Month: August 2016

Unity is always a good thing when we are talking about churches, right?  Yes, that is right.  In fact, these verses underscore the importance of unity within a church and among churches.  Look at vs.4-5 and we find that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.  Wait, did that just say one baptism?  Yes.  That means that if you were dunked or sprinkled, it is all the same?  Yes.  That means that if you were baptized as an infant or as an adult it is still baptism and both “count”?  Yes.  Don’t ever let a Christian tell you that your baptism doesn’t count if it wasn’t done when you were an adult.  Point to this verse and say, well if it is good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me.  There ought to be unity among the churches but unfortunately some churches feel as if their way is the only way that is right.  I praise God that the Presbyterian Church has a very broad tent which gathers many people from all sorts of walks of life and embraces them in the unity of the Gospel.

If you know the Apostles’ Creed you will find a part of it in vs.9-10.  You know that part where we say “..and he descended into hell.”  In these verses it states that if he ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God then it must mean that he also descended in order to fill all things.  What that means is that Jesus went into hell to introduce himself to those who were not saved so that they could experience him and have a relationship with him.  You see the same message in I Peter 3:19-20.  What a comfort to see God fulfilling the words of Psalm 139:8 where the writer states: if I make my bed in Sheol (hell), you are there.  The pursuit of God, or rather God’s pursuit of us always leaves me breathless and with a smile on my face.

Vs.26 also gives us the words to which pretty much every couple ought to subscribe: do not let the sun go down on your anger.  He says this within the context of some very basic rules for a new life, which includes, thieves, don’t steal.  That’s good to know.  

Paul begins this chapter by explaining the reason why he was in jail was because he preached a Gospel which included the gentiles in God’s plans.  Remember, the Ephesian church was a church composed of gentiles.  So basically Paul says the reason why I am in prison, and I don’t mind being in prison, is for people like you.  I am in jail so that people like you can hear about the good news of the gospel and respond to it.

It is so refreshing to hear Paul speak as if he is so glad for the people to whom he is writing.  You can just tell that he loves the people of Ephesus.  He calls himself a servant of the gospel and so he loves this message with which he has been entrusted.  Just read again vs. 14-21 as if Paul was addressing you directly.  He asks that God would (continue to) dwell in their hearts through faith.  His prayer is that we would all come to understand the completeness of Christ.  He calls it the breadth and width of all that God is.  It reminds me of Colossians 1:28, which we will get to soon, where God’s marks out our purpose as presenting everyone mature in Christ.

I’m going to get to this in Colossians but just put a sticker on this verse and recognize that this should be the purpose of all of us: present everyone mature in Christ.

This chapter should go up there as one of the most important chapters in all of Scripture.  I hope you were able to follow what Paul was saying.  Remember, he is writing to a church  that is composed of primarily gentiles who came to know Jesus.  So they did not come to Jesus through Judaism, but rather from Paul’s preaching they gave their lives to Christ.  So Paul is writing to people he knows and loves and who have a completely different background from him.  But he obviously embraces them.  

He begins this chapter by laying out the facts that all of us began this life as sinful.  We were all disobedient and lived out our lives according to the passions of the flesh.  But God chose to choose us even while we were yet dead in our sins, to make us alive in Jesus Christ.  And in case you have forgotten, look at vs.5, we have been saved by grace.  Remember it is not the following of the law, or a set of rules, or any of our actions that save us, not even living a “good” life, it is the grace of God that saves us.  Follow along from vss.8-10 which are so fundamental to our beliefs and to whom we are as Protestant Christians.  We have been saved by grace through faith.  This faith, this grace is a gift of God.  We do not deserve it.  It is not by our own doing, it is not because we have lived right that we are saved.  Because if it was a result of any of our actions, we could boast.  But no one can boast.  But it gets better.  Look at vs.10.  The reason why we are saved is not simply so we can have eternal life.  Oh, that would be nice and a simple goal.  No, the reason that we are saved, according to Paul, is because eternal life starts here and now in this life.  We were created, we were saved by Jesus, for good works which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

So let’s be clear.  Good works have nothing to do with our salvation, but have everything to do with our vocation.  We are made to do good works.  That is to be our joyful response to salvation.  He then goes on to explain that those who were not originally part of God’s plan, you know, the chosen people through Abraham who became the nation of Israel, if we are not in that number, do not worry.  Look at vs.13, it is such an important verse for goyim like you and me.  “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  It is by the blood of Jesus that we were brought near.  

