"The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers."
Dave Barry, Dave Barry Turns 50
For multiple reasons, it seemed right to begin this post with this quote by the famed humorist. But this isn't a "Notable and Quotable". You have to wait for the punch line until the end of what I write today. But trust me, it will be worth it.
When the Apostle Paul came to faith in Jesus Christ- meaning after his spellbinding encounter with him on the Damascus Road- it changed his life. Once upon a time, the formerly named Saul incited fear at the very mention of his name. He was a persecutor of what was thought of by some as a new Jewish sect. Believers were searched for, jailed, and executed under his command, including the first Christian martyr, Stephen.
If you've read this far, you know this man who hated the faith became one of the most powerful and influential of believers in Jesus. I mean, c'mon, the guy wrote a huge portion of the Bible's New Testament.
Once encountering Jesus, Paul spends 14 years working in the field and sharing the truth- Jesus Christ is the only way to life and truth, and the great gift of eternal salvation vs. damnation is trusting in Him and his accomplished work on the cross. Dying for the sins of all who would believe.
Truth be told, to say he angered the Jews and was considered a traitor would be an exaggeration. They believed it took adherence to all those Jewish laws and customs to achieve pardon from God for their sins. High up on the list was the practice of circumcision, the cutting of the foreskin of a man's penis as a symbol of his commitment to God. (In itself, not a bad idea as it reminded each man that the use of his body was meant for God's glory and purposes.) "Measure twice, cut once" has never been a more important thing to remember.
When Paul later writes to all the churches in the region of Galatia (Modern day Turkey), he opens Chapter 1 by establishing his credibility as a true apostle. After all, the man once persecuted believers, and now he was one of them. They had reason to be skeptical!
Chapter 2 is Split into Two Important Sections:
• Verses 1-10 The Apostles Affirm Paul is Sent by God
• Verses 11-21 Paul Confronts Peter to Preserve the Truth
When we pick up reading the second chapter in the book, we find some amazing truths in these 21 simple verses. So, read with me the following, Galatians 2:1-15:
"Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.
But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you." (We will get back to this last statement.)
In these opening verses, we get to see a very real and human side of Paul. Even he had to defend his credibility. Even he had doubt at times. Even he needed validation and wanted to know if his work mattered. Can you imagine Paul thinking he'd run his race in vain. He's so human!
I love that the Bible shows the humanity, the weaknesses and strengths of its heroes. They are not perfect. Just like you and I. They are just obedient to what God wants- even if it took a life changing event to get them to do it.
Notice here in verse one that Paul worked for 14 years doing what the Lord told him to do. That’s a long time of unrecognized obedience!
Maybe you’re like that- Doing what you know to do- whether or not anyone notices. Bless you for your faithfulness! You are blessing the Lord by persevering in what He gave you to do.
It's always best to look to Jesus for direction!
Don't miss that Paul says he went to Jerusalem because of a revelation (verse 2). God speaks through the Word and also through dreams, visions, prayer, and through the counsel of others. Yes, even today!
Paul had to be seeking God regularly to gain direction and instruction. That's a great plan for success, though. God knows what He wants to accomplish and what will stand the test of time. It's better to seek Him out and do what He wants rather than just offer up our own good ideas. (It's one reason prayer is so important and much more than just asking God for the things you want.)
With a few unitalicized notes from me, let’s continue on and read verses 6-10:
"And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (Those not born Jews), just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (Those born Jews) (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."
FINALLY, we see that the leaders of this new found Christian faith recognize Paul's calling and his role! But still, the guy remains very human. Paul wanted- even needed- to check in with those deemed over him. He finally receives validation as one who should be reaching the Gentiles (those non-Jews).
Did you catch the last line “Remember the poor”? In God's kingdom, the reality is that caring for “the least of these” pleases Him and opens their hearts to the Gospel, the message that Jesus is the only way to God and the only way to eternal life.
Again, Paul is just so human! he's like us in so many ways. How often we can get caught up in thinking what someone else is doing is more valid than what God has called us to! Or maybe that someone else’s work is LESS important than what we are doing! Isn’t obedience to the Lord the main issue? We all have a part to play in God’s Kingdom!
You can almost hear in Paul’s words- “Peter, James, and John? They have one thing to do, I have another. Let’s do this!” Reminds me of that Home Depot ad! Maybe after today, each time you see this on the television, it will act as a reminder that we all have a meaningful part to play in God's kingdom. Who knows what the ripple effect will be from your obedience?
What can I say?
I enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny too!
Up til this point, things seem to being going pretty well for Paul. Don't sit back and relax yet. Here comes BIG conflict in these next few verses.
Read verses 11-14with me:
"But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas (Peter) before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Paul is just SO gutsy! Can you imagine doing what he did? It would be like being invited to the executive board meeting of the Walt Disney Company (or insert your own here) and telling Robert Iger that he is a hypocrite and a fool for doing what he's doing.But then asking for his blessing and endorsement.
There's just not a confrontation of hypocrisy There's also confronting the fact that Peter seems to be endorsing another gospel – a false teaching- his silence as an endorsement that it takes more than faith in Christ alone (in this case, circumcision), and his work on the cross to atone for our sins.
This issue had to be addressed. There was a very young church that was vulnerable and need to be protected and taught the truth.
We might view the issue of circumcision is a case of majoring in the minors. But not at this time in history. It was a huge issue. The Jews thought that obedience to all their laws and customs was a requirement for salvation from Hell and into the gift of eternal life.
