"But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with th truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, 'If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?'
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
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11-14 -> Paul is talking about how Cephas was afraid of the circumcision party because he did not live according to the Jewish law as they did. Paul proclaims Cephas to be a hypocrite because he tells the Gentiles to live like Jews even though he, a Jew, does not (v. 14).
15-16 -> Paul admits that though he is a Jew, he is not saved by his works as a Jew. He realizes that it is only through his faith in Jesus Christ that he is saved.
17-18 -> Paul is saying in these verses that he is still a sinner even after being justified by faith, because it still is not because of his works that he is sanctified. "For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor." This means that if he were to say that Christ was a servant to sin, than he would go back to being justified by works and not by Christ's sacrifice.
20 -> "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Paul is being explicit in saying that he lives for Christ. He has died to himself.
21 -> Salvation cannot come from the law, because then Christ would have died for no reason. His sacrifice would mean nothing.
------
Application:
Paul lived his life with incredible passion for his faith, and opposed others who were not totally sold out and became hypocritical. He is emphatic that it is not our works that save us, but faith alone, and this is a theme that Paul repeats throughout all his letters.
He is also very passionate about the fact that he no longer lives for himself, but for God. We need to be crucified with Christ. This literally means that we need to put to death anything that is of us and not of God. We need to live for Christ and Christ alone. This is essential to the Christian life. If we live our lives characterized by selfishness, then we will quickly lose our platform for ministering to others.
Empty Me
By: Jeremy Camp
Holy Fire burn away,
my desire for anything
that is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me.
Holy Fire burn away,
my desire for anything
that is not of you and is of me,
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah,
Fill, won't you fill me,
with you, with you, yeah.
Holy Fire, burn away,
my desire for anything
that is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah.
Fill, won't you fill me, with you, with you, empty me now.
Well won't you empty me, well won't you empty me now. repeat x2
I want more, I want more, I want more of you, Jesus.
I want more, I want more, oh.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, oh yeah,
Thank you, Jesus, yeah.
Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire.
Showing posts with label Galatians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Galatians. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Galatians 1:11-23
"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, 'He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they glorified God because of me."
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In this passage, Paul is giving his evidence of how he was called by God in order to preach the Gospel. This is because in the previous section he told the Galatians not to believe the false teachers, and he is now showing that he is not false, but that he really was sent by God. He makes sure to tell them that the Gospel that he received is not man's gospel, but God's. He tells the Galatians that he received the Gospel from Jesus Christ Himself, and then he goes on to explain why it had to have been from Christ.
Paul was a persecutor of the Christian church before he converted to Christianity. Because of this, there could be no way other than Christ talking to him Himself that he would make such a drastic transformation.
One thing that's important to point out is how Paul talks about the fact that he was "set apart." In verse 15 he says, "But when He who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by His grace..." Now, this may not be the point of the passage, but Paul is talking essentially about predestination in this case. He does not say that he chose Christ, but that Christ chose him and chose to reveal himself. Paul did nothing on his own to believe in God, but God CHOSE HIM BEFORE HE WAS BORN. This would allude to the belief of the elect. But I digress. That's not the point of the passage.
Continuing on into the passage, Paul goes on to explain where he went after his conversion. In verse 20 he tells the Galatians that he is not lying, which would seem to suggest that he is telling them these things in order to convince them that the things that he has to say really are truth, and he is not out for his own gain.
Then at the end of the passage Paul talks about how other people noticed that he used to persecute the Church, but had changed and was preaching the Gospel. Because they saw him doing this, he says that they glorified God.
-------
This leads into the application part. Throughout this whole passage Paul is giving evidences of and reasons why he believes what he does, and at the end he says how it affected other people. The people GLORIFIED GOD because of him. I believe that it is important for Christians as a whole to make sure that we are giving reasons for our faith and also telling others about who we used to be, so they can see the transformation that has taken place. If they cannot see it, then they cannot glorify God as the Gentiles had done when Paul preached the Gospel.
We need to be willing to be transparent. We need to be willing to share with others our own failings, especially before transformation has taken place. Now in some cases, like mine, we can't remember what our lives were like without Christ in them because we accepted Christ at a young age. If we can't share about our lives before Christ, then, we need to be able to talk about how God has transformed us in our walk with Him. Being transparent does an awesome thing for the Kingdom of God, so this makes it so important not to hide things that have happened in our lives.
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, 'He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they glorified God because of me."
-----
In this passage, Paul is giving his evidence of how he was called by God in order to preach the Gospel. This is because in the previous section he told the Galatians not to believe the false teachers, and he is now showing that he is not false, but that he really was sent by God. He makes sure to tell them that the Gospel that he received is not man's gospel, but God's. He tells the Galatians that he received the Gospel from Jesus Christ Himself, and then he goes on to explain why it had to have been from Christ.
