Back Where We Started

The Apostle Paul finishes his letter to his friends in Galatia.  Remember, this is his first epistle.  Only the book of Jesus' brother James is an older NT book.  

It's really easy to blow right through the verses that open and close books of the Bible.  But let's slow down.  Let's drink deeply.  

We'll see that these are critical words that provide a glorious summary of what Paul is trying to get across, not only to this friends in Galatia, but to his readers centuries later.

Don't forget the context.  Paul and Barnabas have just returned from their first missionary expedition (Acts 13:13-14-23).  God took them through the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Derbe and Iconium, in what is now south central Turkey.  

They shared the amazing news that Jesus of Nazareth is not only the long awaited Messiah of the Jews but He has opened up the door of God's salvation to the entire world.

Just after Paul and Barney returned to their home church in Antioch, Syria, they get word that a group of false teachers rode into Galatia on their coat tails twisting the Gospel into wicked works righteousness.  

The Judaizers convinced these new believers that Jesus may have gotten us into His kingdom, but it's up to each of us to stay in by means of religious rule-keeping and obedience.  

They specifically told Gentile Christians that they only way they could REALLY be followers of the radical Rabbi from Galilee was to be circumcised.  

Paul hears about this and hits the roof.  He immediately fires off this letter to put out this fire before it gets out of control.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers.  Amen" (v18).  Here in the final verse of his letter, the apostle doesn't let up one bit.  He keeps his foot on the accelerator.  

He started with grace (Gal 1:3).  He repeatedly preaches grace (Gal 1:6, 15; 2:9, 21; 5:4).  And finishes here with that main them of grace.  We're back where we started with grace.  

Grace.  Grace.  Grace!

Let's dig into the Greek text for a moment.  First, check out the word order in the original language.  "Grace" (Gr. χαρις/charis) appears first in the sentence in the original text.  

Koine uses word order for emphasis.  Paul is emphasizing the importance of grace in our salvation.  Grace is the lead story.  Grace is what Paul hopes we hear first.

The word "grace" is the Greek noun χαρις/charis.  It describes something wonderful, a goodness, a kindness or a gift that is completely and absolutely undeserved.  

Through Jesus, God offers us a salvation and a relationship that we have no right or reason to receive.  That's grace.  We've rebelled against God since the very beginning (Gen 3).  We're enemies of God (Col 1:21).  

We've twisted the worship of our Creator into the worship of what he's created (Rom 1:22-23).  Every last stinkin' one of us (Rom 3:10-11, 23).  This doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture of us as deserving God's favor, does it?  No, I didn't think so.

Despite all of this, God extends grace.  Most of the Bible is the big story of God's work to restore His relationship with His rebel children through the personal embodiment of grace, His Son Jesus.  Christ takes on human flesh and does for us what we could never do for ourselves.  

He lives the sinless, perfect life that couldn't live.  He died the bloody, brutal death that we should have died.  He rose to a glorious new life that we certainly don't deserve.  

The sinless One took our sin and gave us His perfection and obedience (2Cor 5:21).  

Grace.  Totally undeserved.  A ridiculous gift.  

Probably the best understanding of God's grace is found in the book of Ephesians.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph 2:8-9).  

It's by grace.  By faith.  We don't do a dad blame thing.  It is THE gift of God.  Not just any gift.  THE gift.  That, my friends, is grace.

Literally Paul's closing verse reads, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (is) with your spirit, brothers! Amen."  This seems to be less a prayer or desire of Paul for the Galatians than a statement of fact.  They just need to realize His grace in their lives.  

WE just need to realize His grace in our lives.  If, as His followers, will remember what Jesus has done on our behalf, it would change us forever.  And that's Paul's continual message throughout his letters.  Remember who we in are IN CHRIST!  

We must preach this truth to ourselves daily, hourly and at every moment.  When we're not sure what to do, remember the words of the writer of Hebrews: "looking to Jesus, the found and perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12:2).  Look to Jesus.  Remember grace.

