Thursday, September 6,
2012, 6:27 a.m. – the Lord woke me with the song “In Harmony” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is
listening. I read Galatians 2
(quoting vv. 4-5, 11-21 NIV 1984):
This matter arose
because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we
have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a
moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you...
When Peter came to
Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before
certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they
arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because
he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews
joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led
astray.
When I saw that they
were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front
of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.
How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
“We who are Jews by
birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing
the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ
Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law,
because by observing the law no one will be justified.
“If, while we seek to
be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does
that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed,
I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I
might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God,
for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
False Brothers
Paul said that “false brothers” had infiltrated (penetrated;
intruded; crept into) their ranks to “spy on the freedom we have in Christ
Jesus and to make us slaves.” Now, Paul was speaking of the Judaizers who tried
to force Gentile believers in Christ to be circumcised and to obey the Law of
Moses. Christ Jesus had set them free from slavery to the law, i.e. he had set
them free from following a strict set of rules that were mainly external in
nature, i.e. circumcision, and ceremonial and purification laws, etc. These
could not save them.
Yet, he did not free them from the law of God entirely, i.e.
the law of Christ is now written in our hearts. They were not to abolish the
law, but to uphold it. I know this can be confusing to us who did not live
during that time, but, simply put, Jesus summarized the law and the prophets
into two commands – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,
and love your neighbor as yourself. If we do all that, which is a tall order, we
will not lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, or dishonor God or our fellow man
(or woman). Yet, now we have Christ living within us to give us all we need to
live holy lives for God. He will help us flee temptation to sin and to draw
near to God, so that we can walk in obedience to him.
Freedom Vs. Slavery
To truly understand what Paul was talking about here with
regard to our “freedom in Christ” vs. this slavery to the law, we need to
understand what “freedom in Christ” entails. Christ came to set us free from
sin, but not just the ultimate punishment of sin (eternity in hell), but he set
us free from the mastery, control of and slavery to sin at the moment we
believe and throughout our Christian lives on a day-to-day basis. That is why
repentance, as a part of what it means to have faith in Christ, is required for
salvation. Our faith and ability to repent are gifts from God, yet we must
appropriate those gifts to our lives through full cooperation with the Holy
Spirit in his work within us. We must willingly die to our old lives of sin,
allow the Holy Spirit to change us in heart and mind, and to be reborn into Christ
as new creatures, created to be like Christ in all his purity, holiness and
righteousness.
False Brothers 2
So, understanding what our freedom in Christ truly means, we
must know and understand that there are other “false brothers” besides
legalists who spy on our freedom in Christ to try to make us slaves again, only
slaves to sin, not to the law. How do they do this? They do this by teaching
that repentance and obedience to Christ are not necessary for salvation. True
freedom in Christ is freedom NOT to sin. We are to no longer be slaves of sin
(our fleshly desires), but we are to be slaves of righteousness. When we are
controlled by the sinful nature, we are free from the control of righteousness.
So, if we teach that turning away from our lives of sin and walking in
obedience to Christ is NOT required for salvation, then we are leaving people
still in slavery to sin, for they have not truly been set free.
Truth of the Gospel
Paul said he did not give in to these “false brothers” for a
moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain in those who believed.
There is a lot of teaching these days being passed off as “the gospel,” which
is not the gospel at all, although it may have a slight resemblance to the true
gospel. The truth of the gospel is summarized for us here in v. 20:
I have been crucified
with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in
the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me.
Salvation means death, and not just Christ’s death on the
cross for our sins, but our death to our self-life, our fleshly desires, our
wants, our sin nature, and the control of sin over our lives. Jesus’ death and
resurrection paved the way (made it possible) for us to die with him (be
crucified with him) in death to sin and to be resurrected to new life
everlasting with God, free from the control of sin, and free to yield to the
control of righteousness! Amen! “I” no longer live, i.e. my flesh nature, my
selfish desires and wants, the lust of my flesh and the pride of my life are
gone, dead and buried with Christ so that Christ and his nature, character,
will and purpose can live in and out through me. Amen!
