Hello, McFly!!

Advertisers use every trick up their sleeve to create a desire in us to want something. According to many commercials, we desperately need the product we didn't even know existed 30 seconds ago. 

But infomercials are the worst. A full half hour dedicated to whipping up our desperation for a Snuggie, Sham Wow or real estate investment CDs. 

We have no clue about the cost. We simply know that we need it. And we need it RIGHT NOW! Operators are standing by!! 

It's only after making the purchase that we realize we've invested in something that won't come close to delivering on the promises of the commercial. 

If only someone would have stopped us and tried to talk some sense into us before we did something so stupid.

That's EXACTLY what Paul is trying to do here in verse 21. It's like he just warned the Galatians about the foolishness of buying junk "as seen on TV” while the newly delivered box sitting on their front porch. 

These new believers have bought the spiritual snake oil sold by the Judaizers. These hucksters duped them into believing that their salvation is up to them. 

Believe or not, we're still buying their garbage today. Jesus was a good guy. Trusting in Him and accepting what He has done is nice start, but it won't finish the job. You need good works. You need law. If you REALLY want to be saved, you've got to save yourselves through obedience to the law. 

That’s when Paul grabs us by the shoulders and shakes us. Don't you realize what you're doing? Hello, McFly!!!

The apostle begins by talking to those of us who've been suckered into purchasing one of the Judaizers' self-salvation kits on late night cable. "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law" (v21). In other words, "So you want to be under the law. Can we talk just a minute?” 

Paul uses the Greek verb θελω/thelo. It means to wish, desire or want something. He wants to hear from those of us that were excited about being "under the law."

"Under the law" (or "under law") is one of Paul's go-to phrases. He uses it 14 times in his letters. It simply describes someone who is trying to impress God by keeping the law. Religious rule-keeping. 

There's one big problem. The law is NOT meant to save us. The law is meant to crush us. Being "under the law" is not like cuddling up under a cozy blanket. It's more like being squashed under a steamroller. 

The law was never meant to save. It was meant to pulverize us into realizing our need for a Savior (Rom 19-20).

Paul asks those who can't wait to be under the law if they have any idea what's in the law. "Do you not listen to the law?" (v21). 

Slow your roll and think for just a minute. Before you do anything else, stop and read the law. Have you read the law? I mean, REALLY read the law? Do you realize what you're getting yourselves into? 

There aren't just Ten Commandments, but a grand total of 613! And God requires absolute perfection if we are we choose the path of self-salvation (James 2:10; 1Jn 3:4). There's no curve. 

And the bad news is we've never gotten past God’s Top Ten (Ex 20:1-17; Dt 5:6-21) without putting our life in the ditch. In other words, if you REALLY want to be under the law, why don't you go back and REALLY read the law one more time?

Hello, McFly!!!

Here’s the deal. The law can't save anyone. Only Jesus can (Gal 2:16). The sinless Son of God perfectly obeyed the law that we could never obey. He died the brutal death that we should have died. He was raised to a new life that we don't deserve. He did what we could never do. 

The only way we can be saved is by trusting what He did for us. Eggheads call this "penal substitutionary atonement.” A guy named Luther calls it the "Great Exchange.” 

Paul says it this way: "For our sake, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in Him we might be the righteousness of God" (2Cor 5:21). In other words, ONLY Jesus could stand up under the crushing weight of the law. He did what we could never do.

So, let's talk. Do you really want to try and save yourself? It doesn't matter whether it's perfect obedience to God's law He laid out in the Old Testament or our own handy dandy self-salvation kit. We can't save ourselves. 

Bible reading won't do it. Church attendance? Nope. Baptism is just bath without Jesus. Paul is telling us to pump our breaks if we think we've got the mad skills to do this on our own.

So you want to live under the law, huh? Hello, McFly!!!

©2012

Jay Jennings

You'll Put Your Eye out!

Paul continues to flip through the pages of the Galatians' spiritual scrapbook.  He hopes that remembering his amazing first couple of visits with them will make them realize what a huge mistake they've made in following the teaching of the Judaizers.  

The apostle has warned them that they are in danger of returning "to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world" (Gal 4:9). 

He's afraid that all God did through him among these people will all go down the toilet (Gal 4:11).  They have gone back to the slavery of legalism by celebrating Jewish holy days (Gal 4:10).  

And now he recalls how he stopped in Galatia in the first place.  He was sick (Gal 4:13).  God used his illness as an open door for the Gospel while the local people cared for the ailing apostle (Gal 4:14).

Once again, Paul walks the Galatians down memory lane.  "What then has become of the blessing you felt?" (v15).  He wants them to remember those incredible visits when he told them about Jesus for the very first time.  

It was during the apostle's first missionary expedition that he and Barnabas toured the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe in what is now Turkey.  

Paul wants them to remember how the Gospel absolutely turned these towns upside down.  Dr. Luke allows us to sneak a peek on that amazing time in Acts 13 and 14.  

The apostle told them about how Jesus has not only fulfilled everything in Scripture as Messiah but has also swung open the door of salvation to the entire world.  

First of all, "many Jews and devout converts" in Pisidian Antioch placed their faith in the radical Rabbi/Carpenter (Acts 13:43).  Then non-Jews heard it and "began rejoicing and glorifying the Word of the Lord" (Acts 13:48).  

That's when things got crazy.  "And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region" (Acts 13:49).  The tsunami of grace swept into Iconium, "and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52).  Once again, "a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed" (Acts 14:1).  

God used Paul & Barney to do miraculous things among the Galatians (Acts 14:3, 9).  More people placed their trust in Jesus in Derbe (Acts 14:20).  

The Gospel of Jesus had rocked Galatia.  That's what Paul wants his friends to remember.

So what's become of that joy, that excitement and that buzz they felt?  Whenever we doubt our faith or feel far from Jesus, we should think back on that first moment when God rocked our world.  Go back to the beginning.  Go back to the start.  

Remember how Christ reached out to you and pulled you from the miry pit to sing a song of total life change (Ps 40:1-3).  

Throughout his letters, Paul continually encourages us to think back to the beginning of our walk with Jesus. "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Col 2:6).  

When in doubt, pull out the spiritual scrapbook.

The apostle reminds the Galatians of just how sick he was during his first visit and just much compassion they showed him.  "If possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me" (v15).  

This sure seems to indicate that his "bodily ailment" was some sort of eye infection or illness (Gal 4:14).  

If it had been medically possible at the time, his Galatian caregivers were willing to donate their own eyes for transplant.  Why else would Paul say this if he wasn't suffering from an optical issue.  

His statement about his use of "large letters" at the end of this letter would seem to support this idea (Gal 6:11).  Don't forget that Jesus originally blinded Paul to get his attention outside of Damascus (Acts 9:8-9).

The point here isn't so much what was wrong with Paul but what was right with the Galatians.  They had such Christ-like compassion on the man from Tarsus that they were willing pop out their own eyeballs so that he could be made well.  

And for those who are grossed out by such talk, that's EXACTLY what the original language tells us.  He uses the Greek verb εξορυσσω/exorusso.  It literally means to dig out.  The word was used to describe how you would toss the dirt out of a trench you were digging.  Yeah, gross, right?

This wasn't the mom in "A Christmas Story" warning Ralphie about the dangers of the Red Rider BB Gun.  Paul wanted the Galatians to remember the lengths of their love, care and compassion for him when he was with them.  

They would've put their eyes out for him!  Maybe that will trigger the memory of what God had done right before their eyes.

The apostle wants them to remember just how much they cared for him because apparently someone has thrown him under the Galatian bus.  "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (v15).  

Somehow, someway, the false teachers who've infiltrated the Galatian churches have convinced them that Paul is their spiritual nemesis.  

Most likely they've told them that this so-called apostle had gone rogue and was spreading a counterfeit gospel.  The Judaizers accused him of not telling folks the full truth.  

According the, Jesus may have gotten us into God's kingdom but it's up to each of us to stay there.  And they said we do that through obedient rule-keeping.  

It was this spiritual snake oil that led the Galatians to fall prey to legalism and self-salvation, which is NO salvation at all!

The Galatians have clearly come to see Paul as their enemy thanks to the false teachers.  The apostle wants to know how telling them the truth about Jesus makes him their spiritual adversary.  The Greek word here is εχθρος/echthros.  

It means more than just an opponent playing for the other team.  This is more than simply agreeing to disagree.  There is hatred involved.  There is hostility involved.  

The Judaizers have stoked the flames of Galatian hatred toward the man they once loved so much.

Telling the truth does that.  That's why the people repeatedly rejected the prophets οφ God.  Who in the world wants to hear about how bad they are?  Who wants to hear about their own sin?  Who wants to hear about their need for a Savior?  

But the truth must be told.  People may not like it but how else will they ever know Jesus?  

We must remember to speak hard truth dripping in love (Eph 4:15).  

We must express the tough truth of our sinful situation while standing under the waterfall of God's grace (Jn 1:14). 

©2012

Jay Jennings

Road Sick

Paul continues to talk the Galatians from the brink.  The Judaizers have duped them into believing the apostle's Gospel was wrong.  

These false teachers convinced them that Jesus may have saved them, but the ball's now in their court to stay saved.  And that's done through obedient rule-keeping.  

Once he received the horrible news of their situation when he was back in Antioch, he fires off this sledgehammer of a letter.  There's nothing subtle here.  The situation is too dire, too desperate, too disastrous.

Starting in Galatians 4:6, Paul flips open the scrapbook and reminds them of what happened during his two visits to Galatia.  These are the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Derbe and Iconium in what is modern day Turkey.  

Acts 13:13-14:23 tells us that Paul and Barnabas stopped twice in each city of the region.  One thing that Luke doesn't describe in Acts is the apostle's physical condition.  According to the apostle's letter to the Galatians, it wasn't pretty.

"You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the Gospel to you at first" (v13).  Scholars have invested years and spilled oceans of ink speculating on Paul's illness.  

Was it malaria?  Was it an eye infection?  Is this the same thorn in the flesh he pleaded with God to remove in 2 Corinthians 12:7?  

In many ways, it really doesn't matter.  If it did, the Holy Spirit would have made sure to let us know specifically in the Bible.  

When it comes to what's in Scripture, we're on a "need to know" basis.  If God needs us to know, He'll make sure we do.

Paul reminds the Galatians that this illness was the whole reason he stopped there in the first place.  The ESV calls it a "bodily ailment."  

The literal translation of the Greek is "weakness of the flesh."  The original text uses the word ασθενεια/astheneia, or "not" (α-/a-) strong (-σθενεια/-stheneia).  

At first glance, we might think that the apostle may have just been wiped out from being on the road.  But the following verses let us know that this weakness was much more than that.  

Paul's condition placed a heavy burden on the Galatians (v14).  And it must have been some sort of infection or illness impacting his eyes.  Why else would these new believers have been willing to offer him their own eyes (v15)?  

He was sick.  He was hurting.  He was "road sick."  There are few things worse than feeling badly while traveling.  Ugh.  

And let's face it, we're talking about the first century here.  It's not exactly like Paul could swing by the local "doc in the box.”  

The apostle was clearly hurting.  But despite his "bodily ailment," that didn't stop him from telling them about Jesus.  

As a matter of fact, it doesn't take much to see the sovereign hand of God at work here.  Paul says that it was precisely because he was sick that he shared the Gospel with the Galatians.  

The Lord is in complete control of our lives.  He will most certainly accomplish His purposes (Eph 1:11).  He'll use things in our fallen world to get things done.  That includes sickness and disease.  

It appears that Paul and his crew had no plans of stopping in Galatia.  Apparently the Lord had something else in mind.  

As a result of this unscheduled stop, the apostle decided to make the most of the opportunity and tell them about the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth (Eph 5:16).

This verse absolutely humbles me.  Too often I use the hangnail issues of living in 21st century America stop me from sharing Jesus with others.  I'm too tired.  I've got a headache.  

The Apostle Paul was so consumed with compassion for a lost and dying world that he didn't let a little thing like being flat on his back stop him from sharing the Good News.

Let's not breeze right past his statement, "I preached the Gospel."  This letter is all about the importance of the Gospel.  The Good News.  The GREATEST News!  

And what is that news?  God has personally made the ultimate rescue mission to save us.  Something we could never do for ourselves in a million years.  

As Jesus, He not only came to fulfill all of the prophecies and promises of the Messiah, but to perfectly obey the law that we could never obey.  

Christ has thrown the door of salvation open wide, not just for Jews but people everywhere!  We don't save ourselves.  That's impossible.  

Face facts.  "By works of the law no one will be justified" (Gal 2:16).  Law no.  Jesus YES!  "A person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal 2:16).  That's the Gospel that the apostle proclaimed in the Galatian church network.

Paul also confirms the fact that he visited the churches in Galatia not once but twice.  He describes how his physical issues caused him to stop there "at first" (v13).  The Greek grammar let's us know that he is talking about the first of two stays in Galatia.  

In other words, it was only because he was sick that he stopped there that first time.  Dr. Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas hit those same towns again on their way home.

The apostle must not have been a pretty sight on this first visit to Galatia.  His sickness took a toll on his hosts.  "My condition was a trial to you" (v14), literally "my trial in the flesh.”  

Paul admits that instead of being a blessing, he was a pain in the rear.  It's clear that the Galatians went to great effort and expense to care for the sick missionary.

Despite that, his hosts didn't see this as any great burden.  It would have been understandable to look down on their Galatian noses at this dude.  

But they didn't.  Paul says that they "received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus" (v14).  

The term "angel" is the Greek αγγελος/angelos, which can mean a divine being but also a messenger or envoy.  They clearly saw this sick man as having been sent on a divine assignment by God.  

The small phrase "as Christ Jesus" is also very telling.  This perfectly describes an apostle.  

In the first century, an apostle was a designated representative of another who had full legal rights and authority.  When someone's apostle is there, it's just like the one who sent him is there.  

There's a story in Ancient Greece of an apostle who was able to divorce his boss' wife while her husband was away.  That’s the kind of authority they were given.  No word what happened when the boss returned home to find out he was now an ex-husband.

God had chosen Paul as an apostle (Gal 1:1; Acts 9:15-16).  He knew it.  And so did the Galatians.  They saw it as a privilege to care for God's apostle.  This is exactly what Jesus told His disciples (Mt 25:35-40).

If Paul hadn't gotten sick on the road, he would have never stopped in Galatia.  It appears that he and Barney would have blown right through to take the Gospel somewhere else.  

But God had other plans.  Sometimes He opens doors so we can tell others about Jesus and we don't even realize it (Acts 14:27).  He certainly moves in mysterious ways.  

We just need to always be ready to tell others about Jesus.  No matter place.  No matter the time.  We must keep our eyes open to those divine appointments He has for us.  Even when we're "road sick.”

©2012

Jay Jennings

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Paul continues to bring the Galatians back from the brink of a HUGE mistake.  During his visits to them on his first missionary journey, he told them how Jesus had thrown the door of salvation open wide to both Jew and Gentile.  

Immediately after he hit the road, the Judaizers rolled in, bringing their counterfeit gospel of self-salvation with them.  

The Galatians bought their spiritual snake oil.  They believed that Jesus may have saved them, but it was up to them to continue saving themselves.  

For Jews, that meant staying VERY Jewish.  For non-Jews, that mean converting to Judaism.

Paul opens his apostolic scrapbook to remind the Galatians of just how it went down when he was with them.  "Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are.  You did me no harm" (v12).  

He begins by simply calling them brothers.  That's HUGE.  Not too long ago, he hammered them by calling them "foolish Galatians" (Gal 3:1).  He went so far as to wonder just how foolish they had become (Gal 3:3).  

It appears that the apostle wants to reassure the Galatian posse that he hasn't thrown them under the biblical bus.  Things might be dire, but he still sees them as brothers and sisters in Christ.  

As a matter of fact, his hard words for them come out of his love for them.  They are his brothers and sisters.  They are worth the fight.

Do I have the same compassion for my brothers and sisters in the Lord?  Am I willing to fight for them?  Am I willing to say hard words to them out for my love for them?  

Jesus, help me see others with Your eyes.  Help me love with Your heart.  My brothers and sisters and worth fighting for.

Paul pleads with the wayward Galatians.  "I entreat you, become as I am" (v12).  The apostle uses the Greek verb δεομαι/deomai.  It means to plead, long for, beseech, ask urgently or beg.  

In other words, he ain't too proud to beg.  He loves them that much.  Their situation is that dire.  He's begging them.  He's pleading with them.

The man from Tarsus begs his Galatian friends to "become as I am" (v12).  In other words, when it comes to the legalism that they are now pursuing, he's been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.  Remember, Paul readily admits that he's a former Pharisee (Phil 3:5).  

He knows firsthand the emptiness of self-salvation.  Trying to follow the law is a dead end street.  It wasn't meant to save.  It was meant to bring us to our knees and realize our need for a Savior.  

He begs and pleads with the Galatians to "become as I am," to put that behind them and trust in Jesus alone.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells them, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (1Cor 11:1).  In other words, if you don't know what to do, simply watch Paul.  Do what he does.  He's not your Savior but he is following Him.

The apostle is also desperate for the Galatians to know the freedom that he has in Jesus.  He wants them to have what he has.  He wants them to know what he knows.  He wants them to feel what he feels.  

Do I have that same desperation for the people in my life?  O Lord Jesus, please make it so!

Paul then reminds them, "I also have become as you are" (v12).  Yup.  Been there.  Done that.  He knows what it's like to try save yourself through obedience to an impossible standard.  

This is also a reference to how Paul identified with the Galatians when he met them.  "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew...To those outside the law I became as one outside the law...I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (1Cor 9:19-23).  

Because he was free in Christ and not worried about damaging his own standing with God, Paul stepped into the lifestyle and culture of the Galatians.  He did so with a purpose.  He did so as a missionary.  