Because of Jesus there is no longer male or female, there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer rich or poor, there is no longer black or white, there is no longer good and bad, there is no longer, well, you  can fill in the blank.  Jesus has broken down whatever privilege, whatever dividing wall that society and culture has set up.  In fact, and I love this part, Jesus has created a single humanity, and this single humanity, according to Paul, should create peace.

But boy do we like our differences and boy do we harp on that which is different as opposed to how we are similar.  Jesus proclaimed peace to those who were far off, that would be us who do not have Jewish descent, and those who were near, that would be those who came from Jewish descent.  Look at vs. 17 for these verses.  We now have a new citizenship.  We are no longer Americans. Can I say this in the middle of the Olympics when we are absolutely dominating?  We are no longer Americans…we are Christians.  We have a new citizenship according to vs.19.  This was a big deal for Paul who finds himself in the middle of the Roman Empire.  But when Jesus is our cornerstone, as we find in vs.20, then we can be a unified people.

I can’t help but think of this song when I read vs.18.  We begin Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.  It is thought to have been written in 62 while Paul was in prison in Rome.  This is another church that Paul founded.  If you go back to Acts 18:19-21 you see that Paul briefly visited Ephesus  and this work was carried on by Apollo and Aquila and Priscilla.  He then later spent three years in Ephesus.  Needless to say it is a church that he knows well and that he loves.  Unlike the churches in Galatia, this church is not leaving the faith.  It is one in which Paul can rely.  

If you look at vs.15 and 16 you will see the love that Paul has for this church is revealed in these words: “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[e] toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”

So what exactly does it mean when Paul says in vs.7 that God is not mocked?  Paul goes on to explain it in that verse and the following verses.  It comes down to the fact that you sow what you reap.  Now that is an interesting statement in light of Matthew 5:45 where Jesus states that the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  I just started over these past few months something that I have never done before.  I have started to measure how much rain has fallen in my yard with a rain gauge.  Every time it rains there are three of us that text each other to say how much we have received in rain.  One person lives 2 miles away and another lives about 4.  I am amazed at the disparity of rainfall in these three places.  One time I received about a quarter of an inch and another person in the group received an inch and a half.

So when it states that we sow what we reap, does that take rainfall into account?  I mean what if I sow the same as my friends but they get more rain, they will probably get a better crop, and I did nothing wrong or different.  Paul’s point is a different one.  He is encouraging a community that is walking away from the faith to stay the course.  As he states in vs.9 “do not be weary in doing what is right.”  He goes on and tells us not to give up.  

I love the way that he ends out the chapter and the book of Galatians.  If you look at vs.17 he states: “Let no one make trouble for me.”  For some reason I get the image of Arnold pointing at me as he makes that statement.  

You probably didn’t think that you would hear the words which we find in vs.12.  “I wish those who are bothering you would castrate themselves.”  Paul has been addressing the topic of circumcision and how that act is a sign not of freedom, but rather of slavery.  This chapter is all about the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.  Vs. 1 sounds like my absolute favorite verse in the Bible which you find in John 8:32.  The freedom that we have in Christ is not tied up in following the law, but rather in knowing Jesus as your Savior.  But it does not end there.

Paul says that the entire law is summed up in the words that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  You can find that in vs.14.  How we love our neighbors is totally up to us, and in what way that manifests itself does not follow a set protocol.  Vs.13 says that we were called to a life of freedom, but not in order to indulge ourselves.  If we are truly disciples of Jesus Christ then our freedom would be  seen in following the desire of Jesus Christ.  

It’s interesting that for someone who says that we are to live our  lives in freedom that he actually gives a list of things we are not supposed to do.  Paul calls this list which starts in vs.19 the works of the flesh.  He then contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruits of the spirit and gives the list of these starting in vs.22.  The separation between the two, according to Paul, is that one will allow its followers to inherit the kingdom of God, and the other will not.  Once again, Paul speaks about an inheritance that is wrapped up in the kingdom of God.