Paul signs off every letter he writes by reminding us of the grace of Jesus.  We must not miss out on the necessity to understand the grace of Jesus.  Grace is important.  Grace is vital.  Grace is essential.  

Take a look at the end of each of the apostle's epistles (Phil 4:23; 1Cor 16:23; 2Cor 13:14; Eph 6:24; Col 4:18; 1Th 5:28; 2Th 3:18; 1Tim 6:21; 2Tim 4:22; Titus 3:15; Phlm 25).  

Grace.  Grace.  Grace.

He demands that we understand that every bit of our relationship with God is through the undeserved gift of Jesus.  Did Paul write Hebrews?  It seems that the ending of this book give us a clue that he had a hand in it or heavily influenced its author (Heb 13:25).

And we're back where we started.  Grace.  Grace.  Grace!!!

©2012

Jay Jennings

Walk the Line

In these final verses Galatians, Paul lands the plane.  He has just delivered his bottom line ruling on the whole circumcision debate in Galatians 6:16. 

Do Jesus' followers need to undergo this delicate and oh-so-Jewish "procedure?"  No.  

And in the same way, avoiding it doesn't do anything for you either.  In Jesus, God is moving in a brand spanking new way.  "A new creation."

In other words, the apostle lets us know that when it comes to religious rules, there are none.  

Because Jesus perfectly obeyed all of the commands of God for us, we don't have to.  He met the holy standard of our holy God when there was no possible way we could have. 

God didn't give us His law in order to save us.  He gave it to us to make it perfectly clear that we need a Savior.  I can't save myself through obedience.  My personal self-salvation project is absolutely futile.  

Placing our trust in what Jesus has done FOR us is the only rule that has to be followed.

That leads to his statement here.  "And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God" (v16).  In other words, only when you realize that there are NO rules except faith in Jesus are you walking by THE rule. 

What wonderful and glorious irony.  It's kinda like the Outback Steakhouse.  No rules.  Just right.

Paul refers to "all who walk by this rule."  The Greek verb here is στοιχεω/stoicheo.  It means to walk in a proper way, conduct yourself, live in conformity to a particular standard.  It was often used to describe how soldiers marched in unison. 

This word literally means to walk in a line.  Apparently Johnny Cash wasn’t the first one to drop this idea. 

For those rule followers out there (and that would be all of us!), here's the standard: don't worry about saving yourself through rule following.  That's EXACTLY how we should walk the line.

When we walk in what Jesus has done for us, only then can we know the "peace and mercy" of a relationship with a holy God. Without Jesus, we're still enemies of God (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21). 

Let's face it, that's not a fight we're going to win.  When God is my enemy, I'm gonna lose.  Guaranteed.  I need peace.  His peace. 

The idea of biblical peace is not simply a lack of conflict.  Biblical peace is based on the Hebrew word "shalom."  This is the idea of not just safety and well-being.  God's peace is so much more broad than the lack of conflict and danger.  

It means restoration, wholeness and completeness.  In Jesus, God is restoring life back to the perfect rhythm of Eden.  That's the kind of peace Paul's talking about when we walk the line.

The apostle also references how those "line walkers" will know God's mercy as well.  Mercy is not receiving the rightful punishment we deserve from our holy God for our sin.  Jesus absorbed that on our behalf at Calvary.  As a result, we who walk the line in Christ receive His mercy.  

Jesus bore the full brunt of His Father's righteous wrath so that we could bask in His marvelous mercy.  Being an unworthy recipient of God's mercy should transform us from begrudging obedience to grateful worship and thanksgiving.  

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Rom 12:1).  Those who walk the line know God's mercy and are grateful worshipers.

Paul then throws in a confusing little phrase at the end of the verse.  Not only will those who walk the line receive God's peace and mercy, "and upon the Israel of God" (v16).  

There's considerable debate about just exactly who or what the apostle's talking about when he uses that little description.  Is he referring to believing Jews?  Is he writing about Gentile converts?  Is he describing the entire Body of Christ?  

