Galatians 5: 1
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
We just went through the previous verses in this Epistle, settling the doctrine that the Covenant of Promise and the Covenant of Law are two separate Covenants, that don't cancel each other out.
The Promise came first, to Abraham, that his descendants would number more than the stars, and that his Seed would inherit the Land.
These Promises have not yet been fully fulfilled, so God still will remember His chosen people to elevate them as the head, instead of the tail, among the Nations.
Then, hundreds of years later, God gave the Law to Moses. This was to given them a specific road to walk, a culture and society separate from the rest of the Nations. It laid out all the specifics, like detailed directions to a child in school. When they followed these directions, things went well for them, they prospered. But when they forgot God and started to follow the ways of the World around them, they lost their prosperity and suffered.
So the whole body of Laws was like a road-map to teach God's people how to think like He thinks.
Now that Jesus was born a man, and died as the Lamb of God, fulfilling the sacrificial laws, and rose from the grave with a new Life; now we can be cleansed completely from sin by His Blood so that God could now come live inside our human spirit, making it alive.
And now that we are spiritually alive with God's Spirit living in us, God has written His Law in our hearts, so that we can know how to live. When we love God and make Him our first, highest priority, and love our neighbors as God has Loved us; then we will be fulfilling the purposes for which the Law was given, and we don't need to pay attention to the details. So we are free from the letter of the Law.
It's all based on Love. God is Love, He has Loved us beyond anything we can even imagine, and He wants us to love Him back, and love one another.
Then we will live super-naturally, following the Spirit's leading, and in His power. This is impossible to do without Him. In our flesh, we all have come short of the Glory of God, we can't be perfect. But now we can grow up in Christ, and be mature in the faith.
This freedom is not license, so we will never need to return to the old ways of trying to follow rules and regulations, and try to never make a mistake. We never need to go back under the yoke of the slavery of having to obey lined-out precepts. We are free to love one another and treat each other with the respect and worth God values each of us at.
We don't have to like each other to treat one another with worth and respect; to want what would be good for them, for their benefit. This is real love.
O my Father, thank You for freeing us from every yoke of slavery. Thank You for releasing me from the slavery of addiction when You found me. And thank You for saving all Your children from the power of the yoke of sin over us.
Please help us all to realize we have Your power to overcome sin and the deceiver. Teach us all to not return to any bondage from which we've been freed. We are free, in the liberty of being able to choose to do what is right and righteous, and not slip again into old patterns of sin.
You are making us new, Father, molding us into the very image of our Lord Jesus Christ, growing us up in Your family until we reach the end of our childhood and schooling, and graduate at His coming, to receive spirit bodies in place of these bodies of flesh. Then we will be prepared and ready to help You rule in Your Kingdom!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever, Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Who Is Your Mother?
Galatians 4: 21-31
Paul has just said that he was perplexed by these Galatians. Here's why.
Tell me, you who want to be under Law, do you not listen to the Law?
He's asking them, Do you even know what the Law says, what you are proposing to saddle yourselves with? Do you realize what you're doing?
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.
The story about Abraham and Sarah and Sarah's Egyptian slave Hagar. You can find it in Genesis chapters 16, 17 and 21.
But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the Promise.
Sarah had convinced Abraham to have a son by her slave, who would legally be Sarah's child, since Hagar was Sarah's property. So Ishmael was born to the slave because of Sarah and Abraham conniving to bring about God's promise by themselves.
But Isaac was born by a miracle, of Sarah who was barren and now even in menopause, and Abraham who was 100 years old and hadn't been able to even have relations with his wife for many years. So it had nothing to do with their decisions.
This is allegorically speaking,
These people really did live, and these things really did happen to them. It's real history. But these stories also teach us lessons. As an allegory, it's a spiritual lesson learned from the physical people who made these decisions.
So here's the spiritual lesson:
for these women are two covenants:
There is the covenant of the promises that Abraham's descendants would be innumerable and that they would inherit the Promised Land. Then there was the covenant of the Law God gave to Moses on Sinai. Two separate contracts.
one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.
Hagar was a slave, the property of Sarah, and had no legal rights. Her children are all in the same bondage she is in.
Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
Sinai is where God gave the Law to Moses. And the Jerusalem is the physical city of Jerusalem, in the World. Still in bondage.
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
This is the spiritual Jerusalem, the Holy City to come, that is a reality now in those of us who are born of the Spirit. This is the New Covenant bought by Christ with His Blood.
For it is written:
Now Paul refers to the Millennial Reign of Christ, when He will rule the World from Jerusalem personally as King. And all we who are born of the Spirit will participate in Jesus' government.
But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.
This refers to when Ishmael was mocking Isaac at the time of the party given for Isaac's weaning; and Sarah was upset and threw Hagar and her son out (Genesis 21: 1-12).
But what does the Scripture say?
Both boys had the same father, but the slave and her children are in bondage; we, having been born into God's family, are free, having been born by Promise and grace.
Paul here concludes his argument in favor of grace and Promise, with this concrete story of the slave woman and the free woman and their children, representing Law and Promise.
Paul has Hagar represent Sinai, where the Law was given, then Jerusalem, where the Law was being administered by the Jewish leaders, who Ishmael represents.
He has Sarah represent the Heavenly Jerusalem, the miraculous, the Promise, and we are the Isaac, who was the heir of Abraham.
So we inherit the Promises because of God's miraculous working in our hearts, not because of any rules or commandments we followed.
Paul is amazed that these Galatians want to go back to being bound to obey all the stipulations of the body of rules and regulations being imposed upon them by the Judaizers who came from Jerusalem, after experiencing the freedom of the grace of Christ.
O my Father, please help us to realize the freedom You have given to us as Your Royal children. You have put Your Law into our hearts, and we want to obey Your will because You have Loved us so unconditionally. And in loving You back, we also love who You love, our fellow human beings. So we love our neighbors the way You have loved us, and we are obeying all the rules, and even going beyond the letter, down to the spirit of the Law.
Please show Your children Your ways, help us to follow You even in the crunch of the moment. Continue to mold and make us into the very image of Your dear Son, that His character would be in us, and our lives will show Christ to all who are in our little worlds.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Paul has just said that he was perplexed by these Galatians. Here's why.
Tell me, you who want to be under Law, do you not listen to the Law?
He's asking them, Do you even know what the Law says, what you are proposing to saddle yourselves with? Do you realize what you're doing?
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.
The story about Abraham and Sarah and Sarah's Egyptian slave Hagar. You can find it in Genesis chapters 16, 17 and 21.
But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the Promise.
Sarah had convinced Abraham to have a son by her slave, who would legally be Sarah's child, since Hagar was Sarah's property. So Ishmael was born to the slave because of Sarah and Abraham conniving to bring about God's promise by themselves.
But Isaac was born by a miracle, of Sarah who was barren and now even in menopause, and Abraham who was 100 years old and hadn't been able to even have relations with his wife for many years. So it had nothing to do with their decisions.
This is allegorically speaking,
These people really did live, and these things really did happen to them. It's real history. But these stories also teach us lessons. As an allegory, it's a spiritual lesson learned from the physical people who made these decisions.
So here's the spiritual lesson:
for these women are two covenants:
There is the covenant of the promises that Abraham's descendants would be innumerable and that they would inherit the Promised Land. Then there was the covenant of the Law God gave to Moses on Sinai. Two separate contracts.
one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.
Hagar was a slave, the property of Sarah, and had no legal rights. Her children are all in the same bondage she is in.
Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
Sinai is where God gave the Law to Moses. And the Jerusalem is the physical city of Jerusalem, in the World. Still in bondage.
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
This is the spiritual Jerusalem, the Holy City to come, that is a reality now in those of us who are born of the Spirit. This is the New Covenant bought by Christ with His Blood.
For it is written:
"Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband" (Isaiah 54: 1).And you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of Promise.
Now Paul refers to the Millennial Reign of Christ, when He will rule the World from Jerusalem personally as King. And all we who are born of the Spirit will participate in Jesus' government.
But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.
This refers to when Ishmael was mocking Isaac at the time of the party given for Isaac's weaning; and Sarah was upset and threw Hagar and her son out (Genesis 21: 1-12).
But what does the Scripture say?
"Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman" (see Genesis 21: 10).So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.
