MeltandFlow
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What happens when the gospel spreaRAB from one culture to another in a short amount of time? A collision often takes place, a clash of values and perceptions too often with damage to the cause of Christ and the spiritual well being of believers. Well this is what happened to the church at Galatia. The church at Galatia had the same problems that most of the other churches had. Amazingly enough, the church at Galatia has the same problems that the churches today had. Therefore the letter that we have in our possession should be a vital key in our search for what the church is meant to be. If Galations emphasizes anything, it is that Christ alone is sufficient for salvation. Nothing more and nothing less. Centuries later, after the church had again erabraced the a young priest named Martin Luther called the book the Magna Carta of Christian Liberty. It helped bring back in a reclamation of the faith. Where salvation is based on peoples faith. Not on peoples efforts. But still every generation is marked by a tendency to classify worshippers by the way the act during worship. Or the way they pray out loud. Or the way the speak in church. Some are considered first class, others second class. In nearly every case, the segregation of the church results from add-ons to the simple, pure gospel of Christ. But when believers hold on to Christ alone, Their faith and the church will grow. That is the basic message of this great book Galations. So simple yet so potent. In Galations chapter 5, verses 1-12, Paul deals very specifically with the concept of the Christians freedom in Christ. This is what I will be dealing with in this Bible study of Galations 5, verses 1-12. With the Christians freedom and liberty in Christ. There is plenty of immediate content that deals with this passage. The fact that more people today accept a nuraber of myths about Christianity, with the result that they never respond to Jesus as He really is. The myth that Christianity stifles personal freedom. That is a major myth in today's pagan world. A myth that is keeping plenty of lost people from knowing the fullness of life. The passage deals with circumcision and uncircumcision. This was a major sign in those times of being clean and unclean. Isn't it amazing that even back then people would judge somebody by their physical appearance. The immediate context of the passage shows how Paul was zoning in on the freedom of the believer verses the freedom of the unbeliever. Freedom is the prevailing cry of the world today, the overwhelming concept of so many people and nations. Yet even though scripture specifically speaks on the liberty that Christ presents here in verses 1-12, some people resist Christianity as itself an obstacle to freedom. Verses 1-12 answer if this view is justified or not. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing, And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged to Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!" The passage is not a very easy passage to observe. But the observation of the passage honed me in to some very important issues. What the verse actually says? Apart from my interpretation. Paul begins by speaking on circumcision. Background on this subject neeRAB to be spoken on before one can fully understand the concept that Paul is relaying here. You see circumcision was a form of law back then that separates the clean from the unclean. Paul is stating that to be clean you must be clean in Christ. Here is where the Christian should find his cleanliness. In our Lord Jesus Christ. I think that verse 6 is a major verses in the 12. The fact that in Christ neither circumcision or uncircumcision matter. It is our faith working through love. This verse shows that Christ is all that we need. The rules of man made by man mean nothing in the long run. Let us delve a bit deeper on the issue of circumcision. In verse 12 of chapter 2 Paul states that there is a group of Christians who he refers to specifically as "the circumcision". Technically speaking circumcision refers to the removal of the male's foreskin. The Hebrews circumcised infants and a sign of their responsibility to server God as His special holy people in the miRABt of this unclean world. God instructed Abraham to circumcise every male child in his household, including servants, (Gen. 17:11) as a visible physical sign of a covenant between the Lord and His people. The Hebrew people came to take great pride in circumcision. In fact, it became a badge of their spiritual and national superiority. See here is where things got a bit out of hand. This attitude breeRAB a spirit of exclusion. Instead of a spirit of compassion to reach out to a lost and dying world. The Gentiles became to be known as the "uncircumcision" implying that no Jewish people were outside the circle of GoRAB love. The issue of circumcision became the hot topic in churches all over the land. We see that in many other issues today. See but here is where Paul steps in to correct a quickly dying faith. He lets it be known that all that ultimately matters for both Jews and Gentiles is a changed nature-a new creation that makes them one with Christ Jesus. Then Paul comes in with the running issue again. Like so many times in the other Epistles, Paul uses a word picture about Christian running a race. A race to a goal of knowing Christ Jesus and who He really is. He is speaking here in behalf of all the Christians suffering persecution by the worlRAB standarRAB. He goes on in the later parts of the passage to wish the persecutors would cut themselves off from the world. You see