Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Darkness

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
-Edmund Burke

Evil is rampant in our world today. Let me be more specific, evil is rampant in my life at times. The sin problem that all of us humans have has led to a world that contains many unfair and unjust things.

Tuesday nights I help out with disadvantaged youth who have experienced many of these issues head on. Some have been abused, some have become addicted to substance or sex, and some don't know who their parents are...all at around the age of 14-17. This flags as an incredible injustice to me. A minor victory for evil has occurred in my eyes. Thankfully, I know, as a believer, that good has won the overall match and that while evil may have its hey day here on Earth, it is good that will eventually overcome through the cross of Christ.

Still I wonder often,"does it have to be this way?". Yes, I get it, there is sin in the world and there will always be bad things happening as long as this is the case. I strongly, strongly, strongly believe though that Christians are capable of not only going to heaven and being with God, but bringing a little of heaven down into Earth. It saddens me when I hear people who are satisfied with the way things are. Even if they feel like things should be different, they are too unwilling to make changes themselves so that we can make bigger changes on a whole.

I really believe as those Christians are on a mission, not as employees of God, but as recipients of an undeserved gift. When we receive a gift the magnitude of grace how are we to keep it to ourselves?? Take my own life, a resident in my dorm stole my Ipod last semester, he has been found out and all that by the police, but I still don't have it back. It is hard for me to just forgive him (hey, it was a 250 dollar song machine), but I think I could do it. Imagine that by a billion. God's grace is nowhere near something we can even comprehend fully, yet we are able to partake of it free of charge. Stunningly, we all (including me) have a tendency to keep it to ourselves. If we discovered the cure for cancer would we keep that to ourselves?? Of course not! Part of defeating evil is going to be sharing about the grace we've been given.

A theme of Christ's I see in the Gospels is that He often just goes. He doesn't take into consideration what ramifications will take place, rather He goes where He is not supposed to. Lepers, adulterers, tax collectors, Christ was all about sharing the light of the Good News because of its power. Paul was the same way, he experienced something huge enough for a major transformation and ended up sharing his gift with others, changing not only those first Christians, but all Christians even today.

Take time this week to pray about what you can do to stop the spread of evil in our world. It is a daunting task that will take the unification of the body of Christ,but we can do it....we WILL do it.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Class Midterms!

For one of my classes, I recently had to write four essays about Galatians. In the interest of killing two birds with one stone, I decided to also post it to my blog. Galatians is quite the book and is worth checking out for those interested in seeing what God has to say about just "following the rules". Also, for those politically minded, I just watched Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A love story", while not Moore's best movie and full of an incredible amount of slanting and bias...the movie did make some good points about the sometimes flawed system our country has. Check it out, I wont say if I agree or not, see what ya think if interested.

If one were to have to pick one central message that Paul was trying to convey to the church of Galatia in his letter to them, it likely would be his insistence that they adhere to the true gospel that he had preached to them. Early in the letter, the reader learns that there have been people coming into the church and spreading a false gospel much different from the one that Paul had previously preached them (1:6-7). Obtaining right standing with God through the works of the law is what this false gospel being preached is centered on (3:2). Throughout the letter of Galatians, Paul provides several examples of what this true gospel that he preaches is all about.
One of the first assertions that Paul makes about this gospel is that it is not his own (1:12). It is likely that those stirring up trouble in the church tried to convince the church that Paul has been making up the gospel from his own mind. This In the letter, Paul assures that them that this gospel comes from God himself. Being a divine gift, this gospel that Paul is presenting is much different than the man-made gospel being presented by the Judaizers.
A second major characteristic of the truth that Paul would like the church to understand that is the cross of Christ that provides the ticket to right standing with God (3:13-14). This is also known as justification. Those who accept the gift of Christ’s cross will be justified, unlike those who continue to try earning it by doing good works (2:16). Paul spends much of his letter addressing the issue of Jewish people forcing circumcision upon Gentile Christians (6:12). Important to note is that Paul does not call circumcision an evil act, rather the fact that the Jews are trying to use it as means to obtain justification. Paul argues that in the true gospel he preaches, it is the grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus that allows for justification, not works of the law (5:6).
Also in Galatians, Paul seems to suggest that the true gospel is one that involves a community of believers, not just a single person. In the letter, he describes believers as one in Christ (3:28). While it is true that a personal decision must be made to accept Christ’s sacrifice, Paul seems to be saying that an inwardly focused gospel is one that leads to attempts of self righteousness. Rather an outwardly focused gospel, one that is concerned with fellow members of God’s kingdom, leads to eternal life (6:9-10). This is especially seen in the final chapter of Galatians as Paul seems to turn his focus into living in community with one another as believers.
The true gospel that Paul preaches is the one that Paul has experienced in his own life (1:22-24). Throughout his letter to the Galatians, Paul argues for them to hold fast to the truth rather than falling back into the gospel of self-righteousness being presented by Judaizers (3:1). His gospel of justification by means of the cross differs greatly from trying to obtain justification by works of the law such as circumcision (2:16). The truth he presents is not from man, but rather from God and requires its followers to become outwardly focused, seeking community with one another. In the letter to the church of Galatia, Paul presents a clear blueprint for what the true gospel looks like and what makes it different from the alternative being preached to them.


