The
Apostle Paul had some interesting things to say in the Book of
Galatians. He started out by speaking a blessing of grace and peace to
those he addressed. Did you know that when God wants to tell us
something, His words are always full of love, and love brings assurance
of our acceptance in Christ. It is this revelation of our unconditional
acceptance in the Lord and His good will towards us that leads to
increased faith and confidence towards God. Grace and peace are always
multiplied when we are in Christ. That’s the first thing we always ought
to keep in perspective when we hear a message. Are grace and peace
being multiplied unto me as I hear this? If not, test the spirits.
Paul
went on to introduce himself as an apostle declaring the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Jesus, He reminded those who would read his letter, not
only gave his very life for mankind but that he was sent to deliver us
from the temptation of this evil age. In other words, Paul was referring
to the redemptive work of Christ to sanctify believers and deliver them
out of the temptations of the world. Paul marveled in shock that those
he knew had somehow defected from the truth of the gospel that saved
them, and they had unwittingly fallen for a different message. Somehow,
something had gotten twisted in those they had allowed to teach them,
and the message perverted. Paul could hardly believe that they had
gotten tricked into believing a false gospel.
The
most difficult lie to discern is the one that is introduced along with a
majority of truth. It is not always easy to pick up on the deception
when it sound plausible. Yet scripture must be balanced by the rest of
doctrine and interpreted through the heart of God in order to understand
it’s true intent. What I mean by that is, if a person doesn’t truly
understand God’s heart, they will never correctly interpret His
scripture and a form of legalism or error will be the result. Legalism is the use of guilt, manipulation and control. In the environment of the church, it forces the will of man upon others, often misusing and utilizing the scriptures in order to entice and manipulate people to do the will of a stronger individual . It uses fear and intimidation to fulfill it's desire to control others. It is operating by the spirit of Satan and not the Holy Spirit. Witchcraft and legalism will always misrepresent God's heart and character and the result is the effect of turning others against God, running away from Him in rebellion.
This
was apparently the problem with the false teachers that introduced the
Galatian church to a “different gospel.” There was no “human flavoring”
of the gospel that Paul preached. He was not regurgitating what had been
taught by the doctrines of men; Paul received the revelation of Jesus
Christ straight from the source. If the gospel that Paul preached had
been made up by men, he would have had to confer with others in order to
receive their teachings or validate it. But, God’s will to choose Paul
to advance the gospel was such an important choice that He left nothing
to chance. Holy Spirit gave Paul the download of the gospel so that he
would have it correct right from the start. This is an important truth
to understand. Others can deliver the gospel message, but only the Holy
Spirit can truly impart the revelation of Jesus Christ, His cross and
resurrection, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that changes a
person.It is not man's attempt to reinterpret scripture or add to it that sanctifies us. We are not sanctified by our own attempts to appear righteous; it comes only through the blood of Christ as He imputes His righteousness to us. God does not speak to our sin nature and focus on our shortcomings; He speaks to us as we are in Christ and lifts our focus off of ourselves and shifts it back to gazing upon Jesus, for He knows that what we focus on we become. It is the message of unconditional love, acceptance and the
work of grace that changes us from the old man to the new. By grace we are saved, and by grace we are sanctified. You see, the gospel isn't about you. It's for you, but the gospel is about Jesus. It's about what He has done through His blood that was shed for us and the power of His cross and resurrection.
Red
flags and warning bells went off in Paul’s head when he realized that
false brethren had introduced a gospel that sounded believable, yet had
subtle deceptions interwoven into their teachings in an effort to steal
the liberties of the Galatian church. Perhaps one of the most powerful
and impacting scriptures in the 2nd chapter of Galatians is found in
verses 19-21. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes
through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Let’s
just pause right there for a moment. Do you realize that Jesus didn’t
just die for you, but He died on that cross as you? Whether you realize
it or not, you died to sin a long time ago. Jesus took you to the cross
with Him (as He did for all of mankind) and died in your place so that
you would not have to pay the penalty for your sins. He died as you. So
let me ask you a question. If you died with Christ, then what are you
doing with that truth? What have you done with Jesus? Because the day
Jesus went to the cross you died to sin, spiritually speaking that is.
If you can believe that truth and receive it by faith, then all that
remains for you now is to walk in resurrection power. All that remains
in you now is for your mind, heart, soul and lifestyle to catch up with
that truth.