Paul was a persecutor of the Christian church before he converted to Christianity. Because of this, there could be no way other than Christ talking to him Himself that he would make such a drastic transformation.
One thing that's important to point out is how Paul talks about the fact that he was "set apart." In verse 15 he says, "But when He who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by His grace..." Now, this may not be the point of the passage, but Paul is talking essentially about predestination in this case. He does not say that he chose Christ, but that Christ chose him and chose to reveal himself. Paul did nothing on his own to believe in God, but God CHOSE HIM BEFORE HE WAS BORN. This would allude to the belief of the elect. But I digress. That's not the point of the passage.
Continuing on into the passage, Paul goes on to explain where he went after his conversion. In verse 20 he tells the Galatians that he is not lying, which would seem to suggest that he is telling them these things in order to convince them that the things that he has to say really are truth, and he is not out for his own gain.
Then at the end of the passage Paul talks about how other people noticed that he used to persecute the Church, but had changed and was preaching the Gospel. Because they saw him doing this, he says that they glorified God.
-------
This leads into the application part. Throughout this whole passage Paul is giving evidences of and reasons why he believes what he does, and at the end he says how it affected other people. The people GLORIFIED GOD because of him. I believe that it is important for Christians as a whole to make sure that we are giving reasons for our faith and also telling others about who we used to be, so they can see the transformation that has taken place. If they cannot see it, then they cannot glorify God as the Gentiles had done when Paul preached the Gospel.
We need to be willing to be transparent. We need to be willing to share with others our own failings, especially before transformation has taken place. Now in some cases, like mine, we can't remember what our lives were like without Christ in them because we accepted Christ at a young age. If we can't share about our lives before Christ, then, we need to be able to talk about how God has transformed us in our walk with Him. Being transparent does an awesome thing for the Kingdom of God, so this makes it so important not to hide things that have happened in our lives.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Galatians 1:1-10
"Paul, an apostle - not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead - and all the brothers who are with me. To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
----------
Paul starts out in this passage with a cordial greeting to the church of Galatia. After his introduction he gives a short gospel message before he goes into his letter. This ties into the things that he's about to say afterwards, because right after he tells them that Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins Paul starts basically yelling at the Galatians for believing a gospel that's different than the true Gospel.
The Galatians had started turning to false prophets and teachers, and Paul is chastising them for doing so. He says that he is astonished that they have moved away from God's gospel into something else.
One thing that is repeated in this passage is Paul's declaration that whoever teaches a false gospel needs to be accursed. He's not messing around here. He's making it very clear that those false teachers must be thrown out and not listened to anymore because they are presenting a false gospel. After he says these things, he shows the Galatians that he is not ashamed of what he has said because he tells them that he is not seeking the approval of man. All he cares about is God's approval because he is Christ's servant and nothing else matters. Because of this, Paul is adamant that those false teachers need to be thrown out in order for the advancement of the Kingdom to take place. He is not concerned with whether or not he steps on anyone's toes because of how much he cares for God's truth.
--------
This is a really interesting passage. One thing it makes me think about is the many false teachers that are out there today, and they're treated well, as if they're doing something right! Of course, I'm only speaking of one false teacher, and that's Joel Osteen. And I'm also speaking of all the people who go along with what he teaches. I hate... absolutely HATE the prosperity gospel. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that the Bible has a hidden verse that says, "Just kidding! The Christian life won't be hard. If you follow me and if you're REALLY doing what I say, then you'll be completely healthy, financially stable, and good-looking. If one of those things isn't happening... well... something's obviously wrong in your life."
Okay. The Bible says NOTHING about that. In fact, it says that in this life we WILL have trials and tribulations. Following Christ is not an easy road. That's why Christ says that there's a narrow gate and a wide gate. The people following Christ enter through the narrow gate because not many people make it there. They aren't interested in not living for themselves and answering to a Being that is higher than themselves. However, people LOVE to hear that if they follow God their lives are going to be easier and they'll be healed of their sicknesses and they'll have so many more friends. That's why the prosperity gospel is so popular.
However, Paul clearly points out that people who teach things like that need to be accursed! We as Christians who believe in the one true gospel must not stand for it! Unfortunately though, Joel Osteen's church is one of the biggest in America and is thriving as of right now. But because this "gospel" is so rampant in America today, we must be even more passionate and ready to speak about the true gospel. We cannot allow this kind of thinking to overtake the minds of our fellow Americans, because they will be sorely disappointed if they're really wanting to follow Christ. They WILL experience hardships. They WILL be persecuted for their faith. Yes, there's immense joy that comes with being a follower of Christ, but that has nothing to do with the circumstances that we're put in. Paul says to the Philippians that he has learned to be content and joyful NO MATTER WHAT the circumstances are. We don't get joy from the situations of life that we find ourselves in. We get our joy from knowing God and knowing Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross.