Central to the Christian faith is the cross of Jesus Christ. The gospel that the apostle Paul preaches about, specifically in the letter of Galatians, is also centered on the cross of Christ. In the letter Paul describes the purpose of the cross, how it defeats the idea of self-righteousness, and how it affects the way a believer lives life. One can easily see the profound effect that the cross has had on Paul and this passion is evidenced in how he writes about it in Galatians (1:22-24). The personal importance of the cross to Paul’s faith permeates the letter and he clearly lays out why the cross is important to him and should be the center of the faith of the Christian.
The cross of Jesus accomplishes much for the believer. In fact, it is the cross that gives believers identity as people of God (3:13-15). Paul’s argument is that the essential condition to be a member of the people of God is to accept the gift of Christ’s cross. Reasoning for this being a mandatory condition of being a follower of God is that the cross accomplishes something for people that the law failed to do, justification (2:16). This means that people are unable to rectify the problem of sin by following by following the law, but they instead need an intercessor to be seen as clean in God’s eyes. Jesus is this intercessor and his cross is where victory over sin takes place (3:13-14). Paul writes that this victory is what gives us life, not trying to satisfy God through works of the flesh.
It is evident in Galatians that Paul believes that the cross makes the idea of becoming self-righteous through following of the works of the law irrelevant. The letter primarily focuses on instructing current believers not to fall back into the trap of thinking that humans are capable of becoming justified in God’s eyes by their own works (1:6-12). One of Paul’s most poignant points in the letter addresses the fact that even those who are getting circumcised and forcing others to do the same are still falling short of the law (6:13). His main point is that it is impossible to fulfill the law outside of the cross of Jesus. The law has purpose, according to Paul, but it is incapable of providing justification because sinful human beings are incapable of fulfilling it (3:24-25). This is where the cross fits in; it is able to make up for our shortcomings in following the law (3:13).
Another interesting part of Paul’s letter to the Galatians describes the relationship the believer shares with the cross. In the second chapter of the letter Paul speaks of being crucified with Christ and dying to the law (2:19-20). Is Paul trying to say that believers are crucified as Christ was when they decide to accept the justification that the cross offers? To an extent, this is what he is doing. Paul is not saying that the believer played any part in shouldering our sins along with Christ. He argues in the letter specifically against such thinking. It is Christ alone who died on the cross, providing an opportunity to become a child of God (3:13). Perhaps what Paul is trying to say when he says he is that the sinful, unjustified self is put to death by what Christ did on the cross (2:19). In essence, the sinful self was crucified when Christ was crucified, forever putting to death the separation between God and man for those who accept the gift of grace.
The question that remains to be answered is what happens to the believer post- justification as the result of the cross. Important to understand, according to Paul, is that while Christ lives in believers, they are still consciously able to make our own personal decisions (2:20-21). This eliminates any arguments that individuals lose responsibility for their actions because Christ is in control of their lives. Paul’s letter to the Galatians contains much information about the Holy Spirit and its role in the life of someone following the gospel Paul preaches (5:16). The cross is what allows for the Spirit to enter our lives (4:5-6). Without justification by the cross there is no Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Concerns over his friends in the church of Galatia missing out on this important point is why Paul is writing this letter in an urgent tone. It is this Holy Spirit that guides the life of the believer into righteousness (5:22-26; 6:8). Contrasting with this Paul writes about what happens when we trust the flesh and works of the law to obtain righteousness, it will only lead to destruction (5:19-21).
Galatians, like all works about Christianity, centers on the cross. The gospel that has transformed Paul and for which he endures heavy persecution, takes responsibility for righteousness out of man’s incapable hands. Instead Christ took upon the task of justifying his followers by means of the cross. It is through this action that believers find identity as children of God and that any pressure of fulfilling the law by works of the flesh is diminished. Paul’s letter clearly lays out the importance of the cross of Jesus and what it accomplishes for those willing to accept its power.


A common goal for believers to have is to be considered one of God’s people. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul addresses what criterion must be met to be considered someone who belongs to God. The central idea of justification again plays a part in an argument of Paul and is used to explain how one can become a person of God (2:16). This gospel that Paul preached to these people and now writes of holds great power to unify the church. However, there are issues arising that are leading to division. Paul investigates what it means to be one of God’s people and how one can achieve this status, as well as doing some instructing for how the church can unite.
Knowing that the cross of Christ is the essential part of a believer’s identity is important to understanding Paul’s argument of what it takes to be one of God’s children (3:13). It is by faith in the power of the cross that the believer is justified according to Paul (3:22). When justification occurs, the Holy Spirit is simultaneously received as a counselor and guider (5:16). Justification by Christ marks someone as one of the people of God. The cross accomplishes what the flesh could not, making humans righteous in God’s sight, according to Paul (5:5). Sin has put a curse on all of mankind and Christ became a curse on the cross, shouldering the sins of humanity. It is His act of substitution that allows for man to become people of God (3:10-14).
The chief concern Paul has for the Galatians is that they have started to believe the untruths being told by outside Judaizers that they must adopt the Jewish ways to inherit the kingdom of God. Aside from making his point that the gospel of Christ is one of grace and not works of the law, Paul also stresses that this gospel is for all mankind (3:26-29). Much of the letter is spent talking about the Jews and Gentiles, two major ethnic groups at the time of Paul. The Judaizers are making a strong push to make the Gentile Christians follow Jewish customs such as circumcision. First, Paul strongly argues that an act such as circumcision is not means by which to be included as one of God’s people (2:16). Secondly, he ensures his Gentile audience that the gospel of Christ they originally accepted is sufficient for their salvation (4:4-5). Any person, Jew or Gentile who willingly accepts the message of Christ’s cross can be called one of God’s people.
Part of the original covenant that God made with Abraham allowed for his descendants to belong to God. These descendents were of Jewish heritage. In the letter to the Galatians Paul does not discount the promise that God made to make Abraham’s offspring His own (3:8). However, Paul does stress that Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (3:29). It is not a heritage tied to Abraham that leads one to salvation, but rather it is the acceptance of the gift of Christ by the God of Abraham.
One of the special characteristics of the gospel that Paul is presenting to the Galatians is that it is very outwardly focused compared to the inwardly focused law keepers. The Judaizers are self centered in the fact that they believe the way to become holy is through personal action like circumcision. Instead Paul describes the life of a justified sinner as one that is centered on helping those entrenched in sin or suffering (6:1-10). The last part of Paul’s letter turns the focus to this issue of how to bring unity through the way people treat each other. People can be united under the banner of Christ due to the fact they all share something in common; they have done nothing to deserve the free gift of life offered by Christ (5:6). Competition among believers ceases to exist, as there is no point to try to outperform the works of one another. All are unified as sinners saved by the sacrifice of Christ.
Paul writes this letter to the Galatians because he is worried their unity as followers of Christ is in jeopardy due to the message of Judaizers in the church. The internal frustration that Paul has that his dear friends are falling back into the trap of self righteousness through works allows the reader to begin to understand how big of a deal this was to Paul (4:9-11). People returning to a gospel of the flesh will end up feeling empty. These people jeopardize their chance to be considered a child of God.
An important topic to discuss from the book of Galatians is Paul’s definition of the children of God. The cross that is at the center of Christianity should also be at the center of each individual’s life. Paul discusses the consequences of staking hope in the false gospel. It is Paul’s sincere hope that all of the Galatians will remember his idea of justification in the cross of Jesus and what that means in regards to their citizenship in God’s kingdom. With a basic understanding of what it will take to be saved, Paul then hopes and urges his readers to follow his teachings of what it means to be a child of God.

