Milo – Page 31

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

Mark

INTRODUCTION
According to very early tradition, this Gospel is based on the preaching and eyewitness stories told by the Apostle Peter. It was probably written between A.D. 65–70. The numerous explanations of Aramaic words and Hebrew practices suggest Mark wrote for Gentile readers. In the blunt, vigorous speech of the common man, Peter’s interpreter, John Mark, portrayed Jesus as a Man of action, whose nature and mission can best be grasped by observing His works. Almost a third of this Gospel is devoted to the Crucifixion and events of the last week of Christ on earth.

THE SON OF GOD
Mark 1

“A voice came from heaven: ‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased’ ” (Mark 1:11).

With almost no introduction, the author plunged into an account of events that proved his theme: Jesus is the Son of God.

Background
John Mark. A very early tradition, traced back to the Apostle John himself, identifies Mark as the writer of this Gospel. He apparently accompanied Peter when Peter was in Rome, and according to very early church historians, reflected Peter’s preaching in his Gospel.
But John Mark himself has a fascinating story. He was the young son of an early Jerusalem convert, a woman to whose house Peter went after he was released from prison (Acts 12:12). Mark traveled briefly with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (13:5). But Mark deserted the missionary team (v. 13). Paul was so upset with him that when Barnabas insisted on taking Mark (who was also his cousin) on another journey, the two seasoned missionaries split up (15:36–41).
Yet later we meet Mark again, in Paul’s epistles! There we see Paul’s attitude had changed: Mark was not only to be welcomed by the churches the apostle had founded (Col. 4:10), but in prison Paul asked that Mark come to him “because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).
What a lesson these few verses about Mark have for us today. First they warn us. Let’s not be too quick to give up on young people. They can and will make mistakes. But with the kind of loving care and second chances that Barnabas fought to give Mark, they can grow and change.
Second, these verses encourage us. Like John Mark, you and I may at times go back on our commitment to the Lord or to ministry. How wonderful to realize that such failures do not disqualify us. John Mark not only went on to become a leader in the early church—God chose him to write one of the books of our Bible!
Whenever we open the Word of God to Mark’s Gospel, we’re reminded that God is willing to give us too yet another chance—and that if we take that chance, He will use us for His glory.

Overview
John the Baptist came in accordance with prophecy to announce Jesus’ appearance (1:1–8). At Christ’s baptism He was identified as the Son of God (vv. 9–13). He began His work by calling disciples (vv. 14–20), driving out evil spirits, and healing (vv. 21–34). Jesus found strength in prayer as He traveled throughout Galilee (vv. 35–39), demonstrating God’s compassion by His healings (vv. 40–45).

Understanding the Text
“The Son of God” Mark 1:1. In Hebrew and in the Aramaic spoken by Jews in the first century, “son of” often represented descent or dependence. In one sense human beings and angels are “sons of” (beings created by) God.
Yet “son of” can have another meaning: a meaning that is rooted in identity. To say a person is a “son of man” means that he or she is a human being.
In what sense did Mark use “Son of God” in his very first verse? Clearly in the most significant sense: Jesus is one with God. Jesus is God.
Mark did not argue this point. Instead he went on to demonstrate it, reporting a series of unique events and acts that made it clear just who Jesus is.
Perhaps this is one of the greatest values of Mark’s brief Gospel. As we read, we are reminded again and again that the One whose adventures we share is the Son of God, come to live in our world; come to display in all He says and does the once-hidden character of our God. If we keep this in mind, we will often be awed by Jesus’ display of the love and grace of God. And we will often be moved to pause and praise.

“So John came, baptizing” Mark 1:2–8. With no further introduction, Mark went into the exciting events that preceded Jesus’ public appearance. In fulfillment of prophecy God sent a messenger to prepare the way for His Son. The messenger, John the Baptist, predicted One “more powerful than I” was to appear soon. He urged his listeners to prepare by repenting, and offered water baptism as a sign of repentance and appeal for forgiveness.
Yesterday a Christian sportsmanship award was given to a member of our church softball team. When the “Jim Smith Award” was given, the presenter had to choke back his tears. You see, Jim Smith had been his “John the Baptist.” Some years earlier Jim had guided him to Christ and shown him how to live a Christian life.
You and I too can continue John the Baptist’s ministry. Like Jim Smith, we can speak of the “more powerful One” who is about to appear again. We too can urge people to change their hearts and minds about God, and receive forgiveness. We can promise that those who do look to God’s Son, Jesus, will not only be forgiven but will also receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. We can understand our mission in life as Jim Smith and John the Baptist understood theirs—the mission of messengers sent to “prepare the way for the Lord” in the hearts and lives of our friends.

“You are My Son, whom I love” Mark 1:9–12. John said little about the baptism or temptation of Jesus. What he did say was clear evidence of Christ’s deity. During the baptism, John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove, and heard a voice identify Christ as God’s Son (v. 11). And, after being tempted by Satan, “angels attended Him.”
Thus three lines of testimony identify Jesus as Son of God: the testimony of the Old Testament prophets, the testimony of God Himself, and the testimony of miraculous events.
It’s encouraging to remember when we do undertake a John the Baptist-like ministry and point others to Jesus, that God still testifies to Christ’s identity as we share Him. We have the external witness of Scripture. We have the internal witness of God’s voice, speaking directly to the heart of the person we’re witnessing to. And we have the miracle of God’s transforming work in our own lives.

