The Westminster Catechism states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” God employs every believer for His glory. He gives us spiritual gifts to serve the church, and He uses our lives- our words, actions, thoughts, and efforts- to edify the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Idleness may indicate poor spiritual health, or worse, it may be evidence that you are not truly a Christian. Who then can be used by God? The Bible tells of the vastly different types of people God used, but one way to describe them collectively is that they were ordinary, unexceptional, everyday men and women. Moses was not the prince of Egypt when he was called by God to lead Israel. David was considered the least of his brothers when he was chosen by God to be king. (Ex 3:1; 1Sam 16:11) The world estimates a man’s capabilities by what is seen, but God uses the lowly to accomplish His work by His power for His glory. What kind of man does God use? Here in Luke’s introduction to Zacharias and Elizabeth, we see the characteristics of those whom God uses.

God uses those who know the real King. Luke begins this account with its historical context. Judea at this time was ruled by King Herod- a tyrannical madman whose kingdom was full of bloodshed. (Matt 2:16) However, while Herod ruled over Judea, the true King of kings and Lord of lords was born in Bethlehem. Scripture alludes to two kingdoms- the kingdom of man, and the kingdom of God. Jesus is the one and only King who reigns over all in absolute power and authority. Just as Zacharias and Elizabeth served God with all their heart, God seeks those who are single-minded in devotion to the kingdom of GOd. (Is 6:1; Ps 29:10) Many believers are not used by God because they abandon their first love, Jesus Christ. (Rev 3:15-17) We must examine our hearts to search out any rivals that divide our loyalty to Jesus, for no one can serve two masters. (Matt 6:24) Our passion for Christ will grow as we understand how amazing God’s love is for us, that He would give Himself up for us. To have Christ is to have everything. (Rom 8:32)

God uses those recognized by Him. Zacharias and Elizabeth were recognized by God because they were righteous in His sight. That is, their faith, love, and obedience for God had been witnessed and evaluated by Him. The central problem for every man is that there is no law that we can keep to the pleasure of God. There is no comparative righteousness – all men stand condemned by the truth of the cross, which is that there is none righteous (Roman 3:23) No one can be recognized by God to be righteous, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Even our best works are like filthy rags that add only to our guilt before Him. Until you recognize your hopeless condition, you cannot be saved. How then, can man be righteous? God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. (Eph 2:4-6) We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. God imputes the righteousness of Jesus to those who turn to Him in faith; those who believe in the promise of God’s salvation in the gospel. Man has always been declared righteous by faith alone- even in the Old Testament, it was faith that credited righteousness to men like Abraham. (Gen 15:6) To be righteous in the sight of God is essentially to be saved by God’s grace. How can man be recognized by God? The righteous live by faith. They live in obedience to God’s Word, which renders them useful to God. God declares those who have received salvation through faith as blameless, because they are washed in the blood of Christ of their sins. The truly saved are blameless, and they walk in the direction of God’s will while fleeing hypocrisy and legalism. Obedience is the fruit of true salvation and is a hallmark of every bondservant of Christ. (Lk 19:8-9; 2Cor 4:8-10)

God uses those who are faithful in suffering. All who desire to live a godly life will face persecution and suffering. (2Tim 3:12) In a time when infertility was considered a major disgrace, Zacharias and Elizabeth suffered through life with having no children. They had no hope for children because they were beyond child-bearing age, but nevertheless, they were faithful in their suffering by walking with the Lord. To be faithful is to be steadfast, dependable, trustworthy, and loyal. Those who are faithful in suffering pray, turning to God because they know that God alone is faithful. Even in this seemingly impossible predicament, Zacharias continually prayed. (Lk 1:13) Faithful men and women are patient through their suffering, enduring in prayer because of their confidence in God’s power and goodness. They praise God amidst their suffering, because they know God and take refuge in Him. (Ps 18:1-3) To be faithful, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. As we continually mediate on Scripture to renew our minds, our lives will be increasingly controlled by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God uses the common man who honors Him as King, is righteous by faith, and is faithful in suffering. As we mediate on the faithfulness of Zacharias and Elizabeth, let us examine our lives and repent of the sins that have hindered our usefulness to God. As we depend on the Lord to live by faith, God will not hesitate to use us for His glory.

