Galatians 4

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, May 21: Galatians 4

After making an appeal based on his authority as an apostle (1:11ff), Paul has also appealed to the Galatians’ experience of the Gospel (3:1ff) as well as the textual example of Abraham’s justification by faith (3:15ff). Now, in chapter 4, we find Paul making a personal appeal on the basis of his relationship with the Galatians (4:8ff).

Before he goes there, Paul trots out two metaphors to communicate his point: the example of a minor who is destined to inherit significant wealth, but remains under the care of trustees until he comes of age; and a slave who is adopted as a son with the full rights of freedom. In the fullness of time, God has acted decisively in Christ to liberate us from captivity and to graduate us into our status as heirs of the Kingdom. Paul is urging these Galatian Christians to understand themselves through these metaphors.

Paul reminds the Galatians of the bond he’s enjoyed with them: although a physical malady brought about the occasion for Paul to preach to them, they received him hospitably and without reservation. “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (v16). Paul’s relationship with the Galatians precipitates this kind of gut-level dialogue. “It’s not because I don’t like you,” we might imagine Paul saying. “In fact, I only bring all of this up BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.” Maybe you’ve had similar conversations with someone in the past; maybe someone has had to address you with this kind of tone. If so, praise God for these people. They’re true friends, people who must really love us if they’re willing to engage in this kind of serious discussion with us.

The chapter closes with another textual example: Hagar and Sarah. In Paul’s argument, each of these ladies represents something: Hagar, the slavery produced by life in the flesh; and Sarah, the life that comes through the promises of God. Paul is employing every tool in his tool box to prompt the Galatians. “Are you children of Hagar? Children representative of the old covenant? Of Sinai? Of Jerusalem? Or are you children of Sarah? Children who represent promise and Spirit and new life?” These are the questions we’re meant to ask ourselves as we read through Galatians 4.

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Galatians 3

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, May 18: Galatians 3

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” These are the words that Paul uses as he begins his personal appeal to the Galatian Christians. Paul’s not playing nice here. You can hear the cosmic tone he uses as he rebukes them — “bewitch” implies pagan magic, sorcery, spiritual warfare. After receiving Jesus through the Spirit, the Galatians have embraced a legalistic, fleshly, works-based Gospel — which, as Paul has already noted, is really no Gospel at all. Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions: Did you receive the Spirit because of your strict obedience to Torah or by faithful hearing? Are you finding perfection in your best efforts to be “spiritual”? Is God supplying the Spirit and working miracles among you because of the “righteousness” you’ve achieved? Or could it be that His work among you is actually proof of HIS righteousness, His power, His life?

To make his point, Paul reaches back to Abraham. Paul’s opponents probably appealed to Abraham as their prooftext for connecting faith with circumcision and observance of the Mosaic Law. But Paul addresses his opponents on their own terms, pointing out that Abraham’s encounter with God occurred 430 years before the Law was even received. Abraham BELIEVED God and this faith was the basis of his righteousness (v6) — a righteousness imparted by God through faith (Romans 1.17). Paul argues from priority: God’s promises precede God’s Law. “The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void,” (v17).

This quote from the ESV Study Bible is helpful: “Abraham is the father of God’s people not because he is the biological ancestor of the Jews but because he has a family of spiritual children who follow in his footsteps by believing as he did. God promised Abraham that he would bring life from his dead body (see Romans 4). Thus Abraham is a living OT prophecy of the gospel: he was not an Israelite but a pagan, and God justified him by faith.”

Does all of this mean that the Law somehow works in opposition to the promises of God? Absolutely not (v21). Paul argues that the Law is holy and righteous and good (Romans 7.12). But the Law also serves as a placeholder, a guardian (v24) until Jesus comes — the One whose faithfulness to Law brings us life. Remember our discussion from yesterday: it’s HIS faithfulness that brings life. “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith,” (v24).

Paul closes the chapter by giving us a lyrical description of the faith-justified experience: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” (v27-28). When we accept the grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus, we step into a new existence, a new mode of being. Christ becomes our identity, the normative lens through which we understand ourselves and others. This is what it means to be Abraham’s offspring. And Paul will continue this discussion into the next chapter, which we’ll discuss next week.

Have a great weekend. And may this word dwell richly in your hearts.

