Month: September 2019

Genesis 15:1-21; Galatians 3:15-4:7

If people want to inherit the promises God gave to Abraham, it won’t be based on moral performance.

Our inheritance must depend on something far superior.

It won’t be based on how well we keep the law which can never achieve righteousness. 

The law shows us that we are imprisoned by sin and that anyone who depends on law keeping for righteousness is under a curse because they cannot keep the law. 

It isn’t possible to keep the law!

If we can’t be made righteous by keeping the law, why was the law given?

Genesis 12:1-8, Galatians 3:1-14

Jesus was seen to be put to death by the Romans using the most cruel method they knew how. They slowly tortured criminals to death by crucifixion. Jesus suffered great shame and agony, both physically and spiritually when he was cut off from the Father, in a way we can’t fully comprehend. He did it because he loved us and so that he would obtain our freedom from slavery!

Can we possibly add to that which Jesus has finished by His death and resurrection? It’s our natural tendency to try to gain favour with God by doing good works or acts of penance, instead of simply trusting in Jesus for our salvation. Galatians chapter 3 is clear that we can’t be made righteous by keeping the law, only through faith.

Abraham wasn’t justified by the law (which didn’t come until over 400 years later!), or by circumcision, which wasn’t given until after he was declared righteous. He was justified because he believed God’s promises and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6 & Romans 4:3). )

It is no different for all who believe God and trust in Christ. Salvation can’t be obtained through works of the flesh; it is through faith in Jesus alone.

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Galatians 3:1-3

 

Exodus 32:1-14, Galatians 2:11-21

Our guest speaker this week is Brian Harvey from PYV.

Are you trying to please the wrong people and trying not to cause offence to anyone?

It may seem good and right to live your life, aspiring to reach a very high standard of excellence, but who are you trying to please?

If your standard is less than perfection, then it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are, or how virtuous you may become through your own efforts to please God; they will be in vain.

Our salvation isn’t achieved by pleasing others or trying to live a good and moral life. 

Trying to keep the law to achieve righteousness will always, and has already ended in failure. 

It doesn’t matter how good you are at law keeping, it is useless to save. No one is ever justified by trying to keep parts of the law.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to find salvation. It is the only way to be made righteous by God.

Galatians 1:10 – 2:14

What is the source of truth?

When someone makes truth claims, it is incumbent upon them to reveal their source so that the facts can be verified and so that we aren’t deceived.

Paul makes his case for the true gospel in his letter to the Galatians.

The gospel he preached was not second hand information received from other Apostles in Jerusalem. His doctrine was received directly from the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

There was such a miraculous change in Paul from persecutor of Jesus’ followers to being the God appointed Apostle to the Gentiles, that the truth of his conversion account and what he preached is validated.

Can there be two gospels? One for Jews and another for Gentiles? Is Paul teaching a different gospel to that of the Apostle Peter?

Paul clearly isn’t trying to please men of authority within the church, but his Lord. He knows that what he is preaching is the truth and he is not afraid of calling out those who are being inconsistent and hypocritical or trying to bring new Christians back under the law.

Some Jews are seen by Paul, separating themselves from Gentiles and treating them as inferior. They were distorting what had been accomplished by Christ’s finished work, and so he exposed their hypocracy.

Only Jesus is the true source of the gospel.

Acts 13:26-52, Galatians 1:1-10

One of the highest virtues of our culture is tolerance. Trying to find the lowest common denominator to try and get along. Often the pursuit of truth is set aside to accomodate the personal feelings of others.

The truth of the gospel is unchanging.  There is only one gospel. It can’t be added to or taken away from to make it more palatable to the hearer.

The Apostle Paul and his co workers write to the Galatians to remind them of the true gospel. He is astonished that they are so quickly deserting the only one who can save them; turning to a distorted gospel.

Sometimes we don’t feel guilty even though we are.  We are all legally guilty before God because of the sins we have committed against him.

We are only justified through Christ alone who gave himself to deliver us, according to the will of our God and Father. 

Why do we continually try to add to Christ’s finished work by selectively reintroducing and trying to obey parts of the old Mosaic law?

Are we slaves to Christ or are we simply trying to please others through an outward display of morality?

It is so important to understand and live out the true gospel, because this is how we will honour our Lord and Saviour and truly be more loving to others in our culture.