Galatians 5

Since we only got through v6 last week, we're going to continue reading Galatians 5 out loud during class. On Sunday, we had a good discussion on losing salvation, stemming from v4:

"You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."

From there...the question was raised, can you lose your salvation? This is an old question that many people disagree about. But, here are the differing points of view that were brought up:

For the No's:

• Salvation is a GIFT of God (ephesians 2:8). The very nature of gifts is that they are not earned, but given. And they are not given and then taken away.

• If salvation can be lost, that means it is earned or kept by us. So, at what point is it lost? When have we done enough bad things to lose it? Or, on the other hand, when have we done enough good things to keep it? Salvation as a gift nullifies these questions....there is NOTHING you can do or not do. Doing good (which is right), stems from love and gratitude, not to keep anything.

• If salvation can be lost, there is fear in the person that they can mess up and walk away from the faith they so love at the moment. But, we know that "there is no fear in love. but perfect love drives out fear" (1 john 4:18). So, if we are fearing, we have not been made perfect in love yet.

• When saved, we are a new creation (2 corinthians 5:17), given a new heart and a new nature by the Spirit. We can feed this daily, or ignore it, but it remains the same. The word also says this Spirit is a deposit, a guarantee of things to come (2 corinthians 5:5).

For the Yes's (or at least the Maybe's):

• We are given a choice. God gives us free will to choose him...that is what love is based on, what makes it beautiful. So, if we have the power to choose to come, we still have the power to choose to walk away. So, our ability to choose him and his will is his gift to us, and we exercise that right and are saved, or are not.
  

All of this brings to mind the question...what saves you? Is it faith or grace? And to that, I recall a quote that says, "Faith doesn't save you, but neither can you be saved without it."

So, back to the scripture...."you have fallen away from grace." We talked about the differences between falling from the perfect will of God, which is what we sort of agreed it meant, meaning that we can mess up and fall away from what God has perfectly planned for us, but we are still saved and in his grace. Positionally, we are always his child, we just may not be doing exactly as he wills.

If I missed anything or misrepresented what was spoken that day....post please. I'm eager to hear your thoughts in response to this, or if God has revealed something different to you this week.

But you know, as challenging and interesting it is to figure this stuff out, we come back to v6, which is this:

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

galatians 5

Last week, thanks to Paul, we read Galatians 4 aloud during class, and talked about various verses as we went through....those we had questions about or wanted to go deeper in to. It went pretty well, so we'll do the same thing next week with Galatians 5. To get prepared, go ahead and read Galatians 5 during the week.

Here are some topics that came up during our class time last week (Galatians 4). Ponder them as you continue to read...

v9 - "But now that you know God--or rather are known by God"
We had two different reactions on this:

1) the question: Weren't we known by God before we were believers? Isn't he all-knowing?
After some discussion, we agreed that because of the sin that separated us from God, we couldn't be fully known by God, because he wasn't able to be around it...in a sense of relationship or communion. After doing some digging around the original language, I found that this is most likely the case. The original Greek is ginosko, which means "allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand." That kind of says to me its not a 'know' in a strictly knowledge sort of way...but 'know' in a relationship sort of way, which we know is made possible only by the blood of Jesus. So, that, when we do become believers, God is able to know us in a way that wasn't possible before.

2) the emotion: We are known by God? WHAT?!? That's crazy and amazing, seeing how all of us desire to be known...for someone to understand everything that is in us.

Both result in praise....and actually the first, after understanding it, results in the second. He is amazing.

v21-31
For these verses, we talked about the analogies Paul used to make his point. There is the free woman (Sarah, heavenly Jerusalem), who has free children (believers); then there is the slave woman (Hagar, earthly Jerusalem), who has slave children (people under the law). The difference between them is only that one is by the promise of God, the other by human effort. But we are CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE. There is, of course, more to understand here, but for summary purposes, there you go. If you like, go back and read about Sarah and Hagar and God and Abraham and the promise in Genesis 15-18, 21.

There was more talk of more things, but for now, think about those things. See you next week!

LOVE and the promise...

Come higher...

After watching Bullhorn (Rob Bell, Nooma), we had some discussion about the most effective way to reach people for the kingdom of God.

Although we are generally and collectively brilliant, we did not reach any definative conclusions. We did agree that God is the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). That is to say, that He alone can reach people. And yet, by some inexplicable means, He chooses to use each of us, His children.

So...let's go higher together, as one.

Check out these scriptures, beginning with the cross:
John 12:32 "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself"
Hebrews 4:16
Isaiah 6:1-8
Acts 7:54-60
Revelation 4-5 (can you stop there?)

Pray for God to open the eyes of your heart (not just a somewhat hokey song, but the very words of God--Psalm 119:18)

Back...

Since last week we went into the adult class to listen to Pastor Alvin talk, let's go back to what we've missed over the course of the past two weeks. Let's dig into Galatians 3, and talk about freedom, God's love...and anything else on your mind.

Pray for Pauly....he's at the Passion conference in Atlanta.

Peace out and see you soon.....

and yet still...

I'd like to start off with a confession. Today I've come to realize that at many points in my life I don't believe that God loves me. I KNOW it, but I don't KNOW it. How can it be? Does anyone struggle here with me? How can I understand his grace, have knowledge of him and the word, even believe that he loves other people so deeply, yet when it comes to believing his heart for me, I have trouble. Forgive my unbelief, Lord.

Today, I broke. I was listening to a message on the iPod, troubled by my lack of emotion, lack of desire and passion for Him, and yet out of nowhere (or shall I say seemingly somewhere), the message was over, and I sat there, with silent earbuds still placed in my ears, hearing only the birds singing outside. The message was still echoing in my mind and suddenly, arose a spirit of indignance that looked like this: "Oh HELL no...those birds are not going to outpraise me...uhh, no way are the angels and heavenly beings going to sing louder than me today...I am the one who's been redeemed!" And so it began. Worship...that somehow brought me out of my funk and into his marvelous light, out of darkness, out of shame...my dead heart now is beating, now I'm free, now I'm free...

And why do I tell you this? I have no idea...but if this sounds like any part of you, ask him to stir you up...revive the fire. Only he can. Freedom awaits you. So does his mighty love.

And take a moment to linger on Donnie's questions below. We'll discuss whatever you want on Sunday. Read Galatians 3 if you haven't...heck, read the whole book. Its about freedom, and what could be better than that??

Law or Promise? Slave or Free?...

In the name of all things good (like finishing strong what's been started and doing so in the Word), we continue in Galatians 3. We last considered the cross of Jesus--v1b "Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." Having passed through the remembrance of the Passion and the celebration of the Resurrection, we walk in freedom.

This is Paul's message to them...to us.

WE WALK IN FREEDOM.

Consider prayerfully what it means to walk in freedom. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of bondage in your life (you know, the stuff that keeps dragging you down). Consider prayerfully what you are doing in your own strength in an effort to gain God's favor (you know, "o.k. God, if I do this, then you'll give me this or make me feel like this").

Consider prayerfully v26-28 NIV
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Baptized into Christ?...let's discuss
Clothed yourselves with Christ?...let's discuss
All one in Christ Jesus?...let's discuss

Read and be blessed.

"...so is my word that goes out from my mouth;
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and will achieve the purpose for which
I sent it."

--Isaiah 55:11

Money.

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or -- worse! --stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where its safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in the wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have.

You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.

If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds......."

Think about it. Keep reading.

Matthew 6.