Over the past few weeks, we have been on a journey, one that has brought us face to face with religion that is either centered on works of the law or by faith alone in Christ.
The Galatians and others had been fooled into believing that Christianity was a mere add-on to the Jewish faith. What we have seen, however, is that Christ alone is enough. That we died to sin (were Crucified with Christ) and that now we are His and His alone. The good works, good deeds that we do are not because we “have to do” them, but rather we “want to do” them.
As we learned last week both in Galatians and Romans 6 (and 8) we are “No longer Slaves” to Sin, but we are coheirs with Christ.
This week we enter into chapter three and Paul, having set the stage by reminding the Galatians of the true gospel in the previous chapter are going to call them to a decision, while reminding the Jews (Judaizers) of their true heritage.
Galatians 08
Children of Abraham
June 21, 2020 • Pastor Christopher Thompson • Galatians 3:1–9
Galatians 18
September 13, 2020 • Pastor Christopher Thompson • Galatians 6:11–18
Over the past four months, we have walked through the book of Galatians and seen that what these first centuries Christians struggled with was not so different from the struggles of today. We struggle in our world with false teachers twisting the truth to suit their own desires. We see believers enslaved to works of the law rather than living in the freedom purchased by Christ, and we struggled to be known by the Fruit of the Spirit rather than the that of the flesh. This week we close out the book of Galatians as we have reached, the conclusion.
Galatians 16
August 30, 2020 • Pastor Christopher Thompson • Galatians 5:16–26
Paul had just reminded us that with great freedom comes great responsibility. That Jesus did indeed die to set us free from the law of sin and death, but that this freedom was not given that we might spend it on our own pleasures, rather it was given that we might be able to fulfill the greatest commandments of “Loving God and Loving people.” Now, I do not know about you but when I hear such things, I can become concerned, concerned that I do not know enough, that I cannot accomplish such a thing. I mean, what does it even look like to be free in this way? Thankfully, we are not left wonder as Paul now shows us what it is (and is not) to be free as we…Walk in the Spirit