Love God and...

LOVE GOD AND ... Galatians 5:1-15 November 8, 2020 One of the deepest Christian thinkers of all time was Augustine. The guy was brilliant. But, he might have tended to overthink. He waited until he was on his death bed to be baptized, because he was afraid he might sin after his baptism. In fact, in one of his books he writes an entire chapter on whether the best option is to commit suicide immediately after baptism, so you cannot accidently sin anymore.1 My understanding is - when Jesus saved me from my sin, he saved me from every sin I had committed. And, he saved me from all the sins I would commit. The salvation of Jesus covers every sin in a lifetime, no matter when it happens.2 Now, if that's true. If the sins I commit after I give my life to Jesus are not held against me - does it really matter what I do? If I cheat on my wife am I forgiven? Sure. If I deliberately embezzle a million dollars from the company I work for am I forgiven? I guess so. If I take a shotgun on a Friday night, and roam the streets of Dallas, being evil - does salvation cover that sin? Well, theoretically yes. But, that just seems to far doesn't it? And so, that makes us wonder, can you go too far? Is there a point where you forfeit your salvation? You've probably heard - 'once saved, always saved'.3 But, just what does the Bible say? In the book of Romans, Paul writes, "Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off." Now, that sounds like you were trusting and saved, but you can stop trusting and lose salvation doesn't it? And, it's not just Paul. Listen to Peter (2 Peter 1:10), "So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away." Which sounds an awful lot like - if you don't work hard enough, you can lose your salvation. So, was Augustine right? The second we get saved, are we living on the edge? One mistake, just one lousy mistake and we lose our salvation? Jesus turns his back on us and who knows where we end up. Is that how it works? In our text today Paul begins by talking about freedom. He says when you were under the Law, when you were chained to all of those rules and regulations about your behavior - you were a slave. Just like a slave someone else tells you exactly what to do. But, when you embraced grace; when you took the gift of salvation Jesus offered to you, you became free.4 Unlike any follower, of any other religion, the Christian has complete freedom. When you get up of a morning, you and only you decide how you are going to behave today. Are you going to pray? Are you going to help little old ladies across the street? Are you going to make a donation to a worthy charity? If so, it's not because the rules said that's what you must do today. You do those things because you choose to. Complete freedom. Now, that doesn't mean it's all hunky dory if you decide to steal from the Salvation Army red kettle. It doesn't mean it's ok to start having an affair with your next-door neighbor. Because Paul is absolutely adamant, we have freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.5 Paul says here's how your freedom works. Every morning, when you get out of bed, you make a choice. Now - let's stop for just a second. Paul is talking to us. He's talking to you and me. Every morning, when we get out of bed, we make a choice. We either choose the rules, or we choose Jesus. If you don't choose either one, it's because you're not saved at all. You're not even in this conversation. But, for those who believe they are saved, every morning you choose between Jesus and the rules. You choose between grace and the Law.6 And, if you choose the rules - then you are obligated to follow all of them. You cannot break even one. We're not just talking about the Ten Commandments.7 Of course you must follow all of the Ten Commandments. But, if you choose the rules you must follow the other 800 rules as well. Make a single mistake and you are not saved. The Galatians have been told they must be circumcised to be saved. Paul says if you choose circumcision, you choose all 800 rules. Because you cannot have it both ways. You cannot say - I'm going to follow the rules. I'm going to make sure God has to let me in to Heaven, because I've done everything right. But, if I do make a mistake, then I will use Jesus to fix that mistake. Jesus is like a sin eraser. I get to Heaven on my own works. But, just in case there's a tiny little oops - I have Jesus in my backpack to erase the mistake. Paul says no, no, no. You cannot run for election as both a Democrat and a Republican. You must make a choice. You must declare to the world, here is where I stand. This is what I believe. And then, you live or die by your choice. OK, if I choose the rules I know exactly what to do. I may make a mistake, but at least I know what to do. The rules are helpful that way. But, if I embrace this freedom through Jesus, what do I do? How do I know what God wants? What does living a grace-filled life look like? Paul says - hey, what a great question! Theology is completely irrelevant if it cannot be practically applied.8 If you need a doctorate in Theology to know what God wants from you, then you might as well just give up right now. Fortunately, Paul says, I have a simple, straight-forward answer for you. The freedom of grace always expresses itself in love. That's how you know. When you do something - is it loving, or hurtful? Does it show love to God? Does it show love to your neighbor? Or, is it hurtful? That is the most simple test possible. And, it means two people can do the exact same thing - but with different motivations. So, it's right for one and wrong for another. Two people walk into the church on Sunday morning and drop a check into the offering plate. One does it because they want to make sure Pantry Express stays alive, and hungry people get fed. The other does it because they want to rub it in their neighbor's face - when COVID-19 came, you lost your job, but I still have mine. What is your motivation? Why do you do, what you do? With Jesus, you have the freedom to let love drive your every behavior. The Pharisees asked Jesus, what about the rules? What do we do about the rules? (Matthew 22:37-39), "Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Now, I have always tried to boil that down to the most basic form. Love God, and be nice to people. That's what it's all about. Because you are not under the Law, you have total freedom - every morning - to do whatever you want, as long as you love God, and be nice to people. Paul tells the Galatians; you cannot lose your salvation. Once Jesus saves you, you are saved forever. How do you know you are saved? Something inside of you, drives you, to love God and be nice to people. That's the Holy Spirit working on your heart. And, if you don't feel that - then perhaps you have not given your life to Jesus. You've just been going through the motions. Those are the people Paul and Peter and John talk about falling away. They didn't lose their salvation. Their mean and nasty hearts show they were never saved to begin with. Paul writes those words to the Galatians. He writes them to the Colossians, to the Hebrews, and to the Romans. Peter writes them to the church in Rome. The Apostle John writes them to the church in Ephesus. And, James the brother of Jesus, writes them to the church in Jerusalem. Love God and be nice to people. How do I know I am saved? You all keep telling me I cannot work my way to Heaven. I can never be good enough. And then, in the next breath, you tell me I must get up every morning and do everything I can to be more like Jesus. Well, just what do you want from me? I don't know what to do. If you have given your life to Christ, your behavior should follow. Every day you should do your best to love God, and be nice to people. The more you do that, the easier it will become. In other letters Paul says, you started out in a sinful body. It's broken. It wants you to hurt everyone. That's your starting point. So, on the morning after you give your life to Jesus, don't expect to get up and perfectly love God, and be nice to people. It takes a while to get the hang of it. In fact, for most of us, it takes a lifetime. That's where the grace of Jesus comes in. If you struggle to love God, and be nice to people, Jesus understands. And, he forgives. And, he will never give up on you while you progress down the path of sanctification. Jesus says - every day you will make mistakes. You will hurt people. But, I am with you. And, I will teach you. And, step by step, you will get better. If you choose to save yourself by following the rules, you must follow all of them. You cannot make a mistake, not one. But, if you choose grace, you have the freedom to make a billion mistakes while you learn to love God, and be nice to people. You have the freedom to find the way that's best for you, to live a life of grace. If you choose the Law, you embrace Ground Hog Day. You get up every morning and try to live that one day perfectly, so you can get where your want to be. If you choose grace, every day is a new adventure. Take a chance on something new and different. Do you best. And, if you get it wrong, that's ok. Tomorrow, when you get up, try to love God, and --- well, you know. 1 Augustine, The City of God Against the Pagans, Book 1, Chapter 27. 2 Monte A. Shanks, "Galatians 5:2-4 in Light of the Doctrine of Justification," Bibliotheca Sacra, 169 no. 674 (June 2012): 188-202. 3 R. C. Sproul, general editor. New Geneva Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1855. 4 Steven R. Harmon, "Standing Firm for Freedom," Baptist History and Heritage, 37 no. 3 (Summer-Fall 2002), 89-96. 5 Sproul, 1856. 6 Frank J. Matera, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 2087. 7 NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 2052. 8 William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002), 54. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2