Galatians Cliffs Notes Part Two

Our reading today is Philippians 3, but I digress into 4:1 for a moment because that really is the concluding thought of chapter 3.  (Always remember that the chapter markings aren't inspired; they're man made breaks that sometimes don't make much sense).  4:1 says, "Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends."  When I read that verse I have a question.  My question is what does the word "that" stand for?  How is Paul telling us that we should stand firm in our Christian faith?  There is a lot of pressure on Christians today.  How do we manage to keep on doing the right thing?

The answer to my question the meaning of "that" is found in the opening word of verse 1 "therefore."
Therefore links the meaning of that back to what Paul has discussed in chapter 3.  If we want to know how to stand firm, we need to understand chapter 3.

In chapter 3, Paul gives us a warning about legalism.  In verses 2-4, he writes: "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. ³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence" (NIV, 1984).  If you have been with us for our study on Galatians you know the type people that Paul is speaking about.  He is speaking about false teachers who would tell the Philippians that they have to obey the Old Testament Law and that they have to be circumcised if they would be saved and be good Christians.  Paul says in verses 1-11 the Philippians are not to follow such teachers.  Instead of following the legalism of these men, the Philippians are to follow the example and pattern given by Paul (verse 17).

The point of chapter 3 is similar to what we studied in Galatians yesterday morning.  Legalism will not help you stand firm in your faith.  It will not allow you to grow spiritually.  Instead, the key to standing firm is to follow the pattern of Paul's teaching.  Paul doesn't specifically identify that pattern here but we know it from Galatians.  The pattern of standing firm is yielding to the Holy Spirit, allowing God to conquer our sinful nature so that we can be obedient and follow Jesus' Lordship.  In Philippians 3, Paul makes the very same point that we saw in Galatians.  Law and legalism will not make you righteous.  Righteousness comes only through Jesus and the Spirit.        

Imitating God

In Ephesians 5:1, Paul writes: "Be imitators of God" (NIV, 1984).  That is an amazing command.  If it doesn't knock you off your feet, you probably haven't read it closely.  Think about it again.  "Imitate God."  Imitate the One who hung the stars in space.  Imitate the One who everywhere fills the earth with His presence.  Imitate the One who became Incarnate and took the punishment of the world upon Himself.  Imitate the One best described with the triune phrase "Holy! Holy! Holy!"  If you don't take a big swallow and gulp when you read Paul's words, you probably haven't really considered what Paul is asking.  How do we as finite creatures imitate the all-powerful, all mighty God?  

Thankfully, Paul narrows the command somewhat in he words that follow.  In verse 2, he writes: "Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  How to we imitate God?  We do it by imitating His revelation of Himself in His Son Jesus and by living the life (and death)  of love that Jesus lived.  In many ways, this more defined version of the command isn't any easier to obey than the first, broader version.  Even the narrowed command to imitate God's love should still make us take a big gulp and swallow.  The love that Paul speaks of here requires the sacrifice of ourselves.  Even as Jesus gave His life to bring life to others, we are to give of ourselves to bring life and healing and hope to the people and world around us.  This is the sacrifice of love that imitates Jesus and that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. 

The rest of the chapter explains what such love looks like.  The commands and imperatives of Ephesians 5 should not be regarded as a simple laundry list of ethics or a compendium of moral directives.  Instead, they flesh out what it means to be imitators of God.  They show us how we love to bring life through sacrifice even as Jesus did.  This consideration of how we flesh out love reaches its crescendo in verse 21 when Paul writes: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."  Here is where the imitation of Christ reaches its zenith.  We best imitate God when we lay aside our needs and wants and prerogatives for the sake of the good of others.  This is what Jesus did in the Incarnation and the cross.  And this is where we best imitate God.     

Praying for the Church

So often, when we pray for our church, we focus on physical needs. We pray for those who are sick.  We pray for those looking for work.  We pray for safety for those who are taking a trip.  There is certainly nothing wrong with such prayers.  The Bible invites them.  But our prayer can't focus on just physical things.  We need to pray for the spiritual health and prosperity of our church as well. 

I love how the Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:16-19.  Paul writes: " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (NIV, 1984).

This is the type of prayer we would do well to pray for our congregation.  We should pray that God would strengthen the inner selves of our church family through the Spirit so that we might stand firm in faith and obedience.  We should pray that we as a church would grasp and experience how high and wide and deep the love of Christ is.  We should pray not only for the physical needs of our FBC family.  We should pray for our spiritual depth as well.    

