The Law is Good

The Word of God is quite simple. God has provided a loving handbook to life which explains how to live it fully.  In the administration that we live in, the grace administration, we have the privilege to accept the opportunity to have the energized power of God living in the very depths of our heart through the gift of holy spirit. This was provided as a result of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ including his supernatural deliverance by God in being raised from the dead.

In the Old Testament only certain people manifested the spirit of  God so the law in a physical sense was what people knew about God. The law was taught and embellished on in oral tradition by the leaders. People endeavored to carry it out.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law. The law became established by means of faith in Jesus Christ. The law then became something impressed on our hearts spiritually by believing, not by works of external piety. God's word becomes a living reality in the righteous and capable of all that Jesus Christ accomplished because of the inherent power of God energized in the gift.

In Timothy Paul encourages believers to stay on the simple truth of grace:

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.  The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.(NIV I Timothy 1:3-7)

We see false doctrines magnified today in certain psychological and sociological circles. It is rampant in politics and even in some religious circles. We are constantly bombarded with alternative ways of living. In regards to God's law and its use, Paul provided clarifications to filter the speculative assaults of  culture:

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,  for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine (I Timothy 1:8-10 NIV)

 The warnings are for those who argue with God and who become desensitized and tolerant of evil. People who turn away from the evil and towards the goodness of God see huge differences in their lives. God's work is advanced by believing good sound doctrine and its application to life. It is practical and pertains to all aspects of living a meaningful life.

Work the Works?

In John 6 after the record about the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus had left the scene and people started looking for him.  When they found him, he told them (John 6:26-29):

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed (link-sphragizo). Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

I know so many people who have asked that question"what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Jesus Christ's answer is still true today. He is the living focus, path, and reality to us in this age also.

Ephesus or Galatia?

The seven church epistles are written to people who belong to the  body of Christ. The  first of these epistles is Romans. Romans is about why we needed a Christ (Messiah) and why we need to make him the authority in our life as our access to God. It is basically the book about believing. 

In  the next book, Corinthians, we read reproof  as to how the Corinthians mis-practiced Romans. Peoples' habits, old religious practices, and cultural and societal influences crept into how people lived. Man has a tendency to bring God down to His own level instead of rising up to God’s heart. Human love cannot match the true love God has for us. 

When man doesn’t respond and acknowledge the infinite wisdom of God, he makes his own adjustments and designs his own religion. If practically applied long enough, the original doctrine gets skewed. That is the reason for Galatians: to correct the doctrinal error that crept in due to the practical mixing of world and the right believing in Romans. The error can range from very subtle to very blatant.God is tough love in Galatians.

Read Galatians and then read Ephesians. Who would you like to fellowship with? The Galatians or the Ephesians? Yet today, every human being has to make that decision when you really start studying the Bible. The great apostle Paul had to make these same decisions.  His decision to go to Jerusalem instead of staying in the spiritually hot Ephesus is an example. God tried to shut the door several times but he just had to go (he thought he was being so sacrificial) and it turned out badly.

What happened when Paul got to Jerusalem is written in Acts 21:19-23:

 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

 The law, works, and religion are the major problems of  his trip and of the book of Galatians. We don’t perform for God, we love Him! We share His love with others based on His standard of love.  Our 'coming together' should be based on His Word. Our culture today is no different in this respect from those groups of the first century believers. It is God’s standard that causes His people to live exceedingly abundantly. It is not about sacrifice or self-abasement in certain religious minds. It is not dependent on the government or political winds of the times; not the far right’s, the far left’s or even the moderate middle. Read Romans 8 and then Ephesians to see true abundance and sufficiency. It is wonderful!

A Free Heart

The  book of Galatians was written in approximately 57 AD. Galatians is a correctional epistle written to correct the failure of people to adhere to the wonderful principles of basic believing. It  corrected errors in doctrine held by the judaizers who  interjected conflicting beliefs with the doctrine of Romans. We can read in the book of Acts that Paul encountered this often.

E.W. Bullinger says on page 1748 in the COMPANION BIBLE: “Galatians has been happily likened to a sketch for the finished picture, Romans. In both is maintained the fundamental truth that there is no difference between Judean and Gentile before God, There would be many Judeans among the churches of Galatia, for Paul ever went to the Judean first; yet the majority would be Gentiles, apparently too ready to yield to the persuasions of judaizers who taught the necessity of circumcision.”

According to II Timothy 3:16 all scripture is inspired by God to help us to know what is right. It is profitable for doctrine, which lays down the basic understanding of what is right. God utilizes reproof (in epistles like Corinthians and Philippians) because people take doctrine and misapply it in practice. Eventually mis-practice can lead to false doctrine and God utilizes correction to get back to what is right (such as in Galatians and Colossians). God is a forgiving God and correction is a vital part of that. It brings us all back to the right doctrine and His great power.

The Doctrine of Romans makes it clear that we are saved by believing and it is by grace, not works. Circumcision or any other outward work doesn’t save anyone. One is made whole by believing in Jesus Christ and that God got him up from the dead. It is God’s justice that provided a way to His companionship and deliverance from any obstacle thrown in our face. Jesus Christ was the perfect substitution. It was perfect justice. By believing in the finished work Jesus Christ, we are a part of God’s eternal Facebook, we can contact him any time of the day or night.

Galatians 5:1-6 Stand fast therefore in the liberty (unshackled) wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled (no longer held in, closed off from the power of God) again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised (substitute any word that indicates works), Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law (by bootstrap theology, bootstraps being the law); ye are fallen from grace (who turned out the lights?). For we through (by) the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness (return of the righteous one - Jesus Christ) by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (or whatever); but faith which worketh (energized) by love (God's love).

 Read Galatians and see the walk in the spirit and how important it is and then compare it to Romans 8, the ‘Magna Carta’ of Christianity! It is the confidence and assurance that the whole world is trying to find! Life is not always nice but we NEVER have to be overwhelmed because God has a biblical answer ALWAYS.  Maybe life is not always so nice but it is exceedingly abundant. Ephesians 3:20 is doctrine!