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Pathways Through Paul, Vol 2
Daily Devotional
January 20
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Today's Pathway:
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Yesterday we discussed the first of the five questions that Paul asks the Galatian church members. In verse 2 he asks the second question: did you receive the Holy Spirit by works or by faith? "Receive the Spirit" is another way of saying "get saved". Romans 8:9 reads,
"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his".
I John 4:13 says,
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."
It is clear from these verses that when a person is born again the Holy Spirit immediately comes and indwells him. So Paul is asking the Galatians if they got saved through their works or through faith. The obvious answer is "by faith". First, this is obvious because it is what the Bible teaches. Ephesians 2:8 states,
"By grace are ye saved through faith",
and verse 9 adds that salvation is "not of works". However, there is a second reason for Paul to ask this question. He knew that the Galatians had received Christ as Savior by faith, and had considered themselves to be Christians before the Judaizers had come to town and confused them with their false doctrine. Therefore, if they were saved before the Judaizers arrived, then their salvation had to have come by faith, and not by keeping the Law. John Phillips commented,
"When Paul appeared among them on his first missionary journey, what had he preached? Had he told them to be good and keep the Ten Commandments? Had he told them to be circumcised and keep the Sabbath? Had he told them to become proselytes of the Jewish religion and join the local synagogue? Is that how they were saved? Of course not! He had preached Christ to them. They had believed and had been regenerated, indwelt, sealed, and filled by the Holy Spirit. Simply to ask the question was its own answer."
In verse 3 Paul moves on to the third question: if you were saved by faith, are you now going to be "made perfect" by your works, specifically the keeping of the Mosaic Law? He prefaces this by asking them if they are really so foolish as to believe this to be the case. The concept is totally irrational, and for the Galatians to ascribe to this thinking is very foolish indeed. If a person has received salvation by trusting in Christ, and has received the Spirit at the moment he believed, and has the Spirit's power working in him, why would he now seek after fleshly efforts such as circumcision and sabbath-keeping in an attempt to earn God's favor? The word translated "made perfect" means "to fully complete" or to fully reach the intended goal of successfully completing something that has been started. It is interesting to note that the verb tense indicates that this is something that the Galatians were doing for themselves. In other words, they had been convinced by the Judaizers that Christ had "started" the work of salvation by His grace, but they now had the responsibility to bring their salvation to its conclusion by their works. This is a textbook example of "legalism". The term "legalism" has often been misused by some segments of alleged Christianity. It has frequently been applied as an accusation and insult against those who are trying to practice Biblical holiness in their lives. Understand this: choosing to live your life in accordance with the principles that are spelled out in the Scriptures is not legalism; it is obedience! Legalism is the idea that through your works you can earn Heaven, or get "extra credit" from God. The Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States defines "legalism" as, "the direct or indirect attachment of behaviors, disciplines, and practices to belief in order to achieve salvation and right standing before God, emphasizing a need to perform certain deeds in order to gain salvation, as opposed to the doctrine of justification by faith". Thus, Bible-believing Christians are not legalists, but those who believe that you must work to keep your salvation are.
We will continue this tomorrow.
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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