Free... do what I want?

Galatians 5:1-15 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
[2] Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is required to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
[7] You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? [8] That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. [9] "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." [10] I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. [11] Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offence of the cross has been abolished. [12] As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. [14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself." [15] If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Now Paul changes the ground he is arguing on a little. He begins to ask how can you tell if someone is living according to faith and not the Law? Because they have love in their lives. That is all that matters, that is all the evidence we need to show that we have been transformed from within. That love comes from the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. It is not enough that we believe the right things, but that it changes us to live a righteous life.

This is an important transformation. Paul’s opponents have been arguing that by discarding the Law, people will live lives dishonouring to God. Paul is telling people here that although we are freed from the obligations and rituals of the Law (1), this does not give us license to do as we please (13). We have not to indulge the sinful nature. We have not to say that Christ died for my sins, so I may as well make it worth his while by racking up as many of them as I can. No, Jesus is Lord of my life as well as saviour, and he died so I could be free to serve him, and to show this by loving others.

I have been set free from the Law. No longer is my time, energy and devotion put into falling rules and regulations. Instead I am free to serve my brothers and sisters, pouring my soul, creativity and energy into loving them and following Jesus.

And, as Paul will go on to tell us, we have been set free from our sinful nature, from the voices, patterns of behaviour, thoughts and actions which pull as away from Jesus. Because, by faith, we live with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, and He transforms us day to day to be like Jesus.

What does it mean to have love in your life? What evidence is there in your life that you are being guided by love? What about in the life of your faith community? How does this impact on those it touches, inside and outside of our churches?

Choices.....

Galatians 4:21-31 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? [22] For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. [23] His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
[24] These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. [25] Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. [26] But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. [27] For it is written:

"Be glad, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth and cry aloud,
you who have no labour pains;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband."

[28] Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. [29] At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. [30] But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." [31] Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Again this seems to be quite a difficult passage, but remember why Paul is using these Old Testament stories. He wants to show the Galatians that they do not need to be bonded to their old way of life under the Law, but they can enjoy a new relationship with God under the Lordship of Jesus, and that this new way is better! Paul reinforces this by using the images of slavery and freedom.

At the end of the passage he applies this to the Galatians situation. First he reminds them that they are ‘children of the promise’, that as they have accepted Jesus’ message of grace by faith they are children of God. Then he reminds them that this means that they may face opposition. In Abraham’s family there eventually was unbearable conflict in his household between the two women and their children. It was resolved when God told Abraham to send Hagar and her son away. God then blessed them separately, but his promise was carried on through Isaac. Here Paul is using this to illustrate an important choice that the Galatians must make.

With the arrival of the ‘false brothers’ in the churches, with their message standing in opposition to the good news of the Gospel, the Galatians look set for a time of conflict in which their communities could be torn apart. This is often what can happen when we have conflicts of opinion – they spill over, become personal, and our own communities can suddenly be divided. It can happen for all sorts of reasons. For Paul, keeping churches together was important, and to do this he frequently reminded them of what lay at the heart of their faith – belief in Jesus Christ. Paul believed Jesus’ message was for all – but he would oppose anyone who corrupted that message, including the false brothers.

So the Galatians have a choice – put up with conflict and division or stamp it out now. Paul hasn’t said it directly till now, but by comparing their situation to Abraham’s, and reminding them of Abraham’s choice, he is telling them that to sort out their problem they must have no more to do with the false brothers….

Sometimes, in order to stay faithful to what we believe, we need to make hard choices. Are there tough choices that your faith community needs to make in order to stay faithful to God? What happens if faithfulness to the Gospel seems to stand in contradiction to the inclusiveness of the Gospel message?

Passion....

Galatians 4:8-20 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. [9] But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? [10] You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! [11] I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
[12] I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. [13] As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. [14] Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. [15] What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. [16] Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
[17] Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you {from us}, so that you may be zealous for them. [18] It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. [19] My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, [20] how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

Up till now, while Paul has been developing his argument of salvation through grace, it seems that Paul has been a bit academic – using intellectual ideas to try to convince the minds of the Galatians. But now his heart comes through, and he speaks to them as people who are dear to him, and some of his passion for them as people bubbles through.

When my friends move away, I quickly lose touch with them – I’m not a writer and don’t bother much with the phone. But Paul seems to have been the opposite. His letters are full of remars which show that he thought about and prayed for the churches he was involved with a lot – he was always gathering news and commending people. He cared – even though he may have been at the opposite end of the Roman World he still rejoiced when he heard something good about his old friends.

Here it is almost as if Paul is saying it’s not just that you might have the wrong idea that’s bothering me, it’s that someone is duping you, and I need you to listen to my heart again! Listen to me like you did before, when we were so close that we would have given anything for each other – and I still would, that is how much I care about what is happening to you. And to illustrate this point Paul uses the image of child birth, the pain and effort that is involved in that to show how committed he is to the Galatians discovering the truth.

Paul is demonstrating that it is important, not just to believe, but to be passionate about what you believe. When you are passionate about something, then everyone around you knows it, can see how it effects you and changes you. Think about people you know who met the right boy or girl, or bought a season ticket to their football team. Do people around you see passion for Jesus in you? Can they see how it has changed you to be like him? What do they see? Because it is important they see the right thing. It’s good to be passionate Paul says, but only for the right thing (18). Do you come across as a harsh, judgemental rule follower, or as a loving, inclusive, redeemed follower of Jesus?

I once heard a friend say “Do we love people because we want them to become Christians, or do we want them to become Christians because we love them?” How passionately do you care about people?

Sons of the Father....

Galatians 3:26-4:7 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, [27] for all of you who were baptised 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.
[4:1] What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. [2] He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. [3] So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. [4] But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, [5] to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. [6] Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Our faith in Jesus changes our status: no longer are we going to spend an eternity without God, we are now going to spend forever in his presence. In this passage Paul uses the example of being an heir to explain this to us.

In the ancient world you didn’t become a citizen and have rights until you were an adult. And only men got those rights. So children, women and slaves had none. They didn’t get to enjoy the fullness of being a citizen. What they could receive was restricted by their status. When we lived under the old way of life we were like children – we hadn’t come into the fullness of what we could have.

But through faith in Jesus Christ our status changed – we entered into the fullness of our inheritance. We are no longer slaves to the old way of life, but we become ‘sons’ of God. And this is an important concept for us to get hold off – because it is sons that inherit what the father gives them. It is sons who become heirs to the glories and the riches of God’s Kingdom – in the future, but also here and now. We can have our lives transformed to be like Jesus. We can lift our gaze away from the things of the world, and see those things which will last forever and pore our energy and creativity into those. We can experience the peace of God, learning to be content in all circumstances. We become part of an international family (the original world wide web) which crosses racial and national boundaries. The inheritance of the Kingdom is huge…. And we become sons by having faith in Jesus Christ.

There are some great images in the first part of the passage. When we become a part of God’s family we are ‘clothed’ with Jesus. It’s like your t-shirt, wherever you go, you have it on. You don’t notice it much, because you’re comfortable in it, but it’s always with you. So too is your ‘sonship’ of God in Jesus Christ – it is a status that is always with you – wherever you go, you will be a child of God.

And above all, we are all sons of God. Some versions of the Bible use children here, or say sons and daughters, because they want to emphasise the inclusive nature of this promise, and for us, in our time, it makes sense. But in Paul’s time only the boys got to inherit the father’s wealth. So he used the term sons. But he then says that no matter our earthly status, and in Paul’s time they were lots of divisions between men and women, slaves, freedmen and citizens, rich and poor, when we become part of God’s family our status changes –we are all sons of God.

How do you treat your status as a child of God? Do you wear it wherever you go? Does it provide comfort to you? If we are all sons of God, how does this effect the way we treat or expected to be treated by, our brothers and sister?

Yardstick....

Galatians 3:15-25 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no-one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. [16] The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds", meaning many people, but "and to your seed", meaning one person, who is Christ. [17] What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. [18] For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
[19] What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. [20] A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
[21] Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. [22] But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
[23] Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. [24] So 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.

Oh boy, is this a confusing passage…..

God made a covenant with Abraham that he entered into by faith, then later he gave the law. Does this mean that the Law nullified this earlier covenant of faith? Paul doesn’t think so. In his time, covenants between people were sacred, so he points out that God’s agreement with Abraham was eternal, and made perfect in Jesus. Faith in God is the only way to him – it was the only way for Abraham; it is the only way for us.

So why were we given the Law? The Law can be summarised in the Ten Commandments, but what it proves above all is actually our inability to keep it. We stumble on the keeping the Law, probably several times a day – remember failing at one point actually means failing at it all….Measuring ourselves against it shows just how far away from keeping it we actually are. The Law shows our sin. And it was temporary – it was brought to us by a mediator, Paul means Moses, who was not the fulfilment of God’s promise. What it shows us is that we need a Saviour. We need to Jesus to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

It’s so easy isn’t it – we just need to believe in what Jesus has done for us and accept his gift of grace. But maybe this is the problem that so many people have with the Gospel. It’s so easy. We look for it to be more complicated, we look for the things that we need to do, but there are none. And maybe this offends some of us, that it is ‘charity’ and we are too proud to accept it. Or maybe it is it’s universality that upsets us – that if a nurse and an axe murderer both accept the gift of the Gospel then they both have things put right between them and God – and we feel this is unfair. Surely the axe murder must do more, after all he is a worse person.

But then he isn’t – because all of us have fallen away from God, all of us need to be brought back to him. In the end we find that God is just – but above all he wants to be merciful.

‘Mercy has triumphed over judgement’. Will this thought change the way you act and feel and behave? Is the universality of the Gospel message fair?

Faith to believe...

Galatians 3:1-14 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. [2] I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? [3] Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? [4] Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? [5] Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
[6] Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." [7] Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. [8] The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." [9] So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
[10] 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." [11] Clearly no-one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." [12] The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." [13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." [14] He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

What has actually moved you forward in your journey with God, Paul asks the Galatians – trying by human effort or by the Holy Spirit working from within and changing what you do on the outside? Moving forward has come because you believed in what Jesus has done and receiving his grace. So here’s something for us to ponder – what evidence is there in our lives, and the lives of our churches, that we have been changed by faith. Paul points to the work of the Spirit in the Galatians’ churches, of lives changed, miracles and transformations. Can we point to the evidence of faith in our communities?

Abraham followed God, not because of a written down code of behaviour, but because he met God, believed and followed him, even though it meant moving from one side of the ancient world to another. It was faith that made him follow, and made him a child of God. Paul is telling us this, because later he is going to develop a theology of us all being children of God, if we have heard and believed. It is those who believe in faith, in faith of what Jesus has done on the cross, that are descendants of Abraham and children of God.

Because following the law can only do so much. In fact what it tells us is that unless we follow everything that is in the law, always and forever, we are in trouble. The truth is that we cannot do this for ourselves…. Which is why we need Jesus. We were under a curse. We needed somebody to accept that curse for us. It had to be Jesus, God who was also man, because only a man could be punished since only man was guilty, but only God’s Son was good enough. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." This is the great truth of the Gospel, the Good News – Jesus did for us that which we could not do for ourselves. He put things right between us and God – if you like, and if you remember the analogy of the other day, he fixed the car. And because of Jesus acting in faith, he made it possible for all men, not just the Jewish nation, to share in the promise God gave to bless the world to Abraham, a blessing which is passed on by faith…..

What do we have faith to believe in?
If you are a regular visitor to the ‘Deployed’ site then please leave your thoughts in what we have faith, as children of Abraham, who are destined to bring blessing to all nations, for….

Not because of what we've done.....

Galatians 2:15-21 "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' [16] know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.
[17] "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! [18] If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a law-breaker. [19] For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Paul sees his argument with Peter as coming down to this – what did Jesus die for? He puts it this way. Imagine that we could put things right between us and God by working at things ourselves, and imagine that following the Law, with all its customs and rituals, absolutely perfectly, for the whole of our lives was possible. If we could do things ourselves, then Jesus didn’t need to come to die for us. If we could do this then his coming at all was pointless. And in fact, there was an extreme Jewish sect that believed they could bring forth the coming of the Messiah if the whole Jewish nation lived perfectly for a whole day….

But Paul believes, as does Peter – Paul is telling him to stick up for what he believes – that you can’t do this. The Law is good because it shows us how we should live with each other, the way God intends. But since we cannot perfectly keep it, what it actually does is show us that we miss the mark – some of us get closer than others, but we all miss it! (Romans 3:23). We are saved, we have our relationship with God restored, by believing in what Jesus has done for us. We are not justified by observing the Law – it’s impossible to keep – but we are justified by faith! Imagine we borrow a car from a friend, and we crash it, so that it’s damaged. We say sorry, our friend forgives us, but the car is still a mess. Jesus came to fix the damage.

So does this mean that we can carry on in our lives without changing anything? No – Jesus isn’t just our saviour, he is our Lord as well. As Paul says, we now live for God (19). We don’t live for ourselves anymore, we start to think, feel and act as Jesus would, because now he lives in us (20). And this is a life of Agape love, selfless, serving the needs of others….. This is the radical change that we so often see in someone who has really encountered Jesus. And Paul knows this, because it happened to him on the road to Damascus. Once the car is fixed, we don't try and intentionally break it again...

So Paul’s argument with Peter is this – don’t lead others back to the old ways. The new way is better, because we live new lives with the power of love coming from within, rather than under an obligation put upon us.

Incidentally, I wonder how Peter felt at being told off in public. Paul doesn’t tell us, possibly because he thinks it unimportant – he’s not recalling this encounter to prove how big he scored over another Apostle. The young Peter, the man of action in the Gospels would probably have taken a swing at Paul. But the older, wiser Peter, I hope, had the grace and humility to fess up and start over.

How do we react in conflict? Do we seek to win, or do we seek to bring harmony? Is it always right to seek the peace? How do we react afterwards? When we ‘win’ and when we ‘lose’?

Follow, Follow....

Galatians 2:11-14 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. [12] Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. [13] The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
[14] When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

Conflict is always wrong – sometimes it’s necessary to resolve an issue and then move on. And here, even after Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem, probably the ‘Council of Jerusalem’ (Acts 15), when it seemed that the issue of adopting regulations had been put away, it comes up again. Isn’t it amazing how some problems never seem to go away?

Peter visited the believers In Antioch, a church made up of a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians. At first they ate with everybody but after some more visitors arrived from Jerusalem – James was probably leading the Church there – there was a division. The Jewish Christians, despite what had been agreed about the law in Jerusalem and what God had divinely revealed to Peter in his dream before visiting Cornelius (Acts 10), started to separate themselves at meal times as the Law required.

Paul was upset for two reasons. First it isn’t just that they got it wrong – it was hypocrisy. The church had agreed on one course of action, but was now doing another. Second it was Peter, the most influential person in the church, who was the leading ‘hypocrite’. He had bowed to the pressure of the ‘circumcision’ group, the false brothers, and acted in a manner he knew wasn’t right in order to get some peace. And because of who he was, his actions influenced others to follow. Paul believed Peter should have known better! There’s a lesson here for us too – are we aware of how we influence those around us? I think many of us would be surprised by how much others look to us and weigh up our actions before deciding on their own. If you don’t believe me, think about the last time you were in a group trying to decide which film to see at the cinema….. If that’s the case then we need to be careful in our actions, to act like Jesus, so we are influencing those around us to honour him. That's more important than a quiet life.

So when Paul gets back to Antioch, because it’s hard to believe that if he’d been around he would have allowed the situation to deteriorate so far, he immediately confronts Peter, as an equal because his Apostolic credentials have been recognised by the whole Church, in order to restore truth to the situation. It’s important to Paul that the Church’s most influential leaders act correctly.

What problems seem to come back again and again? Is it because we aren’t strong enough to deal with the situation? Are there any ways in which we know our beliefs are not influencing our actions? Do we follow people we know are in the wrong? Are we careful about how we influence those around us?

The truth covers all.....