“They left their nets and followed Him” Mark 1:14–20. The other Gospels make it clear that Jesus and these fishermen had spent time together before the call described here. But notice what Mark emphasized in his story. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, they left their nets “at once” (v. 18). “Without delay” He called John and James, and they responded so quickly that they “left their father . . . in the boat” (vv. 19–20).
The urgency we sense here permeates the Book of Mark. Jesus needed to reach as many as possible in the few short years of His ministry. And He needs now, as He needed then, disciples who feel the urgency too.

“He even gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey Him” Mark 1:21–34. Mark continued to demonstrate the truth of Jesus’ deity. He taught with “authority.” He cast out evil spirits, who knew and identified Him as “the Holy One of God.” He healed all sorts of diseases. As the news spread over Galilee, it was increasingly clear that a unique Individual had appeared.
For some strange reason our day has seen a rise in interest in the occult. Horror books and films dwell on the demonic, and more than one serial killer has committed his or her crimes in the name of the devil. Many high schools even have small groups of Satan worshipers, perhaps in imitation of music groups that exploit the dark side of spirituality. Even in our little Florida county, the sheriff’s office made it a point to ask teachers to report any indications of Satan worship by teens!
How good it is to remember that Jesus truly is the Son of God. All Satan’s forces are helpless before Him.

“Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man” Mark 1:40–45. If we ever wondered whether the Gospel ministry should focus just on preaching salvation, or involve meeting a wide range of human needs, here’s our answer. We follow Jesus’ example.
Lepers in biblical times were not only diseased, but also were social outcasts. They were cut off from all normal contact with healthy persons, and suffered not only from their sickness but also from isolation and rejection. When one such person came to Jesus, the text says He was “filled with compassion.” The Greek word indicates that Christ was deeply moved. But it indicates more. It suggests an empathy and emotional response that moves a person to action. In His action Jesus not only healed the leprosy, but He also touched the leper. Christ was sensitive to the need for healing, but also sensitive to the need of this rejected man for the touch of another human hand. Christ’s love moved Him to meet the psychological as well as physical and spiritual need.
No human need should be ignored by those whose mission is to introduce others to Jesus Christ, for Christ’s concern extends to every need a human being may have.

DEVOTIONAL
Boring and Offensive
(Mark 1:35–39)
That’s what my wife called yesterday’s sermon. “Boring and offensive.” No, I wasn’t preaching. And neither was our pastor. It was a guest preacher, who exhorted our congregation to greater involvement in social action. But in the process downplayed the importance of nurturing personal relationship with the Lord. “That,” my wife later insisted, “is a perfect illustration of secular humanism.” And she’s totally down on that.
As usual, my wife’s analysis was quite accurate. Yet the last incident in this chapter pictures Jesus’ deep concern for the physical and psychological health of a leper! Isn’t that social action?
Of course it is. And it tells us, as the preacher yesterday tried to, that you and I too are to have honest concern for social and psychological needs, as well as for the spiritual needs of others. The problem arises only when we isolate our relationship with God from our works. What bothered my wife was the fact that every kind of ministry has to be rooted in and grow out of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Ministry is no substitute for fellowship with God, just as good works are no alternative to salvation.
What we see in this story is that Jesus’ own ministry of preaching and service was rooted in, and grew out of, His personal relationship with the Father.
That’s what’s so challenging. Jesus was so active. He was concerned about every need of the people of Galilee. He was constantly on the go; always in ministry. And yet even Jesus could not afford to neglect time alone with His Father. So what did Jesus do? He got up early. He went off to pray “while it was still dark” because He knew every daylight hour would be taken up serving others and preaching His Good News.
“That’s why I have come,” Jesus said, referring to His preaching. He had to get His work done. But in order to minister effectively, He had to have His time with God too.
That’s really what was wrong with yesterday’s sermon. It failed to remind us that whatever we do, it must flow from our relationship with Jesus, and that even the doing of good deeds must never be allowed to supplant time devoted to deepening our relationship with our Lord.

Personal Application
To be effective in any ministry, spend significant time in prayer first.

Quotable
“I have so much work to do today, I had to spend two hours in prayer first to be able to get it done.”—Martin Luther

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

Jude

INTRODUCTION
Jude is thought to be the brother of James and half-brother of Jesus. His short book is an urgent warning against those who were already introducing false teaching into the churches. God will punish those who turn from Christ and godliness, but preserve those who keep themselves in His love.

FALSE TEACHERS
Jude

“They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 4).

Hold fast to Jesus and godliness, and God will surely hold fast to you.

Biography: Jude
Jude’s identification of himself as the brother of James, and a very early tradition, has led to his likely identification as a half-brother of Jesus Himself (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). James’ humility in introducing himself only as a servant of Jesus may reflect his early rejection of his half-Brother as the Messiah (cf. John 7:5; Acts 1:14). While the letter is undated, if the author is Jude the brother of Jesus, its date probably falls somewhere betweenA.D 60 and 80, as it reflects a concern for false teachers that is characteristic of the later letters of Paul and Peter, as well as John.

Overview
Jude wrote to warn of false teachers in the church (vv. 1–4), who will surely be judged by God (vv. 5–16). But believers who hold fast to Jesus and godliness (vv. 17–23) will be upheld by God, who merits our praise (vv. 24–25).

Understanding the Text
“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” Jude 1–2. References in the Gospels to Jesus’ half-brothers suggests that some hostility existed on their part. They weren’t at all happy at the notoriety Jesus gained as He began His preaching and healing ministry in Galilee. No doubt, like siblings everywhere, they thought to themselves, “What’s so special about HIM?”
Yet after Jesus’ resurrection we find the brothers, with Mary and the disciples, praying in an upper room (Acts 1:14). The Baby born to their mother, the older Brother who roughhoused with them and took care of them as they grew up, was at last known by them as the Son of God.
It’s one thing to know Jesus in the flesh. Today millions celebrate Christmas with no more insight into who Jesus really is than His brothers had. But when anyone comes to know Him as Son of God and Saviour, they like Jude find in Him mercy, peace, and grace in abundance.

“Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” Jude 3. Some things in life are relative. I prefer green, someone else prefers blue. I like popcorn. Someone else likes potato chips. With preferences, it doesn’t make any real difference.
Truth is different. It is absolute, in the sense that truth remains fixed and sure despite human preferences. And so Jude reminds us that when someone says, “I prefer to think of Jesus as just a good man,” we can’t respond, “OK. But I prefer to think of Him as God.”
Contending for truth doesn’t mean being hostile, or shouting at those who do not believe. But it does mean making sure people realize that truth isn’t a matter of preference. Someone may well say, “I prefer to think of Jesus as just a good man.” But when they do, that’s our cue to answer, “I’m really sorry about that. You see, the Bible says Jesus is God the Son, and your whole future depends on whether or know you accept the truth of of that claim.”

“Have secretly slipped in among you” Jude 4. Yesterday our Sarah came home from Sunday School, wearing a large paper medallion around her neck, that said in letters two inches high, “I am forgiven.”
False teachers don’t wear medallions around their necks, announcing, “I am a false teacher.” Instead they slip in secretly. They pretend to be believers, and only after being accepted do they begin to smuggle their heresies into the congregation.
Jude, as did Peter and Paul, reminds us that try as they will, false teachers can’t hide two identifying marks. They deny Jesus Christ, making Him out to be less than God. And they twist that grace which frees us from the grip of sin into a license for sin.
Christmas is our great reaffirmation that Jesus Christ is God, come in the flesh. In remembrance of God’s great gift, let’s rededicate ourselves to live holy and godly lives.

“I want to remind you” Jude 5–7. Jude pointed to three groups whose experience reminds us that God does punish sin. The three groups are linked first in that each rebelled against God, and second, in that each when rebelling turned to immorality.
The most unusual group here is that of “angels who did not keep their position of authority.” Comparing Jude’s reference to first and second-centuryB.C Jewish works, he appears to refer to the “sons of God” of Genesis 6:4 who assumed bodies to mingle with the “daughters of men.” This radical violation of the creation order led to the guilty angels being “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment.”
Jude’s point is clear. God will most certainly punish the false teachers who share the spiritual and moral depravity exhibited by the Exodus generation, by fallen angels, and by the homosexual communities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Let’s not hesitate to affirm this truth too. Sin merits punishment. And punishment will surely be meted out.

“These dreamers” Jude 8–10. I read science fiction now and then. Flights of the imagination that create new worlds and new cultures intrigue me. But I never mistake the imaginary world of some author for reality.
That’s the problem with false religious teaching. It abandons the reality unveiled in Scripture, and substitutes man’s imagination. “These dreamers” act like “unreasoning animals” in that they ignore spiritual truths and imagine a world in which they can give full reign to their natural baser passions.
This is the utmost arrogance, and Jude alluded to a popular story of his day in which the archangel Michael is portrayed struggling with Satan for the body of Moses after his death. Even in our fiction, Jude seemed to say, the greatest of the angels hestitates to rebuke a being of higher rank! How arrogant for mere men to speak of spiritual realities that are far beyond their capacity to grasp.
Watch out for those who ridicule spiritual things. What they say tells us nothing about God or angels. But it surely tells us a lot about them!

“Woe to them” Jude 11–13. Jude emotionally piled up images that characterize the false teacher. The way of Cain is to strike out at those who do good. The error of Balaam is to trade spiritual services for worldly wealth. And the destruction of Korah is direct, divine intervention to punish those who rebel against him.
The next series of images are powerful and poetic. Each pictures a phenomenon which promises much, but delivers nothing but harm. To be a shepherd is to promise to care for the sheep, but these shepherds take care of themselves! A dark cloud promises rain, but these false teachers bring only shrieking winds and no water. What a contrast to the thousands upon thousands of faithful pastors who give rather than receive, and who enrich our lives.

“Enoch, the seventh from Adam” Jude 14–20. Jude quoted here from a second centuryB.C religious book called “The Book of Enoch.” Jude’s quotation did not mean he saw this book as Scripture, but does indicate he believed the sentiment expressed to be true. The Lord is coming, and with thousands upon thousands of holy angels (cf. 2 Thes. 1:5–10). When He returns, He will judge. And then the false teachers will receive the punishment they deserve.
Until then, we should expect to find scoffers in the church, who will try to divide us (vv. 17–19). So let’s be doubly careful not to fall into their grasp.

“But you, dear friends” Jude 20–21. The angels sang it on that first Christmas. “On earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14).
The strident calls of scoffers have no appeal to us, who know Jesus as God-sent Babe and risen Saviour. We experience peace, as we concentrate on building ourselves up in “your most holy faith,” on prayer, and on keeping ourselves in love as we wait for Jesus to return. If you and I focus on these things we will experience a peace that certainty no one outside of Christ can possibly know.

“Be merciful to those who doubt” Jude 22. Don’t classify those who doubt with false teachers. There’s a vast difference between honest uncertainty and arrogant unbelief. Jude reminds us to “be merciful” to doubters. Show that you care, try to encourage and help, never condemn. By love and mercy you can take a doubter by the hand and lead him or her to Christ.