So do you remember what Jesus said while he was in the garden when he was in agony and pain for what he was about to face?  Look at Mark 14:36 and you see Jesus call out to his father and say: Abba, father.  Back in Jesus’ day the people of Palestine spoke a language called Aramaic which is neither Hebrew, the language of the temple and the religious people, nor is it Greek, the language of the land.  It is a language of the people, and it represented a language of intimacy.  Abba in Aramaic means father, but in a much more personal way.  The best definition that we could give it in English is “daddy”.  Just as a matter of fact, the New Testament was written in Greek and Old Testament was written in Hebrew.  They are both considered languages which the people of God used to express the words of God.  Aramaic never had that place in history, even if Jesus’ first language was probably Aramaic.

Vs.6 Paul states that we are adopted children of our Father in heaven.  When you are an adopted child, and I am not saying this from experience but rather from conjecture, then you are, or at least should be, fully included in the family as a blood relative.  Adoption does not in any way make you a second class citizen.  What Paul states in these verses is that we are fully children of God.  There is no distinction.  In fact, he states that we are not only children but heirs.  An heir is one who is getting ready to inherit that which the one who went before left behind.  What Jesus left for us is eternal life.  That is our inheritance, a life that is eternal.  

From verses 8-20 it is as if Paul had forgotten that he was chastising the Galatians for their unfaithfulness, and goes back into it.  But it is also here where we find some evidence for the claim that Paul had an ailment that affected his eyes.  We had mentioned earlier that this could be his “thorn in the flesh”.  I love the line in vs.19 where he states that he is like a woman who is in childbirth until Christ is born again in them.  As if he knows what that is like.  As if I know what that is like.  But it is an incredibly rich image.  A pastor saying to a community that he loves who is wandering away from the faith that he is in the type of pain that can only result in joy because they will once again rediscover Christ.  I love that image.

The next image is not so spectacular.  Paul uses the image of Hagar and Sara as an allegory.  He says as such, so we shouldn’t take it literally.  Meaning, Paul uses the difference between the mothers of two sons and how we fit the model of the children born from those whom God had chosen to carry forward his kingdom.  Sara was chosen by God to carry forward His people and His kingdom.  Hagar, at no fault of her own, became involved in God’s  plan as a result of our human deficiencies.  But it was not her fault that she was included.  I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Hagar and I’ve never been greatly impressed with Sarah.   But again, the focus is on the children as being legitimate heirs to God’s kingdom.  That’s us folks.

Every now and then there is a verse in the Bible that I come across and it reminds us of how powerful Scripture is.  Galatians 3:28 is one of those verses that I keep going back to in order to be reminded of God’s love for all of humanity.  It is also one of those verses that I keep going back to in order to prove a point for those who just might want to limit who is able to perform God’s work for His kingdom.  In Christ there is “no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female…”  Did you hear that?  There is no longer male and female.  God is able to use all of us in order to bring about His kingdom.  I go back to this verse often in order to prove this point, and it isn’t just proof texting.  It is a consistent Scripture which reminds us of God’s presence in all of our lives.

Paul’s tone remains reproving, he calls out the Galatians for that which they had slipped in the previous chapters.  Don’t make people become Jewish before they come into the church.  We settled that argument in Jerusalem.  We can’t think that Jesus came and died for our sins just for the sake of us having to redo his whole work by continuing to be under the law.  A faith in Jesus is sufficient for all of us, just as Jesus’ grace is sufficient for all of us.  Remember when Paul says this in II Corinthians 2:19.  It wasn’t that long ago when we were reminded that it is not about following the rules, it is about following Jesus.  Paul keeps going back to that point time after time after time.  I like that point.

So today we delve into a theological concept that is fundamental to our faith, and yet is one with which theologians over the ages have struggled.  The term we are going to look at is justification.  If you break that word down you see that it is composed of the root which is “justify”.  How is a person made just, made right, even made righteous before God?  In the past, or at least in the past for Paul which would have been in his Jewish days, one was made righteous before God through the law.  It had to happen every year.  Every year there would be a sacrifice made of a lamb, its blood would be shed and it would be sent over the cliff outside of Jerusalem as a symbol that God had laid the sin of all of His people on this lamb who carried it away.  Now, before you think: how cruel, think of the symbolism that we have in communion.  Our symbolism is that we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus, which allows us to be cleansed.  So, before you hold your nose to the savagery of the past, keep in mind that we are not much better.  That is the value of symbolism.

