From Gary... Bible Reading September 16

Bible Reading  

September 16

The World English Bible

Sept. 16

Psalms 74-76

Psa 74:1 God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

Psa 74:2 Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance; Mount Zion, in which you have lived.

Psa 74:3 Lift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.

Psa 74:4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of your assembly. They have set up their standards as signs.

Psa 74:5 They behaved like men wielding axes, cutting through a thicket of trees.

Psa 74:6 Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.

Psa 74:7 They have burned your sanctuary to the ground. They have profaned the dwelling place of your Name.

Psa 74:8 They said in their heart, "We will crush them completely." They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.

Psa 74:9 We see no miraculous signs. There is no longer any prophet, neither is there among us anyone who knows how long.

Psa 74:10 How long, God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

Psa 74:11 Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it out of your pocket and consume them!

Psa 74:12 Yet God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Psa 74:13 You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

Psa 74:14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.

Psa 74:15 You opened up spring and stream. You dried up mighty rivers.

Psa 74:16 The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.

Psa 74:17 You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter.

Psa 74:18 Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, Yahweh. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.

Psa 74:19 Don't deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Don't forget the life of your poor forever.

Psa 74:20 Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth.

Psa 74:21 Don't let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name.

Psa 74:22 Arise, God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.

Psa 74:23 Don't forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.

Psa 75:1 We give thanks to you, God. We give thanks, for your Name is near. Men tell about your wondrous works.

Psa 75:2 When I choose the appointed time, I will judge blamelessly.

Psa 75:3 The earth and all its inhabitants quake. I firmly hold its pillars. Selah.

Psa 75:4 I said to the arrogant, "Don't boast!" I said to the wicked, "Don't lift up the horn.

Psa 75:5 Don't lift up your horn on high. Don't speak with a stiff neck."

Psa 75:6 For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet from the south, comes exaltation.

Psa 75:7 But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another.

Psa 75:8 For in the hand of Yahweh there is a cup, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours it out. Indeed the wicked of the earth drink and drink it to its very dregs.

Psa 75:9 But I will declare this forever: I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Psa 75:10 I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Psa 76:1 In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.

Psa 76:2 His tabernacle is also in Salem; His dwelling place in Zion.

Psa 76:3 There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah.

Psa 76:4 Glorious are you, and excellent, more than mountains of game.

Psa 76:5 Valiant men lie plundered, they have slept their last sleep. None of the men of war can lift their hands.

Psa 76:6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

Psa 76:7 You, even you, are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

Psa 76:8 You pronounced judgment from heaven. The earth feared, and was silent,

Psa 76:9 when God arose to judgment, to save all the afflicted ones of the earth. Selah.

Psa 76:10 Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.

Psa 76:11 Make vows to Yahweh your God, and fulfill them! Let all of his neighbors bring presents to him who is to be feared.

Psa 76:12 He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Sept. 16

1 Corinthians 12

1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant.

1Co 12:2 You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

1Co 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God's Spirit says, "Jesus is accursed." No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," but by the Holy Spirit.

1Co 12:4 Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

1Co 12:5 There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.

1Co 12:6 There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all.

1Co 12:7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.

1Co 12:8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

1Co 12:9 to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;

1Co 12:10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

1Co 12:11 But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

1Co 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.

1Co 12:15 If the foot would say, "Because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body," it is not therefore not part of the body.

1Co 12:16 If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body.

1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be?

1Co 12:18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

1Co 12:19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?

1Co 12:20 But now they are many members, but one body.

1Co 12:21 The eye can't tell the hand, "I have no need for you," or again the head to the feet, "I have no need for you."

1Co 12:22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

1Co 12:23 Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;

1Co 12:24 whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,

1Co 12:25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

1Co 12:26 When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

1Co 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

1Co 12:28 God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?

1Co 12:30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with various languages? Do all interpret?

1Co 12:31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.

From Gary... Heliocentric Vortex Theology

 

 Heliocentric or Vortex?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jHsq36_NTU#t=12

For Harry...

When I was a boy in grade school, I was taught that the planets revolve around the sun- and so they do.  However, as the second of the two pictures above points out, the Sun is also moving and so the concept of a Vortex is quite valid and technically, I suppose, more accurate than the old Heliocentric model.  However, even though I find the Vortex concept to be a better understanding, I take issue with the concept of the Sun being like a comet.  Sol does not exist by itself in the universe, but rather is part of a grander scheme of galaxies, local groups of galaxies, etc..  What is really important here is our thinking.  Are we so "old school" that we cannot conceive of previously learned concepts in new ways (even if we have more than a few years under our belt)?...  

