Author: missionspaul

Being made right before God is never achieved by working at being right or good or the best you can be. Being made right before God is only by faith in the act of Christ on the cross and your daily trust in Jesus to follow Him.

If I don’t have to do anything because God has done it all why then do I have to be kind? Why do I have to love people? Don’t you ever just want to break the rules?

Paul is leading into the important answers to these questions. However, to a group of Jesus followers being tempted to return to the Law of Moses he is making sure they understand what they would be returning to.

“Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. ²⁰ A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. ²¹ Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. ²² But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3 v 19-22)

The Law of Moses declared sin not salvation. It tells us we are not good enough and never will be. It seems strange that a section of the Bible reveals how the Torah locked people into their sin. But it also shows us the need for salvation. The Torah was given to show us that we could not be good if we tried.

There was nothing wrong with the angels and Moses the mediator. A mediator between God and the Jews. But it was always God’s intent that ultimately there would be one single family which was never in Moses’ mind. God who is one has made the Jew and Gentile one family. There is no difference whether Jew or Gentile, it is the same for everyone in this world. The Law/the standard of God still convicts us of our sin and that we are not kind enough, not loving enough etc. It continues to point to the need for salvation. It points us to reach out and believe in Jesus for it is only when we tap into the same faith that Abraham had will we be free.

The answer to how we live our lives is found in this faith. The keys to living are in this faith. They are not in the rules. We are getting closer to the revelation!

If I don’t have to do anything because God has done it all why then do I have to be kind? Why do I have to love people? Don’t you ever just want to break the rules?

The Galatian followers of Jesus must have been trying to interrupt whoever it was who was reading out this letter from Paul: “Why the Law of Moses then? Why did God bring the law?” So we enter into this central message of the letter and we are going to find out.

Paul is making clear once again the covenant, the promise of blessing to all nations as the most important truth to hold on to.

“Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.” (Galatians 3 v 15-18)

• The Law 430 years after the covenant does not do away with the blessing to all nations of salvation and grace.
• The Law is not something new from God which replaces the old.
• It does not mean God decided to introduce rules on order to receive what was originally given as a grace.
• If a promise then later on has conditions attached to it then it negates the promise.

Paul takes us back to that covenant in Genesis 15 that He made with Abram. Though it is beyond our understanding in our culture when covenants are signed in pen or in a previous generation we may remember signing a deal by spitting on our hands before shaking the hand of the other (I’ve never done that one!) the covenant with Abram was binding. It was ‘signed’ by arranging 2 halves of the dead animal either side creating a thoroughfare and the persons would walk through it, it was a declaration saying basically, “may I die if I fail to keep this covenant.”

Genesis 15 v 10 “So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side”

However, Abram was tired that day! On the day of the covenant he fell asleep! It was meant to be. God made the covenant not Abram. It was God in the presence of fire who walked in the thoroughfare. God sealed the deal. God signed the promise. The blessing to all the nations through a singular seed, His Son Jesus Christ, who did die on a cross, was promised because God made it.

• The law does not do away with that event.
• The law does not make you acceptable to God.
• The law does not give you the promise of blessing.
• That event speaking into the generation when Jesus walked the earth and for all future generations does. That covenant still speaks today.

It does not answer the question but it is crucial before the questions are answered.

If you do not understand and if you have not fully grasped and accepted and are living by this amazing promise then you will not be able to move into what Paul says next.

Dwell a little more on this amazing grace!

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!

In my nation as in many it is difficult to say it is a blessed one. Hatred on the streets fuelled by hatred on social media. My nation needs the Saviour. It needs Jesus Christ.

Speaking into the hatred of division Paul is defending the position that Gentiles do not have to become Jewish in order to be a true Christ-follower. He has met the Messiah. He has been transformed by Jesus and his faith is in Him. He looks back into the Scriptures to the promise Abraham received. It is a promise of blessing given to Abraham’s descendants who have faith like he had.

“Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3 v 8-9)

The quotation is from Genesis 12:3 when Abram at 75 years old set out from Harran to the Promised Land, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. Also when in the presence of the Lord and two angels in Genesis 18:18, “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” Finally and most importantly, after his obedience in willing to surrender his own son in Genesis 22:18, “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” It is most important because it shows how the nations will be blessed. Through the offspring of Abraham. That is not many but one.  We will read soon in v16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.” It is still for today. It is for my nation right now and for every nation. The ‘through you’ is not only Abraham’s faith but through being in Christ, through faith in Jesus and being transformed by the obedience He has done on the cross.

