29 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 25

Reading & Memorising Scripture

Scripture:

• Galatians 5:17

Observations:

This is a very true statement, so much so that it seems obvious, but that, of course, is because I've grown up in Christianity.

One of the key concepts in Christianity is the process of sanctification. When someone becomes a Christian, they are considered "saved". "Saved" however, is a complex concept, describing the rescuing of the individual from sin. The manner by which that is effected, however, is broken into three parts:

• Justification - The immediate removal our bondage to sin and punishment due thereunto
• Sanctification - The progressive work of the Holy Spirit moulding us in Christ's likeness
• Glorification - The final removal of sin in its entirety in eternity

So, if someone were to ask a theologian whether he or she was saved, that person might answer, saying "Yes, partially, and no," and be perfectly correct.

What this passage is talking about is the dichotomy of flesh vs Spirit, or our old, sinful nature vs our new, Christlike nature. It is talking about the process of sanctification in which we wage war against our sinful desires which keep us from drawing closer to God. It is a reminder that the urges of the flesh are opposed to the spirit.

Now, I must make a distinction between fleshly and bodily urges. Bodily urges, such as the need for food and drink, sexual desire, tiredness/sleepiness, the need to use the bathroom, these are all normal, good things. Fleshly desires are those which run contrary to God, such as gluttony, lust, acting on sexual desires outside of marriage, laziness, etc.

So, we must be aware of these fleshly desires if we are to continue growing in Christlikeness, that we can identify and deny them, that they would not stunt our growth and development.

Application:

I need to check my motivations for what I do. Am I going on Facebook to use it to communicate or will I simply be scrolling aimlessly, setting myself up for temptation? What books am I reading? What movies am I watching? Am I doing things that, although they may fall into grey areas, would weaken me to resist temptation? Am I doing things that bypass the grey area and function as a gateway?

I need to act and interact with wisdom and discernment.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 25: Love Forgives

"[F]orgiveness doesn’t absolve anyone of blame.  It doesn’t clear their record with God.  It just clears you of having to worry about how to punish them.  When you forgive another person, you’re not turning them loose.  You’re just turning them over to God, who can be counted on to deal with them His way."

Forgiveness is one thing I have been taught to do from a young age, so it's sometimes something I take for granted. It's a very powerful act, forgiveness, for the above reason. It's basically saying to the person you're forgiving that you're no longer burdening yourself over the hurt they've done to you and have set yourself free to restoration and growth. It's arguably the most hopeful thing that can be given to a repentant offender (I speak as one).

24 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 6:11-15

Galatians 6:11-15

"glory only in the cross"

Paul begins this passage (which is pretty much the parting shot) bu emphasizing that is is him that is writing this - he gives as proof his handwriting (apparently, Paul had distinct handwriting. like me). Paul then points a remark at the judaizers urging other christians to be circumcised. He says that those urging for circumcision are doing so so that if they are persecuted, they can call themselves Jewish and escape persecution. Paul then, however further lays them low saying that these judaizers often did not keep the jewish law amongst themselves, yet they're urging it onto others, glorying in the fact that they had swung the individuals to their side. Paul then takes a moral high ground saying that, unlike the judaizers, he is doing all this [his ministry/the letter] for God and God's kingdom and that his glory is in the sacrifice of Christ.

Now remember that this is a parting shot, not the basis of an argument. this is not the climax or swaying points of his argument. it is more his conclusion of sorts. so, no, paul does not commit a logical, argumentative fallacy. he is merely summing up his arguments in a non-standard way...

22 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 6:1-5

Galatians 6:1-5

"bear and share the burdens"

Paul starts this passage off by giving instruction to the Christians in Galatia. This instruction is: if you see a person, esp a fellow christian, fall into sin through temptation, not deliberated sin, then rebuke them through kindness and gentleness, showing them what is right. this should not be done by just any believer, nut by one that is stronger in the faith. This person that is doing the rebuking and teaching must, however, avoid being tempted into the same sin again. the stronger christians must also not merely sit back and watch the struggling Christian brother struggle, but must also do what he can to lighten the burden and share the load.

one thing a stronger christian must not do is think himself better than those who are younger or weaker in their faith. if anyone thinks he is something special, he deceives himself and is therefore nothing. sounds kinda harsh, yes, but consider that the yardstick by which we measure ourselves is not each other, but God. in that respect we all measure up the same - not even visible on the graph of righteousness.

Paul finishes off this passage by saying that each is responsible for his own load. personally, i think this saying that each person is responsible for how they live their lives - there is no piggybacking on Billy Graham or dragging your satanist best friend up into heaven; they must all carry themselves and their burdens up to God at the end for judgment and only those who measure up to God's standards can enter heaven*.

* that is, no one can measure up to God's standard, which is why God sent Jesus to become the sin offering for us to God. this allows us now tobe able to go to heaven now because through the sacrifice (which was a proper sacrifice according to the Jewish laws) we have been made righteous enough to meet God's standard.

21 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 5:16-26

Galatians 5:16-26

"walking in the spirit"

Paul instructs the Galatian church to live life following God instead of following the world and the flesh. why is this? the world/flesh and the Spirit of God are opposing each other, with the spirit setting us free from the law that we are subject to as sinners.

Paul also gives us a very nicely detailed outline of what the fruits of the flesh are and what the fruits of the spirit are - this means, basically, the results from a life spent satisfying one or the other. The fruit of the flesh are all things spoken against elsewhere in the bible, subjecting us to law. The fruits of the spirit, however, do not have a single law against them. is it ever a sin to show self-control, peace or kindness?.

The bible says elsewhere that people will be known by the fruit they produce. a non-christian cannot truly produce the fruit of the spirit that a true christian does. likewise, a true christian seeks to minimise and even remove the fruits of the flesh that are present in his or her own life. now, i know that there are good non-christians and bad christians, but overall, the truth of the fruit will out.

so, as christians, we should strive to exhibit the fruits of the spirit in our lives and, with that, remove the fruits of the spirit. this is not easy. in fact it is one of the hardest parts of the christian's walk. it is, however, our challenge and our goal in how we live.

20 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 5:7-15

Galatians 5:7-15

"love fulfills the law"

Paul begins this passage by asking the Galatians a question. he asks them who deceived them? who gently slipped them from the true way to an alternate, false, way? This change, he says, did not come from God, instead it came from Satan the father of lies. These slippery false statements that were being propagated were very tricky. Paul even compares them to yeast in bread.

what was the issue? The judaizers wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law and so, they were saying that Gentiles had to be circumcised and Paul, who taught that this was not necessary, was then being attacked (verbally, not physically) on his stance. Paul then, in defending the non-necessity of circumcision says that if he taught circumcision then why are people attacking him? if he taught circumcision, there would not be this problem. this predicament poses a bad situation to be in: teach the Gospel as is and be attacked, or modify it slightly so that it goes down better with the locals?

On a side note, then, Paul discusses the freedom God has given us - it's not a freedom to do sin/whatever we please (which usually results in sin). Instead we must serve each other in love. we must love our neighbor (not only the person next door) as much as we love ourselves. this means what we would have done to us, we do to others and likewise what we would not want done to us, we should not do to others. so many people forget the first part of the meaning of this passage and focus on the second. to them it has become a line with which to scold others when offended/hurt/negatively affected by something the other has said/ done. we need to remember that this verse also means we need to bless others like we wish to be blessed - that means going out of our way to help someone or do something for them.

18 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 4:21-31

Galatians 4:21-31

"Hagar and Sarah"

Paul draws an interesting comparison between Hagar and Sarah and the Christians and Jews/non-Christians. The son by Hagar, the slave woman was born in an ordinary manner, but Sarah's son was born from a promise. Paul then takes these children and compares them to the two covenants God made - the covenant of Moses at mt. Sinai - this being the covenant of the law - and the covenant of the promise of Christ.

Now remember that Hagar was a slave and Sarah free. likewise. the figurative children of Hagar are slaves, but to the law as there is no freedom in the law. therefore, those seeking salvation on the law are not really free, but are bound up on chains they cannot free themselves from. the children of Sarah, however, are not bound by the law as they are the children of the covenant of the promise of God to Abraham. they have been set free by the coming, death and resurrection of Christ

Paul does warn us, though, that like Ishmael  persecuted Isaac, the children of the promise will be persecuted by the children of the law. i.e. Christians will not have it easy -  we will be persecuted by those who are not yet born of the promise, that is, pretty much everybody else.

we are different, we are set apart as part of a different race/people group. as such people will persecute and challenge those that are different, those they do not understand. we must take heart and joy in our difference, help others to become like us and enjoy the promise and we must persevere through the hardships in the name of Christ.

17 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 4:8-20

Galatians 4:8-20

"Paul's concern for the Galatians"

Paul writes to the Galatians, here, about their backsliding. they were once pagans, but they became Christians through Paul's message. now, Paul is worried for them because they are reverting to their pagan ways. Paul pleads with the Galatians, asking what happened. he refers to how they first received him and they joy they showed when they heard his message. he then warns them against those who would try to tempt them back into a life subject to the law.

in the same way, we need to be burdened for those who have made a confession of faith, but are now under pressure to revert or already have. there needs to be a greater commitment to discipleship and mentoring, especially of younger believers.  we need to equip the new christians so that they do not fall prey to  and withstand the temptation to fall back into the traps they once lived in.

discipleship is key.

16 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 3:26-4:7

Galatians 3:26-4:7

"sons of God"

Paul begins the passage highlighting the fact that, under God, there is no racial, social or sexual divide. we are all children of God whether we're Dalit, white, asian, female, rich, etc. we are all equal in God's eyes and, as such, if we follow christ, we are counted as Abraham's seed and, therefore, heirs of the promise God made to Abraham.

Paul then draws a comparison between children of a rich man a slave. while the rich child is a child, he is like a slave - he has supervisors, does not own any land or money of his own, etc. When he has reached being of age, however, he receives his inheritance. In the same way paul says that we were slaves under the world, but God sent Christ to be born to redeem, that is pay the slave-debt, for us and allow us to receive the full right of heirs. note that paul describes Jesus' birth - he was born of a woman - i.e. fully human - and born under the law - i.e. subject to jewish law. So, through Christ, we are made sons of God and because we are sons, we are also heirs...

So, all are equal in Christ. but if all are equal, why do we see christians discriminating against other christians, or even non-christians. Gandhi was turned out of a church because he wasn't white. during segregation & apartheid blacks and whites couldn't be in the same church - and this was in the middle of the body of christ! here we have explicit direction saying that no one race, gender or social status is better than another. so, this week in church, don't look disdainfully at the single mother of three coming in late in old, faded clothes, the black man who comes to join your church which (for some reason) is predominantly white, or even the beggar who just walked in off the street. The church is meant to be a place where there is no boundary set by external appearance or status; a place of freedom and worship and fellowship.

15 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 3:15-25

Galatians 3:15-25

"the law and the promise"

Paul compares the legal system of the day to God's promise with Abraham. A legal covenant cannot be amended after it is established and in the same way, God honors the promises He makes without amending them. Paul then goes to highlight the phrasing of god's promise. He says that God uses the word seed, not seeds, implying that it was through one person, not the whole israelite nation that God would bless the world. where paul was going with this was to highlight that this promise was made before the law, making the promise of inheritance greater than the law and the inheritance subject to a promise, not the law.

What was the point of the law, then? it was put in place because of our sinfulness to guide us in righteousness until Christ would come and make the world truly righteous. if  righteousness and life could have come through the law, then, paul says, the law would have been used to provide salvation, but the law cannot bless, only condemn.

The law instead serves to reveal the sin from which we need to be saved so that we can realize that we indeed are sinners in need of atonement and righteousness, which is only given through christ's sacrifice on the cross to those who believe. The law was given to lead us to christ, not to serve as a substitute for christ.

14 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 3:1-14

Galatians 3:1-14

"faith or observance of the law" 

Paul addresses a key issue here that was occurring in the early church particularly among those who were Jews. They were seeking salvation through their works and obedience to the law set in the old testament instead of through faith in God and belief in Christ's resurrection. he asks the church in Galatia from where they received their salvation - Christ or the law?

He then gives an example showing faith as righteousness, not works. Abraham, the great patriarch of the Jews, was considered righteous by God because he believed and had faith in God, not because he kept to the laws. also, Paul mentions the fact that God says to Abraham that through him all nations  will be blessed, not just the Jews.

back to the subject if the laws, anyone who tries to fulfill the law in order to become righteous is cursed because anyone who dies not follow the book of the law is, according to Jewish custom, cursed and no-one has kept all the laws, therefore no one is righteous by the law. Christ, however, redeemed us from the law through his sacrifice for us. he became our curse by carrying our sin and unrighteousness to the grave, allowing anyone who accepted this sacrifice to be considered righteous because our curse has  been lifted.

through this lifting of the curse, even the gentiles can now receive salvation. good news for us, being Gentiles.

13 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 2:11-21

Galatians 2:11-21

"paul opposes peter"

In this passage, paul highlights something peter is doing that is not in line with the gospel being preached. Peter eats with gentiles, but when james, or men from james came, he quickly disassociated himself from them. paul then takes hold of this hypocrisy and points it out along with the fact that others are following peter in this.

The way paul goes about this is as such: he openly declares what the problem is - remember, paul is speaking to everyone at the same time, peter is merely the instigator - and he then gives reasoning as to why this should not occur - primarily because salvation is no longer through the laws of the Jews. paul then goes to qualify this statement saying that even though we're free from the law, this doesn't give us license to sin.

this passage shows the danger of hypocrisy, particularly if one is in a position of leadership. we also, have an example of how to deal with hypocrites... now this might not necessarily be the best way - i'd advocate speaking with the person involved first, but hey...

12 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 2:1-10

Galatians 2:1-10

"paul accepted by apostles"

This passage notes the acceptance of Paul by the other apostles. paul only did this 14 or 17 years later (depending on interpretation of the text). It must be noted, however, that the way paul was accepted was by him proving his worth and verifying that the gospel he had been preaching was in line with what Jesus had preached and what the apostles were preaching. He did not do this publicly, rather, he went to the leaders privately and discussed this matter with him. we can learn something from this. by speaking publicly, paul would have subjected the apostles to public opinion and the consideration of avoiding angering the crowd in their decision. instead, by speaking privately, paul allowed the apostles the freedom to say of him what they will with no added pressure.

When paul had finished giving his "presentation" so to speak, he had managed to show that the message was the same, merely to different people groups. the apostles then agreed to his statements and extended the "right hand of fellowship" to paul and barnabas. In the text, the way the text is written implies that paul's presentation was logically formed, avoiding heated emotion when necessary and showing all the facts. when trying to convince someone of something this is exactly what needs to be done. you  need a logical, clear layout which is supported by facts and emotion, but not to the point where emotion sacrifices logic. paul convinced the apostles of his calling and ministry and, because of this, he was accepted as an apostle of sorts.

11 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24

"Paul called by God"

Paul starts this passage off by reassuring the church in Galatia that the message he preached there was not some contrivance of man, but a revelation from God. Paul then proceeds to give one of the most important witnessing tools any Christian has - his testimony.

I'm not going to break down the testimony completely, but instead, i'm going to look for key elements of his testimony that he mentions.

• He starts his testimony off by giving his past before his conversion
• He then gives the circumstances of his conversion
• He gives his calling when he received it (which was coincidentally after his conversion)
• He then gives an account of where he has been in serving - not every little detail, only the important ones.
• He also accounts blessings of God and points of note in his life - eg. when he states that he stayed with peter, or when the news of him went about.

This kinda gives us a guideline for us in our testimony and how we can structure it to give glory to God. so, if I were to build mine along these lines (not necessarily in the same order as above - it still needs to be chronological):

• I was a pastor's kid, grew up in church in a christian home
• got saved at 7
• became an mk to SA, mk camp was a blessing, 9/11 prayer
• recommitted my life after period of "drought"
• entered high school, became CU leader, youth leader
• called to lead worship
• became worship leader, started university
• searching for guidance and calling (if it's different), bearing through quiet points

see, if you use those guidelines, you pretty much show where God has worked in your life. also, feel free to add rough patches, especially if God led you back out of one, as they tell the tale of where you've been - no one's story just gets better and better and never suffers a pitfall or low...

but have fun! and remember, your testimony is one of the few things other people can't argue with you about and say that you're wrong. that's why it's so powerful...

10 Nov. 2010 - Galatians 1:1-10

Galatians 1:1-10

Intro + "No other gospel"

In his introduction, Paul establishes a few things: who he is and on whose authority he is sent. this serves as a foundational point in his credibility an perception of motives. we now know that he is a servant of God, sent by God, not man and as such, he is not trying to connive people into belief. He then imparts an initial blessing of greeting to the Galatian church.

The Galatian church was experiencing a time of falling away from the faith and being persuaded into other teachings. Paul immediately calls this issue to light, writing his surprise at the Galatian church's turning from the gospel of Christ to a different gospel. there is no other valid gospel except that of the resurrection of Christ; no other gospel can save us from our sins and give an assurance of heaven.

Paul then writes that if anyone, even an angel - and remember, satan was an angel - should tell any gospel other than that of Christ, they should be condemned and will be condemned for eternity (by this i mean we should condemn them now and God will condemn them, after all is done, for the rest of eternity). Paul then follows this by reassuring thahe church that he is not trying to manipulate the church for material gain, but that he is, indeed, delivering a message from God.

Basically, we need to take a hardline stance on false gospels. this includes other religions, christian offshoots that are contrary to christian theology and atheistic teachings. we need to condemn these teachings, but at the same time not drive away the followers. instead, we need to show them the love of God, for until we establish a relationship with individuals they will not let us speak Truth into their lives which is contrary to their conceived image of truth. we need to also be wary of christians teaching a gospel which is not necessarily correct, like the prosperity gospel, for instance. we must know out bible, beliefs and doctrine/theology. we need to be able to effectively convey these concepts and at the same time not come across as superior or condescending or any other negative attitude which would cause anyone to discount what we have to say.