These people pushing circumcision were called Judaizers. On one hand, they professed Jesus but adhered to Jewish customs, believing salvation was not complete without obedience to them.
For every good reason, Paul's language was strong here. He pulled no punches. In fact, he uses his strong language which a good dose of sarcastic humor to make his point later. Don't believe me? Stop now and read Chapter 5 verses 7-12.
The Judaizers had a variety of motives, and Paul reveals their them later in Chapter 6. They were afraid of being persecuted for their faith in Jesus and they wanted to be recognized by proving their loyalty to the Jews. But it gets worse. Looking deeper into this, you discover many of them just did not want to socialize with the Gentiles.
In truth, these folks were pushing a form of legalism. A falsehood that rears its ugly head from time to time in the church. (And in other places too. Like political parties, media organizations, and social groups.)
If you've read this blog long enough, you know I am all in for the 100% absolute truth of God's Word. No compromise whatever. But legalism misrepresents God, and that is why it's so dangerous.
Let's put it in bullet point form. Legalism is a form of bullying that accomplishes things contrary to God's heart and His ways:
- Legalism drives away people who are really seeking God.
- It creates two classes of people- The Haves and the Have Nots.
- Legalism misrepresents God's truth his theology.
- Legalism is a form of manipulation and control.
- It is an excuse for arrogance, bigotry, and partiality,
- Lastly, legalism creates an ungodly fear that God never intended.
Let me challenge you here- Are your preferences for worship styles, church government, service style and length, or baptism type really 100% founded in God's Word. Or are they a tipping of the hat to what you like and want? When we push for our preferences and get mad when we don't get what we want, we are not displaying God's heart. Furthermore, if we do it, it is a sin against God and misrepresents Him. Stand typo for the absolute truth of God's Word, but be humble enough to differentiate between theology and personal preference.
Begin equating works to circumcision.
You really want to be free! Don't go there. :)
Moving on to the last six verses (verses 15-21)-
"We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Obviously, Salvation by Faith instead of Works was the core doctrine that prompted the Protestant Reformation of 1517AD. Martin Luther. It is as important today as it was then and in Paul's lifetime. The law has its God-given purpose: It is to reveal to us our sin and therefore point us to Christ. Jew or Gentile (those not born Jews), God extends himself to all of us.
Did you see the order here in verse 16? First faith, then justification- just like first faith then renewal and cleansing and a formation into Christlikeness. Faith is the opposite of self-dependence. It's God-dependence. And the core, the heart of the Bible’s message is God desiring relationship with the people He created, and the efforts He goes to see this- so that all the earth will know Him and glorify Him!
You might be wondering about the term "Justification. It is a Legal term.
God declares that in response to our faith in Him:
• Our sins are forgiven.
• We are righteous in his sight.
• In other words, we are declared “Not Guilty!” Not condemned (Lots of Romans Chapters 3-8, especially 8:1)
• We’re not just forgiven, we’re righteous. (Based on Jesus’ righteousness! Acting in accordance to what is right)
• Not just innocent of our crimes but seen as holy, pure, clean!
• Do you see yourselves as holy pure and clean? REJOICE!
Salvation is the result of the work of Jesus, Nothing that we can do, nothing that we've earned.
Here, I want to stop and bring in a very subtle but important point.
The importance of conflict, discipline, and correction cannot be overstated. Whether we want to admit it or not, conflict often brings true motives to the forefront. We‘re human. We’ll disagree at times. We’ll act imperfectly. We may even believe something unbiblical at times. Often we’ll ignore conflict, avoid it, do it poorly or perhaps maybe , occasionally, do it well.
But did you know that God uses conflict resolution as a way to further His Kingdom? We often mention how God uses persecution to bring growth to the church as the Good News of Jesus spreads. But here, we see that conflict, problem resolution, and godly discipline brings growth as well. It's an effective form of sharing the message.
A few quick examples I want you to remember:
• Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:1-14. This couple lied about bringing all their money to the Apostles. When asked about it, each one lied, and God struck them dead. Notice more folks came to Christ after their Ananias and then Sapphira die because of their lies?
Here's verse 14: “And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women”
Discipline comes, then growth. God deals with our pride.
- When the Grecian Jews thought their widows were being overlooked in the distribution of food – Acts 6:1-7. Accusations of bigotry came to light within the church. What a disaster this could have been. But the Apostles prayed and assigned a godly man to take over, solving the problem and maintaining unity. Once the issue was resolved, more people came to faith.
Verse 7: “ And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”
God deals with suspicion and the demanding of rights.
Here's the next one and the last example for today. It applies directly to what we've been discussing.
· Saul converts but the Disciples are afraid of him. (Acts 9:26) Barnabas steps out in faith and defends him. Saul/Paul is eventually accepted and begins to preach. The church once again grows.
Verse 31: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
Growth comes when we invest in each other and are not threatened by the gifts God has given them! God deals with our fear.
A break in unity stops the powerful witness of the believers and it halts the growth in God's kingdom. But once unity is restored, God's kingdom grows again as people respond to the message Jesus delivered and lived out.
The truly best state ever is to be in Christ!
We started with question by humorist Dave Barry about us all thinking we are above average drivers. Now, I have my own question for you- “Are you an above average sinner?” Me, too!
But the Apostle Paul has us all beat. In his own words,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15).
If God can forgive, save, and use the Apostle Paul, imagine what He can do for us!
"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Rejoice brothers and sisters! God is for us! We need nothing in addition to the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross. Now, all the things we do are because of His great love not to earn His great love. Rejoice, again I say rejoice!