In being more passionate and straightforward about the gospel however, we must remember that it is of utmost importance for us to say those things in love. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says,
"...but in your hearts set apart Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."
We MUST be prepared to make a defense and give the gospel to those who ask. But just as importantly, we MUST be prepared to do it with gentleness and respect. Otherwise I guarantee that those people will be completely turned off to anything about God and Christ because we did not respect them and we forced it upon them.
--------
So I guess the main lesson to take out of this message is to make sure that the false gospels that are out there are not winning out. Be bold in the faith and know that what we believe is true and we need to take a stand for it. If we don't, then the false gospels WILL win out, and we will lose our platform to tell people about the true sacrifice of Christ.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
----------
Paul starts out in this passage with a cordial greeting to the church of Galatia. After his introduction he gives a short gospel message before he goes into his letter. This ties into the things that he's about to say afterwards, because right after he tells them that Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins Paul starts basically yelling at the Galatians for believing a gospel that's different than the true Gospel.
The Galatians had started turning to false prophets and teachers, and Paul is chastising them for doing so. He says that he is astonished that they have moved away from God's gospel into something else.
One thing that is repeated in this passage is Paul's declaration that whoever teaches a false gospel needs to be accursed. He's not messing around here. He's making it very clear that those false teachers must be thrown out and not listened to anymore because they are presenting a false gospel. After he says these things, he shows the Galatians that he is not ashamed of what he has said because he tells them that he is not seeking the approval of man. All he cares about is God's approval because he is Christ's servant and nothing else matters. Because of this, Paul is adamant that those false teachers need to be thrown out in order for the advancement of the Kingdom to take place. He is not concerned with whether or not he steps on anyone's toes because of how much he cares for God's truth.
--------
This is a really interesting passage. One thing it makes me think about is the many false teachers that are out there today, and they're treated well, as if they're doing something right! Of course, I'm only speaking of one false teacher, and that's Joel Osteen. And I'm also speaking of all the people who go along with what he teaches. I hate... absolutely HATE the prosperity gospel. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that the Bible has a hidden verse that says, "Just kidding! The Christian life won't be hard. If you follow me and if you're REALLY doing what I say, then you'll be completely healthy, financially stable, and good-looking. If one of those things isn't happening... well... something's obviously wrong in your life."
Okay. The Bible says NOTHING about that. In fact, it says that in this life we WILL have trials and tribulations. Following Christ is not an easy road. That's why Christ says that there's a narrow gate and a wide gate. The people following Christ enter through the narrow gate because not many people make it there. They aren't interested in not living for themselves and answering to a Being that is higher than themselves. However, people LOVE to hear that if they follow God their lives are going to be easier and they'll be healed of their sicknesses and they'll have so many more friends. That's why the prosperity gospel is so popular.
However, Paul clearly points out that people who teach things like that need to be accursed! We as Christians who believe in the one true gospel must not stand for it! Unfortunately though, Joel Osteen's church is one of the biggest in America and is thriving as of right now. But because this "gospel" is so rampant in America today, we must be even more passionate and ready to speak about the true gospel. We cannot allow this kind of thinking to overtake the minds of our fellow Americans, because they will be sorely disappointed if they're really wanting to follow Christ. They WILL experience hardships. They WILL be persecuted for their faith. Yes, there's immense joy that comes with being a follower of Christ, but that has nothing to do with the circumstances that we're put in. Paul says to the Philippians that he has learned to be content and joyful NO MATTER WHAT the circumstances are. We don't get joy from the situations of life that we find ourselves in. We get our joy from knowing God and knowing Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross.
In being more passionate and straightforward about the gospel however, we must remember that it is of utmost importance for us to say those things in love. 1 Peter 3:15-16 says,
"...but in your hearts set apart Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."
We MUST be prepared to make a defense and give the gospel to those who ask. But just as importantly, we MUST be prepared to do it with gentleness and respect. Otherwise I guarantee that those people will be completely turned off to anything about God and Christ because we did not respect them and we forced it upon them.
--------
So I guess the main lesson to take out of this message is to make sure that the false gospels that are out there are not winning out. Be bold in the faith and know that what we believe is true and we need to take a stand for it. If we don't, then the false gospels WILL win out, and we will lose our platform to tell people about the true sacrifice of Christ.
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