The law was a guardian until Christ!

Galatians 3:15-29 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant of promise made with Abraham. The Mosaic covenant, put in 430 years after the covenant of promise, did not add to or annul the covenant of promise (v. 15). The law of the Mosaic Covenant was not contrary to promises of God (v. 21). The law was added to be a guardian until the promised new covenant of faith in Jesus Christ was revealed. The law was given specifically to Israel at Mt. Sinai and ended with the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now that faith has come a guardian is no longer needed, as all who are in Christ Jesus through faith are sons of God.

Does this mean God’s righteous standards have changed? Absolutely not! It means all the blessings of the New Covenant have been bestowed upon those who are redeemed by the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise God that he perfectly fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant for the redeemed and paid their sin debt on the cross of Calvary. By this redemption, Christ freed believers from the curse of the law, which brings death and not salvation. Redeemed blood bought followers of Christ should not go back to Moses and the law for standards of obedience and sanctification. We should look to Jesus Christ.

VERSE BY VERSE………
v.15 …. The Covenant of promise was a covenant fulfilled in the new covenant of Jesus Christ, and the law of the Mosaic Covenant did not add anything or annul anything.
v. 16…. The promise was the seed of Abraham, Christ
v. 17…. The law did not add to or annul the covenant of promise with Abraham
v. 18…. The promise (Christ) saves, the law doesn’t
v. 19…. Added because of sin until the promised seed should come
v. 20…. God did this
v. 21…. The law does not contradict or nullify the promised seed. If there were any way to salvation through law then, then salvation would be by law.
v. 22…. Scripture showed that sin made salvation impossible except by faith in Jesus.
v. 23…. Before faith (new covenant) came, sinners (everyone) were captive and in prison until salvation would be revealed.
v. 24 …. The law was a guardian until Christ came. The role of the law ended when Christ came. (Guardian- a person who guards, protects, or preserves.)
v. 25 …. Since faith has come we are no longer under law.
v. 26…. The redeemed are in Christ by faith and are sons of God. (Rom. 8)
v. 27…. Those baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
v.28 …. There is one people of God and they are in-Christ.
v. 29 …. Those in Christ are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to the promise. This verse connects the covenant of promise with Abraham to the new covenant of the gospel of Christ. The guardian of v. 25 is no longer needed and is called obsolete in Hebrews.

Grace trumps law

Heb. 7:22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
Heb. 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 22:37-39 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The law kills, does not save, and as part of the covenant given to Moses is now obsolete. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ who guarantees this better and saving covenant. The old covenant depended on mechanical external law keeping that flowed from duty. The New Covenant believer is given a regenerated heart by God's grace and a new attitude that has been wrought by the Holy Spirit.

Paul warns in Galatians that attempts to satisfy the demands of the law out of duty and to be righteous are futile (Galatians 2:16). Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed the law and died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all that place their faith and trust in him and his righteousness. This saving faith gains access to an alien righteousness that is imputed to all that trust him. We are justified before God by the work of Christ and not our own works.

I am in no way suggesting that Christians should ignore sanctification and Christian living. However, grace and truth came through Jesus and believers are led by the Spirit and are enabled by the Spirit to follow and obey Jesus and his teachings. This is a dependence on grace rather than external law keeping. Jesus says that the law can be summed up by the greatest commandment which is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He also said, “if you love me, you will obey my commands.” Notice Jesus does not say, “if you love me, you SHOULD obey my commands.” No, he says you WILL. This is grace and it comes with power. It does not make a redeemed sinner perfect, but unlike the law, it does not have to make sinners perfect because Jesus paid it all and all to him I owe as the great ole hymn proclaims.

Praise God that the New Covenant replaced law keeping with grace and truth. Let us as Christian keep our eyes on Jesus and his grace and not become entangled with Moses and the law. Jesus saves and the law kills.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:19-24 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The works of the flesh proceed from the sinful nature as naturally as water flows down hill. In this passage Paul mentions many of the works of the flesh that the natural unregenerate man show in their lives. The natural man not only does not feel guilty or ashamed of the various manifestations of these traits, but in many cases is proud to claim them as part of his character. Many for example are proud of their drinking, sexual exploits, partying, etc. Our secular culture even makes heroes out of many who exhibit such behavior. Paul says plainly that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The text then reveals the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. These characteristics are given by the Holy Spirit to those that have been regenerated and redeemed from the penalty and power of sin. They are Christians and have been changed from the inside out, and are no longer under law. They are under grace, led by the Spirit of God, and the fruit of the Spirit will flow from them just as naturally as the works of the flesh flow from the unregenerate. The Bible is clear that a redeemed sinner is not made perfect and can still succumb to the works of the flesh. However, unlike the unregenerate, they will not be proud or indifferent to their sin. They will be ashamed, sorry, convicted by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and will repent and turn from their sin.

