Galatians 3:15-20
English Standard Version (ESV)
I was listening to a podcast by the White Horse Inn the other day and they made an excellent point -- the Law reveals to us how high the standard for perfection before God is, and the impossibility of it, and so makes our need for Christ all the more apparent. The Law reveals our desperate need for the Gospel, and God, in God's infinite grace, grants us a path forward despite the prison we build out of our own sinful choices.
The Law, and all of the Old Testament, points forward to Christ. The Old Testament is itching in anticipation of the Savior that will deliver us, and the New Testament is declaring the joy that we have in Christ and inviting all into the covenant community. You have been delivered from the demands of the Law into the kingdom of grace - may the love of God that sought you out and seeks you still remind you of the fact that God's wrath at sin is not directed at us, but instead God chooses to pour out love and favor upon God's creations.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Galatians 3:10-14
Galatians 3:10-14
English Standard Version (ESV)
Rachel and I were talking last night about how natural it is to try and rely on the self. It feels right and proper to do everything on our own, finding strength or willpower or ingenuity within ourselves to chart the best path. When things get rough, we'll naturally turn outward, but in times of smooth sailing, self-reliance has the least inward obstacles.
What is great about Paul's writing is that he knows himself well enough to know not to trust himself completely, and he's seen God change enough about his life, opening his eyes to the wayward ways of his previous path, that he trusts God before he trusts himself. Faith is the best path forward, because faith can help us see where our self-deception is blinding us.
The best part of the Good News is that we don't have to figure out a way to fix all the mistakes in our past -- God has done that in Jesus Christ. God has solved the problem of sin so that it might no longer condemn us, and we are now free to hope.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Rachel and I were talking last night about how natural it is to try and rely on the self. It feels right and proper to do everything on our own, finding strength or willpower or ingenuity within ourselves to chart the best path. When things get rough, we'll naturally turn outward, but in times of smooth sailing, self-reliance has the least inward obstacles.
What is great about Paul's writing is that he knows himself well enough to know not to trust himself completely, and he's seen God change enough about his life, opening his eyes to the wayward ways of his previous path, that he trusts God before he trusts himself. Faith is the best path forward, because faith can help us see where our self-deception is blinding us.
The best part of the Good News is that we don't have to figure out a way to fix all the mistakes in our past -- God has done that in Jesus Christ. God has solved the problem of sin so that it might no longer condemn us, and we are now free to hope.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Galatians 3:1-9
Galatians 3:1-9
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's fun to watch my kids try and do things on their own. Sometimes I sit back and admire their dedication, watching as they master some new skill or attempt again something that challenges them. Other times... well, sometimes we're rushing out the door and I'm tying their shoes for the 300th time while not letting them practice because we're in a hurry. I'm not perfect over here...
As a culture, we have an inherent bias towards admiration of those who figure out how to do it on their own. We love and admire those who build something from nothing -- we tell their stories over and over again.
As a faith, though, it's important to remember that it is Christ who has done the most important work. The Galatians forgot this, and they focused on what they were doing. As a church, it's vital that we remember that it is faith, and faith alone, that opens our eyes to what God is doing and calls us forward. We are justified by faith, and just as Abraham believed, we, too believe. We who have heard are transformed by the Spirit -- not by our own doing, but by God's.
As someone who messes things up quite often, this is a relief, right? It doesn't depend on me! Hallelujah!
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's fun to watch my kids try and do things on their own. Sometimes I sit back and admire their dedication, watching as they master some new skill or attempt again something that challenges them. Other times... well, sometimes we're rushing out the door and I'm tying their shoes for the 300th time while not letting them practice because we're in a hurry. I'm not perfect over here...
As a culture, we have an inherent bias towards admiration of those who figure out how to do it on their own. We love and admire those who build something from nothing -- we tell their stories over and over again.
As a faith, though, it's important to remember that it is Christ who has done the most important work. The Galatians forgot this, and they focused on what they were doing. As a church, it's vital that we remember that it is faith, and faith alone, that opens our eyes to what God is doing and calls us forward. We are justified by faith, and just as Abraham believed, we, too believe. We who have heard are transformed by the Spirit -- not by our own doing, but by God's.
As someone who messes things up quite often, this is a relief, right? It doesn't depend on me! Hallelujah!
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Galatians 2:15-21
Galatians 2:15-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
If I hire someone to move my couch, and when they arrive, they spend the entire day sitting in a recliner, watching as I struggle to move my own couch, then why did I hire them?
Or what if I use an Uber, but when the Uber arrives, I get in the car and drive and have the Uber driver sit in the backseat? What's the point of having an Uber driver if you do that?
This is the argument that Paul is making. If it were possible for us to be saved through the Law, then Christ would not have been necessary. It is faith in Christ that saves us, and Christ is absolutely necessary for us to achieve salvation. Therefore, we live by faith, fully dependent on Christ (and Christ alone) for our hope beyond the grave. We have been joined with him in his death, and are therefore joined with him in his resurrection, so we look forward with excitement. Let us, therefore, depend on him and him alone, without adding burdens to those trying to live by faith.
English Standard Version (ESV)
If I hire someone to move my couch, and when they arrive, they spend the entire day sitting in a recliner, watching as I struggle to move my own couch, then why did I hire them?
Or what if I use an Uber, but when the Uber arrives, I get in the car and drive and have the Uber driver sit in the backseat? What's the point of having an Uber driver if you do that?
This is the argument that Paul is making. If it were possible for us to be saved through the Law, then Christ would not have been necessary. It is faith in Christ that saves us, and Christ is absolutely necessary for us to achieve salvation. Therefore, we live by faith, fully dependent on Christ (and Christ alone) for our hope beyond the grave. We have been joined with him in his death, and are therefore joined with him in his resurrection, so we look forward with excitement. Let us, therefore, depend on him and him alone, without adding burdens to those trying to live by faith.
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