Now, it is a good thing to rethink the things previously taught us, but, what about the practical lessons of life?  You know, the day to day stuff- how we live, how we think and what do we actually do because of these two things.  I probably shouldn't have, but nevertheless, I chose the title for today's post "Heliocentric Vortex Theology". Why? Because these words describe my thinking about the practical application of that subtle change in thinking from the Heliocentric to the vortex in regards to thinking about God and then applying that to our ordinary life.  Lets begin with to seemingly unrelated passages from the Scriptures...

Matthew 5:1-16 NASB
(1)  When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
(2)  He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
(3)  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4)  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
(5)  "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
(6)  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
(7)  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
(8)  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
(9)  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(10)  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11)  "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
(12)  "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(13)  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
(14)  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
(15)  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
(16)  "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 And

2 Peter 1:1-8 NASB
(1)  Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
(2)  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
(3)  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
(4)  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
(5)  Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
(6)  and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
(7)  and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
(8)  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus and Peter; two very different individuals!!!  First, the passage from Jesus' "Sermon on the mount".  Please notice the progression within the "Beatitudes". First his "Blessed" statements concern themselves with our thinking about ourselves and progress to our relationship with God, to others and finally the results of those things. So, the one who follows Jesus would change the focus of their life (one dimensional - everything is about me) to a more inclusive perspective (What would God [and of course, Jesus] wish me to do for him?). Secondly, Peter's writing. Notice, that everything pertaining to life and godliness is though the true knowledge of HIM who called us.  That would be God and his prophet, priest and king- Jesus.  Specifically, though his words- and that would include the "Beatitudes". Applying them would have been something Peter would have called discipleship.

The point of this entire post is that of change.  Change from thinking as the world does, with its emphasis on self-gratification to discipleship of the God of Heaven. If we are willing to do this, then our lives will be enriched, empowered and molded by Jesus. Also, the words of growth penned by Peter will transform our brief existence into something wonderful. It is like our view of the Solar System changing from a Heliocentric to a Vortex concept, but applied to the Almighty. And that is life-changing!!!! You could almost call it a theology- Wait, I did that!!!

From Mark Copeland... The Testimony Of John The Baptist (John 1:19-34)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

              The Testimony Of John The Baptist (1:19-34)

INTRODUCTION

1. In the prologue to John's gospel, we were introduced to John the
   Baptist...
   a. A man sent from God - Jn 1:6
   b. Who came to bear witness of the Light - Jn 1:7-8
   c. Who bore witness to the preeminence and preexistence of the Light
      - Jn 1:15

2. As John begins the narrative portion of his gospel, he starts with
   John the Baptist...
   a. His testimony to priests and Levites from the Pharisees in
      Jerusalem - Jn 1:19-28
   b. His testimony the next day when he saw Jesus - Jn 1:29-34

[What did John the Baptist testify concerning Jesus?  What lessons might
we glean from his testimony?  We note first of all that John the Baptist
proclaimed...]

I. I AM NOT THE CHRIST

   A. HIS TESTIMONY ABOUT HIMSELF...
      1. He confessed he was not the Christ - Jn 1:19-20
         a. Many people wondered if he were the Christ - cf. Lk 3:15
         b. John clearly asserts that he was not the Christ
      2. He was not literally Elijah as foretold by Malachi - Jn 1:21a
         a. Some thought Elijah would return in person, which John
            denies - cf. Mal 4:5
         b. John did fulfill the prophecy, which was figurative
            1) As foretold by the angel Gabriel - cf. Lk 1:l7
            2) As testified by Jesus - cf. Mt 11:11-15; Mt 17:10-13
      3. He was not the Prophet foretold by Moses - Jn 1:21b
         a. Moses foretold a Prophet like him would come - cf. Deut 18:
            15-18
         b. Many people were anticipating the arrival of this Prophet 
            - cf. Jn 6:14; 7:40
         c. This Prophet was indeed Jesus, not John - cf. Ac 3:22-26
      4. He was the one foretold by Isaiah - Jn 1:22-23
         a. The voice of one crying in the wilderness - cf. Isa 40:1-3
         b. Sent to prepare the way of the Lord - cf. Lk 1:16-17;
            2:76-79

   B. LESSONS FROM HIS TESTIMONY...
      1. John's example is a powerful one for all Christians, especially
         ministers
      2. As followers of Christ, our task is similar to his role as
         forerunner
         a. To deflect attention away from ourselves, and point people
            to Christ!
         b. Let us never forget, no matter how honored we may be, we are
            not the Christ!

[As John continues with his testimony, he proclaims concerning Jesus...]

