A Testimony of Grace
Galatians 4
S= Galatians 4:12 “Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you, You have not injured me at all.”
O= This was a different verse to choose but it stuck out to me. Paul, the former Jewish pharisee, is asking the gentile Christians to become like him. But Paul is not asking them to become Jewish proselytes or even Jewish believers. Paul is asking them to identify with him in that he is free from the law. He has stepped away from the way of the law as away to earn righteousness. Paul is speaking to people who had never followed the dietary laws or the sacrificial system. These were people who never knew the Jewish feast and festivals or had followed the Sabbath restrictions. These gentiles were free to follow Christ alone. This is all they knew; Christ, His death and resurrection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. That was all they needed. Now they were thinking that they had missed out on something, that something was wrong with their walk with Christ. They were acting like somehow they were short on the requirements for salvation. The sad thing was that these gentile believers had not missed anything but in fact they had a better understanding of Grace than Paul had. Paul had to unlearn the law to be free and they were stepping back into the bondage that the Gospel had freed all mankind from! How Paul must have ached to see this happening.
A= What I thought of with these observations was a Christian without a worldly testimony. You know what I mean, someone who grew up without rebellion against God or their parents or without sex, drugs or rock and roll and somehow feeling like they have no testimony. It is like they need to tell people how bad they were in order to give God glory for their life. I mean when you think about it, isn’t really more of a testimony never to have ever got involved in any of those things? Did this person really miss anything? No, they are much better off knowing that they have remained pure, or respectful, or sober. Their life is the real testimony and a tribute to making the right choices. I should live the “right way” because the Holy Spirit is directing my thoughts and behavior not to earn anything with God. The “right way” is; trusting that faith in Christ will be enough to save me and sanctify me. Does that mean that there are not rights and wrongs or dos and don’ts? No, but those standards don’t earn my salvation they just reveal that Christ is my Lord and I am living in obedience to the Holy Spirit. The standards I am referring to affect the heart. These standards are inwardly motivated and affect my outward actions they cannot be outward postures that only mask my inward condition.
P= Lord, let me see what is important to you. Let me hear your will spoken to me through your precious Spirit and then be obedient. Let me never take grace for granted and never add to myself or others the thought that somehow anything can be added to the gospel!
S= Galatians 4:12 “Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you, You have not injured me at all.”
O= This was a different verse to choose but it stuck out to me. Paul, the former Jewish pharisee, is asking the gentile Christians to become like him. But Paul is not asking them to become Jewish proselytes or even Jewish believers. Paul is asking them to identify with him in that he is free from the law. He has stepped away from the way of the law as away to earn righteousness. Paul is speaking to people who had never followed the dietary laws or the sacrificial system. These were people who never knew the Jewish feast and festivals or had followed the Sabbath restrictions. These gentiles were free to follow Christ alone. This is all they knew; Christ, His death and resurrection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. That was all they needed. Now they were thinking that they had missed out on something, that something was wrong with their walk with Christ. They were acting like somehow they were short on the requirements for salvation. The sad thing was that these gentile believers had not missed anything but in fact they had a better understanding of Grace than Paul had. Paul had to unlearn the law to be free and they were stepping back into the bondage that the Gospel had freed all mankind from! How Paul must have ached to see this happening.
A= What I thought of with these observations was a Christian without a worldly testimony. You know what I mean, someone who grew up without rebellion against God or their parents or without sex, drugs or rock and roll and somehow feeling like they have no testimony. It is like they need to tell people how bad they were in order to give God glory for their life. I mean when you think about it, isn’t really more of a testimony never to have ever got involved in any of those things? Did this person really miss anything? No, they are much better off knowing that they have remained pure, or respectful, or sober. Their life is the real testimony and a tribute to making the right choices. I should live the “right way” because the Holy Spirit is directing my thoughts and behavior not to earn anything with God. The “right way” is; trusting that faith in Christ will be enough to save me and sanctify me. Does that mean that there are not rights and wrongs or dos and don’ts? No, but those standards don’t earn my salvation they just reveal that Christ is my Lord and I am living in obedience to the Holy Spirit. The standards I am referring to affect the heart. These standards are inwardly motivated and affect my outward actions they cannot be outward postures that only mask my inward condition.
P= Lord, let me see what is important to you. Let me hear your will spoken to me through your precious Spirit and then be obedient. Let me never take grace for granted and never add to myself or others the thought that somehow anything can be added to the gospel!
Born to be free!
Galatians 4 ends by declaring :"we(who are born again) are children of the free ( the supernatural)." God's super nature on our natural one gives us to rise and take hold of the promises and elude the daily and persistent traps of the enemy. In v6 we are lovingly told:"because you (really) are (His) sons, God has sent the SPIRIT OF HIS SON into our hearts, crying, Abba(Father)! Father!"
Father, I receive from the Holy Spirit the revelation of being a cherished daughter that You have put into my heart.Let me catch it in a new and fresh way. Father, I yield to the Spirit of Jesus in me. Have your perfect way!
Denise Scaglione
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:21 PM
Pastor Dan, I have some questions rather than comments to post. 1st, Gal 4:10-do you think this is the verse Jehovah's Witnesses use to not celebrate holidays? Next,some of the Jewish believers from Jerusalem were trying to get the new gentile believers to be circumcised/keep kosher, but were they also trying to get them to follow all of the other Jewish laws, traditions, holidays, etc? Also, the gentiles before they became believers were primarily worshipping various pagan gods in their area--do you know if there were any in particular? Dianne H. email answers to mercyinaction@verizon.net--thanks!
Posted by
Anonymous |
7:50 AM