TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 3:15-18
God in his grace gave [the inheritance] to Abraham through a promise. - Galatians 3:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Whenever a lawyer builds a defense case, he prepares arguments and counterarguments. He needs to be able to take different vantage points, to anticipate questions and formulate answers even before those questions are asked. And that’s what Paul has been doing throughout his letter, preparing a very thorough defense of his apostleship and of the gospel.

The argument goes in two directions. Paul’s ultimate aim is to dissuade the Galatians from believing they must be circumcised. His arguments are rooted in the Old Testament because it is from the Old Testament that the false teachers have twisted their faulty logic. There has been a fundamental misunderstanding of the promises made to Abraham and the purpose of the law. The Gentile converts in Galatia, now doubting their identity as Abraham’s children and heirs of the divine promises, wanted to become circumcised to guarantee their status as members of God’s family.

The first direction of this argument is from an example in everyday life. Paul asks them to consider human covenants, or contracts. Can they be dissolved or annulled? When two parties mutually agree, when the covenant is confirmed by shaking hands or signing a piece of paper, it cannot be reversed without compromising the integrity of one of the parties.

Now consider the covenant that God made with Abraham. God cannot compromise His character. What He has promised, He will do. His contract with Abraham is irreversible. Moreover, what He’s promised to Abraham will come through his “seed” or offspring (cf. Gen. 12:7). Galatians clarifies that the seed to which God refers in Genesis is not in fact the children of Abraham (who are many) but Christ (who is One). Christ becomes the true heir of all the divine promises made to Abraham.

The second direction argues from the timeline. The promises were made to Abraham more than four centuries before the law was ever given to Moses. Could the law really supersede the promises if the promises were given first?

APPLY THE WORD
Our trust that God is faithful to His promises is critical to our faith. Write down the promises you find in the pages of Scriptures as you read, and prayerfully reflect on those promises. Ask God to help you believe in His faithfulness. If you’re afraid, remember that He’s promised to be with you. If you’re uncertain, remember that He’s promised wisdom. If you’re broken over sin in your life, remember He’s promised forgiveness.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 3:19-25
The law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. - Galatians 3:24
TODAY IN THE WORD
Star of the popular reality show, Supernanny, Jo Frost flies in to help frazzled parents who have come to their wits’ end because of their children’s behavior. Her practical, no-nonsense style and advice helps parents to identify why their own discipline is failing. Jo Frost has become a modern- day Mary Poppins.

Paul describes the important purposes of the law in today’s reading, one of which is to act as a “nanny” for God’s children. As we’ll study today, God’s law has various functions. We’ll understand that the law and the promise are not at odds with each other. They don’t work against each other but rather towards the same end. The law was an essential part of God’s plan. It was never the primary means of relating to God, for we’ve already seen that the promise was given first, centuries before the introduction of the law. But it was necessary for an appointed time.

Of course the question Paul anticipates from the Galatians for all the arguments he’s made so far is this: If faith supersedes the law, if our inheritance comes through Abraham and not the law, then why did God even give the law? What are the purposes of the law?

The law was necessary for the purpose of revealing and condemning sin. The Old Testament law, with all of its regulations for human behavior and interaction, with its strict guidelines for sacrifices and worship, revealed the depravity of human beings. It revealed our inability to ever measure up to God’s standards. It illuminated the hopeless state of humanity before God. In this sense, the law imprisons and holds us captive (v. 23).

But the law’s functions aren’t exclusively negative. In a positive role, the law serves as our guardian. It holds us captive, yes, but in so doing, keeps us safe and delivers us finally into the arms of Jesus. Once Jesus had come, the hopelessness of our spiritual state, as revealed to us by the law, would be the very thing to drive us towards an embrace of God’s grace.

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The Mishnah, the written collection of Jewish oral teachings and traditions, teaches that following the law leads a person to life: “Lots of Torah, lots of life.” Paul says that the law can never impart life or spiritual well being. Even today, we have to be very careful of our tendency to want to define our spiritual lives by rules and regulations, keeping a list of do’s and don’ts. Following rules doesn’t make us Christians and doesn’t ensure our favor with God. Faith in Jesus does.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 3:26-29
You are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28
TODAY IN THE WORD
The caste system in India creates a rigidly stratified culture where oppor-tunities for social mobility do not exist. In fact, Hinduism actually sanctions the hierarchical, birth-ordained Indian caste system. It’s little wonder, then, that the Christian gospel has held appeal for many Dalit, those least regarded in India who were formerly known as the Untouchables.