Paul
challenged the Galatian church in chapter 3, asking them who bewitched
them (who cast a spell over their minds) that they would stray from the
truth and start believing a lie. He reminded them that what they began
by faith in the Spirit they could not expect to finish by mistakenly
trying to perfect their flesh through their own efforts. Paul challenged
them, as any real apostle would do, to consider where they got off
track and started believing a different gospel. They had been tricked or perhaps brainwashed
into believing that they could somehow achieve a form of righteousness
by the commandments of men rather than by the grace of God. They were
confused by faulty doctrine and didn’t recognize it. He reminded them
that a curse comes upon those that try to achieve righteousness by their
own standards and that no one can effectively fulfill the law, and no
one is justified by their own forms of righteousness. The just shall
live by faith.
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Do you realize that God does not focus on our sin nature? It's because it has already been crucified with Christ. When God speaks, He reveals the lies of the enemy that hinder us from becoming more Christlike. He is kind even when correcting our perspective. He does not condemn nor reject those in whom His Spirit inhabits. God's love and grace are abundant, and those that grow in their relationship with Him will continue in a life of sanctification - but it is as the Holy Spirit deals with each individual, in His time. The real gospel is in some people's estimation, radical grace, but that is what makes it the good news. God is restoring this truth back to His church, and purifying His bride. He is calling us back to the purity of the gospel.
Some
people are alarmed at this new so called "grace movement." People who
want to take it to an extreme and perhaps read things into those that
are speaking grace and get offended by it, thinking they are actually
giving others permission to use grace as a license to sin. I really
believe this is a fear response, because fear says, “Let’s rope these
people in before they get too far out of control.” Some go so far as to say those that preach such a thing are bordering on teaching heresy.
Scripture
reminds us in 2 Cor. 10:12 not to compare ourselves with those that
commend themselves, nor measure themselves by comparing themselves among
one another because it is not wise. Wisdom refrains from unnecessary
judgments, criticisms and comparisons. Fear causes people to jump to
conclusions and make judgments that none of us should probably make.
Good grief. Everyone is at a different place in their walk with God, in
their understanding of the scriptures, and in the depth of relationship
with Holy Spirit. If we are going to err, let's do it on the side of
grace and not judgment. People are so quick to jump in and want to be
the voice of the Holy Spirit to others to either use fear as a motivator
towards obedience or caution them not to get too caught up in grace
that they fall in a ditch. Can we not trust Holy Spirit to do HIS job?
It is HIS job to convict people of sin and HIS job to sanctify...OUR job
is to love people where they're at and stop jumping to conclusions
based on what we assume about others. We need to stop being overly sin
conscious and be Jesus focused. If we make salvation and sanctification
about our own efforts then we rob the gospel message of grace. People
tend to adopt one of two mindsets when it comes to their scriptural
foundation. It is either based on a fear of rejection which puts the
emphasis on our own efforts, or it is based on the joy of acceptance by
which we can enjoy peace, rest and allow God's grace to transform our
thoughts and actions.
So,
how does one determine if their belief system needs an overhaul? A
perverse spirit will twist truth, cause confusion and result in
double-mindedness and unbelief. It will cause anxiety, fear,
frustration, disappointment, anger, and rebellion towards God. It will
accuse God to the believer and cause serious trust issues between the
individual and God. Pride and anger withstand God so that God withholds
Himself from the believer. It is a shallow relationship at best. Real
faith and personal growth are stunted, leaving the person disillusioned,
dispassionate and wondering why their faith doesn’t seem to produce
more results. Genuine faith in God comes as a result of embracing the
truth of the gospel, recognizing that daily we need a Savior, Healer,
Restorer, Deliverer and Teacher, and experiencing His faithfulness to
meet us right where we are. This is how a person comes to understand the
power of God’s unconditional love and acceptance. He multiplies grace
and peace in the believer’s life and confidence towards God increases as
revelation increases. Without revelation, a person is lost in their own
thoughts, frustrations, personal limitations and cannot seem to make
their faith work for them. It seems like a never ending road of trying
to seek and serve God without much fulfillment or satisfaction from
their Christian life. In essence, it keeps a person a slave to human
effort, is centered around self rather than being centered around what
Jesus has done for us, and results in estrangement from Christ. Every
wrong thought produces anxiety, frustration, fear and other negative
emotions. It produces unbelief and distrust towards God. Every thought
precedes an action that will either draw us closer to God or lure us
away from Him, His truth, and fellowship with Holy Spirit.
On
the other hand, every right thought will produce a natural inclination
towards gratitude for what Christ has done, love for the Father, an
increase in faith and confidence towards God. This is why it is so
important to take every thought in captivity that would rise up to
challenge truth and subject it to the authority of Jesus Christ. I will
end this with the words of Apostle Paul in which he said, “Stand fast
therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1).