The bottom line is that those who habitually practice these works of the flesh without remorse, shame, or repentance will not inherit the kingdom of God, no matter what kind of belief or claim they may have professed in Jesus Christ as their savior, unless at some point in their life they truly come to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God that He does save such sinners such as this from not only the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. When God does this work of grace, the born again sinner will not habitually wallow in the works of the flesh that Paul describes in this passage. When the son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).

Beware of another Jesus

2 Corinthians 11:1-4 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

There is one gospel, one Jesus, and one spirit and Paul is refuting anyone that preaches a different gospel or a different doctrine of Jesus or a more powerful gift of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 1:6-9 Paul admonishes anyone who would preach another gospel and states there is no other gospel. This gospel affirms that salvation is from God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The person and work of Christ as he is presented in the Holy Bible saves sinners that place their faith in his atoning sacrifice as a substitute for their sin debt. This is the good news of the gospel.

When false teachers, cults, and false religions change and tweak the gospel, it is no longer a gospel at all. Paul says plainly that anyone that proclaims another Jesus is teaching a false gospel. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the second person of the trinity and the infinite God-Man that was and is fully God and fully man. Therefore, the Jesus of the Koran, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and others is not the Jesus of the Bible. Such a Jesus is another Jesus and has no power to save according to Paul.

In spite of these warnings by Paul, there are many who deny Christ’s atonement as a sacrifice for their sin debt and prefer to be called a follower of the way of Christ or a postmodern Christian. Still some, of the so-called free grace thinking, assert that the “other Jesus” as he is presented in the Koran is a saving Jesus as long as a person has faith in such a Jesus. It does not require too much logic to discern that a person that believes in Allah of the Koran and denies the trinity is placing faith in a Jesus that is false and what Paul calls another Jesus. A few years ago a Methodist Bishop proclaimed on national television that there were other ways to salvation than faith in Christ. Paul says no. Within the past week a Catholic Bishop stated that Christians should refer to God as Allah to show good will toward Muslims. The list goes on and on as politically correct pluralistic thinking is celebrated in our culture. Such thinking may make a person popular, but it is a disaster for the soul.

I would encourage all Christians to read and apply 1 John 4:1 which states, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Go to Scripture and not to false teachers for the truth.

The Glory of God

High Flight
by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Reminder

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Psalm 100: verse 5

Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

God is good, merciful, and truthful. These attributes will last forever and will never change. While this sounds simple enough, it is not universally accepted by all who claim to be Christians. While there is theological debate among Christians who agree on the truthfulness, inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible; there are many theological liberals and emergent church proponents that even deny the truthfulness of the Bible. Some emergent church leaders suggest that theology and truth is evolving and changing much like the so-called living and breathing constitution view of political liberals. While the presentation of such views are slick and articulate, the bottom line is nothing but conforming theology to fit a man-centered liberal post-modern world-view. The focus is on temporal concerns, which necessitates that theology must fit their world-view.

Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” and Psalm 100 says this truth endures to all generations. Praise God that unchanging absolute truth is available in God’s word. This truth is powerful and sharper than a double-edged sword. May we have eyes to see and hearts to rejoice in the transforming truth of God’s Word.

Psalm 100: verse 4

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

It is a blessing and privilege to enter the House of the Lord. Thanksgiving and praise should always be in our hearts and on our minds as we enter his presence. Our prayers should flow from hearts full of joy and peace as we express with words the praise we have for our Triune God. Our Heavenly Father, his Son and our Savior, and the Holy Spirit were all involved in our salvation and glory, praise, and thanksgiving should be directed heavenward on a daily and hourly basis as we meditate on our status as sons of God. When we enter his gates these thoughts and feelings should be magnified and brought into a sharp focus of pure worship and love. Praise God for His salvation and His Holy Word.

Psalm 100: verse 3

Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Know that the LORD he is God. The God of the Holy Bible is God and not the false Gods of other supposed holy books, cults, or men’s imagination. The one true God that made the universe is described in the Bible and He is God. Men should not and do not get to construct a God that suits their sinful nature by choosing attributes that meet their carnal needs. He made us and not we ourselves. God not only created the universe, he created everything in it including man. Therefore, we belong to him. He is the potter and we are the clay. He calls on all men everywhere to repent and believe on the LORD Jesus Christ for eternal life.

Psalm 100: verse 2

Psalm 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

How do we serve the LORD with gladness? Colossians 3:23 makes it clear that whatever we do, we do it for the LORD. We are serving the LORD in everything and not just in religious activities and ministries. Therefore, since everything is ultimately in service to the LORD, we should do it with gladness. Be cheerful and merry as you go about your life and duties. Imagine being cheerful and glad as you mop a floor or do hard labor under the hot sun. The opposite of happy and cheerful would be unhappy and sour. How many people with infirmities would be elated to be healthy enough to mop a floor or do hard labor in the hot sun? All tasks done well with gladness and cheer glorify God. It is all in the attitude and the attitude we should have is one of gladness as we serve the LORD in all that we do. This joyful and glad attitude will enable us to come before his presence with singing. God’s people should be so full of happiness and joy in the House of the LORD that their hearts are literally singing.

Once upon a time, a little girl attended a wedding held in a gazebo on the property of a friend of her father. She asked the man if she could be married there when she grew up and got married. He told her that he would do even better and build her a chapel in which to be married . True to his word, the photo above is the chapel that was built for her wedding.

Praise God that his marvelous grace enables us to serve him with gladness and come before his presence with singing.

Psalm 100: verse 1

Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Not only should we praise God with worship and music, but we should also do it with joy. It is a joy that comes from thanksgiving for God’s kindness and mercy that he has bestowed upon his sheep. Everyone, in all countries that call on the name of the LORD, will experience a peace and joy from the Holy Spirit that will cause them to make a joyful noise unto the LORD. A joyful noise does not necessarily mean a loud noise as joy springs from the heart and not the mouth. Joy flows from thankfulness for salvation and trust in God’s providence and promises. This leads to a heart overflowing with praise and a desire to release the joy through music and thanksgiving.

Praise God that His mercy and love fills our hearts with a joy that yearns to point to his glory.

Name it and date it....

The following verse was the feature verse for a daily devotional in a devotional magazine entitled, “Fire from the Bramble":

Judges 9:49 So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

The devotional said in part…… The tower of Shechem must have been a massive structure to hold a thousand people……. By contrast, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower”

Can anyone name the title of the devotional magazine and the date the above verse was the devotional of the day?

Peace and Joy with the LORD

On a recent trip down the Natchez Trace from Nashville, my wife and I stopped at one of many scenic and historic sites. This stop was the Buffalo River in southern Tennessee and we ran into a family with two young boys swimming and playing in the river. There was no one else there but us for a short time to snap a few photos. They were swinging on a rope, as their parents watched, and I wondered if they could have possibly had any more fun at some expensive crowded theme park. The boys were having a great time and I heard the youngest one tell his parents that he wanted to stay there forever. I wonder how many children tell their parents they want to stay at six flags FOREVER. Although it is a cliché, it is true that the best things in life are free and this swim on the Buffalo River did not cost this family anything.

There is no greater joy than to slow down and enjoy the beauty and glory of God’s magnificent creation. What a joy it is to contemplate the joy and peace that FOREVER with the LORD will be like.

Do you think it will be more like the scene above or more like Six Flags over thus and such?

Psalm 23: verse 6

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Goodness and mercy are another way of expressing that grace from God is given to Christian saints as they walk through this worldly life. Times may be difficult, with much pain and suffering, but Christians have an inexhaustible reservoir of grace to sustain them through their pilgrimage in this world. Hebrews 4:16 instructs Christians to go boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace in times of need. This grace may not make the suffering cease, but it will bring peace and sustain the souls of the redeemed as they journey to the heavenly City of God. People whose focus and goal in life is to have temporal health, wealth, and perpetual joy and happiness will be disappointed 100% of the time. However, if the LORD is your Sheppard, you will face all the adversity that this world has to offer without fear and you will be 100% satisfied.

Praise God that an eternity to dwell in the house of the LORD dwarfs any temporal pain and suffering from this fallen world. Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Susan tagged me with five questions.....

1. If you could own your own business, what would it be?

Microsoft, Wal-Mart, etc. I would like to have the resources (wealth) to support the ministries and causes I like in a very effective way. Most of what I would support would meet the “Jesus test” about the world when he said if they hate me they will hate you as well. A lot of organizations that the ‘religious left’ and the ‘secular left’ dislike would receive my support. I would very carefully insure that liberal organizations or thinking would have no access to what I supported. O.K. One exception might be giving the football team at Miss. State Univ. so much money that they couldn’t help but be winners again.

2. What was the best job you ever had?

Flying airplanes without a doubt. Wonderful views of God’s glory and I loved the merging of the human mind with the controls (stick & power) of the airplane. Formation flying was my favorite (see photo above) and I absolutely loved the views.

3. What was the best book other than the Bible you have read?

Christian - “Reformed Doctrine of Predestination”. Novel – “The Godfather”

4. If you could interview anyone other than Jesus – alive or dead – who would you interview?

Tie between John and Paul. Slight edge to John because he knew Jesus well.

5. What are your views on eschatology? No? Okay, how’s about if you had time and resources to write a book on any area of theology, what would it be?

It’s not over till it’s over and I believe when Jesus returns it will be over. We will immediately be ushered into the judgment and eternal state. That dispensational stuff makes no sense to me.

I do have the time to write a book on theology, but I realize my limitations in training and knowledge of theology so I prefer to write basic easy to read devotionals illustrated with photos (I have only been a Christian 11 years). My interests are primarily the New Testament, Jesus, and soteriology.

Psalm 23: verse 5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

The LORD in his providence pours out his blessings on his sheep in the presence of their enemies. The world and those redeemed by grace will be enemies. Jesus said, (Mt 10:22) “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” If a person or church is admired and held in high esteem by the world, then Scripture is clear that something is very wrong. James even calls such a situation as being hatred toward God. Hatred from the world should not be surprising and we should take comfort that God provides for his sheep with temporal and spiritual blessings. The sheep of God’s pasture may not enjoy the temporal things of this dying world, but their cup will be overflowing from the showers of spiritual blessings that God provides for his sheep. God’s grace for his sheep is in such abundance that it overflows. It is more than sufficient and God’s sheep never have to worry or fear that their situation or circumstances are beyond His sovereign control.

Praise God that his sheep are under his spiritual and physical care and all things work for their ultimate good (Rom. 8:28).

Psalm 23: verse 4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

With the LORD as our shepherd, there is nothing to fear when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. No evil can touch God’s sheep apart from His permission, and even through this valley He will be with them through all that may come. Where is the sting of death to those who will be merely passing through a door to the eternal glory that awaits His sheep? Dying grace will be with Christians ever step of the way as they walk through the valley. While this walk is filled with terror for the unregenerate, there will be no fear for the redeemed as God will comfort and sustain his sheep on their final earthly journey.

Praise God that is grace is sufficient, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

Reminder

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Psalm 23: verse 3

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The photo above shows the recently restored Hinds County Courthouse in Raymond, Mississippi. It is a beautiful building but will one day need to be restored again. However, when God restores the souls of his redeemed through grace, the work is complete and lasting. While the body may still struggle with sin, the grace of regeneration insures that the soul and spirit will gain victory in those whom God has touched with his Power. To these he will lead in paths of righteousness. They will desire and seek the things of God and his righteousness that is a part of their new Spirit led nature. Paul speaks of this righteousness from God in Romans 1:16-17. The Psalmist is clear that God does this for his name’s sake. God restores the soul and leads his redeemed in paths of righteousness for HIS name’s sake. Since God’s power is total and never fails and he is concerned about his name and his glory, it is inconceivable that the sheep of his pasture will not be brought safely home by walking in the paths of righteousness.

Praise God that his provision and grace is sufficient, and his people can rest and trust that he is a Sheppard that will lose none of those whose soul He has restored. Spiritual peace, comfort, and joy are the temporal rewards of God’s flock and the eternal rewards are beyond comprehension.

Psalm 23: verse 2

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

There is no place where God’s glory is more on display than in the high mountains near the tree line. The wildflowers are full of color and the grass is lush and green during the short summer. In verse two of Psalm 23, our creator God is said to make me lie down in green pastures. God, in his providence, makes available green pastures for his redeemed, which gives rest to their soul. Contentment, peace, and joy are the results of this love and provision. Although a believer may be short on worldly goods, he has a spiritual bounty that is illustrated by rest in green pastures. The temporal body is fading, dying, and possibly suffering, but the spirit and soul are constantly nourished through meditation on the green pastures of God.

Christians willingly follow the lead of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The spirit filled Christian is led spiritually beside still waters where his soul is nourished by living water. The fruit of the Spirit is but one way that nourishment is provided to the soul of the Christian by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Adversity, hunger, and thirst may come in his temporal life, but a Christian is always beside the still waters that nourish and sustain his soul.

Praise God that our souls are provided with green pastures and quiet waters in the here & now and that one day all pain, suffering, and tears will be no more. In this eternal state there will be no distractions from the glory and joy that is found in the green pastures and quiet waters of God’s glorious mountains. On that day, all people will be in one accord as they praise and glorify God continually.