Both boys had the same father, but the slave and her children are in bondage; we, having been born into God's family, are free, having been born by Promise and grace.
Paul here concludes his argument in favor of grace and Promise, with this concrete story of the slave woman and the free woman and their children, representing Law and Promise.
Paul has Hagar represent Sinai, where the Law was given, then Jerusalem, where the Law was being administered by the Jewish leaders, who Ishmael represents.
He has Sarah represent the Heavenly Jerusalem, the miraculous, the Promise, and we are the Isaac, who was the heir of Abraham.
So we inherit the Promises because of God's miraculous working in our hearts, not because of any rules or commandments we followed.
Paul is amazed that these Galatians want to go back to being bound to obey all the stipulations of the body of rules and regulations being imposed upon them by the Judaizers who came from Jerusalem, after experiencing the freedom of the grace of Christ.
O my Father, please help us to realize the freedom You have given to us as Your Royal children. You have put Your Law into our hearts, and we want to obey Your will because You have Loved us so unconditionally. And in loving You back, we also love who You love, our fellow human beings. So we love our neighbors the way You have loved us, and we are obeying all the rules, and even going beyond the letter, down to the spirit of the Law.
Please show Your children Your ways, help us to follow You even in the crunch of the moment. Continue to mold and make us into the very image of Your dear Son, that His character would be in us, and our lives will show Christ to all who are in our little worlds.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Slavery To Freedom And Back Again?
Galatians 4: 8-20
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.
I can relate to this. Before I knew God, I had an addiction. I tried to reform myself, but every time I took a step forward, I slid two steps backward. I was a slave, bound to that weakness, that sin.
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,
I know God now, but it's because He knew me first, and came to me. I'm the one who was lost, and He found me.
how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
These people in Galatia have been rescued from their dependence on rituals that could do nothing for them. But now they are turning back to them, as though they are different. But the rituals haven't changed.
You observe days and months and seasons and years.
This was part of their pagan beliefs before Paul came to them with the Gospel.
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
Paul is vocalizing a query here, has all the Truth he taught them being just thrown away?
I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are.
Paul learned to empathize with people in what they were going through, how their thinking brought unfavorable consequences, and led them into better paths. He always started with where they were. So now he's asking them to look at his lifestyle and thought patterns in response.
You have done me no wrong;
but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the Gospel to you the first time;
Evidently Paul had a physical problem that he needed to take care of, and he had Dr. Luke travel with him.
and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe
But even so, these people weren't put off by his illness.
but you received me as an Angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
They welcomed him into their world, even as they would welcome an Angel or Christ, Himself.
Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.
Paul did have some kind of "thorn in the flesh" that bothered him. Here is an indication that it may have had something to do with his eyes. It's possible that the "scales" that fell from his eyes could have had some lingering effect on him (Acts 9: 18). We don't know, this is just speculation.
So have I become your enemy by telling you the Truth?
This is what happens when people have been deceived, and do not want to hear the Truth that will free them. Even among family members, who love each other as family.
They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.
Paul is referring to the Judaizers who had come from Jerusalem after Paul had left the area. They were trying to worm their way into these people's hearts so they could have power over them.
But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.
Here's the difference between being a wanted lover or be on a "wanted" poster.
My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--
Paul feels like he may need to start all over again, to win these people for Christ. Like he's in labor trying to deliver them again.
but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
He wants to see them face-to-face again, so that he can be more positive and compassionate, instead of trying to solve this problem with a letter.
And he's mentally at a loss at what they're thinking now.
O my Father, You are so good to us all. You have planned out everything You would do, and You are doing everything for us, so we can be with You.
You have given us our whole past history, so that we could learn from it. We can see how others have responded to You and Your ways, and how it went for them; whether they obeyed and were blessed, or rebelled and suffered harm.
You have always given us a choice, in every circumstance, we can choose to do what is right or what is convenient. What is righteous is sometimes the harder choice, and takes wisdom to recognize that it is the better way in the long run, when the easier path will lead to destruction, illness, brokenness.
Father, I, with Paul, do not understand how anyone who has been shown Your great goodness and Love, can turn away from You! There is no one else who can rescue us, no one else that can give us peace and rest. No one else can satisfy the longings of our hearts, or fill the God-sized hole You put there.
And there are so many, Father, who don't know who You are yet, and are desperately seeking what only You can provide. Some don't have any idea that You are their Source, and You are seeking them, not willing for any to perish.
O Father, send out Your workers into Your fields to sow the seeds of Your Gospel; to reap Your fields that are ripe and ready to harvest. Send me, Father, to find some of those lost sheep, who are caught in the thicket of the World, trapped in the pit of deception; to take them by the hand and lead them, even kicking and screaming, into the safety and peace and rest of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
And may Your house be full with all of Your children, every place at Your great Banquet Table filled, to feast with You forever.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.
I can relate to this. Before I knew God, I had an addiction. I tried to reform myself, but every time I took a step forward, I slid two steps backward. I was a slave, bound to that weakness, that sin.
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,
I know God now, but it's because He knew me first, and came to me. I'm the one who was lost, and He found me.
how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
These people in Galatia have been rescued from their dependence on rituals that could do nothing for them. But now they are turning back to them, as though they are different. But the rituals haven't changed.
You observe days and months and seasons and years.
This was part of their pagan beliefs before Paul came to them with the Gospel.
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
Paul is vocalizing a query here, has all the Truth he taught them being just thrown away?
I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are.
Paul learned to empathize with people in what they were going through, how their thinking brought unfavorable consequences, and led them into better paths. He always started with where they were. So now he's asking them to look at his lifestyle and thought patterns in response.
You have done me no wrong;
but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the Gospel to you the first time;
Evidently Paul had a physical problem that he needed to take care of, and he had Dr. Luke travel with him.
and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe
But even so, these people weren't put off by his illness.
but you received me as an Angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
They welcomed him into their world, even as they would welcome an Angel or Christ, Himself.
Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.
Paul did have some kind of "thorn in the flesh" that bothered him. Here is an indication that it may have had something to do with his eyes. It's possible that the "scales" that fell from his eyes could have had some lingering effect on him (Acts 9: 18). We don't know, this is just speculation.
So have I become your enemy by telling you the Truth?
This is what happens when people have been deceived, and do not want to hear the Truth that will free them. Even among family members, who love each other as family.
They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.
Paul is referring to the Judaizers who had come from Jerusalem after Paul had left the area. They were trying to worm their way into these people's hearts so they could have power over them.
But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.
Here's the difference between being a wanted lover or be on a "wanted" poster.
My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--
Paul feels like he may need to start all over again, to win these people for Christ. Like he's in labor trying to deliver them again.
but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
He wants to see them face-to-face again, so that he can be more positive and compassionate, instead of trying to solve this problem with a letter.
And he's mentally at a loss at what they're thinking now.
O my Father, You are so good to us all. You have planned out everything You would do, and You are doing everything for us, so we can be with You.
You have given us our whole past history, so that we could learn from it. We can see how others have responded to You and Your ways, and how it went for them; whether they obeyed and were blessed, or rebelled and suffered harm.
You have always given us a choice, in every circumstance, we can choose to do what is right or what is convenient. What is righteous is sometimes the harder choice, and takes wisdom to recognize that it is the better way in the long run, when the easier path will lead to destruction, illness, brokenness.
Father, I, with Paul, do not understand how anyone who has been shown Your great goodness and Love, can turn away from You! There is no one else who can rescue us, no one else that can give us peace and rest. No one else can satisfy the longings of our hearts, or fill the God-sized hole You put there.
And there are so many, Father, who don't know who You are yet, and are desperately seeking what only You can provide. Some don't have any idea that You are their Source, and You are seeking them, not willing for any to perish.
O Father, send out Your workers into Your fields to sow the seeds of Your Gospel; to reap Your fields that are ripe and ready to harvest. Send me, Father, to find some of those lost sheep, who are caught in the thicket of the World, trapped in the pit of deception; to take them by the hand and lead them, even kicking and screaming, into the safety and peace and rest of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
And may Your house be full with all of Your children, every place at Your great Banquet Table filled, to feast with You forever.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Monday, December 9, 2019
The Heir As A Child
Galatians 4: 1-4
Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,
The Hebrew people descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were God's royal family. But they rarely realized even a little part of what that means.
If they had, maybe they wouldn't have strayed so often.
So God gave them the Law to teach them how to live righteous lives, as His children.
but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.
The guardians and managers were the Law and the leaders He provided them.
So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the World.
And we, also, were tied up by the World until He found us.
But when the fullness of the time came,
God's timing is always perfect.
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
He had to have a genuine human body to die a human death, the death we all deserve.
born under the Law,
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law,
Jesus fulfilled all of the Law, so that those who were under the Law could be freed from it.
that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And we will receive the "adoption" when Jesus returns and we "grow up" and our mortal bodies will put on immortality, and these flesh bodies will become spirit bodies. Then we will be given the authority by our Father to help Him run His family business, the Kingdom of God.
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Because we are His children, we can call Him "Daddy!" and curl up in His lap!
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Even though we're still children in His family, we are still His sons and daughters, and as such, His heirs, to inherit with Jesus all the Promises God gave to Abraham, and all the other Promises as well.
O my Father, help me to learn how to live my life as a royal princess in Your family. Teach me how to think Your thoughts, have Your attitudes and views of things, and how to live my life showing forth the Light of Christ upon all those who are in my little world.
Father, help me to continually grow in the character of my Lord Jesus, so I can be a useful member of Your family.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, the sovereign King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,
The Hebrew people descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were God's royal family. But they rarely realized even a little part of what that means.
If they had, maybe they wouldn't have strayed so often.
So God gave them the Law to teach them how to live righteous lives, as His children.
but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.
The guardians and managers were the Law and the leaders He provided them.
So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the World.
And we, also, were tied up by the World until He found us.
But when the fullness of the time came,
God's timing is always perfect.
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
He had to have a genuine human body to die a human death, the death we all deserve.
born under the Law,
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law,
Jesus fulfilled all of the Law, so that those who were under the Law could be freed from it.
that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And we will receive the "adoption" when Jesus returns and we "grow up" and our mortal bodies will put on immortality, and these flesh bodies will become spirit bodies. Then we will be given the authority by our Father to help Him run His family business, the Kingdom of God.
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Because we are His children, we can call Him "Daddy!" and curl up in His lap!
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Even though we're still children in His family, we are still His sons and daughters, and as such, His heirs, to inherit with Jesus all the Promises God gave to Abraham, and all the other Promises as well.
O my Father, help me to learn how to live my life as a royal princess in Your family. Teach me how to think Your thoughts, have Your attitudes and views of things, and how to live my life showing forth the Light of Christ upon all those who are in my little world.
Father, help me to continually grow in the character of my Lord Jesus, so I can be a useful member of Your family.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Lord God Almighty, the sovereign King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, December 8, 2019
The Promise To Abraham
Galatians 3: 23-29
But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
It was like we were children in boarding school, locked into trying to follow myriad rules and precepts, until Christ came to set us free, through faith in Him.
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ,
So the Law was our schoolmaster, to show us our need for Christ.
so that we may be justified by faith.
So that our faith in Christ paying our death debt for us, would allow His Blood to wash us clean, so we could be justified, by trusting Him.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Now that we can put our trust in Jesus having fulfilled all the Law, we don't have to bring animals to an altar any more--He is our sacrificial Lamb of God, who died once for all.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
So we are born spiritually when God puts His Spirit into our spirit, making it alive, with God's life, as His own children. God couldn't live in us until we were cleansed thoroughly.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
We who were immersed into Christ have put on Christ as clothing, to cover us and to identify us as His.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
God does not distinguish these kinds of differences; He loves us no matter what our state or station in this life is. It only matters while we're here, and won't make any difference in Eternity. We are all one in Christ, and He is one with the Father (see John 17: 11, 21).
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
As Jesus Christ is the Seed of Abraham upon which the Covenant of Promise fell on, and we are in Christ; then we are also of the spiritual lineage of Abraham who believed.
And we also are heirs to inherit all the Promises God gave to Abraham; for we are the uncountable descendants (Revelation 7: 9-10), and we will reign and rule in the Promised Land (Revelation 5: 10; 20: 6).
Both Jews and Gentiles, both slaves and free men, both rich and poor, both male and female, will all be one in Christ as He is one with the Father. These differences will not make any difference any more.
We will reign with Christ as kings and queens, and priests to God in Him.