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Posted on May 17, 2012 by Jason

Fascinating study with major racial implications for America’s future.

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Galatians 2

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, May 17: Galatians 2

I love this quote from the study notes in the Tree of Life New Covenant Bible (a NT translation by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Project group): “In Galatians, Paul points us beyond divisions to the unity that we all share in Messiah — a unity of equal opportunity to come into relationship with God (3:28 – the same access); a unity of the same way of salvation (2:16 – through faith in God’s Messiah); and a practical unity that manifests itself in behavior (5:14 – love and self-sacrifice).” In this light, Paul is opposing those who would sow seeds of discord within the body of Christ. If we truly live in a “present evil age”, we should seek to maintain the unity of the body of Christ as we wage against the forces of darkness and evil — the “real” enemy.

Paul’s opposition to the Judaizing group — even his opposition of Peter that he describes in this chapter — is rooted in a desire to preserve the unity of the body of Christ and defend the nature of the true Gospel. Unity is always a central theme in Paul’s writing (especially Ephesians; see the “in Christ” language he employs there). But Paul clarifies what he means by “unity”. It’s not a watered down ideology that acquiesces to every opinion or position. What unifies the church is assent to a common reality: the grace of God manifest in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church is unified in the confession of our common failings; think of Romans 3.23, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The church is unified in the confession of our common life, now found in the Triune life of God as Father, Son, and Spirit. God invites us into this life through Christ and — because this is solely HIS work — He doesn’t require our assistance to aid Him. Salvation is His work, His business. Those who are advocating circumcision in Paul’s day are elevating human works and corrupting the Gospel, creating a “different gospel” altogether. Against this position, Paul says “we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you,” (v5).

Paul wants to focus the faith-conversation not on ourselves — this is too limiting, a dead-end discussion. Instead, he directs us to the grandness of God’s faithfulness manifest through Christ Jesus. I love how N.T. Wright parses this in The Kingdom New Testament translation of Gal. 2:16: “But we know that a person is not declared ‘righteous’ by works of the Jewish law, but through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah. That is why we too believed in the Messiah, Jesus: so that we might be declared ‘righteous’ on the basis of the Messiah’s faithfulness, and not on the basis of works of the Jewish law. On that basis, you see, no creature will be declared ‘righteous’.”

It’s about Christ’s faithfulness. This is where we find our life. This is where the Law finds its fulfillment. And this is where I am declared righteous in the sight of God.

This is the Gospel.

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Galatians 1

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, May 16: Galatians 1

Sorry I’m a day late with this post. Not having internet at the house is killing me!

Today we shift from reading ABOUT Paul in the final chapters of Acts to words FROM Paul about the nature of the Gospel in Galatians. In this letter, Paul comes out swinging against “false gospels” — narratives or ideologies that would compete with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The early Christians Paul addresses have turned away from Christ to embrace “a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ,” (v6-7). This sets the tone for some of Paul’s strongest statements in scripture: “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed,” (v9).

We can’t discuss Galatians without delving into at least a few of the specifics of this controversial teaching Paul opposes. We can infer from Paul’s writing that the Gospel message of justification by faith in Christ has been perverted by a group who want to “Judaize” these Gentile converts — to impose certain Old Covenant restrictions upon these who have recently come to Christ. A major issue here is circumcision, the external sign of covenant throughout Hebrew history. Paul’s presentation of the Gospel to these Gentiles could be easily summarized as an equation: Faith in Christ = Salvation. But these Judaizers are claiming this equation is incomplete, adding the following variable: Faith in Christ + Observance of the Old Covenant restrictions = Salvation. This is a bit simplistic, but it at least helps frame our reading. For Paul, adding anything to the equation is an affront to the atoning work of Christ Jesus. He addresses this heresy with some of his strongest and most colorful language, as we’ll see.

Paul knows he will surely be opposed by these false teachers as he seeks to correct the Galatians’ understanding. So he grounds his identity as an apostle in the opening line: “Paul, an apostle — not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…”. He defends the pure gospel as God’s idea, not the product of human construction: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ,” (v11-12). Paul spends most of this chapter spelling out his credentials, reminding the Galatians of his identity as a Gospel-bearing apostle before launching into his full-scale attack of the Judaizing heresy. We’ll address that more in depth in the coming days.