The Change

Ephesians 2 highlights an incredible transformation that takes place for those who have been saved by Jesus Christ.  In verse 3, Paul says that before Christ we were "objects of wrath."  God's holy judgment was burning against us because of our sin.  But through grace, we "have been made alive with Christ" and we have been "raised up with Christ" and "seated in the heavenly realms."  In other words, a dramatic metamorphosis has taken place.  When Paul says that we have made alive with Christ he means that the Holy Spirit now lives inside of us.  Through the Spirit, we have the power to defeat our sinful nature and live in ways that are pleasing and honoring to God.  When Paul says that we have been raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly realms, he means that our victory over death is assured.  Our future eternal reward in heaven is certain as we continue in faith and in the grace of Jesus.  In Christ, we have gone from dead men walking to those with a bright hope and a future.  Ephesians 2 reminds us that by grace we have experienced a dramatic transformation.      

The Background

It may be hard to post fresh and relevant posts on Galatians in the next few days.  After all, we have been going through the book on Sunday mornings.  I am not sure that there is much use in rehashing here what we have studied on Sunday mornings. 

That being said, Galatians 2 is a chapter that is probably hard for many of us to understand.  Maybe a quick summary is in order.  Paul writes his epistle to the Galatian church because false teachers have entered that church.  They are teaching the Galatians that faith in Jesus is not enough for justification or sanctification.  They tell the Galatians that one has to obey all of the Old Testament Law if one wants to be right with God.  It seems that the Galatians recognize that this is not the teaching that they learned from Paul.  They object that is not the Gospel as they heard it.  The false teachers counter by saying that Paul got it wrong.  He received the Gospel from the leaders in Jerusalem and he mangled their message.  The false teachers say that they have the right message and with the authority of the Apostles in Jerusalem they have come to straighten the Galatians out.

In chapters one and two, Paul tells the Galatians that he did not receive his Gospel from any man but instead from Jesus Himself (1:12).  Thus, there could not have been any twisting of the Apostle's message.  To demonstrate his point, Paul rehearses the relevant history between himself and the Apostles in Jerusalem.  Paul shows that on several occasions it was he that straightened out the Apostles,especially Peter.  The Apostles did not correct him.  And for the most part, Paul says, the Apostles and he were on the same page.  They had the very same Gospel to teach.

For more insight into the events that Paul is talking about, read Acts 15.  There one reads about the Jerusalem council where Paul and the Apostles debated how much "Old Testament religion" should be expected of New Testament Christians.  It provides much of the relevant Biblical background for our reading today.          

Schizophrenic?

Up to now, the book of 2 Corinthians has been a book about reconciliation.  In the opening 9 chapters, Paul tries to correct misunderstandings with the Corinthian church and to rebuild his relationship with them.  To this point, Paul's tone has been irenic and reconciliatory. In Chapter 10, this all changes dramatically and suddenly.  Paul moves from reconciliation to confrontation.  Chapters 10-13 are full of rebuke, sarcasm, and even vitriol.  What happens between chapter 9 and chapter 10?

Evangelicals typically give two answers to this questions:

     1. Between chapters 9 and 10, news arrives from Corinth and it is not good.  There is a minority group that is still challenging Paul and that is not willing to recognize his authority as an apostle.  Chapters 10-13 are meant as a addendum for this group while the opening chapters are preserved for those who have been reconciled to Paul.  (Plus, scrolls aren't cheap.  Can't rip the whole thing up and start over because of bad news).

     2. Chapters 10-13 were written before chapters 1-9.  In 2 Corinthians 2:4, the Apostle Paul says that he had written a letter to the Corinthians out of great sorrow and anguish with many tears.  This letter had replaced a planned visit to Corinth.  It is clear that this letter was a tough letter of rebuke, one that upset many in the Corinthian church.  The theory of many scholars is that chapters 10-13 are that "sorrowful letter."  They were appended on to the end of Paul's letter of reconciliation so that we might know the context for the letter Paul has currently written.

I'll let you decide what you think the right answer might be.  If you have been present on Wednesday nights for our Bible study, you know what I think.  It pays not to miss Wednesday nights.

To Tithe or Not to Tithe?

