January 26, 2009 6:42 AM
Sam wrote:
First, to try to answer some of JB's questions last night about 'the gospel'--here are some notes from my lesson plan: Paul had preached in Galatia and new churches had been started. His message was very simple--that salvation was by faith in Christ. You did not have to be a Jew, you did not have to be circumcised, you did not have to offer all the Jewish sacrifices or keep the Jewish feasts, you did not have to do anything but trust in the fact that Jesus’ death paid for your sins and believe in Him. “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Salvation for Israelites had always been by faith. There had always been two groups within Israel: a little group which offered the symbolic sacrifices as an indication of a real living faith in the future 'substitutionary' sacrifice, and there was always the larger group, which, while it went through the ritual of the Levitical sacrifices, yet exercised no heart faith to receive a salvation offered in grace on the basis of justice satisfied by the atonement, but depended upon personal merit and good works for salvation. So, now, after he has preached to them the best news in all the world, they are listening to unsaved people within the church tell them about what their religion should really look like. He is astounded, he is flabbergasted. How often have you said to your kids, or heard your parents say to you, “I can’t believe what you have done (or said)! What were you thinking??” Paul is saying the same thing to the Galatians, “I am amazed!” “that you are so quickly deserting”--The Greek is in present tense, the Galatians have not totally turned to the false teaching, but it is in progress. Paul is anxiously writing to stop the defection. The word for deserting was used in classical Greek of a turncoat, “one altering his opinion or becoming of another mind (p.35).” And what are they deserting? Him! When we move from truth we move from Him. “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6 This is not about a religious system but it is about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How can you hear the best news in all the world and then QUICKLY turn away from Him? Why, why, why can we not believe that we can do nothing to be saved? At the base of all our reasoning has to be a kind of pride…we really think we can do something to cause God to save us. We really think we can do something to cause God to love us more. We really don’t get grace (or total depravity). What do you think you have to do to be saved and stay in good with God? Go to church? Give money to charities? Teach Sunday school? Not yell at your kids? Pray? Be a good person? Why do you go to church? Why do you give money to charities? Why do you try to not yell at your kids? Why do you pray? Why do you try to be a good person? Hmmmmm… Are you obligated to do these things or are you free to do these things? There is a difference. Reply to this
January 26, 2009 7:03 AM
Sam wrote:
Now, on to chapter 2 (although there is SO much more to chapter 1, I could spend a few days on that chapter alone).
Verses 1 through 10 is used to further establish Paul in his 'authority' to write such a letter to these churches who were 'quickly deserting' Jesus. He is telling of important events in his life that he believes will help the reader/listener to not only understand what he has written, but what they must do to change their ways (he also wants to make sure that they understand their current ways of living as a church are wrong, as several men have perverted the gospel (the truth about Jesus, JB--oh, and JB, what you said about salvation yesterday in your last statement is not quite true as I understand what you wrote---salvation is only by faith, nothing else (of course, faith without deeds is useless)) and they are falling farther away from Jesus even as he is 'quilling' this letter. So, what do these verses (1-10) say? Well, he knows that they have heard about Peter, James and John, and probably Barnabas and Titus, so he 'namee drops' again. He told how Barnabas and Titus were WITH him, and were supporting him in his teachings (that is, about circumcision and faith and false teachers). He told about how he didn't care how 'important' anybody in in the almighty church in Jerusalem appeared, but told THEM about his god-given mission as well. He told of how Peter, James and John (seemingly a cornerstone of the early church) listened and totally supported his 'new' mission to spread the word to JB, Mac, Rick, Tony, Dustin and Rich, oops, I mean, the Gentiles, and at that time, the uncircumcised. (Which, as a side note, brings up an interesting subject of 'our' traditions of today. Is the circumcism we practice today mearly a tradition (or a medical practice), or do churches still hang on to that old false teaching which Paul is adamantly opposing, that circumcism is required for salvation? Have we (the church over the past centuries) still held on to a practice of 'the law' (yes, there it is again, J, fearing that perhaps, if we are not circumcised, we might not be saved? Just something to think about, as Paul is telling the churches in the Galatian area that it is certainly NOT required, even though some church brothers were teaching that it was. I guess we haven't progressed very far, especially in the churches of today understanding the New Testament, and more specifically, this marvelous letter by Paul. The rest of the chapter, (again, we could spend DAYS on these verses, but won't in this forum) discusses Paul confronting one of the recognized 'leaders' of the church, and even told Peter, PETER!, that he was wrong in what he was doing by showing favoritism for the circumcised (Jews) over the uncircumcised (Gentiles). Imagine the church leaders reading this, and the people hearing it, that PAUL WAS TELLING 'THE POPE' that he, THE POPE, the LEADER, was wrong! This definitely showed that Paul believed in what he Reply to this
January 26, 2009 7:32 AM
Johnbob wrote:
Oh, you just wanted to be like Paul and go and correct me in front of everyone...
I hear what you are saying, and I suppose it is better said that if we start preaching false doctrines regarding salvation and how to have a realtionship with God, then we are in danger of losing our salvation ourselves - just as if we continue in willful sin (re: Hebrews). However, in looking at the TNIV (Today's NIV), it uses different terminology - instead of "eternally condemned" - it says "under God's curse" and the New KJV says "accursed". So it maybe it is the same thing, but I picture being under God's curse as God being against you and 'eternally condemned' as being a final judgment on your soul. Reply to this
January 26, 2009 7:09 AM
Sam wrote:
was doing. How strong are you when you talk about YOUR faith in, and love of, Jesus? Are you swayed by the 'audience' and don't even dare discuss what Jesus has done, and continues to do, for you? The lessons in this chapter go far beyond circumcism and faith....they dig deep into our own way of life today. It begs of our belief that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ....what does that say about the Muslims and other 'great' religions of the world today? I truly wish Paul were alive today to write letters to today's churches, world wide, and expound on 'the gospel' to address these and other issues and false teachings of today's churches and religions. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Well, off to work....if you failed to write about chapter 1 yesterday, I would love to read your comments as I might use some of them in my lesson this Thursday. Reply to this
January 26, 2009 8:37 AM
rik wrote:
Sorry for the absence yesterday, I was sicker then a dog (I wonder where that saying sicker then a dog cam from? I have dogs and they are never sick). I was only out of bed for maybe 30 minutes all day. I am feeling better today.
Jew, Gentile-this is not a racial divider any longer, (or maybe it is divided to the point that we do not even see it any more), but there are many dividers today, of course black and white is still evident is our country today, I also see educated and uneducated, no actually we for the most part are all educated, so I guess I mean collage graduates and high school graduates. wealthy and average, tragically I see this even in our Christian churches, we 'feel' more comfortable with our kind, when in reality we should have everything in common through the bond of Christ. why is this so hard to overcome? is it the wealthy are to pompous? or is it the not so wealthy are insecure? I do not know. Reply to this
First, to try to answer some of JB's questions last night about 'the gospel'--here are some notes from my lesson plan:
Paul had preached in Galatia and new churches had been started. His message was very simple--that salvation was by faith in Christ. You did not have to be a Jew, you did not have to be circumcised, you did not have to offer all the Jewish sacrifices or keep the Jewish feasts, you did not have to do anything but trust in the fact that Jesus’ death paid for your sins and believe in Him. “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Salvation for Israelites had always been by faith. There had always been two groups within Israel: a little group which offered the symbolic sacrifices as an indication of a real living faith in the future 'substitutionary' sacrifice, and there was always the larger group, which, while it went through the ritual of the Levitical sacrifices, yet exercised no heart faith to receive a salvation offered in grace on the basis of justice satisfied by the atonement, but depended upon personal merit and good works for salvation.
So, now, after he has preached to them the best news in all the world, they are listening to unsaved people within the church tell them about what their religion should really look like. He is astounded, he is flabbergasted. How often have you said to your kids, or heard your parents say to you, “I can’t believe what you have done (or said)! What were you thinking??” Paul is saying the same thing to the Galatians, “I am amazed!” “that you are so quickly deserting”--The Greek is in present tense, the Galatians have not totally turned to the false teaching, but it is in progress. Paul is anxiously writing to stop the defection. The word for deserting was used in classical Greek of a turncoat, “one altering his opinion or becoming of another mind (p.35).” And what are they deserting? Him! When we move from truth we move from Him. “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6 This is not about a religious system but it is about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How can you hear the best news in all the world and then QUICKLY turn away from Him? Why, why, why can we not believe that we can do nothing to be saved? At the base of all our reasoning has to be a kind of pride…we really think we can do something to cause God to save us. We really think we can do something to cause God to love us more. We really don’t get grace (or total depravity). What do you think you have to do to be saved and stay in good with God? Go to church? Give money to charities? Teach Sunday school? Not yell at your kids? Pray? Be a good person? Why do you go to church? Why do you give money to charities? Why do you try to not yell at your kids? Why do you pray? Why do you try to be a good person? Hmmmmm… Are you obligated to do these things or are you free to do these things? There is a difference.
Reply to this
Now, on to chapter 2 (although there is SO much more to chapter 1, I could spend a few days on that chapter alone).
Verses 1 through 10 is used to further establish Paul in his 'authority' to write such a letter to these churches who were 'quickly deserting' Jesus. He is telling of important events in his life that he believes will help the reader/listener to not only understand what he has written, but what they must do to change their ways (he also wants to make sure that they understand their current ways of living as a church are wrong, as several men have perverted the gospel (the truth about Jesus, JB--oh, and JB, what you said about salvation yesterday in your last statement is not quite true as I understand what you wrote---salvation is only by faith, nothing else (of course, faith without deeds is useless)) and they are falling farther away from Jesus even as he is 'quilling' this letter.
So, what do these verses (1-10) say? Well, he knows that they have heard about Peter, James and John, and probably Barnabas and Titus, so he 'namee drops' again. He told how Barnabas and Titus were WITH him, and were supporting him in his teachings (that is, about circumcision and faith and false teachers). He told about how he didn't care how 'important' anybody in in the almighty church in Jerusalem appeared, but told THEM about his god-given mission as well. He told of how Peter, James and John (seemingly a cornerstone of the early church) listened and totally supported his 'new' mission to spread the word to JB, Mac, Rick, Tony, Dustin and Rich, oops, I mean, the Gentiles, and at that time, the uncircumcised. (Which, as a side note, brings up an interesting subject of 'our' traditions of today. Is the circumcism we practice today mearly a tradition (or a medical practice), or do churches still hang on to that old false teaching which Paul is adamantly opposing, that circumcism is required for salvation? Have we (the church over the past centuries) still held on to a practice of 'the law' (yes, there it is again, J
The rest of the chapter, (again, we could spend DAYS on these verses, but won't in this forum) discusses Paul confronting one of the recognized 'leaders' of the church, and even told Peter, PETER!, that he was wrong in what he was doing by showing favoritism for the circumcised (Jews) over the uncircumcised (Gentiles). Imagine the church leaders reading this, and the people hearing it, that PAUL WAS TELLING 'THE POPE' that he, THE POPE, the LEADER, was wrong! This definitely showed that Paul believed in what he
Reply to this
Oh, you just wanted to be like Paul and go and correct me in front of everyone...
I hear what you are saying, and I suppose it is better said that if we start preaching false doctrines regarding salvation and how to have a realtionship with God, then we are in danger of losing our salvation ourselves - just as if we continue in willful sin (re: Hebrews). However, in looking at the TNIV (Today's NIV), it uses different terminology - instead of "eternally condemned" - it says "under God's curse" and the New KJV says "accursed". So it maybe it is the same thing, but I picture being under God's curse as God being against you and 'eternally condemned' as being a final judgment on your soul.
Reply to this
was doing.
How strong are you when you talk about YOUR faith in, and love of, Jesus? Are you swayed by the 'audience' and don't even dare discuss what Jesus has done, and continues to do, for you?
The lessons in this chapter go far beyond circumcism and faith....they dig deep into our own way of life today. It begs of our belief that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ....what does that say about the Muslims and other 'great' religions of the world today? I truly wish Paul were alive today to write letters to today's churches, world wide, and expound on 'the gospel' to address these and other issues and false teachings of today's churches and religions. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Well, off to work....if you failed to write about chapter 1 yesterday, I would love to read your comments as I might use some of them in my lesson this Thursday.
Reply to this
Sorry for the absence yesterday, I was sicker then a dog (I wonder where that saying sicker then a dog cam from? I have dogs and they are never sick). I was only out of bed for maybe 30 minutes all day. I am feeling better today.
Jew, Gentile-this is not a racial divider any longer, (or maybe it is divided to the point that we do not even see it any more), but there are many dividers today, of course black and white is still evident is our country today, I also see educated and uneducated, no actually we for the most part are all educated, so I guess I mean collage graduates and high school graduates. wealthy and average, tragically I see this even in our Christian churches, we 'feel' more comfortable with our kind, when in reality we should have everything in common through the bond of Christ. why is this so hard to overcome? is it the wealthy are to pompous? or is it the not so wealthy are insecure? I do not know.
Reply to this