Galatians 2 - 2006.05.27

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20

The text before us today is sometimes regarded as a testimony to Paul's superior spirituality. And, it is sometimes taken up as a testimony by those who regard themselves as having made a superior commitment to Christ. The fact is, it is an expression of a principle which is true of every born again believer. It is the principle of the believer's union with Christ.

When a sinner trusts the Savior, he is regarded as having been united with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. When Christ went to the cross, He took us there with Him, and in His person we died the death we deserved as sinners. Christ "died for our sins," and we died, in principle, with Him. Death is the only remedy for the life of sin. Long before, the Holy Spirit through the prophet Ezekiel declared, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die [Ezek. 18:4]." The New Testament counterpart is found in Romans 6:23, e.g., "For the wages of sin is death."

United to Christ by faith, when He died, I died. When He was crucified, I was crucified with Him. And that is the enduring position of the "old man." The apostle does not say here, "I was crucified…", but "I am crucified…" This is reinforced in such passages as Col. 3:3, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." God's plan of redemption is not the reformation of our fallen humanity, but its abolition, to be replaced by a new and dramatically different life.

This leads logically to the next phrase, "nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…" The trusting sinner, united with Christ in His death for sin, is by virtue of that same union invested with life; as one paraphrase puts it, "the very life of Christ Himself." The relationship between Christ and the believer is reciprocal. We are in Him, and He is in us. We are united with Him for the purpose of death, the judgment for our sins. He is united with us for the purpose of life, pure and eternal; His life. "Christ lives in me!" It was true for Paul, and if you have exercised faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord, it is true, just as true, for you as well. Writing to the Colossians, Paul continued, "…Christ… is our life [Col. 3:4]."

Life. The very life of Christ. This is the believer's invaluable, immeasurable, incomprehensible possession. It is not earned. He does not merit it. It is not the product of religious activity, or obeying a set of rules. It is bestowed upon us "by grace," if and when we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving Him by faith as Savior and Lord. The law and human works have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

The remainder of our text reveals the perspective that should logically accompany the experience of this glorious relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That Christ is our life, is spiritually true from the moment we believe. The challenge every discerning believer will recognize is to make it practically evident in the "life [we] now live in the flesh," in the rough and tumble of the visible world. The same principle which established our union with Christ is the essential for manifesting it; namely, faith. We cannot live His life; we must allow Him to live it through us, and that by yielding to His Lordship and relying on His power, specifically, the power of the Holy Spirit. The resources are there, but they are His, not ours.

The Spirit of God has spelled it out in greater detail in Romans 6:3-22, where the central principle is, "…yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God [v.13b]." It is ours to purpose, but His to empower as we yield. And the motivation for that is found in Paul's recognition, "…the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." True Christian experience is essentially a love story, beginning with His love for us. If we have learned that, and respond to His love with ours, we will be in a position, as Paul was, to live, for His glory by the faith of the Son of God and manifest to the watching world that "I am His, and He is mine."

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Galatians 1 - 2006.05.20

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:6-7

In his relentless attempt to hinder men from appropriating the grace of God for the salvation of their souls, Satan has at least a twofold strategy. One is to deny the gospel; the other is to distort it. Success in either realm is a victory for the adversary.

The specific distortion confronted in this epistle becomes apparent in Gal. 6:12, 13 "As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised [and] desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh." The general problem was that of adding law to grace as essential to salvation, as a careful reading of the whole epistle will make quite evident.

The temptation to add rules, regulations and other requisites to the gospel, thus generating "another gospel, is nearly epidemic in Christenbdom. Years ago I held in my hand a list of specifics required to be signed in writing if one would "join" a certain church. It included abstaining f rom alcoholic beverages, ballroom dancing, movies and the circus. Whatever place these practices should or should not have in a Christian's life may be debated, but they have nothing to do with the gospel.

There are churches to which one may not belong if he does not subscribe to the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Another group requires a commitment to a specific translation of the scriptures in order to become functioning "members" of the assembly. These are only a sampling of the myriad issues that have become "legal" requirements for church membership, threatening to populate the earth with "other gospels," perverting the gospel of Christ.

Before there was a written New Testament and the formulation of a "rapture question, e.g., and before there were any New Testament scriptures to translate, souls were b being saved and added to "the church which is [Christ's] body," the only church that really matters. The gospel preceded all the issues that divide the "churches," and professing Christians, into the warring (or at least competing) factions today, and belie the unity Christ prayed for and affirmed when He laid the foundation for redemption and the building of HIS church.

What is the gospel? Through the inspired apostle the Holy Spirit expresses it here, "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (v.3-5) To this we may add from v.1, "Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead."

It is just a little more explicit in I Cor. 15:1-4; "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures…"

Herein are the essentials of the gospel. I must believe that there is a God, the God of the Old Testament scriptures. I must believe that I am a sinner, having offended the God Who is there, and am thus alienated from Him. I must believe that Jesus Christ, the Lord, (the Son of God) gave Himself/died for my sins, and rose again from the dead, to reconcile me to God. The Principal is God; the problem is sin; the provision is Christ. Granted, this is a bit oversimplified, but it embraces the essential elements of the gospel, and if I believe it and receive Him (Christ) by faith I will be saved, and belong to HIS church, whether I qualify for any other on earth, or not!