Jesus is the One who was prophesied by God. (“the things accomplished among us…” v.1) Jesus didn’t come into the world without context- He was the One promised by God throughout the Old Testament. There is no difference between a “historical” Jesus and the “biblical” Jesus. The Son of God came from the Father, born of a virgin, and dwelt among us. He taught us God’s Will, and supported His claims with miracles. (Jn 1:14) There are more than 300 prophecies in Scripture that relate directly to Christ. He was promised to be born of a woman, to be the Son of God, to die on behalf of sinners, and many, many more. (Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4; Ps 2:7; Lk 3:22; Is 53:12; Lk 23:43-33) The probability of someone to fulfill all the prophecies is a number so minute it is beyond our minds’ comprehension, but the fact that Jesus has indeed fulfilled every one of God’s prophecies proves only He is the One promised by God to redeem sinners.

The Bible is inspired. The Bible is not man’s word- it is the Word of God. It is inspired, in that the Holy Spirit had complete influence over all that was written, to render it an authoritative revelation from God. Though the text was composed by the minds and wills of men, God inspired not only the writers’ general thoughts, but also the very words each writer used, so that they were in essence merely instruments to write down God’s Word. This inspired book speaks of Jesus Christ; it is what give us the book of Luke. Scripture tells us of Jesus Christ- He is the name above all names, the Savior and Lord of all. (Phil 2:9; Rev 22:20)

History speaks of Jesus objectively. The fact that Scripture is inspired by God does not overlook the way God used a man like Luke to write his account of Jesus Christ. Luke provides an objective perspective on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As a doctor thoroughly reviews a patient’s medical history to make an accurate diagnosis, Luke carefully investigated the facts to present his case of who Jesus Christ was. He captured the details of the life of Jesus to show the historical reality and credibility of the gospel.

God endorsed Jesus Christ alone to save us. There are many false christs who may adorn themselves with eloquence and success, but none are ordained by God to have the authority to save. Jesus Christ is the only one whom we can trust and depend on, because He was sent by God the Father. He is alone is from the beginning; He alone is from heaven. (Jn 19:10-11)

Jesus is the only One who can change us. Luke writes his account so that Theophilus could have a thorough knowledge and conviction of the truth of Jesus that would help him mature and grow as a disciple of Christ. Jesus is the only One who can transform us, because only He has defeated sin and is able to deliver us from sin’s tyranny. Mere self-determination always fails- it is only by the grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ the self can be defeated. He is the One who empowers us to follow after Him. (1Cor 15:10)

That the historical and Biblical figure of Jesus Christ is reliable is a nonnegotiable, unbreakable truth, because Christ Jesus is Lord of all. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Let us all continue to pursue and seek the Lord. If you find that you have not been depending on Jesus Christ, repent, and re-commit yourself to the Lord, for as each of us can say with Paul, it is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (1Tim 1:15)

In the previous weeks, forecasts of record hurricanes have forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate from their homes in Texas and Florida. To stress the urgent need to evacuate, the governor of Florida exhorted the public saying, “We can rebuild your home, but we cannot rebuild your life.” Life is precious, but even more than our physical lives, our spiritual lives are incomparably more valuable. Jesus asked, What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Matt 16:26) Paul’s letter to the Galatians was premised on how man can preserve his soul by being justified and reconciled to God. Justification is the principle ground on which every other doctrine of Christianity stands. It is a judicial term- in the heavenly court, it is a sentence whereby God declares an elect and believing sinner not guilty, while pronouncing him perfectly righteous by the merit of Jesus Christ. This is possible because God in His grace imputed all your sin onto Jesus when He died on the cross, and in turn, Jesus’s perfect righteousness was imputed onto you. (2Cor 5:21) This is the only means for salvation, yet this essential doctrine is often hindered within the church. As we take another look at Galatians and other various passages, we will identify how false gospels cloud our understanding of justification.

One of the direst issues within the early church was the infiltrating influence of a false gospel. Some false teachers, sometimes called Judaizers, declared Christ was not enough for salvation, and that man needed to be circumcised to be saved. (Acts 15:1-2) There are many other types of false gospels- the reliance on religiosity, church participation, familial heritage- and they all lead to hell. The only way to avoid going after false gospels is to know the true gospel. The gospel has three parts- problem, solution, and response.

Problem– God demands perfect righteousness, but man is born depraved and cannot be righteous. Man tries to create his own religion and work his way to salvation, but he falls infinitely short of God’s righteousness. (Matt 5:48; Rom 3:11)

God’s Solution– Man cannot resolve his problem. But God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) This is the gospel. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1Cor 15:2-4) Jesus Christ is the only solution from God for man’s problem.

