Not always. Is it popular? Not in the world we are living in. Is this what God wants in our lives? Absolutely!

⁶ “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, ⁸ because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

John 17:6–8 (CSB)

This is what Jesus prayed for His disciples. He is the living Word who calls us to trust in His Word. It is as faithful as the One whose heart it comes from. Will you trust His Word today?

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Free As the Children of God

I invite you to join me in the New Testament letter of Galatians as we continue our study through this letter. We will look at the last couple of verses in chapter 3 and go a little into chapter 4 today. 

As you find Galatians 3 in your copy of God’s word, I want to talk for a moment about a topic that is near and dear to some of your hearts: adoption. 

Adoption

Adoption is one of the most beautiful and challenging things a family can do on this earth. Some of you here today have walked the road of adoption before. You may have been adopted yourself, or your family may have adopted a child. I want to start by saying, “Thank you!” Thank you for opening your heart and homes to children in need. 

If you’ve walked the road of adoption, you know it is not an easy road. It costs a great deal in time, money, and tears (both good and bad). I have enjoyed hearing some of the stories of people who have walked through adoption, and while each story is unique, there has always been a common theme: it was worth it!

Adoption is a topic that is on the minds of many people today. I know that it comes across the conversations in our home every so often. It is something we have prayed about and are very open to. We are just waiting for the green light from the Lord on it. Some of you may even be praying about it yourselves. I would encourage you to do just that: pray and open your heart to the possibility of adoption. 

Why is adoption a topic that seems to be on so many hearts? 

Some may say that there is just no reason that a child should grow up without a loving family environment. I agree with that statement, but I think something even deeper is at play. Adoption has its roots in the heart of God. This is something that the apostle Paul addresses in the text we are looking at today.

²⁴ The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. ²⁵ But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. ²⁸ There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise. ¹ Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. ² Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. ⁴ When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.

Galatians 3:24 – 4:7

In the first three chapters of Galatians, Paul talks a great deal about justification. Justification is a legal term that means, in the context of Galatians, a gracious act of God by which He declares a sinner righteous solely through faith in Jesus Christ. Martin Luther stated that the doctrine of justification by faith was the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls. John Calvin said, “It is the hinge around which everything turns.” 

Justification by faith is definitely an important doctrine of the Christian faith. This is one reason why Paul has highlighted this doctrine up to this point. At the end of chapter 3, Paul shifts the focus to a doctrine that might be even sweeter than justification.

The Doctrine of Adoption

I do not want to downplay the importance of justification by faith because it is the only means that we can stand before a holy God. The justification one experiences when one trusts in Jesus’ finished work on the cross is the fundamental and primary blessing of the gospel because it meets our greatest need. 

J.I. Packer, in his book Knowing God, shares that the doctrine of justification makes us right before God the judge, but in the doctrine of adoption, we are loved by God the Father. Justification is a legal term that means “not guilty.” As Packer illustrates in Knowing God, we stand before a judge who makes a pronouncement. But in adoption, the judge not only declares you “not guilty,” but He also gets up off the bench, comes down to where you are, takes your chains off of you, and says, “Come home with Me as My son.” 

Packer answers, “What is a Christian?” by saying, “The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father.” This is something that Paul wanted to remind the Galatians about. When they trusted in Jesus, not only were their sins forgiven, but they were adopted into the family of God. 

Do we realize that the gracious gift God extends to us through the cross and empty tomb is not just the forgiveness of sins but a complete change of who we are?

‌Why sons?

In verse 26, Paul says that we all become sons of God. He was not only talking to the males in the Galatian churches; He was also talking to the females. This is not a chauvinistic statement. Instead, it points to specific customs present in the first century.

Most of the known cultures of that day believed that sons were the heirs in the family. Daughters were not typically recognized as those who inherited anything from the family. Paul says that whether male or female, you become an heir to the whole inheritance as a child of God.

Paul’s insertion of this crucial doctrine of the Christian faith is a key point he makes to the Galatians. They were tempted to add things to the gospel. They were told you had to work to become part of the family. That doesn’t happen. A child does no work to become part of the family. The work is done by a parent or guardian to bring the child into the family.

I’m afraid many of us are also tempted to earn and keep our spot in the family. We are told by different sources that you have to do this or that, or you can’t do this or that and be part of the family.

God sent His one and only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins and bring those who trust Him into His family as adopted children. Because of that fact, God is the one who determines whether a person is a child or not. It’s not determined by a list of do’s and don’ts.

What should be our response?

‌David Platt shares this truth about the adoption of two of his children. He says, “Their status is based on what a judge in their country declared years ago, but their life is based on our relationship every day as we play cars and read books and run around the yard and go to Moe’s for dinner and sing songs on the way home.”

If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then know that you were declared righteous through faith in Christ at that moment. But know this just as much you were given a new life in Him — a living relationship with the God you were separated from. You can talk with Him and hang out with Him at any moment. He is constantly pouring His love, affection, and strength upon you as a loving parent does for their child.

‌Baptism

Baptism has been an important part of the Christian life since the beginning of the church. While the waters of baptism do not wash away the sin of our lives — Jesus’ blood does that — it has been the sign of identification that you belong to God for the world to see. Paul talks about this in Galatians 3:27.

²⁷ For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.

Galatians 3:27 (CSB)

This is the picture of identifying that you are no longer the person you used to be. You have been made a new creation in Jesus. From the beginning of the church in the first century, baptism has been the public profession of a person’s faith in Christ.

Have you made that profession of faith? Have you let the world know that you have placed your faith in Jesus and are no longer your own but are now following Him as your Lord? If not, we would love to talk with you about doing that. It should be the first act of obedience to the One who saved you and brought you into His family.‌

A Life of Worship

In Galatians 4:6-7, Paul says…

⁶ And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.

​Galatians 4:6–7(CSB)

God places His Holy Spirit within the heart of every person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives within us to guide and convict us of sin, but as Paul shares here — to enable us to call out to God as “Abba.”

If you didn’t know, “Abba” is the Aramaic form of “Daddy.” We don’t come before God as “the big guy upstairs” or some distant cosmic being. We come to Him as our heavenly Daddy, and we are His child.

When you are pushed into thinking that you have to earn your way into God’s good graces, you lose sight of the reality that because you trusted in Him, you already are there. You get to call out to Him as “Daddy.”

When was the last time you recognized God as “Daddy”? When we realize we have this new relationship with God, we can begin to live our lives not as a means to earn a position but as a thanksgiving offering to God for what He has given us.

‌Conclusion

‌Paul was greatly concerned that the Galatian believers were being led astray from the truth of the gospel. They were forgetting who they were in Christ and the wonderful gifts that God had granted to them. They did not need to try to earn God’s favor; they already had it!

I wonder how many of us today fall into that same trap. We are told that we are not what we should be. While it is true that each of us is a work in progress, we are not outsiders trying to work our way in.

Jesus has brought each person who has placed their faith in Him into the family of God. We are heirs of the promise, and nothing can ever take that away. Because of that great promise, let us live each day not to earn God’s favor but to realize it already rests on those who are His!

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Ever Been Stuck?

We are going through a series that takes us through the New Testament letter of Galatians. Paul wrote this letter to a group of churches he helped start to help them with some struggles they were going through. There had been false teachers creeping into their churches teaching that these people needed something more than Jesus to be right with God.

I invite you to join me in Galatians 3, where we will look at the next part of what Paul shared with these churches and what God has for us today.

While you’re finding Galatians 3, I wonder if you have ever been stuck. Has there been a time when you found yourself in a situation where no matter what you did, you were stuck?

When I was in college, I was returning back to school from a visit home. It was raining pretty good, and my little Mustang was doing its best to stay on the road. I remember hitting some water on the road and going into a spin. I ended up stuck in the mud of the ditch. It didn’t matter how much gas I gave it, the tires just spun. Thankfully, I was able to contact a towing service owned by someone I knew to come to bail me out.

Being stuck is never fun. No matter how hard you try to move forward, there are times when the wheels of your life are just spinning in the mud. It’s frustrating to be stuck.

As Paul writes to the Galatians, he takes a moment to break from the hardcore teaching and move more to a personal address of the people. He realized that it was much more than just an information download. He wanted to make sure they understood what he was sharing with them.

In a sermon shared in Detroit, MI, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared what he thought was the part of the problems in the world. He said,

“The trouble isn’t so much that we don’t know enough, but it’s as if we aren’t good enough. The trouble isn’t so much that our scientific genius lags behind, but our moral genius lags behind… My friends, all I’m trying to say is that if we are to go forward today, we’ve got to go back and rediscover some mighty precious values we’ve left behind. That’s the only way that we would be able to make our world a better world and to make of this world what God wants it to be and the real purpose and meaning of it.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sometimes, in order to go forward, we first have to go back and rediscover what we may have missed or forgotten from the past. Are we in a stuck position because of something that we left behind or forgotten about?

This is what Paul talks about in the first half of Galatians 3. There were those in the churches of Galatia that were either going in a wrong direction with their faith, or they were stuck at a crossroads and didn’t know which way to go.

Going backward seems counterproductive to many people. It seems like going backward is losing. How in the world could going backward help us go forward to where we need to be?

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Walt Disney

Many today consider Walt Disney a huge success. Did you know that before he made it big, Disney had a mental breakdown? Did you know that before he made it big, Disney had to file for bankruptcy? Did you know that his ideas were rejected more than 300 times before Mickey Mouse became a success?