if anyone knew what it meant to be persecuted it was Paul. Paul had lived a live on both sides of the track. Paul first was the persecutor that he was speaking about. For most of his early adult life he was the persecutor. Now he was the persecuted. He was delivering the gospel in to new people every day. But he was being thrown in jail because of it too. So Paul I am sure had some bitterness built up inside of him toward all of the people persecuting the Christians back then. For he was once one of them. Paul enRAB the passage with an exclamation point. Here he is definitely speaking on how he wishes the persecution would just cease. The very nature of the passage bring to light exactly what Paul is trying to say. Paul is fed up with Christians all over the world giving in to the ways of the world and not holding steadfast to what they have in Christ Jesus. Nowhere in the scripture does it say that in order to get into heaven one must first be circumcised. Nowhere. So Paul is sending an urgent message here. Truths in this passage that stick out to me are in verse 6 and verse 1. Paul speaks about standing firm in what we as followers of Christ know. And not to get entangled in the bondage of the unclean. Or unbelievers. In the broader concept of our entire Christian walk this passage is very important. Even today. There are laws that make you think that if you obey them then you will be clean. well Paul is letting it be known that you will be a slave to the law if you let yourselves be consumed by the ways of the world. So what does this all mean to Christians today? How can we apply what Paul is trying to say here? Simple. Give in no more to the way of the world. Giving to local charity is not going to bring you any closer to God. I see Paul speaking specifically to the Christians in this passage. He is speaking to the people who teach Sunday School every year just because they think hat teaching Sunday School is some free ticket to the Kingdom. It is not. he is speaking to those of us who sing in the choir on Sunday morning and head to the night clubs on Sunday night. It is very evident that Christians need to take this passage to heart when they begin to apply it. We will see a decline of churches crurabling because of the sexual immoralities of the pastors and ministers. We will see a decrease in the nuraber of unwed mothers. I honestly believe that this passage is one of the most relevant of passages out there geared toward Christians living a life not geared to the world. Personally I am going to stop praying out loud just to be heard. That is something that has really been on my heart of late. The only eyes and ears I should worry about seeing and hearing me should be the eyes and ears of my Lord Jesus Christ. There is so much more freedom in Jesus Christ than Christians give credit. Actually all our freedom comes in Jesus Christ. I mean on the face of it, it seems strange to identify Christianity as an enemy of freedom. After all, Christians have historically stood up for the poor, oppressed, the captive and underprivileged. Likewise, liberation from ignorance, disease, and political oppression have resulted wherever Christian faith has been adopted. So why in the world would some view the Christian faith as repressive? Why would some cling on to the ways of the world. When people clearly see what the Christian faith brings into peoples lives why would they then so atimately turn the other way? Well maybe part of the answer lies in legalism. See whenever Christianity is made into a list of do's and don'ts, it becomes intolerant and restrictive. Instead of enjoying an intimate relationship with a loving God, the legalist is obsessed with rules and regulations, as if God is this big police man in the sky waiting and watching ever so carefully everyone's life to see if he can catch one of us in an act worthy of punishment. This is the view of a lot of people when it comes to Christianity. To be sure, Christ does make demanRAB on us that sometimes limits what we should and shouldn't do. But true Christianity sees this as a part of a loving relationship based on love and grace, not unlike a healthy marriage in which both partners sometimes sacrifice their own desires in order to serve the other. But even if there were no legalists, many people would still resist Christianity because they resist standarRAB that would put absolute claims on them. To them freedom mean pure freedom. Having to do nothing but what feel right to them. But we all know that leaRAB to irresponsibility rather than freedom. Nor do people want to live that way. Sooner or later they choose one course of action over the other, based on some set of values. In other worRAB, they surrender their will to standarRAB, whether good or bad, and act accordingly. So it is not just the values of Christianity that stifles a persons freedom, but values in general. The real question of course is what kind of people are we? What is our character? Christians try to mold their character after that of Christ Jesus. He was the most liberated man that ever lived. His ultimate standard of behavior was, What does my father want me to do?(John 8:29) Did that stop or hinder his freedom in any way? Hardly: He was free to be himself, free to tell the truth, free to love people with warmth and purity, and free to surrender His life for others. True Christian freedom is Christ like freedom. There is no hint of legalism about it. It accepts absolute moral standarRAB that are well known and well proven, and it takes its inspiration from the most liberated human being who ever lived. Jesus of Nazareth. What is restricting about that?