“Mixed with fear” Jude 23. Love for the lost must always be tempered by a hatred of sin. Jude warns us against identifying so closely with a sinner that we find ourselves drawn into his or her sin. The fear we feel in reaching out to others is not fear of them, but awareness of our own vulnerability.

DEVOTIONAL
Born a King
(Jude 17–25)
There’s a strange correlation between the Christmas season and Jude’s letter. Christmas brings us vivid images of Baby Jesus, lying in a manger, a helpless Infant, watched over by Mary and Joseph and farm animals. Jude’s powerful warnings against false teachers contain vivid images too: images that make us sense our own vulnerability.
But Jude ended his letter with a paean of praise to One he at last came to recognized as God our Saviour, resplendent in “glory, majesty, power and authority.” Jesus was born a helpless Babe. But He was born a King, and as King He now rules over all.
It’s because of who Jesus is, “before all ages, now and forevermore,” that despite our weaknesses we have complete confidence that whatever schisms tear at the church, we will remain safe and secure. We are secure, not because of the strength of faith in Him, but because of the strength of Him in whom we believe. As Jude says, He “is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault, and with great joy.”

Personal Application
Trust in Jesus, not in your faith in Jesus.

Quotable
“Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you.”
—Francois de la Mothe Pennelon

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

CHRISTIAN FREEDOM
Galatians 5–6

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

The Christian is freed from the Law in order to become righteous through Christ.

Overview
Law and grace are conflicting principles (5:1–12). Christians are freed from the Law in order to live a life of love, led by God’s transforming Spirit (vv. 13–25). We must be committed to doing good (6:1–10), as God’s new creations (vv. 11–18).

Understanding the Text
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” Gal. 5:1. The Judaizers argued that by rejecting Mosaic Law, Paul rejected righteousness. And this could not be of God! Casting off the Law must lead to licentiousness: man uncaged would have no reason not to sin!
Galatians 5 and 6 give Paul’s response. There are two ways to handle the beast in man. The approach of Law was to cage the beast, though it eagerly tried to break out. The approach of grace is to change the beast! Removing the bars is safe if the man’s nature can be transformed.
This, Paul tells us, is exactly what God has done! Through Christ God has given us a new nature that can be controlled by the Spirit of God. As we yield to the Spirit, we live righteous lives and we experience a gradual transformation. Christian freedom is no license to live according to our sinful nature. Christian freedom is stepping out beyond the bars, to live a life of love in the Holy Spirit’s power. So freedom from Mosaic Law does not imply a retreat from righteousness. Through grace God has done what Law was never able to do. He has changed us within, and by making us righteous He enables us to live good and holy lives.
Don’t be afraid of freedom. Trust Jesus, respond to the Holy Spirit, and use your freedom to live a life of love.

“Christ will be of no value to you at all” Gal. 5:2–6. Paul was looking here at the Christian life, not at salvation. If any Christian turns to legalism, represented here by circumcision, and struggles to live a good life by self-effort, his union with Jesus “will be of no value.” Paul made his position very clear by going on. The Galatians who decided to follow the Judaizers and were circumcised alienated themselves from Christ. They fell “away from grace.”
What do these frightening verses mean? It’s as if a man with a power lawnmower decided to push the mower back and forth over his yard without ever starting it. He would work harder at mowing than if the motor was on, and would get absolutely nothing done! Paul was saying that when we rely on self-effort, guided by Law, to live the Christian life, Christ, though present within us, is “turned off.” We work so hard. And we get nothing done at all!
Don’t fall away from grace. Fall back on it! Rely completely on Jesus, for “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

“Rather, serve one another in love” Gal. 5:12–15. We Christians truly are free. Free to indulge the sinful nature. Free to serve one another in love. Each choice has consequences, of course. But this does not disguise the stunning fact that God now stands back and says, “You choose.”
Maybe before, you and I had excuses. We blamed our parents, our poverty, our bad luck, or our temptations for our failures. When Christ made us free, however, all those things became irrelevant. Never mind the poor self-image. Never mind your weaknesses. All those things are in the past. In Christ you and I can choose to live a life of love!

“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” Gal. 5:16–18. The reason that we are truly free isn’t that our past has been changed, or our present feelings have changed. We may still feel inadequate, unsure, hesitant, afraid. We are free because God has given us His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God within enables us.
Freedom doesn’t mean life without conflict. It does mean the possibility of life without defeat! Our weaknesses need not drag us down, our past no longer cripples us. The Holy Spirit is on our side in the war against the desires of our sinful nature. We no longer look to Law, and struggle. We look to the Holy Spirit, trust in Him, and do what is right.

“Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” Gal. 5:19–21. Paul listed activities that characterized man’s sinful nature. Those marked by them are, if we paraphrase, “on the road to hell.”
There’s an implied warning to Christians here. In Colossians 1:13 Paul says that believers have been rescued from the kingdom of Satan, and transferred to the kingdom of the Son He loves. We believers have already inherited the kingdom. We live and breathe its richly scented air, and in our spirit we walk with the angels as we talk with God. But never suppose that believers who choose to gratify the desires of the sinful nature will possess this inheritance now!
We really can choose between living by the sinful nature and by the Spirit. But we can’t choose the consequences. Those are fixed. And the consequence of the wrong choice is a present life choked with petty miseries.

“The fruit of the Spirit” Gal. 5:22–24. We can’t choose the consequences that follow our decision to serve one another in love either. God has already chosen them. What if we make this choice, and live in the power of the Spirit? Then God fills us to overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Have you ever noticed that along the banks of a stream the vegetation is always abundant and luxurious? This is what the Bible says about us. As the Holy Spirit flows freely in our lives, a rich and beautiful character grows. We are filled with love, with joy, with peace. In every relationship we exhibit that patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that mark us as God’s own.
There is no way, however much we plow and harrow, or cultivate and hoe our character, to produce this crop by ourselves. This crop is produced only by God the Holy Spirit, and only in those who live by Him (see DEVOTIONAL).

“Against such things there is no law” Gal. 5:23. The Judaizers insisted that man needs the Law in order to affirm righteousness. Paul has given several answers. (1) Law and grace are opposing principles: you must choose one or the other. (2) Law can be summed up in the call to love one’s neighbor: Christ has freed us to serve one another in love, so Law is no longer necessary. (3) Law cannot release us from bondage to our sinful nature: the Spirit can and so, if we are led by Him, Law is irrelevant.
Now Paul made a final point. Laws are passed against sinful acts. No one would think of passing a law against love, joy, kindness, goodness, or patience. It follows then that Law is irrelevant to Christians who live by the Spirit. What need is there for Law in a heart where love, kindness, and goodness reign?
Commit yourself to Jesus, actively love others, and trust the Spirit to express Himself through you. Do this, and you need not worry about the Law.

“You who are spiritual should restore him” Gal. 6:1–5. What a joy to realize that we aren’t expected to step out into this risky world of freedom alone. God has given us brothers and sisters to walk in the Spirit with us—to restore us when we fall, to hold us up when the load becomes too heavy.
There’s a beautiful interplay between verses 2 and 5 in the Greek. The burden we help others bear is a bare, a heavy load. The load we are to carry on our own is a phortion, the normal load for which we were designed. How wonderful that with the aid of God’s Spirit we are now not only able to meet life successfully, but even to help others for whom the burden is too great.

“A man reaps what he sows” Gal. 6:7–9. Again Paul expressed a basic truth. We can now choose our way of life. But God has chosen the consequences. Let’s follow the path that leads to abundant life!

“What large letters” Gal. 6:11–18. Letters in New Testament times were typically dictated to secretaries, who wrote down the words. The author might pen a few words at the end, as Paul did here. Some see in the “large letters” a suggestion of the eye trouble Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12. Others take it as emphatic: see, I’m underlining this!
What did Paul underline? His decisive rejection of the legalistic approach to the Christian life represented by the Judaizers, and his own changeless focus on Christ and His cross. Those who wanted the Galatians to cut their bodies as a sign of submission to Law should go the whole way, and castrate themselves! To impose Law on the Christian Gospel of grace would make the Gospel impotent and void of power.
What counts is that we are new creations in Christ. And because of that renewal, we are free!

DEVOTIONAL
In Step with the Spirit
(Gal. 5:12–26)
It’s such a dazzling prospect! To be free to serve one another in love. To be free from the crushing demands of our sinful nature. To be free to experience love, joy, peace, patience—all those things Paul said the Holy Spirit produces in the believer.
But how disappointed many Christians are as they catch a vision of what can be—and tremble to realize that as far as they are concerned, it is not. How disappointing to want the kind of life Paul described here, fail to find it, and never realize why.
I suspect for many of us the reason why is given in the little phrase in verse 25: “Keep in step with the Spirit.” If you were in the army, you might hear a sergeant shouting it at you. “Keep in step, Recruit! Move it!”
Some folks interpret a legalistic life as a life of trying, and the Spirit-filled life as a life of resting. They wait for the Holy Spirit to direct them. And, all too often, if they don’t feel the Spirit moving, they just sit.
Paul said, “Keep in step with the Spirit.” Don’t sit down. Don’t wait for the Spirit to tap you on the shoulder and point. Move it!
Paul told the same thing in other ways. We’re to “use” our freedom to serve one another (v. 13). Right there we have the Spirit’s marching orders. We don’t need to wait for further instructions. We simply need to get out and start serving! “The only thing that counts,” Paul said earlier, “is faith expressing itself through love” (v. 6).
Again we see the same emphasis. Faith must express itself. Faith is active. It moves! Faith doesn’t sit around waiting. God has work for us to do, and if we really trust God to work in us, we naturally get up and get at it!
It seems so simple. And yet so many of us miss it. Do you believe God’s Spirit lives in you? Do you believe He is able to work through you? Then show your faith by stepping out to serve others in love, and in the serving you will experience the Spirit’s power. And in the serving you will find your own character transformed.

Personal Application
God’s Spirit is at work in the world today. Keep in step with Him.

Quotable
“Every time we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that we believe there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”—J.B. Phillips

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

FAITH AND LAW
Galatians 3–4

“If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe” (Gal. 3:21–22).

Faith and law live at opposite ends of town.

Overview
The Galatians’ own experience (3:1–5) and Abraham’s example demonstrate that salvation is by faith and not Law (vv. 6–14). Law never abrogated promise as the key to God’s dealings with man (vv. 15–25), and in Christ believers become sons of God (v. 26–4:7). The Galatians’ perplexing return to “religion” (vv. 8–20) was abandonment of freedom for spiritual slavery (vv. 21–31).

Understanding the Text
“You foolish Galatians!” Gal. 3:1–5 The word Paul used here does not mean mentally deficient. It means inept! These folks had normal intelligence and plenty of evidence, but for some inexplicable reason they didn’t put two and two together!
Don’t think that the Bible is as “hard to understand” as some claim. The Bible isn’t a puzzle that people have to struggle to solve. It is a clear, unmistakable revelation of God’s will, purposes, and gifts. Only if we fail to apply ourselves to study, or to think about what we read, will we find ourselves in the position of those “foolish Galatians.”

“Before your very eyes” Gal. 3:1–5. Paul listed three facts that should have enabled the Galatians to see through the Judaizers’ false gospel. First, Christ has been “clearly portrayed as crucified.” Paul stripped the Gospel of inessentials, and focused on Jesus. Failure of the Judaizers to give Christ the same place in their system should have alerted the Galatians at once.
This is still the test of any teaching. What place does Jesus crucified have? If there is no central role for the Saviour on a cross, then the teaching is false.
Second, the Galatians’ own experience should have alerted them. They were given the Spirit when they believed—not for keeping the Law. Why, when their initial experience with God was rooted in faith, would they expect Him to change now? Politicians seeking reelection used to argue against “changing horses in midstream.” Paul does too. If faith has got you this far, why get off faith and try a different mount now?
Third, God’s present work among the Galatians was in response to faith, not to their obedience to Law. God works among us today through faith, not through legalism.
What Paul was really doing is expressing shock and amazement. Yet throughout church history there have always been those who try to remake Christianity into a religion of works and Law rather than of faith and grace. Don’t be surprised when you come across it today. But don’t be taken in, no matter how pious its proponents may seem.

Believing, or observing?
The Gospel
Legalism
Faith (Abraham)
Law (Curse)
3:6–9
3:10–14
Faith (Covenant)
Law (Transgression)
3:15–18
3:19–22
Faith (Sonship)
Law (Slavery)
3:23–29
4:1–7

Paul contrasted his Gospel of a grace that comes through faith with the Judaizer’s demand for a return to Law. In a carefully reasoned argument Paul showed why Gospel and Mosaic Law are contrary to each other, and why the Galatians must opt for the Gospel of a salvation won and experienced by faith alone.

“Consider Abraham” Gal. 3:6–9. From the very beginning God has related to men by faith. Abraham, the father and prototype of the chosen race, was justified by faith. Those in his line must have a relationship with God which rests on faith.
Paul quoted Old Testament references to Gentile salvation (v. 8) to show that God always intended to bring Gentiles into Abraham’s family line. Since Gentiles can’t go back and be born again as Jews, this could only be done through a faith like Abraham’s own.
God did make Israel His chosen people. But even as He selected Abraham, He was thinking of you and me!

“Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything” Gal. 3:10–14. Faith is inclusive, and brings everyone with Abraham into relationship with God. Law is exclusive. It rules everyone out!
Take a balloon, blow it up, and use a felt-tipped pen to write on it the 633 precepts of Old Testament Law identified by the rabbis. Then take a pin, and prick just one of those precepts. You’ve not broken just one commandment, you’ve broken the whole thing!
This is the point of Deuteronomy 27:26, which Paul quoted here. Keep the Law, and yes, you’ll be blessed. But break even one command, just once, and you come under the Law’s curse! If you turn to legalism, you must accept the Law’s obligation to keep it perfectly. All the time.
How glad we can be that Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the Law.” Jesus paid the price that frees us from the penalty Law-breaking entailed. And He also freed us from legalism, which continues to curse mankind with its demand for perfection.

“Law, introduced 430 years later” Gal. 3:15–19. God’s promise to Abraham was made centuries before Moses gave the Law to Israel. That promise was confirmed by covenant: a legally binding instrument. Adding the Law didn’t invalidate the covenant, or nullify the promise.
To suppose that Law replaced faith as God’s way of relating to His own is to suppose that God doesn’t keep His Word! The Law, which casts a searchlight on our sins, makes us realize how desperately we need the salvation that God makes available through faith.

“But God is One” Gal. 3:20–21. There’s a beautiful truth here. Moses served as a mediator in giving the Law, for he stood between God and mankind, representing both. But this wasn’t good enough for God. So in Christ God Himself became the Mediator. Through Jesus we deal directly with God, and are welcomed into His presence.

“No longer under the supervision of the Law” Gal. 3:23–25. All English transcriptions obscure what was a powerful image in the first century. The Law, Paul said, was a paidagogos. This was a slave employed by wealthy Greeks as a “child-attendant” who supervised underage children. While underage, even though a child might be heir to the family estate, he had to obey the orders of his attendant.
Law was just such a paidagogos for Israel before Jesus came. The Jews were “locked up” by the Law, not as prisoners, but so they would be kept out of trouble! While the Law was unable to keep Israel from sinning, it did keep that people together and preserve their identity until Jesus, the Seed of Abraham through whom the promises to all humanity would be kept, arrived.
Paul’s point was that, now that Jesus had come, we no longer need to be locked up! We can be set free! For, brought into intimate relationship with God through Christ, we can now be trusted to live truly godly lives!
One reason Christians sometimes feel a need for restrictive laws is that we recognize and fear our potential for sin. But God wants you and me to recognize the potential we now have in Christ to live dynamic, godly lives! When we rebuild the cage of Law, we don’t lock up our old nature. We lock up the new self God wants us to become.

“Until Christ is formed in you” Gal. 4:8–20. American Indians used to wind infants tightly in cloths, and strap them to a carrying board. But when the children grew, they were released. Only release from the binding wraps of legalism can enable us to grow—and Christ to grow in us.