In light of our reading, we would be wise to guard ourselves against those things that would compete with the Gospel in our own context. Perhaps we fail to embrace the fullness of God’s Gospel of grace in our lives, believing that we must also somehow “earn” our salvation through a life of good works. Maybe we subscribe to the notion that we must “get it all together” before we can come to Christ. Maybe we bring certain behaviors or positional stances or experiences alongside our encounter with Christ and, like the Judaizers, we elevate these things — either willfully or not — to a dangerous level of equality with the work of Christ as it pertains to our salvation. There are a variety of ways this might be applied to our lives. But the point we should glean from Galatians is to be on guard against the false gospels that surely threaten our faith just as they threatened our Galatian forebears.

How do we counter this? By continually remembering “the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age,” (v4).

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Acts 28

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, May 15: Acts 28

In Luke’s final chapter, we find Paul continuing to engage in the practices of ministry: healing, teaching, declaring Good News. In each place in Luke’s writing, we’re reminded again of God’s role as central character. The language we’ve used several times in this study is “animate”; God, through the Spirit, animates the believers, moving them to speak, teach, heal, and pray in power. Luke’s final chapter wraps up this block of Scripture with the same themes as before.

Luke closes out Acts with Paul in Rome. It may seem odd that Luke doesn’t give us the verdict to Paul’s legal problems…until you realize that this same Luke has been writing with another power in mind all along. It’s not Rome who holds all the cards, anyway; it’s God, who reigns in His Kingdom and is working through the followers of Jesus to bring this Kingdom reign to fruition here — “on earth as it is in heaven.” So, in the end, it doesn’t matter what Rome decides re: Paul’s fate, because his eternal destiny is secured on the authority of a power higher than Caesar.

So, it’s really fitting, then, that Luke draws the curtain to a close the way he does:
“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

With all boldness.
Without hindrance.

That’s Paul, animated by God’s Spirit.

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Acts 27

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, May 14: Acts 27

We have an expert on Acts 27 in our midst, so I’m going to defer some of the details of this chapter to our friend, John Harkins. John, weigh in here and tell us what we need to know about Paul’s shipwreck.

All I want to point out is the connection in this story between deliverance and the breaking of bread and the giving of thanks. v35, “And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.” As we will see at the end of the chapter, Paul and the crew will survive this harrowing episode. But in the middle of the story, there is giving thanks. What a fitting image to describe our own existence: awaiting God’s ultimate salvation, yet grateful for all He’s already done.

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Mother’s Day 2012

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Jason

I realize it’s been a LONG time since I’ve made a “real” post on the blog. Between work, family, coaching baseball, moving, grad school, and writing my daily Bible reading thoughts, I have very little time to write “recreationally” anymore. But some of those commitments will be off my plate in the next few weeks, so hopefully I can post these kinds of posts on a more regular basis.

Lately God has been leading me to a greater awareness of my blessings. This weekend, in light of Mother’s Day, I’m reflecting on the women of faith He has placed in my life.

I’m thankful for the women in the churches I’ve been a part of — women like Miss Frances Austin, a sweet lady who took an interest in me when I was just a young boy. My earliest memories of church include Miss Frances and the Dum-Dum suckers she would pass me at the end of service if I was able to sit quietly. Her warm hugs made church feel less sterile, more homey. For that, I’m thankful. (As an aside, for an incisive look at how most women in church feel about Mother’s Day, read this article.)

I’m giving thanks for my grandmothers, Hilda Bybee and Neale Armstrong, strong women who raised strong families. My Grandmother Armstrong continues to be a source of strength for our family, an example of simplicity and faithfulness honed by years of living in light of the Lord’s provision. There’s a certain smell at Grandmother Armstrong’s house — the smell of warm bread in the oven, seasoned with laughter and conversation, the smell of family. My Grandmother Bybee was full of passion; years later, I can still remember the strength of her kiss against my check when we would arrive at her house. When I was a child, she bequeathed to me a birthright — “We root for the Tennessee Volunteers,” she told me. Yes, ma’am. These women of faith were the matriarchial pillars of my childhood.