O my Father, You have done it all. You thought it out, planned it out, created it, and worked out Your Plan just as You wanted. And You made Mankind to be Your children, to live Your life in Your Son, to rule and reign with Him in the Kingdom of God which will never stop growing and increasing throughout all eternity.
Thank You so much, Father, for Your unimaginable Love for us, and Your unstoppable Plan of the Ages, in which You are bringing Your blessings to Your children.
O Father, please send out Your children as Your workers to sow the precious seed of the Gospel, and to reap Your fields already ripe for harvest.
My Father, send me to find and rescue Your lost lambs, caught in the thickets of the World, and trapped in ravines of deception. Let me carry them, by the hand or kicking and screaming, home into the safety and peace of Your Fold.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, Lord God Almighty, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
It was like we were children in boarding school, locked into trying to follow myriad rules and precepts, until Christ came to set us free, through faith in Him.
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ,
So the Law was our schoolmaster, to show us our need for Christ.
so that we may be justified by faith.
So that our faith in Christ paying our death debt for us, would allow His Blood to wash us clean, so we could be justified, by trusting Him.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Now that we can put our trust in Jesus having fulfilled all the Law, we don't have to bring animals to an altar any more--He is our sacrificial Lamb of God, who died once for all.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
So we are born spiritually when God puts His Spirit into our spirit, making it alive, with God's life, as His own children. God couldn't live in us until we were cleansed thoroughly.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
We who were immersed into Christ have put on Christ as clothing, to cover us and to identify us as His.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
God does not distinguish these kinds of differences; He loves us no matter what our state or station in this life is. It only matters while we're here, and won't make any difference in Eternity. We are all one in Christ, and He is one with the Father (see John 17: 11, 21).
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
As Jesus Christ is the Seed of Abraham upon which the Covenant of Promise fell on, and we are in Christ; then we are also of the spiritual lineage of Abraham who believed.
And we also are heirs to inherit all the Promises God gave to Abraham; for we are the uncountable descendants (Revelation 7: 9-10), and we will reign and rule in the Promised Land (Revelation 5: 10; 20: 6).
Both Jews and Gentiles, both slaves and free men, both rich and poor, both male and female, will all be one in Christ as He is one with the Father. These differences will not make any difference any more.
We will reign with Christ as kings and queens, and priests to God in Him.
O my Father, You have done it all. You thought it out, planned it out, created it, and worked out Your Plan just as You wanted. And You made Mankind to be Your children, to live Your life in Your Son, to rule and reign with Him in the Kingdom of God which will never stop growing and increasing throughout all eternity.
Thank You so much, Father, for Your unimaginable Love for us, and Your unstoppable Plan of the Ages, in which You are bringing Your blessings to Your children.
O Father, please send out Your children as Your workers to sow the precious seed of the Gospel, and to reap Your fields already ripe for harvest.
My Father, send me to find and rescue Your lost lambs, caught in the thickets of the World, and trapped in ravines of deception. Let me carry them, by the hand or kicking and screaming, home into the safety and peace of Your Fold.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, Lord God Almighty, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Promise Versus Law
Galatians 3: 15-22
Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations:
Speaking only about relations between humans.
even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.
When people make a contract, once it has been signed and notarized, the terms it sets out cannot be changed.
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds." as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. (See Genesis 15: 18.)
God made this contract, this covenant, with Abraham, as the Lord passed between the animals, ratifying the official, legal Promise, in Genesis 15: 9-21.
This was the way a contract was ratified, that the responsible parties would walk between the animals "signing" the covenant. Only the Lord did this, having put on Abram a "deep sleep," as a "horror of great darkness" fell on him (v. 12). So the Lord alone would be responsible for fulfilling the terms of this covenant.
And Jesus Christ was the "Seed" upon whom the terms of that Contract fell.
What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
When God gave the Law to Moses, that didn't change the previously ratified Contract God had made with Abraham. These are two different "legal documents."
For if the inheritance is based on law, is it no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a Promise.
Once the legal document has been ratified, it cannot be changed.
Why the Law then?
So then why did God give the Law?