Man’s Response– You must repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Repentance is turning away from sin, and turning towards God. Man can respond in this way only as he recognizes his problem and sees the solution God provides in the gospel.

Believers are vulnerable to straying from the true gospel. (Gal 2:11-13) Those under the influence of a false gospel forget the gospel’s transformative power and become hypocrites. (Rom 1:16) Their external behavior does not truly reflect their inner heart, because true transformation is possible only by the gospel. As Jesus turned water into wine, He makes us new creatures through His death and resurrection. The true gospel leads us to repent and love the Lord. If you find yourself under the influence of a false gospel, repent, and return to Christ Jesus. No matter how hard we try to deal with sin through our own determination, resolutions, and good works, our sin is an indelible stain that declares us guilty. (Jer 2:22) The gospel is the only way to be saved and to stay saved. The Galatians began to depend on the law for their justification, but the law is not meant to be a means of salvation. The law functions as a spiritual mirror- it makes us see how holy God is, and how sinful we are. It is meant to turn us to Christ- to flee from the curse of the law and take refuge in Christ. (Gal 3:10-11) The law serves to restrain evil with its justice, and it shows God’s redeemed children what pleases Him. (Jn 14:15)

How can I be justified? By faith alone- you must know that Jesus is the only way to be saved, and recognize that salvation is by grace alone. You must then agree to this truth, and commit to Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Savior. Those who are justified enjoy the peace of God. They come before God in prayer through all circumstances, with a hope fixed in heaven. The justified obey God, because God produces good works in those who have living faith. (James 2:26) They experience the true freedom of living like Christ- because of Jesus’s freedom, you are set free to resist sin. (Gal 5:1) Jesus frees us from the penalty of the law and futile attempts to please God in the flesh. In our freedom we walk by the Spirit, as the word of Christ dwells richly in us. We practice the freedom of Christ as we love one another. Jesus has loved us and gave Himself up for us. He is always with us, and as we experience His love everyday through the riches of the gospel, we are more than able to love one another for His glory. This is the outcry of the book of Galatians- Christian, you are justified and free in Christ.

From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. Gal 6:17-18

 

History is made by men of conviction. Whether for good or for evil, men full of conviction pioneered nations through revolutions, wars, scientific and medical breakthroughs, and every other significant event that has shaped the world into what it is today. Scripture is likewise penned by and written of men of conviction. The Apostle Paul was one of them, fully convinced upon his conversion that Jesus was the Son of God. He was resolute to preach nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1Cor 2:2) He wrote his letter to the Galatians to dispel false notions that circumcision and the works of the law were means for salvation. Apostle Paul gloried only in the gospel that made him a new creation, and like him, every Christian must be a man of conviction to stand firm in faith through all circumstances. Where did Paul’s conviction come from? His final remarks here in Galatians reveal the external and internal sources of the apostle’s fervent conviction.

Marks of Christ (v.17) Paul was not merely a spectator of faith, but a man of action, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The brand-marks of Jesus referred to in v.17 are his actual physical scars sustained by the continual persecution he endured for preaching the gospel. (2Cor 11:23-25; Acts 14:9) Apostle Paul was severely beaten numerous times and was even stoned to the point of near death. His body was badly scarred, but rather than feeling bitterness and sorrow, his scars strengthened his conviction. How can this be? Paul was persecuted for the message he delivered. His message was the cross of Christ. Paul believed and preached that no sin could be done away by circumcision or good works; it can only be carried away by the cross of Christ. (1Cor 1:23, 2:2) The gospel is the only perfect message that can save and transform man. It is the powerful message that divides men, inciting joy or hate, victory or torment, hope or ridicule. For all who desire to be a man or woman of conviction, check to make sure the message you believe and proclaim is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Another source of Paul’s conviction is that he considered his scars the brand-marks of Jesus Christ. Everything Paul did was related to Jesus Christ, his Savior and Lord. The Bible says none are righteous but Christ alone. All of us fall short of God’s glory; even our best works are filthy rags before God’s holiness. (Is 64:6) We would all be condemned to go to hell, but Jesus came as a sinless man to die on the cross in our place. He rose again from the dead, imputing us with His life and righteousness, to reconcile us to God. In Christ, you are forgiven of your sin, clothed with His righteousness, and adopted as a child of God. (Rom 3:22) Jesus Christ is the only One worth being persecuted for, and Paul bore his scars with this full conviction. How do we bear the brand-marks of Jesus that would strengthen conviction? Paul simply applied God’s Word to every part of his life. As we live in a world that is held captive by Satan, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) If you seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, treasuring Christ above all else, persecution is inevitable, but it will only strengthen your conviction. (Matt 6:33; 2Tim 3:12) We must live as disciples, surrendering all to Jesus and following Him. Without conviction, we cannot fight the good fight of faith.