Scholars and people a lot smarter than me have made great cases for just about every one of those ideas.  One thing we can be sure that Paul is talking about is that these are true believers.  

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle says that blood lines, race and circumcision have nothing to do with salvation.  Not all who are Jewish by birth are part of God's true Israel (Rom 9:6-7).  "But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart..." (Rom 2:28-29).  

In other words, "the Israel of God" have nothing to do with people who are of Jewish heritage or the political nation in the Middle East.  They are born again followers of the radical Rabbi from Nazareth.

Once again, leave it to Eugene Peterson for a great lens through which to view this verse.  "All who walk by this standard are the true Israel--His chosen people.  Peace and mercy upon them!" (Gal 6:16 The Message).  To walk the line means to trust in what Jesus has done for us.  Then we are members of the true "Israel of God," His chosen people.  Then we receive His "peace and mercy.”  

That's what it means to walk the line.

©2012

Jay Jennings

Creation 2.0

In the land of computers and software, programmers are continually coming out with updates for applications.  Sometimes these are little bitty fixes that you would never notice.  

Other times they are major modifications that significantly change the program.  But there are those rare occasions that they introduce a completely new app that is so radically different, so radically new that it looks nothing like its predecessor.

That's what Paul is talking about herein Galatians 6:15.  Call it Creation 2.0.  

Just like we read in the book of Acts, the issue of circumcision is THE hot button issue in the Galatian churches.  

The apostle tells us that what God is doing through Jesus is so radically different, so radically new that this old idea of circumcision is now obsolete.  

What God provides in Jesus is Creation 2.0.  And it's available for download right now!

"For neither circumcision counts for anything, no uncircumcision, but a new creation" (v15).  

First, some background.  Circumcision is that delicate little bit of "cosmetic surgery" priests and rabbis would perform on Jewish baby boys on the eighth day.  

God commanded them to cut off the foreskin of the penis as a sign of His eternal promise to Abraham of blessing through his descendants (Gen 17:11-12).  Gentile converts to Judaism had the procedure as well.  

But Jesus is the long awaited fulfillment of God's covenant promise to Abe (Jn 8:56).  Once He's made the scene, physical circumcision is irrelevant.  

Jesus had thrown open the doors fo God's salvation to the entire world.  It no longer mattered whether you were a circumcised Jew or uncircumcised Gentile.  

That's exactly the Good News Paul brought to Galatia on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:13-14:23).

But just after the apostle headed home, the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian churches with a counterfeit gospel.  

They convinced these new believers that the man from Tarsus didn't tell them the full story.  Jesus might get you into His kingdom but it's up to you to stay in.  

To do that, you must meticulously follow all the rules.  And that starts with circumcision.  Once Paul gets word of about this crisis, he fires off this letter to set the record straight.

The apostle has spilled plenty of ink explaining that the rite of circumcision is obsolete.  The apostles at the home office in Jerusalem saw no need for Paul's buddy Titus to need the surgery (Gal 2:3).  

These same leaders agreed on a two-pronged evangelistic program.  Peter would lead the mission to tell Jews ("the circumcised") about Jesus while Paul heads up a team taking the Gospel to non-Jews ("the uncircumcised").  

Interestingly, Paul had a HUGE (but loving) confrontation with Peter in Antioch over circumcision (Gal 2:11-14).  He had to remind Pete, "How can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”  

Eventually, Paul gets so frustrated with the Judaizers and what they've done among the Galatians that he wishes they would just cut EVERYTHING off!!!  (If you don't believe me, just take a closer look at Galatians 5:12 in the original Greek.)

Circumcision is obsolete.  That's SO pre-Jesus!  We're talking Creation 2.0.

Paul tells us that the entire circumcision debate is null and void because Jesus established something radically new.  "A new creation" (v15).  

Let's take a quick look at the Greek.  "New" is the word καινος/kainos.  It means not just something new but of a brand new quality, something unknown or unheard of before.  

Jesus is bringing about something that you've never even imagined before.  