Paul wrote of this in Romans 6 using the concept of baptism in showing the identification change that took place when we first started to follow Jesus. We were dipped into the same scene of the cross. There was blood, a slaughter, our crucifixion, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him…” (6:6). Crucial to our understanding is this: sin and death was not overpowering Jesus on the cross, Jesus was overpowering sin and death. The blood of Jesus overpowered all fear. The blood of Jesus justified us. The blood of Jesus redeemed us from the hand of Satan. The blood of Jesus totally forgave us. The blood of Jesus gave access to God. That’s the scene: the overcoming of all fear, justification, redemption, forgiveness, access, freedom. That’s the scene we were dipped into. All nations will be blessed THROUGH YOU. That’s what we went THROUGH. We then went where Jesus went. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death…”(6:4) We were dead. Therefore, His resurrection then becomes our resurrection. His new life becomes ours. His power becomes our power. All nations will be blessed THROUGH YOU is still a promise to every nation and a prayer for us all that today people will go through Jesus to their blessing.

This letter is Paul’s attempt to stand against the false teachers of Galatia who were saying a gentile had to become Jewish in order to be a Christian. If that was the case then the promise given to Abraham for all nations would not have meant all nations. It would have been nonsense for how can all nations move to become the nation of Israel. God’s plan was for every nation of the world to have the same blessing as Abraham. This is not referring to his wealth for Abraham was indeed wealthy. But it was his right standing before God. This is what Paul was referring to. This is the blessing and it is for everyone, of every tribe, language, culture and every nation without having to adopt practices of other nations.

 ^“Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3 v 8-9)

Paul is saying there are no limits and we should not put limits on anyone because even before the Law Abraham, the father of faith’ understood the gospel.

The people so culturally different to us are family, heirs, full members of the kingdom of God and Paul insists they be treated as such. Paul was insisting that the Jews could fellowship with the Gentiles, they could eat with them and importantly they must not compel them to do anything for God to accept them. They are accepted and they are blessed.

Over these last several days there has been fear on our streets and many of us are praying for peace. Riots are happening in cities and towns and many from other nations of the world who have come here for safety are fearing for their lives. They are hated by angry racist mobs who despise their presence and who violently demonstrate their non-acceptance in what were peaceful communities.

Why am I thinking of this hatred within this devotion this morning? For one thing it is constantly in our minds but the other is that the anger on the streets is the deep end of the swimming pool but I am seeing anger in the church also and though this may be the shallow end it is having the same impact of destruction. The problem the Apostle Paul addresses 2,000 years ago hasn’t gone away. It may not be about circumcision but it is about culture, it is about character and the chemistry of personalities. It is about acceptance.

The hater believes they have good reason to do so even though there may be none. The hater hates because others do not fit into their world. The hater is ignorant and unenlightened. The hater is a seeker of justice though they are guilty themselves. The hater focuses on what others do but it is who they are that they really hate even if they won’t say it. Hatred is on our streets right now but it is in our churches, it is in our pews and pulpits alike. The followers of Jesus will deny they hate but their words are as violent, plotting downfalls is as violent and destructive gossip is as violent. Paul’s problem is still here. “I will not accept you unless you do this. I declare you will not be blessed unless you fall into line.” Thankfully there are many churches who are places of acceptance! Paul believed the promise given to Abraham was for Jew and Gentile and wrote this, ““Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” Romans 15:7

I stood before the congregation as I do most Sundays. Before me were people of different ages; different careers present and past; different scales of wealth; different nationalities, skin colour, gender, and even sexual identity. A young lady not used to public speaking came to the front to bring a presentation promoting an organisation. She was very nervous but despite the obvious struggle of a nervous stammer did very well and received an applause as she went back to her seat with people nearby saying, ‘well done’ with nods of encouragement. The Pastor came to the pulpit and called for the people to give to a local youth mission, ‘even though we may not benefit from this mission ourselves’. This church doesn’t have lots of youth but the ones they do have are catered for very well. This Church has a rich diversity of people, you wouldn’t necessarily arrange for this particular group of people to do life together because their difference is seen in a variety of ways. However, they all had been praising God using the same songs; they all would share the same refreshments after the service; they all shared the same Pastor and Eldership team who served them keeping this church in alignment with the Word and Spirit as much as they could. But they all were different. Some old in the faith but very young in spirit; some young in the faith but brow-beaten by life’s difficulties.