II. HE IS PREFERRED BEFORE ME

   A. HIS TESTIMONY ABOUT CHRIST...
      1. Given in response to those from the Pharisees - Jn 1:24-25,28
         a. Why did he baptize, if not Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet?
         b. For he had been baptizing in Bethabara (or Bethany) beyond
            the Jordan
      2. The One coming after him is preferred before him - Jn 1:26-27
         a. Even One who was in their midst as he spoke!
         b. Whose sandal strap not even John was not worthy to loose!
      3. The reason Jesus was preferred before him?
         a. "For He was before me" (i.e., because of His preexistence) 
            - cf. Jn 1:15,30
         b. "Who is mightier than I" (i.e., because of His power) - cf.
            Mk 1:7
      4. John would later reaffirm Jesus' preference over himself
         a. "He must increase, but I must decrease" - Jn 3:30
         b. He is "above all" - Jn 3:31

   B. LESSONS FROM HIS TESTIMONY...
      1. We should not hesitate to exalt Jesus over self - cf. Lk 9:
         23-24
         a. He is preferred before us
         b. While we may be the body of Christ, He is the head! - cf. Ep 1:22-23
      2. Jesus deserves our humble service and adoration
         a. Because of His power - cf. Col 1:16
         b. Because of His preexistence - cf. Col 1:17
         c. Because of His headship over the body, the church - cf. Co 1:18

[On the next day, John the Baptist had another opportunity to testify
concerning Jesus, in which he declared...]

III. BEHOLD! THE LAMB OF GOD

   A. HIS TESTIMONY ABOUT CHRIST...
      1. Declaring Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
         the world!" - Jn 1:29
         a. As foretold by Isaiah - cf. Isa 53:4-7,10-12
         b. As later proclaimed by the apostles - cf. 1Co 15:3; 1 Pe 2:24; 1Jn 2:2
      2. Identifying Jesus as the "Man who is preferred before me" - Jn 1:30
         a. Because He was before John (i.e., His preexistence)
         b. Even more so now as the Savior of the world!

   B. LESSONS FROM HIS TESTIMONY...
      1. We should never forget the basis of our salvation!
         a. We are not saved on the basis of our good deeds - cf. Tit 3:5
         b. We are saved by the blood of the Lamb! - cf. Re 1:5; 5:9; Ro 5:1
      2. We should ever point the world to Jesus!
         a. He is their only hope for forgiveness of sins! - cf. 1Ti 2:
            5-6
         b. We should proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified! - cf.
            1Co 2:2

[If Jesus is truly "preferred before" us, we will never hesitate to
offer Him as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.  Finally, we
note John's testimony concerning Jesus that...]

IV. THIS IS THE SON OF GOD

   A. HIS TESTIMONY ABOUT CHRIST...
      1. "I did not know Him" - Jn 1:31,33
         a. Though related, Jesus lived in Nazareth, John in the Judean
            desert
         b. Even if there had been a casual acquaintance, John did not
            know Jesus as the Messiah
         c. Yet John came baptizing with water
            1) That the Christ might be revealed to Israel
            2) For upon whom the Spirit would descend, would be the One
               who baptizes with the Holy Spirit - cf. Mt 3:11
      2. "I saw the Spirit descending...and He remained upon Him" - Jn 1:32
         a. Just as John was told to anticipate - Jn 1:33
         b. Which occurred when Jesus was baptized by John - cf. Mt 3:16
      3. "I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." - Jn 1:34
         a. John saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus like a dove - cf. Mt 3:16
         b. John testified to the same truth as spoken from above: "This
            is My beloved Son" - cf. Mt 3:17

   B. LESSONS FROM HIS TESTIMONY...
      1. We must be willing to confess Jesus as did John - cf. Mt 10:
         32-33
      2. We must confess Him to be the Son of God
         a. As did Nathanael - cf. Jn 1:49
         b. As did Peter - cf. Jn 6:68-69
         c. As did Martha - cf. Jn 11:27
      3. We must believe Jesus to be the Son of God in order to be saved
         a. As John declares in his gospel - Jn 20:31
         b. As the Ethiopian eunuch confessed in order to be baptized 
            - cf. Ac 8:37

CONCLUSION

1. Jesus would later describe the testimony of John...
   a. He bore witness to the truth - Jn 5:33
   b. He was the burning and shining light - Jn 5:35
   c. In which some were willing to rejoice - Jn 5:35

2. Are we willing to rejoice in the testimony of John...?
   a. Knowing that John was not the Christ?
   b. Understanding that Jesus is preferred above John and all others?
   c. Accepting Jesus to be the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin
      of the world?
   d. Willing to confess along with John that Jesus is the Son of God?

If we are willing to accept the testimony of John the Baptist and obey
the Son of God, eternal life can be ours! - cf.. Jn 3:36; He 5:9; Mk
16:16

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

The Consequences of Divorce and Remarriage by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=4188

The Consequences of Divorce and Remarriage

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Christians increasingly find themselves faced with the dilemma of dealing with individuals (usually non-Christian) who divorce and remarry any number of times for any number of reasons, and who come wishing to become part of the local church. The tendency is to permit the couple to remain in the marriage relationship they are in when they become Christians—though the marriage was contracted in violation of Matthew 19:9. This position usually cloaks itself in feigned compassion for the couple when, more often than not, members simply lack the spiritual courage to press the biblical position. One argument posed in defense of this stance is the notion that if the couple cannot continue their marriage after baptism, then baptism did not really cleanse them and adultery becomes the “unpardonable sin.” Several points which show the error of this position are in order:
First, much is accomplished at the point of biblical baptism, but baptism was never designed to change a sinful practice into an acceptable one, or to transform a sinful relationship into a righteous one. Prostitutes, homosexuals, polygamists, bisexuals, bigamists, and adulterers must sever their relationships.
Second, the biblical doctrine of forgiveness must not be confused with the equally biblical doctrine of the consequences of sin. Being forgiven never implies that all of the consequences of sin will be erased. Past sin may be blotted out, but the consequences of past sin generally remain. For example:

1. Syphilis of the brain is a lasting consequence of a promiscuous lifestyle;
2. Permanent removal from the garden was a lasting penalty and consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3);
3. Being banned from Canaan was a lasting penalty of Moses’ sin (Deuteronomy 32:51-52), though he could be forgiven and one day be in heaven (Revelation 15:3);
4. God pardoned the murmurers (Numbers 14:20)—but the negative effects of their sin were lasting and disastrous (Numbers 14:29-35);
5. Esau’s mistake of selling his inheritance rights could not be rectified—“though he sought it diligently with tears” (Hebrews 12:17).

This biblical principle simply does not square with the notion that if anyone has to break up a marriage, too much is expected of them and forgiveness is not really what it’s “cracked up” to be. If biblical history teaches us anything, it teaches us that people cannot sin and then expect to have things the way they were before. More often than not, much suffering comes upon those who violate God’s will, even though they may be forgiven and have the hope of heaven.
So it is with marriage. People may reject God’s laws of marriage and fly in the face of His will. They may then be forgiven, but they may also have gotten their lives into such a fix that they will have no choice but to live single and celibate the rest of their lives. Such is not a reflection upon God’s justice or mercy. Rather, such is a reflection of man’s own stubborn disobedience and rejection of what God designed to be for man’s good. Just as a person can sin and in so doing lose his physical life without God intervening to prevent the effect of the sin (e.g., rob a bank and be killed by the police), likewise a person can so sin in the marital realm that he or she forfeits marital life without God intervening.
Third, baptism is not biblical immersion if it is not preceded by repentance. We often forget this, so anxious are we to get people into the baptistery. Repentance is not simply being sorry. Godly sorrow precedes genuine repentance which is, in turn, followed by a reformation of life (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). Reformation of life entails the cessation of sinful practices and the severance of sinful relationships (Matthew 3:8; 1 Corinthians 6:11). Paul put it this way in Romans 6:2—a person must not “live any longer therein.”
What did those who practiced sorcery do to show repentance in Acts 19:19? They burned their scrolls, showing that they were ceasing their former practices. Simply vowing to refrain from buying any further books, while insisting on keeping the books they already had, would manifest a lack of true repentance. If they held membership in a sorcery society, repentance would mean that they would sever that relationship. Simon’s repentance and baptism in Acts 8 demanded the cessation of his former relationship with sorcery. What did repentance and baptism mean to the Corinthians? Consider the following chart:

