The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 10

Paul Declares the Laws Purpose Part 1

Galatians 3:19-20 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. KJV

Paul now answers the question that he knew surely would come from his Jewish detractors concerning the Law of Moses and that is why did God even give Moses His Law if it did not have a purpose? This question coming from Jews would not only refer to the Ten Commandments, but also the many ceremonial laws Moses was given through the ministration of angels (Psalms 68:17 & Acts 7:53) as we find detailed in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Leviticus. Paul writes that Moses was God’s mediator of His Law to the people of Israel. The English word mediator is translated by the Greek word mesites which means a go between or intercessor as Moses wrote concerning The LORD (YAHWEH), himself, and the people of Israel when he said, “Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. The LORD spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, while I was standing between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said, ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” (Deuteronomy 5:1-6).

Paul declares however, that a mediator or mesites must have two parties to serve as did Moses above with God and Israel concerning God’s Law, but as concerning the promise of God made by covenant with Abraham, no mediator or mesites is applicable because Abraham is not here to serve as the second party with God the Father. Also, Moses was not even alive when God made this “covenant of promise” with Abraham, therefore, Moses has no part at all with the “promise”, but solely and only with the “Law” of God. Moses declares and testifies of his separation from the “promise” when he warned the nation Israel from following after the evil practices of the nation’s (Deuteronomy 18:9-14) God would drive out of the land and give to Israel as He promised them through Abraham, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ).” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Moses knew that his ministration of the “Law of God” to the people of Israel was not meant to supplant God’s “covenant of promise” to Abraham’s “Seed” our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ opposed the Jews ignorance of this truth and their putting all their hope in Moses and the Law as He told them that Moses would stand as judge against them and their ignorance (John 5:39-47).

Despite the fact that the “Law” was not given to man until Moses, man still bore testimony of the “Law” in their consciences even during the days before God gave His “Law” to man. Paul wrote that very idea when he said this to the Romans, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:14-16). The “Law” was given on the stone tablets on Mount Saini to show mankind the exceedingly sinfulness of their sin in the light or comparison to a perfect, pristine, and pure God.

The dreaded and dreadful enemy of every person Jew or Gentile is the “sinful nature” we inherited from our parents Adam and Eve, therefore, because this nature is “unseen” in the “inner man”, God gave His “Law” through angels to Moses, so that every man’s mouth would be shut (Romans 3:19) and closed tightly before Him thinking that “in them” there resides any goodness (Romans 7:18). It is the bent of every person (even now) to think of or consider themselves to be “good people” as they compare themselves with others, but when we compare ourselves to God (as we see His perfect and pure “Goodness”) in His “Law” we are undone as Isaiah wrote in this manner, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 64:6-7). When any sinner is truly justified by “faith in Jesus Christ”, they hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ (at that instant, moment, or time of their conversion/new birth) saying as He did to so many in the Gospels, “And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48). Observance of the “Law” is futile to sinful humanity and can never bring about this great assurance!

My own Personal Note: The mistake that the Jews made so long ago (regarding God’s Moral and Ceremonial Law given to them through Moses) and have handed down to every Jewish generation since is that the “Law” was somehow God’s method of correcting their sin before Him, but when we listen to the words written by Moses himself in Deuteronomy 18:9-22 it is clear that Moses understood that “One” was coming after him and greater than him who would fulfill God’s long waited for “promise” to Abraham that the “Law” could never do.

“The moral law was added to the promise to discover and restrain transgressions, to convince men of their guilt, and need of the promise, and give some check to sin. And this law passeth not away; but the ceremonial law was only introduced till Christ, the seed to or through whom the promise was made, should come. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator - It was not given to Israel, like the promise to Abraham, immediately from God Himself; but was conveyed by the ministry of angels to Moses, and delivered into his hand as a mediator between God and them, to remind them of the great Mediator.” John Wesley

“And the word transgression, by its Pauline and Jewish usage, compels us to this view. Transgression presupposes law. It is the specific form which sin takes under law-the reaction of sin against law. What was before a latent tendency, a bias of disposition, now starts to light as a flagrant, guilty fact. By bringing about repeated transgressions the Law reveals the true nature of sin, so that it ‘becomes exceeding sinful.’ It does not make matters worse; but it shows how bad they really are. It aggravates the disease, in order to bring it to a crisis. And this is a necessary step towards the cure.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 9

Paul describes God’s Promise to Abraham as Immutable

Galatians 3:15-18 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. KJV

Paul once again recognizes these Churches in Galatia as his brothers “in Christ” despite his ignoring it at the beginning of his letter due to the urgency of disputing the “bewitching” teaching that many had given themselves over to from the Jewish legalist. Paul knew these people were his brothers and sisters “in Christ”, for he was God’s human instrument in bringing the Gospel to them and witnessing their conversion to Christ, but now Paul’s heart and soul is filled with a deep concern for their spiritual well-being and growth in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wants to completely crush this false teaching that many of them have received, for he knows that there is no way they will ever reach full maturity “in Christ” by striving to do so in the flesh. Paul now is going to detail for them how the “Law” that God gave to the Jews (through Moses) cannot ever change, replace, or make void the “promise” He (God) made to Abraham (John 1:17).

Paul refers to this “covenant of promise” through Abraham as we would view a parents or grandparents “last will and testament” which is only appropriated by the “heirs” of said parents or grandparents and that would be sons and daughters or grandsons and granddaughters. Therefore, as through Abraham’s “Seed” “Christ” these brethren the Galatians and us have become “heirs” by virtue of sonship as Paul details to the Roman believers with these words, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:15-17).

Likewise also as the writer of Hebrews declared so emphatically with these words, “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.’ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Paul points out to them by using sinful man as an example declaring that not even a human ordained covenant or solemn agreement between two human parties can be nullified, shown to be invalid, or deprived of its legal binding authority. Therefore, how much more the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient God’s promised covenant to Abraham that his “Seed” would bless every nation on the earth be made void by the “Law” that He Himself gave to man, because man never even knew that such “Law” even existed.  Through “faith in Christ Jesus” God the Father has given birth to a redeemed, regenerated, and reborn human race that are distinct from the rest of humanity solely and only because of what Christ Jesus has done for us (justification by faith) and to us (being sanctified by faith) and finally (glorification by the same faith) (Romans 8:29-30) in making us united with Him through repentance and believing the Gospel of Grace.

The promised Messiah did not come until 1911 years plus or minus after God made this promise to Abraham, but God gave His “Law” to Moses 430 years plus or minus after He made this promise to Abraham. Why did God wait 1411 years plus or minus before Christ was born to Mary? Paul gives an answer in the following Chapter to these Galatians and to us when he writes, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4). God the Father (who sees the end from the beginning) waited until the Roman Empire had dominance over the world. Historians document that during Rome’s reign and rule, they built many roadways or travel paths that were much easier to navigate than before and this was critical for the Lord Jesus’ Apostles who would make their way throughout the world proclaiming the Gospel of Grace. Also the manner of our Lord Jesus’ death had already been prophesied by King David in Psalms 22 and crucifixion had not even been done until the Romans came into power and dominance. The “fullness of the time came” with the emergence of the Roman people as dominant over most of the earth and then our Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem under the “Law”, lived for 33 years obeying the “Law” in word, thought, and deed, laid down His Life as a sinless sacrifice on the Roman Cross, was buried, then 3 days later was Resurrected from the dead and so fulfilled every Prophecy regarding His first coming to this earth and redeeming us from the “Laws” curse.

Finally, in verse 17 Paul concludes his lecture to these Galatians on the permanence of God’s Covenant with Abraham with the English phrase “cannot disannul” which is translated from the Greek word akuroo which means not capable of invalidating or making of no effect. God made this “covenant” with Abraham and not the reverse of Abraham making a “covenant” with God (Genesis 12:3). Therefore, this is the evidence of the immutability or as the writer of Hebrews put it above the unchangeableness of the promise because its origin was Divinely given to man through Abraham’s “Seed that is our Lord Jesus Christ” and by the way once again God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The English word “promise” is translated from the Greek word epaggelia which means an announcement for information, assent or pledge, but most specifically it means a Divine assurance of good. Paul uses this word epaggelia four (4) times in this short span of his letter to drive home the point to these Galatians and to us that God has made “One Way” only for sinful humanity to be right with Him and not even the “Law” that He Himself gave to man can change His promise before He even framed the foundations of the world as He first introduced to Adam and Eve before Abraham or Moses were even born (Genesis 3:15).

My own Personal Note: Paul uses very clear cut language in these verses of his letter to these Galatian Churches with the “one goal” at hand and that goal was to crush, demolish, and squash the idea that the Jewish legalist were spreading about the land as a cancerous plague. The notion that someone could come to “faith in Christ” and then add the requirement that the Jews and Gentiles who did so, must now keep the Law of Moses was complete heresy according to the Apostle Paul. Paul wants the Galatians and us to understand and know with complete confidence and no uncertainty that anything added to Gospel of Grace is an abomination or perversion of the true Gospel as he declared at the very beginning of his letter (Galatians 1:6-10) and is to be rejected violently and likewise are the people declaring such a perversion (2 John 1:7-11). Paul declares God’s Promise to Abraham of “faith in Jesus Christ” as the final authority on salvation and the way of righteousness as he wrote in this manner to the Colossian believers, “He is also head of the body, the Church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” (Colossians 1:18-23).

“It is from Christ that the grace flows which constitutes Christians. Christians are those who believe after the example of Abraham; they therefore are the spiritual seed. Christ, working in and by these, makes them the light and salt of the world; and through them, under and by Christ, are all the nations of the earth blessed. This appears to be the most consistent interpretation, though everything must be understood of Christ in the first instance, and then of Christians only through Him.” Adam Clarke

“When a man amongst ourselves bequeaths his property, and his will is publicly attested, its directions are scrupulously observed; to tamper with them is a crime. Shall we have less respect to this Divine settlement, this venerable charter of human salvation? You say, The Law of Moses has its rights: it must be taken into account as well as the Promise to Abraham. True; but it has no power to cancel or restrict the Promise, older by four centuries and a half. The later must be adjusted to the earlier dispensation, the Law interpreted by the Promise. God has not made two testaments-the one solemnly committed to, the faith and hope of mankind, only to be retracted and substituted by something of a different stamp. He could not thus stultify Himself. And we must not apply the Mosaic enactments, addressed to a single people, in such way as to neutralize the original provisions made for the race at large. Our human instincts of good faith, our reverence for public compacts and established rights, forbid our allowing the Law of Moses to trench upon the inheritance assured to mankind in the Covenant of Abraham.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 8

Paul contrast “faith in Christ” and “works of the Law”

Galatians 3:11-14 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. KJV

Paul concluded in the last verse of his discourse declaring every person under a “curse” if they do not continue to do or perform or in other words carry out complete uninterrupted obedience to the law of God perfectly at all times. Paul’s purpose in quoting this Old Testament scripture written by Moses in Deuteronomy 27:26 were to draw a line clearly in the sand between what the “works of the law” require and what “faith in Christ” requires. The “Law” says one must do it to be right with God, but the “Law” supplies no power or in other words gives no controlling influence or mental qualities to carry out full and complete obedience to its thundering demands. This is the very reason God at His determined time gave His Law that it would shut every human beings mouth completely that thought of themselves as “good” people and make them see their wretchedness “in His Presence”.

Paul has already illustrated how Abraham was declared right with God (even before Moses and the Law was given), therefore, now he is going to contrast the Law and Faith for these Galatians in order that he might break the “bewitching” teaching of the Jewish legalist they have allowed themselves to come under. The Law was never given by God through Moses to the Jew with the promise that it would change them, but it was to prepare them for the One (Christ Jesus the Messiah) who would come and fulfill all of the Law’s requirements in His death and resurrection from the dead. Paul made it perfectly clear what the purpose of the Law of God was for as he wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “Now we know that what things soever the Law saith, it saith to them who are under the Law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20).

Our Lord Jesus met this same opposition to the Gospel of Grace when he walked this earth as the God Man. Perhaps the clearest rebuke He gave to Jews who thought they knew God and could be right with God by “keeping the Law” was with these words He spoke to them, “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you keepeth the Law? Why go ye about to kill Me? (John 7:19). It is sheer fallacy or false belief for any person to think or suppose that they live by or keep the Ten Commandments, because without Christ this is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE  and this is what our Lord Jesus was trying to get these “spiritually blind” Jews to see regarding themselves. The Law had no power in it to remove sins stain upon the heart and soul of man, but faith in Jesus Christ brings about His Resurrection Life in the heart and soul (the inner man) of every repentant sinner and Christ through His Spirit breathes newness of life upon a dead spirit as Paul declared with these words to the Roman believers, “For if we have become united with Him (Jesus Christ) in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His Resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:5-7).

Paul wants the Galatians to realize what they are signing up for if they will follow the way of legalism. Because the “Law” requires perfect and continual obedience then they will be duty bound to live in it and by it at all times, but Christ says trust Me and I will make you My son and then give you My Righteousness as well as unite your spirit with My Spirit to enable you to obey Me. Our Lord Jesus said it to the Jews while on the earth before His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension with these words, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. ‘So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36).

What does our Lord Jesus mean by free? He means that His son’s will be forever free from being sin’s continual and constant slave yielding at all times to sins demands and dictates. He did not mean that His children would never sin again while He kept us down here on the earth, but only that we would never again be sins slave as He inspired the Apostle John to write these words that the Galatians and us would be true to ourselves, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10).

Christ Jesus has made His Father also our Father (John 20:17) and just as the overwhelming desire for every son and daughter with a loving earthly father wants to be obedient to him and do those things which please him from a loving heart, likewise these Galatians and all of us want to please our Heavenly Father with loving obedience to His Word for what Christ has done for us on the Cross through His Resurrection Life imparted to us as the Apostle Peter declared with these words, “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:1-4).

The person who is not Christ born again son or daughter is a natural man or woman and has no power ever to cease from gratifying sins demands as Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers with these words when he contrasted for them the difference between those who belong to Christ and those who do not, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-16). Christ sacrifice for our sins has conquered the “curse” that we were under by virtue of the “Laws” requirements from us that we could never ever satisfy in our humanity. The Galatians and us were under God’s wrath before our receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through the preaching of the Gospel (Romans 5), but now we have complete peace with God.

Christ stepped into our place and bore the “curse” in His Own Body for us and rescued us from the penalty of death required by our inability to satisfy the “Laws” demands (Colossians 1:13-14) as Paul wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:20-23). Paul concludes this great contrast of “works of the Law” verses “faith in Christ” to the Galatians and to us by showing that through the gift of “Faith” we receive the precious Promise that our Lord Jesus Christ gave to the first Disciples or Apostles when He said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18). It is the reception of God the Holy Spirit that enabled these Galatians and us to satisfy the “Laws” requirements and to live a life down here still in this sin cursed world that is pleasing to God the Father by virtue of “living by faith” in Jesus Christ our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

My own Personal Note: The “Law” says do, but we cannot do, yet our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ says, “It is Finished”, now believe and receive “in Me” the newness of life that is yours freely so that you may now do through Me (John 15:5).

“The two paths now lie before us-the Pauline and the legal method of salvation, the Abrahamic and the Mosaic scheme of religion. According to the latter, one begins by keeping so many rules-ethical, ceremonial, or what not; and after doing this, one expects to be counted righteous by God. According to the former, the man begins by an act of self-surrendering trust in God’s Word of Grace, and God already reckons him just on that account, without his pretending to anything in the way of merit for himself. In short, the Legalist tries to make God believe in him: Abraham and Paul are content to believe in God. They do not set themselves over against God, with a righteousness of their own which He is bound to recognise; they commit themselves to God, that He may work out His righteousness in them. Along this path lies blessing-peace of heart, fellowship with God, moral strength, life in its fulness, depth, and permanence. From this source Paul derives all that was noblest in the Church of the Old Covenant. And he puts the calm, grand image of Father Abraham before us for our pattern, in contrast with the narrow, painful, bitter spirit of Jewish legalism, inwardly self-condemned.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 7

Paul declares how God counted Abraham Righteous

Galatians 3:6-10 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. KJV

Paul concluded his reaffirmation of true righteousness before God by virtue only of “faith in Christ” by asking them a question that they should be without confusion sure of the answer (Galatians 3:5). Paul gives the greatest illustration of justification by faith through the most recognizable, renowned, and reverenced Jew in Jewish history. Paul now proceeds to recount for them the manner in which God the Father declared Abraham righteous in His sight. Certainly, this is not the first time Paul has explained by making it plain and comprehensible to these Galatian Churches the true way of righteousness before God by using the recipient of God’s Justification (Abraham) as his teaching example. Paul wants to once again with as much clarity as he can write, show them that even the Jewish Patriarch (Abraham) could do and did nothing of any sort of “good works” before God to make himself acceptable to Him.

Paul (as he did in his letter to the Romans) gives a clear picture of what made Abraham right or acceptable in God’s sight and allowed him to come into His Presence without fear of facing destruction or being demolished or being destroyed from God’s Presence. Paul (as he also did in the letter to the Romans) goes back to Abraham’s beginning and shows the Galatians how he (Abraham) was not even looking for God, but God came to Abraham and “preached the Gospel to him” and Abraham (when he heard the voice of God or the Word of God) simply, sweetly, and solely “believed God” and then God counted him righteous in His Presence. Our Lord Jesus reminded the Jews when He was on the earth about Abraham’s faith with these words, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56).

Paul wants to remind and reiterate to these Galatian Churches that during the time God came to Abraham, there was not even any “Law” known by man. The fact that Abraham was promised by God to become the Father of many nations (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 15:6; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:14) and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him was the foreshadowing of Christ the Messiah who would come into this sinful world (as a human being, God becoming a Man) and become a sinless sacrifice through the loins or seed of this one man Abraham, therefore, this is what makes him the “Father of the faithful” and makes them and us the “children of Abraham”. Abraham through “faith” then received the seal of his righteousness “circumcision” (Romans 4:9-13), whereas these Galatians and us today receive the seal of our righteousness “God the Holy Spirit” (John 14:16-17 & Ephesians 1:13).

Finally, Paul concludes this discourse and examination of the evidence of true righteousness before God by using the most clear example of Abraham by declaring to these Galatian Churches that only those individuals who “believe God”, as Abraham did, are the sharers in the blessings of God with Abraham. Paul wants to make clear to them that they will be locked out of the blessings of Abraham if they abandon the way or method that Abraham approached God, “by faith” and now determine that they will approach God by the “works of the law”, for Paul wants to bring to their understanding these very words that he wrote to the Roman believers when he said, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works” (Romans 4:1-6).

The conclusion here is that Abraham did not do or engage in any actions of goodness or obedience as to carry them out before God or did he show a certain behavior as to act well or properly by not being naughty or wicked in God’s presence to make himself acceptable to God the Father and the same must hold true for you Galatians by simply “believing God” and walking in or living in the “faith” you received from Him at the moment you were born again of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20). Abraham was a heathen idolater when God called him out from his father’s land to the place that He (God) would show him. God did not force Abraham to believe Him and leave his idolatry, but simply revealed Himself to him and he “believed God” just as you Galatians did at the moment you were saved by God the Holy Spirit and endowed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 1:3-6). Wake up from your slumber and fight the good fight of “faith” not “works” is the thundering Paul announces to them as did the Prophet Joel in this manner, “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; wake up the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!” (Joel 3:9).

My own Personal Note: Paul’s desire here is to show these Galatians that even Abraham (that many of them held up in the highest regard, renown, and reverence) did nothing “outward” to please God (for he could not, he was a heathen idolater), but when he “believed God” then and only then was he justified in God’s sight. 

“Doubtless in confirmation of that grand doctrine, that we are justified by faith, even as Abraham was. The Apostle, both in this and in the epistle to the Romans, makes great use of the instance of Abraham: the rather, because from Abraham the Jews drew their great argument, as they do this day, both for their own continuance in Judaism, and for denying the Gentiles to be the church of God.(Genesis 15:6). Know then that they who are partakers of his faith, these, and these only, are the sons of Abraham, and therefore heirs of the promises made to him. So then all they, and they only, who are of faith - Who truly believe. Are blessed with faithful Abraham - Receive the blessing as he did, namely, by faith.”  John Wesley

“Faith had been the means, too, of Abraham’s acceptance with God, Galatians 3:6-10. From the first the gospel of faith had been proclaimed to him by the Divine Spirit. Long before he had become a Jew by the initial rite of Judaism, he had been a humble believer in God’s promise, on the basis of which he was reckoned righteous. Simple faith was the only condition that he had fulfilled, and the promise that all flesh should be blessed through him had been given when he was still a believing Gentile. Surely what had sufficed for the father of the faithful was good enough for his children! Let each reader see to it that he does not merely believe about Christ, but believes in Him, so as to be no longer under the curse, but within the blessing.” F. B. Meyer

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 6

Paul Reaffirms true Righteousness to the Galatians; “Faith in Christ”

Galatians 3:1-5 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? KJV

Immediately Paul follows up his declaration of the new life he and every true believer lives and enjoys is union or connection to Jesus Christ by way of believing the true Gospel and receiving Christ as ones Lord and Savior (Galatians 2:20), with calling out those in Galatia who had begun to allow themselves to be led down the path of a “works” gospel “foolish” or the Greek word anoetos which means unintelligent, unwise, without comprehension, or unable to perceive, think, or understand correctly, also by implication it means sensual. Paul no doubt was concerned that they had received the Holy Spirit, but by their allowing themselves to be “led away” or “bewitched” the Greek word baskaino which means to become fascinated with something by way of false representation or to speak, then to bring evil on one by feigned praise or the evil eye (hoodoo), to lead astray by evil arts, that they had allowed someone to lead them away from the truth and thus they had quenched all the blessings, graces, and gifts of the Holy Spirit and therefore suffered themselves to tremendous spiritual loss by now trying to perfect themselves in the flesh or in other words the legal righteousness of the Jew.

Paul wanted to have the assurance that they had received the Word of God he preached to them as he testified in this manner to the believers in Thessalonica, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13), however, because many appeared to be abandoning the Gospel of Grace for this “works” gospel, Paul was unable at this point in his letter to have such assurance about many of them, as he would say very bluntly and plainly with these words to the Galatians just in the next Chapter, “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” (Galatians 4:9-11). It is as if these Galatians had turned on to the road of “works righteousness” with no detour or exits ramps in their sights.

Paul wanted to see them come all the way back to the sweet simplicity that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord as he declared to the Corinthian believers in this manner, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3). Paul spelled out the many blessings every regenerated born again believer has through “faith in Christ” to the Ephesians clearly and without any vagueness and Paul even prayed that their understanding to all that spiritual truth would be theirs by virtue of God the Holy Spirit opening their spiritual eyes to see and receive all that was theirs through faith in Christ (Ephesians 1:1-23). Did the “good work” or moral excellence and moral virtue that was wrought in you, that is in your inner man (the real you) was it done or performed by the works of observing the law or by believing the Gospel that I (Paul) preached to you of Christ Crucified and faith in Him? Paul wanted the answer to come from them examining their own lives of transformation or the lack of transformation to determine whether they had actually believed in vain or not.

Paul again uses the word “foolish” or the Greek word anoetos to inquire if they actually imagine or intend to gain completeness, fullness, or spiritual maturity apart from the work of God the Holy Spirit “in them”, but instead by them trying to keep the moral law of God (without the Holy Spirits energy and power) or by observing the Jewish ceremonial laws that are null and void “in Christ” (Philippians 3:2-3). Paul wants them to see the utter absurdity of where they are now being led, by reminding them that it is the sanctifying power of God the Holy Spirit that was at work “in them” when they first believed the Gospel that caused them to live the new lives that many of them lived. Paul was witness himself to God the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in their lives and now he is stunned that they have so soon turned from Him back to the very things that brought them bondage, but never liberty, victory, or deliverance. Acts 14 details some forms of persecution that the ministers of the Gospel and those in the southern region of Galatia (who believed the Gospel) endured and Paul wanted them to examine themselves to consider whether their outward sufferings of persecution for becoming believers through “faith in Jesus Christ” was for nothing, seeing that they are now being led to turn away from Him (Christ). Paul wanted to assure them that their present sufferings (Romans 8:18) were not coming to them so that they would shrink back or draw back as with fear or pain from the truth of the Gospel, but it was to make them stand even firmer with determination and resolution being unshakable as he declared it in this manner to the Corinthian believers, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

My own Personal Note: Paul was never one to mince or soften his words when he felt that some harshness was necessary. Therefore, we find him here using the words “foolish” and “bewitched” speaking of these Galatians in order that he might jolt them out of their fog of false belief that they could go higher in Jesus Christ through the observance of the Jewish ceremonial laws and trying to keep God’s Moral Law “in the flesh”, but here Paul debunks their fallacy, false belief, or misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning. Let us remember these words written by Paul to the Roman believers (which are very much applicable to these Galatians and to us today, just substitute the word Christian for Jew) when he said, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29).

“Are ye so thoughtless - As not to consider what you have yourselves experienced? Having begun in the Spirit - Having set out under the light and power of the Spirit by faith, do ye now, when ye ought to be more spiritual, and more acquainted with the power of faith, expect to be made perfect by the flesh? Do you think to complete either your justification or sanctification, by giving up that faith, and depending on the law, which is a gross and carnal thing when opposed to the gospel?” John Wesley

“Faith consists not in working, but in receiving (Romans 10:16-17). Having begun your Christianity in the Spirit, that is, in the divine life that proceeds from faith, are ye seeking after something higher still (the perfecting of your Christianity) in the sensuous and the earthly, which cannot possibly elevate the inner life of the Spirit, namely, outward ceremonies? [Neander]. No doubt the Galatians thought that they were going more deeply into the Spirit; for the flesh may be easily mistaken for the Spirit, even by those who have made progress, unless they continue to maintain a pure faith [Bengel].” JFB Commentary

“But I turn from Paul’s conception of the office to his statement of his theme. ‘Jesus was displayed amongst you.’ If I might vary the metaphor a little, the placard that Paul fastened up was like those that modern advertising ingenuity displays upon all our walls. It was a picture-placard, and on it was portrayed one sole figure—Jesus, the Person. Christianity is Christ, and Christ is Christianity; and wherever there is a pulpit or a book which deals rather with doctrines than with Him who is the Fountain and Quarry of all doctrine, there is divergence from the primitive form of the Gospel. I know, of course, that doctrines—which are only formal and orderly statements of principles involved in the facts—must flow from the proclamation of the person, Christ. I am not such a fool as to run amuck against theology, as some people in this day do. But what I wish to insist upon is that the first form of Christianity is not a theory, but a history, and that the revelation of God is the biography of a man. We must begin with the person, Christ, and preach Him.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 5

Paul opposes Peter’s Hypocrisy/Testifies of Justification in Christ Only

Galatians 2:11-21

Now after they all (Jewish and Gentile converts to Christ) at the counsel coexisted in harmony and enjoyed fellowship with one another, they went down to Antioch. There Peter reverted backed to the very same weakness he showed when he denied our Lord Jesus Christ after Christ was arrested. Peter once again here denies our Lord Jesus by withdrawing himself from the Gentile converts when some Jews from Jerusalem came down to Antioch. Paul writes that Peter’s withdrawal was for fear of what the Jewish converts would think of him eating with Gentiles without requiring the Gentile converts to submit to the Jewish customs and ceremonial laws. Many of the Jewish converts (especially those from Jerusalem) were still not convinced that they should treat the Gentile converts to Christ as equals to them because they thought of themselves as God’s chosen people. Paul knew this to be the motivation, but he was not going to allow anyone (even the venerated Apostle Peter) to belittle the truth of the Gospel of Christ, even if it appeared to be subtle or insignificant what Peter did out of fear.

Paul made himself adamant to Peter, Barnabas, and all the other Jews who followed their lead in their hypocrisy because of the seriousness of making the truth of the Gospel clear cut to all the Gentiles that received the “faith of Jesus Christ” that their justification from sin is finished, final, and forever binding in Jesus Christ alone, apart from any of the moral law (the ten commandments) and the Jewish ceremonial law as well. Paul did not stand for anyone, even Peter bringing doubt or confusion to Gentile believers by what was taught through words or actions. Paul called what they did “dissimulation” or the Greek word hupokrisis which means to be not genuine or to pretend or showing lip service to the truth of the Gospel by expressing their agreement with it, but not supporting it by real conviction. Peter knew the truth by virtue of our Lord giving him a revelation in a trance in Acts 10 and allowing Peter to witness an entire Gentile family trust our Lord Jesus Christ and be born again of the Holy Spirit and even Peter witnessed the entire Gentile family speak in tongues just as he and the others in the upper room had done so through the power of God the Holy Spirit, yet despite this truth Peter allowed his weakness (fearing his Jewish brethren) to cloud the truth for a moment in his heart. Paul knew that this was weakness creeping up its ugly head in the heart of the Apostle Peter, but Paul still “withstood” him or the Greek word anthistemi which means he stood against what Peter did or opposed his actions to the point of resistance, so that their hypocrisy would be made clear and the truth of the Gospel would be evident to everyone Jew and Gentile. 

Paul does not mean with these words “sinners of the Gentiles” that he, Peter, Barnabas, and the others born Jews were not sinners (when they were apart from Christ), but that the Jewish people always considered themselves as the people of God, receiving the oracles of God for hundreds of years and all the Gentile nations were categorized by Jews as dogs, heathen, and sinners apart from the oracles of God, even our Lord Jesus Christ referred to the Syrophoenician woman as such when he spoke to her in this manner, “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she said, ‘Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.” (Matthew 15:22-28).

Paul wants the Gentile believers everywhere (especially all those in the Churches of Galatia) to understand what they have by their justification in our Lord Jesus Christ that could never and can never be obtained through the observance of any law and that is the fact of becoming a new man or new woman or more clearly a “new creation” through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The law pronounces us guilty with no solution given, but Christ pronounces us not guilty and makes us an entire new race of humanity (Romans 6:6). This is why Paul is so opposed to anyone that would lead the Gentile converts (who have no knowledge of the Jewish religion) astray and away from simple union and abiding connection to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul declared the freedom of the Gospel and faith in Christ on his first missionary journey in this same place Antioch in this manner, “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him (Jesus Christ) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39).

Paul declares to all listening to the sound of his voice there in Antioch on this occasion that if anyone brings back those things that were fulfilled “in Christ” then that person or persons immediately become transgressors or violators or breakers of the very laws they are trying to exalt, lift up, and add to the Gospel message. It is clear from the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself that “in Him” everyone is complete and has the law’s requirements satisfied as He said in this manner, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17). Paul declares that if Christ has fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, why Peter, Barnabas, and the others are you still wanting to fulfill the law’s requirements apart from Him? Paul declares that when our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit convinced him and convicted him of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), then all of his hopes of being pleasing to God by being a good and dutiful Jewish Pharisee were crushed and all of his hopes “in the Law” were grounded into powder and then and only then did he truly see the magnitude of his sinfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness apart from “faith in Jesus Christ” for salvation, freedom, and deliverance.

This is why Paul declares himself to be dead to the law because he found out that the law only showed him his problem, but never no never gave him a solution as he wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Romans 7:4-7). Finally, Paul wanted to remind Peter of this and these Galatian believers that the entirety of his new life is based on this one true principle and that is “Christ in him” and not him trying to work his way to God or work his way into God’s approval of him, but it is God in Paul energizing or the Greek word energeo how he lives his “inner life” and his “outer life” (Philippians 2:13). Paul even said it in this manner to the Roman believers, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4).

My own Personal Note: Paul opposing Peter shows us one “holy truth” and that is there is no one above the truth of the Gospel or the Word of God and the smallest part/person of Christ Body has every right to stand against anyone (who appears outwardly to be of great renown) if they declare anything to be the truth that the Word of God denounces or does not declare to be true. 

“By no means. For if I build again - By my sinful practice. The things which I destroyed - By my preaching, I only make myself - Or show myself, not Christ, to be a transgressor; the whole blame lies on me, not Him or His Gospel. As if he had said, The objection were just, if the gospel promised justification to men continuing in sin. But it does not. Therefore if any who profess the gospel do not live according to it, they are sinners, it is certain, but not justified, and so the gospel is clear. For I through the law - Applied by the Spirit to my heart, and deeply convincing me of my utter sinfulness and helplessness. Am dead to the law - To all hope of justification from it. That I may live to God - Not continue in sin. For this very end am I, in this sense, freed from the law, that I may be freed from sin.” John Wesley

 “The death of Christ on the cross has showed me that there is no hope of salvation by the law; I am therefore as truly dead to all expectation of justification by the law, as Christ was dead when He gave up the ghost upon the cross. Through Him alone I live - enjoy a present life, and have a prospect of future glory.” Adam Clarke

“At this moment he is conscious of a union with the crucified and living Saviour, which lifts him above the curse of the law, above the power of sin. To revert to the Judaistic state, to dream, any more of earning righteousness by legal conformity, is a thing for him inconceivable. It would be to make void the cross of Christ!” Expositor’s Bible Commentary

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 4

Paul testifies about the Counsel at Jerusalem

Galatians 2:1-10

Paul now turns from his documentation of his defense of his ministry and the true Gospel to a counsel that was convened by the Apostles in Jerusalem that Paul received Divine revelation from our Lord Jesus that his presence was needed. Paul was not summoned to this gathering or meeting by the Apostle Peter, James, or John, but it was Christ who summoned or called him officially to attend these meetings. This took place some 14 years after Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem when he first met Peter, James, and John (Galatians 1:18). Paul received Divine revelation from our Lord Jesus Christ to take this trip to Jerusalem. The desire of our Lord Jesus was that Paul would testify to the first Apostles (Peter, James, and John) that he preached the same Gospel of Grace as they did. Our Lord wanted Paul to stand firm in the liberty of the Gospel and to repudiate, renounce, and refuse to recognize the Jews who taught that the Jewish ceremonial law (and circumcision) was mandatory or required for salvation.

This is no doubt why Paul brought Titus (an uncircumcised Gentile convert to Christ) that they might witness Christ speaking in and through Titus just as He did through Paul. It was not our Lord’s desire to have Paul confirmed by the Apostles there, for He had already confirmed, commissioned, and counselled Paul on all the truth of Himself in an even much deeper manner as He did with the men walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), read also Dr. Luke’s account of the counsel in Jerusalem in Acts 15:1-35. It was Christ desire to have all of His true Apostles together to agree on the truth of the Gospel and to squash the Judaizing men who were sent in to “spy out” or the Greek word kataskopeo which means someone sent in to be a watcher or to inspect insidiously with harmful intentions as their end goal. These Jews were sent no doubt by the present unredeemed, unregenerate, and unsaved leadership of the Jewish Religious Sanhedrin with the motive of corrupting the followers or Body of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul had unfortunately been made aware of some of their successes in the Churches of Galatia and this is the reason for his letter to all of them. Therefore, it stands to reason that he would include (in this letter) an over view of what transpired with him and the other Apostles at that or those meetings. Paul wanted the Galatian Churches to know that anyone declaring that anything else needed to be added to “faith in Jesus Christ” will bring the recipients of that message and “way of life” into bondage or enslavement to those methods, rituals, or rules and no closer to Christ. This is the way Paul wrote of these same Judaizing men who were corrupting the Corinthian believers, “For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.” (2 Corinthians 11:19-20).

Paul’s view of these Judaizing men was that they were “fools” or the Greek word aphron which means to be stupid or ignorant, unwise or morally unbelieving. All the Jews that were “blinded” in spiritual darkness wanted to reject or cast off the idea that Jesus Christ was God’s Messiah as Paul wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’” (Romans 9:30-33). The majority Jewish population was in then and still in now spiritual darkness thinking that “works” is what gets them close to God and they have rejected the “Chief Cornerstone” Christ Jesus our Lord and so it was then their relentless purpose and plan to introduce “works” into those who are calling on the Name of Jesus for salvation.

Why? Because they cannot see their need for Christ yet, because God has blinded their spiritual eyes until the fullness of the Gentile elect be brought into faith in Christ and again as Paul wrote exactly in this manner to the Roman believers, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25). Therefore, Paul fully understood the Jews motivation for their actions in trying to corrupt the followers of Christ and bring them into bondage and Paul will use this word bondage some six (6) times throughout the entirety of this epistle to the Galatians, but his aim and goal was to open the Galatian Churches spiritual eyes to this deception and prevent them from the corruption. Paul declares that their teaching deception was not given any credence, acceptance, or believability, not even for an hour he writes.

Paul declares that the very purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ was accomplished at the counsel because Peter, James, John, and the other first Apostles of our Lord Jesus saw that he was given the same and only Gospel message that they too had received from our Lord Jesus and in so doing gave to Paul and Barnabas the “right hands of fellowship”, meaning their full acceptance of these men as truly commissioned and sent by our Lord Jesus Christ to the unbelieving Gentile world. They only petitioned Paul to not forget about the poor saints in Jerusalem who had lost so much under the Roman persecution they were under there, and thus we then see the reason for Paul’s words to the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians 9, for Paul had witnessed firsthand with his own eyes the suffering the Jewish converts were under, not only by virtue of the Romans, but also from the majority of the spiritually blinded Jews in Jerusalem as well.

My own Personal Note: It was Christ who called to order this counsel in Jerusalem, bringing all of His 12 Apostles (Paul being one of the 12) together along with as many other true believers that could attend, so they would all be of “one mind” and on “one accord” that they would stand firm in their liberty in Him and they would expose the false teaching “works system” that He destroyed and did away with by His death on the cross as Paul declared in Colossians 1:13-29.

“The great controversy in Paul’s career was over the initial rite of Judaism. It would have been comparatively calm, if he had been willing to admit that Christianity was a sect of Judaism, and that men must become Jews before becoming Christians. His contention was that the ceremonial aspect of the Law did not apply to converts from heathendom. Gentile sinners had the right to go directly to Jesus Christ for salvation, without traveling around the circuitous route of Judaism. When men insisted on the outward rite, he resisted it with all the fiery vehemence of his nature, Galatians 2:3; Galatians 2:12. But when his opponents were willing to admit that circumcision was not essential, he administered it to one of Jewish blood, as a concession to the weak and uninstructed, Acts 16:3. What blessed intercourse the four men here named must have enjoyed together! James would tell of the earlier biography of Jesus, in the home of Nazareth; Peter would dwell upon his own fellowship with Christ throughout our Lord’s active ministry; John would unfold Jesus’ inner life, as he afterwards did in his Gospel; Paul would tell of that revelation of the risen Christ on the Damascus road. Note that God must work in and for us, if we are to succeed in the gospel ministry. See Galatians 2:8.” F.B. Meyer

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…