It was added because of transgressions,
Because when the Messiah came, He would do in His body all the requirements of the Law, so we would recognize Him. And so that we would realize our culpability before the Law, that we deserve the Crucifixion Jesus would suffer in our place, individually.
having been ordained through Angels by the agency of a Mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the Promise had been made.
The Law was given to Moses by the Lord God Himself, who is always surrounded by Angels. But this Law would only be in effect until the One who would fulfill them would come.
Now a Mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only One.
There must be at least two for a mediator to mediate between. But only the Lord God passed between those animals to ratify the Covenant with Abraham.
Is the Law then contrary to the Promises of God? May it never be! For if a Law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on Law.
But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
If someone could be righteous by obeying rules and regulations, then there would be no need for a Messiah at all. But the Law shows that we are all sinners, no one has ever perfectly lived their life having never made a mistake or wrong choice about anything. No one is perfect, we are human, with damaged DNA called a sin-nature.
But the Promise still stands. It is offered to everyone who has come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Just believe what He says, like Abraham did.
O my Father, You have thought of everything! Your timing is perfect. Your Love for what You have made is astounding! Everything You planned out, You are doing. You are still at work, rolling out Your purposes day by day until everything will be finished.
Father, use me in Your plan, let me be Your hands and feet to carry out Your will for me toward others. Let me reach out into the farthest reaches where Your lost sheep still are trapped. Let me find them, to extricate them from their bonds and carry them home into the safety of the Fold.
O Father, sent out all Your workers into Your fields, to sow Your Gospel and reap Your great harvest, to fill Your house with Your family.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations:
Speaking only about relations between humans.
even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.
When people make a contract, once it has been signed and notarized, the terms it sets out cannot be changed.
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds." as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. (See Genesis 15: 18.)
God made this contract, this covenant, with Abraham, as the Lord passed between the animals, ratifying the official, legal Promise, in Genesis 15: 9-21.
This was the way a contract was ratified, that the responsible parties would walk between the animals "signing" the covenant. Only the Lord did this, having put on Abram a "deep sleep," as a "horror of great darkness" fell on him (v. 12). So the Lord alone would be responsible for fulfilling the terms of this covenant.
And Jesus Christ was the "Seed" upon whom the terms of that Contract fell.
What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
When God gave the Law to Moses, that didn't change the previously ratified Contract God had made with Abraham. These are two different "legal documents."
For if the inheritance is based on law, is it no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a Promise.
Once the legal document has been ratified, it cannot be changed.
Why the Law then?
So then why did God give the Law?
It was added because of transgressions,
Because when the Messiah came, He would do in His body all the requirements of the Law, so we would recognize Him. And so that we would realize our culpability before the Law, that we deserve the Crucifixion Jesus would suffer in our place, individually.
having been ordained through Angels by the agency of a Mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the Promise had been made.
The Law was given to Moses by the Lord God Himself, who is always surrounded by Angels. But this Law would only be in effect until the One who would fulfill them would come.
Now a Mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only One.
There must be at least two for a mediator to mediate between. But only the Lord God passed between those animals to ratify the Covenant with Abraham.
Is the Law then contrary to the Promises of God? May it never be! For if a Law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on Law.
But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
If someone could be righteous by obeying rules and regulations, then there would be no need for a Messiah at all. But the Law shows that we are all sinners, no one has ever perfectly lived their life having never made a mistake or wrong choice about anything. No one is perfect, we are human, with damaged DNA called a sin-nature.
But the Promise still stands. It is offered to everyone who has come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Just believe what He says, like Abraham did.
O my Father, You have thought of everything! Your timing is perfect. Your Love for what You have made is astounding! Everything You planned out, You are doing. You are still at work, rolling out Your purposes day by day until everything will be finished.
Father, use me in Your plan, let me be Your hands and feet to carry out Your will for me toward others. Let me reach out into the farthest reaches where Your lost sheep still are trapped. Let me find them, to extricate them from their bonds and carry them home into the safety of the Fold.
O Father, sent out all Your workers into Your fields, to sow Your Gospel and reap Your great harvest, to fill Your house with Your family.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!
Friday, December 6, 2019
Blessed With Abraham
Galatians 3: 6-14
Even so, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15: 6).
It was not because of anything Abraham had done, but because he just took God at His Word, and believed Him.
Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
That's why it is those who have the same faith to believe God who are spiritual sons of Abraham.
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Nations will be blessed in you" (Genesis 12: 3).
God's plan always was to save us by grace through our believing Him. And Abraham did. So all those who follow in his faith, of just taking God at His Word without doubting Him, will also be saved.
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
Before Abraham did anything, or even saw any miraculous thing from God, he believed Him. And we who have the same faith to believe God are blessed, also, along with Abraham.
For as many are as of the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, to perform them" (Deuteronomy 27: 26).
It's been said that the Law was like a chain, to break one link breaks the whole chain. So to fail in one micron of the Law is to be a lawbreaker.
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2: 4).
It's obvious that no one can live his whole life without ever making even one tiny mistake. So it's impossible to work our way into Heaven. We must believe That Jesus took our death for us, individually. He did all the work for us. There's nothing left for us to do, even if we could do anything. Everything we do, even our best most altruistic things, are still polluted by our sin-nature and cannot be accepted by God. That's why we need Jesus!
However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them" (Leviticus 18: 5).
Law and faith are opposites. Either we try to follow every detail of the Law perfectly, or we believe that Jesus has already fulfilled all those laws, so we are free from them. We don't bring animals to sacrifice on an altar any more.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Deuteronomy 21:23)
Christ was not cursed--He took our curse upon Himself on the Cross. We are the ones who deserve execution, and He took our curse of death on Himself for us, in our place.
--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Now, through Christ, we are blessed with Abraham, we have the receiving of the promise He made to Abraham, in receiving His own Spirit in our spirit.
Just because we believe Him. This is the only way. He is the only way. He is the fulfillment of the Promise, and He has fulfilled all the work needed to be done to make us fit to be God's children. By His Grace, through our faith to believe Him, which is also a gift from God.
O my Father, You are the One! You have planned it all, and You have fulfilled all of Your plan for us. Now that we are in Your family, we are responsible to continue to look to You for our daily sustenance, and follow the faith to be saved with the faith to live the Royal life, as Your princes and princesses learning how to be Royal.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Even so, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15: 6).
It was not because of anything Abraham had done, but because he just took God at His Word, and believed Him.
Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
That's why it is those who have the same faith to believe God who are spiritual sons of Abraham.
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Nations will be blessed in you" (Genesis 12: 3).
God's plan always was to save us by grace through our believing Him. And Abraham did. So all those who follow in his faith, of just taking God at His Word without doubting Him, will also be saved.
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
Before Abraham did anything, or even saw any miraculous thing from God, he believed Him. And we who have the same faith to believe God are blessed, also, along with Abraham.
For as many are as of the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, to perform them" (Deuteronomy 27: 26).
It's been said that the Law was like a chain, to break one link breaks the whole chain. So to fail in one micron of the Law is to be a lawbreaker.
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2: 4).
It's obvious that no one can live his whole life without ever making even one tiny mistake. So it's impossible to work our way into Heaven. We must believe That Jesus took our death for us, individually. He did all the work for us. There's nothing left for us to do, even if we could do anything. Everything we do, even our best most altruistic things, are still polluted by our sin-nature and cannot be accepted by God. That's why we need Jesus!
However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them" (Leviticus 18: 5).
Law and faith are opposites. Either we try to follow every detail of the Law perfectly, or we believe that Jesus has already fulfilled all those laws, so we are free from them. We don't bring animals to sacrifice on an altar any more.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Deuteronomy 21:23)
Christ was not cursed--He took our curse upon Himself on the Cross. We are the ones who deserve execution, and He took our curse of death on Himself for us, in our place.
--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Now, through Christ, we are blessed with Abraham, we have the receiving of the promise He made to Abraham, in receiving His own Spirit in our spirit.
Just because we believe Him. This is the only way. He is the only way. He is the fulfillment of the Promise, and He has fulfilled all the work needed to be done to make us fit to be God's children. By His Grace, through our faith to believe Him, which is also a gift from God.
O my Father, You are the One! You have planned it all, and You have fulfilled all of Your plan for us. Now that we are in Your family, we are responsible to continue to look to You for our daily sustenance, and follow the faith to be saved with the faith to live the Royal life, as Your princes and princesses learning how to be Royal.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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