The Christian gospel, quite contrary to the teachings of Hinduism in India, celebrates the joyful announcement of the unity and equality of all people in the name of Jesus Christ. Disparities based upon ethnicity, economic status, and race disappear. People are not valued based on these distinctions. God’s family members are all equal to one another.

This was radically new for these believers in Galatia, who were undoubtedly quite familiar with first-century attitudes. It was common for the Pharisees in Paul’s time to give thanks to God that they were not Gentiles, slaves, or women. Clearly,

a great deal of prejudice existed against these groups as well as others. But the false teachers who had come from Jerusalem had not yet embraced this new message of equality: by preaching that Gentiles must become “Jewish” and be circumcised was to insist upon the rules of the old system and reject everything that had been made new through Christ.

Paul sums up much of the argument of chapter 3 in these closing verses. Christ Jesus is Abraham’s rightful heir. When we declare faith in Christ, we are baptized into Him and are guaranteed to inherit all the divine promises and the family name of Abraham. We are fully and completely adopted by God into His family. In this family, it does not matter if one is a Jew or Gentile, a slave or a free man, a man or a woman, because what becomes the most defining piece of our identity is that we are “Christian.” We belong to Him through faith, not through the law. The law was a guardian for us, but now this new era was hailed when Jesus the Messiah came.

APPLY THE WORD
The message of unity in Paul’s letter to the Galatians is still relevant today. We often separate from one another based upon our race, economic status, or other differences. It is a beautiful and dramatic testimony to the gospel when Christian communities are formed among people who are different from one another. True unity comes from our recognition that we are all recipients of saving grace from God through Jesus Christ. This is unity we should pray for and work towards.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 4:1-7
When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, . . . born under the law, to redeem those under the law. - Galatians 4:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
The reasons behind God’s timing are not always apparent to us, although the Bible assures us that God is never late or early. Abraham may have waited twenty-five years for a son, but God had not delayed. The Israelites might haveagonized during their cruel oppression in Egypt, but God was not late. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise” (2 Peter 3:9).

Paul affirms that God chose to send His Son Jesus into the world at the “set time.” We cannot fully know why Jesus would crash into time when He did. It might have been because the Greek empire had provided a common culture and language, which would speed the spread of the gospel. Or maybe it was because the Romans had constructed new roads throughout the empire, which would also aid in missionary endeavors.

For whatever reason, God sent Jesus at His approved time. The Son that God sends is both fully God and fully man. He was sent (pre-existing before His birth) and therefore divine; He was also born (of a woman, under the law) and therefore human. Paul lays out a very clear understanding of the Incarnation in this passage and sees its direct correlation in helping the Galatians understand their status as sons.

The story of the Galatian believers is formulated according to the Exodus narrative, a familiar and fundamental story for the Jews. The Jews had been slaves in Egypt, rescued by God’s hand, and delivered into freedom. The Galatians, too, were once slaves. They’d been held captive to the “elemental spiritual forces of the world” (v. 3). Scholars have interpreted those forces as either the law itself or the pagan gods of the Gentiles.

Either way, liberation was theirs when Christ came. He came as God, fully able to rescue those held in slavery. He came as a man, fulfilling the demands of the law, and by His righteousness, obtaining for us salvation. He bore the punishment that should have been ours. And to complete the Trinitarian work of salvation, God the Spirit now testifies in our hearts that we are God’s children.

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Pastor and theologian John Stott writes about this passage, “God sent His Son that we might have the status of sonship, and He sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it. This comes through the affectionate, confidential intimacy of our access to God in prayer.” Paul taught the Galatians that when they pray the words, “Abba, Father,” it’s then they have the clearest sense of belonging to God (v. 6). Our prayer life is a vital part of our spiritual health!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 4:8-11
Do you wish to be enslaved . . . all over again? - Galatians 4:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
Following the end of the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson worked to piece the nation back together, but it wasn’t easy. Slavery had been abolished, but prejudice had not. In the South, state legislatures were working hard to pass laws that disenfranchised blacks and effectively made them slaves again. Unemployed blacks could be seized, fined for vagrancy, and forced to work for private employers in order to pay those fines. It was a form of slavery without the name.

