Galatians 6 - 2006.06.24

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14

This, indeed, is a familiar text; one often committed to memory, but the implications of which are, I fear, little appreciated. In what, for example, do we glory? How do you measure a man's real significance? Or your own, for that matter.

An Old Testament text we have noted before extends the admonition, "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches [Jer. 9:23]." Health, wealth and human intellect are among the things we use to measure and classify a man's worth. To be "rich and famous," is the ambition of mankind generally, but it is utterly discounted by God. The apostle John exhorts, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world…For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof… [I John 2:15-17]." Everything under the sun on which men place a premium is temporary and transitory and of little worth when compared to things eternal.

The divine counsel is, "Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord [Jer. 9:24]." Intellectual genius, physical prowess and material wealth, along with everything else in which human pride is invested, are all subject to "the law of sin and death." That is not a new nor original idea; it is simply taking note of the grim facts of life in this uncertain world that most people, including far too many Christians, simply ignore.

God is not impressed with our vaunted "wisdom." He says, the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, because it has no eternal value; He Who created the universe by a word (see Psalm 33:6, 9) and upholds it all by "the word of His power [Heb. 1:3]," is not impressed with human might or skill. The Psalmist quaintly put it, "… He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man [Ps. 147:10]." And as for wealth and the power and fame that often attend it, He says, "For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills… If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof [Psalm 50:10, 12]."

Human wisdom cannot devise a way to heaven, human strength cannot scale its heights, no man's resources can pay the fare. There is but one way to heaven, and that is through "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Consider:

"We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (I Cor. 1:23-31)

Sadly, many professing Christians are found glorying in the chaff of this world: fame, fortune, finery and other foolishness, mistakenly viewed and pursued as important, and discounting the real value of the only thing that can deliver us from "the wrath to come," and transport us to "the glory that shall be hereafter." Paul understood the inestimable worth of the cross of Christ, and made it the focal point of his life. May God give us the wisdom to do the same!

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Galatians 5 - 2006.06.17

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."* Galatians 5:17

Satan has a two-pronged attack on the soul of man. His first objective is to keep the sinner from trusting in Christ as his personal Savior. Failing that, he will strive relentlessly to hinder the professing Christian from achieving victory over sin. As long as he can keep us in a compromising position with respect to sin, he can render our testimony relatively ineffective for Christ. Thus there emerges the conflict described here, between "the flesh" and "the Spirit."

The "flesh" speaks of the soul under the influence of our bodily appetites, sometimes elaborated as "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life [cf I John 2:16]." This is particularized in the context of our verse for today in what is not an exhaustive, but significant list. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness (impurity of mind), lasciviousness (indecency, immodesty), idolatry, witchcraft (occultism), hatred, variance (quarreling), emulations (jealousy), wrath (ill temper), strife (selfish ambition, rivalry), seditions (division, dissension), heresies (party spirit), envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (orgies, carousings, etc.)and such like [v. 19-21]." (It sounds like the evening news on TV, doesn't it?) It is imperative, if we are to derive the proper impact from the teaching here, to note that no distinction is made between adultery and fornication, e.g., and quarreling, party spirit, hatred and strife, e.g. The word of God does not give us the luxury of classifying some sins as "venial," and others as "mortal;" all are manifestations of our old sin nature.

The "Spirit," of course, refers here to the soul under the control of the Holy Spirit, Who indwells every born again believer, but whose government depends upon our conscious surrender to His leadership in our lives. His influences are described not as works, but as "fruit," described in v.22, and standing in stark contrast to the works of the flesh. The virtues described are not accomplished by us, but by Him through us as we yield to Him. It is this divine logic that prompted Paul's exhortation in Romans 6, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God [Rom. 6:12-13; Cf. vs. 12-23]."

What is also of paramount significance is the statement, "these are contrary the one to the other." There is no middle ground. The flesh and the Spirit stand in contrast to one another, and the divine intention is that we finish with the one and diligently pursue the other—by faith. The assumption here is that, as believers, we will to do the will of God. We "cannot do the things that [we] would," but He can do them through us, if we will let Him.

In a fine message heard recently, the preacher rightly said, we must be ruthless in dealing with sin. The problem with most of us is that we want to compromise with sin. We may not commit adultery, but we want an exemption for our own "weaknesses," such as resentment, bitterness, a contentious spirit, etc. It won't work. Wherever we compromise the principles of scripture, there we give ground to the enemy and recycle Adam's transgression. Rather, "If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. [v.25]," because "… if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live [Rom. 8:13]."

This emphasis is prolific in scripture; e.g., "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof [Rom. 13:14]." And, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world… etc. [Titus 2:11,12ff]." 8 "Who can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret faults. Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." Psalm 19:12, 13

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Galatians 4 - 2006.06.10

"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." Galatians 4:4-5

It was Henry Ward Beecher, if my aging memory serves me right, who was discovered by his wife one day pacing his study in a very agitated manner and inquired what the trouble was. The preacher replied something like, "Oh, nothing, really; it's just that I am in a hurry, and God is not."