“The women represent two covenants” Gal. 4:24–25. Paul’s extended analogy continues to the way of Christ with a religion of works and Law. The correspondences here are:

Hagar, the bondwoman
Sarah, the free
Ishmael, a natural birth
Isaac, a supernatural birth
The Old Covenant
The New Covenant
Earthly Jerusalem
Heavenly Jerusalem
Judaism
Christianity

The point of the analogy remains the same. Christ brings us freedom. And it is freedom that we must claim.

DEVOTIONAL
Sons of God
(Gal. 3:26–4:7)
Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures all marked a specific time when a child entered fully into adult responsibility. The Jews fixed the time at age 12, the Greeks at 18, and the Romans permitted the father to fix the time.
Even in Rome though, the formal ceremony in which the child became an adult, was marked by a sacred family festival, the Liberalia. The father presented his son and acknowledged heir with the toga virilis, and the proud son put off the clothing that had marked him as a mere child. How moving the ceremony was: the father proudly embracing his son, the boy both triumphant and a little frightened at his new responsibilities.
A minor child, in the eyes of the law, was no different than a slave. He made no significant decisions. He had no freedom. But with formal acceptance as an adult, all that changed. He was now responsible. He was now free.
To Paul, salvation is God’s Liberalia. It is a joyous festival of freedom. It is the moment when God puts His arms around us, acknowledging us as His sons and heirs. And, in place of the Law, God puts around our shoulders the cloak of His Holy Spirit, the toga virilis which we wear constantly as a symbol not only of our freedom, but of our allegiance to our Father above. No longer limited by law to a slavelike existence, we are ushered into a freedom that demands we take responsibility for our choices. A freedom that means that as an adult member of the family of God whatever we choose to do will bring honor to the family name.
Don’t be afraid of the freedom God has given you. Rejoice in it! And use it, to bring honor to Him.

Personal Application
Don’t fear freedom. Use it to serve God.

Quotable
“There are two freedoms—the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.”—Charles Kingsley

The 365-Day Devotional Commentary

Galatians

INTRODUCTION
Paul’s letter was directed to churches in the Roman province of Galatia, founded during his first missionary journey. These churches were soon visited by men from Jerusalem who denied Paul’s apostolic authority. The “Judaizers” insisted that to be saved a Christian must be subject to Jewish Law and adopt a Jewish lifestyle. Grace, they charged, led to loose living. Paul answered each charge in turn in this little letter, proving that believers are saved and enabled to live holy lives by faith, not by Law.
This epistle continues to bring joy to Christians who experience the freeing relationship with the Holy Spirit which Paul explained here.

PAUL’S GOSPEL
Galatians 1–2

“The Gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11–12).

God validates the Gospel, not the church or any group of men.

Background
Judaizers. The first Christians were Jews who acknowledged Christ as Saviour. These Jewish Christians continued to express their faith within Judaism, all of them “zealous for the Law” (Acts 21:20). But as the church expanded beyond Judea and Galilee, and Gentiles were saved, tensions developed. Jewish and Gentile Christians had vastly different cultural heritages. And many Jews understandably felt that since God had ordained the Law of Moses, they should continue to express their faith within Judaism’s traditions. Some went further, and held that Gentiles must also show their faith by adopting Jewish ways. To be saved, they must keep the Laws given to Israel, be circumcised, and in essence become Jews.
When Paul heard that men representing themselves as messengers from the Apostles in Jerusalem were teaching legalism in the Galatian churches, he was incensed. He immediately wrote this powerful though brief circular letter.
Galatians played a central role in the Protestant Reformation’s recovery of the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Martin Luther playfully called it by the name of his wife, for he said of Galatians, “I am wedded to it.” Millions since then have found in this book joy, freedom, and the liberty to live a victorious Christian life.

Overview
Paul greeted the Galatians (1:1–5) and immediately launched a defense of his Gospel (vv. 6–10). He received this Gospel directly from God (1:11–23), his call was confirmed by the original Apostles (2:1–10), and he defended his Gospel against Judaizing tendencies by rebuking Peter himself (vv. 11–21).

Understanding the Text
“Sent not from men nor by man” Gal. 1:1–2. The polemic nature of Paul’s letter bursts from its very first line. Paul did not come representing men, nor did he depend on any human commission for his authority. Paul was an apostle—a royal emissary—who spoke authoritatively for the Person who did send him, Jesus Christ.
Paul was not acting like a maverick here. He was not one of those folks who couldn’t get along with denominational leaders and so started up his own splinter movement. Paul was stating the facts. His conversion was by a direct confrontation of the risen Christ, and his commission to go to the Gentiles also came from Jesus (cf. Acts 9). Paul was in harmony with the Jerusalem Apostles, but in no way dependent on them or the Jerusalem church for his authority.
Many young persons chafe under leaders they feel hold them back, lack vision, or simply resent them. Let’s not be too quick to take the maverick solution, and set out on our own. Unless we have as clear and certain a calling as did the Apostle Paul! In most cases it’s far better to accept waiting as a discipline from God, and be patient until He opens doors.

“Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age” Gal. 1:3–5. Paul had affirmed his own direct call as an apostle. Now he affirmed grace. Jesus gave Himself not only that we might be forgiven, but that we might be rescued from the present evil age. The power that will free us from sin, and enable us to live righteous lives, is found in Jesus. Not, by implication, in the Law!
Salvation is received as a grace gift, and brings peace. Any “gospel” which fails to rely on Christ’s sacrifice of Himself for our sins, which fails to rescue us from the evil within and around us, and which fails to rest on grace rather than self-effort, is not the Gospel of Jesus.

“A different gospel” Gal. 1:6–10. In Greek allos means another of the same kind. Heteros means another of a different kind. The gospel these Judaizers had introduced to the Galatians was a heteros gospel: it was a gospel that was essentially different from the Gospel of God. It was, Paul said, “No gospel at all.”
Why? Because the Gospel is “Good News.” Any message that tells us “try harder,” even if we’re provided with a rule book, is no good news at all. No matter how hard you or I may try, we can never be good enough to escape the chains of “the present evil age.” Only God’s grace, bursting into history in the person of Jesus Christ, and doing for us what we could never do for ourselves, is truly Gospel, “Good News.”

“Am I now trying to win the approval?” Gal. 1:10 One of the arguments the Judaizers had against Paul was that he emphasized salvation by grace alone to make salvation easy, and so “win approval” from men. Salvation by faith alone still seems to some to be an “easy” or “cheap” religious philosophy.
But it wasn’t cheap at all. Jesus paid the ultimate price that we might enter heaven free of charge.

“I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” Gal. 1:11–23. The Judaizers claimed to represent Christ’s original Apostles. Paul answered in two ways. Jesus Himself revealed the Gospel to Paul, so he was not dependent on the Twelve, nor did his authority come from them (vv. 11–17). Then, after Paul had worked out the implications of the Gospel through years of prayer and study, when he did visit Jerusalem, the Apostles added nothing to his message but instead praised God for his conversion (vv. 18–24).
Don’t get the impression that Paul was a loner. Acts shows us that even during these early stages of his Christian life Paul was actively involved in preaching the Gospel and in fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters (9:19–31). We may not derive spiritual authority from others. This comes as a gift from God. But we do need to fellowship with other believers if we are to mature spiritually.

“I . . . set before them the Gospel that I preach among the Gentiles” Gal. 2:1–7. Paul continued with the story of his relationship with the Apostles. He explained the Gospel he preached to the Apostles, and did so just because “false brothers” like those that have disturbed the Galatian believers “infiltrated our ranks” in order “to make us slaves” (of the Law). The Apostles not only added nothing to Paul’s message, they also acknowledged his call to minister to the Gentiles. They didn’t even ask that Titus, a Greek Christian who accompanied Paul, be circumcised!
Paul’s point was that the Judaizers, who claimed to represent the Jerusalem church, did not in fact have the approval of the original Apostles. And Paul—though he did not depend on this—did!
Have you ever noticed that it’s often the least-mature or least-taught believer who is most eager to set up rules and impose them on others? This is what happened in the first century. The Apostles, who truly grasped the Gospel, affirmed Gentile freedom from Jewish Law. It was others, still unaware of the Gospel’s implications, who tried to tie the Gentiles down with Jewish laws and customs. Watch out when young believers tell you how you should or must live your Christian life. Especially when they claim that the authority for their rules is someone you respect. Don’t accept their word for it. Go to the source.

“Those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship” Gal. 2:8–10. Do you remember an incident reported in Mark 9:38–41? The disciples of Jesus, who were now Apostles, saw someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name and “we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
What a difference now! Paul and Barnabas report their ministry among the Gentiles, and now the Apostles “recognized the grace given to me.” They even agreed that Paul should concentrate on a Gentile ministry, while Peter, who also traveled at this time, focused on a ministry to Jews.
Let’s not be put off when other Christians have a different emphasis than we do, or come from a different tradition. Let’s recognize the grace given to them, and gladly extend the “right hand of fellowship.”

“I have been crucified with Christ” Gal. 2:20. The Christian’s hope and joy is our union with Jesus Christ. We share in His death, and thus the bonds of sin are broken. We share in His resurrection, and thus receive power for a new life. It is Christ living in me, not any attempts of mine to keep a law given to men of a different race in a different age, that is the secret of spiritual life and vitality. Jesus, not the Law, must remain the beating heart, the sole center of our lives, the key to our personal relationship with God.

DEVOTIONAL
Setting Aside God’s Grace
(Gal. 2:11–21)
For Paul, this was the decisive argument. He had been accused of preaching a distorted Gospel: one not sanctioned by Jerusalem.
So he told of a time when Peter himself acted the hypocrite. When Peter was alone with Gentile believers in Antioch, he sat right down with them and ate Gentile food. But when some Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem, Peter was fearful of what they might think, and wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore.
Paul saw this not merely as hypocrisy, but also as setting aside the grace of God in favor of a Law which had never and could never produce righteousness. So Paul confronted Peter openly. He argued that the principle of justification by faith had set aside observance of the Law. Peter’s pandering to Judaizers “rebuilt” a way which the Gospel had destroyed.
What’s important to us here isn’t the confrontation. We might admire Paul for standing up to Peter, and Peter for bowing to the truth Paul spoke. But what we learn is we can, by our actions, “set aside God’s grace.” We can act in ways that obscure, or even deny, grace.
One of the most deceptive ways to deny grace is to confront non-Christians with their sins. “Don’t you know that’s wrong?” we ask. Or we suggest, “What you’re doing is harmful as well as sinful.” Our motive may be good. We may expect exposure of sin to lead to conviction and this to salvation. But by drawing disapproving attention to another’s sin, we draw attention away from Jesus and the grace of God.
Our message isn’t that all men are sinners. Deep down others know their flaws. Our message is that God loves sinners. We must display the love of God, or we will surely obscure the message of His grace.

Personal Application
Let God’s love shine through everything you do and say.

Quotable
“Men may not read the Gospel in sealskin, or the Gospel in morocco, or the Gospel in cloth covers, but they can’t get away from the Gospel in shoe leather.”—Donald Grey Barnhouse