Paul states in this chapter that no longer are we justified under the law, but rather, if you look at vs.21: “if justification comes though the law, then Christ died for nothing.”  Instead, Paul tells us, justification comes by “faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  This is the difference between the Old Covenant that was tied up in the law and an act that we had to perform in order to be justified, and the New Covenant which is tied up in the cross and the act that Jesus did and offered to us freely.  According to Hebrews, Jesus was/is the sacrificial lamb who was killed once and for all for us.  Go back to vs.16 and you can read these exact words and explanation by Paul that is noteworthy.  He states: “a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.”  This is the single most important difference that Jesus made.  He connects the chasm between us and God.  We do not try to connect it, he does it for us.

The beginning part of this chapter is a bit of a diatribe, again, again those who would insist that the only way to be a Christian is to first become Jewish.  Specifically, and this is where he objects the most, if anyone would require a person to be circumcised before they were welcomed into the fold, then that is simply wrong.  If you look at vs.12 you will see that there is a circumcision “faction”.  So, just in case you thought the first century church was perfect, it was not.  It had factions which caused church leaders, Barnabas at that, to be stifled and change their actions in such a way that it did not fulfill the will of God.  Paul says he approached them and talked to them to their face about their errors.  Now you know how you are made right before God.  It has nothing to do with what you do.  It has everything to do with Jesus and what he did for us.  If we have faith in what he did for us, we are in that number.  On that note see below.

This letter of Paul is clearly written to the churches of Galatia.  If you look at your map today you will not see a city called Galatia.  In fact, it is important that we see that this letter is written to the churches (plural) in Galatia as opposed to the church (singular) in Corinth (I Corinthians 1:2).  

The four churches of Galatia were thought to be Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe.  They were squarely folded into the Roman Empire in  the 20’s BC.  It is thought that Paul established these churches in his early first missionary journey in the years 46-48AD.  He then wrote this letter to the churches around 49AD while he was on the way to the Jerusalem council.  The churches found themselves in a region that was often swayed and vacillated among ideas and philosophies.  This comes out in the letter.  Let’s look at the first chapter.

Paul gives us his testimony here.  What is your testimony?  I love the way in which he succinctly speaks of his born again moment in a few short paragraphs.  My testimony is not in any way similar to that of Paul’s.  I did grow up in a Christian family.  My parents did nurture me with Scripture and bathed me in prayer.  But I chose to not follow Jesus and to follow a path which I felt was right for me at that time, which had nothing to do with God.  In short, I was self-centered on that which was most important to me, and God was not a part of the equation.  I wasn’t necessarily hostile to God, He just didn’t enter the picture…until He did.  On a winter retreat on January 14, 1986 Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to talk to me and say that He wanted me in His fold.  Praise be to God I responded.  I was not out persecuting the church.  I was not hostile to people or groups.  I was involved in some actions which would be called immoral, but for the most part I was a good kid.  When I asked Jesus to enter my life, everything changed.  I became focused on knowing that my life had to reflect every single day the presence of Jesus in my life.  

Paul’s testimony is one of a celebrity and well educated clergyman who was empowered to root out the enemy and bring them to justice.  His conversion allowed the Holy Spirit to work in his life and it turned him into one who joined sides with the enemy, at least according to the religious rulers of the day.  I guess the most equal comparison would be if a well-known Christian pastor were tasked by the church to seek out ISIS cells within the US and bring them to justice.  In his responsibility of rooting them out he then changes his mind and joins ISIS to establish cells throughout the US.  His transition was a scandal to the religious authority and a bonus, a big bonus, to the early Christian church.  Yes, I am comparing the early church to ISIS in that the status quo of the day saw them as a threat which needed to be eliminated because they were a threat to their way of life and a real threat to their livelihood.

He begins the letter after his greeting where he lifts up the grace and the work of Jesus on the cross.  He chastises the churches in Galatia for their apostasy as it seems like they have quickly turned away from the faith which Paul had brought to them.  It does sound like someone who is disappointed in the recent development of things.  Keep in mind that once Paul visited that region and established churches that it would be years before he would be able to visit them again, if he was able to at all.  His main point is the following: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received (to what Paul had originally brought), let that one be accursed.  The Galatians were moving away from Paul’s original teaching and moving toward whatever teachings might have been appealing at that time and on that day.  

His testimony follows, and it a convincing one which allows the churches in Galatia to remember the authority which Paul has and the reason why, in the first place, that they turned to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.