The grace of Christ (v.18) The grace of Jesus Christ was the internal source of Paul’s conviction. Grace is God’s unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners. Man makes no contribution to his salvation- salvation is by God alone. Our spirits were dead, separated from God and under the bondage of Satan, but by God’s grace He regenerated us to have living faith in Jesus Christ. We are not only forgiven, but we are reconciled to God and adopted as His child. God is gracious and merciful- like the prodigal son’s loving father, God is quick to pour grace and mercy upon repentant sinners who return to Him. (Luke 15:21-23) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is not merely a line Paul used to end his letters, but it is the very lifeline for Paul and for every Christian. Without grace, Paul would have remained Saul, but by the grace of Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul gave his life to preach the gospel that saved him. (Acts 26:29) Without grace, we would have remained in our sin, separated from God, hopeless and condemned. But by the grace of Jesus Christ, we are loved by God, saved, and set apart to follow Him. This is the source of a believer’s conviction- the unending grace of God, found in the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Gal 6:14-16

The truthfulness of a religion is authenticated by its message and its power. The message of Christianity is the gospel- the Son of God died on a cross and rose again to give eternal life to undeserving sinners who repent and put their trust in Him. (1Cor 15:3-4; Col 2:9-10) There is power in this message to transform sinners into saints. As we continue in this series on the nature of true religion, Apostle Paul’s concluding pronouncement of the power of the cross of Christ shown in the death, transformation, and reception in Christianity provides the evidence of the veracity of the gospel message.

Death. There is a stark difference between Christianity and other religions when it comes to life and death. Other religions teach to live your best life today, but Christianity teaches that you must die today to truly live in Christ. Just as a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order for it to bear fruit, Christian life must begin with your spiritual death through your repentance. (Jn 12:24) Without this death, your old nature remains, and there can be no transformation.

How can we die spiritually? In other words, how can I be a Christian? The answer is in v. 14- by the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who confess Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in their hearts God raised Him from the dead will be saved. (Rom 10:9-10) You must die like Christ in order to be raised like Christ. The cross itself is not wonderful- it is the cruel emblem of pain and suffering – but the message of the cross is of hope and love, because through death of Jesus Christ, we can escape the wrath of God.

What must be dead? According to v. 14, the world must be crucified to us. In its context, the world is a life independent of God, self-sufficient and driven by self-will, that depends on reputation, esteem, and self-effort for righteousness. (Phil 3:4-6) We are all born with the world in our hearts- in total depravity – we have no possible way of pleasing God in our sinfulness. It is only by the message of the cross that the world can be crucified to us. As we receive the gospel message, the Holy Spirit “removes the heart of stone” and replaces it with “a heart of flesh”(Eze 36:26), that which is of God, and by this regeneration of our hearts we see the world as it is, and more so as we understand and obey the will of God. (1Jn 2:16-17) In any situation, we seek God’s glory and honor Him as Lord. We live in the world, but we are no longer controlled by the world. (2Cor 10:5; 1Cor 10:31) Along with the world, our old nature is crucified with Christ as we receive the gospel in our hearts. All sin springs from the desire to please self. ‘Dying to self’ means that we surrender our own will to God’s will. We are now free in Christ- free from the world, and free from the power of sin that ruled our old nature. We are free because Christ lives in us, and by this spiritual death, true transformation can follow.

Transformation. Apostle Paul states that apart from being new creatures through this new creation, everything else is meaningless. Christianity is true because we become a new creation in Christ through the life-giving power in the gospel message. (Ez 37:1,3,9) The gospel contains the doctrine of impartation- we were spiritually dead, with no power to free ourselves from sin and justify ourselves before God, but God made Jesus, Who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Cor 5:21) In Jesus, God the Son took on human flesh to be our perfect substitute as He died in our place and rose again. In Christ there is new life. Though we will not be sinless until we are in heaven, sin no longer has dominion over our lives. We now live by faith in the Son of God Who died for us and rose again so that we could live to Him. (Gal 2:20) As a new creation, we now enjoy a blessed reception.