The apostle then uses the word κτισις/ktisis.  It describes something that has been formed that has never existed before.  We find this word used in describing God's creation of the universe out of nothing.  

God isn't doing a remix or a mashup with something He found laying around.  His salvation is far beyond circumcision or uncircumcision.  This is something He's created that has never existed before.  

Creation 2.0.

That's what God tells Isaiah, "Behold, I am doing a new thing" (Is 43:19).  

Paul breaks that same news to the Corinthians.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2Cor 5:17).

Notice who is and who is not doing the work of salvation here.  This isn't about what we do as humans, namely circumcision or uncircumcision.  God is the One doing the creating.  

This means that we could take so many things debated among Christians and fill in the blanks here.  "For neither ________  counts for anything, nor ________, but a new creation."

Immersion or sprinkling.  Traditional hymns or contemporary praise and worship.  Suits and dresses or casual clothes.  Sunday school or small groups.  

Just insert the name of your favorite form of legalism.  Bible reading.  Prayer.  Church attendance.  Serving the poor.  Political flavor.  

Guess what.  It doesn't matter.  It only matters if God has made me new in Jesus.  He's making all things new.  That includes you and me.

Creation 2.0.

©2012

Jay Jennings

The Recruiting Battle

In most parts of the US, college sports fans obsess over recruiting.   Boosters of a particular schools lose sleep over the decision of some 18-year-old shooting guard or quarterback.  

There are magazines, websites and TV shows dedicated to this bizarre meat market.  Coaches spend most of their time trying convince high school athletes to come play in their program as they do coaching the players already there.

Here in Galatians 6:13 Paul is talking about recruiting.  Not power forwards and shut down corners.  But converts and followers.  

He charges that a certain group of false teachers called the Judaizers are so obsessed with recruiting followers to their false gospel that they don't even believe what they are saying.  

It's all about numbers.  It's all about converts.  It's all about winning the recruiting battle.

"For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law" (v13).  Paul comes right out and calls them hypocrites.  These false teachers have infiltrated the Galatian churches (Gal 2:4) and sold them spiritual snake oil (Gal 1:6-9).  

The Judaizers duped these new believers into thinking Paul didn't tell them the whole story.  They taught that Jesus may get you into His kingdom but it's up to you to stay there through religious rule-keeping and self-salvation.  

Jews must remain faithful law-abiding Jews.  And according to these false teachers, Gentiles must convert to Judaism in order to be saved.

The big issue on the table is circumcision.  Read through the book of Acts and you'll see a continual debate among Jewish Christians about what to do with Gentile Christians.  

Do they need to become Jews before they can follow Jesus?  

And that included a little "procedure" for the guys.  Ouch!

That's the big argument in Acts 11 and 15.  The folks at the home office in Jerusalem eventually decide that if God is giving non-Jews His Holy Spirit who are they to insist on delicate surgery (Acts 11:17-18; 15:11, 19-20, 28-29).

The Judaizers had fooled the Galatians into believing that circumcision was necessary for salvation.  But Paul destroyed that argument by going back to the origin of circumcision and Abraham (Gal 3:1-29).  

BEFORE Abe went under the knife, he did something much more important.  "Abraham believed God" (Gal 3:6; Gen 15:6).  

He trusted God.  He believed in His goodness.  In His almighty power.  In His ability to save.  And as a result, "it was credited to him as righteousness.”  

God introduced circumcision as a sign of His promise to eventually bless Abe's descendants.  It was never meant to save.  You see, before circumcision and before the law, there was faith.

And here's the crazy thing.  "For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law" (v13).  They don't even practice what they preach.  

Pull back the curtain on their lives and you'll see that they are just as jacked up as you and I are.  You'll see that they need Jesus just as much as you and I do.  

Why don't they keep the law?  They can't!  it's an impossible standard.  God doesn't grade on a curve.  It's the ultimate pass/fail.  If I don't obey it all perfectly and completely, I fail at all of it (Dt 27:26; James 2:10).  

