Our six-week journey through Galatians concluded yesterday. From it, we’ve learned a great deal about how Paul’s experience on the Damascus road has influenced his understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the implications of discipleship. First, Jesus’ work on the cross demonstrated the greatest act of love and sacrifice as he gave his life as a ransom for humanity. Through his sacrifice, we understand that our own justification comes entirely by grace through faith. In Galatians Paul seeks to finally put to rest any notion of “works righteousness,” or needing to attain some moral excellence to be justified by God. Not only is this impossible as one compares themselves to Jesus, but it serves to negate Jesus’ work on the cross. The invitation, therefore, is to simply accept the life-changing grace of God through Christ. Justification is not the end product, but the beginning of a life-changing journey. This change of relationship with God causes us to become new creations who are led to form an alternative community known as the church. Paul understands that the church is called to build up and model sacrificial love. It is founded on two premises, according to this letter. Like a hammock, about which we talked yesterday, life in Christ (community) has to be suspended between two poles at equal heights. Life in Christ, like the hammock, operates best in the tension between these two poles. They are freedom and responsibility. Through Christ, each of us has been set free. “For freedom you have been set free.” From what have we been set free? From ourselves, from our passions, from those things that hold us captive and keep us from being the people God envisions us to be. Our freedom is not a pretense to licentiousness (that is, license to live and do as we please), but our freedom is to enable us to indenture ourselves to Jesus Christ and through Him, one another as His body (the church). Paul indicates that we are to bear one another’s burdens as the community of faith, while being very careful to bear our own burden, that is, carry our own weight. As freed disciples, we are beholden to one another in the community called the Church. In fact, Paul argues that we are to become servants to one another as he claims the one true commandment is to “love our neighbor as our self.” There is no greater expression of our love of God than love of neighbor. The standing invitation is for us to become part of the this community of faith, not by simple membership, but by becoming a servant to the body of Christ. We celebrated the birth of Lilly Earley and Beth Fry’s successful surgery. We also thanked God for Noah Conley’s progress. We lifted Joe Thompson up as he battles cancer, as well as Janet’s mom as she undergoes testing. Have a great week. Paul
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:04:04 +0000
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