Galatians 2 - Crucified with Christ

 

In my last post, I wrote about how Paul marveled that the Galatians had so soon turned aside from the grace of Christ to another Gospel.  Paul had received a direct revelation of the Gospel from Jesus Christ, and was personally taught it by the Lord. In this chapter Paul continues his history lesson to aid in proving his point.

The setting here is at the Jerusalem council that we find record of in Acts 15.  While Paul was still in Antioch, certain Jews from Judaea came down and taught that they must be circumcised in order to be saved.  Paul and Barnabas sharply contended with them, and rightfully so.  If this false teaching had been allowed to take root, it could have caused untold damage to the Church (Jew and Gentile alike).  As a result of this Paul, Barnabas, and others went up to Jerusalem to discuss this with the apostles and elders.  While there, certain of the Pharisees that believed also stated the Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved.  After much debate, it was Peter who first stood up to speak, and reminded them how the Lord had saved the first Gentile converts through his preaching.  The Lord had purified their hearts by faith and given them the Holy Ghost just as He had done with the Jews.  Peter then asked them why were they tempting God by putting a yoke on the Gentiles that even they as Jews were unable to bear?  He went on to state that both are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ.  To this the rest of the apostles and elders agreed.  Paul stated to the Galatians that these Pharisees were actually false converts whose desire was to bring them into bondage.  Paul and Barnabas again did not tolerate this teaching even temporarily.  The apostles and elders concluded that Paul had been called by the Lord to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and that Peter had been called by the same Lord to preach the Gospel to the Jews.  Both were equally valid.  None of them was more important than the other, for the Lord is no respecter of persons (all must approach the Lord through faith).

Apparently this sense that the Jews had of somehow being superior to the Gentiles was so strong that even Peter and Barnabas were carried away to a certain degree in this sense of elitism.  While in Antioch, Peter ate with the Gentiles, but when some of the Jews came down from Jerusalem he separated himself from them for fear of what the Jews might think.  Paul then withstood Peter to the face in front of everyone, and asked him why he expected the Gentiles to act like the Jews if he being a Jew was acting like a Gentile?  This prejudice was unfounded, since no man can be justified by the keeping of the Law.  As Paul wrote to the Romans, Just as a woman is free to re-marry whose husband dies, we are dead to the Law by the body of Christ so that we can be alive unto God through Jesus Christ.  No matter our nationality or religious up-bringing, the way to God is the same for all: We are justified by faith because of what Jesus did on the cross for us.  We have been crucified with Christ, meaning our old man is dead.  We are made alive again spiritually because Jesus Christ who was raised from the dead lives inside of us.  This life is imparted to us through faith in Him who loved us so much that he willingly gave up His own life for us.  To say that righteousness can come any other way than through faith in Jesus Christ is to actually frustrate (to do away with or set aside) the grace of God.  If we can be righteous by our own good works, then Jesus died in vain.  This is quite a statement: Jesus’ death is meaningless if you and I must obtain our salvation or keep it through good works or religious rituals.  To believe and teach we can be righteous on our own merits is to attack the very nature of God Himself.  It says that God the Father allowed His Son to suffer and die needlessly, and that He is not powerful enough to save us on His own.  It all comes back to the person of Jesus Christ, the work he did on the cross, and that He is alive and inside those who believe on Him.

In the next chapter Paul will shift from his own personal experience to giving them doctrinal instruction on grace.

Galatians 1 - Another Gospel

The apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians after arriving back in Antioch after his first missionary journey.  He received report that the Galatians had fallen into error as a result of accepting false teaching.  His letter to the Galatians was written in an attempt to correct this error.

He begins his letter reminding them of his apostleship: Paul was not called by man, but was called by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead.  Paul was not saved and called by a dead Jesus; for if so, his calling would be of no value.  Jesus had bodily risen from the dead and appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus.  It was after this event that Paul received salvation and his calling as an apostle.  He uses a familiar greeting that is in many other of his epistles, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.” (v3.) Do you want the favor and peace of God in your life?  It can only come through the person of Jesus Christ.  It was the Father’s will to send Jesus to die for you and me, in order to forgive our sins and deliver us from this evil world we now live in.  For this, God is worthy of eternal praise.