Paul makes it clear that God never meant His law to save (Gal 3:10-11).  It was only meant to point to our need of a Savior.  The law is only meant as a diagnostic tool.  It has no power to heal my soul sickness.

Let's take a look in the mirror just a moment.  We're just as bad as the Judaizers.  We have our own little pet legalistic projects that we turn into something bigger than God ever meant them to be.  The Lord gave circumcision as a sign of His covenant promise.  Nothing more.  

We also take His gifts and turn them into legalism.  I MUST read the Bible EVERY morning or I must not be saved.  I MUST spend 15 minutes in prayer EVERYDAY or I must not be saved.  

I MUST tell three people about Jesus EVERYDAY or I must not be saved.  I MUST be baptized or must not be saved.  I MUST be in a small group or I must not be saved.  

Please don't miss this.  These are all wonderful things that we each should do.  But they are NOT how we are saved.  

Only Jesus saves.  And He saves completely.  Forever.  When He yelled, "It is finished!" from the cross, He meant that there was NOTHING left for us to do (Jn 19:30).  

Discipleship is a wonderful thing.  Providing guidance to others about how they can enjoy their walk with Jesus is incredibly important.  

Even Paul told the Corinthians to follow him while he follows Christ (1Cor 11:1).  But insisting on anything beyond trusting in what Jesus has done for me is legalism and self-salvation.

The apostle lets the Galatians in on another of the Judaizers' dirty little secrets.  Not only are they failing to follow the rules they demand to be followed, "but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh" (v13).  

This has absolutely nothing to do with any concern for the spiritual well-being of the folks in the Galatian churches.  

No, this is all about recruiting.  These false teachers want to pad their resume.  They want to add the Galatians like notches on their gun belt.  

This is all about winning the recruiting battle.  This is all about getting names on a letter of intent.  This all about building a roster.

The Judaizers want to rustle sheep from Paul's pen.  What they don't realize is that they are actually trying to rustle sheep from the pen of the Great Shepherd.  

Can we speak frankly for just a moment?  Good.  Our churches today often commit the same sin.  We think our method is the best.  We think our style is the best.  We think denomination is the best.  

We love to brag about people who have come from other churches only to find "the truth" at our fellowship.  We need to be careful.  VERY careful.  We're on a slippery slope of committing the same sin as the false teachers of Galatia.

As we see so often, Eugene Peterson provides a wonderful lens for us to view Scripture.  His paraphrase The Message reads: "All their talk about the law is gas.  They themselves don't keep the law!  And they are highly selective in the laws the do observe.  They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side.  That is contemptible!" (Gal 6:13 The Message).

For the Judaizers, it's all about winning the recruiting battle. 

©2012

Jay Jennings

The Show Must Go on. And on and on.

Legalism is a lot of work.  It simply never stops.  It's a never ending battle of keeping up external appearances and religious rule-keeping.

The show must go on.  And on and on.

In these verses Paul describes the unrelenting and endless life of the legalist.  There's always something to do.  There's always a mistake to deal with.  There's always something on your religious to-do list.

Let's remember the context of this little book called Galatians.  Paul and Barnabas rolled through the south central part of what is now modern day Turkey with the Gospel of Jesus (Acts 13:13-14:23).  

God used them to reach both Jews and non-Jews with the radical news that Messiah Jesus has thrown open the doors of salvation to the entire world through His life, death and resurrection.  

They established a network of churches in the cities of Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.  

Almost immediately after they headed back to their home church in Antioch in Syria, a team of false teachers rolled into Galatia.  

The Judaizers infiltrated the churches (Gal 2:4) and convinced these new believers that they were affiliated with Paul (Gal 5:12).  

They duped them into a counterfeit gospel (Gal 1:6).  They said that Jesus may have gotten them into His kingdom but it's up to each of us to stay in through a life of endless self-salvation.  

According to the Judaizers, Jews had to remain completely obedient to the OT law and Gentiles had to become Jews.  And a big part of that was circumcision (Gal 5:2-12).  

If what these false teachers said was true, their gospel was no gospel at all.  It was just more legalism.