Paul pleads with the Galatians in this letter not to return to their former spiritual slavery. He wants them to understand their new identity. They once were slaves, having no freedom and being imprisoned by their own sin and the moral demands of the law. They were also enslaved to pagan idolatries. At one time, many in the churches in Galatia had bowed to the ancient Greek deities. Or possibly, they had dabbled in astrology and the signs of the zodiac. They were distanced from God and estranged from relationship with Him.

Since Christ had come, and the gospel of His death and resurrection had been preached to the Galatians, everything changed. They have been made new. They’ve now gained the status of sons and been adopted into God’s family. The inheritance is theirs: spiritual freedom has been granted them.

Why reject all that God has given you by His grace? Why turn back to slavery? If you can live like the sons and daughters of God with all of its privileges and freedoms, do you really want to return to living like slaves? And that’s in effect what the false teachers were prodding them toward. They wanted the Galatians to be circumcised, and they were having them observe the Jewish calendar rites.

What we will begin to see in the rest of chapter 4 is Paul’s tender heart of affection for the Galatians. He admits to his concern and worry for them. And he fears that somehow, all the time he has spent preaching and teaching in their churches has been wasted because they were on the verge of abandoning the gospel in favor of slavery.

APPLY THE WORD
Yesterday, we saw that Paul compared the Galatians’ story to the Exodus. If you remember reading from the book of Numbers, the generation of Jews who left Egypt had many moments when they wished they could return! Somehow slavery looked better than freedom. Perhaps it was a question of familiarity. We, too, prefer what feels easy and comfortable and familiar. But when God grants us freedom to move to a new place of abundance, don’t shrink back in fear.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 4:12-16
Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? - Galatians 4:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
People who have some sort of facial disfigurement, whether from birth defects, illness, or injuries from an accident, often suffer from a great deal of mental anguish in addition to their physical trauma. Studies are finding that psychological support is an equally important part of their care as are surgical procedures.

We don’t know the exact nature of the illness or disfigurement that Paul alludes to in today’s reading. We have some clues that whatever it was, his problem was plainly visible and would have normally inspired reactions of horror or scorn. Perhaps it was a problem with his eyes, because he describes the Galatians as being willing to gouge out their own eyes and give them to him. But despite the disadvantages such an ailment would have normally presented (Greeks and Jews both often saw disability and disease as evidence of divine displeasure), it became an opportunity for him to share the gospel with the Galatians. Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly why, but the very thing that debilitated Paul was the precise reason he even stopped in Galatia to preach the gospel. When Paul arrived in Galatia, he was greeted very warmly. They immediately embraced Paul’s message and believed him to be divinely sent. They treated him as if he were an angel or better yet, Christ Jesus Himself. The affection that Paul felt for the Galatians was obviously at one point reciprocated by those to whom he writes. Their commitment to Paul was undeniable. They would have given anything to help him.

But since the arrival of the false teachers whose efforts have been aimed at discrediting Paul and his message, the Galatians’ affection had waned. It wasn’t even just simply a matter that their friendly feelings for Paul had cooled. They were even treating him as an enemy. Most likely, they questioned what he said and his motives for saying it.

Paul obviously had to overcome a great deal when writing his letter to the Galatians. He had to defend his apostleship and the gospel and win back the hearts of his disciples. He was willing to do this because of his love for his spiritual children.

APPLY THE WORD
When pastors and teachers are faithfully proclaiming the gospel, sometimes they have to say what is not easy for their congregants to hear. If they preach the truth of Jesus Christ, it will always offend someone in some way. Be grateful when you hear your pastor challenging you and loving you enough to speak hard truth into your life. Know that this is the greatest evidence of their faithful commitment to you and to Christ, and commit to faithfully lifting up your spiritual leaders in prayer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 4:17-20
I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. - Galatians 4:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
Sadly, far too many pastors or TV evangelists have public ministries that have won a lot of converts and even persuaded a lot of people to give their money, only to later have something is disclosed publicly that reveals fraudulent character of either the minister or the ministry. What seemed to be a spiritual empire crumbles and proves to be a sham.

Paul warned the Galatians that the false teachers were not who they claimed to be. They might declare allegiance to Jesus Christ. They might tout their credentials and claim their ministry and message were superior to Paul’s. From all appearances, they were clearly zealous and passionate. Perhaps they were masters at public oratory and incredibly dynamic from the pulpit. But all this was a ruse.

