Reformation (5)
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1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
An organization that insists that you have to do certain things in order to be in good standing will invariably become very restrictive. The person is controlled by laws, rules, regulations and is coerced by promises of reward and threats of punishment. People become motivated by law and not by the higher motivation of love and gratitude. A key component is the answer to the question, “Why do you do the things that you do?”
In Christianity an important question to consider is this: What guidelines or rules has God given to us to live according to?
We are to obey God’s Laws. (See Jesus on this.)
1 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
129 Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. 131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. 132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. 133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
A serious error is made when we believe that obeying the laws garners favor from God for this is impossible. Romans 3:10–12 (NIV)
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Why are we to obey the Law?
Is it to enhance our relationship with God? NO
Is it to show our thankfulness to God for what he has done for us? YES
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
The commands are summarized with the word “Love”.
When St. Paul preached the Gospel on his missionary journeys, he presented a new approach to what was understood as the way of salvation. The Jewish religion has become focused on the laws and a person’s responsibility to obey God so much that many believed that the way to be righteous with God was dependent on how well that person obeyed the law. The two opposing results were those who became very self-righteous and those who became despondent realizing they were unable to fulfill God’s commands enough.
Paul taught that the demands of the were met in the person of Jesus. God still demanded that his laws be kept but he sent Jesus to keep the law in our place. God demanded that sin be punished and he sent Jesus to suffer in our place. The resurrection of Jesus proved that God accepted his payment as the atoning sacrifice. This Good News was well received by many who came to believe in Jesus and believed that they were justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
But not everyone agreed. (Summarize teachings of the Judaizers). One purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to refute this false teaching and emphasize salvation by faith.
A key component of the Judaizers had to do with circumcision. Although this minor surgical procedure is still practiced in our culture, for us it no longer has religious significance. But in the culture at that time it was a “deal breaker”. Paul was teaching them that this rite of passage that had been in force for 1500 years and practiced for 2000 years no longer mattered. (Similar example). Galatians was written to clarify the matter not only about circumcision but also about the relationship between the law, faith, and salvation.
In this section Paul emphasized the importance of freedom from legalism.
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
One of the issues at the time of the Reformation. The Church taught that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough for salvation. The Christian was also obligated to follow numerous laws so salvation in effect was by faith plus works.
Is it still an issue today?
Well, the church still has certain rules and customs (man made and traditional) that we have created and follow.
Day and time of worship.
Color of paraments.
Voting age.
Qualifications to receive communion.
Gender of voters and pastors.
Appropriate liturgy, hymns, translations, etc.
What to were in a worship service.
Are just some examples. But we don’t insist that these things affect our relationship with Jesus or our salvation. They are more so that things are done decently and in order.
We are FREE from the compulsion to obey the commandments of God out of fear or promise of reward. We are free to serve the Lord in love.
Irresponsible response — it doesn’t matter how I live. But see Galatians 5:13:13-26.
Galatians 5:13–26 (NIV)
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Instead of abusing our freedom, we are to use our freedom to live by the Spirit and serve one another in love.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
In the worship service you experienced a certain amount of restrictions. We follow a predetermined liturgy which tells us when to stand, sit, or in some churches even kneel. We are guided in what to sing, say, pray, and when to keep silent. We are expected to be here on time, not to leave early, and to give money to support the Gospel ministry.
When the worship service is over, we experience a certain amount of freedom. We aren’t told where to go or what to do after church and some of us can’t wait to remove the ties we have to wear or the less than comfortable shoes. We are free.
Free to sin? NO. Free to serve God reassured of the forgiveness of sins which frees us from guilt and free to live by the Spirit. Amen.