Reception. As we hold fast to the truth that salvation is in Christ alone, we receive God’s peace and mercy. (Acts 4:12) This is a marvelous gift from God. Our peace with God means peace in our hearts, because only He is the source of true peace. His wrath is no longer on those who are in Christ – in the place where there was once wrath, there is now divinest mercy. God adopts us to be His children and He becomes our Father. God did not have to show mercy to sinful men, but in His love He provided eternal life through Jesus Christ. (Jn 3:16) Through the gospel we are now reconciled with God and enjoy this gift of God’s mercy and peace. This is the power of the message of the cross we proclaim for all to hear and receive.

There are approximately 4200 religions in the world; about 300 of them in the United States. Many would say that Christianity is just one of the many religions in the world and in the US. We know that Christianity is the only true religion; all others are false.

At the heart of every false religion is a false idea about the self. Until one truly knows himself and his sin nature, he will never seek a savior. Instead, false religion deceives people about his self so that they will boast in his works, put confidence in the flesh, and work to earn salvation. It is only when people’s hearts are regenerated by the Holy Spirit that they are able to understand their selves in the light of the truth of God’s Word.

Here in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Apostle Paul adamantly rejects the possibility of putting confidence in the flesh (But may it never be…v.14). Believers in the church of Galatia were falling away from the Christian faith and reverting back to Judaism, following a damning religion of salvation by works, namely, circumcision. As we turn to the concluding verses of Galatians in the coming weeks, we will focus on the nature of true religion– the message and the power of Christianity.

The message of Christianity is unique. Every other religion – even monotheistic religions like Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, and Islam – has been invented by men. This is evident in that they make man work for salvation. This is an impossible task, because sinful man cannot please a perfect and holy God. Christianity is the only religion that shows the innate inability towards holiness and answers to man’s ultimate plea- How then can a man be just with God? (Job 25:4) How can man make peace with God? How can this chasm between God and man be bridged? By the Holy Spirit, Apostle Paul answers this question in verse 14- …except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the cross can make peace between God and man.

What happened on the cross? When Jesus was crucified on the cross, God displayed His strong public condemnation against sin by displaying the judgment that every sinner must face. His perfect holiness was demonstrated in His contempt against sin in the suffering of Christ. At the same time, through Jesus’ crucifixion, God showed how He took away the sin, guilt, and shame of man, by imparting every one of our sins onto Jesus. The Son of God of was cursed, suffered in that curse, and rose again – all for our salvation.

Christians boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (v.14) Jesus died and was resurrected to be highly exalted as Lord over all. (Phil 2:8-11; Jn 20:27-28) He is our Savior and our God, who has all the power to not only save us from our fate of hell, but to transform us into his likeness. We are saved by Christ alone, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11-12) He is the Messiah, anointed to die for sinners. Even though He was God, He came to serve, surrender, and die for us. The cross of Christ is foolishness to depraved men- it eliminates all human merit, leaving no room for man’s pride or wisdom. (1Cor 1:18-19) The cross of Christ is true religion; it is God’s salvation.

Christianity is a new beginning. The old life has passed away; new life begins in Christ. Because of Jesus died a substitutionary death in our place, we are able to live a life with the freedom to choose holiness instead of sin; the new life allows for an intimate relationship with God. (Matt 27:50-51; Heb 10:19-20). It is the beginning of our spiritual resurrection; it instills the certain hope of a physical resurrection. (1Cor 15:54-57; Matt 27:54) God fully revealed His plan for our redemption in Christ Jesus.

Christianity is true because its message comes from God Himself. (Heb 1:1-3) He calls us to repent and return, forsaking our sin to turn to Jesus Christ in faith for salvation from Him alone. (Is 1:18; Acts 3:19) We must come to a point where we ask with all our heart, what must I do to be saved? Nothing you can do can erase your sin. It is only by the cross of Christ man can be restored to God.

God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must treasure Jesus more than anything or anyone in this world. He is truly worthy of our praise. As we grow in our understanding of the sufficiency of the cross as the source of our atonement, may we grow to be bolder in our obedience to Jesus’ call for us to make disciples.

Among those who profess to be Christians, there are some whose sincere faith may be in a false Christ. In Apostle Paul’s dire letter to the Galatians, he sternly challenged those who reverted back to the false religion of Judaism, because their focus shifted from Jesus Christ to what was external, with no power, sanctification, or inner transformation. This is a timely message for us all, because we are also prone to reducing faith to works. We should always earnestly examine our hearts to the scriptural standards of faith. As we examine the nature of false religion through the conclusion of Paul’s letter, we must ask ourselves, Am I under the influence of false religion?