Galatians 2:1-10 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. [2] I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. [3] Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. [4] {This matter arose} because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. [5] We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
[6] As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message. [7] On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. [8] For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. [9] James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognised the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. [10] All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Sometimes you forget that the events we read in the Bible happened over time. Now Paul points out that it was 14 years between these two visits to Jerusalem. This reminds us that a lot can happen over time, and that we need to make good use of it. It may seem to us that Paul has just jumped over 14 years as if nothing of consequence happened – but in that time he had toured through Asia and founded a number of churches. There were people all over the ancient world who were believers now because of the mission undertaken by Paul and his friends.

It’s now that Paul starts to develop his argument about being saved by grace through faith. When we read one of Paul’s letters we are very often getting only one side of the conversation – from what he’s writing we have to guess what the other half is. In Galatians we believe Paul is writing because some people, Paul calls them false brothers, are trying to convince the Church to adopt Jewish customs. They want to make all Christians, even those who were not from Jewish backgrounds, the people Paul was taking the good news of Jesus to, adopt the Jewish Laws….. and boys, this meant circumsion, even if you were a man when you became a Christian…..

Paul believes you are a Christian if you believe in what Jesus, by dying on the cross to save you fom your sins and by rising from the dead to be your Lord, has done, not in the things we do. We are free from the regulations of the old Law. For Paul adopting Jewish customs and rules was a waste of time at best, and at worse would make others feel excluded – a problem when Paul believed the Gospel was for all who believed…..

So in this passage he reminds the Galatians that he went to Jerusalem, visited with the early leaders of the Church, checked with them that they agreed with his message (that they added nothing, v6, doesn’t mean Paul thinks they are numpties, but that Paul’s message was sound and they didn’t need to correct him). What Paul is keen to do here, is remind the Galatians that the message he preached to them was the same gospel that their brothers and sisters in Jeruslaem believed, the same good news that was brought by Jesus.

In your walk with God are there rules and customs that you follow which are actually worthless? Do these rules detract from the message that the Gospel is for everyone? Are there attitudes that you have which mean that you exclude people that Jesus would want you to include?

Walk before you run.....

Galatians 1:10-24 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

[13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. [18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie. [21] Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." [24] And they praised God because of me.

Am I trying to please men, Paul asks….. the result of this would be competition and comparing yourself to others. Paul points to this in his own life (13-14) - before he met Jesus he was an extremely competitive man, running ahead of his peers, following the rules of his faith and working had to see it advance and be protected. I wonder if Paul had become aware of how unhealthy competition can be? I wonder if he’d realised that its nature of winning and losing, would involve ‘beating’ other people, of striving to get ahead, of hardening his heart towards others, seeing them as rivals and not team mates. I wonder if in our own journeys with God we are seeing those around us as competitors and not team mates, and I wonder how this attitude of getting ahead can be transformed when we’re at work or school into an attitude towards our peers as something more Christ-like?

But as a servant of Jesus, Paul seeks to do his will. This little passage points to some interesting facts about Paul’s life. We can sense the strength of the call God had on his life – yes his conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) was dramatic, but somehow Paul managed to hold on to the sense of purpose, to take the Gospel to non-Jewish people, that he was given (and incidently as he was told by God what the Gospel was Paul will fight for for this truth, of salvation by grace to be known by all). It’s the patience that strikes me. With such a dramatic conversion and mission maybe Paul felt he should run to the churches and start his ministry straight away. ‘God has told ME. Things have been revealed to ME’ When God gives us a vision or a mission then it is a great privilege. But we have to learn to share it and work it in God’s timing – otherwise we go when it’s premature and people are not ready to hear it (See Joseph’s dreams and the reaction of his brothers in Genesis 37) . But Paul knew he needed time to prepare and to grow in his new relationship with Jesus, so we’re told he spends three years (an age when most of us consider three days an eternity to wait for something we are excited about!) quietly in Arabia.

Only after that does Paul go to see the churches, and again in a demonstration of humility consults with Peter, the friend of Jesus, and the leading man in the new faith, spending more than two weeks in his company. In this time Paul knew he had work to do – the Lord had given him a mission but his new team mates were people he had hurt in the past. It was the churches in Judea that Paul had attacked, and now he needed their help. Paul understood that he needed to win their trust by living gently amongst them. At the end of that time he must have brought great joy to the churches as they saw their wild eyed persecutor had found faith in the Lord.