Sometimes, going backward is the path that leads us forward. Is it embarrassing? Yes. But going backward also helps a person to see forward better. Sometimes it gives us the ability to see the road ahead clearer.

Paul understood this to be true, and he begins in Galatians 3 by taking his audience back to some important truths.

¹ You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?  ² I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?  ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?  ⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing?  ⁵ So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard— ⁶ just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?

Galatians 3:1–6 (CSB)

Paul begins chapter 3 with a series of questions for his readers to answer.

‌How is a person saved?

In verse 2, Paul asks if a person receives the Holy Spirit by the works of the Law or by faith in the gospel. Paul takes the Galatians back to the beginning of their faith journey. He asks them how were they saved: by works or by faith. Of course, the answer is by faith in the message of the gospel. There are no works that we can do to earn salvation.‌

⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB)

How do we continue in our relationship with Jesus?

In verse 3, Paul asks about how a person continues their relationship with Jesus: by faith in God or by our works.

⁶ So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, ⁷ being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:6–7  (CSB)

Did God give His Spirit and miracles because of our works or faith?

In verses 5-6, Paul asks if the work God did in the people’s lives was because they earned it with good behavior or because they trusted in God’s promise as Abraham did in the Old Testament.

Paul realizes that many of the Galatians were in a stuck position and having trouble going forward correctly. He takes them back to the elementary teachings of the faith. From verses 6-18, he goes back to Abraham to show these people (and us) how we can move forward appropriately.

These three questions that Paul asks are intended to show the readers that our relationship with God is by faith and not dependent upon what we do. Should there be a change in our words and actions? Yes, but that comes as a result of the new person that Jesus creates us to be when we place our faith in Him. We don’t get saved because we are good enough. We don’t continue to be saved because we do good things. God doesn’t do mighty works in our midst because we’ve done enough good things ourselves for Him to show up. These things all come about through our faith in Him and His work.

The false teachers that were coming in and causing problems claimed that people had to follow the Law to be right with God. They would have called themselves “children of Abraham” or “children of the Promise” much like the Jews that Jesus spoke to in John 8.

Paul shares in verses 7-9 that those who live by faith are the true descendants of Abraham and experience the blessing he did – a genuine relationship with God. It’s not about what our family tree is or our achievements. Our relationship with God is determined by where we place our faith and trust.

Starting in verse 10, Paul combats what the false teachers were saying about following the Law by showing that the Law only revealed the curse.

¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.

Galatians 3:10 (CSB)

James would say it later in the New Testament this way:

¹⁰ For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

James 2:10 (CSB)

The Law of Moses was never given to be a checklist to get into heaven. The thought of us keeping these rules and God letting us in doesn’t fly. What the Law did was reveal that we are in desperate need of a Savior because each of us has broken God’s laws in some way.

Paul shares in verse 11 that we are justified before God by faith in Jesus Christ.

¹¹ Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.

Galatians 3:11 (CSB)

In verse 13, we see the beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.

Galatians 3:13 (CSB)

Jesus took on our sins when He went to the cross. He paid the debt that we could never pay. He made the only way for us to be made right with God: by trusting in His finished work on our behalf.

Paul wraps up this section in verse 17 by showing that the Law did not cancel the promise that God made to Abraham.

¹⁷ My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise.

Galatians 3:17 (CSB)

The promise was that through faith in God’s plan, a person would be made righteous. This came over 400 years before the Law was even given. The Law was not a means to gain the promise. The promise comes to any person who comes to God by faith and is willing to submit to His plan.

‌Conclusion

Paul did not want to see the Galatians stuck in the mud about their relationship with God. The teachings of the false teachers had caused them to lose traction in their walk.

There are times when we will feel stuck – it may be in our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our finances, or a host of other things. When we feel like the wheels are spinning and we’re stuck, sometimes the best thing that we can do is to back up.

Henry Blackaby talks about “spiritual markers” in his study, Experiencing God. These are points in our lives where we clearly know God was guiding us. It is important for us to mark those moments in our lives so that when we find ourselves stuck or not knowing which direction to go, we can look back on those moments and see the direction God was moving us in.

I wonder if today some of you find yourselves stuck. Maybe you find the wheels of your life are just spinning, but you aren’t going anywhere. Maybe you’re standing at a fork in the road and aren’t sure which way to go.  I want you to know this: God hasn’t abandoned you. He doesn’t get any enjoyment out of watching you worry. He wants to guide you along the path He has for you — a path that will lead you closer to Him.

If you find yourself stuck or at a crossroads and don’t know what to do, I would encourage you to back up and see how He has led you in the past. Ask the Lord for guidance and clarity as you proceed.

You may say, “I don’t have any points to go back to that I can think of.” If that’s you, then I would say that you need to go back to the cross and start there. Start by surrendering your life to Jesus and receiving His gift of salvation that He offers to anyone who will accept it.

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