Friday, March 30, 2007

Is Christ The Minister Of Sin?

Galatians 2:17 is a verse that holds a lot of information with respect to those that will say we still have to follow law. Here we see Paul still in confrontation with the apostles in Jerusalem and the point he brings out here is very important with regards to how we are to see ourselves.

He is saying that those of you that are saying you are justified by Christ still see yourself as a sinner then there is something wrong with how you view yourself. He is not saying “if you really know Jesus you shouldn’t be a sinner”. No, he is saying in Christ, if you are still assigning sin to people then you are saying that Christ is the minister of sin. And he ends the verse with God forbid that anyone would do such a thing.

If you claim you have been justified by Christ and at the same time say you are a sinner, then you are saying it is Christ who is the minister of sin. Is that possible? Of course not. Is it possible to be justified by Christ and still call yourself a sinner? If you are justified by Christ it is impossible to be a sinner at the same time. Christ does not minister sin. He ministers justification and if you say you are justified by Him, which you are, then you cannot say you are still a sinner.

I have heard it over and over so many times that we have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and we are still sinners. Read this verse over again and see what it says. It is quite clear it is saying if that is what you are saying you are at the same time saying Christ ministers sin!!! These are the words of Paul as he was confronting the apostles in Jerusalem that were bringing the people back under law and he was exposing the error of what they were doing. Let’s be honest, how many people do you know that say this very thing? I know for me personally it has been exactly what I have heard in all the churches I attended.

In verse 18 Paul says if he builds again what he destroyed he makes himself a transgressor. So what is this thing Paul destroyed. He destroyed the law in his life and he says if he builds the law back up in his life he makes himself a transgressor. The Galatians were building the law back up in their lives and it was making them transgressors.

If we try to bring any law into our lives and try to follow whatever law that is, we make ourselves transgressors. It does not say God looks at us as transgressors but we make ourselves transgressors. It wasn’t even the law that was making them transgressors, it was themselves.

Verse 19 tells what we have to do to live unto God. If you are dead unto law you will live unto God. If you are still trying to live by any law or rule or regulation, then you are not only not living unto God but you are also making yourself a transgressor. Paul is really telling these people the importance of realizing we are dead to the law. Until such a time we realize we are dead to the law we will try and live up to whatever law that might be. That causes nothing but frustration and confusion in our lives.

Paul is always very clear on what he tries to put across to people and he said very specifically that he was dead to the law in verse 19. And yet we have just about every organized church telling you that we must follow the law, a law that was only given to the Jews in the first place.

I will post again on Monday.

Posted by Roy at 11:46:57 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Walking Uprightly

Continuing on in Galatians 2: 14 we see that Paul is talking about someone that was not walking uprightly. We have all heard I’m sure someone mention some one else that may not have been “walking” according to what they considered the proper way to “walk” and the tern not walking uprightly would be used.

In our modern times I think people would say that it is someone that is not following what they perceive to be the way to walk this Christian walk according to their denominational teaching. If their rules and regulations are not kept then they would look at whoever this might be and come to the conclusion they are not “walking uprightly” according to their rules and laws.

In this verse, what did Paul mean by using that statement? And whom was he saying were not walking uprightly? He is still talking about the apostles he was meeting with in Jerusalem. He is confronting them with the Truth of the Gospel of grace and peace which is what he called the truth of the Gospel. It’s quite clear he is talking about the apostles because the book of Galatians is addressing those that had gone back to preaching the law of circumcision among other things.

In this verse he names Peter and he says he confronted him in front of them all because he says in verse 11 that Peter was to blame for all this. We must remember here that Peter is the one that had the vision in the book of Acts and an encounter with Jesus and He told him not to call what He had cleansed unclean. And now we see in verse 12 that he began to fear those that were of the circumcision and went back preaching law instead of grace and peace. I know this is hard to fathom but it is quite clear in this chapter as to what was transpiring in Jerusalem and at the hands of the apostles at that!!!

