Scripture:
Galatians 2:11-21 NKJV
[11] Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; [12] for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. [13] And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. [14] But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? [15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [16] knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. [17] “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! [18] For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. [19] For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Observation:
It’s so easy for us to get things just slightly off from what the truth actually is. It’s something that has been going on for years. I believe its why Paul felt it necessary to explain to the church in Ephesus about the armor, strategically placing the belt at the very top of the list. Although it’s not the topic of today’s SOAP, it does play a big part in the message that’s found here in Galatians chapter 2. The apostle Paul found the church in Galatia being confused by those who had snuck in and tried to return this church back to a broken system, a system that was never intended to bring about salvation. In the first chapter he carefully lays the groundwork for where we find ourselves now, making the statement about trying to please man or being led by the Holy Spirit. Paul is one of the most profound writers used by the Holy Spirit. He knew the Jewish law, in fact by the age of 13 he had the first 5 books of the Bible memorized. So the transformation that took place in his life was big. It shattered a system that had been deeply ingrained in him from childhood. He had spent the better part of his life doing all he could to earn a gift that came from the final sacrifice. The one that removed the vale between man and GOD…. The very vale that covered his eyes until a follower of Christ came to the room he found himself in and spoke Jesus over his life. What a moment that must have been. Scales falling to the ground as the gospel of grace became clear. The encounter on the road that day revealed so much. How wrong he was, the hatred the was in his heart, the elect were deceived and therefore deceiving. There was no way to earn it and it wasn’t about pleasing men. His confrontation with Peter, as Peter sought after the approval of man, was big. I can picture Paul saying… “Look Peter get off the fence bro, that’s owned by the enemy, you are saved by grace, man’s opinion of you doesn’t matter.” You see Peter was living a double life. He was living free from the legal restrictions found in the law until those who preached the law came around. Then he would shy away and begin to adhere to a broken system again to gain approval. Hypocrisy was one of the main things that Jesus Christ confronted in the religious leaders of that time, and Peter found himself right in the middle of it. All Paul was saying is you can’t work your way there. You are either going or you’re not. The word he uses is “justified” . I like to break it down like this, just as if I’d never sinned. Being justified by Christ is the only sufficient source of justification. Looking at verse 17 there is a statement made that we probably should dive into so we get a better understanding of what is being said, “But if we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!” Looking back to several times when Jesus would have an encounter with someone and do something major in their life. The last words they heard from HIM were…. Go and sin no more. HE did not promote sin, HE promoted transformation. The encounter with grace transformed them. So as I begin to draw this observation to an end I want to bring a conclusion to the overall statement that Paul is teaching here. There was an extreme picture painted for us in what Christ did on the cross. It’s what Paul confronts in Peter. You can’t earn a gift, you just have to enjoy it. Christ put HIS flesh to death to be risen to new life. HE died to the law after walking in it perfectly, HE then died to it. So that we can surrender to what HE did. Verses 20 and 21 bring it all out. Paul teaches that when we make a decision to live for Christ we die to our flesh daily not submitting to what we do as a means of salvation but what HE did. Not setting aside the grace of GOD, but what’s that mean…. The last thing I what to do is confuse people so I think its time to move into the application.
Application:
Have you ever tried to change a behavior that you know is not pleasing to GOD, and found yourself failing miserably…. Me too and for the longest time I didn’t understand the harder I tried the bigger my failures were. I just can’t do it. But the truth is that sin brings death. As we surrender to it we become a slave to it. Here is the truth. “I don’t have to, I want to.” GOD can do so much with a willing heart. Let me ask you a question. What happened when you started learning how to ride a bike? Did you just hope on and start riding? Or were you like me, falling off and having wrecked several times? How about walking? Did you just stand up and start walking? Or did you land on your butt a time or two until you learned how to balance? Surrendering to Christ and not setting aside HIS grace is like that. It’s not submitting to a broken system. You can not earn your salvation. That’s a gift. You have to fix that in your mind right now. If you know Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR…you are saved….. It’s sealed….. learning how to walk in that takes practice and comes with some hard lessons. The point is, there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When my daughter, who is now almost 16, was learning how to walk. I would help her stand up. Her hands tightly gripped around my fingers. As she became more comfortable with her balance and taking steps her grip got a little less. Little by little she let go of my finger and she is about to start driving. The process of riding a bicycle was painful to watch. Seeing her knees all skinned up after her first wreck hurt my heart. It’s not an issue today she can ride with the best of them. As we begin to look at a car, I pray that the bumps and scraps she has experienced have taught her to use caution. She is a really smart girl. I told you guys all that to paint a picture. Although we would like to take off and start driving when we come to know Christ…. It doesn’t always happen that way. We have to allow for learning experiences. They may be painful, but we have to get back up and try again. Or we will never learn how to walk in the spirit. As I guided my daughter’s steps she learned where to place her feet and how to keep her balance. GOD’S grace does that for us, HE is a good father, HE knows when it’s time to let us try it on our own. The thing is HE is always watching because HE knows a wreck is coming, and when it does we will get up and run to HIM.
Prayer:
Father, this morning I pray that you do what only you can do. I have said what I believe you wanted me to. I hope I did not add confusion to anything. What I know is I want to live a life that pleases you. That can not be done without faith. That faith has to be in the finished work of the cross. I want to thank you for what you have done. Taking on the responsibility of my debt. Sending your SON to do what we couldn’t. As we cling tightly to your fingers, learning how to walk. Help us to learn as painlessly as possible. We want to walk with you. But honestly we do not want to let go of your hand. Teach us how to walk but don’t let go. Your love runs so deep. We ask that your grace shapes us to be more like your SON. Our salvation is secure in what Christ did… help us to walk in that, knowing that we can run to you in every mistake. You will do what a good father does. Pick us up, dust us off, put us back together, and tell us to try again. Thank you for who you are and may we find ourselves becoming more like that. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.