Galatians 6:11-18

Galatians 6:11-18 “See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”

Remember in the beginning of the book I wrote that Paul probably dictated all of his letters to a scribe? Since he wrote at least four of his published thirteen letters under house arrest in Rome the guards must have heard all this. They got a real education didn’t they? But, Paul signs his name to validate that the letter was genuine. And here he writes the entire last paragraph in his own hand. It is so important to him!

We are saved by grace.

We have been set free and we should use that freedom to live for Christ and serve Him!

Galatians 4:1-7

Galatians 4:1-7 “But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all; but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: but when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God”

In verse 2 where it says, “but he is under guardians and stewards until the date appointed by his father.” Until the exact, right time when Christ came, we couldn’t get at our inheritance, but when He made His sacrifice for us and we believed, we became joint heirs with Christ.

In verse 6, “And because we are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba, Father.” Abba is the Aramaic word for Daddy. Paul believed that this instinctive cry of the heart of man was the work of the Holy Spirit.

And if our hearts cry out this way we know we are sons and all the inheritance of grace is ours. For Paul, the man who governed his life by slavery to the law was still a child. The man who had learned the way of grace had become a mature full-grown man in the Christian faith.

Galatians 3:19-22

Galatians 3:19-22 “What, then, was the purpose of the law? 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. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 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. 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.”

A commentator said there are 300 different interpretations written about these 4 verses! And that was 50 years ago, so there are probably more now! Paul is still trying to show the superiority of grace and faith over law. He makes 3 points about the law:

1. Why introduce the law at all?

Paul says it was introduced for the sake of transgressions. It was a favorite thought of Paul’s that where there is no law there is no sin. You can’t break a law that doesn’t exist. Therefore the function of the law was to define sin. The law can and does define sin, but it can’t cure it. It’s like a doctor who makes a diagnosis –of an incurable disease.

2. Paul says the law was not given directly by God.

In Exodus 20 the law was given to Moses, but in Paul’s day the Rabbi’s believed that angels passed the law from God to Moses because they felt that God was too holy to deal with man directly. Stephen referred to this belief in Acts 7:38 and 53. So here he is saying, the law went from God, to angels, to Moses, to the people – while the promise came to Abraham directly from God.

3. Paul uses a weird phrase here: “there can be no such thing as a mediator of one and God is one.”

This is the hard part. He says it takes 2 people to make this law thing happen. One to give the laws and one to accept them. If someone breaks the law, the whole thing is undone. But, the promise depends only on one person. The promise is given and nothing anyone else can do can break or alter that promise. Grace is God’s promise. We can refuse it for ourselves, but that’s not going to change the fact that God’s grace is out there for everyone.

Then Paul asks, “Is the law against the promises of God?” And he answers, “No.”
He states in verse 22 that scripture consigned all things to sin. He’s thinking of Deuteronomy 27:26, where it said that everyone who does not conform to the words of the law is cursed. So that means that everyone is cursed because no one has kept the law.

So what is the consequence of the law? To drive everyone to grace because they realize their helplessness. Paul is, I think, redundant in this letter. He says the same thing over and over in slightly different ways. But, I think he’s doing everything in his power to have everyone understand it because it is so very important.

A Biblical Challenge

Put off: futile thinking, hard heart, insensitivity, impurity, deceitful desires, falsehood, sinful anger, stealing, unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking, foolishness, drunkenness.

Put on: wisdom, making the most of every opportunity, understanding God’s will, being filled with the Spirit, joyful worship of God, submission to one another, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, striving for peace, righteousness, holiness, hard work, sharing with needy, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, love, thanksgiving, goodness and truth.

First commit yourself without reservation to live as one who has been made alive in Christ and saved by Grace. Then pick one at a time and ask God to help you change.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

There is a parable in Matthew 19:30-20:16 about a vineyard owner who goes out to hire workers for an agreed upon amount for a day’s work. Later he sends his steward out to hire more. Three more times, hours apart, more workers are hired. When it was time to get paid they were all paid equally. This upset the ones who had been laboring all along.

The parable says several different things to me:

1. People who are saved earlier than others shouldn’t feel superior. All men, no matter what stage in their life, are equally precious to God. The thief on the cross next to Jesus slid in under the wire. There’s a hymn called “To God Be the Glory” where the second verse says, “O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, to every believer, the promise of God: the vilest offender who truly believes – that moment from Jesus – a pardon receives.”

2. We don’t earn what He gives – it’s grace.

3. God doesn’t compare our service with others, but how much we give of ourselves and we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others either.

If we are saved early in life we should be grateful that we had a chance to live with the fruits of the spirit: joy, love, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, self-control and patience. If we are saved at the end of our life we should be grateful period!

My dad was a Christian Scientist and got cancer when he was 65 years old. He died eleven months after they found it. During that time, when you could say he was in the eleventh hour of the day, or his life, our pastor who had been visiting with him during his illness baptized him.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved thru faith and this is not your own doing – it is a gift from God.”

See all Grace, It's Amazing Christian Clothing and Gifts here