Today's text provides us more and more wonderful data bout the nature of our being in Christ and about the sorry state of the Galatians during the writing of this letter. We shall assess many things, of which the most pivotal are as follows:
- What is Spiritual Freedom?
- More stuff about the first False Christians!
- Circumcision.
- How to live a decent life once Christ has Freed us from Spiritual Slavery!
Let us start with
Galatians 4. Glory! Paul compares those who have not yet chosen Christ (everyone else but us
True Christians™) to
children who are not allowed to take matters into their own hands but have to
obey the Father! This unfortunate state of affairs needs
Jesus to be overturned!
Galatians 4:4-6
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Please, do not make any rude jokes about the Swiss ensemble of Hard Rock! Yes, we know they look like
this.
This frees us from
bondage to the Spiritual Plane!
Galatians 4:7
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
However, the Galatians are about to
lose all this as they've become
False Christians. Paul uses
harsh words to rebuke the stupid Galatians. He knows that they might be offended but that is not important!
You must tell the Truth™ to the sinners to
Save them! These musings lead to one of the most important verses in the Whole Bible!
Galatians 4:16
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
To enforce his wise words, Paul tells us about
Abraham and his offspring with a slave woman and a free woman. This is a
metaphor. The slavery is
das Irdische Leben here on Earth but the freedom is the
Life in the
New Jerusalem.
Galatians 4:26
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
We move on to
Galatians 5 and, again, the ever urgent matter of the
penis needs to be assessed.
Galatians 5:3
or I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Thus, it you're circumcised,
i.e., the foreskin covering the tip of your penis is removed, you are under the
Law. However, Jesus really doesn't care.
Galatians 5:6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Now, the Galatians are good race runners but they've lost the
Way (that is Jesus and the original Gospel by Paul, not any newer Gospel by any Angel or whatever). Even one speck of bad Gospel can pollute everything!
Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
If you let even the
tiniest thought of false Gospel enter, it is all
ruined. We must be ever vigilant! The rewards are
fabulous. Obviously,
Heaven is there at the End of the Road, but in the meantime we must be nice to those who share our Faith in Christ!
Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The other option is horrible. It entails quite a lot of
nasty stuff.
Galatians 5:19-20
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
We must
avoid these things. It is not enough to just Believe.
Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
As we enter
Galatians 6, we are told to
help other True Christians™ in the task of Believing.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
However, we are told
not to help other True Christians™ in the task of Believing.
Galatians 6:4
For every man shall bear his own burden.
God will
see you and
control your actions regarding His commandments.
Galatians 6:7-8
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
After a quick reminder of the
foreskin issues (Galatians 6:13-15) Paul sends to Grace of Jesus to the Galatians.
Next Time: The Ephesians Receive Instruction!