There are times that I think I stand alone in the evangelical community in insisting that a tithe of one's income is never mandated by Scripture.  Tithe of course means ten percent.  And many if not most evangelical pastors teach that Christians are commanded by God to give ten percent of their income to the church. To me, the tithe is a legalistic addition to Scripture.  It is a teaching that is not clearly taught in the New Testament and I would suggest it is in fact contradicted there.  Now, I want to be clear here.  If someone feels that the Lord has led them to give ten percent of their income, that is not wrong. The problem is when ten percent becomes the golden standard with no thought of any Christian giving below or even above that.  Any Christian convicted that they should give ten percent should do that.  But we can't insist that, that figure is the magic one for every believer.

2 Corinthians 9 is one of the passages that demonstrates that Christians are not constrained to give a certain percentage of their income.  In verse 7, Paul writes: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."  Note what Paul says: each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give.  He doesn't say that you should give ten percent.  He doesn't say that you should give any percent.  He simply says that you should give as the Lord leads.  And note that he says that this giving should not be under compulsion.  One should not give because they feel obligated to give a certain percent.  One should give because they joyfully and thankfully choose a certain amount.   

I'm sure that some would fear that abandoning the tithe would lead to poverty for the churches.  But even if we are not commanded to give ten percent, we are commanded to give generously.  Paul lists several reasons why we should give generously: God is pleased by generous giving, He rewards generous giving, God's purpose in giving to us is so that we might give to others, and generous giving leads to God being praised.  The reality may be that Christians should use far more than ten percent of their income in serving God and others.  Someone has estimated that a faithful Israelite would have given close to 33 percent of their income to the Lord under the direction of the Old Testament Law.  If those under the Old Covenant gave a third, ten percent doesn't seem like much for New Testament saints who have far more abundant blessings in Jesus.

The point is that there is no standard is for everyone when it comes to giving.  While Christians are called to give generously (especially in service to the poor), we are not called to give a set amount.  Instead, we should give freely and joyfully as the Lord leads.    

Giving Your Best

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul addresses the subject of giving.  In these two chapters, Paul urges the Corinthians to be generous in their gifts to the saints in Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was suffering through a famine.  Christians, who by virtue of their faith were ostracized from the social support offered by the Temple, were particularly vulnerable to hunger.  Paul is collecting an offering from his Gentile churches to help the struggling Jewish Christians in Israel's capitol.

There was good reason to collect such an offering.  The Church was founded in Jerusalem.  It was Jewish Christians who had been persecuted and made big sacrifices so that the word of Jesus could be spread.  Taking care of the Jerusalem Christians seemed particularly appropriate given their priority in the Church.  It was also appropriate in light of the sometimes rocky relations between Jewish and Gentile Christians.  Paul himself had had several disagreements with the church leaders in Jerusalem.  A gift to the Church there would help show that Paul had a proper respect for the other Apostles.  It would demonstrate the unity of Gentile Christians with their Jewish brothers.

And so Paul urges the Corinthinan Christians to give generously.  He reminds them that some Christians much poorer than them have given far more generously.  And he assures them that the money will be properly handled and delivered to its intended audience. 

Like the Corinthians, we too need to be givers, especially to other brothers and sisters in Christ who are poor and needy.  Probably none of the Christians in Corinth (or Macedonia) had ever met a Christian from the church in Jerusalem.  Yet, they were called on to help those in need.  In the same way, there are Christians who suffer poverty that we have never met.  Yet, we have the same obligtion to assist them.  Like the Corinthians, we should give generously to the poor.   

    

Personal Touch

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul continues to urge the Corinthians to be reconciled to him.  After a series of misunderstandings and difficult conversations, Paul tries to restore the bond of fellowship with these Christians who had become alienated from his affections.  Paul has a long history with most of the Corinthian Christians.  He was the founding pastor of their church, and he had discipled them in the way of Jesus.  It had to trouble Paul to have issues come between him and them.

One can sense the feeling that Paul has for the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 7.  In this chapter, he recounts his dark days in Macedonia, and he tells the Corinthians how a visit from Titus with a good report about them was a ray of sunshine on gloomy days.  Paul was encouraged to hear that the Corinthians had responded to his rebukes and correction.  He was glad they still had feelings of affection for him.

2 Corinthians 7 reminds us how much even the slightest bit of love and affection can mean to someone in a dark time.  Here a good report from Titus about the love of the Corinthians encourages Paul.  It doesn't take much to brighten dark times for someone who has the hope of Christ in their lives.  Seeing what even small signs of affection can do, we should be quick to express our concern and well wishes for those going through tough times.  Even a small but sincere thought means a great deal.