I remember when I was growing up and it was Christmas time. We had this short, squatty artificial tree in a revolving base that we set on top of an end table. Throughout the month of December, the number of presents would slowly increase around our little tree. And—being an only child—many (most?) of those gifts were for me. There were times, when (I’m ashamed to say) I counted the number of presents that had my name on them.
In the New Testament the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is presented using the language of a gift. At Pentecost Peter responds to those asking about what to do, that when they respond in faith, God will give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 15-16 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as a comforting, empowering presence.
In Galatians 3:1-14 Paul reminds the believers about how they received the Spirit. He asks, “was it by keeping the Law, or by trusting the truth of the gospel you heard?” He asks the question, but they know the answer: it was by faith.
The gift of the Holy Spirit
October 17, 2022 • Ed Green • Galatians 3:1–5
Growing in your faith?
October 21, 2022 • Ed Green • Galatians 3:1–14
Something struck me in a fresh way last week. I have been facilitating an online class in spiritual formation. One of the students commented in a forum post that they didn’t really know what the phrase “growing in your faith” means. (It was not a statement of ignorance, but of frustration.) I responded that I believed he was right, it doesn’t really make sense. What we mean when we say that, is growing in maturity or in spiritual depth. But we don’t mean it literally. We don’t really mean growing “in faith.” In this letter of Paul to the Galatian believers, he is challenging them to live by faith. To resist the temptation and the false teaching that says to be follower of Jesus you must keep the Jewish law. And it is truly a temptation, because it is always easier to live under the law than to live by faith. It is easier to check off boxes and to rely on yourself than to trust. In Galatians 3:11, “Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.'” Whether we use “discipleship,” “spiritual formation,” or “sanctification”—these are umbrella terms for the process of becoming more like Jesus. Growing in our capacity and practice of living by faith is an integral part of that process. Not only did Abraham live by faith, but we also have Jesus who provides us the best example. He lived every moment trusting the goodness of God and in his capacity to take care of him. While Jesus did not entrust himself to people (John 2:24-25), he knew he could trust his Father. Jesus walked by faith, not sight, as Paul would later encourage the Corinthians to do (2 Corinthians 5:7). So, the choice is ours. How will we “walk”? How do we not just grow in our faith, but grow our faith? How different would that be in every facet of your daily life? What would that look like for you?
The curse of the Law
October 20, 2022 • Ed Green • Galatians 3:10–14
Pretty much, I am a rule-keeper. It’s my personality, combined with my tendency to be too concerned about what others think. Now don’t get me wrong, I have my moments, but generally, I toe the line. I can’t imagine being a Jew in the first century. Not only was there the expectation of keeping torah (the law) but added to all that were the traditions that “fenced in the law”—those regulations that were an attempt to keep people from even getting close to breaking any of God’s laws. Read Galatians 3:10-14. The apostle Paul says that those who rely on works of law (keeping the law) are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). Why? Because breaking the law incurred the wrath of the law. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” In the context of Deuteronomy 27, keeping the law brings blessing, breaking the law brings a curse. I’m sure you’ve heard this paraphrase from Jesus’ words, “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Perhaps we could say this with Paul, “he who lives by the law, will die by the law.” The point of Paul’s argument is this: you can’t have a right relationship (“be justified”) with God by simply keeping the law. Why? because no one keeps the law perfectly. Jesus died to redeem us from the Law’s curse. Now we are justified by faith, and we live by faith. How might you be tempted to think that, by keeping the Law, you get in “God’s good graces”? Or do you tend to see others through the lens of whether they keep (or break) God’s Law? Why might this be a dangerous thing? What do you think would be the Lord’s encouragement to you?
The blessing of the gospel
October 19, 2022 • Ed Green • Galatians 3:6–14
In 1988 Allen Ross titled his exposition of the book of Genesis as "Creation and Blessing." He believed those two words best captured the significance of this first book of the Bible. Do you remember the old hymn, “Count Your Blessings”? “Count your many blessings, name them one by one; And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done…” The idea was that, as an antidote to feeling down, spend time recounting all the ways that God has blessed you. Throughout the Bible, the concept of blessing primarily is related to the situation people enjoy because of God’s gracious, kind, and generous action on their behalf (Joshua Mathews, “Blessing,” Theological Wordbook). We have already seen how in Galatians 3 Paul refers to God’s blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12. God blessed him to be a blessing for others. It was through faith that Abraham accessed the blessing promised by God. Paul says we access the blessing—as Abraham’s family—the same way. By. Faith. Faith is a channel through which God’s blessing of the world flows. When we trust the Lord, as Abraham did, we become who God wants us to be and are enabled to do what he wants us to do. Count it!