In and throughout all creation, time is under God's control, and He acts with precision. Solomon said, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven [Eccl. 3:1]." Nowhere is God's precise timing more evident than with respect to the incarnation of Christ. Our text reads, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son…" There are two things to remember. First, that which the coming of Christ revealed, namely God's redemptive plan for saving sinners, was determined sometime in eternity past. Christ is referred to as "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [Rev. 13:8]." The script was written with the finger of God before Adam walked in the Garden of Eden.

The second thing to note, however, is that God had His own designated moment for the revelation of that glorious event to the time-bound world of men and things. For thousands of years Christ stood in the wings, so to speak, waiting for His cue to step on the stage of planet earth. We cannot fathom the wisdom that defined when that moment should occur, but of this we may be assured; He did not come too late, nor a moment too soon. He came, as someone has paraphrased it, "when the time was right."

This principle of divine precision and control of the events of time carries over into our lives, and with particular reference to believers. It is especially illustrated in the life of Christ. Challenged by His brothers, who "did [not] believe in Him," to go to Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles, He said to them, "My time is not yet come…go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come." Yet shortly thereafter He did go up. (Cf. John 7:1-10) What is thus made evident is that in the divine plan there was not only a precise time for the incarnation, but also for the crucifixion. Only eternity will reveal why, in the wisdom of God, those precise moments were chosen, but they are indicative of a divine timetable, and He will act neither early not late.

The psalmist recognized this principle as applying to the believer's life: "My times are in Thy hands… [Ps. 31:15a]. "Reflecting on this verse one long ago remarked, "The hand of Jesus is the hand which rules our times. He regulates our life clock." As carefully as He regulated the life of His only begotten Son, God governs the times and experiences of life for those who have become His adopted sons by faith in Jesus Christ. If you are waiting for God to work in some area or need in your life, remember this principle. When the time is right, He will reveal His will and discover His purpose. Till then, wait patiently for the Lord.

There is, of course, another significant and loftier aspect of God's government of time, and that pertains to the return of Christ. Just as His promised first coming was delayed until "the time was right," so will it be with His return. He is coming again, and as with His first coming, He will be neither early nor late. He said to His inquiring disciples, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power [Acts 1:7]." Our challenge is not to determine the time of His return, but to be faithful all the time, until He comes.

"And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." I John 2:28

And remember this: If you are not saved, NOW is the time for you to trust Christ as your Savior. Tomorrow could be too late, in God's "fulness of the time!"

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Galatians 3 - 2006.06.03

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:27-29

"In Christ Jesus." Union with Christ. That is the significance of true Christian experience. We noted in an earlier article that it is a reciprocal relationship. We are in Him, and He is in us. (See, e.g., John 17:20 -23.) The implications of this are enormous. In writing to the Colossians, Paul put it this way: "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory [Col. 3:3.4]."

Christ is our life. It is the Holy Spirit's intention that this life be made evident in our walk in the world. The apostle John put it, "As He is, so are we in this world [I John 4:17b]." It is a truth with both individual and corporate implications, and it is the corporate aspect that is particularly addressed in this text for today.

Here we are taught that "in Christ" the distinctions that are so significant to unregenerate man, and so divisive, are done away in Christ. Note in v.28; racial and ethnic distinctions are banished; "there is neither Jew nor Greek." Pride of race is, in the will of God, banished at the cross. Christ there became the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. He did not die for the Jew only, nor yet again solely for the Gentiles; He died—the same death—for all. At the cross class distinctions are banished; "there is neither bond nor free." Society becomes level ground for those who are "in Christ Jesus." And, gender distinctions are also removed at Calvary; "there is neither male nor female." The man is not more significant than the woman, nor vice versa.

Now what does all this mean? It is patently evident, throughout the history of the church from its inception until now, that this cannot be understood concretely, for the visible distinctions remain. What it does mean is that among those who are born again these distinctions do not really matter, for "[we] are all one in Christ." The Jew no longer prides himself at the expense of the Gentile, the rich no longer counts himself superior to the poor, and the male does not lord it over the female, in the home or in the church.

This side of heaven the visible differences remain, but the Spirit directed believer will behave himself toward his fellow believers as though they did not. We all came into Christ the same way, and for the same reason. We were sinners, lost and undone, "having no hope, and without God in the world [Eph. 2:12b]." In Christ we share His life and "the riches of His grace" alike. The rich does not have more of Christ, the poor does not have less. We are "heirs together of the grace of life," and "joint heirs with Christ," whatever visible differences may appear in this present world.

Given all that, what changes is not our position, necessarily, but our perspective. There are still manifest distinctions of race, class and gender, but if we understand the principle under consideration, we will recognize that those distinctions are superficial and/or administrative, affording no ground for pride or humiliation. The Jew will not be vain, the freeman will not be proud, the male will not be arrogant. Conversely, the Gentile, the bondman, the female will not suffer from an inferiority complex. We will look at one another and find no ground for jealousy or pride, but only to glory in Christ, and our equality in Him.

For now God leaves the visible distinctions in place, but instructs the heart to overlook them. Our administrative roles may be different (as, e.g. our spiritual gifts, etc.) and divinely appointed for reasons of His own, but we are equals in Christ. This truth is everywhere evident in the New Testament, but James, for one, expresses it,"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low… [Jas. 1:9-10]." God would have no segregation in the church. Let those who are "in Christ" make it manifest!!

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier