03-24-2019
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We Live in a Day when Authority is important. Every news agency in the Western world seeks some "official" and "authoritative" pundit to bolster their claims and confessions - whether they speak as mouthpieces of the political right or political left.
In Courts of Law, we often see that each side of the case will go to great lengths to seek "expert" testimony - sometimes spending more time in attempts to prove the validity of their expert witness than in arguments surrounding the main case - because the more “legitimate” their expert witness, the more persuasive they believe their argument will be to Judge and or Jury.
When it comes to the question of whether the modern disciple of Jesus should be living lock-step under imposed standards of worship-style, dress, hair length, food choices, service attendance, Bible memorization and more, we quickly find ourselves stuck in the mud of discussion of how a True Follower of Jesus Lives.
I want to emphatically go on the record to say, God expects all New Testament believers to live IN THE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST and to **never** attempt to be righteous, live righteously or make others righteous by any method, law or system built on PRIDE, GUILT and or CONTROL - The ONLY Acceptable Method for Right-Living is TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST and DEPENDENCE UPON HIS HOLY SPIRIT.
I also want to emphatically be on the record that the follower of Jesus Christ cannot ignore the importance of the precepts, laws, demands and expectations that God has laid down for the Faithful. Often, Living under the law in the New Testament is living under a system whereby Man which seeks to enhance or replace the Grace of God delivered through the Sacrifice of Jesus with man-made rules, regulations and expectations.
you do not have the right to become ANTI-NOMIAN - “without law” in God’s New Testament Economy. Even Galatians speaks of the Law of Christ in 6:2; and James speaks of the Perfect Law of Liberty in James 1:25
The Paradox, The real question is this, What Makes a Person Righteous, the way they live or someone or something else? The answer is this:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Let’s turn to Galatians for a quick lesson GRACE vs. LAW (Legalism imposed by another…)
The EXPERT WITNESS in our Case: Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1-6)
The EXPERT WITNESS in our Case: Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1-6)
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. 2 All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. 3 May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News
Galatians 1:1 - Paul's Authority given by Jesus Christ and God the Father
Message: GRACE and PEACE -
How and Why: v. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins as the Father planned in order to RESCUE us from this evil world
The Admonition (v. 6) - I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel...
Galatians 1:11-2:14 - Paul gives his testimony and the Result of His conversion from Self-Imposed LIFE OF LEGALISM to LIVING IN THE GRACE OF JESUS
The TESTIMONY - ONLY JESUS MAKES US RIGHT (Galatians 2:16, 20-21)
The TESTIMONY - ONLY JESUS MAKES US RIGHT (Galatians 2:16, 20-21)
16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Reversing Course, Repackaging Self-Righteousness = EPIC FAILURE (Galatians 3:1-5)
Reversing Course, Repackaging Self-Righteousness = EPIC FAILURE (Galatians 3:1-5)
1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
Any time that PRIDE, GUILT and CONTROL become the motivating factors to “becoming righteous and holy” You have turned aside from being empowered, led and controlled by the Spirit and instead have returned to some form of self-correction theology which according to both Galatians and Romans 7 always ends with a death spiral.
You are locked in a conflict between your sinful nature (led by pride, guilt and control) and the Spirit of God who wants to replace your death-focused sinful nature with the selfless, guilt-free love of Jesus Christ.
Our PRIDE Must be Replaced with the HUMILITY OF JESUS
Our GUILT Must be Replaced with the KNOWLEDGE THAT OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN IN and BY JESUS
Our Life of COERCION and CONTROL Must be Replaced by the Selfless Love of Jesus - Both that we are ACCEPTED Because of His Love and that HIS PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR (why we seek control…) and MOTIVATES US TO SERVE OTHERS
Conclusion:
4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.