This Matters

We live in an angry world.

Rage is the style of our world. Anger is the primary motivation, emotion, and expression of though it seems this day. If you don’t take a stand, someone is angry at you. If you do take a stand, someone is angry at you. If you comment about a situation someone will turn things about how we should be angry about “it”, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the initial post.

Oh you thought I was talking about just those who don’t know Jesus. My bad :D

Who are God’s people?

This is a fundamental question of Scripture.

The ingredients of God’s people

In these verses we have all the ingredients of what matters in regards to being God’s people.

Faith in Jesus.

Does Jesus save completely? Is Christ sufficient? Paul is answering these questions and those like it in Galatians.

The Spirit controlling God’s people.

It is the Spirit which now has final say. The Spirit who is the 3rd person of the Godhead. The Spirit which gives us the hope of justification.

We are justified by, in and through Christ.

The ingredient is justification/righteousness through Jesus.

The future is filled with hope.

Because of the Spirit, who is in us, we have a bright future. Is this true of you? For Paul this is what allowed him to move forward in the face of persecution.

Keep running, finish strong.

If we see our future we can continue to persevere in the faith now.

The role of love among God’s people.

Here in our verses we see him highlight love. This matters: work out your faith in love.

This matters: faith expressing itself in love.

It isn’t circumcision nor the law, nor knowledge, no gifts but love.

The Results: Freedom!

This is not freedom to do whatever we want or even to become our “true selves”. This is freedom because of Christ and thus to be who HE wants us to become. For Paul, he was not talking about what we know as personal freedom.