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Galatians 6 - On the ADHD path

In reading this chapter I found the following admonition by Paul interesting.

Galatians 6:7-9 Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

Paul is writing to Christians. He is saying that they will harvest a consequence of decay and death if they don't stay "on the right path".

Galatians 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

Too many Christians have spiritual ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They get easily distracted, forget who, what, and where they are. They are easily enticed to do wrong. Sound familiar?

Sometimes the most seemingly innocent or benign thing can pull us in a direction we never intended. It is imperceptible at first, but gradually we are directed away from our true course. It is like a ship in the middle of the sea. Not much power is required to point it in the correct direction. If the pilot is diligent in his job, hardly any rudder changes will be necessary. However, if the harbor is near and the ship is off course, much power is required to set things right.

What happens to the Christian who is on the wrong path if he doesn't get back onto the right path? What if someone is not there to correct him? There is only one path to Heaven.

There is a reason that the bible warns so many times against being alone. We need each other. It is easy to get off course when alone. But there is safety in numbers, for not everyone will succumb to spiritual ADHD simultaneously.

I guess the question is 'Are they really new people, or do they only claim to be'?

Galatians 6:15b ...What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.

Father, may we indeed be changed. May we live like the new people we claim to be. And may we help those who stray. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Help your ADHD brethren. Jan
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Galatians 5 - Never Ending Conflict

The longest human declared war was between the United Provinces of Netherlands and the Isles of Sicily. It was declared in 1651 due to some political wrangling and promptly forgotten. Nevertheless, a legal state of war existed between the two countries until a Sicilian historian named Roy Duncan stumbled upon the documentation. Once both countries became aware of the situation, they readily agreed to sign a peace treaty. The war was officially ended on April 17, 1986. It had lasted 335 years without a single shot being fired.

However, we of the human race are collateral damage of a war that started before even time itself.

Revelation 12:7-9 A war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels were fighting against the dragon and its angels. But the dragon lost the battle. It and its angels were forced out of their places in heaven and were thrown down to the earth. Yes, that old snake and his angels were thrown out of heaven! That snake, who fools everyone on earth, is known as the devil and Satan.

Earth. They were thrown to earth and have raged against God and his creation ever since.

That is why Paul wrote about our internal never-ending conflict in the way that he did in today's reading.

Galatians 5:17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

Did you notice that last part? We are never free from this conflict!

Now those that are caught in the midst of a battle have two choices, stand by and do nothing, ensuring your own destruction. Or you choose a side and fight with all that is within you so that your side prevails.

Fight! Choose life, choose God. Obey the directives of those in command.

Galatians 5:25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

The word "leading" in the verse above is the Greek word "stoicheo" it means, "to proceed in a row as the march of a soldier." We are embroiled in the midst of the conflict of the ages. Let us ensure that we walk with the rank-and-file of the victorious!

Lord, may we walk in line with fellow believers, marching toward victory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Victory is ours! Jan
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Galatians 4 – Superior Truth

Paul describes something in this chapter that I've experienced. In fact if I'm honest with myself, I've probably been the culprit myself on occasion. It is the sin of envy, of jealousy, of competition for someone's affection or attention. Now don't get me wrong, wanting someone's affection is not a bad thing. However, when it is being done for the wrong reason, then it is sin. If I try to worm my way into someone's life so that I can be important to them, so that they depend on me, and turn their backs on someone else... What would you call that?

Galatians 4:17-18 Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favor are not doing it for your good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay more attention to them. Now it's wonderful if you are eager to do good, and especially when I am not with you.

Paul is the one being abandoned for the new suitor. He is gracious and says that if the new suitor were better for them, then he would be for it. But that is not the case. The new suitor, the false teachers, were trying to get the believers tangled up with rules, regulations and laws that would hold them in bondage and ensure that those teachers were their only hope. The false teachers were jealous of Paul's influence and the fact that they had lost their power and sway. Therefore, in Paul's absence they did everything in their power to reestablish their stranglehold on what they called truth.

Yet a more perfect truth had been revealed. Was keeping the law truth? Of course. However, as Paul eloquently explained, it was odious to do. It was lacking in its completeness. It is similar to saying that 1 + 1 = an even number. While that is true, there is a more superior truth, one that is more accurate. Likewise grace, brought to us by Christ's death on the cross unveiled a superior truth. He fulfilled the law. We need only to accept that fulfillment on our behalf.

Father, thank you for releasing me from the curse of the law – a curse that would have resulted in my eternal death. Thank you for eternal salvation through your son Jesus. In his name, Amen.

It equals two. Jan
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Galatians 3 - Hermeneutics

I truly enjoy looking into some of the obscure or lost meanings of certain scripture verses. There are things about God's word that we miss unless we look for the context in which they were given. For instance, when the King James bible was written the word 'let' meant to prevent something. However, now the word means to permit something. This is an extreme example, but it illustrates that often in order to understand a passage, we must view it with the mindset of the original intended audience.

Paul does this in today's reading. He takes a familiar passage of scripture from Genesis and shows how it points to Christ.

Genesis 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Notice that in the verse above, the word 'descendants' appears. This word is the Hebrew word 'zera'. The most common translation is 'seed'. It comes from the word 'zara' meaning to conceive. However, most bibles translate this word as descendants - plural. Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, corrects this error.

Galatians 3:16 God gave the promise to Abraham and his child. And notice that it doesn't say the promise was to his children, as if it meant many descendants. But the promise was to his child—and that, of course, means Christ.

Paul shows that this passage of scripture is actually pointing to a singular descendant, not plural. He further adds that of course that descendant is Jesus. A little later in the chapter we get the payoff from this statement.

Galatians 3:29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.

Lord, thank you that as your child, and brother to Christ, I too inherit the promise because Jesus promised it to me. In his' name, Amen.

Exegetes unite! Jan
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Galatians 2 - Legalism

I had an interesting encounter with a brother immediately following church today. He said something to me in Hebrew. It was obvious to him that I didn't recognize the phrase. So he added, with a bit of self-satisfaction, "Happy Passover". Ah, a light came on. Today is Nisan 14, the Jewish Passover.

The man then commented that it was a shame that this isn't even mentioned in our Christian churches. I agree with him. Our heritage, our roots, should be honored.

This moment was one of those obvious God ordained meetings, for I was able to inform him that my wife and I were going to a Jewish Passover Seder this very day. Needless to say he was rather surprised.

Thinking he now had an ally, he again remarked that Christians are not obeying God's command to observe the Passover.

That is where I had to differ and correct him. My wife and I were not going out of some form of compulsion, rather it was a desire to be with friends and to share a unique experience. Gentile Christians (anyone that is not Jewish by birth) are not commanded to observe Jewish ceremonial laws. I reminded him that James and the rest of the elders in Jerusalem were quite specific in what they required of Gentile believers. Paul wrote about this incident in Jerusalem in today's chapter.

Galatians 2:4 Even that question wouldn't have come up except for some so-called Christians there—false ones, really—who came to spy on us and see our freedom in Christ Jesus. They wanted to force us, like slaves, to follow their Jewish regulations.

The context of this statement is that the apostles were all recalled to Jerusalem to determine what the Lord's will was regarding Gentiles. Were these former heathens now required to keep Jewish traditions and ceremonial laws or not? Below is the full text of their official response.

Acts 15:23-29
This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!

We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but they had no such instructions from us. So it seemed good to us, having unanimously agreed on our decision, to send you these official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you what we have decided concerning your question.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these requirements: You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.

The judgment of the council is in italics. The answer is a clear 'No'. The Gentile believers are not required to observe Jewish ceremonial laws.

There is one law, only one, required for any believer.

Galatians 5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Father, may we be wise and gentle. Give us the desire to serve you out of love and not compulsion. Help us not to burden people down with things that are not of you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Live in liberty. Jan
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Galatians 1 - Drop it!

Deception entered the ranks of Christianity very early.

Galatians 1:6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ.

Paul said that they were "turning away... from God". What does that mean?

The word "turning" is the Greek word "Metatithemi". It means to replace something with another thing, or to remove.

Even more interesting is that it is a compound Greek word. The first part is the word "Meta", which means after or behind. The second part of the word is "Tithemi", which means to set down, put aside, or no longer carry.

It sounds to me like those early Christians were replacing God, or their Christianity, with something else. And then, what were they setting down, or putting aside? Were they removing themselves from their share in eternal life? Did they drop their new birthright?

Make you wonder, don't it? Jan
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