It wasn’t without tensions. It wasn’t perfect but it was a safe place.

During an appeal for anyone to come forward for prayer a man who had come to church for the first time that morning walked to the front. He committed his life to Jesus and everyone whooped and applauded bringing more praise to God.

As the man went back to his seat I said to him publicly these words: “Welcome to this Church. This is a safe place for you. You will grow as a disciple of Christ in this community.” Why was I so sure?

I was in a Church that understood the words of Paul and the promise of Abraham that all nations will be blessed. No matter who you are, the promise of blessing is for everyone and churches are places of acceptance. The streets may be places of hatred right now but there are many places of refuge. Let’s do all that we can today to not be people who divide but who are people of blessing and let us start with people who are different to us.

A reminder of the problem: are the gentiles accepted by God without becoming Jewish? That’s pretty much what it’s all about.

The Apostle Paul has been giving a resounding YES to that question. Surely that’s enough. In case anyone questions Paul Scripturally, he uses it.

^“Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3 v 8-9)

So let’s slow this down.

All nations.

Abraham died nearly 250 years before Moses was born. So this ancestor pre-dates the Law of God. He knew the gospel before the rules were created. The coming of Deuteronomy would challenge what Abraham had understood and led to the crying need for a Messiah. Paul is addressing those people influencing others to keep acknowledging the law. They wanted people to keep striving to keep the rules as a means of being acceptable to God. But all nations cannot be those limited by circumcision or keeping the Jewish lifestyle. All nations has to be nations who have never heard of the Law of Moses.

Abraham’s original name meant ‘exalted father’, Abram. But God changed his name to ‘father of a multitude’, Abraham. In that name change Abram realised life was not about him, his own exaltation, but about the nations across the whole world. His move to Canaan was the outworking of that revelation. We too are called to act on what we know. Jesus told us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” To disciple an ethnos (nations) means to transform the existing culture into a new culture of God’s kingdom. Where do you live? The home? The neighbourhood? Every tribe has its own language, rules of practice, location and most hate other tribes and outsiders.

There are Christians in every nation of the world. The church is now a diverse multitude representing thousands of peoples and languages. And the work continues to all nations.

Specific people and ethnic groups bound together by a common culture, language, values, socio-economic or ethnic identity are being blessed. The un-evangelised and under-evangelised groups where there are no Christian witness present, or no indigenous Christian community within that group of sufficient size to complete the task of evangelising that group without outside assistance are now being blessed. The Samaritans are being blessed. These are the people you might prefer not to work among but who very much need to know about Jesus; people who may live near you but who are culturally very distinct from you. Even the hidden people groups who are isolated and hidden from other groups living nearby. The promise is for all and 2,000 years later after Paul reminds us of the historical promise, ALL nations is still the call and it is still the goal and it is happening more than ever.

Paul is saying there are no limits and we should not put limits on anyone because even before the Law Abraham, the father of faith’ understood the gospel.

We would never ask someone from a different ethnic group, different language, from a hidden people group in a nation thousands of miles from us to live out their Christian life in the way that we do in the Western world. “Do it like we do it and God will accept you!” No. We just praise God that this promise is being fulfilled. The God of the west is the God of the east, north and the south. The God of all nations.

Do you ever worry about being good enough for God? Do you wonder if He is pleased or angry or is He someone who is rolling His eyes at you? How debilitating that must be! And more important what a waste of time as a follower of Jesus!

Moving from the questions (v1-5) which expose the false teachers who are insisting on circumcision and the need to live a Jewish life to be acceptable to God, Paul brings in Abraham. The father of the Jews is Abraham and he lived by faith and it is the people of faith (not works) that are his children.

“So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” (Galatians 3 v 6-7)

God looks for faith; works with faith; pays out because of faith.

That is the gospel.

Faith … trusting Jesus.

Faith gives you enough credit for you to be declared innocent because the debt on your account has now vanished. God did it. Keep hold of this faith and don’t put it down so that works take over.

Of course Abraham made mistakes. But he kept bouncing back and got back on track with his faith in God’s promise. That is why God credited his faith as righteousness. Abraham held onto the conviction in God’s promise and acted on that promise. This is the faith Paul is speaking of. This is our faith. We bounce back. We keep holding on to the work of Christ on the cross. We keep faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The last of Paul’s 5 rhetorical questions.

