The WORD became fleshPhilippians 3:4 (NIV) 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: Paul here speaks of efforts to gain salvation through his own efforts at keeping the law.Paul was…Circumcised when he was eight days oldHe was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was not only an Israelite; he belonged to the elite of Israel.He was a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents.As far as zeal went, he had been a persecutor of the Church.As for the righteousness which the Law could produce, he was blameless.So Paul states his attainments. He was so loyal a Jew that he had never lost the Hebrew speech; he was not only a religious Jew, he was a member of their strictest and the most self-disciplined sect; he had had in his heart a burning zeal for what he had thought was the cause of God; and he had a record in Judaism in which no man could mark a fault.All these things Paul might have claimed to set down on the credit side of the balance; but when he met Christ, he wrote them off as nothing more than bad debts. The things that he had believed to be his glories were in fact quite useless. All human achievement had to be laid aside, in order that he might accept the free grace of Christ. He had to divest himself of every human claim of honour that he might accept in complete humility the mercy of God in Jesus Christ.So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. He is not condemning Judaism from the outside. He had experienced it at its highest point; and he knew that it was nothing compared with the joy which Christ had given. He knew that the only way to peace was to abandon the way of human achievement and accept the way of grace.Just sayin…johnNot rules…relationships. At WORD Fellowship, we desire to foster a SAFE environment where ALL may experience God, the WORD and heartfelt worship and all may receive God’s grace through fellowship, Word and Worship.WORD Fellowship now meeting @ 6:30 Tuesday nights.Join us for fellowship (pot luck), Worship and word. 225 Suncrest Street, Gray, next door to Furniture Row.LAUNCHING SUNDAY MORNING SERVICESSeptember 21st 10:30 am.All great moves of God started someplace and sometime…Why not here, why not now.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 10:02:40 +0000
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