There’s a lesson there for us. Never pre-judge who God will have you witness to and how – Paul had seen many people give their lives for Jesus and this must have impacted him – never write people off as hopeless cases. And like our ancestors in faith we must realise that when anyone comes to know Jesus, absolutely anyone, then this is something worth celebrating!

Who are we in competition with, even if it’s something we keep to ourselves? Is this leading to us comparing ourselves to others? Do we feel better than them, or do we feel diminished? How can we transform this attitude from competition into a pursuit of excellence? Would a real change be a real witness for Jesus, or would we just look ‘wet’ to our peers?

Good News - remember it!

Galatians 1:1-9

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— [2] and all the brothers with me,

To the churches in Galatia:

[3] Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4] who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, [5] to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!


When Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia he had one overriding concern – that they would remember that Jesus dies to save them from their sins and to restore their friendship with God. This was God’s plan, and a task which Jesus willingly undertook. And look how Paul gets straight into this in vs3-5.

Very often we refer to Jesus’ mission as the Gospel. Gospel means ‘Good news’. As far as Paul is concerned it is good news that Jesus has made us friends with God again. It’s simple – believe in Jesus, that he died to save you, and rose again to be Lord of your life and your relationship with God is restored.

In some ways it is like a bridge. There was a huge gulf between us and God, and Jesus came to build a bridge between us, saying that anyone who wanted to, by believing in his message could cross the bridge.

The problem for the folk in Galatia was that someone else was trying to put a toll on the bridge. As we’ll find out when we delve into the letter more they were saying that in order to cross the bridge you had to adopt the old ways and customs of the Law.

This was a way of trying to cross the bridge, but doing it this way we find out that the price of the toll was perfection. The only way to cross the bridge was to live a life in which you had never done anything wrong! It’s impossible. Yet someone was telling the people in Galatia this was the way forward – and Paul was having none of it!

Imagine, Paul says, having to work hard at being religious all your life and then rolling up to the toll gate, only to discover that despite how diligent you were you didn’t have enough to make the toll. That’s not a Gospel – that’s not good news. That’s hard work.

The Good News that Jesus brings is this – it’s a gift. For anyone who is willing to accept Jesus’ gift, no matter how short of the toll they are, Jesus makes up the difference.

Imagine that you’re an okay person, and you turn up at the toll with 86p and the toll is £1. Jesus makes up the 14p difference. Paul himself was a pretty good guy say 92p, but he’s still 8p short. Jesus makes up the difference. Imagine an axe murder brought 32p, but then discovered this good news and wanted to change. Jesus makes up the 68p difference. For those who believe in him, Jesus makes it possible to cross the bridge toll free.

It’s not about who we are and what we’ve done, but about who Jesus is and what he’s done for us. As Paul was to write in a later letter God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

Now that’s good news, Paul tells the Galatians – don’t forget it.

Anyway, here's today's question: if the Gospel is good news, why does it sometimes seem like so much hard work?

Forwards, not back - a worshippers journey in Galatians

Change is hard at first. It needs commitment. It needs to be followed through. It requires effort – especially when you are going against the flow…..

Paul knew this, which is why he wrote to the churches in Galatia. On his missionary trips Paul planted a number of churches in the Galatia region of Asia Minor.

Many of these new Christians came from Jewish backgrounds. The problem was that many of these people started to look backwards. Judaism had a large number of customs and rituals and the new churches seemed to have kept practicing these while adding a layer of new Christian thought on top. When Paul heard about this he quickly wrote to the new churches. You don’t have to be bound by the old ways of living, he told them, Jesus came to set you free from them. There is a new and better way to live. You have to look forwards, not back!

As we read through the letter we’re going to discover-

• that true servants of God seek his approval, not that of other people
  that when anyone becomes a believer we should praise and thank God
  that real love of God shows itself in care for people in need
  and that tying to live a life which depends on following rules leads to us comparing ourselves to each other and hardens our hearts away from God.

Deployed rolls out on Monday 21st August 2006