False religion distances you from God’s Word. A false Jesus leads you to live under the influence of the damning world. Do you love Scripture? This is the first and crucial sign of the true nature of your faith. The Bible is God’s Word. His Word has power- the power to create the universe into existence and to regenerate our lifeless hearts to life eternally. (Is 55:11; Num 11:23) How do you view God’s Word? There is a difference between true, biblical Christianity and the non-committal type of faith that some call ‘American Christianity’. The latter is a damning perversion of Christianity because the Bible has lost influence over the church. If you stop reading, meditating, and loving the Word, you will surely forget God. (Deut 6:12) False religion always abandons the Word of God.

False religion puts confidence in the flesh. Those who believe in a false Christ are still confident in who they are and what they have. The false teachers in the churches of Galatia paraded their piety through circumcision. Thinking that their obedience to the Old Testament commands was enough for their salvation, they were confident in their own flesh; they compelled others to do likewise. Those who are confident in the flesh judge themselves and others by physical things and by social and cultural values. (James 2:2-3) Do you boast in this way? Those who glory in the flesh practice legalism. Their trust is not in Christ alone. They may know correct doctrine, but they deny the sufficiency of Jesus’ atoning work by their prideful actions. Their loyalty is still to the world, which they serve their flesh for their own glory. (1Jn 2:15-16) Those who are still confident in the flesh are overly sensitive to their emotions and circumstances, letting others’ criticism or affirmation determine their joy. There is no humility in false religion, but only pride in one’s own abilities. We need to repent and return, so that our sins may be wiped away. (Acts 3:19) Our true joy and worth are rooted in Christ alone.

False religion makes you compromise. Faith in a false Christ will make you a coward. The Judaizers in Galatia focused on the external requirements of the Jewish faith in an attempt to avoid the persecution brought on by the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ refers to the entire work of redemption through Jesus’ death and resurrection. (1Cor 15:3-4) All throughout history, and especially today, the offensive message of the gospel provokes persecution. This is because the Gospel is the great equalizer – there is nothing that distinguishes the rich from poor or the brave from the knave. All are shown equally in dire need for a Savior, and this makes the gospel hard to understand and even harder to accept. However, God’s grace makes no distinction between men, and there is no room for pride. Yet there are instances when even believers compromise the message of the cross. How do believers we ridicule the cross of Christ? When we remain silent while Jesus’ name is being blasphemed, we ridicule the cross of Christ. When we try to replace the true gospel with a gentler version that never confronts sin, we are promoting false religion. When we try to lower the biblical standard of holiness in the name of tolerance and cultural sensitivity, we are serving man, not God. There can be no true transformation in our lives and in the church when the cross of Christ is ridiculed. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. We must therefore not comprise his message and be bold in the authority of God’s word.

False religion makes you a hypocrite. The false teachers in Galatia failed by attempting to keep the law, yet because of their hypocrisy, they were blind to their shame and boasted in their flesh. The external did not reflect what was internal. We are prone to hypocrisy when we have Jesus’ name on our lips but not in our hearts. Hypocrisy is deadly. It leads others to become hypocrites, as the blind guides the blind to both fall into the same pit. (Matt 15:14) Hypocrites are insensitive to the wrath of God, failing to cling to Christ alone for salvation. (Matt 23:37-38) We must confess and repent of the hypocrisy in our lives. Our external works must be a reflection of the work of God’s grace in our hearts.

On the matter of true Jesus, Steve Lawson stated, “If Jesus has not changed your life, the Jesus you met was another Jesus.” Let us mediate on this portion of Scripture and examine our lives whether we have fallen under the influence of false piety. May the Holy Spirit sanctify you internally and externally in the truth that is God’s Word.

When a version of the gospel supposedly written by Judas was discovered in the 1970’s, experts who studied the manuscripts identified errors and forgeries that revealed its true Gnostic authorship. Subject matter experts are invaluable to teaching us what is true and false. When it comes to Christian life, apart from Jesus Christ there may be no one better than Apostle Paul to teach on Christian living. What does a normal Christian look like according to Apostle Paul? As we examine this portion of the book of Galatians, we can gain insight on how average Christians ought to live.

