Paul again speaks up against the false teachers promoting "our good works" following the Law is what will make us right with God.
Even in today's society, within the framework of the Christian church, we hear the "echos" of this false belief. We, in no way are made righteous by our own will to overcome evil that lurks within us, or the "mind over matter" stuff that says we are "all beautiful" within.....please!
We are dead in our sins no matter how good we appear, because only the work of Christ Jesus is what changes us within...cuttting out the "hard stone" within us and giving us hearts that are ever grateful and full of trust in Christ Himself....
Gleanings from Galatians 5:1-12
" So, the reality of Life as we know it is this: Christ Jesus is the One who sets us free; Freedom has no other way....only by putting our trust and hope in Christ is the only way our lives are made full and complete!
My brothers and sisters, why would you even want to put a "yoke on your shoulders" that does nothing more than burden you down and makes you a "slave"....again? Because that is exactly what you are doing when you think following after the "Letter of the Law" will give you a purpose and a freedom in life.
Now listen up when I say this: If you think for even a minute that being circumcised adds to you being made right with God...think again! You are wrong...so wrong, and the only thing you gain from it is...nothing!
I want to make sure I am perfectly clear on this: circumcision does not bring you close to God, it doesn't "buy" you any favors with God, and if you think following the Law is "your ticket" out of here, giving you some extra merit in drawing close to God....you can forget it! None of this kind of thought has ANY truth to it.
Here is what happens when you think being made right with our Heavenly Father comes by following and trying to obey the Law: 1) separation from Christ Jesus by not putting faith in what He has already made possible for each of us and 2) your life becomes a life of emptiness because that is what the Law does...cuts off the power of God's grace into our lives through the kindness of what Christ did for us, NOT what WE think we can do that makes us right with the Father.
On the other hand, those who put their hope and their very lives into relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us into ways of pleasing our Loving God, which has its beginning and its ending in trusting the work of Christ and His death for us at the Cross, it is only then we obtain the freedom and the love He already has for us...something the Law could never address. This is the "real ticket"...the way to Everlasting Life!
For you see, this is what is really sad to me: you were on the right track, like running a race and making record time...then, what happened? Did you veer off the road somewhere before the race was complete? And don't even tell me God showed you a "shortcut", or some other way that ends up a side road to nowhere! Really, I want to know...what is holding you back from completing the race God has for you....keeping you steady on the road Christ Himself has already paved for you? Ok then, tell me this: Is this little "side venture" you have decided to take...is it worth giving up your freedom in Christ for?...did they fail to mention this side road leads to nowhere?
You know the old saying: "Add a little yeast, change the whole batch". If you change your way of thinking and put your trust in following the Law, there is a danger in this! You can easily forget that it is Christ and Christ alone who saves you...not your "own works", thinking because you "scored" a few points obeying a part of the Law. Let me ask you this: what about the parts of the Law you do not obey...what happens to you then...do you think by putting yourself in some "penalty box" for a few minutes makes everything right?
Let me say this as a "retired" or former follower of the Law: you are not allowed to make your own rules on following after the Law. You either obey all of them...or you are disqualified! And you want to be clued in to something else....no one has ever made it by following after the Law...well except of One, and He made it abundantely clear He fulfilled the Law...now we simply follow and trust Him!
Well, no matter now...here is my prayer of faith and confession for you now. I ask the Lord Himself to keep you from believing all this distorted and false teaching about following the Law. May God judge this for what it really is: FALSE!
My dear brothers and sisters, I need to clear up another matter...actually a rumor that seems to be going around and gaining in popularity. The rumor is that I, Paul preach the way of circumcision...kind of like I used to before I met the Lord Jesus Himself on the way to Damascus..but now God has toned "me down" a little and I am not as anal about it as I once was.
Ok, let me clear this rumor up real quick! If any part of that rumor was the least bit true, and let me say: IT IS NOT TRUE, but just for a moment let's say it was...then why would all these Jewish Zealots who are so devoted to the necessity of the Law in our lives...why would they be persecuting me? You do realize it is because of them I am in jail...you do realize they follow me almost everywhere and question me on every street corner I come upon?
Hello! Is anybody there? Wake-up! Smell the coffee!...as the saying goes. I am hassled by these so-called good people who feel such a burden to keep us under the weight of the Law...because I preach FREEDOM!....FREEDOM TO FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS!.....not freedom to follow the Law.
As far as I am concerned, these so-called "Law-abiding" citizens, the lovers of circumcision, can take their beliefs a step farther...and castrate themselves!
Our freedom is in Christ Jesus!...and Christ alone!...not in obeying a set of rules that no one is able to do anyway.
