Is God pleased with you? How do you even begin to answer that?
Is God pleased with your neighbour? That’s perhaps an easier one to answer because we know all that is wrong with them! This is the problem Paul is addressing. The Jewish believers needed the Gentile believers to be like them! They were too different. The problem hasn’t gone away. God had always promised a multi-ethnic diverse family. But that can be challenging if all your life you are doing your best to be good by keeping certain rules and then seeing others blatantly breaking them yet still claiming to worship your God!
Here are 4 important verses from the Old Testament (Paul’s Scripture’s) that we all need to keep reminded of for they lead to the life we should be living.
“For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Galatians 3 v 10-14)
“Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Deut 27:26) If you fail in just one detail you fail. You might pass the test of circumcision but fail in the other 612 commandments.
“the righteous will live by faith” (Hab 2:4) We are made right before God when we put our trust in what God has done for us and stop doing things for Him in order to gain or indeed prove our status.
“The person who does these things (the law) will live by them.” (Lev 18:5) There are never enough rules to keep to please God. It is a trap. It will not lead to simple faith but an anxiety that you are not pleasing God.
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Deut 21:23) Living the way of rules is a curse, it does not set anyone free it only leads to judgment. The Torah/the Law of God is perfect we are not. Jesus went to the cross, sent by God, in the perfect plan, to be that curse and to abolish it so something new could begin. He became the sinner. Hold on! Surely we are the sinner. Yes but He became the sin and took the penalty for it. It’s done.
Over the last few days I have focused on the promise, “All nations will be blessed through you” and this is how … v14 Jesus on the cross paid the price to rescue us from that cursed way of life. He redeemed us. The blessing first given to Abraham (faith credited as righteousness) can now flow to us so that we might receive an eternal future promise, the Spirit. We are now perfect. God sees Jesus-followers as without sin. This is the power of the gospel. So how stupid would it be if we returned to relying on our own human effort to try and please God? Yeah, really stupid!
Missions Paul 