This is a reminder to me to do the same.  My freedom in Jesus is the ultimate protection when stepping into the lives of those around me in order to love them with the love of Christ.

The apostle reminds them that when he identified them, "You did me no wrong" (v12).  He's letting them know that this bold step into their culture had no lasting impact on him and his relationship with God.  

The days of trying to save himself by religious rule-keeping is in his rearview mirror.  Reaching out to the lost didn't damage his own salvation.  They did him no harm.

Paul pleads with his brothers and sisters to do what he has done, to become as he is.  He ain't too proud to beg.

©2012

Jay Jennings

Throw out the Old Calendar

Paul is doing everything he can to convince the Galatians that they have made a HUGE mistake in believing the counterfeit gospel of the Judaizers (Gal 1:6; 2:4; 3:1).  

The apostle made two stops in the region during his first missionary expedition and established a network of churches there (Acts 13:13-14:23).  

He proclaimed to them the amazing news that Jesus had not only fulfilled the Jewish law but had thrown open the door of salvation to the entire world.  

But just as soon as he hit the road, a group of spiritual snake oil salesmen rolled into town.  They convinced the Galatian believers that Paul didn't give them the full story.  

According to them, Jews must still follow Jewish law.  And Gentiles must become Jews in order to follow Jesus.  In other words, Jesus might bring you into His kingdom, but it's up to you to keep yourself in it.

Once back in Antioch in Syria, the apostle has gotten the disappointingly bad news from Galatia of their return to Jewish ritual.  

He's floored to hear what is going on.  He hears that they have dusted off their old Jewish calendars to celebrate the holy days once again.  "You observe days and months and seasons and years" (v10).  

Paul is stunned.  He thought that he had instructed them fully that this was no longer needed.  He clearly preached to them in the synagogue specifically what Jesus had done for them.  

"Through this Man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from you could not be freed by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39).  

In other words, get rid of your old Jewish calendar.  

In Jesus, a new day has dawned.  There's no need to celebrate a weekly ritual of the Jewish Sabbath.  There's no need to concern yourself about what month it is on the Jewish calendar.  There's no worry about whether it's time to celebrate Passover or Pentecost.  Toss that old calendar in the trash.

But wait just a Mississippi minute.  No more Sabbath?  No more Passover?  Who gave Paul the right to ditch the ritual calendar after thousands of years of Judaism?  

God established these days, months, seasons and years so that we could remember Him, worship Him and set our hearts on Him.  What's changed on this side of the cross?

That was exactly Paul's point when he preached of Jesus in the Galatian synagogues (Acts 13:38-39).  Jesus provides forgiveness, so there's no more need for ritual sacrifice whether daily, weekly, monthly or annually.  Christ frees us from law of Moses by fulfilling it completely and perfectly on our behalf (Mt 5:17).  

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle explains that these various holy days and festivals were simply put in place to remind us that Messiah would come one day.  "These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ" (Col 2:16-17).  And there's more of the same in Romans 14:1-6.

There is a parallel for the followers of Jesus.  The Lord told us to celebrate the communion meal as a way to remember His sacrifice for us until He comes back (Lk 22:14-23).  When you observe the Lord's Supper, "you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes" (1Cor 11:26).  

Once Jesus comes back, there will be no reason to observe communion.  At that point, we're invited to THE Big Party, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9).  There will no point to remember Jesus when He's already back with us.

But let's not get so high and mighty about the Jewish holy days.  Let's face facts.  We do the same.  We center our calendar on our days, months, seasons and years too.  

Christmas.  Easter.  Fourth of July.  Thanksgiving.  Even birthdays and anniversaries.  These are all fun and great times for so many reasons.  But we shouldn't worship them.  They aren't Jesus.

I have to confess my personal legalism when it comes to the calendar.  I remember certain events that happened on particular dates in the past like these days hold some particular power or significance.  

The death of a friend or relative.  An important day at work.  A big event for the family.  

It's OK to remember.  It's wrong to worship.  It's a sin to obsess.  God tells us that He is always up to something brand spanking new.  "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Is 43:19).  

And Paul wasn't one to stare at the rear view mirror either.  "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14).

Throw out the old calendar.

When the apostle gets the news that the Galatians are celebrating the old Jewish rituals and festivals, he's worried that his time with them is down the toilet.  "I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain" (v11).  

He thought they went all over that when he was there.  Had he wasted his time?  Was it all in vain?  That's what happens when we go back to our old ways of legalism.  

Come on, folks.  It's time to throw out the old calendar.

©2012

Jay Jennings