Whether the Corinthians had been practicing adultery, homosexuality, male prostitution, thievery, or swindling (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), repentance prior to baptism would mean that they would have ceased living in illicit sexual unions—whether adulterous or homosexual. They would have ceased stealing and would have severed their relationship with ill-gotten gain. They would have given up any business arrangement that would call for swindling others. Repentance, by definition, would demand such. And those who continue to live in such relationships have not really repented.
One final point merits attention. Some attempt to justify adulterous unions by comparing the sin of adultery to murder. They say that there are some wrongs which cannot be righted. In the case of murder, a man may repent but he cannot raise his victim to life. They say that an unscriptural marriage fits in the same category.
This is a false analogy. In the first place, severing an illicit relationship is not an attempt to rectify past divorces or restore past marriages. Rather, it is what is demanded by repentance and God’s laws of marriage. Second, the basic principle which does apply to both murder and adultery is that repentance demands that the individual cease committing murder and that he cease living in adultery (Colossians 3:7). Can a penitent murderer continue to murder? No. He will cease the relationship which he once had with the murderous life he once lived. Likewise, one who is living in a state of adultery will be lost if he or she dies in that state (Revelation 21:8). Just saying, “I’m sorry,” will not change that state or change that relationship into a righteous one so that it may be continued. Nowhere has God ever dealt with sin in such a way. He always demands the cessation of the sinful practice or relationship before He abundantly pardons. John the Baptizer was not asking Herod to simply acknowledge his sin, say he was sorry and ask forgiveness, and then continue to live with Herodias. Herod had married her (Mark 6:17). What did repentance demand? That they break up their marriage. Why? Because, as John declared, “It [was] not lawful for [Herod] to have her” (Mark 6:18)! There wasn’t anything that Herod could merely verbalize that would change the status of the marital relationship. It had to be terminated.

From Jim McGuiggan... THE GALATIAN PROBLEM

THE GALATIAN PROBLEM

1. It seems very clear that while Paul had problems with some non-Christian Jews [see Acts 13:45-46, 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 and elsewhere] he was not addressing them when he wrote his scathing letter to the Galatians.

2. The people he was so angry with were Christian Jews; that is, Jews who had received Jesus as the Messiah and committed themselves to him.

3. The proof of that is that they were offering “a gospel” to Galatians who were already in Jesus Christ [Galatians 3:1-5]. In addition, Paul becomes specific in 2:4-14 and levels an accusation against his fellow Christian Jews [including Peter and Barnabas].

4. So what exactly was Paul enraged about? It’s clear that Paul was called by God to a mission peculiarly [not exclusively] to Gentiles as surely as Peter [and others] were commissioned with the gospel to the Jews [Galatians 2.7-8]. What troubled Paul was that some Christian Jews came into the region where he had established churches among the Gentiles and they were demanding that these Gentiles live as Jews. That is, to be Torah observant [including being circumcised] if they were to be saved and blessed in Jesus [Galatians 2:14b, 5:11-5 and compare Acts 15:1].

5. And what was wrong with that? It’s usual for us to say that these Christian Jews were teaching salvation by keeping “the moral law” rather than requiring membership in the Jewish community. It’s usual to hear that they were teaching salvation by personal virtue and merit but neither of those proposals is what Paul talks about. Read again the entire second chapter and see that it is about binding on Gentiles the Torah, the Jewish law with the food laws, circumcision and all that goes with it [compare also 4:17, 21-31 and 5:1-2].

6. Yes, we’re told, but since the Mosaic Law required sinlessness then to bring Gentiles under the Mosaic Law was in effect laying on them the demand for sinlessness. [See 3:10-12 which is used to support this claim that the Mosaic Law demanded sinlessness. Click here for a related piece.]

7. But did these Christian Jews believe they were sinless? Did they believe they were required to be sinless? Did they not believe that they were sinners and aren’t the psalms filled with people who confessed sin and asked for forgiveness and thanked God for graciously granting it? The notion that the OT demanded sinlessness is false. Note Acts 15:11 and note again that Peter was indicted in Galatians 2.

8. So when the Jewish Christians who were disturbing the churches Paul had established independent of Jewish law observance demanded that Gentile Christians become Jews they were not asking the Gentiles to earn their salvation by good works; they were not trying to bring Gentiles under a law that demanded sinlessness. That wasn’t what enraged Paul.

9. Let me repeat, the Jews that Paul is angry with in Galatians are Christian Jews who believed in forgiveness of sins in Jesus. The problem was that they believed that everyone had to be a Torah-observant Jew or turn to Judaism in order to get forgiveness and blessing in the Messiah [see again Acts 15.1].

10. This implied that all that God had been doing through Paul [and others] among the Gentiles had not brought salvation or blessing. Paul’s divine commission to the Gentiles [see again Galatians 2:7-8] was being undermined and the Gentile saving relationship to Jesus was denied. In effect, God had not and was not saving these people by the gospel Paul proclaimed. The “true” gospel, these people claimed, was not Paul’s—it was the gospel with an exclusively Jewish twist; a gospel Paul said was no gospel at all [Galatians 1:6-9].

11. There was no necessity for Jews to cease being Jews to find forgiveness and life in Jesus [see Romans 10:9-10, Acts 21:18-26 and 1 Corinthians 9:20 but note Galatians 2:14].Nevertheless there was something fundamentally wrong about Jews demanding that Gentiles become Jew in order to find life in the Messiah.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.