Paul marveled that the Galatians had so quickly moved away from the Gospel to which they had been called that was by grace, and had believed a false gospel.  Apparently after Paul had left Galatia, there were Jews who came into the Church, and taught that they must believe in Jesus as well as keep the Law in order to be saved.  If anyone comes to you and tells you that you must believe in Jesus plus do something else to be saved, this should be an immediate red flag.  This is how many cults have been formed: They teach that the grace of God through faith is not enough.  You must also do good works, or keep their various rules and rituals.  Paul goes on to say that though they or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than what they had already preached to them, let them be accursed (eternally condemned).  This was so important that he repeated himself in the next verse.  This is serious stuff, guys!  People who believe that faith in the Jesus of the Bible is not enough are stating that Jesus was not who He said He was, that His work on the cross was not sufficient, and that we must do more to be saved and receive all that god has to offer.  They are on the path to eternity in hell, along with everyone else they persuade to follow them.  This is why Paul used such stern language in his letter to the Galatians: It is a matter of life or death, and it is for all eternity.  This does not mean everyone involved in a cult is intentionally out to deceive people; for often times they are sincere in what they believe.  However, being sincere does not mean they are right.  There is only one true Gospel.  You must place your faith (trust) in the Jesus of the Bible and what He did on the cross for you.  Jesus’ work on the cross was sufficient for you and me, and it is through Him and only Him that we can receive eternal life.  He will spend the greater remainder of this book to remind them of the true Gospel, and exhorting them to continue in it.

The message Paul was preaching was not an attempt to gain man’s favor; in fact, it was what lead to much of Paul’s persecution throughout his missionary journeys.  If Paul had wanted to please man he could have just changed his message to be more appealing to the masses, but he would not have been the servant of Jesus Christ.  He goes into great detail to explain that the message of the Gospel was not something he received from or was taught by man, but he received it as a direct revelation from Jesus Himself.  He was not a likely candidate for salvation or an apostle for that matter, for he previously was a Pharisee, the strictest sect in the Jewish religion.  He was one of the worst persecutors of the Church.  He bound Christians, threw them in prison, and even put some of them to death.  He was responsible for the death of Stephen who was the first martyr of the Church.  Paul was bent on destroying the Church, and nothing was going to detour him until the Lord met him in the way.  He stated that the Lord had actually separated him in his mother’s womb and called him by His grace.  I think it is interesting that the Lord’s plans for us start before we are even born in our mother’s womb.  In fact, Paul wrote to the Ephesians that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  After his salvation and calling, Paul apparently spent some time in the wilderness of Arabia, and no doubt was taught by the Lord while there.  He then returned to Damascus, and later went up to Jerusalem.  Even in Jerusalem, he did not see any of the apostles except Peter and James, the half-brother of Jesus.  He was only there for a short time, and would not visit Jerusalem for another 14 years.  In other words, he didn’t spend time with the apostles to receive revelation and teaching from them.  Again, he was taught by the Lord directly.

In the next chapter Paul will switch gears, and will begin to remind the Galatians of what the true Gospel is.

 

Additional Resources

 

Christian VS Cult - How Do You Know the Difference?

 

Christian VS Cult - How Do You know the Difference?

There are many sects out there who claim to be Christian and use the Bible alongside their other writings, but are they really Christian?  If not, how do we know?  How can we distinguish between true Christianity and those who merely say they are Christian?  If you compare their belief systems to Biblical Christianity there will certainly be many differences and contradictions, but I would like to take the time to focus on what I believe are the two most common and most important ones.  Every other false or heretical teaching will stem from these two main issues.

The first one I would like to discuss is the person of Jesus Christ.  Every pseudo-Christian sect (otherwise known as a cult) will attack the person of Jesus Christ.  In New Testament times it was the Gnostics who attempted to take away from Jesus’ humanity: Since the body was evil, Jesus could not have literally come in the flesh.  This belief has some major problems: For if Jesus did not come in the flesh, it would not be possible for Him to be the Great High Priest that identifies with your and my weaknesses (see Hebrews 4:15-5:10).  Furthermore, if He did not have a literal physical body, He would have no blood to shed for our sins, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins (Hebrews 9:22).

The other way in which cults attack the person of Jesus Christ is in His deity.  We see this most commonly today with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.  The Mormons believe Jesus was a pro-created spirit being of the Mormon God.  According to their theology, the Mormon God asked his two sons (Jesus and Lucifer) for their plans to populate Earth.  Jesus’ plan was chosen and Lucifer rebelled.  Also among their beliefs is the idea that a good Mormon can achieve godhood, thus showing their complete lack of understanding of who God really is.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus was a created angelic being, and was the physical manifestation of Michael the archangel.  Even Ellen G White and the Seventh Day Adventists hold a similar view of Jesus in that they believe that the Old Testament manifestation of Michael the archangel was the pre-incarnate Christ.  Although the Adventists  claim to uphold the deity of Jesus Christ, a close examination of Ellen G White’s writings as well as others in the movement were Arian in nature.  Rather than believing that Jesus was God from all eternity, they believe He was created by God the Father, and then God created other things through Him.  These beliefs have some major problems as well.  If Jesus was a created being, then He cannot be God, and if He is not God then He could not have been the perfect offering for our sins.

So how does the Bible describe the Lord?  First, there is only one God.  Consider the words of Isaiah the prophet, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) So much for the Mormon belief of achieving godhood…  Next, He reveals Himself in three distinct yet inseparable persons.  One of the greatest passages proving this is in the book of Isaiah.  You are probably familiar with this passage that is popular around Christmas time: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Here in one verse we have the entire trinity: We have the Everlasting Father, the Son, and the Counselor (the Holy Spirit).  Again, these are all names that are being given to Jesus Christ who is the Messiah.  It is a compound unity: the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Father, the Spirit is in them, and they in the Spirit.  Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.” (John 14:11) He stated also, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) Also in the book of John, Jesus refers to Himself as the Holy Spirit.  He states that the Father will send the Comforter (holy Spirit) to them (John 14:16-17).  He then states, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (V18) The Father and the Son dwell in us through the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:23).  So again, They have three distinct roles, but They are inseparable from one another.

Next, the Bible refers to Jesus as God.  Consider the following Scriptures: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) So Jesus in the beginning was with God, He was God, and He made all things (He was not created).  “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) So John nails it right there in the first chapter of his Gospel, Jesus is both fully man and fully God.  We see in Hebrews that God the Father is calling Jesus God and attributing Him with the creation of all things: “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” (Hebrews 1:8-10) Jesus also in several passages referred to Himself as God.  Probably the most notable is in John 8: Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, and they asked Him how it was possible that He had seen Abraham.  His response to them was, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Jesus took the same name for Himself as the Lord did at the burning bush in Exodus.  So then Jesus is Jehovah God!  Now the Jehovah’s Witnesses also teach that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, but that it was just his spirit.  However, when Jesus appeared to the 11 apostles as recorded in Luke He stated to them, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39) So then, Jesus literally and physically rose from the dead.  Furthermore, the Bible encourages worship of Jesus which would be strictly forbidden if He was an angel or other created being.  The author of Hebrews also writes, “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?  And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” (Hebrews 1:4-6) So as we can see, it is imperative that we believe in a Jesus that is both fully man and fully God; for anything less will leave us worshiping a false god that cannot save us from our sins.  To not accept the Jesus who is fully man and fully God requires a person to either blatantly misinterpret the Scriptures or change them altogether.  No doubt this is what many such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other groups do in addition to their own external writings in order to justify their positions.