Why did Paul say they were not walking uprightly? They were still trying to keep the law. It is not according to man’s standards that they were not walking uprightly. They were not walking uprightly according to the truth of the gospel. This had nothing to do with man made rules they had started following. It had to do with them walking away from the truth of the gospel of grace and peace and went back under law.

Remember that the law was only given to the Jews and in this same verse we see Paul confronting Peter and asking him why he was trying to bring Gentiles under law when the law was not even given to them. If you take this into our modern day, how many places do you go to and hear preaching that will tell you that we have to keep God’s laws? I think it is safe to say all of them. If anyone is trying to tell you that you must keep the laws as written in the OT then they are not walking uprightly according to the gospel of grace and peace and they are trying to have you not walk uprightly as well.

If Paul was to set foot on the North American continent in this day and age we live in, I think he would likely first meet with the church leaders privately like he did with the apostles and then he would rebuke them openly like he did with the apostles as well. It would not take him long to see the modern day institutionalized church is NOT walking uprightly according to Paul’s definition of that term. He would be no more popular in this day and age than he was 2000 years ago when he met with the apostles. Not a whole lot has changed in that respect.

Posted by Roy at 11:35:28 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

They Seemed To Be Pillars

Galatians 2:9 mentions three of the apostles specifically by name and they are James, Cephas (Peter) and John and he says they “seemed” to be pillars. He is not saying they were pillars but only seemed to be that.


It’s not difficult to see the negative view Paul had when he spoke of these apostles that had strayed away from the gospel of grace and peace and were trying to bring people back under law. As we have seen he was in Jerusalem for the very purpose of exposing what some of them were preaching and bringing people back under bondage. He made it clear in verse 6 that although they “seemed to be somewhat” it made no difference to him who they were. He was there to expose their error and it made no difference to him who they were.

They were polluting and perverting the gospel of grace and peace and he was there to tell them so. I know this is not an easy thing to see because of who he was exposing, but if we are to be honest and read this book in its proper context, we will see that it was the apostles. I don’t know how else you can read it except that way because it is made so clear and it is also made clear who it was that was perverting the gospel.

The remainder of verse 9 says they gave Paul the right hand of fellowship that he should go unto the heathen and they would stay with the Jews. In other words they were saying, go back to where you were before you came here and leave us alone in our preaching to the Jews. They had seen they could not sway or persuade Paul with what they were preaching and would prefer if he went away. They shook hands with him and suggested he go back to the people he had been preaching to and to leave the Jews to them. The verse also says they saw the grace that Paul had and they didn’t want that passed on to those they were trying to reach with their type of gospel as they saw Paul as a threat to what they were preaching.

In verse ten they told Paul not to forget to remember the poor, as if Paul was not doing that. These legalists were saying “I know you have this freedom but don’t let this freedom take you away from helping the poor”. Paul says it the latter part of the verse this was something he was always forward to do. As legalists they did not understand Paul’s liberty and they were seeing it as if he was using this to do whatever he wanted to do. They were saying you are saying you don’t have to do anything to be right with God, but in all this please remember the poor. It was like they were saying to him “we know you don’t think you have to remember the poor, but even though you say you are free from all things, don’t forget the poor”.

Is this not the way the legalistic mind looks at those that have found the freedom of the gospel of grace and peace? They look at people that are free and say, well you should at least try to do good, even though you say you can do anything you want. The religious minded out there will look at those that have found the freedom of the gospel as using it to be able to do anything they wish. That is true in a sense, but not in the sense they say. I am free to do anything I want and so is everyone else but not all will be beneficial. It makes us accountable for our own actions and there will always be a price to pay in this life for the things we choose to do or not to do.

What this freedom gives is the knowledge there is no longer anything standing between me and God. God is not waiting to punish anyone for their actions. He is not waiting to judge you and waiting to slap you around if you do something not so nice. I am at total peace with God apart from my actions and deeds. I don’t have to perform for God to love me and dread the thought He may reject me if I don’t perform correctly. That is a lie that comes from the organized church and is used continually to hold people under bondage. In Galatians it was circumcision, in this modern day it is any rule or regulation they think they can use. There is no difference. Bondage is bondage regardless of what it’s called.

Posted by Roy at 12:38:43 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Seeming To Be Somewhat

Galatians 2:6 continues on with Paul again saying what he encountered when he returned to Jerusalem after about eighteen years of being absent. He makes it clear again he was not interested in what any man was preaching.

Paul had the message of grace and peace and nothing could move him away from that message. He mentions those in Jerusalem “that seemed to be somewhat”. He made it clear it did not matter to him who they were. What Paul was saying that even though they were apostles that had been with Jesus it made no difference to him at all. He was saying that although they were apostles, if they were adding even one law to the gospel, they were not to be listened to. That one law, in this case circumcision, was taking them away from the gospel of grace and peace.

In the end of verse 6 Paul says they added nothing to him at all. What he is saying is that if anyone is preaching law to you they are adding nothing to your life at all. Instead of adding something to you they are actually taking away from you. There is a freedom in the gospel. If you let anyone tell you that you need to add even one law (rule, regulation) to the gospel they are robbing you of freedom and are taking you right back under bondage. You cannot be free by having to follow laws.

The apostles were telling the people they needed to be circumcised and Paul was preaching to them that circumcision was no longer required. That is what Paul means in verses 7 and 8. That is why Paul was in Jerusalem confronting what these men were now preaching. We have seen so far in this book that they were bringing the people back under the bondage of the law.

I am realizing more and more that what is being preached today is laws and rules and regulations. This is why so many people remain in bondage and they never experience the freedom of the gospel of grace and peace. To be brought under any law is not freedom. If you are in a performance mode in order to please God who is already pleased with you through Christ, then you will never be free and will continue to strive to be pleasing to God. You will be striving to do something that is absolutely impossible. Is it any wonder it brings frustration if you are trying to accomplish something that has already been accomplished? Common sense will tell you that.

Paul was in Jerusalem on a very important mission. He knew they were trying to bring people back under bondage and he made it plain who he was contending with. He was dealing directly with the apostles and disciples. He made that clear and he makes it even clearer by naming names as you will see when I continue my next post.

Posted by Roy at 11:35:18 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Monday, March 26, 2007

Being Bound To Law

We have seen in previous posts that the ones that Paul was communicating with in Jerusalem after he went there were the apostles. He mentions a number of times that he was there to preach the gospel of grace and peace to them because they had gone back into practicing the law.

In Galatians 2: 3 it says that Titus, whom Paul had brought with him, was being compelled to be circumcised. In verse 4 it tells us who was trying to get Titus to be circumcised. It was the false brethren that were trying to do this. Who were these false brethren? Who was it that Paul went back to Jerusalem to speak to because they had gone back under law? It was the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. It was those that had walked and talked with Jesus.

In verse 4 it also says what their purpose was. It was to bring them back under the bondage of the law. They came in privily (means they came alongside) to spy out this liberty that Paul had and preached as well, which he had in Christ Jesus. The reason they came alongside of them was to bring them back under bondage. The bondage they wanted them back under was the bondage of the law. They tried their best to get Paul to circumcise Titus so obviously circumcision was the main order of the day for them.

In verse 5 he says quite clearly that they did not subject themselves to such bondage of the law of circumcision. He makes it clear they did not submit to this, not even for an hour. The reason he was not interested in subjecting anyone or himself for that matter to this law of circumcision the apostles were now preaching, is so the truth of the gospel might continue. So we see here Paul makes it clear if the law is being preached, the truth of the gospel can not be preached. That is the bondage they were trying to bring him back under.

If anyone is trying to bring you back under even one law, in this case it was the law of circumcision but nowadays it would be a different law I am sure, but even so, if you go under the subjection of even one law, the truth of the gospel can not be preached. One law nullifies the truth of the gospel. The gospel is not law. The gospel is grace and peace. If anyone is telling you about all the rules and regulations and laws you have to follow, then they are plain and simple not telling you the truth of the gospel.

Can we for a moment imagine what would have happened to Paul’s message to the ones that had been listening to him if he had succumbed to what the apostles were trying to get him to go back under? I believe the truth of the gospel would have ended that day because Paul was raised up to bring the truth of the gospel of grace and peace. You cannot preach law and the grace and peace of God. That’s not possible. The law nullifies the gospel of grace and peace. They do not mix any better than oil and water.

Those of us that have heard and accepted this gospel of grace and peace must be steadfast in this truth that has been revealed to us. We must stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free and not be moved to go back under any bondage. The people around us would never see this truth if we followed what the apostles were trying to get the people of Paul’s day to follow. They were trying to get people back under bondage by bringing in the law again. Stand fast in your liberty. The liberty of the gospel of grace and peace.

Posted by Roy at 11:24:29 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Friday, March 23, 2007

My Friend Bob is Finally Totally Free

On September 3/06 I did a post called My Friend Bob and I spoke about how I had shared this gospel of grace and peace with him and also how I learned different things by just spending time with this man. Bob ended up going to a long term care facility as his mind and health had further deteriorated but I still spent time visiting him. He got to a point where he didn’t even know who I was any more but he still enjoyed my visits.

I knew Bob was not doing well for the past week or two and late yesterday afternoon Bob passed away. He had gone into a coma and he died in his sleep. This morning I think of the times I spent with him sharing this gospel with him, I cannot help but think he now knows what I shared with him was the truth of the gospel. He may not have understood it very well when I would try to explain it to him but he did latch on to many things I shared with him. Well he no longer has to struggle with his frustrations and inability to retain most of what I talked to him about as he is in the very Presence of his Lord. He was 92 years old when he passed on but he is no longer bound by his “earth suit” now as he has stepped into eternity with his Father.

Posted by Roy at 15:39:51 | Permalink | Comments (11)

Returning To Jerusalem

Paul returns to Jerusalem after another absence, this time it is an absence of fourteen years. This is only his second trip recorded and it becomes quite obvious that the apostles were not with whom Paul spent any time. He had only met with Peter once in all these years and he had only spent fifteen days with him.

So during the space of about eighteen years Paul did not spend any time with the apostles and was away preaching the gospel to the gentiles. When he returns to Jerusalem along with Barnabas and Titus, he says he communicated to them the gospel which he preached amongst the gentiles. What is this gospel he is talking about and who does he mean by “them” that he preached to when he went back to Jerusalem? The gospel he is talking about is the gospel of grace and peace and the “them” are the apostles that were before him in Jerusalem.

He was going back to preach the gospel to those that had walked with Jesus and were the apostles of Jesus Christ. What do you suppose he could reveal to the apostles that had been followers of Jesus while He was here on earth? He was actually going to them and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Does this not sound a bit odd that Paul would go back to Jerusalem and preach to the apostles and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ at that?

It is not odd or strange at all because it is quite clear by reading the entire book of Galatians that they did not know the gospel of grace and peace which is what Paul preached and this is the gospel that was revealed in Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul makes it clear he went back and preached to the disciples. Why would he need to preach to the disciples if they knew the gospel? I am not saying they never knew the true gospel but it is quite obvious they had started preaching some other gospel which is not the gospel at all.

In verse 2 of Galatians 2 it says that Paul preached to those of reputation that he preached to. Who were those of reputation he is talking about? He is again talking about the apostles that were in Jerusalem. He talked to them in private because he saw they were not preaching the gospel of grace and peace. He was trying to show them where they had strayed and had returned again under law.

Paul believed if the gospel was going to be set right for the generations to come, the apostles of Jesus had to be reached with the gospel of grace and peace. I know this sounds a bit odd to some but if you follow through the whole book of Galatians, you will see this is plainly stated. You will see later on in the book that he did publicly what he had done with the apostles privately. We have to remember Paul preached nothing but Christ and Him crucified. He was not at all interested in preaching anything else.

When he heard the apostles had gone back under law, I believe that is when he decided it was time to return to Jerusalem and preach the true gospel to them. He did this when he received a revelation (v2) of what was transpiring in Jerusalem. Paul saw it was necessary to go back and warn them about the error they had started preaching and like we have seen, he did this privately at first. I am sure some of us can relate to this and have met privately with some leaders to try and make them see the revelation the Lord has given regarding this gospel of grace and peace. This is what Paul was trying to do as well.

Please Note: I will no longer be posting on weekends. My postings will be Monday to Friday.

Posted by Roy at 02:07:02 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Destroying The Faith

In Galatians 1:18 we see Paul saying that after three years he went to Jerusalem. He went in the other direction to learn the gospel of grace and peace without any interference from any of the apostles. He didn’t want to rely on any man teaching this awesome gospel the Lord had shown him and he was only interested in learning it from the Lord Himself.

After three years he did go to Jerusalem to see Peter. The verse says he stayed with Peter for fifteen days. What do you suppose was the topic of conversation during those fifteen days? The only other apostle he saw at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. (I know that doesn’t sound right to Catholic ears, but the Lord did have brothers)  I think this was a discussion on the relationship between the law and the gospel of grace and peace because Peter had gone back under some laws, especially circumcision.

In verse 22 Paul says none of the churches knew him by face but had only heard of him that he persecuted the church and as we have seen he wasted it. We see that none of these people knew Paul so it is quite clear he had not met with any of them since his conversion, except Peter and James. They only knew him as a great persecutor of the church. The only interaction he had with any of them in what could be four years or so was fifteen days with Peter and a bit with James.

They had only heard about him and they knew in times past he persecuted the church. If they knew he persecuted the church in times past, what was he preaching in these times past that are mentioned? He was preaching law. So was Paul converted from being a drunk, or murderer or anything of the like? No, he was converted from preaching law and after his conversion he began preaching grace and peace.

In verse 22 it says instead of preaching law, they now saw Paul preaching the faith he once destroyed. How did he destroy this faith that is mentioned? He destroyed this faith by preaching the law. How is the faith of some destroyed today? The exact same way, which is by preaching law and rules and regulations. It brings people back under bondage. Paul knew this and that is why he was not interested in going to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles before he knew the gospel of grace and peace. The law is not of faith. You either have the faith (His faith) or you have the law.

The gospel of grace and peace is already in you. In verse 24 it says when they saw what he preached they glorified God in him. They saw that the glory of God was in Paul. Nobody has to get the gospel in you. It is already there in you. I think that is why most people that get a revelation of this gospel of grace and peace can say they already knew this deep down. They already knew this because it is already in them. It is not something that enters you but rather it is something that comes out of you. Redemption is already resident in all of mankind. But like Paul, the Lord has to reveal Himself in all of us for us to see it.

Posted by Roy at 10:56:01 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Staying Away From Jerusalem

In Galatians 1: 16, 17 we see where Paul is explaining what happened after the Lord revealed Himself in him. He also says in verse 15 that his calling was from his mother’s womb and not just when the Lord revealed Himself in Him.

Interesting point Paul makes here by telling the Galatians that his calling did not happen on the road to Damascus but he was called by God’s grace from his mother’s womb. Most would say he was called when the Lord met him on the road to Damascus but that is not so. What happened on the road to Damascus was Jesus revealing Himself in Paul and salvation came to his soul at that time. When did redemption come to Paul? It came at the same time it came to everyone else, on the cross of Calvary. His experience that day was a revelation of Jesus in him and that’s when he saw his redemption and he experienced salvation.

We can assume many things as to what Paul did after this experience and I am sure many have different ideas. I even heard one guy say that he went to Arabia to Bible College. I thought that was pretty hilarious but this guy was serious. The only thing it says is that he went to Arabia. But one thing he makes very clear and he says it in verse 16 is that he DID NOT confer with flesh and blood so they could explain to him what he had experienced. He was not interested in finding out what the religious world would tell him about what he had experienced.

In verse 17 he makes it very clear that he DID NOT go to those that were apostles before him. The last place he wanted to go was to Jerusalem and meet with the apostles and get indoctrinated back into law and bondage. He knew what he was supposed to do and his calling was made clear to him when the Lord revealed Himself in him. Note that it does not say “to him” but “in him”. Jesus was already in Paul and all that happened was He was revealed to Paul inside of Him. He did not “invite him in” as He was already in Paul.

When we see Paul saying he did not go to Jerusalem or later when he did go to Jerusalem, he makes it clear when saying that, that he is talking about going to see the apostles that were before him. This is very important as you continue to read the book of Galatians and Paul mentions Jerusalem. So we know what guys he was talking about as he mentions them by name later on in the book. So we see he did NOT go confer with the apostles but headed the other way for a lot of years to get what I believe was total training by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Paul had seen the direction some of these apostles had taken and he certainly was not interested in meeting with any of them at the time of his experience with the Lord. When Jesus is revealed to anyone, what is actually revealed is Truth. Jesus is the way the Truth and the life. So when He reveals Himself, He reveals these things in us as that is Who He is. He showed Paul what the gospel of grace and peace was and then Paul went to the heathen (gentiles) to preach this liberating gospel and not the bondage some of the apostles were bringing people back under. Galatians becomes very clear on this in later chapters.

Posted by Roy at 10:37:47 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ravaging And Destroying

Continuing on in Galatians we see in verse 12 that Paul says that the gospel he was preaching did not come to him by man nor was it taught to him by any man either. The gospel of grace and peace he preached and as we have seen, he made it quite clear there was no other gospel but that, was taught to him by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus took Paul aside so to speak and revealed Himself in him and Paul saw the gospel of grace and peace. He goes on to remind them that they knew in times past how he had persecuted the church and wasted it because he was preaching the law. He was preaching the Jews religion (v.13) and that was persecuting the church because the Jews religion (laws, rules and regulations) has no place in the church of Jesus Christ. Not only did he persecute the church he wasted it. The word wasted means to ravage and destroy. So what was the preaching of the law doing to the church and believers? It was destroying them.

Is there a place in these times we are in to preach the law and rules and regulations? There were none in Paul’s day and the same applies today. If this is preached it will ravage and destroy your belief system today the same as it did in Paul’s day. Not only did it destroy the believers by placing them under bondage but he profited from it as well. He profited by teaching the traditions of his fathers which was the law.

Most people listen to what their tradition (denomination) has brought down through the years. Most of the time it is a refusal to hear or even entertain anything that is not according to their traditional teaching. The initial reaction when the gospel of grace and peace is presented to someone is that they refuse to hear anything of it. They have been patterned according to their tradition and in most cases this has been brought down through the family generations. So of course the reaction to something foreign to that tradition is rejected.

This is not something that should discourage anyone from sharing this great gospel. If we look at Paul, his initial reaction to the gospel was that he went and killed those that preached it. It was not until the Lord revealed Himself in him that he saw and he undoubtedly became the greatest teacher in history. I think we have to look at others in the same way. This gospel is rejected because of tradition and it can not be made clear to anyone until the Lord reveals Himself in them which is a revelation of Truth.

I believe the ravaging and destroying that is going on will take a turn one of these days and the Truth will be revealed to many. Then and only then will people accept the Truth for what it is. I am in no way discouraged by the rejection of the gospel of grace and peace that is very evident in every denomination. I am just thankful that the Lord chose to reveal Himself and His Truth to me at this point in my life. When He chooses to reveal Himself to others, they as well will see the peace that comes from knowing we are right with God apart from anything we do or don’t do. Paul wasted the church until he saw the Lord reveal Himself in him. Then he became the greatest preacher there ever was. I pray the same happens to many people in our day.




Posted by Roy at 11:11:49 | Permalink | Comments (4)