The false teachers were zealous—but for the wrong purpose. For all the reasons that Paul listed in previous chapters, their teaching abandoned the true gospel of Jesus Christ. They wanted the Galatians to take on Jewish traditions, and they made this a necessary requirement for following Jesus. They misunderstood the promises made to Abraham and the purposes of the law. They added additional criteria for following Jesus, leading the Galatians astray.

Behind what appeared to be affection for the Galatians was greed for influence and power. They wanted to turn the Galatians away from trusting and believing in Paul’s message. They wanted the Galatians to disavow any allegiance to Paul simply so that they could gain fans. Their ministry was not motivated by the humble servitude we see in Christ Himself. Instead, these false teachers were full of pride and selfish ambition.

Paul’s attitude stands in stark contrast. He had paternal affection for the Galatians as well as sincere concern for their spiritual growth. His only aspiration is that Christ be formed in them. He wanted them to be living like Jesus, with His strength and joy. He wanted the Spirit of Christ to be filling them. His concern in his letter isn’t so much that they’ve somehow drifted away from him personally. He’s concerned that they were walking away from Jesus.

APPLY THE WORD
How many of us have known the deep anguish Paul felt for the Galatians over their spiritual state? He loved them so much and wanted passionately for Christ to live in them. As parents, we can pray for this passionate affection for our children and their spiritual growth. As servants and leaders in the church, we can pray for Paul’s heart for the babies we hold, the children we teach, the youth we serve, as well as every adult sitting in the pews.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Genesis 21:1-14
It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. - Genesis 21:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
If you miss the beginning of a movie, you risk missing the opening scene, which often provides a lot of context for what’s happening in the film. Neither is it a good idea to skip the opening chapter of a novel. You might miss out on an introduction to a major character or conflict of the book.

We’re jumping out of Galatians today and back into Genesis, simply to provide some of the back story for Paul’s forthcoming arguments. If we don’t return to Genesis, we might find ourselves somewhat confused. In the last ten verses of Galatians 4, which we’ll read tomorrow, Paul introduces a lengthy and complicated argument comparing Ishmael and Isaac, the two sons of Abraham. Today we’ll read more about these two sons in Genesis, which will help us with tomorrow’s reading.

We know that Ishmael was a son born to Abraham but not to Sarah. Sarah, who had spent many years grieving her inability to have children, had concocted what she thought was a no-fail plan.

Abraham would impregnate her servant, Hagar, and through Hagar, Sarah would bear children (see Genesis 16). It never worked as well as Sarah had hoped. Contempt and jealousy abounded on both sides once Ishmael was born.

In today’s reading, Sarah had now also conceived and given birth to a son, Isaac. He was the son of promise, the culmination of everything that God had been telling Abraham and Sarah for decades now. You will bear a son from your own bodies, and you will become a great nation. Now Isaac was the flesh and blood proof that God has kept His word.

Isaac and Ishmael were no different in the sign of circumcision. Both sons were circumcised. Both sons were Abraham’s biological children. But it was through Isaac that God plans to “reckon the offspring” of Abraham. Don’t forget that in Galatians 3 we saw the word “seed,” meaning “offspring,” referred to Jesus Christ. The children of Isaac are the children of Abraham are the children of Christ!

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The story of Ishmael and Isaac portrays what happens when we foolishly take matters into our own hands. God had promised children to Abraham and Sarah, but when Sarah got tired of waiting on God, she made her own plan. And the effects of that plan were disastrous! If you know for certain that God has given you direction about an area of your life, wait on Him and trust that He’ll confirm what He wants you to do next and when.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 4:21-31
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. - Galatians 4:31
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the classic children’s book, Are You My Mother?, a baby bird falls out of his nest when his mother isn’t around, and he sets out to look for her, asking dogs, cows, planes, and steam shovels whether or not he belongs to them.

The question Paul wants the Galatians to answer involves the identity of their spiritual mother. Are the Galatians children of Sarah or children of Hagar? Are they of the lineage of Isaac or of the lineage of Ishmael? This chapter takes argument even further than in previous chapters, when the focus lies on the question of whether or not the Galatians were Abraham’s children. In Paul’s mind, it has not been sufficient to say that the Galatians are children of Abraham, because as we saw in yesterday’s reading, there were two sons of Abraham.