The second thing cults will do is diminish the grace of God.  Being saved by grace through faith alone is not enough for them.  According to them we must have faith in Jesus (whatever their version of Jesus is) plus good works and other religious rituals in order to receive eternal life.  Now when you talk to individuals involved in a cult they often will attempt to conceal this at first, but as you begin to question them further it eventually comes out.  So what does the Bible say about this?  Do we need to do anything to be saved other than placing our faith in the Jesus Christ of the Bible?  Paul, in speaking of Abraham in the book of Romans, stated that he believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.  If Abraham was justified by his works, he would have had something to boast about, but not before the Lord.  He explained that those who work for salvation will still end up in debt (Romans 4:1-5).  It is impossible to Keep God’s Law.  We have all broken God’s Law (the 10 Commandments), and thereby deserve God’s wrath.  The Law works wrath (V 15) in that it can only reveal our sinful state, our pending judgment, and prepare our hearts for the grace of God.  Our only hope is to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Just before Jesus died he stated “It is finished,” so for someone to say that we need to believe in Jesus plus anything else is saying that what He did on the cross was not enough.  This is really blasphemy: What kind of loving God would send His only Begotten Son to be brutally tortured, to shed His own blood, and die for our sins only to have it not be enough to save you and me?  We cannot obtain salvation by our works, and we cannot keep it by our works.  The only thing we must do is continue in the grace of God.  Contrary to what some may say, this doesn’t produce loose living, but out of gratitude we have a desire to walk in obedience to the Lord.  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of the believer, and you will no longer be satisfied living any way you choose.  A person truly born again is miserable when they are walking in sin.  So if a person is wrong in their belief in the person of Jesus Christ and in salvation by grace through faith, they cannot be a Christian.  As I stated earlier, all the other errors we may find in cults will stem from these two.  In fact, in my discussions with Mormons, debating all the other false teachings they have is often a waste of time.  Once they have accepted the Jesus of the Bible and God’s plan of salvation, then they will be willing to discard their other false teachings.

I felt impressed by the Lord to include one other section in this post regarding Pentecostals or Charismatics.  Right out of the gate I do want to make it clear that I fully believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit in the Church today, and I believe a clear case can be made in the Scriptures to support this.  However, that is another topic in itself that I don’t intend on focusing on here.  Having grown up in a Pentecostal denomination and being around different circles in that movement, I have witnessed some things that were not of the Lord.  The tendency in some of these circles is to have an attitude that anything goes, and if you attempt to suggest some sort of order you are quenching the Holy Spirit.  It becomes all about the next spiritual high, and really becomes a self-centered thing rather than glorifying the Lord.  I have even witnessed some in this movement go completely off the deep end and become involved in occultic practices.  I heard a Calvary Chapel pastor say once that we need to be charismatics with a safety belt.  This safety belt of course is the Word of God.  If we cannot find it directly stated or implied in the Word of God, we need to stay away from it.  Jesus Himself gave us a good litmus test in determining whether or not the Holy Spirit is really in a particular movement.  He stated, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:13-14) First, the job of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth.  He will do nothing outside the confines of the Scriptures, but is directly involved in teaching us the Word of God.  Second, He does not speak of Himself, but what He hears from Jesus.  And who is Jesus?  He is the Word.  I have to question these movements who are placing the major emphasis on the Holy Spirit.  Third, He glorifies Jesus.  His job is to lift up Jesus Christ so all men will be drawn unto Him.  So a true move of the Holy Spirit will be characterized by glorifying Jesus Christ and teaching the Word of God.  The gifts of the Spirit are given to aid men and women in coming to Christ, to confirm the Word being preached, and to edify us as believers.  So in seeking out a good Church be sure you find one that is open to the moving of the Holy Spirit, but is ordered by the Word of God.

In closing, I hope this post has been an encouragement to you, and hopefully it will help you in distinguishing between true Biblical Christianity and one that only claims to be Christian.  This does not mean that people in a cult are our enemies, but they are deceived and need to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.  Share the Gospel with them: Explain to them that they have broken God’s law, and there is no way they can meet God’s righteous and holy standards.  Tell them about the Jesus of the Bible, and how that God proved His love for them by sending Him to die in our place.  Explain to them that it is only through the grace of God through faith in this Jesus that they can be saved.  If you are a Christian, God has graciously saved you, and hopefully by sharing the truth with them they will be saved as well.

 

References

 

http://alwaysbeready.com/jehovahs-witnesses?id=118#jworigin

 

http://ericbarger.com/articles/morminism_christ_or_cult.htm

 

http://www.letusreason.org/Current48.htm

 

https://carm.org/clear-word-bible-jesus-michael

 

https://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Seventh-Day%20Adventist/ew-deity.htm