Who Hindered You?

“You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:7-15 ESV)

There is a dual context in this passage of Scripture and in the verses following after these, and there are many misinterpretations of some of these passages of Scripture, as well, but if read and studied in context, those should be cleared up. For context is critical to correct biblical understanding and interpretation. And there are many false teachings among us which stem from Scriptures taught outside their context and thus are made to say what they don’t say if taught in the proper context.

The primary teaching in the book of Galatians, I believe, has to do with the subject of the transfer from the Old Covenant laws and customs and religious practices to the New Covenant relationship God now has with his people Israel, both Jew and Gentile, who are his by faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For if we do not believe in Jesus Christ, we do not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And to deny Jesus is to deny the one and only true God.

And the problem that they were being faced with at that time is that there were Judaizers among the Christians who were trying to convince them that they still had to be circumcised, and that they still had to obey some of the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, and dietary laws and restrictions. And so Paul set out to correct this error and to let them know that if they believed that they had to be circumcised in addition to their faith in the Lord that they were basically as though they were still living under the Old Covenant.

So “the law” being spoken of here is not God’s moral laws, but it is the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, including the requirement for circumcision. These were done away with via Jesus’ death on that cross. But he did not do away with God’s moral laws nor with God’s requirements for the forsaking of our sins and for walks of obedience to his commands, in his power, as required as part of saving faith in Jesus Christ that promises us eternal life with God.

But we have a lot of people today misinterpreting these passages of Scripture, because they are not looking at the whole context, and they are teaching that we are not required to forsake our sins (to repent), and that we are not required to obey our Lord’s commandments under the New Covenant. And they misinterpret “faith” as just some confession of Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, and while they tell them that no works are required of them at all, because they leave out Ephesians 2:10.

So, as followers of Jesus Christ we do not have to adhere to the liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions of the Old Covenant, nor is circumcision required of any of us. But we are not now lawless. We are still required to obey our Lord’s commandments under the New Covenant, which are primarily (or completely) his moral laws. For faith in Jesus Christ requires death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. So if we walk in sin, we do not have eternal life with God.

And Paul made that quite clear in these verses and in the verses following this. For we are not to use our freedom from the Old Covenant as an opportunity for the flesh, to do what is sinful and evil in the sight of God. But we should agape love our neighbors as ourselves. And this kind of love prefers what God prefers which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So when we love with this love we will want to forsake our sins and obey our Lord.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 ESV)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV)

So, what’s this saying to us? It is not teaching that faith in Jesus Christ forgives us all sin so that we can go on living in sin, only now without feeling guilty. And it is not teaching that there are no more commands that we must obey. It is teaching us to walk (conduct our lives) by the Spirit, in walks of holiness and righteousness and obedience to our Lord and no longer in walks of obedience to sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, and idolatry, and the like. For if we obey sin, in practice, we will not inherit the kingdom of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Nails Were Pounded  

An Original Work / June 4, 2011

Nails were pounded when 

He hung on a tree;

Suffered for us so 

we could be set free.

He died for our sins; 

rose up from the grave,

So we could be forgiven; 

by His grace we’re saved.

A spear pierced His side; 

His clothes they’d divide;

A crown on His head 

to mock Him instead

Of honoring Him 

as our Savior, King,

Who gave his life for the world 

to be free from sin.

Forsaken by friends, 

though He’d not offend.

He lived perfectly; 

our High Priest to be.

He calls us to see, 

and by faith believe; 

In repentance receive Him; 

live eternally. 

https://vimeo.com/125966495