August 6, 2009
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What Should We Do With the O.T. Law?
A Study of GalatiansI really want to go through this section by section instead of just a
“quick overview” so it may take a while…. But… just to let you
know, I still may have to post “current events” also interspersed in
here because so much is happening in our world today especially in the
Middle East! In the midst of all of the global and national upheaval
we need to also keep our eyes on Israel! Last time I briefly mentioned
Romans chpt. 11 where God says that He still has a plan for the
“nation” of Israel. Here are those verses…Romans 11:11,12
‘I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not!
But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come
to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their
failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!’
Romans 11 goes on to say Israel has been blinded but only for a
time…. look at this key verse 25…“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this
mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in
part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come
in.”The “Time of the Gentiles” will reach a point of completion and then
the Lord will begin to open the eyes of the Nation of Israel and we
will see some amazing prophecies fulfilled!! (If we are still here.
) This is why I keep my eyes on Israel and my ear to the ground to
listen for the “tuning of the orchestra”. I don’t want to be
distracted when that first trumpet note sounds!!Blessings, Bee
Galatians Study: Only ONE GospelChpt 1:1-9 (NKJ)
“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
brethren who are with me,To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this
present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom
be glory forever and ever. Amen.I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in
the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any
other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”Paul is not pussy-footin’ around in this letter. He starts out by
stating the authority by which he is about to speak and that authority
is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father! He is
serious. This is not some nice little social note…. this will be
“big stuff” he is about to tell them!He begins by greeting them, but not in just any ol’ way… he greets
them by giving glory to God for His amazing work. I thought this was
interesting. How many times do we just impetuously jump into a tirade
when we have something to get off of our chest? That my friends is a
sure sign of a work of the flesh. Paul here focuses on Christ and his
finished work first and stops to give God the glory then he starts in!
FOCUS is everything…. we have to get our focus first… then we
minister!Alright… now Paul lowers the boom. I like how the New Living
Translation puts it…. “I am shocked that you are turning away so
soon from God..” Paul was not a happy camper here…. the
Galatians had turned away from what Paul had just taught them! The
verse goes on to say…“You are following a different way that
pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are
being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning
Christ.” Uh Oh! Looks like the Galatians experienced a “power
vacuum” after their teacher Paul left and so they began to listen and
follow the most smart-sounding or good-looking self proclaimed leaders
they could find and …. sigh…. it led them away from Christ and from
the simple Gospel of salvation by Grace. You know I don’t think the
Galatians had the “corner of the market” on this kind of behavior. How
many times have we seen churches and individuals become drawn to a
charismatic, intelligent sounding, smooth talker only to months later
find themselves wayyy down the road toward something that doesn’t even
look like the Gospel any more? Yeah… one thing you can say about our
enemies… the flesh and the devil… they are consistent. It doesn’t
matter if it is the first century or the twenty first, some things
never change.Paul goes on to blast these guys by saying “let them be accursed”…
and he even says it twice for emphasis… “let God’s curse fall on
anyone” (NLT) who distorts the Gospel like this… “anyone, including
us or even an angel from heaven!” Wow, Paul is ticked….. this is
serious….. what on earth happened!To be continued……..
Comments (4)
The turning away warning is so relevant in the American church today … a hybrid christianity that tickles the ears and diminishes the Good News.
Wow. Good start. Yeah. Paul did really lower the boom. I read through Galatians last night after noticing you were going to be posting, just to get a feel for it. Paul’s attitude does not diminish through the short book, though he does touch on a variety of topics. It seems that the false gospel the Galatians in particular was that they were being told their salvation came through the law rather than grace – the exact opposite of Paul’s message. Both are messages of salvation, right? Wrong. One is a lie. The law is not to be dispensed with like a dirty rag, but then the law is not the source of life either, and that’s the principle lie they were being drawn into. The law is perfect for it reveals the perfect character of God. We fall short of the glory of God, this is why we are unable to conform fully to the law and thus why we cannot be saved by the law. Jesus said he came not to condemn – we condemn ourselves. The law is not enough. It points to the author of law as the source of salvation, not the worker of the law – for none are worthy except the lamb of God, Jesus Christ. We are reckoned worthy not by conforming to the letter of law, but by being transformed into new creations through the redemptive power of one who imparts forgiveness in conjunction with repentance.
Wheh. The air gets a little thin up on that soapbox. LOL. Good post. I look forward to more.
Wow, there’s a lot in there. I need to read it again. But so far, it’s awesome! Thank you!
@FKIProfessor -
I think you have it right on… “we are unable to conform fully to the law and thus why we cannot be saved by the law”… Paul does speak pretty plain in Galatians, and that is a good thing.
Also, as I think we will soon see, he goes beyond just talking about salvation and includes “sanctification” in that mix. Check out Gal. 3:3. He is talking to those already saved and is discussing maturity and “living by faith”.