Here’s one of my questions first: Can you remember a wonderful answer to prayer God gave you or maybe you hadn’t actually prayed but it was an out-of-the-blue gracious move of God? Hold that thought as we return to Paul’s question here:

“So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3 v 5)

Back to that answer to prayer that you have remembered: why did God do that? Was it because you were good or trying to be so? Or was it because He is good and you believe in Him?

Let me write something that does need qualifying but nevertheless is perfectly true and what Paul is saying.

The Spirit works when Christians don’t.

When I was in school my teachers time and again said, ‘Paul would do better if he tried’ and eventually that message gripped my life. I see it a lot in others. Wherever that message came from it did damage.

The greatest discipleship lesson is this: Train yourself not to follow the way of the world but follow the way of Christ – it is about what He did and who we are in Him. It is not about you trying but definitely applying what has been done by Him to every aspect of your life.

When we do not rely on our work to see God move and do miracles then He does just that.

Look what has happened in your life. Take a quick look back. This is what Paul asks in his next question:

“Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?” (Galatians 3 v 4)

What have you experienced?

For the Galatians they had experienced along with Paul (in Acts 14) persecution. Most would have probably escaped this hardship if they had been circumcised at the beginning of their faith in Jesus journey. So why feel threatened to be circumcised now? They had also experienced moves of the Spirit on their lives, “…who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders” (Acts 14 v 3). Was that for nothing? Is it now suddenly all about whether we are circumcised or not? This is what Paul was saying and he made his point clearly.

So what have you experienced?

Into a multitude of voices trying to convince you through lies, disappointments, hurts and doubts it is His voice that we need to hold on to. “Has it all been in vain? Don’t be weighed down by the burdens of others who do not know the grace you received, don’t walk away now from what brought you in, you will cheapen everything you have stood for and all that you have endured.” Your enemy wants you to work to please God and He will never stop no matter how old you are in the faith. But you never received salvation that way and you have relied on His grace all your life so why ruin those years by suddenly changing now?

Recently I found myself in the middle of a conversation where I heard one man try to convince his friend that a colleague was indeed an amazing valuable member of the team. He used an example of what that colleague had achieved in the world. He listed his incredible accomplishments. It felt like we should all be jolly thankful that this man existed at all. In a split moment I envisaged the moment this man had fallen on his knees before the cross; I wondered about the grace he received for his sins; his baptism; and so much more. These grace experiences that every one of us have had far outweigh any of our human achievements. If all that we are is what we have done and been then our salvation experience and so much more from the hand of God has been pointless.

Don’t let anyone burden you down to please God with some rules whether circumcision 2,000 years ago or today to jump through some hoop and fulfil a rule to please God.

You have so many beautiful experiences in God and so much suffering you have endured to begin to think this journey of faith is anything to do with you at all.

Do you remember how you came to be a Christian? The answer is a variety of ways except for one common truth, the understanding and receiving of the gospel. At the moment you were born again of the Spirit of God. You heard, you believed and you received of the Spirit.

Paul is aghast that at the moment of salvation it was all about the work of the gospel of Christ and the Spirit coming upon them. He says, “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” Galatians 3:3

Do you think that the gospel is for the beginning but that rules of obedience get you to the end? That’s foolish. It is the gospel that carries you to the end.

Do you think lifestyle kingdom principles will give you the assurance you are walking with God? That’s foolish. It is the gospel that keeps you close to the Lord.

Do you think the gospel is elementary? That’s foolish. The gospel is everything.

Do you advertise a free gospel but then payment comes later with circumcision (Paul’s argument) or whatever else is imposed on you?

Do you think the gospel is too cheap or too easy and the real price starts to be paid after salvation?

Do you think when you stand before God at the end of your life that what will save you is anything you have done or will it be the gospel?

It has always and will always be about our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

You are saved, are being saved and will be saved.

When facing many trials the Spirit will remind you that you have a Saviour.

When being attacked by slander and allegations the Spirit will remind you that you have a Saviour.

When deciding whether to give into temptation the Spirit will remind you that you have a Saviour.

When not knowing which way to go the Spirit will remind you that you have a Saviour.

When taking your last breath the Spirit will remind you that you have a Saviour.

So today, listen to the voice of the Spirit who will continue to remind you that it is the gospel and nothing else that you need, you have a Saviour, Jesus Christ.