The sons of Ishmael are the sons of slavery. Hagar, a slave, gave birth to a son who was also a slave. Ishmael is a son of the flesh. There was no supernatural intervention when Hagar conceived Ishmael. Interpreted allegorically, Hagar corresponds with the Mosaic Law given on Mount Sinai. And we’ve already studied how that law is powerless to save. The law condemns but cannot redeem. It curses all human beings because we are hopelessly depraved and powerless to keep its commands.

The sons of Isaac are sons of freedom. They are born to Sarah, the free woman, and they are born according to the divine promise and provision. Sarah conceived Isaac at the age of ninety, well past menopause. God gave Isaac supernaturally to Sarah and Abraham, and this testifies as evidence that Isaac, not Ishmael, was the chosen and favored son.

Paul’s making clear of which mother the false teachers are born. He highlighted that they have come from the literal city of Jerusalem, with which he equates Hagar. The false teachers are the sons of Ishmael!

Whose children do you want to be: those of Hagar, the slave woman, or Sarah, the free woman?

APPLY THE WORD
We have a spiritual heritage of freedom, but like the Galatians, we can be tempted to opt for slavery. We want to define our identity by what we do and how well we perform—even turning service to God into a way to try to earn God’s approval and affection. But in relying on our human efforts, we reject the free gift of God’s grace. He offers us a place in His family simply because we trust in His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:1-6
I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. - Galatians 5:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
The cable network TLC aired a new show within the past year about a polygamist, his three wives, and their thirteen children. Sister Wives tells the story of a fundamental Mormon family seemingly content with their unconventional (and illegal!) household arrangement. The show has sparked an ongoing controversy and debate.

It seems unthinkable to most of us to share your spouse with another person. Choosing to marry is just that: choosing, not sharing! That’s what Paul says to the Galatians. They must choose: either they will follow Christ or they will follow the law. They cannot do both, no matter what the false teachers have told them.

We can feel the tone of Paul’s letter shift just a bit in the opening verses of chapter 5. So far, Paul has mounted a very thorough theological and reasoned argument for the content of the gospel. He has given every reason for the Galatians to reject the false teachers. He has rooted his argument in the Old Testament Scriptures, in the spiritual experience of the Galatians, and in the defense of his apostleship. He’s laid out a compelling case for why the false teachers are wrong and he’s right. But in chapters 5 and 6, he doesn’t introduce additional new evidence to defend the gospel. Instead, his tone becomes more agitated, insistent, and emphatic. The case has been made, and the Galatians must decide.

The Galatians cannot have Christ and circumcision. They cannot have grace and the law. Circumcision and the law were precursors to Christ, pointing the way to Him. Now that Christ has come and set them free from the obligations of the law, if they choose to return to the law and its demands, they will be rejecting Christ. They will ultimately be saying that the cross of Christ is worthless.

Paul pleads with them. Hear what I’ve said! Don’t turn away from Christ! He reminded them again of their experience of the Holy Spirit, who has given them faith and hope and righteousness. He points them to the ultimate expression of Christian faith, which is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision: it is love.

APPLY THE WORD
Not all situations are as clear-cut as the one confronting the Galatians. They have a definitive choice they must make, and it will determine their spiritual future. But sometimes we do have situations that are obvious. Maybe we’ve received godly counsel from a friend or heard biblical teaching that confirms we must choose either to turn from sin or to follow a right course of action. If you know what you should do, don’t delay in doing it!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:7-12
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. - Hebrews 12:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
During the semifinals of the 400-meter race during the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Derek Redmond of Great Britain tore a leg muscle halfway around the track. He fell to the ground in pain, and men soon arrived with a stretcher to carry him off the track. Redmond refused the stretcher, lifting himself up off the ground. It was then that his father left the stands, sped to his son’s side, and helped him limp across the finish line.

So often in Scripture, the Christian life is compared to an athletic contest or race of some kind. Paul reminds the Galatians how well they had been running their race initially. But recently, they have been tripped up by the false teachers. These men had cut in on them and diverted them from the truth. These men could not have come from God, Paul asserts. God has called them to Himself by the grace of Jesus Christ (cf. Gal. 1:6), but the false teachers have rejected the teaching of grace, and instead they have insisted that more is required for membership in God’s family, namely circumcision.

Paul had absolutely no tolerance for their teaching. It is an affront to the truth of the gospel, and such lies originate with the Devil himself. He has no doubt that the false teachers have to expect only divine judgment for their teaching. They had thrown the Galatians into confusion, and they will be held to account for this. Ultimately, Paul says that if they’re so insistent upon the necessity of circumcision, they should go all the way and castrate themselves (v. 12). Why not finish the job?