They live with responsibilities. Christians are accountable to particular duties. After his conversion, Apostle Paul’s life was marked by relentless striving to do the work God appointed him to do. (Phil 3:12-14) His zeal for good works never once challenged the basis of salvation by grace through faith alone, but it was driven by the truth that every Christian will one day stand before God to give an account for his life. This judgment- known as the Bema, or Judgment Seat of Christ- is when Jesus will evaluate and reward each believer for his faithful service done on earth. (Matt 25:19-20, 26) What then is our responsibility as a Christian? According to verse 6, our responsibility is to share. Many interpret Apostle Paul’s command to refer to sharing finances, but based on the context of the book of Galatians, a closer interpretation may be in reference to communication. The main intent of Paul’s letter was to clarify doctrine to the Galatians who were deceived and reverting back to seeking to be justified by keeping the Judaic law. (Gal 1:6) He urged those who knew the gospel to restore those who were deceived. Every Christian’s ministry is at different times full of joy, sorrow, burdens, confusion, or encouragement. In this context, whatever it may be, we are to share and communicate these things with those who teach and shepherd us- namely, our pastor and leaders. This begins by first learning the gospel from the Word. When God’s Word is received faithfully, there is conviction and power from the Holy Spirit, Who renews the spirit of your mind and gives new life created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Eph 4:21-24) It is from here that the Christian can be engaged in ministry, while sharing and building up the church.

They are principled. Christians live under the principle of sowing and reaping in verse 7. Apostle Paul warns the Galatians to not be deceived- God cannot be mocked. He is omniscient, able to see even into the hearts of man. (Jer 17:9-10) In spite of God’s perfect knowledge, we often ridicule God by our lack of faith. We surrender to circumstances, seeking to find blame when we undergo trials and suffering. We forget that God is faithful to help us endure and overcome all temptations, and we overlook His sovereignty in all things. (1Cor 10:1; Phil 4:13) We follow our emotions over truth, forgetting that we can never be separated from God’s love. Mankind ridicules God when they deny Jesus Christ, despite God’s clear testimony concerning His Son. (Jn 1:10-11)

How can believers avoid ridiculing God? Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. We honor God by living by faith, for everything apart from faith is sin. (1Cor 10:31; Rom 14:23) Under the principle of reaping what we sow, believers who sow to the flesh- the flesh being the utterly corrupt indwelling sin that will never lay to rest until the day we die- will truly be miserable Christians as they neglect prayer, God’s Word, and evangelism, resisting God’s sovereignty and sanctification. On the contrary, believer who sow to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap the fruit of the Spirit, as they depend on and surrender to God’s Word, practicing the lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of their lives. (Jn 15:5-7)

If you are still feeling abandoned, alone, and distant from God in your earnest pursuit to practice the lordship of Jesus in your life, it may seem as though you have not yet reaped much from your labors. In verse 9, Apostle Paul gives us his word of encouragement to not grow weary. The due time to reap is known by God alone. We can avoid growing weary as we love God first and foremost. We must pray without ceasing, nurture ourselves on God’s Word, remember that we are simply involved in and used for God’s work- it is God alone who causes the growth. We must trust in God. Even when our faith fails, we are sustained because God is steadfastly working behind us. God will never forget His promise, so let us sow diligently in faith.

They live in the act of love and care. Christians are the salt and light of the world. We are necessary and useful to the world because we love God and man. Our highest expression of love for unbelievers is evangelism, for even if man gains the world, what is he without Christ? Our priority is the church- we love and care for one another by helping and filling each other’s needs, even if it is to our own loss. Our love for one another is sacrificial, clothed with humility and discretion.

Normal Christians according to Apostle Paul live in this way. They have ministries of which they share about with their shepherds, they live under the principle of reaping what they sow, and they live a life of love and care. As we examine ourselves and repent of ways we have fallen short of loving and obeying Christ, let us be encouraged by His Word and not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load.

 

Christians are called to be spiritually effective – that is, we must make a gospel centered impact among our church, family, and friends. Throughout history, many saints have been spiritually effective. John Bunyan, for example, became a prolific author and pastor in his days despite his poor educational upbringing. His effectiveness as a worker of God moved even John Owen, who many believe is the greatest theologian in existence. John Owen once said that he’d “gladly trade all of his learning” if it meant that he’d gain Bunyan’s “ability to touch hearts”.

Like the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, we must also be effective spiritually. Ministry work and spiritual effectiveness is not reserved for the pastors, leaders, and those with special titles in the church. Every Christian is spiritual, because the Holy Spirit is in their hearts. If we are spiritual, we should be effective. Are you effective in the church and the ministry? If not, examine your heart for these four attitudes that causes you to be ineffective in ministry.