Set aside Grace
Paul said he did not set aside the grace of God, for if
righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! The same
principle applies to this “all grace” teaching where Christ does it all and
nothing is required of us (no repentance; no obedience; no death to our old
lives of sin). In other words, true grace frees us from the control of sin over
our lives and makes us (obedient) slaves of righteousness. So, if we think
Christ died just so we could go to heaven but nothing is required of us as far
as a changed life here on the earth, then we, too, are guilty of setting aside
the grace of God, and then it is true that Christ died for nothing, if Christ
requires that nothing changes in our lives, but we continue as usual. We make a
mockery of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins when we take the attitude
that God’s grace means Christ does it all but nothing is required of us in
response.
In the Wrong
Paul had to publicly confront Peter face-to-face with his
hypocrisy, because he had allowed the influence of the Judaizers to pressure
him into backing down from what he knew was right with regard to the truth of
the gospel, and he was withdrawing from fellowship with his Gentile brothers
and sisters in Christ out of fear of the Judaizers. He used to eat with the
uncircumcised believers, but now he did not. Not only was he being hypocritical
in living and acting in a way contrary to what he espoused, but he was being
unloving and was acting in disobedience to God in following the rules of men
over Christ’s commands and teachings.
And, there are numerous preachers and teachers of the word
who are doing the same today, whether of the legalistic mindset or of the all-grace
mindset. They know the truth of the gospel, for they went through training, and
they have studied the word. They know what it teaches, and many of them have
previously taught the truth of the gospel. Yet, they have gone the way of man
now, instead, and have gone to “a different gospel” which is no gospel at all.
They are following men’s leadership in how to build big churches (or plant
churches), how to grow churches, get large numbers of salvations and baptisms, and
how to attract the world to the church using worldly methods, marketing
schemes, etc. They have gone the way of “Big Business” and the world in order
to attract the world, but to what?
They may be attracting the world to an earthly organization,
an incorporation of men, and/or a social club, etc., but that is not Christ’s
design for how to win souls for Jesus Christ. The gospel is supposed to be an
offense and the smell of death to those who are perishing. It should not appeal
to their flesh. And, the road should not be broad and easy to travel. In other
words, the way to heaven is narrow, and there are few who find it, whereas the
road to destruction is broad and many travel that road. Today’s evangelical
churches, for the most part, have reversed that to make the road to heaven
broad so that many find it, but what are they really and truly finding? - A
false hope? The way to heaven is restricted (narrow) because the way of faith
is the path of repentance and obedience to Christ and to his ways. It is the
way of the cross; the way of death, but also the way of life everlasting.
Harmony and Love
We hear much talk in today’s churches about the importance
of “unity,” which is a Biblical teaching, if understood in the right context. Unity
with man is not the same as unity with God. If we sacrifice unity (oneness;
harmony) with God to be in harmony (oneness) with man, as did Peter, then we
are following the wrong concept of “unity” or “harmony.” We need to be so
careful that when the church teaches “unity” that they mean unity with God -
with his will and purposes, with his desires, and not unity with the will and
purposes of men.
We also hear much about the word “love,” and we are taught
to “love on one another,” yet is the “love” being taught in today’s church the
same “love” that Christ taught? - Maybe “Yes,” and maybe “No”. Paul exemplified
true love when he rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy. Many would not think that to
be “love” today. Paul was acting in love when he held on to the truth of the
gospel and he confronted those and exposed those who taught “a different
gospel.” Many today would not consider that “love,” either. We get this idea of
love from men that never confronts sin, never says anything “negative” and
never makes anyone feel uncomfortable about how they are living, but only makes
them “feel good” about themselves, whether they are living righteously or like
hell. Remember that true love gives of oneself to see others go free from the
power of sin. That is what Christ exemplified.
In Harmony / An
Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-15
Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with
fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Share with all God’s
people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show
compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from
evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
God sees who are
righteous;
Listens to their
prayers.
But He’s against evil
–
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they
fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make
Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
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