Monthly Archives: December 2017

Galatians

Galatians 3:2-5

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2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
 
Paul begins here using a question to remind the ones who accepted the truth of the Gospel that it comes by faith through the Spirit not by the law. He continues by saying that what a foolish thing to even consider giving up the freedom of the Spirit to go back into the bondage of the law. The flesh has nothing to offer, but suffering. Hope comes through the Spirit. He asks another question that if you received so many good things through your faith in the Gospel, and even was ridiculed for what you believed, the turning back to the law means you gain nothing. Paul is reminding them, that his ministry was accompanied with signs and wonders. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Jesus had said; your faith has made you whole, when He healed them.Faith is the key to receive anything from God. Paul’s ministry was one of many miracles. The Jewish faith brought no miracles. What proof did they need?
Galatians

Galatians 3:1

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Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
 
Being foolish is a failure to use moral and spiritual discernment. Bewitched is saying this is the only way to account for their theological deception is by malicious magic.Paul is saying that their actions are foolish.Paul reminds them that they have been blessed with the glorious Truth. God thought enough of them that He sent Paul to them to open their eyes to the Truth of God. Paul taught Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul taught that Jesus fulfilled the law and became the substitute for our sin. The law was fulfilled and all who believe live in the grace of God. We need to always keep our focus on the truth of the Word of the Word of
Galatians

Galatians 2:20-21

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Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
 
This tells exactly what happens to the believer in Christ. When we turn ourselves over to God we are in a sense crucified with Christ. We die to the fleshly desires of the body and Christ takes up residence where theses desires lived. We turn our will over to God. It is our faith in God which gives us the confidence to turn ourselves over to the will of God. Temptations fade away, because we turn the decision making over to Him. Christ in us, the hope of glory. The last verse tells us that those who insist they can earn salvation by their own efforts undermine the foundation of Christianity and render unnecessary the death of Christ. If we could have been saved by the law, then it would have been useless for Jesus to give His body on the cross for us. But the law was there to show us just how much we needed a savior Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our salvation so we can spend eternity with Him.
A Note from Hope

The Nosy Britches Brigade – a Note from Hope

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Guess what?! Look who came to our house to live… Mom gave her to Dad for a Christmas present.

Her name is Delilah- Mom says she’s a tuxedo cat,  like Tux. She’s really little right now, but she’s gonna grow up to be big and strong like Scout and me.

Dad says she’s going to fit right in with us – he says she’s just as nosy as we are, and she follows him up and down the hall like us, too. He and Mom call us the Nosy Britches Brigade.

Scout likes to try to chew on her, but Mom won’t let her. I think maybe I need to tell Scout the story about when she was a baby so she’ll understand.

So far, Delilah hasn’t met any of the other friends who live here – Mom says she doesn’t want her to claw Serafina or Emily Jane or Lamb Chop, and she’s  kinda afraid of being outside. We’re gonna get her a harness and leash so she can go out with us and not run away.

When Delilah first got here, we both wanted to bark and run and chase her, and that scared her. I don’t think she knew about dogs. Then  Dad reminded us that she’s our little sister, and we’re gonna have to teach her about living here, and we’ve got to be good to her. She’s used to us now, and even sleeps with us, and Mom and Dad.

I’m kinda excited about this new sister- Scout and I both like the foster kitties, but they get adopted and go to their new forever homes, and we can’t play with them anymore. So this way, we can always have a kitty to play with! (But I sure am glad we get the chance to foster them, and teach them about how good dogs are.)

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

P.S. – Mom says I should tell ya’ll that we kinda got behind on telling my stories- but we’re going to work hard and get some more up there so ya’ll can see what we’ve been up to.

 

Galatians

Galatians 2:18-19

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Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
 
Paul is simply saying here if he goes back to following the law and saying this is the way to salvation then he is becoming a a transgressor of the true word of God. This is just saying if you go back into sin after you have received forgiveness for the sin, you make yourself a transgressor. The next verse tells s that through the we are dead to the law because it it is of no consequence to us any more for we are born again unto Christ. We are a new creature no longer under the law but under grace. Jesus became our substitute for our sin on the cross. He fulfilled the law for each of us who will accept it. The law is of none effect in the believer. The price has been paid in full.Sin for the Christian, died on the Lord’s body on the cross. We live in Him.
Galatians

Galatians 2:16-17

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Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
 
I believe this scripture is familiar to some of us in saying that we are not justified by the works of the law but by our faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture it refers to God’s declaring a sinner not guilty and fully righteous before Him by attributing to him the divine righteousness of Christ and attributing the man’s sin to his sinless Savior for punishment. Paul is reminding Peter and the others, that even though they had been Jews, they had to come to Christ through faith, not works. By the law, no one would be saved, because all have sinned and deserve death. A Christian is a believer in and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have made Christ the Lord of our life, then we no longer make our decisions. Christ makes the decisions. Christ will never decide to sin. The Lord Jesus Christ will not live in the person who habitually sins. We must let Jesus Christ become so real in our lives that we will be a reflection of Him.
Galatians

Galatians 2:14-15

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Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
 
Paul is questioning Peter, why he lived one way before these Jewish brothers arrived, and then changed when they came. Even though Peter knew the Gentiles had been accepted of God in their uncircumcised condition, he still felt that it would be good if they would not fight the Jews on this issue. It seems that many of the Christians were afraid of the Jews. It appears to me that Paul is saying, make up your mind whether you are a Jew or a Christian, and live accordingly. Let the Gentiles alone. If they are good enough for God in the condition He called them, then leave them alone. Do not try to make them conform to Jewish customs. Paul is saying that he too, had been a Jew by birth. The gentiles were sinners by nature because they had no revealed divine written law to guide them toward salvation or living righteously. Again it is not for us to try to make someone conform to a legalistic salvation because it is by grace that we are saved. Please attend a church today that will help you understand the word of God the way it should be understood.
Galatians

Galatians 2:11-13

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Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
 
We see in theses verses that even with the people who help establish the church, and preach Jews an gentile alike , even have disagreements. Paul was upset with Peter because he was turning his back on the gentile believers whom he had even eaten with because some of the legalistic Jews were not agreeing with what was being done. They were upset because they could not believe you could only be saved by grace and putting your faith in God. They felt that you could not totally abandon the law. These were Jews who had converted to Christianity and it was a little hard for them to totally forget the law. What really surprised Paul was that even Barnabas was siding with the legalistic Jews. All of this was happening in the early days of the church and you say struggles were expected. Even today form this we can relate this to a new convert who has lived in the world today for years, how easy it would be for them to slip back into some the bad habits they might have had if they do have someone to help them stay on the right path. This is why we need to be well grounded in the word of God.
Galatians

Galatians 2:10

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Galatians 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
 
Paul was asked one thing in particular and that was to remember the poor. Paul was more than eager to help the poor even though the ministries of him and Peter were to different groups of people. Paul did not need instruction in this; he had been doing that very thing from the very beginning. It seems the believers in Jerusalem had been poverty stricken, and Paul had brought the message of charity to the Gentile churches. He encouraged the gentile believers to help the converted Jews that had come to the christian belief but had left everything to do so. This is telling us that we need to look out for the poor in our communities but also to share the Gospel with them in doing so in hopes of leading the salvation.
Galatians

Galatians 2:6-9

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Galatians 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
 
Paul continues here talking of those he had met with when he returned to Jerusalem. Also he is referring to some of the troublemakers that wanted to bring the law back into the church. He reemphasized that what they had to say added nothing to what the Lord had taught him. He had been preaching you did not have to be circumcised to the gentiles for them to be saved.While the others were still holding to the law of circumcision and his is what the Jews still believed. When the leaders of the new church saw Paul was given grace by God to preach to the gentiles they did not have to be circumcised and gave him Barnabas and their blessings to continue to preach to gentiles and they would continue to preach to the Jews. This helps us to see we need the blessings of those that agree with same truth we believe and we can also uphold the message they preach.