This hyperbole indicates the seriousness of their offense. In suggesting castration, Paul might have had in mind the pagan priests in the Northern Galatia region, who were made eunuchs at an annual festival. Paul could have also have in mind the Old Testament law, which forbade anyone from entering the temple who had been castrated (Deut. 23:1). Either way, he insists their teaching no longer be permitted and that they be excluded from the church.

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The false teachers didn’t want disapproval, and they feared suffering, so they trimmed from the Christian message what was most offensive: the cross! That’s a temptation for any of us. Will we fully affirm the significance of the cross of Jesus Christ? Will we proclaim that there is only one means for the forgiveness of sin, and it is only through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:13-15
I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law. - 1 Corinthians 9:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Prostitution in Holland has long been legal, and it has a notable presence in the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Walking these cobblestone streets, one sees freedom in its basest form—licentiousness. Women are exploited, and lust is indulged. And it’s all legal. The women are free to work, and the men are free to patronize.

In this passage, Paul wants the Galatians to understand what their freedom in Christ is and is not. It is nothing like what happens in the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Christian freedom doesn’t simply mean that one is permitted to do everything he chooses when he chooses to do it. Just because we are free in Christ and under no obligation to the law doesn’t give us a moral carte blanche. Remember what Paul said about the law? It doesn’t save us, but it can teach us moral guidelines and principles.

Freedom doesn’t mean the absence of authority. We are still responsible for our choices and accountable to God for those choices. God has a definite will for us. He has plans to shape us into the very kind of people He intended for the Israelites to be. The Mosaic Covenant fell short of empowering the people to live into God’s standards. It imprisoned them in their helpless state. But now that Christ has come and His followers have received His Spirit, there is a new empowerment to obey the law. Obeying the law doesn’t mean we earn our salvation; rather, it testifies to our new identity in Christ.

For the Christian, God’s law isn’t about rites and rituals, circumcision, and festival days. The divine requirements could be summed up in one phrase: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 14). The implication is that this is precisely where the Galatians are struggling. They were feverishly zealous when the false teachers preached the necessity of circumcision. They wanted to follow—it seemed so much more clear and straightforward; surely it would be easier to follow! But Paul calls them to something higher and altogether more difficult. It is the way of love, self-sacrifice, servitude, and humility. These four words must govern our interactions with one another in the body of Christ.

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The quality of our relationships matter a great deal to God. Sometimes we think that reading our Bible, attending church, and volunteering are the things that God is most concerned we do. And those are all good practices! But God really wants us to enjoy peaceful and loving relationships with one another. He wants us to let go of pride, selfish ambition, and quarreling. He wants us to be willing to serve our brothers and sisters.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:16-18
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. - Galatians 5:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
Students of medicine must take courses in anatomy, but they don’t just study the different body systems by looking in reference textbooks. They actually dissect and explore human cadavers. They get an up close and inside look at how the muscles and bones work together; how the heart connects to the circulatory system, and how the organs depend on one another.

Paul has a spiritual anatomy lesson for us today, and it helps to explain what the Christian life can feel like on a day-to-day basis. He not only explains the mechanics of our inner spirit, but he teaches what is necessary to grow in the Christian life.

First, we must understand that once we’ve become a Christian, there are two very real components to our humanity. One dimension of our soul has been gloriously regenerated by the Spirit of Christ who comes to inhabit our bodies. This part of us wants to do and become all that pleases God. It isn’t dutiful or reluctant but joyful and enthusiastic.

But there is a darker side, the flesh that remains with us. The “flesh” is shorthand for referring to our worldly desires and inclinations toward sin, which don’t automatically disappear post-conversion. This part of our soul stands opposed to the Spirit of Christ. It has different desires, goals, and ambitions. It wars with the regenerated part of our soul. The struggle to do what is right, to live holy lives, and to be obedient to Jesus Christ can often plunge us into despair. Will we ever be free from the inner feuding? But Paul assures us that this battle is evidence that Christ lives in us. Were there no regeneration by God’s Spirit, there would be no war!

So what does it look like to walk with the Spirit and allow God to capture more of our soul and take it under His control? It does not happen by simply working to change our behaviors. Notice that the flesh and the Spirit operate on the level of desire. Until what we want begins to change, our behaviors will not change.

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Allowing God to change what we desire is a mysterious process. It is a process of surrender. It begins with praying honestly. It means telling God what you really want. It might mean confessing that you’ve clung to some desire so fiercely that ingratitude or bitterness has grown in your heart when God hasn’t provided. Surrender not only means acknowledging our desires to God, but it also entails discovering, through His Word, His good intentions towards each of us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:19-26
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 5:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
John Newton, author of the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” was heavily invested in the British slave trade when he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Several decades later, he published a pamphlet denouncing the horrors of the slave trade and issuing a confession for his own involvement. Newton had these words fixed to the wall of his study: “Thou shalt remember that thou was a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.”

Like John Newton, we are sobered by our sins, especially when reading today’s passage. It catalogs sins of which we are all guilty and virtues of which we all fall short. Galatians 5 has been explaining what it means to live by the flesh and to live by the Spirit. Today’s verses get quite specific. They read like a catalog of symptoms, and the symptoms are all sorts of sin, internal and external, horizontal and vertical. Sin can be defined by the evil we commit against our own bodies (sexual sin, gluttony, drunkenness), sins we commit against God (idolatry and witchcraft), and sins we commit against one another (hatred and the like).

The list of virtues is unlike the list of vices, which Paul says are “acts of the flesh” (v. 19). The virtues are more than acts of goodness that we do. They are inner qualities of character that reveal how the Spirit of Christ has directly inhabited a person. They are supernatural! Above all else, love tops the list. It is the supreme virtue, which Paul has already mentioned several times (cf. 5:6, 13, 14). When one loves, it is impossible to neglect the other virtues. Love is joyful. Loves makes peace. Love forgives, keeps promises, and acts tenderly and unselfishly.

We are no longer imprisoned to our flesh and its acts and desires. All that has been nailed to the Cross! Our struggle for transformation requires not only fighting what is already dead and but also watering what’s already been planted. Then our lives will bear the fruit of the Spirit, fruit that reveals how carefully and lovingly our God is tending to our lives.

APPLY THE WORD
How can a gardener get his trees to produce more fruit? One way is through cultivating the soil. He waters and fertilizes it. So if we are meant to bear fruit for God, we should be paying attention to our soil! We can’t grow without the water and fertilization of the Scriptures. We need to read the Bible personally, but we also need to be in a community where we hear the Word preached.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 6:1-6
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In our pluralist culture today, Christians are confused about confronting sin. Some prominent denominations embrace the gay lifestyle and cohabitation, despite the fact that Scripture forbids it. Others praise the pursuit of wealth, even encouraging ostentation. Today’s passage from Galatians gives us a better picture of what it means to confront sin in a biblical way.

First of all, sin cannot be ignored. There are absolutes in the Bible; some choices are right and good, and others are worldly and evil. Although salvation is free through the grace of Jesus Christ, we are called to live holy lives in the likeness of Christ. When a Christian sins and persists in a lifestyle of sin, it must be addressed.

If a brother in Christ confronts another brother about his sin, he needs to have the right goal in mind and the right attitude in handling the situation. His goal is not to castigate the sinner and remind him of what a louse he is for having sinned. Instead, he should aim to bring that person back into fellowship with God and with his church community. Sin always estranges us, so restoring a sinner means helping him to see this estrangement and gently encouraging him to leave his sin and come back to God. When done well, this confrontation is sympathetic and gentle. Perhaps there have been hardships that have contributed to this brother’s sin? His community will share to relieve those burdens, through prayer and practical contributions.

What must be guarded against is pride. What will ruin an interaction such as the one described above is a prideful spirit. If someone speaks in a condescending tone and believes himself to be superior to the “sinner” in any way, it could cause great discouragement, anger and resentment. That’s why, in the context of Christian community, a person must be carefully considered before he is chosen to confront another’s sin. Is this a godly person, one who is bearing the fruit of love, patience, and gentleness?

The law of Christ is to love: love doesn’t ignore sin. But love always wears the qualities of gentleness and humility.

APPLY THE WORD
This passage assumes that Christians are living in close relationship with one another. They are familiar with the burdens carried by one another. They’re even aware of some of the sins their brothers and sisters commit. This is not a description of an anonymous, go-it-alone faith. Are you living in Christian community? Do you have people with whom you can share your needs and confess your sin? Seek out these relationships, because they are a vital part of your Christian life.