It’s a show that must go on.  And on and on.

When Paul hears the horrific news of what's happening Galatia, he fires off a letter almost immediately.  He can't believe how foolish the Galatians are in buying this spiritual snake oil (Gal 3:1).  

The apostle makes it VERY clear that "no one is justified before God by the law" (Gal 3:11).  

We're saved when place our trust in what Jesus has done for us.  He lived the perfect life that we couldn't live.  He died the perfect death that we should have died.  He rose to an eternal life that we don't deserve.  

Our only source of righteousness is NOT what we do but what He's done for us (2Cor 5:21)!

Paul makes a very interesting comment in verse 11.  "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand."  He wants the Galatians to know that this REALLY is their old friend Paul.  

Apparently some of the folks in these churches would recognize his handwriting.  They could attest that this letter was indeed from the apostle who had just left.

Why would Paul be writing in such "large letters?"  We have a clue in Galatians 4:13-15.  The apostle basically says that his stop in Galatia was due to illness.  He was apparently suffering from some sort of eye infection.  

He remembers the compassion of his hosts, "if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me."  It could well be that Paul used such a big font when writing was because he simply couldn't see all that well.

The apostle makes it clear here that he personally penned this letter.  The grammar here seems to indicate that he's not just talking about this sentence or paragraph.  He wrote the entire epistle himself.  

Later he would use an amaneunsis or biblical secretary.  This is someone to whom Paul would dictate or direct the writing of a letter through.  

Not this time.  My guess is that the situation in Galatia was dire and this needed to go out immediately.  When the apostle got word of what the Judaizers had done, he grabbed his pen immediately and began writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Paul then takes one final swing at these false teachers.  "It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised" (v12).  He's already destroyed the Judaizers' case for circumcision as a requirement of salvation.  

The home office in Jerusalem saw no need for it (Gal 2:4).  God didn't require it of Abraham until AFTER he "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Gal 3:6; Gen 15:6).  

Paul went so far as to say if the Judaizers were so hepped up on circumcision, why don't they just cut it ALL off (Gal 5:12)!

The apostle describes these false teachers as "those who want to make a good showing in the flesh" (v11).  The Greek verb here is ευπροσωπεω/euprosopeo.  It's a compound word that literally means to do well (ευ-/eu-) in front of someone's face (-προσωπεω/-prospeo).  

This is the only time the word appears in the Bible.  It means to put on a good show; to please and make a good impression.  The emphasis is on outward appearances.

This is a powerful reminder that I cannot be driven by what others think of me.  The Bible calls it the fear of man.  "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe" (Prov 29:25).  I am to stop worrying about what others think, "by way of eye-service, as people pleasers" (Eph 5:6).  

In the opening lines of Paul's letter to the Galatians, he writes that I have to choose whose approval I seek.  "For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God?  Or am I still trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal 1:10).  

Otherwise, I am consumed with what others think of me.  And Jesus warns against becoming obsessed with "practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them" (Mt 6:1).  There is absolutely no reward in that.

And that means the legalism show must go on.  And on and on.

When my identity is found in Jesus and not my own futile attempt at self-salvation, I can be completely secure in who I am.  Or I should say Whose I am.  

Never forget Jesus' words on the bloody Roman cross.  "It is finished!" (Jn 19:30).  He did for me what I could never do.  And because of that, I live to please the Audience of One and no other.

Paul says that the entire reason that the Judaizers want to put on their religious show is so "that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ" (v12).  They didn't want to face the opposition that Jesus' followers continually dealt with.  

The apostle saw it first hand while he was in Galatia (Acts 13:50; 14:2).  Unbelieving Galatian Jews actually tried to rub him out, not once but twice (Acts 14:5, 19)!

Jesus told us that declaring our faith in Him would paint a target on our chests.  "In this world you will have trouble" (Jn 16:33).  But He also said there is tremendous blessing when stand up for Him (Mt 5:10-11).

When we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus, the show's over.  And what a relief that is!!!

©2012

JayJennings