Pride renders us ineffective spiritually. Although every sin is despicable in the eyes of God, pride is among the sins that God hates most. While every other sin leads to guilt and shame, pride will face God and fight against Him. This is why Proverbs 16:18a reads, “Pride goes before destruction.” What causes pride in the hearts of believers? Pride swells up when we overestimate ourselves, mistakenly believing that the favor of God is merited by our good actions. Take King Uzziah, for example. In 2 Chronicles 26:16-18, we see his successes give room for arrogance, which causes Uzziah performs priestly duties himself, despite not being a priest. This causes him to lose favor with God. Uzziah’s pride caused him to try to circumvent God’s law. We also sin in this away against God when we forget ourselves before God. Unless we see ourselves as the sinners that we are, we will never be effective. In Luke 18:10-14, we see that it is not the religious elite but the penitent sinner who receives the grace of God. The apostle John writes against Diotrephes, who thinks too highly of himself, in 3 John 9-10. Pride swells up because we have a lack of awareness of self. Like Diotrephes, we think too highly of ourselves without considering who we were before Jesus saved us. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 states that God has chosen the foolish and the weak for His use – we are the ones that God chose. Pride swells up because there is a lack of understanding regarding salvation. Salvation is not given for our merits; instead, it is given by God according to his will. What we did or who we are does not matter to God. Knowing this, we must look to the best interests of our brothers and sisters, regarding each other more important than our own selves. (Phil 2:3-4)

A lack of self-examination renders us ineffective spiritually. There is a difference between self-introspection and self-examination. While self-introspection relies on nothing but one’s own self, self-examination is done according to the Word of God. This is the difference between Judas and Peter. Judas betrayed Jesus and felt guilt upon self-introspection, but the way he attempted to resolve this issue was to give the money back and take his own life. Peter had also betrayed Jesus, but he saw Jesus and remembered His words. (Matt 26:75) What are some criteria for self-examination? We examine ourselves through the Word of God. We must be effectual doers of God’s Word. (Jas 1:25) We examine ourselves by comparing ourselves with Jesus. We must strive to mimic His life – His life, conduct, teaching, fellowship, and service.(1 Cor. 11:1) We examine ourselves in prayer. In doing so, we appeal to the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts. (Ps 139:23) We examine ourselves by the esteem of our brothers and sisters in the church. We must be humble in correction and look to encourage holiness in others as well. (2 Tim 2:23-26) After properly examining ourselves, we gain new blessings of humility and spiritual growth.

Comparison to others renders us ineffective spiritually. Comparing ourselves to others ignites jealousy in our hearts. Saul’s jealousy for David raged after he heard some girls sing a song comparing Saul and David.(1 Sam 18:6-9) Jealousy devastates ministry work because it fuels the desire to overshadow others. It kills the desire to care for the minute details of our service, which Jesus values and cares for. (Mt 25:23) Jealousy rages against the sovereignty of God. We must combat this desire by serving and loving through faith, knowing that no one has anything to boast in the Lord. (Eph 2:9-10). It would do well for us to remember that we are running the race against Christ, not others.

Not being responsible about our duty renders us ineffective spiritually. Not being an effective worker physically also influences our spiritual effectiveness. We must work knowing that we have to give an account of our work to God. (Gal 6:5) What are our duties as Christians? We must strive to be effective in prayer. If our prayers are unanswered, we should not be discouraged, but work on our prayer so that it is a more effective way of communicating with God. We must strive to be fervent in worship. This is the work that we start on this earth and continue for eternity. We do it joyously, but we must also worship with a sober understanding of our purpose. The Old Testament worship, while it was very different from our worship today, was prepared meticulously for two days prior to the commencement of the worship service. We must prepare our hearts with the same gravity towards our Lord. We must meditate on Scripture. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” laments Hosea in Hosea 4:6, because they could have been spared from destruction if they only read and kept the commandments of God in it. We should take heed and carefully read and meditate on the Scriptures. Remember, the way that we treat the Word of God is the way we treat God. We must continue to share the Gospel. An effective evangelism begins with the work of sanctifying Christ in our hearts as Lord. (1 Pe 3:15) This means that we strive to make the lordship of Christ clearer in our hearts and minds every day. Deliberate and perpetual preparation is important in preparing to sharing the gospel. We need to practice these Christian duties purposefully.

The greatest honor we will experience is hearing Christ welcome us to heaven, saying to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” For this end, we must strive to be effectual workers. Let us faithfully and effectively serve as spiritual men and women for the glory of Christ.