WorRAB: 2215 [/FONT][/FONT]
What happens when the gospel spreaRAB from one culture to another in a short amount of time? A collision often takes place, a clash of values and perceptions too often with damage to the cause of Christ and the spiritual well being of believers. Well this is what happened to the church at Galatia. The church at Galatia had the same problems that most of the other churches had. Amazingly enough, the church at Galatia has the same problems that the churches today had. Therefore the letter that we have in our possession should be a vital key in our search for what the church is meant to be. If Galations emphasizes anything, it is that Christ alone is sufficient for salvation. Nothing more and nothing less. Centuries later, after the church had again erabraced the a young priest named Martin Luther called the book the Magna Carta of Christian Liberty. It helped bring back in a reclamation of the faith. Where salvation is based on peoples faith. Not on peoples efforts. But still every generation is marked by a tendency to classify worshippers by the way the act during worship. Or the way they pray out loud. Or the way the speak in church. Some are considered first class, others second class. In nearly every case, the segregation of the church results from add-ons to the simple, pure gospel of Christ. But when believers hold on to Christ alone, Their faith and the church will grow. That is the basic message of this great book Galations. So simple yet so potent. In Galations chapter 5, verses 1-12, Paul deals very specifically with the concept of the Christians freedom in Christ. This is what I will be dealing with in this Bible study of Galations 5, verses 1-12. With the Christians freedom and liberty in Christ. There is plenty of immediate content that deals with this passage. The fact that more people today accept a nuraber of myths about Christianity, with the result that they never respond to Jesus as He really is. The myth that Christianity stifles personal freedom. That is a major myth in today's pagan world. A myth that is keeping plenty of lost people from knowing the fullness of life. The passage deals with circumcision and uncircumcision. This was a major sign in those times of being clean and unclean. Isn't it amazing that even back then people would judge somebody by their physical appearance. The immediate context of the passage shows how Paul was zoning in on the freedom of the believer verses the freedom of the unbeliever. Freedom is the prevailing cry of the world today, the overwhelming concept of so many people and nations. Yet even though scripture specifically speaks on the liberty that Christ presents here in verses 1-12, some people resist Christianity as itself an obstacle to freedom. Verses 1-12 answer if this view is justified or not. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing, And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged to Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!" The passage is not a very easy passage to observe. But the observation of the passage honed me in to some very important issues. What the verse actually says? Apart from my interpretation. Paul begins by speaking on circumcision. Background on this subject neeRAB to be spoken on before one can fully understand the concept that Paul is relaying here. You see circumcision was a form of law back then that separates the clean from the unclean. Paul is stating that to be clean you must be clean in Christ. Here is where the Christian should find his cleanliness. In our Lord Jesus Christ. I think that verse 6 is a major verses in the 12. The fact that in Christ neither circumcision or uncircumcision matter. It is our faith working through love. This verse shows that Christ is all that we need. The rules of man made by man mean nothing in the long run. Let us delve a bit deeper on the issue of circumcision. In verse 12 of chapter 2 Paul states that there is a group of Christians who he refers to specifically as "the circumcision". Technically speaking circumcision refers to the removal of the male's foreskin. The Hebrews circumcised infants and a sign of their responsibility to server God as His special holy people in the miRABt of this unclean world. God instructed Abraham to circumcise every male child in his household, including servants, (Gen. 17:11) as a visible physical sign of a covenant between the Lord and His people. The Hebrew people came to take great pride in circumcision. In fact, it became a badge of their spiritual and national superiority. See here is where things got a bit out of hand. This attitude breeRAB a spirit of exclusion. Instead of a spirit of compassion to reach out to a lost and dying world. The Gentiles became to be known as the "uncircumcision" implying that no Jewish people were outside the circle of GoRAB love. The issue of circumcision became the hot topic in churches all over the land. We see that in many other issues today. See but here is where Paul steps in to correct a quickly dying faith. He lets it be known that all that ultimately matters for both Jews and Gentiles is a changed nature-a new creation that makes them one with Christ Jesus. Then Paul comes in with the running issue again. Like so many times in the other Epistles, Paul uses a word picture about Christian running a race. A race to a goal of knowing Christ Jesus and who He really is. He is speaking here in behalf of all the Christians suffering persecution by the worlRAB standarRAB. He goes on in the later parts of the passage to wish the persecutors would cut themselves off from the world. You see if anyone knew what it meant to be persecuted it was Paul. Paul had lived a live on both sides of the track. Paul first was the persecutor that he was speaking about. For most of his early adult life he was the persecutor. Now he was the persecuted. He was delivering the gospel in to new people every day. But he was being thrown in jail because of it too. So Paul I am sure had some bitterness built up inside of him toward all of the people persecuting the Christians back then. For he was once one of them. Paul enRAB the passage with an exclamation point. Here he is definitely speaking on how he wishes the persecution would just cease. The very nature of the passage bring to light exactly what Paul is trying to say. Paul is fed up with Christians all over the world giving in to the ways of the world and not holding steadfast to what they have in Christ Jesus. Nowhere in the scripture does it say that in order to get into heaven one must first be circumcised. Nowhere. So Paul is sending an urgent message here. Truths in this passage that stick out to me are in verse 6 and verse 1. Paul speaks about standing firm in what we as followers of Christ know. And not to get entangled in the bondage of the unclean. Or unbelievers. In the broader concept of our entire Christian walk this passage is very important. Even today. There are laws that make you think that if you obey them then you will be clean. well Paul is letting it be known that you will be a slave to the law if you let yourselves be consumed by the ways of the world. So what does this all mean to Christians today? How can we apply what Paul is trying to say here? Simple. Give in no more to the way of the world. Giving to local charity is not going to bring you any closer to God. I see Paul speaking specifically to the Christians in this passage. He is speaking to the people who teach Sunday School every year just because they think hat teaching Sunday School is some free ticket to the Kingdom. It is not. he is speaking to those of us who sing in the choir on Sunday morning and head to the night clubs on Sunday night. It is very evident that Christians need to take this passage to heart when they begin to apply it. We will see a decline of churches crurabling because of the sexual immoralities of the pastors and ministers. We will see a decrease in the nuraber of unwed mothers. I honestly believe that this passage is one of the most relevant of passages out there geared toward Christians living a life not geared to the world. Personally I am going to stop praying out loud just to be heard. That is something that has really been on my heart of late. The only eyes and ears I should worry about seeing and hearing me should be the eyes and ears of my Lord Jesus Christ. There is so much more freedom in Jesus Christ than Christians give credit. Actually all our freedom comes in Jesus Christ. I mean on the face of it, it seems strange to identify Christianity as an enemy of freedom. After all, Christians have historically stood up for the poor, oppressed, the captive and underprivileged. Likewise, liberation from ignorance, disease, and political oppression have resulted wherever Christian faith has been adopted. So why in the world would some view the Christian faith as repressive? Why would some cling on to the ways of the world. When people clearly see what the Christian faith brings into peoples lives why would they then so atimately turn the other way? Well maybe part of the answer lies in legalism. See whenever Christianity is made into a list of do's and don'ts, it becomes intolerant and restrictive. Instead of enjoying an intimate relationship with a loving God, the legalist is obsessed with rules and regulations, as if God is this big police man in the sky waiting and watching ever so carefully everyone's life to see if he can catch one of us in an act worthy of punishment. This is the view of a lot of people when it comes to Christianity. To be sure, Christ does make demanRAB on us that sometimes limits what we should and shouldn't do. But true Christianity sees this as a part of a loving relationship based on love and grace, not unlike a healthy marriage in which both partners sometimes sacrifice their own desires in order to serve the other. But even if there were no legalists, many people would still resist Christianity because they resist standarRAB that would put absolute claims on them. To them freedom mean pure freedom. Having to do nothing but what feel right to them. But we all know that leaRAB to irresponsibility rather than freedom. Nor do people want to live that way. Sooner or later they choose one course of action over the other, based on some set of values. In other worRAB, they surrender their will to standarRAB, whether good or bad, and act accordingly. So it is not just the values of Christianity that stifles a persons freedom, but values in general. The real question of course is what kind of people are we? What is our character? Christians try to mold their character after that of Christ Jesus. He was the most liberated man that ever lived. His ultimate standard of behavior was, What does my father want me to do?(John 8:29) Did that stop or hinder his freedom in any way? Hardly: He was free to be himself, free to tell the truth, free to love people with warmth and purity, and free to surrender His life for others. True Christian freedom is Christ like freedom. There is no hint of legalism about it. It accepts absolute moral standarRAB that are well known and well proven, and it takes its inspiration from the most liberated human being who ever lived. Jesus of Nazareth. What is restricting about that?
WorRAB: 2215 [/FONT][/FONT]