Galatians 1:6-9 ESV
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.
So, what was the situation at that time in history with
regard to “a different gospel”? It was that there were Judaizers who were
trying to convince Christians that they had to follow Jewish customs and the
outward ceremonies of the Mosaic law in order to be Christians. In other words,
they were adding these requirements on to the gospel of grace.
In particular was a requirement that Gentile believers in
Jesus Christ be circumcised in order to be saved. And, this stood in opposition
to the gospel of grace which is based on faith alone, not on having to follow
outward religious customs.
Yet, there is another “different gospel” which is being
strongly promoted today, which is also of humans, not of God, but which uses
these teachings here in Galatians (and in other similar scriptures) in a
twisted way in order to support their flesh-driven gospel message.
For, this “different gospel” is still created by humans, and
it is still of the flesh, not of the Spirit, and its goal is still to glorify
the flesh, not God. And, it, too, is being passed off as the true gospel, and
many are being convinced to accept it and to follow it, because it sounds good,
and because it appeals to the flesh.
Those who are pushing this “different gospel” are of the
elite (wealthy and powerful) of the world, many of whom are Jewish, of the New
World Order. They are trying to convince (persuade) many people to believe in
their altered (misshaped, malformed) gospel of the flesh of humans in order to
draw people away from Jesus Christ, and away from the truth of the gospel as
Jesus taught it, and as his NT apostles taught it, too. So, they are using
trickery, deception, mind games, and the twisting of truth in order to convince
many to follow them and their flesh-driven gospel, instead.
Yet, they totally misrepresent the meaning of the word “faith.”
They reduce it to a mere acknowledgment of Jesus Christ and a mere acceptance
of his forgiveness of sins. And, this is while they remove from the gospel the
requirements of repentance and obedience to Christ and his Word, as critical
components of believing faith. For, the kind of faith which saves is both
God-given and God-persuaded as to God’s holiness and righteousness and of the
requirement that we die with Christ to sin and self so that we might live with
him to his righteousness. For, this is what it means to be “born again.”
[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66; Ac. 26:16-18; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom.
8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9.]
Blessed
Are You
An
Original Work / August 29, 2012
Based
off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984
“Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who are poor for God’s kingdom is yours.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who are hungry, you’ll be satisfied.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
Who weep now, for you will laugh with joy.
Blessed are you; blessed are you
when men hate and reject you because of Christ.”
“Rejoice in that; rejoice in that day
And leap for joy; great your reward.
But I tell you; but I tell you
To love those who hate you; do them good.
Pray for those who; pray for those who
Treat you wrong and say kind things of them.
Do to others; do to others as you would
Have them do; have them do to you.”
“If you love those; if you love those
Who love you, what praise is there for you?
Because Christ is; because Christ is kind,
Be merciful, just like He is.
Forgive others; forgive others
Their offense against you; be ye kind.
Hear My words and; hear My words and
Put them into practice,
then you’ll be fulfilled.”
Galatians 3:1-6 ESV
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Many people are indeed being bewitched by these clever
enchanters who twist the truth to their advantage and who play mind games with
people in order to deceive them and to allure them to the cheap grace
flesh-driven gospel which makes no demands of death to sin or of living to
righteousness, but which coddles people in their sin while promising them the
hope of heaven when they die.
For, they willfully ignore the fact that, in Jesus’ death on
a cross for our sins, he put sin to death that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23). They deny the fact, too, that faith
in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin, and we are reborn of the
Spirit of God, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph.
4:17-24). And, they ignore, too, the teaching that says that the righteous
requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (conduct our lives), not
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1-17; cf. Lu.
9:23-25).
For, the faith in Jesus Christ that is begun by the Spirit
of God puts sin to death in the life of the believer, as it turns a person from
darkness (sin) to the light (righteousness), and from the power of Satan to
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those
sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16-18; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
For, scripture teaches us that if we walk (in lifestyle)
according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not live with Christ for
eternity (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21 NASB).
Courageous!
An
Original Work / December 24, 2013
Based
off Various Scriptures
The Word of God throughout taught.
Some people heard, but did doubt.
Still others had faith in Christ.
By grace He purified them.
They turned from sin
And they obeyed Christ.
He opened up their blinded eyesight;
Turned them from darkness
To the true Light;
Forgave their sin by His might.
He strengthened them in their faith.
He said, “Remain my faithful.”
He called them to obedience.
By faith, they were so grateful.
By faith, they were to follow Jesus;
To daily sit and listen to Him;
To have such faith
That mountains could move;
To love those whom He gave them.
Be on your guard; courageous.
Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.
Take up the shield of your faith;
Protect against all evil.
Do not move from
The hope that you have.
Your faith in Jesus let it endure.
Hold to the truth;
Your conscience be clear.
Endure with perseverance.
Galatians 3:23-29 ESV
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Also, before we believed in Jesus Christ to be Lord and
Savior of our lives, we were held captive to sin, imprisoned by all kinds of
wickedness and evil which separated us from God, and which kept us from being
accepted and approved by him, and from living righteously before him (Rom.
3:23).
But, when we believed in Jesus Christ, if we truly believed
in him with God-given faith, we died with him to sin. For, being baptized into
Christ means to be baptized (immersed) into his death, which was death to sin.
And, this is a spiritual baptism, not a physical one, but which our physical
baptism represents. For, when we believe in Jesus, we are baptized of the
Spirit in our old self being crucified with him, “in order that our body of sin
might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom.
6:6).
And, to put on Christ means to put on his character, his
values, his teachings, his attitude, his virtues, grace, love, and his purity.
It means we are being conformed into his likeness and that we are living holy
lives, separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made to
be like Jesus. And, it means we now walk in obedience to him and we do what he
says and that our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want, but they
are given over to Christ in submission to his will and purposes.
Yet, since we are no longer under the law but under grace,
does that give us free license to continue in sinful practices? No! For, we are either slaves to sin or we are slaves to
righteousness. For slavery to sin results in death, but slavery to
righteousness results in sanctification and eternal life with God (See: Rom.
6:1-23).
Yet know that when we hold on to the true gospel, and we
follow Christ with our lives, and we don’t bend to the cheap grace gospel, we
must also be prepared to be persecuted for our faith, too. For, the enemy will
hate us, and if he can’t get us to reject the truth and believe the lies, then
he will vehemently pursue us to destroy us in other ways. But, don’t let that
take you out. Just keep following the Lord and the way of truth, which is the
way to life everlasting with God. Amen!
Fully
Ready!
An
Original Work / June 19, 2013
Based
off Acts 20-22, 26; Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 1:8
Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?
I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.
If I must die for the sake of His name,
I am convinced it will not be in vain.
Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,
Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.
May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;
Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”
He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.
Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.
I have appointed you as a servant,
And as a witness; you have been sent.”
“Go into the world and preach the gospel.
Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.
Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;
From power of the evil one to God,
So they may receive forgiveness of sins,
And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”
Saturday, January 12, 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment