Friday, August 30 - Galatians 3

Galatians 3

New International Version (NIV)

Faith or Works of the Law

3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?  ⁴ Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? ⁶ So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

⁷ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸ Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

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ADOPTED CHILDREN

    My best friend, Jeff, has three adopted children.  Two are from Korea, and the youngest has mixed Caucasian and African-American blood.  But these kids have never thought of themselves as anything but Scheichs.  When they were adopted, they were grafted into the family and were considered the same as genetic children.  They are heirs of all the benefits of the family because Jeff and Melinda have chosen them and committed themselves to Nikki, Derek and Zak.

   In the same way, God made us part of His chosen people.  Thousands of years ago, He pledged Himself to Abraham with the promise "all people will be blessed through your offspring."  That "Son of Abraham" would ultimately be the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

   Technically speaking, Abraham's offspring are those who are biologically related to him, that is, the Jews.  However, in Christ, God chose to welcome all those outside the house of Abraham to be grafted into the family.

   You and I are "children of Abraham" through having faith in his greatest Son.  In Christ, we are heirs of all the promises God made to him.  So now there is no difference between us.  Jew or Greek, slave or free, male of female, black or white:  we are all part of God's great family through His blood shed on Calvary's cross.

   This truth should color the way we see others who differ from us.  No longer are they foreigners and aliens -- they are our brothers and sisters who need to know the Son who can set them free.

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¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”  ¹¹ Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” ¹² The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” ¹⁴ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
¹⁹ Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. ²⁰ A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
²¹ Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. ²² But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Children of God

²³ Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Thursday, August 29 - Galatians 2

Galatians 2

New International Version (NIV)

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. ² I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. ⁴ This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

⁶ As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. ⁷ On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. ⁸ For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. ⁹ James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹ When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
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Everybody Makes Mistakes

   A little dispute between Peter and Paul teaches us something very important:  even the most well-known and admired can make mistakes.  In the dispute, Peter lends credence to the group of misguided Jewish Christians by not sitting with the uncircumcised Gentiles.  In doing so, he makes it seem like the uncircumcised are second-class believers or that something is wrong with them because they did not follow the Jewish custom.

   St. Paul is very direct in his opposition of Peter, and there is every indication that Peter recognizes his mistake and makes the effort to correct the incorrect belief of those who were following his example.

   It takes a big person to admit when he is wrong.  For many, their pride will not allow them to say "I'm sorry."  Instead, they become defensive or act as if others are to blame for their errors.
   But we get no sense here that such was the case with Peter.  And the Church of Jesus Christ benefits, because the dispute helps define what is and is not necessary to be right with God. 

   Are you big enough to apologize?  Can you admit when you are wrong?  May God always bless you and your family as your faith enables you not only to be forgiving, but also to acknowledge when you have been wrong or have wronged someone else.

Galatians 1 - Wednesday, August 28

Galatians 1

New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers and sisters with me,

 

To the churches in Galatia:

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

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ANOTHER GOSPEL

   How easy it is to twist the truth.  

   The true Gospel teaches us that we are saved solely by God's grace.  We are not contributors in our salvation.  God accomplished it all.  The good works that we do, are not earning us our place with God, they are simply a response to His gracious actions and unconditional love.

    But people always seem to want to turn the tables and twist salvation into something that is earned by our cooperation.

   Legalism is a common problem in the church.  It seeks to motivate by guilt -- teaching that God's grace is dependent on what we do.  And if we are not measuring up to certain standards, then we won't earn our place with God.

   The Galatians were struggling with some Jewish leaders who maintained that Christ's atoning work was not all that was necessary to win eternity.  They believed that certain Jewish rites and rituals must still be practiced in order to be right with God.  In particular, some were insisting that the rite of circumcision must still be practiced by all who hoped to be saved.

   In response, Paul reiterates that Jesus' work on the cross as our substitute IS the key that opens the gates of heaven.  Nothing else can possibly add to what He did, nor will any rite or ritural make our Lord "more pleased" with us.

   Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of God's people to respect God's will and to serve Him.  These are acts of love which are intended to make a difference in a sinful world.

   May our Lord always keep us humble as we celebrate His unchanging Gospel that has rescued us for the kingdom of darkness, and made us heirs of eternal life.  Praise to Him and Him alone for His incredible love.

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Paul Called by God

¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. ¹⁷ I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas^[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

²¹ Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

2 Corinthians 13 - Tuesday, August 26

2 Corinthians 13

New International Version (NIV)

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”. ² I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, ³ since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴ For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

⁵ Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶ And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.¹⁰ This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

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The Doctor
   When I go to the doctor she always begins her work by taking my vital signs:  blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, weight, etc.  I'm sure before she does anything else she wants to make sure there isn't some critical problem which needs addressing right away. 

    A Christian should take his "vitals" regularly too.  That is, he should ask himself, "how's my relationship with God?"   And then he should consider 1) is he making regular use of the gifts that God's given, specifically the Word and Sacraments (baptism and Holy Communion)?   2) is he evidencing the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22 ff - love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control)?   3) how's his prayer life?  4)  Does he care about the needs of others?    5) is there any sin in his life which is damaging his connection to God/someone else?

    And then, when he sees issues which need addressing, he first goes to the cross and asks for forgiveness, knowing that God, for the sake of Christ, yearns to repair and restore.  Then, secondly, he asks for the Spirit's help in reconstruction -- to guide him in the steps toward renewal in Christ. 

   What's your temperature?
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Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All God’s people here send their greetings.
¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 12 - Monday, August 26

2 Corinthians 12 (NIV)

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ³ And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵ I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. ⁶ Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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Humbled

   The Apostle Paul was given some incredible and indescribable revelations from God -- certainly to a much greater extent than did those who were challenging his leadership.  But Paul did not want to spend his time in one-upmanship, or in a contest of apostleship.  Instead, he wants the Corinthians to discern that those who boast in themselves and their godly experiences are sometimes those whose pride has taken over and are seeking more for their own honor than they are to honor Him who saved them.

   So, instead, Paul chooses to speak to them of a challenge he experienced from a "thorn in the flesh"' a "messenger of Satan" which was a constant reminder to him that the ministry was not about his own glorification, but about preaching the truths of God's grace.  We don't know what this thorn was.  Perhaps it was a physical ailment, a personal nemesis, or a individual trial.  Whatever it was, Paul saw in Gods refusal to remove it and in His corresponding word of encouragement, a message to be passed on to all Christians.

   The message:  The more it is about YOU, the less it is about GOD.   Let Him be the King and you be the Servant, and beware of those who do the opposite.

   Thank God for those thorns that hold us back from being great in the eyes of the world.  They are indeed a secret and surprising blessing from God. 

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Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹ I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. ¹² I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. ¹³ How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵ So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?¹⁶ Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷ Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸ I urgedTitus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?
¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. ²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander,gossip, arrogance and disorder. ²¹ I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Friday, August 23- 2 Corinthians 11

2 Corinthians 11

New International Version (NIV)

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

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JUST LIKE EVE

 

   Paul uses an interesting analogy here.  He compares the "people-pleasing" false prophets to the serpent which deceived Eve.  As she was fooled by his deceptive, lying theology, so also is Paul suggesting that some of the Corinthians are falling prey to those who say what "itching ears" want to hear.

 

   As we listen to modern preachers and teachers, we must be careful to heed Paul's warning.  There will always be some who disregard the truth of God's Word and teach whatever they desire.  Their purpose may be to justify their own style of living, or to prey upon those who will offer them fame and riches.  In either case, they are being used as tools of the serpent to sway people away from the truth and ultimately damage their hearers relationship with God.

 

   The Epistle writers encourage us to "test the spirits," which means that we should compare any teachings with the standard of God's Word.  To do that, we need to keep reading and studying so that we operate from the wisdom that truly comes from the Spirit of God.

 

   In the end, Satan is already defeated by the power of Christ's death and resurrection.  May God help us keep the Tempter at bay by using all the tools that the Lord has given us -- specifically the Word and Sacraments.

 

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⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”^{[a] 6} I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷ Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³ For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. ¹⁸ Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. ¹⁹ You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! ²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. ³² In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. ³³ But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.