The reason for Paul writing his letter to the Galatians is to re-educate the people of the church as to the true gospel that he previously preached to them (1:8-12; 5:21). Outsiders trying to force the Gentile Christians to adopt Jewish customs forced Paul’s hand, so to speak, when it came to writing this letter. Paul writes about their strong influence and it obvious he realizes the power that they have had over these people (2:6). In Paul’s mind the gospel he presented in truly life-giving and his frustrations mount when he discovers the people of the church trying to fall back into a gospel of the flesh that leads people to slavery in the law (4:3-11). From the text of the letter of Galatians, the reader is able to ascertain what the Judaizers believe and how it differs from the teaching of Paul on righteousness.
Circumcision is the central issue that the Judaizers are forcing upon the new Christians of Galatia. This Jewish custom is at the heart of a bigger issue for these people, they believe that righteousness can and must occur by following the Jewish law (5:3-6). From the letter, Paul uses imagery of slavery and freedom (4:3; 5:1). It is obvious from his writing that Paul equates what the Judaizers believe with being enslaved to the law. In order to obtain right standing with God, they believe they must follow the rules of the law, including circumcision. Also, they believe that not only justification, but also righteousness is only attainable by following the law.
Paul does not discount the importance of the law in his letter (3:24). While his language towards the law is harsh at times, it is apparent that he has a respect for the Jewish law. However, this importance does not include justification or right living. Rather he feels as though it guided the people of God prior to the new covenant of Christ being established. Now that something new is in place, people like the Judaizers to the Galatians are in danger of swapping their slavery to sin with slavery to the law. It is Paul’s argument that the law is not what a Christian bases his right living on; rather it is a sanctification process by the Spirit (5:4-5).
Unlike the Judaizers whose idea of justification and sanctification is based on the human action of following the law, Paul’s gospel bases ideas on the God action of the cross of Christ and the workings of the Holy Spirit. When a believer comes to trust in the cross of Christ and its power to justify them they instantaneously receive the Holy Spirit into their lives (4:6). Paul uses such language as being “one with Christ” and “it is Christ who lives within me” to describe the newfound capability of being sanctified (2:20; 3:28). This does not mean that Paul ceases to live, but rather that he has received the Spirit to guide him towards right living.
Many references are made throughout the letter of Galatians describing the relationship a believer has to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is this relationship that allows for justification and sanctification over time (5:22-25). People who try to become holy through following the law, such as the Judaizers mentioned in the letter, are destined for slavery. However, those who accept the cross and receive the Spirit will experience true freedom (5:1). Christ has freed mankind from the unattainable goal of being perfect, not even the Judaizers were capable of following the law completely (6:13). While they were incapable of doing so, there is evidence in Paul’s letter that they believed the key to right living centered on a close adherence to Jewish customs and laws. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, makes a case for the true gospel which says that the key to right living and justification is centered on the cross of Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Forgiving for who?!

I have been reading a devotional lately about forgiveness. This issue is important to me because I have had massive problems with forgiveness in my life that have led to much bitterness being stored up. Often, I have thought of the toll I have put on myself by holding grudges. Why is it so hard to let you go of them? It is almost like I enjoy holding a grudge, it becomes a part of me and the thought of losing my rage scares me.

The book made a point that I have thought before, we must make a distinction between forgiving and forgetting. Forgetting is a form of brain damage, we can't do it...only God can. Forgiving is something different, something that allows for freedom for the person wronged. God says in the Bible that we are to be angry with sin as long as it does not cause us to sin. How can we be angry and not sin?? I believe God is ok with the fact that we are angry when we are wronged. People hurt other people, it is a sad truth of our world. We should be angry at injustice of all kinds. What we must not do is becoming so entrenched in this anger that it causes us to shift the frustration from the injustice to the perpetrator. When this occurs is when we start to be put into bondage by our anger.

Another interesting thought is that forgiveness is for us and not for the person we forgive. I never really thought of it that way. We are not doing the other person a service by forgiving them. This is where I've gotten into trouble in the past...I can forgive others as long as they are sorry for what they have done. Some people aren't sorry for the wrongs they have committed and by waiting for them to be so will cause much bitterness to well up in our hearts. When we forgive others, we in essence free ourselves from the bondage that our anger puts on us.

This is easier than it sounds, but it starts with a conscious choice to declare our will to forgive. It is an instant choice that may be a process of completing. Basically, it may take time for our hearts to heal, but we must be willing to declare our intent to forgive and seek God's help. This doesn't mean we forgive and hold on to the anger, still making negative remarks towards the person. I fell into this trap for quite sometime. Forgiving means putting things behind us...not forgetting mind you, but moving on to what God has in store for us.

The most important thing to understand is that this Jesus guy radically forgave. He forgave others while He was here on Earth, and eventually He forgave us all by dying on the cross. Because we are radically forgiven is why we should do the same for others. It is not going to be easy, but let's work together as a body of believers to make it happen!