When Philippian jailer cried, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved," it was this simple, uncluttered expression of God's redemptive plan that enabled the apostles to respond, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved [Acts 16:30, 31]." Remarkably, "…the same hour of the night…[he] was baptized, he and all his, straightway [v.33]." He had no New Testament, in any version. He had no position on "the rapture question." He had no card to sign, no "doctrinal statement" to subscribe to, other than the testimony of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried and risen to take away his sins. With that alone, he was, by the Spirit of God, added to the only church that really matters, "The church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven [Heb. 12:23]."

Do not misunderstand. Doctrine does matter, else the rest of the New Testament would not have been written. But doctrine, sound or unsound, will not save your soul. Only faith in Christ can do that. There is no other gospel!

Yours for HIS truth,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 13 [p2] - 2006.05.13

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." II Cor. 13:11

Last week we began to consider the lines of thought stimulated by this text from Paul's benediction in his second epistle to the church at Corinth. We may distinguish four things emphasized and urged upon the saints then, and applicable to saints now. The first is, "be perfect"— Grow up. This, we noted, is not a plea for sinless perfection, but a call to spiritual maturity. The second is, "be of good comfort"— Cheer up. This is a call to victory through faith, by which the believer is able to rise above the circumstances of everyday life in "this present evil world," and maintain a bright testimony for Christ even in the face of adverse circumstances.

We continue today with the third, "be of one mind"— Line up. This is a call to spiritual unity in the fellowship of Christ, the family of God. This is less a matter of uniformity than of harmony. We will not all think alike on every issue, nor agree on every matter; but we can in the midst of our diversity seek the common goal of glorifying God and subordinating our differences of perspective to His will for the manifestation of "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace [Eph. 4:3]."

For this the Savior prayed: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth…Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me [John 17:17, 20-21]." The implication is that if this unity is lacking, the world will be denied vital evidence of the person and work of Christ, and his alliance with the Father.

For this the apostle Paul pleaded: "I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," arguing on the strength of the truth of the real nature of the church as the body of Christ, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all [Eph. 4:1-6]."

A harmonious relationship between believers cannot be forced. It can only by found through a fellowship in which every member seeks the will of God above his own will, and every member submits to the authority of the Word of God, at the expense, if necessary, of his own self-interest. While this line of thought could be pursued at greater length, the above should provide sufficient evidence to stir each to ask himself, "Am I contributing to harmony or discord?"

The fourth pursuit we are here commanded to exercise is "live in peace"— Tune up. It is, obviously, intimately related to the foregoing. There will be no peace where there is no unity, no harmony among the believers. Jesus said, early in His ministry, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God [Mt. 5:9]." And it is the apostle Paul, again, who exhorts, "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another [Rom. 14:19]." You are either a peacemaker, or a troublemaker—which?

Grow up; Cheer up; Line up; Tune up. These might be considered mere novelties were it not for the promise with which they are associated: "…And the God of love and peace shall be with you." These are requisites to the realized presence of GOD in the life of the believer and the fellowship of the saints. Omit them, and you may have a body - of sorts - but it will be wanting the imperative direction and coordinating influence of its proper Head. And where that happens, you may advertise a "church," but it will be only a caricature of the real thing, and have no endorsement by the Lord of Life without Whom the body is merely a corpse.

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 13 [p1] - 2006.05.06

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." II Cor. 13:11

When Paul addressed the church at Corinth in his first epistle, he identified it as "carnal." That is, though saved by God's grace and so inhabited by His Holy Spirit, they were functioning at the level of the flesh, hence the problems they were experiencing. His aim, in these two epistles, is to instruct and encourage them to behave in a manner that would reveal their spiritual heritage and bring glory to God. Though he addresses the church corporately, the principles must be applied individually. Churches grow and function no better than the individuals who make up their fellowship.

Today's text, taken from the apostle's concluding remarks, contains a summary of things essential to living on a spiritual plane rather than a carnal one. And it is interesting to note, upon a little reflection, that each of these items are elaborated on elsewhere in the New Testament. There are four things we are encouraged to pursue, and a consequent promise we are encouraged to embrace.

As to the pursuits, we are to:

Grow up. That is the meaning of the word "perfect" here. This is not a plea for "sinless perfection," but a call for spiritual maturity. This is enlarged upon in Ephesians 4:11ff, for example:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Through the ministry of the word, whether formally or individually and privately, we are exhorted to make progress toward spiritual maturity. It is not the divine intention that we have churches full of baby Christians, lest we have churches full of tumult and strife, like a hospital nursery.

Then, Cheer up. "Be of good comfort." Far too many believers are defeated by life's circumstances, whether in the market place, the work place, the home or the church. The word "comfort" here is from the same root as "the Comforter," the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:16-18), and the inference is that we find our emotional stability through His resources, not simply finding tranquility, but a stability wrought through a realized relationship with Christ: If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Again, consider the apostle's benediction to the Thessalonian Christians: Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. [II Thess. 2:16-17]."

The will of God for the believer is not that we become part of the problem, or run away from our problems, but that we allow the Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, to cheer and encourage us in the midst of the storms of life, "'til the storm passes by."

When the distressed disciples woke the sleeping Savior as they faced the tempest on the Sea of Galilee, He "rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no
faith [Mark 4:39-40]?"

If you, like some of the saints at Corinth, are disheartened by the storm, don't bother changing boats. Remember, you will still be in the same "sea!" Rather, grow up ("be perfect"), and cheer up ("be of good comfort") through faith in the One Who can, and will still the storm in His own good time.

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Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier