Thursday February 19, 2015

Read Galatians 3:1-4:7

Galatians 3:1-5 are perhaps some of the most hard hitting and most disturbing words in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t hold back the punches. He calls the Galatians fools! (Read Matthew 5:22 to see how brazen this is). He has preached the gospel of Jesus’ crucifixion clearly and plainly to them. And yet they lack understanding. They have not been mindful of the cross because they have gone backwards into slavery under useless rules and regulations. You can almost hear the discussions over morning tea after their church service. Do you think we need to be circumcised? Yes I think it will help. We need to take up food laws and avoid eating certain foods. We must celebrate certain days of the year. Do you suppose we have to...

Paul, in anguish, tells them that the they have been bewitched! They have been taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophies and they have been led astray by fine sounding arguments. They have been blinded by untruth and deception.

The verses that follow (v2-5) speak of the Holy Spirit and challenge us as much as it would have challenged the believers in Galatia. After calling them foolish again, he asks if they are trying to attain their goal (heaven?) by human effort and not by the Spirit. So many churches rely on human effort rather than on the Spirit. Preachers across the land exhort people to act like this, to take up this way of life, to live in a certain way, to do certain things and not to do other things. Often faith and the Spirit get little or no mention.

Then Paul asks them if God gives them His Spirit and through that Spirit works miracles among them because they kept the law or because they had faith in Jesus. The answer is clearly that the Spirit is given because they had put their faith in Jesus. I’ve heard many arguments for the cessation of miracles but Paul clearly expects the Spirit to be working miracles among believers, even in a church where there was currently no known Apostle. Paul expected that the Spirit would be at work in the community of faith.

He even goes onto use Abraham as an example of faith (vv6-9) and concludes with a damning statement.

Galatians 3:10 (NIV84)

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

He goes on to tell us:

Galatians 3:23–25 (NIV84)

23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

And after many verbal blows he concludes with a heart warming truth.

Galatians 3:26–29 (NIV84)

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We are sons of God and we call God “Abba, Father” if we have faith in Jesus. We are Spirit filled if we have faith. We should expect the Spirit to be at work among us if we have faith. We should never seek to manipulate God or to falsify the work of the Spirit and we should never think that Christianity is about following rules and regulations.

Prayer:

Use the day’s reading notes and Bible passage to pray meaningfully:

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray for  the weekend’s service.

· Pray for opportunities to share your testimony.

 Discussion & Reflection

1. What are some of the burdensome rules and regulations you have experienced in the church?

2. What would be a godly way to deal with these rules and regulations?

3. How do you think these rules and regulations come about?

4. How has Gal 3:1-5 challenged your thinking about miracles?