I’m thankful also for my mother-in-law, Stephanie Shates. I know she is a great woman, because I live with the daughter she raised. She always puts others before herself, whether its her husband, her children, her grandchildren, or even me. I’ve never known a more conscientious person than Stephanie, or “Nana” as we call her at our house. Even now, as a difficult season has come upon her, she stands strong, ready to weather life’s adversity as she always has: faithfully. This is her legacy to her family, and it’s a proud one indeed.

I have to give thanks for my sister, Tara, for she is also a great mother. I think it’s a little hard to be a Dad when your own father is gone. You just wish he was around to help “show the way”, you know? Well, I’m sure the same is true of mothering, and my sister has been without her mother now for 18 years. But she has an inner reserve of hope that she draws upon that is evident to those who know her. She, too, puts others before herself. She’s a “filler” — she finds joy in a full house, filling our bellies with fine food, filling our hearts with laughter. She preserves the recipes, preserves the stories, preserves the identity of our family as she passes it on to her own children. And this is what mothers have been doing for thousands of years.

Of course, I’m thankful for my own mother, who I miss so much. I’ve written about her several times on this blog (see here, here, here, and here.) The older I get, the more I miss her. She was a special lady, the first person I want to see in heaven after Jesus. I can’t say enough to adequately convey the love I have for this woman. But someday…we live for that day of reunion. Until then, I’m thanking God for the gift of my mother.

And finally, I am most thankful for my wife, Sunny, the mother to my children. I’ve written about her here and here and here and lots of other places on this blog (see the 100+ blog entries tagged “Sunny” in the right hand sidebar). At a certain point, it’s like what I said about my mother — I don’t have the right words to say what she has meant to me. I think of the words to my favorite Avett Brothers song, “Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.” That’s how I feel about Sunny; just thankful that we share a love that lets us share our name, share these children, share in the blessings of life. I love you, Sunny and I am so thankful that you’re in my life. I hope you have a Happy Mother’s Day.

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Acts 26

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, May 11: Acts 26

First off, Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all the Moms out there. Today I’m giving thanks for the women of faith who have been a part of my life: my wife, my mother, my sister, my grandmothers, my mother-in-law…the list is a long one.

I love the encounter between Paul and Agrippa. One is a king of men; the other a slave to the Lord. But we see Paul at his strongest here (in my opinion), nearly persuading the mighty king to bow before the ultimate ruler, King Jesus. Paul is fearless in his presentation of the Gospel, declaring that he is on trial, basically, for the hope God has given him through the resurrection of Jesus. “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in vthe promise made by God to our fathers…Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?” (v6,8).

Paul says to Agrippa, “I understand why these people are upset. I was once like them, concocting murderous plots against this ‘Nazarene sect’. But my encounter with Jesus changed all of that.” I love the autobiographical flavor of Paul’s preaching. This is the third time we’ve read his conversion story in Acts. I wonder if there’s a message there for us. Perhaps the greatest service we can offer to the Kingdom is to tell our stories: “I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in.”

As he recounts his call to ministry, Paul gives credit where credit is due. “To this day I have had the help that comes from God…” (v22). Paul seems keenly aware that God is the one strengthening him, renewing him, aiding him in this call. God has not left Paul empty-handed, but has faithfully provided all that he needs to complete his ministry. Psalm 121.2, “My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.”

The dramatic highlight of this chapter comes in v27-29: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” In this courtroom scene, Paul is supposedly on trial. But in reality, Agrippa’s fate is what hangs in the balance.

We used to sing a song in church when I was growing up called “Almost Persuaded”. I’ve included the lyrics below; I think they’re an apt description of Agrippa as he considers Paul’s message in Acts 26.

“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.”

“Almost persuaded,” come, come today;
“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are lingering near
Prayers rise from hearts so dear;
O wanderer, come!

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

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Acts 25

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, May 10: Acts 25

Chapter 25 continues Paul’s trial before the powers. Paul’s belief in Jesus — particularly in the resurrection of Christ — puts him in opposition with the ruling authorities. Festus’s comment to Agrippa sums it up well: “When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive,” (v18-19). Belief in the Risen Christ who conquers death goes against the grain. It always has. It always will. Empires will oppose it. Rulers will determine how to legislate against it. But as the conclusion of Luke’s writing shows us, this radical belief has always drawn the ire of “the world”.

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