I hope I cleared that up for you...."
Even in today's society, within the framework of the Christian church, we hear the "echos" of this false belief. We, in no way are made righteous by our own will to overcome evil that lurks within us, or the "mind over matter" stuff that says we are "all beautiful" within.....please!
We are dead in our sins no matter how good we appear, because only the work of Christ Jesus is what changes us within...cuttting out the "hard stone" within us and giving us hearts that are ever grateful and full of trust in Christ Himself....
Gleanings from Galatians 5:1-12
" So, the reality of Life as we know it is this: Christ Jesus is the One who sets us free; Freedom has no other way....only by putting our trust and hope in Christ is the only way our lives are made full and complete!
My brothers and sisters, why would you even want to put a "yoke on your shoulders" that does nothing more than burden you down and makes you a "slave"....again? Because that is exactly what you are doing when you think following after the "Letter of the Law" will give you a purpose and a freedom in life.
Now listen up when I say this: If you think for even a minute that being circumcised adds to you being made right with God...think again! You are wrong...so wrong, and the only thing you gain from it is...nothing!
I want to make sure I am perfectly clear on this: circumcision does not bring you close to God, it doesn't "buy" you any favors with God, and if you think following the Law is "your ticket" out of here, giving you some extra merit in drawing close to God....you can forget it! None of this kind of thought has ANY truth to it.
Here is what happens when you think being made right with our Heavenly Father comes by following and trying to obey the Law: 1) separation from Christ Jesus by not putting faith in what He has already made possible for each of us and 2) your life becomes a life of emptiness because that is what the Law does...cuts off the power of God's grace into our lives through the kindness of what Christ did for us, NOT what WE think we can do that makes us right with the Father.
On the other hand, those who put their hope and their very lives into relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us into ways of pleasing our Loving God, which has its beginning and its ending in trusting the work of Christ and His death for us at the Cross, it is only then we obtain the freedom and the love He already has for us...something the Law could never address. This is the "real ticket"...the way to Everlasting Life!
For you see, this is what is really sad to me: you were on the right track, like running a race and making record time...then, what happened? Did you veer off the road somewhere before the race was complete? And don't even tell me God showed you a "shortcut", or some other way that ends up a side road to nowhere! Really, I want to know...what is holding you back from completing the race God has for you....keeping you steady on the road Christ Himself has already paved for you? Ok then, tell me this: Is this little "side venture" you have decided to take...is it worth giving up your freedom in Christ for?...did they fail to mention this side road leads to nowhere?
You know the old saying: "Add a little yeast, change the whole batch". If you change your way of thinking and put your trust in following the Law, there is a danger in this! You can easily forget that it is Christ and Christ alone who saves you...not your "own works", thinking because you "scored" a few points obeying a part of the Law. Let me ask you this: what about the parts of the Law you do not obey...what happens to you then...do you think by putting yourself in some "penalty box" for a few minutes makes everything right?
Let me say this as a "retired" or former follower of the Law: you are not allowed to make your own rules on following after the Law. You either obey all of them...or you are disqualified! And you want to be clued in to something else....no one has ever made it by following after the Law...well except of One, and He made it abundantely clear He fulfilled the Law...now we simply follow and trust Him!
Well, no matter now...here is my prayer of faith and confession for you now. I ask the Lord Himself to keep you from believing all this distorted and false teaching about following the Law. May God judge this for what it really is: FALSE!
My dear brothers and sisters, I need to clear up another matter...actually a rumor that seems to be going around and gaining in popularity. The rumor is that I, Paul preach the way of circumcision...kind of like I used to before I met the Lord Jesus Himself on the way to Damascus..but now God has toned "me down" a little and I am not as anal about it as I once was.
Ok, let me clear this rumor up real quick! If any part of that rumor was the least bit true, and let me say: IT IS NOT TRUE, but just for a moment let's say it was...then why would all these Jewish Zealots who are so devoted to the necessity of the Law in our lives...why would they be persecuting me? You do realize it is because of them I am in jail...you do realize they follow me almost everywhere and question me on every street corner I come upon?
Hello! Is anybody there? Wake-up! Smell the coffee!...as the saying goes. I am hassled by these so-called good people who feel such a burden to keep us under the weight of the Law...because I preach FREEDOM!....FREEDOM TO FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS!.....not freedom to follow the Law.
As far as I am concerned, these so-called "Law-abiding" citizens, the lovers of circumcision, can take their beliefs a step farther...and castrate themselves!
Our freedom is in Christ Jesus!...and Christ alone!...not in obeying a set of rules that no one is able to do anyway.
I hope I cleared that up for you...."
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