tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34244519166073319792024-03-12T19:54:21.217-04:00David ChristensenBible Tips and Tidbits: Savoring God's Word one bite at a time.David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-43264956585927763822021-12-01T09:14:00.000-05:002021-12-01T09:14:40.152-05:00BAD NEWS / GOOD NEWS<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ej3Aie-61qs2F3YCKPcyZLgHHvrdR_4j548oPSimUd9Jg8jmPkH4KPqu3cwnwI_3_1ZY3dnI1BrbraTRIlB7AOn4XoIqVLIoBgnsbAgl0ATKDEMoIyWvBH-Q4c5IHdO8Mr191R-Wu893/s2048/Bad+News.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="2048" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ej3Aie-61qs2F3YCKPcyZLgHHvrdR_4j548oPSimUd9Jg8jmPkH4KPqu3cwnwI_3_1ZY3dnI1BrbraTRIlB7AOn4XoIqVLIoBgnsbAgl0ATKDEMoIyWvBH-Q4c5IHdO8Mr191R-Wu893/s320/Bad+News.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It is the worst news. It is the best news.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christ was cursed. We are blessed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come." (Gal. 3:13-14a)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A curse (κατάρα), in the ancient world, was a pronouncement that brought harm to someone. In a legal context, a curse was the court's sentence as a consequence of breaking the law. The courtroom curse expressed the execution of punishment on the lawbreaker, indicating that the judgment was in effect from that moment in time. The curse Paul is talking about here is the judicial action of God whereby he sentences all who break the law at even one point to the full consequences of the law. Therefore, redemption from the curse is necessary to free us from the sentence of God. Christ redeemed us (ἐξηγόρασεν) from the curse of the law by paying the price to satisfy the law's requirements (TDNT, 1:449, 126).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Everyone who tries to earn God's favor by keeping the law is under the curse of the law because we all fail. No one is perfect (Gal. 3:10). If you live by the law, you will die by the law. We are already under the curse. Burton argues that the curse of the law refers only to the legalistically imposed curse and is not God's curse. He attempts to prove that God does not curse people, the law does, and people falsely think that God curses people in the law. The curse of the law is not the wrath of God, in his view (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 168-171). His argument hardly holds water. The law is the expression of God, so the curse of the law is the curse of God in judgment for sin. We cannot differentiate between the two in this passage.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christ redeems us from the curse having become (γενόμενος) a curse for us. The Aorist participle should be understood as instrumental, telling us the means Christ used to redeem us. He paid the price of redemption by becoming our curse. The time of the participle is antecedent to the main verb. (D&M, <i>Grammar</i>, 228, 230). He became the curse of the law before He redeemed us, grounding the redeeming in the becoming. The fact that Christ became a curse for us is the means by which He redeemed us. To hang on a tree was to be cursed by God (Deut. 21:23), and to be cursed by God for even one element of the law is to be cursed for the whole law (Gal. 3:10; Deut. 27:26). (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 164-165)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christ became a curse for us (ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν). He came to be a curse because he was innocent in himself. He had committed no sin. He was cursed in our place. The preposition should be taken substitutionally. We must not draw a rigid distinction between the prepositions "on behalf of" (ὑπὲρ) and "instead of" (ἀντί) because often the one who acts on behalf of someone is acting in place of that person (Moule, <i>Idiom Book</i>, 64). The substitutional force of this passage is even more apparent when Paul writes, "He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf" (2 Cor. 5:21). Both 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:13 use the same expression - "on behalf of us" (ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">God cursed God hanging in our place on the cross. The weight of our sin hangs on the phrase "for us." To use Martin Luther's imagery, Christ wrapped himself in our sin. Every thief, every liar, every selfish person, every adulterer, everyone who lusts, everyone who is proud, everyone who slanders, everyone who is jealous, everyone who loses their temper, everyone who is impure, everyone who worship idols, is under the curse of God. Christ became the curse for us. Christ wrapped himself in our lies, in our selfishness, in our jealousy, in our impurity, in our sexual immorality, in our lusts, in our thievery, when he hung on that cross in our place (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 163-167).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We must not unwrap our sins from Christ by trying to be good enough for God. He is cursed, so we might be blessed. The worst news becomes the best news when we accept the cursing of Christ.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-86299940885819888062021-09-27T16:40:00.000-04:002021-09-27T16:40:33.513-04:00THE FAITH THAT SAVES<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC_iouZg_npNqghAX6Wk6j5EvnI_bYr6Uq3aBtSDc7Ht-q9DQrY2ygq_2bPRGEcBMDCrqV5spBpSSHJrUtaC_QJcuzgMJzHHvKvNwH9xb7osMP_Bz3zxXY6jYeDqgJmCX9UhLLI9jum95/s2048/FAITH+THAT+SAVES.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC_iouZg_npNqghAX6Wk6j5EvnI_bYr6Uq3aBtSDc7Ht-q9DQrY2ygq_2bPRGEcBMDCrqV5spBpSSHJrUtaC_QJcuzgMJzHHvKvNwH9xb7osMP_Bz3zxXY6jYeDqgJmCX9UhLLI9jum95/s320/FAITH+THAT+SAVES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">How do we live forever with God's approval?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Now that no one is justified by law before God is evident, because 'the just person shall live by faith'"</i> (Galatians 3:11).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul continues to establish his two-sided theological proposition. The first side of the proposition is that nobody can ever stand before God as just by keeping the law (Gal. 2:16). Paul says this proposition is clear or evident (δῆλον). The passive verb "justified" (δικαιοῦται) means that God must do the justifying, and He does not justify based on our works.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How does God justify imperfect people? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The flip side of the theological proposition answers the question. The person who is just shall live by faith. The just person (δίκαιος) is not viewed in terms of moral goodness. He has already demonstrated that justification by moral goodness is clearly impossible. Paul is talking about judicial approval or acquittal. The person who is acquitted of their failures is acquitted by faith in God. The future tense verb "shall live" (ζήσεται) refers to eternal life. Life with God, when combined with human justness, points to the approval of God (Burton, Galatians, 166). We cannot live forever without His approval, and we cannot enjoy God's approval without His acquittal. Life forever with God means that God approves us by faith alone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul justifies his statement on justification by quoting Habakkuk 2:4. While the first ὅτι is declarative and translated "that," the second ὅτι, introducing the quote, is causal and should be translated "because" (Meyer, Galatians, 113). The quote contains the proof. We know that Paul is quoting Habakkuk 2:4, but his quote is not exact (Archer & Chirichigno, Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament, 105). The Hebrew Masoretic Text would be translated as "the righteous shall live by his faith/faithfulness," but the pronoun "his" is left undefined except by context. The Jewish rabbis debated the meaning of "his." Is it God or the person? The LXX has two versions. Version A is "the righteous shall live by my (God's) faithfulness." Version B is "my righteous one shall live by faith/faithfulness." Paul omits the pronoun "my" (μου), moving it closer to the Hebrew text (Longenecker, Galatians, 118-119).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul demonstrates his careful exegesis of Habakkuk 2:4 in context. The context is Habakkuk 2:3. The prophet awaits God's answer regarding the future. God tells him that God's word will not fail, but the prophet must wait for it to come to pass. In this context, the person whom God counts as righteous is the person who waits by faith for God's promise to come true. The author of Hebrews understands Habakkuk 2:4 in the same way. We must practice endurance so that we will receive what God promises in due time. God does not approve of those who shrink back from faith (Hebrews 10:36-38). It is very possible that Habakkuk 2:3 was a familiar testimonial verse for the early Christians as they waited for the return of Christ (Bruce, Galatians, 161-162). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Faith is waiting on God to keep His promises. The prime example is Abraham (Gen. 15:6), who waited on God to keep His promises and that waiting in faith was credited to him as righteousness. Paul makes a similar argument in Galatians 3. We are justified - declared just - by faith that God will keep His word about redemption by grace (Gal. 3:13) and the promise of the Spirit (Gal. 3:14).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The faith that saves trusts God to keep His word.</div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-3244244429432218572021-08-18T20:25:00.000-04:002021-08-18T20:25:45.968-04:00WHAT'S YOUR SCORE?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdYnOvn4Tw5jovO28jx5aV8JpatmS4lDahDT6Ku4DE7yNkiTODZurqk-vw-345ajGZSn84U5qhU1XSmT8aS_g5hrvPfg5ghiFmDeuxdsfXU5uugN9Uf4r4KmRaEI8wJqHw-NTEDXxhg_1/s2048/SCORE.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdYnOvn4Tw5jovO28jx5aV8JpatmS4lDahDT6Ku4DE7yNkiTODZurqk-vw-345ajGZSn84U5qhU1XSmT8aS_g5hrvPfg5ghiFmDeuxdsfXU5uugN9Uf4r4KmRaEI8wJqHw-NTEDXxhg_1/s320/SCORE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rabbi Gamaliel, reading Ezekiel 18:9, wept and said, "He who observes all this is righteous, but not, alas! he who observes only part of it." Rabbi Akiba replied that observing only one part was enough (TDNT, 4:1058). The Rabbinic school of Hillel considered keeping 51% of the law good enough for a passing grade into paradise (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 159). Keeping the law earned merits with God, but what do you need for a final score?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many think the same way today. We do good works to earn merits with God. If our good outweighs our bad at the end of life, then God rewards us with heaven. Not so writes Paul in Galatians 3:10.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law to perform them."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul begins with a contrast between those who are living "out of works of law" (ἐξ ἔργων νόμου) in verse 10 and those who are living "out of faith" (ἐκ πίστεως) in verse 9. The contrast is between those who rely on the merits of their good works as a way of life and those who rely on faith in Christ as a way of life (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 116). Is your spiritual scorecard based on confidence in your works or faith in His work? If your scorecard is based on your works, then you are under the curse. The preposition "under" (ὑπὸ) places humanity under the power of the curse, which means to be surrendered to the judgment of God (NIDNTT, 1:417).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The adjective "cursed" (ἐπικατάρατος) is only used twice in the New Testament and both times are in this passage (Gal. 3:10, 13). Curses played an important role in the judicial procedures of the ancient world. A curse was the sentencing of the person. It was a declaration that the punishment would be executed. To be under the curse often meant to be sentenced to death. The curse of God meant that the judgment had already been initiated. It was already in force (TDNT, 1:449). All humanity is already sentenced to death by God.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26 to prove his point. The Israelites had gathered on two mountains, Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim, to affirm allegiance to the Law of God. The people on Mt. Gerizim shouted God's blessings, and the people on Mt. Ebal announced God's curses. This verse is the last of the 12 curses pronounced on the people of Israel if they did not keep the law of God. Paul would have been very familiar with these verses both because of his rabbinic training and because he was whipped five times with 39 lashes (2 Cor. 11:24). According to the synagogue instructions of those days, the whippings included reading aloud the curses of the law as he was whipped (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 117).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul stresses "all" twice in his quote. All (πᾶς) are cursed. All humans are cursed who do not abide by all things (πᾶσιν) written in the Law. The verb "abide" (ἐμμένει) means to persevere or continue in something (BAGD, 255). It is in the present tense, which emphasizes the continuous requirement for keeping the law. All who do not continue to keep the law continuously are cursed. The infinitive "to perform" (ποιῆσαι) is the familiar verb "to do." All are cursed who do not persevere continuously to do all the requirements of the law. If you are going to live by one of the laws, you must do all the laws all the time, or you are cursed (Gal. 5:3). Living by works means 100% perfection or 100% judgment. There is no middle ground. Nobody gets a passing grade of less than 100%.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What's your score?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The solution to our cursing is His cursing. The second time the adjective is used is in Galatians 3:13, where Christ is cursed for us on the cross. We must trust His cursing for us to avoid God's cursing of us. Faith in His work is the only way out of God's judgment of our works. It is not that good works are unimportant, but the good works do not earn any merit with God. The good works we do are the result of His great work done for us. Martin Luther, in his commentary on this verse, writes:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"The apples make not the tree, but the tree maketh the apples. ... So, if the tree be made, that is to say, the person or doer, which is made through faith in Christ, works will follow. For the doer must needs be before the things done, and not the things which are done before the doer" (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 147).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-89093384687387155162021-07-30T11:55:00.000-04:002021-07-30T11:55:22.390-04:00THE GOSPEL BEFORE THE GOSPEL<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiho3Mvo7P4glcINqYRnv4zf14vHCYScPn_xZjf_vhAZ-OeMM6ZFJB7ja7VIN2qbkNNX7wbnrHPErnMUFY_XiJUg3OluJjo8Kzcip-piLjUBAl2wmPkwNspvdydo6UugqSZrvDrkyJ2P7h/s1440/The+Gospel+before+the+Gospel.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiho3Mvo7P4glcINqYRnv4zf14vHCYScPn_xZjf_vhAZ-OeMM6ZFJB7ja7VIN2qbkNNX7wbnrHPErnMUFY_XiJUg3OluJjo8Kzcip-piLjUBAl2wmPkwNspvdydo6UugqSZrvDrkyJ2P7h/s320/The+Gospel+before+the+Gospel.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">God preached the
gospel to Abraham long before Paul preached the gospel to the Galatians. The
Scripture – the voice of God – embeds justification by faith as the basis of
salvation in the Old Covenant, not just the New Covenant. Furthermore, the
faith that saves is a faith that depends on the cross-work of Christ for
salvation in advance just as much as after the fact. The content of faith
changes, but the basis of salvation remains the same. Salvation is always faith
alone by grace alone. Abraham did not know before the cross what we know after
the cross, but he believed what he knew from God. He was saved based on what we
now know Christ did on the cross. Abraham’s faith was credit card faith, and
our faith is debit card faith, but all faith saves on the basis of what Christ
did on the cross.</span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paul lays out
these truths in Galatians 3:8.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The Scripture,
because it foresaw that God justifies the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel beforehand to Abraham (saying), ‘All the nations will be blessed in
you.’”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The main subject
and verb of the sentence is “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">the Scripture</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (ἡ γραφὴ) </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">preached the
gospel beforehand</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (προευηγγελίσατο) </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">to Abraham</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.” The Scripture is
personified as the voice of God, so God preached the gospel before the gospel
we now know. The verb “preached the gospel beforehand” (προευηγγελίσατο) is not
found elsewhere in the New Testament, Septuagint or the Jewish apocryphal
writings, but Philo uses it to mean “announce the good news in advance” of the
event (Longenecker, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 115). God announced the gospel (good
news) in advance of the event on which the gospel was based, namely the cross-work
of Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What, then, is the
gospel (good news) that God preached beforehand?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The content of the
gospel before the gospel is introduced by a quote (Meyer, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
110). The ὅτι is a recitative ὅτι, meaning that it acts as quotation marks and
should not be translated. The quotation that defines the content of the gospel
is, “all the nations will be blessed in you.” Paul intentionally conflates
Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 18:18 to create this quotation. Paul substitutes
“nations” (ἔθνη) from Genesis 18:18 for “tribes” (φυλαὶ) in Genesis 12:3
(Meyer, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 110). He emphasizes the word nations or Gentiles instead
of families or tribes because he is dealing with Gentiles who were not under
the law. God will bless the Gentiles who are not under the law with the same
blessing He gives to the Jews who are under the law. The good news is that law-keeping
does not save you. Faith alone saves!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the
content of the blessing?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paul makes clear in
the previous clause that the content of the blessing of God is justification by
faith. The Scripture saw in advance (προιδοῦσα) that by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) God
justifies (δικαιοῖ) the Gentiles (ἔθνη). The Scripture embeds justification by
faith in the Abrahamic blessing. The participle “saw in advance” is best
understood as causal (Burton, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 160) as opposed to
circumstantial (Longenecker, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 115). We know that God preached
the gospel before the gospel because the Scripture foresaw justification by
faith in the Abrahamic covenant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The verb
“justifies” (δικαιοῖ) is a present indicative but future to the participle to
see in advance. Paul is speaking of the present event in his day that Scripture
foresaw in Abraham’s day, making justifies by faith a general principle
describing what God does in every age (Burton, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 160). God
justifies people in every age by faith. There is no other way to be justified
by God. God’s promise to justify all ethnicities by faith is the blessing God
announced to Abraham. The verb “will be blessed” (ἐνευλογηθήσονται) is passive,
indicating that God, not we do the blessing. The blessing of justification by
faith is an act of God’s grace, not our works.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">F.F. Bruce argues
that Paul engages in midrashic interpretation here. In other words, Paul was
reinterpreting the Scriptures in the light of later revelation, namely the
cross-work of Christ (Bruce, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Galatians</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, 156). I don’t think so. This is
not midrash. The gospel (good news) is truly embedded in the Abrahamic promise.
Paul is not reinterpreting Genesis 12:3. He is interpreting (explaining) what
God preached to Abraham. The fact that Abraham didn’t understand all that God
was saying does not make it midrashic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many demonstrate a
confusion between the content of faith and the basis of salvation when they
look at the gospel in the Old Testament. Abraham didn’t need to know all about
Christ to be saved by the work of Christ. The work of Christ (righteousness)
was applied to Abraham by his faith in what He knew God had told him (Gen.
15:6). The content of faith changes, as we can plainly see through progressive
revelation. The Old Testament saints were just as saved as we are, but they
didn’t know the content that we know today. The basis of salvation never
changes, however. The cross-work of Christ is applied retroactively by God to
those who trusted Him before the Christ event.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“This was to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over
the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His
righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Romans 3:25-26)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p></div>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-87649200093647201302021-06-08T11:10:00.000-04:002021-06-08T11:10:01.160-04:00TEN PEARLS OR JUST FAITH?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7ElR6uaYDEZE1wmYwGSGXInFHM9aWAP-frBj1XV1W2shknJ7H04BYXbjvHB-UpJYTxUH74YSqJkdu0cbRK_bruRaHJn27dgYSWemz0cZpCcjtFOplTtgFg-GXR9aIArQb9sE4d-B2BNU/s2048/TEN+PEARLS.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7ElR6uaYDEZE1wmYwGSGXInFHM9aWAP-frBj1XV1W2shknJ7H04BYXbjvHB-UpJYTxUH74YSqJkdu0cbRK_bruRaHJn27dgYSWemz0cZpCcjtFOplTtgFg-GXR9aIArQb9sE4d-B2BNU/s320/TEN+PEARLS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Rabbis told a tale about a king whose friend gave ten pearls to him and then died. After he died, the king married the man's daughter, and he gave the daughter a beautiful necklace of ten pearls. Sadly, she lost the ten pearls, and the king was so angry that he intended to banish her from the kingdom. However, her close friend pointed out that the woman's father had given the king ten pearls and suggested that these pearls be accepted as a payment for the pearls that she had lost. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Rabbis used the story to illustrate the merits of Abraham's faith. According to Rabbinic tradition, God had given ten tests to Abraham to prove his faith. Abraham had passed those ten tests, proving his faithfulness to God. Those ten tests were like the substitute pearls. They served as compensation for the ten broken commandments. There is no agreement on exactly what the tests or pearls were that Abraham earned with God by his faithfulness, although circumcision was often the first pearl, and the binding of Isaac was usually the last of the pearls (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 111). In this way, the legalizers considered Abraham's faith to be meritorious with God, both for himself and for the sons of Abraham.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Who are the sons of Abraham?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul wrote, "You know, therefore, that the ones who are from faith, these are the sons of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sentence clearly shows that the "sons of Abraham" are not genealogical children but the spiritual heirs of Abraham by faith (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 155). The legalizers of Paul's day would have understood the importance of faith and that Gentiles could be spiritually sons of Abraham by faith. There is much evidence from the first century that Genesis 12, 15, and 17 were critical passages for the Jews as they taught the importance of faith for proselytes. However, faith must be joined with circumcision for the proselyte to become a son of Abraham. Therefore, Genesis 17 must be added to Genesis 15 as essential for faith to be meritorious (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 158-164). Faith for the Pharisee and faith for Paul were two different doctrines. The Pharisee argued that faith must be joined to law to have merit. The legalizers argued for faith plus works, not just faith. People became Christians like Gentiles became Jews by faith plus circumcision.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul begins with "you know" or "know" (Γινώσκετε). The verb can be either indicative or imperative. Some take it as imperative, a command to know something or be sure of something (Bruce, Galatians, 155). However, I think it better to take it as indicative. Paul is declaring, "you know that" the sons of Abraham are sons by faith (Longenecker, <i>Galatians,</i> 114). Sonship comes "out of faith" (ἐκ πίστεως). The preposition ἐκ indicates the source (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 155). The source of sonship is faith. "Therefore" (ἄρα) ties the sentence back to Genesis 15:6 quoted in the previous verse. Genesis 15:6 was at the crux of Paul's argument that faith alone saves. The legalizers knew that the sons of Abraham were sons by faith, so Paul begins with what they knew.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The legalizers also knew that Abraham had not been circumcised in Genesis 15:6, and Paul will argue that faith, therefore, preceded circumcision. Faith came before law. Paul will expand this argument in Romans 4:9-13, but for now, he moves on to the fact that the gospel came before the law (Gal. 3:8-14). The legalizers tried to couple faith and circumcision by arguing that faith was not reckoned to Abraham as righteousness until he passed the tests of faith, including circumcision in Genesis 17. Faith was not faith without obedience to the rules and ordinances of the law. Faith paid for unrighteousness by obedience to the ten pearls of the law.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul decoupled faith and circumcision by careful exegetical arguments from the Old Testament texts. Some have said that Paul engaged in Christian midrashic interpretation here. He was reinterpreting the Old Testament in the light of the "Christ event" (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 156). I think not! This is not Pauline midrash, but careful exegesis of Genesis 15:6 itself. Paul is arguing that God intended us to understand Genesis 15:6 as teaching that Abraham was justified by faith alone in the promise of God. God exchanged Abraham's faith for God's righteousness solely by Abraham's faith in God's promise and nothing else. Paul will go on to argue exegetically that: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1) The gospel precedes and supersedes the law by 430 years (Gal. 3:8-14, 17).</div><div style="text-align: left;">2) Righteousness comes solely from faith in the promise of God (Gal. 3:15-18).</div><div style="text-align: left;">3) God's promise to Abraham was meant for all of us who believe in his seed (Gal. 3:16, 22)</div><div style="text-align: left;">(Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 111)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Abraham's faithfulness to fulfill the ten pearls of the law as compensation for his sins is not a condition for salvation. Therefore, any legalizer, then or now, who attempts to impose rules and regulations on people as the means of making faith meritorious is wrong. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Faith plus anything saves no one!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-2898773943310709022021-05-14T08:32:00.000-04:002021-05-14T08:32:05.139-04:00HEAVEN'S CURRENCY EXCHANGE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIsLh0IE103MD1NRRMzFuAyyPEAJGX_9uxi0UOWI_OkyYwlYDDdCmuOHpyo9k1O2kI2TRW7LoksdGdO7bCWGSqJlM2DrLVkU4NIIKHa7to71PtZ_ZaxJ0UwZIbrC5_vfCD-WseA9ar0QP/s2048/CURRENCY+EXCHANGE.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIsLh0IE103MD1NRRMzFuAyyPEAJGX_9uxi0UOWI_OkyYwlYDDdCmuOHpyo9k1O2kI2TRW7LoksdGdO7bCWGSqJlM2DrLVkU4NIIKHa7to71PtZ_ZaxJ0UwZIbrC5_vfCD-WseA9ar0QP/s320/CURRENCY+EXCHANGE.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">How can sinful humans become righteous?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness</i> (Galatians 3:6).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 and, in so doing, directly attacks the religious conception of faith and works. The Rabbinic interpretation of Genesis 15:6 in post-exilic Jewish theology argued that faith had merit with God. Faith actually had value with God so God could exchange the merits of faith for the righteousness of God. This verse proved the merits of Father Abraham to the Rabbis (TDNT, 4:290). Paul, in Galatians, treats faith and works as opposites and incompatible with one another. Faith is not a meritorious work of humans that earns the favor of God.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How then does Paul use the faith of Abraham to prove his point? Paul has been consistently juxtaposing as opposites "works of law" and "hearing of faith" (Gal. 3:5; 2:16). Then he uses Abraham as his supreme example of the superiority of faith over works to produce righteousness. The quotation is a set of parallelisms describing a currency exchange.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Abraham believed ---- it was counted</div><div style="text-align: center;">in God ------------------ to him</div><div style="text-align: center;">for righteousness.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">THE EXCHANGE</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The verb "it was counted" (ἐλογίσθη) means to calculate or take into account. It was a commercial term meaning to count something to someone as something of value (BAGD, 476). The verb was used for charging a debt. When the preposition "to" or "for" (είς) is used, as it is in this verse, then it indicates the currency being used in the transaction (TDNT, 4:284). The currency in this verse is righteousness (είς δικαιοσύνην). The verb is passive. God is making the calculations in this exchange. God calculates that He will exchange righteousness for faith.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Religious people point to this exchange as proving that faith is meritorious. Faith earns righteousness. The Septuagint (LXX) uses the same expression to describe the zeal of Phineas in stopping the plague on Israel (Numbers 25:10-12). The psalmist says his zealous work was credited to him for righteousness (Psalm 106:31). So, Philo, the Jewish philosopher, interprets Abraham's faith as achieving merit with God. But Paul does not. He is more precise with his understanding, and it goes to the heart of his argument in Galatians (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 153). We must understand the nature of faith to see that faith is not meritorious. God's calculation of righteousness in response to faith is an act of grace and not based on merit.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">THE CURRENCY</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Faith and righteousness are the currencies being exchanged. Abraham believed (ἐπίστευσεν) God and God exchanged His righteousness for Abraham's faith. What is faith? Faith is a total reliance on and complete confidence in God. So faith in God, by definition, is the opposite of all human achievements. Faith is the negation of any work that we might do to gain the righteousness that God gives (TDNT, 6:219-220). Faith is a confidence in God that repudiates any confidence in self. Therefore, faith is not meritorious.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Martin Luther, commenting on Galatians 3:6, writes that Paul "maketh of faith in God the chiefest worship, the chiefest duty, the chiefest obedience, the chiefest sacrifice. ... Now, to give glory to God, is to believe in Him, to count Him ... to be the author and giver of all goodness" (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 125). Luther goes on to say that faith kills all human reason and human achievement. Righteousness consists of two things, "faith, which giveth glory unto God, and God's imputation" of Christ's righteousness to us which is solely a gift of grace (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 130). John Calvin defined faith as a knowledge of God's goodness and "a sure persuasion of its truth" (Calvin, <i>Institutes</i>, 3.2.12 and 2.3.6).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul expands his thought in Romans, where he quotes and explains Genesis 15:6. If faith is a work, then there is no grace, and righteousness only comes by faith in God's grace (Rom. 4:4-5, 9-11). Whenever one works, "his wage is not credited (λογίζεται) according to grace (κατὰ χάριν) but according to what is due (κατὰ ὀφείλημα)." However, the one who does not work but believes "his faith is credited (λογίζεται) for righteousness" (είς δικαιοσύνην). God imputes righteousness. We do not earn it. Imputation is attributing Christ's goodness to us as we rely on God alone for His goodness.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The strength of our faith does not determine the amount of our righteousness. Heaven's exchange rate is built on grace. Even a weak faith in a strong God is exchanged for perfect righteousness on Christ's account. Therefore, trade your self-reliance for God-reliance and exchange your self-righteousness for Christ's righteousness!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-38311594669092306502021-04-17T10:45:00.001-04:002021-04-17T10:45:57.779-04:00GOD'S TRANSFORMATIONAL EFFECTS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23gQkOer9oC89QizmI5vvdtwZfXrvKV4tS_A1RhB23q1wG2LMl12Bqp5vIV_bMOffZytLcxwxZPTI_7SXDPyM3sob8welUsVGmT6Hsh4pcJbCR89BpeLA2ioZ1J1tkkd_7T7sv_G_744C/s1440/Transformational+Effects.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23gQkOer9oC89QizmI5vvdtwZfXrvKV4tS_A1RhB23q1wG2LMl12Bqp5vIV_bMOffZytLcxwxZPTI_7SXDPyM3sob8welUsVGmT6Hsh4pcJbCR89BpeLA2ioZ1J1tkkd_7T7sv_G_744C/s320/Transformational+Effects.jpg" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Transformation is God's business, not ours. We cannot make ourselves good by our works but must trust God to re-make us by His grace. Transformation comes by faith in His good work, not by the efforts of our good works. Paul writes in Galatians 3:5,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The two participles, "provides" (ἐπιχορηγῶν) and "works" (ἐνεργῶν), are both governed by the same article (ὁ) at the beginning of the verse. The one who provides the Spirit and works miracles is God. Both participles are in the present tense, indicating that Paul was not looking back to something the believers had experienced only at the beginning of their Christian lives but was referring to God's ongoing activity in their current experience (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 108).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">God's transformational effects in the lives of Christians are progressive and continuous.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">INTERNAL EFFECTS: Spiritual Fruit</h3><div style="text-align: left;">God provides us with the Spirit. The word "provides" (ἐπιχορηγῶν) is a picturesque word meaning to supply abundantly. It was used of someone who went to the lavish expense of paying for the chorus at a public feast (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 152). Paul uses the word to remind us that God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food so He will generously supply our needs (2 Cor. 9:10). Christ supplies nourishment to His body, the church (Col. 2:19). The compound verb (ἐπι + χορηγέω) intensifies the simple meaning of the root verb to stress the liberality of God in supplying His Spirit (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 136). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">God lavishly supplies His Spirit to us. Paul uses the indirect object "you" (ὑμῖν) in contrast to the prepositional phrase "among you" (ἐν ὑμῖν) in the second clause to stress the internal nature of God's giving of His Spirit. God provides His Spirit to us, making us "partakers of His divine nature" so that we are able to "supply (ἐπιχηγήσατε) moral excellence" in our lives (2 Peter 1:4-5). It is God's Spirit who produces moral and ethical fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). God's transformational effects are both internal and external (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 151).</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">EXTERNAL EFFECTS: Spiritual Power</h3><div style="text-align: left;">God energizes (ἐνεργῶν) demonstrations of His power (δυνάμεις) among His people (ἐν ὑμῖν). The verb means to operate, be effective, or produce effects in this world (BAGD, 265). The power of God is demonstrated outwardly through believers who have been transformed inwardly by His Spirit. Paul used the same verb (ἐνεργέω) earlier in Galatians to refer to the power by which he and Peter exercised their apostleship (Gal. 2:8). God energizes the spiritual gifts we see used in the church for the good of all (1 Cor. 12:6, 11). God gives His church a variety of gifts. He energizes powers or miracles (δυνάμεων, 1 Cor. 12:10) and gifts of grace (χαρίσματα, 1 Cor. 12:28). God empowers Christians to do great things for Him, but these gifts are exercised not individually but in the communities of faith (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 151).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The noun translated "miracles" (δυνάμεις) means acts of power or powerful works. The NT writers often use this word to describe the miracles Jesus performed during his earthly ministry (Mt. 11:20; 13:58; Mark 6:2, 5; Luke 19:37; Acts 2:22). Jesus' miracles are manifestations of God's power among the people. Paul, of course, knows that miracles by themselves can be, and often were, Satanically induced (2 Thess. 2:9). The first century world, in particular, was filled with magical happenings and miracle workers. This word for powers was often used in connection with the demonic powers operating in our world. Jesus, and by extension His followers, did not produce miracles by magic or demonic power. They were demonstrations of God's power. This gives us a clue for understanding the purpose of miracles. Christ's miracles and the apostolic miracles show that God is invading the sphere of demonic powers. God's rule is driving out Satan's rule in this world (TDNT, 2:301-302). The miracles (powers) were signs that the power of God is greater than the power of Satan (Heb. 2:4).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you, Lord, for the generous supply of your Spirit in my life and the energy to accomplish what you want from my life. May you fill and empower me for your purpose and glory in this world. Change me as you will to be who you want.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-85284895681661930272021-03-02T11:48:00.001-05:002021-05-18T09:05:17.985-04:00DON'T WASTE YOUR PAST!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfm3W3Gb5qxYsFFVGHoZ5bfmO8fkGyp73pu1GBn3j69MSyPk7IKIKHwX31bvnAy0-Jh2L46-v0j1VkUwp9IZo9H9LSBru6adzsDjLlCygPGXitUjeJnIGgV4m9Ct-vD10MIRP7Pdnkunx/s2048/Waste+Past.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfm3W3Gb5qxYsFFVGHoZ5bfmO8fkGyp73pu1GBn3j69MSyPk7IKIKHwX31bvnAy0-Jh2L46-v0j1VkUwp9IZo9H9LSBru6adzsDjLlCygPGXitUjeJnIGgV4m9Ct-vD10MIRP7Pdnkunx/s320/Waste+Past.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Don't let your past control your present or determine your future." It is good advice when we are talking about past sins, regrets, or failures. It is bad advice when we are talking about our past experiences with God's grace and faithfulness. We need to remember the past, especially if we are in danger of turning away from the gospel and relying on ourselves in the present.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul raises his fourth of five questions in Galatians 3:1-5, which are designed to drive the people back to their roots in Christ. "Did you suffer so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?" (Gal. 3:4).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Don't waste your past!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The verb translated "suffer" (ἐπάθετε) is an aorist active indicative asking us to examine our past experiences to inform our present decisions. It generally means to experience something that comes upon us from outside ourselves, which we experience passively, like sickness or misfortune. The basic sense of the word is negative. We experience something evil or bad - we suffer - unless the context makes it clear that the experience is good (TDNT, 5:904-905). However, in certain contexts, the word is used in a good sense to experience something favorable (M&M, <i>Vocabulary</i>, 498). So what is Paul talking about in this verse?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">PAST PERSECUTIONS OR PAST BLESSINGS?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A very common view is that Paul is talking about past persecutions (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 135; Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 7:107). The normal usage of the word implies a negative experience which is why we translate it to suffer. Christians suffer ill-treatment and persecution at the hands of non-Christians. Paul's idea would be that suffering persecution for the sake of the gospel would be suffering in vain (εἰκῇ). It would be pointless pain (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 150). Why, if we suffered in the past for Christ, would we turn away from Christ in the present? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The problem is that there is no evidence that the Galatians had suffered persecution in the past, as everyone acknowledges. Luke gives us no record of significant persecution for the churches in southern Galatia if that is the audience for the letter. If it is northern Galatia, we have even less information. Of course, it is possible that they suffered persecution about which the New Testament is silent. If they did, to compromise their faith after suffering for their faith would be pointless.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There is some evidence in the context of Galatians 3:4 that we should see the experience as, perhaps not pleasant but positive. The next verse (Gal. 3:5) picks up the theme of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:3) to emphasize their past positive spiritual experiences. Paul talks about the exciting reality that the Spirit provided (έπιχορηγῶν) to them and the powerful works (δυνάμεις) He performed among them. The lexicon suggests this translation: "Have you had such remarkable experiences in vain?" (BAGD, 634) This fits with Paul's question about having begun with the Spirit; why would you try to live the Christian life by your own efforts? (Gal. 3:3) Paul's idea would be that attempting to live without the Spirit after first experiencing the power of the Spirit would be pointless (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 41:104).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">PAST EXPERIENCES IN GENERAL</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think the best solution to this difficult passage is to understand the word in a general sense to experience all manner of circumstances that come upon us from outside ourselves (NIDNTT, 3:723; Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 150). These circumstances are often not pleasant but, in the end, yield results that are positive as God works out His plans in our lives (Rom. 8:28). We suffer in this life, but not all suffering is persecution; most suffering is not. We often go through bad experiences, but God has provided His Spirit to empower us through those experiences. To forget those past experiences when we face our present circumstances is pointless. It is in vain. It makes for an empty life.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Don't waste your past! Remember those times, both dark and bright, as times when God's Spirit faithfully provided all we needed to get through our circumstances. Remembering the past is not pointless when we remember God's presence with us and God's power that helped us in the past. I love the little poem by F.W.H. Meyers: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">God, who whatever frenzy of our fretting</div><div style="text-align: center;">Vexes sad life to spoil and destroy,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lendeth an hour for peace and for forgetting,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Setteth in pain the jewel of His joy.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Elizabeth Elliot, <i>A Path through Suffering</i>, 42)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-40966732960301924472021-02-01T10:21:00.000-05:002021-02-01T10:21:25.754-05:00THE BIG DISCONNECT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraDZQI2JHGEhFwhlodPZJtzHZyVCFrm80V3lwJa0dFjH5WVUEECm1k2AfcoJ6LBb3RMqElF5ir6uRwGhbcJCWI2iuVD32AR4ojtinzXl9WKhGHYK6WKyQiYq2wAdwiRt3pPWVrKACS673/s2048/DISCONNECT.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraDZQI2JHGEhFwhlodPZJtzHZyVCFrm80V3lwJa0dFjH5WVUEECm1k2AfcoJ6LBb3RMqElF5ir6uRwGhbcJCWI2iuVD32AR4ojtinzXl9WKhGHYK6WKyQiYq2wAdwiRt3pPWVrKACS673/s320/DISCONNECT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We preach a justification only gospel, but the gospel is far from only justification. A big disconnect develops in our churches between the way we are justified and the way we are sanctified. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:3<div><br /></div><div><i>"Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Justification, the beginning, and sanctification, the perfecting, both depend on God's Spirit at work in us. If we are justified by God's grace, we must not seek to be sanctified by our efforts. There must be no disconnect between the beginning and the perfecting of our Christian lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Beginning the Christian life one way and completing it a different way is irrational, Paul states in the third of five sequential questions. <i>"So foolish are you?"</i> (οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε) Really?! Does this make any sense? Paul immediately launches into his fourth question cutting to the core of the issue. He incisively establishes two antitheses to demonstrate the foolish disconnection. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beginning vs. Completing</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spirit vs. Flesh</div><div><br /></div><div>SPIRIT VS. FLESH</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's unpack the second antithesis first. The two nouns both lack the definite article indicating that "Spirit" (πνεύματι) and "flesh" (σαρκὶ) are qualitative in force (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 7:105). The contrast is between the nature or quality of the Spirit at work in a person and the nature or quality of the flesh. Spirit must refer to the Holy Spirit to form a contrast with flesh, which refers to human effort. The dative case indicates either manner or agency, although the distinction is a bit like splitting hairs. The issue Paul addresses is the question of means. By what means or agency do we complete the Christian life? We live our Christian lives either by means of the Spirit's power or by means of our fleshly effort. These are two diametrically opposite ways of life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some writers argue that "flesh" in this verse refers only to the physical or material sense of the word since Paul is dealing specifically with the matter of circumcision (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 148). However, Paul emphasizes a much deeper distinction than merely between the physical and spiritual dimensions. He develops the Spirit/Flesh disconnect more fully later in Galatians 5 as two antithetical ways of life. Flesh (σάρξ) refers to human nature dominated by the disposition to sin. Human effort, by itself, always defaults to the control of the flesh leading to fleshly living (σαρκικοί). The agency of the Holy Spirit as a way of life leads to spiritual living (πνευματικοί). It is the distinction between Romans 7:14-25 and Romans 8:1-17 (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 7:105).</div><div><br /></div><div>BEGINNING VS. COMPLETING</div><div><br /></div><div>Human effort will always be inadequate to live holy lives (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 149). We must complete the Christian life the same way that we begin the Christian life. The construction "having begun" (ἐναρξάμενοι), as an aorist, temporal participle, must refer to the inception of the Christian life, that moment when we are justified and regenerated by the Spirit of God (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 103). Another way to translate the participle is "after you have begun by means of the Spirit" (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 7:105). Regeneration by the Spirit and reception of the Spirit are simultaneous events that occur at conversion. We begin the Christian life by the power of the Spirit. There is no other way to be right with God. He must change us, for we cannot change ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>The emphatic "now" (νῦν) separates the two elements of the contrast. Combined with the present tense as opposed to the aorist tense, we see that Paul is now talking not about the beginning but the continuing of the Christian life. We accomplish, finish or complete the Christian life the same way we begin the Christian life. Perfecting or accomplishing sanctification cannot be done by human effort. It must be done by the Spirit. Only God can change us, for we cannot change ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>The indicative verb "being perfected or completed" (ἐπιτελεῖσθε) can be interpreted as either middle or passive voice. Some argue that it should be translated as middle in form but active in force (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 149; Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 135). The question would then be, are you now bringing to completion the Christian life by the flesh? We, Christians, would be the subject of the action. However, the verb is never used in the middle voice in the New Testament or Septuagint (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 135), making it unlikely in meaning. It is best taken as passive and asking are we now being brought to completion by a fleshly force (Meyer, <i>Galatians,</i> 7:106; Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 103).</div><div><br /></div><div>There must be no disconnect between how we begin the Christian life and how we complete it. We begin the Christian life by the power of the Spirit, and we must live the Christian life by that same power. Only God can accomplish our justification, and only God can complete our sanctification. Paul uses the same two words, to begin and to complete, in Philippians 1:6, <i>"He who began (ἐναρξάμενος) a good work in you will perfect (ἐπετελέσει) it until the day of Christ Jesus."</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Only God can finish what only God can start!</div>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-81043547700446761092021-01-05T10:52:00.000-05:002021-01-05T10:52:40.731-05:00THE DECISIVE QUESTION THAT DEFINES THE CHRISTIAN LIFE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64gIknrir2FkJqjMqsKvGtv_u9eB4WrHEaUlZdVz6XaZ24GLhcZ48bgA2aN748gVBsxnTAdxhfDcQwR3WyczqLHH2uUbXfEqOIVI6olV82u3nB-TIMxcakokcGcpBCumfYmrFpW3Dj0yR/s2048/DECISIVE+QUESTION.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64gIknrir2FkJqjMqsKvGtv_u9eB4WrHEaUlZdVz6XaZ24GLhcZ48bgA2aN748gVBsxnTAdxhfDcQwR3WyczqLHH2uUbXfEqOIVI6olV82u3nB-TIMxcakokcGcpBCumfYmrFpW3Dj0yR/s320/DECISIVE+QUESTION.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">One question reveals the heart of the Christian life. This decisive question cuts to the core of how we live. It exposes what we base our spiritual experience on and where we place our hope of heaven. Paul writes:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"This only I wish to learn from you. From works of law did you receive the Spirit or from hearing of faith?" (Gal. 3:2)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul says that he only (μόνον) wants to find out the answer to one question from the Galatians. The answer to this one question explains how and why they are doing what they are doing in the name of Christ. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How did you receive the Spirit of God?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They received (ἐλάβετε) the Spirit of God at the beginning of their Christian lives as Paul makes clear in the next verse (Gal. 3:3). The gift - not gifts - of the Spirit takes place at the inception of our Christian lives as a present pledge or downpayment from God about our future lives with Him (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). We don't receive the Spirit from works of law (ἔργων νόμου) but from hearing with faith (ἀκοῆς πίστεως). Paul is using the same language he used when he spoke of justification a few verses earlier. We are not justified before God by our works of law (ἔργων νόμου) but through faith (δία πίστεως) in Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16). The reception of the Spirit and justification by faith are two sides of the same spiritual experience (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 149). Both justification and sanctification come through the same spiritual process, and that is why this question is so decisive for the way we live the Christian life.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are two possible options for receiving the Spirit of God. The preposition "from" (ἐξ) introduces both phrases. The preposition emphasizes source or origin (BAGD, 234). The two possible sources of our Spirit reception are 1) works of law or 2) hearing of faith. This succinct contrast between law and faith is the "antithesis of the whole epistle" (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 147). We receive the Spirit:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">from works of law</div><div style="text-align: center;">ἐξ ἔργων νόμου</div><div style="text-align: center;">or</div><div style="text-align: center;">from hearing of faith</div><div style="text-align: center;">ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The noun "law" lacks the definite article stressing the qualitative nature of law-keeping in general. All our attempts to earn God's favor by following moral rules and performing good works fail to produce the Spirit of God in our lives. We parade our good works before the watching world, but Spirit reception does not come from our performance mentality. We can never do enough to "get" God in our lives (see Christensen, Blog, "Our Best Before God," 6/20/20).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We receive the Spirit from hearing with faith as Paul will go on to argue in Galatians. Hearing, in this context, means far more than hearing sounds with our ears. Some consider the expression to be a Semitic idiom that understands "hearing" to be the kind of hearing that is believing (Moule, <i>Idiom Book</i>, 175). Others suggest that the word "hearing" refers to that which was heard, the report, or the message of faith (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 104). I think this interpretation makes the best sense of the passage. Paul uses the expression "the word of hearing of God (λόγον ἀκοῆς τοῦ θεοῦ) to refer to God's message, which he calls "the word of God" for all who believe (1 Thess. 2:13). The author of Hebrews links "the word of hearing" (ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς) to hearing by faith (Heb. 4:2). Therefore, the expression "hearing of faith" is shorthand for the message that comes from God and focuses on faith as its essence (NIDNTT, 2:175).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We begin our Christian lives by believing the word of God that we hear. Paul, citing Isaiah 53:1, writes, "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:16-17). How can anyone believe if they have not heard the message of what Christ has done for us (Rom. 10:14)? We receive the Spirit of God the same way. Our conversion to Christianity and our progress in our Christian lives come by faith in the message of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do for us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Religion equals works of law, deeds of righteousness, and acts of piety.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Christianity equals hearing of faith, believing the message, and trusting Christ's work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you receive the Spirit of God by doing what you do or trusting what He does?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-46612872847780204262020-12-03T11:38:00.000-05:002020-12-03T11:38:41.440-05:00THE GOSPEL BILLBOARD<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUh74F2lhH0sgdQUL2v7rRY3UJbR_-ISSo5v71Ay-wIeq4QOyccNyEma-TIAJBvyVmOHfBYE1QXV4PAcngqMa6Z1amkZyTWFi_tQ4c2RnYdEJK_H84kiUI59ZHgMfE4jWCOArdbBEIOGo_/s1600/Billboard.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUh74F2lhH0sgdQUL2v7rRY3UJbR_-ISSo5v71Ay-wIeq4QOyccNyEma-TIAJBvyVmOHfBYE1QXV4PAcngqMa6Z1amkZyTWFi_tQ4c2RnYdEJK_H84kiUI59ZHgMfE4jWCOArdbBEIOGo_/s320/Billboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">A billboard grabs attention. It distills volumes of information into a simple message, a placard of truth. What is Christianity's billboard? Paul explains in Galatians 3:1. Jesus Christ is THE CRUCIFIED ONE! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bewitched by the lure of success, the pride of works, and the promises of false teachers, the Galatians had lost sight of the essence of Christianity. We worship a Savior who was crucified as a common criminal. The Romans claimed that Carthage invented crucifixion, which they perfected to torture the worst slaves and criminals. Crucifixion was the worst shame that authorities could inflict on another human. The cross is the crux of our faith. A symbol of disgrace became the billboard of Christianity. Preaching placards the crucified one for all to see.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The verb translated "publicly portrayed" (προεγράφη) can have two meanings. It can mean "to write beforehand or in advance," or it can mean "to write up in public, to placard" (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 134). The first century papyri show examples of the word meaning to "write above" or to "placard up" for public viewing. For example, a father directed that a public proclamation be set up to announce that he was no longer responsible for his son's debts. Government officials often used the word to refer to public notices and official declarations that were displayed where all could see them (M&M, <i>Vocabulary</i>, 538). Paul preached "Christ crucified" as if he placarded the message on a giant billboard for all to see.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul announced the crucified Christ before their eyes (οἷς κατ´ ὀφθαλμοὺς). Literally, it reads, "for whom, in the presence of eyes" (BAGD, 406). This is where we get the translation "publicly portrayed." Some argue that Paul painted a word picture of Christ on the cross. His preaching was so graphic that they could see Christ on the cross. However, there is no lexical support for taking the verb to mean "paint or depict," and the following phrase in the perfect tense would negate this view (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 144). The verb was not used for painting a picture but for public announcements of official business. It wasn't that Paul graphically painted a picture for them, but that he placarded the truth because he wanted to keep their eyes from wandering to the charms of this world (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 134). He wanted them to keep their eyes upon Jesus - the crucified one - and not get distracted by the issues and concerns of this world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul went on to say that he billboarded Christ "as crucified" (ἐσταυρωμένος). The participle is in a perfect tense, indicating past action with ongoing results. Paul proclaimed Christ as having been crucified for them. He stressed the foundational fact of Christ's crucifixion. It was a past act. It was a finished task. Christianity is based on what Christ did for us in the past, not what we do for him in the present. If Paul wanted to picture Christ hanging on the cross, he would have used the present participle, but he used a perfect participle. Our faith depends on an accomplished fact - the crucified Christ - and that makes it a matter of official pronouncement (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 145). We proclaim to the world a finished fact, not a possible present or a wishful future.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The gospel billboard announces that the work is done!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lord, keep my eyes on the billboard of Christ crucified and not the alluring advertisements of this world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-55829450092300625302020-11-06T11:07:00.000-05:002020-11-06T11:07:19.372-05:00BEWITCHING BELIEVERS!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIJeB1_nrFEiuzGw5hnkkGSRt_3tKC27j4FDfDKsEHeKPTNMie08Zlnzllas04FV03TCK_1VW9OclBTZIuQz4-ogfPHoA8q7gVlLhTfbqLGFWsYMePoBfyVBMR4y3XQxyErNyDcGEUuH_/s2048/Bewitching.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIJeB1_nrFEiuzGw5hnkkGSRt_3tKC27j4FDfDKsEHeKPTNMie08Zlnzllas04FV03TCK_1VW9OclBTZIuQz4-ogfPHoA8q7gVlLhTfbqLGFWsYMePoBfyVBMR4y3XQxyErNyDcGEUuH_/s320/Bewitching.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Why are we, Christians, so gullible? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How do we avoid being manipulated by the hucksters of this world? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lured by the deceptive success of the false teachers, the Galatian believers were bewitched by heresy. Paul warned them harshly, "O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?" (Gal. 3:1)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The word translated "bewitched" (ἐβάσκανεν) conjures up the popular superstition about the power of the evil eye in first century folklore. Many writers closed their letters by wishing the reader protection from the evil eye (M&M, <i>Vocabulary</i>, 106). One superstition suggested that a person could ward off the influence of the evil eye by spitting three times (BAGD, 137). Spells and incantations could fascinate a person so powerfully that they were brought under the control of the bewitcher in Paul's metaphor (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 133). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While it is possible that Paul could be inferring a literal demonic influence in this delusion, he is using the term as a figure of speech, a trope, to warn the believers that false teaching is a serious threat to their spiritual health. Paul is shocked that the believers were so easily deluded and deceived by this mixture of law and grace. The false teachers exerted their influence without any use of magical arts. No extraordinary means were needed because of the gullibility of the believers. Paul uses the term as a rhetorical device to show them how easily the influencers could pervert the gospel and confuse their thinking through the clever use of words and symbols (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 143-144).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bewitching (βασκαίνω) was used metaphorically for the ability to harm others through words. The power of praise and insult, flattery and shame, could harm people as much as black magic. Even hostile looks or the sound of the voice can control others in a bewitching manner. Certainly, there was an understanding that the world was filled with non-human powers seeking to control us, which gave rise to formulaic incantations like "heaven preserve us." The magical power of a look or a word can influence others because there are demonic forces at work in this world. However, the word for "bewitching" (βασκαίνω) is never used for the magical powers of the supernatural world. It is used rhetorically for the power of words to influence others (TDNT, 1:594-595).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What are the bewitching methods that influencers use to confuse and control us as Christians?</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">FALSE REASONING</h4><div style="text-align: left;">Lying and deception stand behind all magic. Bewitching people depends on deceiving them. Foolish people succumb to the power of falsehood, and so are led astray. Paul bitingly calls them "foolish" twice in these verses (Gal. 3:1,3). The word "foolish" (ἀνόητοι) can mean unintelligent (BAGD, 70) but more often refers to someone unreasonable (M&M, <i>Vocabulary</i>, 45) or unperceptive. Foolish people lack discernment (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 99). They are not so much stupid as they are confused. Foolish people lack the ability or the will to think clearly and deeply about matters, so they are easily manipulated by influence peddlers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Foolishness is a characteristic we all share before we become believers (Titus 3:3). Once we become Christians, we are supposed to leave foolishness behind. Sadly, this is not always the reality. Many believers surrender to false reasoning far too easily and often. It is the bewitching of believers! Believers seem highly susceptible to the power of conspiracy theories with their emphasis on secret knowledge and inside information. Political manipulation and marketing schemes lure too many Christians under the power of the "evil eye!" We seem especially susceptible to the power of abusive spiritual authority, proven by the long list of authoritarian pastors in recent years. All of these are aspects of the bewitching of believers through false reasoning.</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">SPIRITUAL DISTRACTION</h4><div style="text-align: left;">When Paul calls the Galatians "foolish" (ἀνόητοι), he might be thinking of them as childlike in their simplemindedness (TDNT, 1:595). They struggle to resist the bewitching of the false teachers because they are easily distracted, like little children attracted to the latest flashing lights and sparkling toys. Foolish Christians are so busy chasing the idols of our world that they lose sight of the truth of the gospel. Too often, we become caught up in political battles, social quarrels, and methodological arguments that have no eternal value. We focus on buildings, programs, and culture wars while losing the gospel's centrality to our mission. The result is that we lose sight of Christ in the pursuit of the bangles and baubles that dangle before our eyes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We are too easily bewitched through false reasoning and spiritual distraction. Christ must be the focal point of our lives, and the cross of Christ must be central to our message. Having begun our spiritual lives by the power of the Spirit, we must not turn to the methods of the flesh to live our Christian lives (Gal. 3:3). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Beware the bewitching of believers!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-34981109841277112442020-10-22T11:33:00.000-04:002020-10-22T11:33:50.145-04:00DEBTORS TO GRACE?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dYuqvdwWkLyGcmdcPoquoqv29h1MtbDII5p4YgWaByPKMWlUHexFxypeIyWN3MKHfUwjwxTjrEwlFLTWgdJ8D3lpoTBwkZUEXW2W2_LkvMjY0hq_IwZzQd16xyzjy4rS3WXRUB4E8L9W/s2048/DEBTORS+TO+GRACE.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dYuqvdwWkLyGcmdcPoquoqv29h1MtbDII5p4YgWaByPKMWlUHexFxypeIyWN3MKHfUwjwxTjrEwlFLTWgdJ8D3lpoTBwkZUEXW2W2_LkvMjY0hq_IwZzQd16xyzjy4rS3WXRUB4E8L9W/s320/DEBTORS+TO+GRACE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Oh to grace how great a debtor</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Daily I'm constrained to be."</i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Can grace incur a debt?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul says, "NO!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly" </i>(Gal. 2:21)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The verb translated "nullify" (ἀθετῶ) is in the present tense, indicating an ongoing activity. In classical Greek, it meant to set aside a treaty or to break faith with someone. The LXX uses it to translate a variety of Hebrew words in the Old Testament. It refers to profaning something that God considers holy, such as the sacrifice (1 Sam. 2:17) or the law of God (Ezek. 22:26). According to Ezekiel, the priests profaned God's law by making no distinction between the clean and the unclean. They despised God by profaning the holy things of God (NIDNTT, 1:74). In the Greek papyri, the verb was used for the cancellation of loans through repayment (M&M, <i>Vocabulary</i>, 12).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul uses the same verb later in Galatians, referring to a covenant once ratified, which "no one sets aside (ἀθετεῖ) or adds conditions to it" (Gal. 3:15). Jesus says, "He who rejects (ἀθετῶν) me ... has one who judges him" (Jn.12:48). Seeking to achieve righteousness by obeying rules and regulations, Paul says, annuls or renders inoperative the grace of God. Holiness by law-keeping is a rejection of Christ's death for us. If we seek to be righteous by the law after accepting God's grace, then "Christ died needlessly" (δωρεὰν). The adverb means without reason or to no purpose (BAGD, 210). The death of Christ becomes superfluous - unnecessary - if we can achieve righteousness by obeying the law.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The conduct of Peter is the context of Paul's statement. God saved Peter by grace alone, but Peter slipped into law-keeping for his sanctification. He implied that the Gentiles had to do the same by following the Jewish dietary regulations to maintain right standing with God. Paul argues that Peter nullified or rendered inoperative God's grace through his actions (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 94). Peter rejected the sufficiency of Christ's death by adding conditions to the Christian life. Legalism is a practical rejection of grace and an annulling of the cross as foundational for Christian living. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Suppose that I give my daughter $10,000 in her time of great need. I insist that it is a gift given out of my deep love for her, and she has no obligation to repay me. She says that she is indebted to me and will work to pay me back. Eventually, she cancels the debt by paying me back what I gave to her as a gift. What has she done? She has set aside, rejected, and nullified my gift. When we treat a gift - grace - as a debt, we render the gift invalid. It is no longer grace.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is what we do when we try to pay God back for His grace freely given to us on the cross. Too many Christians treat the Christian life as a debt to be paid to God for the grace He gave to us. We come to God by faith in His grace but soon turn the Christian life into matters of performance, duty, and obligation. We nullify His grace when the motive for our service is to pay back our debt to Him for His gift. The Christian life is by grace just as much as conversion. Sanctification is just as much a product of grace as justification.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are two ways to nullify God's grace in our Christian lives (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 146). 1) Grace frees us to sin more (Rom. 6:1). Since we are saved by grace alone, we think we can sin without consequence. The more we sin, the greater His grace. Wrong! May it never be (μὴ γένοιτο, Rom. 6:2). We nullify His grace through our presumptuous sins. 2) Grace motivates us to pay God back. Debt creates guilt. Our Christian lives develop a performance mentality. We think that if we do not measure up to the rules of sanctification, we will not earn God's favor. This too is μὴ γένοιτο! We nullify His grace through the debtor's motive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We are not debtors to grace because grace cannot incur a debt! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-78566544465015184102020-09-25T09:05:00.000-04:002020-09-25T09:05:39.812-04:00HOW DO WE NAVIGATE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOtRxau_fvVSlwZCCAI7NGVgCK6QuazdFVpRgk6uDT2lE2dpFMeVD6zzj-YYKrH29rTa9Yk-yw4vzJ9g8jjMDWx9m5M8WtghNsGlYnrFB_1zJu9OBttkMUFzrtjtQXFdcfPhPAxud1vyP/s2048/NAVIGATE+CHRISTIAN+LIFE.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOtRxau_fvVSlwZCCAI7NGVgCK6QuazdFVpRgk6uDT2lE2dpFMeVD6zzj-YYKrH29rTa9Yk-yw4vzJ9g8jjMDWx9m5M8WtghNsGlYnrFB_1zJu9OBttkMUFzrtjtQXFdcfPhPAxud1vyP/s320/NAVIGATE+CHRISTIAN+LIFE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Three times in Galatians 2:20, Paul uses the pronoun "in" (ἐν). Christ lives "in me" (ἐν ἐμοὶ). I live "in flesh" (ἐν σαρκί), and I live "in faith" (ἐν πίστει). The triple use of the pronoun "in" (ἐν) explains how we navigate the Christian life. There are three points on our navigation chart: Christ, flesh, and faith. The intersection of those three points determines how we live the Christian life.<p></p><p><i>I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. </i></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My life on earth is life in tension. </h3><p>Christ lives in me, but I live in the flesh. Christ "in me" (ἐν ἐμοὶ) is a figurative expression for "the state of being filled with or gripped by something" or someone (BAGD, 259). Paul writes, "For in Him (ἐν αὐτῷ) all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form" (Col. 2:9). The fullness of all that God is fills, grips, and controls Christ. Christ lives in me in the sense that He fills, grips, and controls me. It is not His fullness that lives in me for I am not Christ (or God), but His person fills and grips my life for His purpose.</p><p>Yet I live in flesh (ἐν σαρκί). The word flesh here is not used in its ethical/theological sense, as in Romans 8:7-8. Here the word is physiological, referring to the mortal bodies our souls inhabit in our lives on earth. Flesh lacks the article indicating that we should understand it in qualitative terms. The pronoun "in" (ἐν) is locative, indicating the place in which we live, the sphere of physical life on earth. (BAGD, 258; Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 138). </p><p>The tension is intentional and obvious. Paul rejects any notion that the divine life and our physical lives are "mutually exclusive," as some were teaching (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 93). Christ lives in me as I eat, drink, work, and play. He transforms our lives in the most elemental ways. Because Christ grips and controls me, He is there when I watch sports or movies. He enters the home with me. He interacts with co-workers through me. Christ is involved as I debate politics or argue about theology. Because Christ lives in me, even the most basic facets of life are filled with His transforming presence.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My life on earth is life in faith.</h3><p>The expression "I live by faith (ἐν πίστει) in the Son of God" is placed in the clause so that the two prepositional phrases starting with "in" are next to each other for emphasis. Literally, it reads, "the life I now live in flesh, in faith, I live in the Son of God." The prepositional phrase can be either instrumental or locative, and there is a subtle but significant difference between the two. The New American Standard Bible translates it as instrumental "by faith." Faith is the means or instrument by which we live the Christian life (BAGD, 260). By faith becomes somewhat mechanistic. We are trusting Christ for the results in our lives. We achieve what we achieve by faith in the Son of God.</p><p>However, the two phrases "in flesh" and "in faith" are best taken as parallel constructions. Both "flesh" and "faith" are anarthrous, stressing the qualitative aspects of each. Both prepositions are best taken as locative, indicating the sphere in which we live. Just as it is not "by flesh" (the means), but "in flesh" (the sphere), so it is not "by faith" (the means), but "in faith" (the sphere) that we must live the Christian life (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 93). Faith is the "atmosphere" in which we live and breathe (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 119). The Son of God is the object of our faith. We think and act in the atmosphere of faith in the Son of God, who dominates our lives. We are not just trusting Christ for results. We are trusting Christ for life.</p><p>The Christian life involves total immersion in Christ, like a fish in the water. Our lives become autonomic, like breathing air as we live in an atmosphere of faith. In Physics, we achieve equilibrium when the elements exist in perfect balance. So too, in the Christian life, there is equilibrium in Christ. Like a marble at the bottom of a bowl, no matter how the bowl of life is turned, we are stable in the atmosphere of faith. In biology, there is homeostasis, the organism maintains a stable inner state despite outside changes. Like our bodily temperature regulates to remain stable, so faith in the Son of God regulates all of life so that we remain stable. Our awareness of Christ becomes so enveloping that we sense His presence in all we do and say.</p><p>Living in the atmosphere of faith in Christ is how we navigate our Christian lives.</p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-77147903308773977742020-09-10T09:12:00.000-04:002020-09-10T09:12:41.327-04:00DETHRONED EGO<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F95o8pbEmxRawKfD4lCjEeCE2vwCkD3IR9vF5eGEOj66Ky_4MdapG8FkefLYs5C1vkHVOkzxvyLoSvvUx0Ht2A25smUTpCt7U_-O2ZqAKbnMplzz2mftG3Yc8MpFUwy8OwP5Md94_6Na/s2048/EGO.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1735" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F95o8pbEmxRawKfD4lCjEeCE2vwCkD3IR9vF5eGEOj66Ky_4MdapG8FkefLYs5C1vkHVOkzxvyLoSvvUx0Ht2A25smUTpCt7U_-O2ZqAKbnMplzz2mftG3Yc8MpFUwy8OwP5Md94_6Na/w339-h400/EGO.jpg" width="339" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Painted on the rocks high above the main street in Skagway, Alaska, are some often photographed images. Legend has it that the clock, set to 7:20, memorialized the time of Abraham Lincoln's death. However, 7:20 is the normal clockmaker setting used to display the symmetry of a clock and likely advertised a local store. The other two engravings - Kirmse's Curios and Moe's Frontier Bar - were historic businesses in Skagway dating back to the gold rush days. People flocked to these streets from all over the country drawn by advertisers who promised they would get rich quick with all the gold in the mountains. In reality, the merchants in the tiny boomtown were the ones who made the most money. Ego drove gold fever. Self-promotion is inherent to human nature.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To know God, self must be dethroned and Christ enthroned in our lives. Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The KJV translates it "nevertheless I live" but the first δὲ is continuative not adversative so should be translated "and." The second δὲ should be understood as adversative and translated "but." "I no longer live" continues the thought of being crucified with Christ followed by the contrast - "Christ lives in me." The literal word order in the Greek text is dramatic - "live no longer I, but lives in me Christ" (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 137). The "I" (ἐγώ) is emphatic and directly contrasts with the emphatic "Christ." Ego and Christ cannot coexist in the Christian life!</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">LIFE B.C.</h4><div style="text-align: left;">The "I" (ἐγώ) summarizes life before Christ. Paul says in verse 19 that "I died ... that I might live." The I who died (v.19) is the I who no longer lives (v.20). The I who lives has been merged into Christ. The natural man died. The person who was driven by the human ego no longer lives. Living for self is the person I was before Christ. Self-identity and self-promotion focus on the almighty I. Ego drives life apart from Christ. Once I become a Christian I no longer have a separate identity from Christ. My life is merged into His life (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 119).</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">LIFE A.C.</h4><div style="text-align: left;">We expect Paul to write, "I no longer live but I live in Christ." However, he is so caught up in the transformation of what it means to be a Christian that he writes, "Christ lives in me." The old me died. The new me is Christ. It is not that I now live in Christ but that Christ lives in me (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 144). The present tense of the verb (ζῇ) indicates that Christ lives in me in an ongoing, continuous way. He is always in me. Paul is talking about our present life on earth not our future life in heaven. Our merger with Christ is now not later. There is no place that I can go and no activity that I can do that Christ is not in me as I do it. The Christian life is nothing less than the life of Christ operating in the Christian. Christ is resident within us. He is the controlling, operating power in our lives today.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We don't wait for this transformation to happen in heaven. Paul makes this clear when he writes, "and the life which I now live in the flesh." The life is "now" (νῦν) not later. It is in the flesh (σαρκί) not in the spirit. Flesh (σαρκί), in this context, refers to the physical, mortal body not the ethical, immoral nature of the human heart. The pronoun "in" (ἐν) expresses the sphere in which life operates. Paul is talking about living in the sphere of the physical body (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 138). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The relative pronoun (ὃ) can be understood as a cognate accusative or an adverbial relative pronoun. The NASB translates it as a cognate accusative sometimes called a content accusative meaning that the content of the relative pronoun must be brought out by the translator. So the NASB supplies "and the life which I now live" (Turner, <i>Grammar</i>, 3:245-246). It could also be an adverbial relative and translated "whereas I now live" (Moule, <i>Idiom Book</i>, 131). The adverbial relative explains how Christ lives in me. I think it probably best to understand it as a cognate accusative stating that the life I am now living in my physical body must be lived dependently not independently, on Christ not for self. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">EGO OR CHRIST?</h4><div style="text-align: left;">God dethrones ego to enthrone Christ. This is the central transformation of the Christian life. All immorality is narcissistic. Ego drives every sin we commit. Moral behavior can be altruistic but, sadly, narcissism taints even our finest altruism. God dethrones our egos to transform our lives. Every moral failure - racism, abortion, sex outside of marriage - is self-centered at its core. We will never change the social order by law. Christ must dethrone self one "self" at a time to change society. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Following Christ means allowing Christ to dethrone my ego. The Christian life is not about me. It is all about Him. My self-identity is wrapped up in Him. My self-interest is merged into His will. I no longer live because Christ lives in me.</div></div>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-46742732045892880902020-08-20T08:23:00.001-04:002020-08-20T08:26:10.332-04:00THE MORALIST'S DEATH<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kZx73q1sNHYmH0Rc3QBHkdo_w26uRgi26zFOzh27UmuqvtdBBybQpq3-53OWvPp6XDAnyxlhxv7awpcpW-3vdbCTbdd9t6sjagBi6qUQ7SvUHYoh3Np5d9lWTjF7fj3CN_uqvDIWO3_6/s2048/Moralist%2527s+Death.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kZx73q1sNHYmH0Rc3QBHkdo_w26uRgi26zFOzh27UmuqvtdBBybQpq3-53OWvPp6XDAnyxlhxv7awpcpW-3vdbCTbdd9t6sjagBi6qUQ7SvUHYoh3Np5d9lWTjF7fj3CN_uqvDIWO3_6/w320-h240/Moralist%2527s+Death.jpg" width="320" /></a>Benjamin Franklin, the classic moralist, set out in life to achieve "moral perfection" through his little book of 13 virtues. For each virtue, he lined out seven columns, one for each day of the week. He would self-evaluate these virtues daily as he sought to be a better man, but at the age of 79, he had to admit that he had failed (Christensen, <i>The Spiritual Life of Normal Christian</i>, 132-133). The moralist thinks that you must live for law to live for God. Paul wrote that we must die to law to live for God (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 83). "For through law I died to law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ." (Gal. 2:19).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first word of the sentence is an emphatic "I" (ἐγὼ). The "I" of verse 18 is not emphatic because Paul was reflecting an accusation made by others against him, but the "I" in verse 19 is emphatic because Paul is now stressing his personal experience. Paul states, "I died to law" (νόμῳ ἀπέθανον). The Aorist active indicative is a declarative statement of a fact about his past. His death to the law is in contrast with his statement that "I might live for God" (θεῷ ζήσω). The first verb is declarative, stressing what is, and the second is subjunctive, stressing what might be. His death to the law is done, making possible his living for God. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Death, in Paul's thinking, ends a relationship, but life opens up a new relationship (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 91). The contrasting datives "law" (νόμῳ) and "God" (θεῷ) are datives of relationship although the second dative (θεῷ) may be understood as a dative of advantage. We ceased our prior relationship to the law, but we now live for the advantage or benefit of God (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 134). When Christ justifies by grace through faith, our past is dead. A new life for God opens before us. The possibilities are endless.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The noun "law" (νόμος) lacks the article as it did in verse 16. An anarthrous noun usually carries a qualitative force stressing law in general as opposed to a specific code like the Mosaic Law. Burton argues that law in verse 16 should be taken qualitatively, meaning that Paul is talking about the law principle inherent in all cultures as opposed to the Law of Moses. However, in verse 18, Burton argues that Paul is referring specifically to the Mosaic Law even though the noun lacks the article (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, cf. 120, 133). I think it best to remain consistent and understand "law" in a qualitative sense (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 118). A law principle - moralism - undergirds all cultures, not just Judaism. Moralism is man's attempt to live for God and is always doomed to fail (Gal. 2:16). We must die to moralism to live for God.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are two elements of our death to moralism. We die to law-keeping as a way to God 1) through the law and 2) through the cross. We die to law "through law" (διὰ νόμου), but our release from law comes only when we can say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι). Most translations take the second phrase as part of verse 20, but most critical Greek texts place the phrase as part of verse 19. It is probably better to take it with verse 19, explaining how we can be released from law-keeping to live for God (Longenecker, <i>Galatians</i>, 92).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We pass through three stages in the process of conversion to a new life for God (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 118).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) Before the law: I am a sinner but ignorant of my sin. Paul will expand his explanation of these stages in Romans 5-7. Sin entered the world through Adam and spread to all humanity. We are all sinners who are subject to death even though ignorant of the sin without the law (Rom. 5:12-14; 7:7). Sin, in one sense, might be considered dead until the law reveals it so the law could be said to stimulate or even create sin (Rom. 7:8-9).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) Under the law: I am a sinner who becomes conscious of my sin. The law reveals my sin and condemns me to death, but the law cannot provide any solution for my sin. So the law defines, stimulates, and condemns my sin, making the law an instrument leading to my death. Sin uses the law to kill me (Rom. 7:7-12). However, the law is still holy and good (Rom. 7:12) because the law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24-25). Offering no remedy, the law shuts us up until we come to Christ's grace for release. In this way, we die to the law through the law.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3) Freed from the law - I am a sinner who has been justified by grace (Rom. 5:20-21). Paul uses his famous marriage analogy to make his point (Rom. 7:1-6). A wife is bound to her husband by law. Only the death of her husband releases her from her bondage under the law. Therefore, we were made to die to the law (ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ) "through the body of Christ" (διὰ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ) which is another way to say that we have been crucified with Christ (Rom. 7:4). The death of Christ releases us from the jurisdiction of the law, so don't remarry the dead man by placing yourselves under the law.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My conviction of sin comes through the law. My release from guilt comes by the cross of Christ. Thank you, Jesus, for liberating me from the bondage of moralism.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-22358166248103683682020-08-04T09:08:00.001-04:002020-08-04T09:08:53.765-04:00THE PARADOX OF MORALISM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUjkBlmN8t52L4uqaNlIbtDyhBi8LYEAKN9cuGgxPe9VM5I1Y5EniNlaMICAj5hJCEdcpLrWHgfHttx_eYzra4JTth3ScGOVnrrVFus1MNY4zj62QPBbGfqEWXSlN4Wq3J4KgNkYCkNJx/s1600/Paradox+of+Moralism.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUjkBlmN8t52L4uqaNlIbtDyhBi8LYEAKN9cuGgxPe9VM5I1Y5EniNlaMICAj5hJCEdcpLrWHgfHttx_eYzra4JTth3ScGOVnrrVFus1MNY4zj62QPBbGfqEWXSlN4Wq3J4KgNkYCkNJx/s320/Paradox+of+Moralism.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"O Lord Jesus, I come unto Thee, and I pray Thee that these burdens and this straitness of my rule and religion may be a full recompense for all my sins."</blockquote>
Here is the prayer of the moralist. Martin Luther prayed these words regularly when he was a non-Christian (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 82). He was obsessed with being good before he understood the good news about his badness. Once he grasped the gospel, he renounced his goodness to rejoice in Christ's goodness. The gospel transformed his life and rescued him from moralism.<br />
<h4>
WHAT IS MORALISM?</h4>
Moralism teaches that our good works earn God's favor. What we do that is good pays for what we have done that is bad. Moralism expresses religion's path to God. Good people will one day stand before God, and the good they do will outweigh the bad they have done, claims the moralist.<br />
<br />
Sadly, many preach moralism after starting well with grace. The more we push morality, the less we preach grace because moralism nullifies grace. Paul dealt with moralism as he witnessed Peter turn back to follow Jewish religious rules about eating and drinking. Paul writes, "For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor" (Gal. 2:18).<br />
<br />
The clause "what I once destroyed" (ἃ κατέλυσα) comes first in the sentence for emphasis. The verb means to dismantle a building or repeal a law (BAGD, 414). The condition (εἰ) is a simple condition, not a contrary to fact condition, so Paul is referring to what actually happened, which he explained in verse 16. Paul had trusted in the law to make himself good enough for God. When Paul turned to Christ, he repealed the law as a way to be right with God. He dismantled law righteousness to accept Christ's righteousness.<br />
<br />
By insisting that Christians obey the law, Paul would now be rebuilding (οἰκοδομῶ) the law that he once dismantled. If that is the case, then he proves himself to be a transgressor of the law. The present tense verb (συνιστάνω) used with the reflexive pronoun "myself" (ἐμαυτὸν) means to show or represent one's self as a transgressor (R&R, <i>Linguistic Key</i>, 506). Paul uses the word "transgressor" (παραβάτην) because the term connotes a violator of the true intent of the whole law more than any single statute in the law (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 131). If he builds up what he once dismantled, then, either way, he is a transgressor. He either transgressed the law by dismantling it, or he transgresses God's salvific solution by rebuilding it. The one activity negates the other activity (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 142). Law and grace cannot both be right.<br />
<h4>
PARADOXICAL MORALITY</h4>
The paradox of moralism is the better we try to be, the worse we prove to be. The gospel of grace tells me that I become a Christian by renouncing my faith in my goodness to place my faith in Christ's goodness alone. I must accept that I am a sinner to believe in Christ as my Savior. If I return to stressing my moral goodness, I nullify Christ's grace and prove to be a worse sinner than before. There must be no mixing of my goodness with Christ's goodness to earn God's approval. To follow Christ, we must renounce moralism.<br />
<br />
The paradox of moralism is the more we preach morality, the less we preach Christ, leading to greater immorality. Moralism creeps into our "culture wars" preaching. In our striving to see righteousness permeate our society, we slide into moralistic preaching implicitly communicating that we can create a moral world without Christ. Slipping into moralism minimizes Christ. The solution to the world's immorality is the goodness of Christ, not the morality of humanity. Unless people give up on their goodness to accept Christ's goodness, there will never be social goodness.<br />
<br />
Our culture will never be transformed by preaching moralism. Good works flow from changed hearts. Society is changed by regeneration, not legislation. The gospel is the most transformative power the world has ever seen. Let's preach the gospel, not moralism!<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-78159218003838619232020-07-29T16:19:00.000-04:002020-07-29T16:19:35.711-04:00NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZFvckn7pRICnw9eYCVJrgKtSo54hr5IS0uOPmVZZDJF3GE9YbjsVNxcLSBeZuG-c2qSMtBxQwmBIOBhx1uno0Z88D6v6uI3VQrqxbE0UzltfHohSV4lDUw13zCPi6xa6iFplaP9ns65l/s1600/BOOK+COVER.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZFvckn7pRICnw9eYCVJrgKtSo54hr5IS0uOPmVZZDJF3GE9YbjsVNxcLSBeZuG-c2qSMtBxQwmBIOBhx1uno0Z88D6v6uI3VQrqxbE0UzltfHohSV4lDUw13zCPi6xa6iFplaP9ns65l/s320/BOOK+COVER.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I am excited to announce that my latest book is now available from the publisher.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
BOOK SYNOPSIS</h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323130; font-family: "segoe ui" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><i>How can we preach persuasively without
huckstering, manipulating, or coercing people? Sadly, we are seeing the fall of
many pastors not for reasons of sexual immorality, but the pursuit of pride and
power. The skillful use of marketing methods creates celebrity pastors who
become significant influencers in the evangelical church. The lure of success
is seductive, turning pastors into hucksters and Christians into consumers. We
need to heed the warnings of the New Testament about the pride of rhetoric and
the pursuit of power. David Christensen carefully analyzes the biblical
warnings of Paul about the temptations of rhetorical sophistry in the
first-century church and applies them to pastoral ministry today. God calls
preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders. David develops an ethical
grid for pastoral persuasion using principles drawn from the Bible and social
science along with practical illustrations from his years of ministry. He calls
preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders by emphasizing the centrality
of the word of God while depending on the power of the Spirit of God.</i></span><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
BOOK REVIEWS</h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; border: none 1.0pt; color: #201f1e; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">"There’s no shortage of books on how to preach
effective sermons, but rarely can you find a work that digs deep into the inner
workings of how persuasion can be done with biblical authority and integrity.
Drawing from a well dug deep through years of experience as a pastor and
educator, David Christensen unpacks both the historic and popular techniques
used by preachers and examines whether they measure up to the biblical standard
for conveying doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness." (Rick Francis, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">New England Consultant
for the Cecil B. Day Foundation)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"The Persuasive Preacher</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> calls pastors to present God’s Word with biblical
authority and boldness. Christensen, a seasoned pastor and professor,
understands and effectively communicates why and how preachers should use
biblical persuasion techniques. He also acknowledges the responsibility of
listeners to respond, without any unethical manipulation from the preachers.
Numerous illustrations reinforce his pertinent arguments. I consider this book
a welcome companion to my own volume, <i>Persuasive Preaching</i>." (R. Larry Overstreet, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">retired professor at Corban University School of Ministry)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #323130; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"For decades David Christensen has not only
studied and taught the proper use of persuasion in preaching and ministry, he
has also practiced it. His book provides the historical and biblical background
for understanding the issues involved. It is filled with practical
examples, both positive and negative, which equip the reader to both preach and
pastor with greater integrity and effectiveness." (David Lambertson, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">faculty
member at New England Bible College and Grace Evangelical Seminary)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
HOW TO BUY THE BOOK</h3>
You can purchase the book through Amazon, where it is available in both print and Kindle formats. You can also buy the book directly from the publisher by clicking the link below.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://wipfandstock.com/the-persuasive-preacher.html">https://wipfandstock.com/the-persuasive-preacher.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-23352965315536170342020-07-17T10:52:00.000-04:002020-07-17T10:52:13.690-04:00FREEDOM FROM PERFORMANCE RIGHTEOUSNESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqz0fgHQR2rseybxVQC8ASjL74dCgDQdaGHaI61krpGwsF4oie_UR72-ANR1ajM6XIGDi7BJlVI-Yvw0Twlz7GIupBYVIttE__uAUCETOpz4EsJDh8pK1KHVySpGcs6D1QU1CeLOBA7NG/s1600/Performance+Righteousness.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqz0fgHQR2rseybxVQC8ASjL74dCgDQdaGHaI61krpGwsF4oie_UR72-ANR1ajM6XIGDi7BJlVI-Yvw0Twlz7GIupBYVIttE__uAUCETOpz4EsJDh8pK1KHVySpGcs6D1QU1CeLOBA7NG/s320/Performance+Righteousness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Legalism advocates performance righteousness. We are righteous because we do the right things. Paul is dealing with the Christian legalism that Peter displayed by withdrawing from Gentile Christians to follow the dietary restrictions of the Jewish Christians. Nobody can be justified by observing the law, Paul argues. We are justified by faith in Christ alone. Living right cannot save us. But the legalist objects, and Paul raises their objection. Whether the words reflect the views of Peter or the other Jewish Christians, Paul emphatically responds to the argument of the legalist.<br />
<br />
"But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!" (Gal. 2:17)<br />
<br />
Here we find the legalist's argument. Disobedience of the law is sin. If we abandon the law to be justified by Christ, then we become sinners. The result is that Christ becomes a servant of sin by creating more sinners through justification. The legalist argues this is absurd, thus discrediting Paul's argument for justification by faith alone (See Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 124-130).<br />
<br />
Let's dissect the legalist's argument in this verse. Paul establishes two premises to their argument, followed by a question. Then he emphatically answers their questionable conclusion.<br />
<br />
FIRST PREMISE: Justification by faith nullifies justification by law.<br />
<br />
The legalist's first premise is correct. The condition (if - εἰ) is a simple condition, which means that Paul assumed the truth of the condition (Dana & Mantey, <i>Grammar</i>, 289). The participle "while seeking" (ζητοῦντες) is best understood as temporal. While depending on justification "in Christ" (ἐν Χριστῷ - v.17), we must deny any justification "by works of law" (ἐξ ἔργων νόμου - v.16). Paul will make this truth explicit when he writes, "I died to law (νόμῳ ἀπέθανον - v.19). Righteousness in Christ nullifies righteousness by works. The two are mutually exclusive. On this point, the legalist is right.<br />
<br />
SECOND PREMISE: Christians are found to be violators of God's law.<br />
<br />
To abandon the law is to become a sinner, the legalist argues. We "have been found" (εὐρέθημεν) usually introduces an element of surprise. It is a surprising twist to realize that trusting in Christ's righteousness means accepting that we are sinners. Abandoning the law makes the Jews sinners (ἁμαρτωλοί) just like the Gentiles are sinners (ἁμαρτωλοί). Paul returns to his statement in verse 15. The Jews trusted in their righteousness earned by observing the law and considered the Gentiles to be sinners because they did not follow the law. Justification by faith in Christ forces us to abandon our faith in the law. To abandon the law makes us violators of the law (Lightfoot, <i>Galatians</i>, 116-117). Correct again! We are all sinners.<br />
<br />
LOGICAL QUESTION: Does this make Christ a servant of sin?<br />
<br />
Paul accepts both premises as correct, which leads the legalist to argue that Christ, then, is a servant of sin (ἁμαρτίας διάκανος). He makes people become sinners to be justified by Him, which, the legalist argues, is absurd. Legalism argues that we must trust Christ and keep the law. It is justification by faith plus performing religious requirements that save us. The legalist does not deny justification by faith but adds justification by works. Paul points out that the addition is subtraction. Once you add faith in performance righteousness, you deny faith in Christ's righteousness.<br />
<br />
Is the clause a declarative statement or a question? The introductory particle can be accented in two ways (ἆρα or ἄρα). The former is an interrogative, and the latter is an inferential particle translated, "so then." The verse reads either "is Christ a servant of sin" or "so then Christ is a servant of sin." In this verse, we have an interrogative particle because of what follows in the text. Whenever Paul uses the expression "may it never be" (μὴ γένοιτο), he uses it to answer a question (Blass & Debrunner, <i>Grammar</i>, 220, 194; Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 126)). We should understand the text as a question that Paul emphatically answers in the negative.<br />
<br />
CONCLUSION: No! Absolutely not!<br />
<br />
If morally righteous people must become sinners to be saved, then does this not make Christ an agent of sin? No! Absolutely not! Paul rejects this conclusion as abhorrent. Justification by faith in Christ's righteousness does not make anyone a sinner. Everyone is already a sinner. Morally righteous people, including law-abiding Jews, are sinners already. The law, moral code, merely reveals the sin (Bruce, Galatians, 141). Accepting Christ's righteousness by faith means rejecting our righteousness for salvation. The gospel does not increase the number of sinners in the world, making Christ an agent of sin. The gospel provides a solution for all the sinners in the world to be saved by Christ's righteousness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Thank you, Jesus, that I am a sinner, and you are a Savior.</li>
<li>Thank you, Jesus, that I cannot justify myself by my performance of any code of conduct.</li>
<li>Thank you, Jesus, that I died with you to my self-righteousness so that I can live with you by your true righteousness.</li>
<li>Thank you, Jesus, that I cannot add one smidgeon of my righteousness to your righteousness.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-28985147760148754772020-07-01T09:29:00.001-04:002020-07-01T09:29:19.612-04:00SOLA FIDE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The church, in Martin Luther's day, taught that works of faith were a means of grace. If a person performed a good work by his own inclination - giving alms, for example - this person earned the "grace of congruence." He was acting in congruence with God's grace, and so was worthy to receive God's grace even though a sinner. Once he received God's grace, he could do works by faith in God's grace and so be worthy of eternal life.<br />
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Luther wrote: "Wherefore, with Paul, we utterly deny the merit of congruence and worthiness, and affirm that these speculations are nothing else but mere deceits of Satan. For God never gave to any man grace and everlasting life for the merit of congruence or worthiness" (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 67).<br />
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Paul wrote: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of law but only through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 2:16).<br />
<br />
Sola Fide!<br />
<br />
The little connective translated, "but only" (ἐὰν μὴ) is critical to the argument of Paul. It can be interpreted in two ways, as an exception or an adversative (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 121). If it is understood as an exceptive, then the work of faith is an exception to the works of law. Man cannot be justified by the works of law except through the "work of" faith in Christ Jesus. Human faith is an exception to other human works by which humans earn the "grace of congruence" from God.<br />
<br />
May it never be! The connective is an adversative, introducing something that is the opposite of work. We should translate it, "but only" not "except by" (Moulton, <i>Grammar</i>, 1:241). Faith is not a different kind of work. We are not justified by the works of faith. Faith is not a work at all, and no work done by faith can earn God's grace. Otherwise, we turn God into a debtor who owes us eternal life (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 66).<br />
<br />
"But only" means sola fide!<br />
<br />
"Through faith in Jesus Christ," we are justified, Paul continues. "Jesus Christ" is in the genitive case modifying "faith." Some have interpreted "Jesus Christ" as a subjective genitive meaning that we are justified by Christ's faithfulness. However, it is best to understand "Jesus Christ" as an objective genitive meaning that Christ is the object of our faith. Our faith is placed in Christ (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 138-139; Murray, <i>Romans</i>, 363-374). Paul bolsters this interpretation by adding, "we, ourselves, have believed in Christ Jesus" (εἰς Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν), making Christ clearly the object of our faith.<br />
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John Calvin defined faith as "a knowledge of the divine benevolence (grace) toward us and a sure persuasion of its truth" (Calvin, <i>Institutes</i>, 3.2.12). Being persuaded by God's grace, we rest on Christ for salvation, knowing that we do not deserve nor can we earn any favor from God by any merit of our own.David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-25592885316697849842020-06-20T09:28:00.001-04:002020-06-20T09:28:19.494-04:00OUR BEST BEFORE GOD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How can humans be accepted by God? Can our best efforts gain God's favor? Every church faces the temptation to slide into practical Pelagianism - measuring righteousness by the best we can do apart from God's enabling grace. Subtly, a performance mentality seeps into our church life even as we preach Christ's gospel. Do we earn God's approval by what we do, or does God grant His acceptance because of what He has done?<br />
<br />
Paul finally arrives at the central question of his letter to the Galatians: "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Gal. 2:16).<br />
<br />
Three vital theological terms leap out of the text: "justified" (δικαιόω), "law" (νόμος) and "faith" (πίστις). All three terms are significant in the vocabulary of Paul and central to his argument in both Galatians and his longer epistle, Romans. Few words have been analyzed by theologians more frequently than justification producing an indisputably clear meaning. The term does not refer to moral causation. It is judicial and forensic in essence. God does not make us righteous in justification. He declares us to be right. Justification carries a sense of God's acceptance and approval. Since God's acceptance of us is not based on our merits but on His work, our righteousness can rightly be said to be God's righteousness (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 460-474).<br />
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The term "justified" occurs three times, and each time it is passive. We do not justify ourselves but are justified by another. God declares us right as we stand before Him. The first verb is in the present tense (δικαιοῦται), indicating an ongoing truth. The negative with the present tense tells us that justification can never be achieved by the observance of the law (R&R, <i>Linguistic Key</i>, 506). The second verb is an Aorist subjunctive (δικαιωθῶμεν) teaching that justification is a general truism. The third use of the term is in the future tense (δικαιωθησέται). Nobody will ever be justified by the works of the law. Paul has covered all the time zones to make his point.<br />
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Three times in this one verse, Paul tells us we are not justified "by the works of the Law" (ἐξ ἔργων νόμου). The preposition "by" (ἐξ) emphasizes the source of our justification. Paul did not have a convenient term like "legalism" to describe the issues he faced, so he used this expression to make his point. Legalism is any attempt to justify oneself by obedience to the law (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 137). "Law" is in the genitive case. I don't think it is a subjective genitive as if the law can produce the works. It is an objective genitive meaning that the object of our works is the law. We choose to do what we think will fulfill the law to justify ourselves (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 85).<br />
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The expression works of the law (ἐξ ἔργων νόμου) is parallel to the expression "faith in Jesus Christ" (δὶα πίστεως ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ). The object of works is the law. The object of faith is Christ (Meyer, <i>Galatians</i>, 85). Here too, the genitive "Jesus Christ" (᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ) is an objective genitive, not a subjective genitive (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 138-139). Christ does not produce faith (subjective genitive). He is the object of our faith (objective genitive). We place our faith in Christ Jesus because He is the one who justifies us.<br />
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Unfortunately, the NASB mistranslates the phrase as "the works of the Law," capitalizing law to identify it as the Mosaic law. Both "law" and "works" are anarthrous and should be translated "works of law." Paul is not talking just about "the Law," a specific code of conduct revealed through Moses. He is talking about divine law in general, all that is in accord with the character and will of God. Without the article, Paul stresses the qualitative nature of God's law. Paul expands his thought in Romans where he uses the same clause "works of law" to describe the Gentiles who are accountable to God's law without possessing the Mosaic Law (Rom. 2:11-16; cf. 3:20, 28). All attempts to curry God's favor by law-keeping, whether written or unwritten, do not work (Burton, <i>Galatians</i>, 120, 443-460).<br />
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Religion's temptation is to drift toward works righteousness. In our pride, we determine to control our destiny by what we do instead of accepting what He has done. We develop selective righteousness in our churches as a means of quantifying holiness - an unwritten code of conduct. A performance mentality grips our faith as we parade our works of law before God and others.<br />
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Lord, root out in me any subtle seepage of pride that trusts my works over your work, my achievements over your sacrifice.David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-3457377640038641362020-05-29T10:07:00.001-04:002020-05-29T10:07:34.700-04:00WALKING THE GOSPEL PATH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We talk a good gospel, but do we walk a good gospel? Do we stay on or stray from the gospel path? Paul publicly rebuked Peter and Barnabas because he saw that "they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14).<br />
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Galatians 2:14 is the only place in the New Testament where we find this verb "were not straightforward" (ὀρθοποδοῦσιν). The word comes from two Greek roots, "standing straight up" (ὁρθός) and "foot" (πούς). It means to "stand erect on the feet." In other words, Paul says that we are not to waver or stumble as we walk (TDNT, 5:449-451).<br />
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The verb is followed by the preposition "about" (πρὸς) which, when used with the accusative case as here, commonly indicates motion toward some destination. However, it can mean "with" or "according to" something. For this reason, two possible interpretations have developed about the statement. Paul might be saying 1) their actions do not square with the truth of the gospel, or 2) they are not advancing toward the truth of the gospel (Moule, <i>Idiom Book</i>, 52-53). Are they not standing upright as measured by the truth of the gospel, or are they not walking toward the right goal?<br />
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I think it best to interpret Paul as saying that they are not walking straight on the path to the truth of the gospel. They have taken the wrong road. They have strayed from the path (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 132). The expression "truth of the gospel" refers back to the same phrase in Galatians 2:5. To walk straight toward the truth of the gospel is our goal. The danger is that we get off track. We get distracted by life. The twists and turns, the rocks and bumps of life cause us to stumble. We take detours that compromise the truth of the gospel by our personal preferences and legalistic convictions. We lose our way, causing others to go astray.<br />
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Why did Paul confront Peter "in the presence of all" (Gal. 2:14)? Why not confront Peter privately following Jesus' instructions (Mt. 18:15)? The confrontation was public because the sin was public. Public sin by church leaders requires public correction to deter others from sliding into the same sin (1 Tim. 5:20). The rule of thumb for discerning our response to sin on the public/private continuum is simple. The degree to which sin is public is the degree to which sin must be corrected publicly.<br />
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Scripture does not record Peter's response. He may have rationalized his behavior by arguing that he was acting out of concern for the weaker Christians from Jerusalem. Peter may have argued something similar to Paul's own dictum to be "all things to all people," including being under the law to those under the law (1 Cor. 9:19-23). He was merely being politically correct for the sake of the church in Jerusalem. However, there are clear limitations to such actions. Our position cannot justify the damage done to the gospel message. (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 132-134). What went on in the background, we can only speculate. Nevertheless, neither church politics nor weaker brother arguments should be allowed to distract from the truth of the gospel.<br />
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Walking the gospel path is difficult at times. Martin Luther wrote, "many have the gospel, but not the truth of the gospel." We can preach the gospel with our words, but stray from the gospel with our works. Actions that reinforce the law nullify the gospel. The gospel path has many rocks and twists, temptations and distractions, that can cause us to stumble on the way or lead us off the path of truth. Luther acknowledged how hard it is to stay on the gospel path. "In the time of temptation, I confess that I myself do not know how to do it as I ought" (Luther, <i>Galatians</i>, 61).<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-84630160637573076132020-05-13T08:57:00.001-04:002020-05-13T08:57:26.201-04:00GOSPEL HYPOCRITES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hypocrite: A person who pretends to be something he/she is not, two-faced.<br />
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There are all kinds of hypocrites. There are political and social hypocrites. There are philosophical and religious hypocrites. But the worst hypocrites are the gospel hypocrites. Peter was a gospel hypocrite for distancing himself socially from the Gentiles. Paul wrote:<br />
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"The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ..." (Gal. 2:13-14).<br />
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We get our English word "hypocrite" from the Greek word used here. Paul uses two related words, a verb and a noun, to stress the hypocrisy of Peter. The verb "joined him in hypocrisy" (συνυπεκρίθησαν) meant to join with others in pretending (BDAG, 793). The noun "hypocrisy" (ὑποκρίσει) meant to put on an outward show, a pretense (BDAG, 845). The root meant to "answer from under" (Burton, Galatians, 108) and referred to actors who spoke from behind a mask. The actor's job was to explain the drama by playing a role so that everything he did was in keeping with his character in the production (TDNT, 8:559-560).<br />
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In classical Greek, the words did not necessarily imply a negative meaning. The hypocrisy could be positive. Other descriptive words were necessary to determine whether the hypocrisy was negative or positive. However, within Judaism, the term is negative. It is sin. The Septuagint used the word in connection with apostasy. A hypocrite was someone who only pretended to follow God's law until it became inconvenient and then turned away from God's truth. The venerated Maccabean leader, Eleazar, said he would choose death rather than hypocrisy, which he viewed as apostasy (2 Maccabees 5:25). The Septuagint often used the word "hypocrite" (ὑποκρίτης) to translate a Hebrew word that meant a wicked or ungodly person. Paul's use of the term reflects this Jewish background. Hypocrisy has to do with denying the truth of the Gospel (TDNT, 8:562-569).<br />
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Peter wasn't merely being socially two-faced. He was denying the gospel - apostasizing! Apparently, both Jewish and Gentile Christians were in the habit of eating meals together in the church at Antioch. These social gatherings were reflections of the transforming power of the gospel, making the church one new man in Christ (Eph. 2:11-16). Peter gladly ate with them until the Jews from the church in Jerusalem arrived. He withdrew from the Gentiles to eat only with the Jews, and, in so doing, led the other Jewish Christians to join him. Paul viewed this correctly, not merely as a social failure, but as a corruption of the gospel itself. Peter was a hypocrite. He was pretending to be what he was not in Christ.<br />
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What were Peter's true convictions, and who was he hiding them from? There were two possibilities. 1) Peter's true convictions were that the gospel freed him to eat with the Gentile Christians as one in Christ. He was hiding those convictions from the Jewish leaders who came from Jerusalem. 2) Peter's true convictions were that he should only eat with Jews, and he had been hiding those convictions from the church in Antioch all this time. Either way, Peter is a hypocrite. Here is the problem with our hypocrisy and the gospel. Our hypocrisy renders our witness untrustworthy. How we live taints our gospel witness. No one knows where we stand, so why should they believe what we say?<br />
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The sad reality is that Peter led Paul's trusted missionary partner and friend, Barnabas, astray (συναπήχθη). The word means to be carried off (BDAG, 784). Peter's hypocrisy carried Barnabas into hypocrisy. The word "hypocrisy" is in the dative case and could be either a dative of accompaniment or dative of agency. In other words, Barnabas was either swept along with Peter's hypocrisy, or he was influenced by Peter's hypocrisy (Burton, Galatians, 109). Either way, he, too, denied the truth of the gospel.<br />
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How Barnabas' hypocrisy must have stung Paul. Barnabas had been the first to welcome Paul into the church. Barnabas and Paul had planted churches in southern Galatia on their first missionary journey enduring hardship and struggle together for the gospel. They would not be partners on Paul's second missionary journey. Luke states that the break up of their partnership occurred over John Mark (Acts 15:36-41). However, this episode in Antioch may well have factored into the fracture. F.F. Bruce suggests that the dispute over John Mark would not have been enough to break up the team, but for this more serious matter (Bruce, Galatians, 132). The hypocrisy of Barnabas eroded Paul's trust in his partner. Their close relationship came to an end not long after this event in Antioch.<br />
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The gospel proclaims that there are no racial, social, cultural, ethnic, and gender barriers (Gal. 3:28-29). It is the great equalizer. All people stand equally at the foot of the cross as one in Christ. Gospel hypocrites pay lip service to this transforming truth, but their partisan lifestyles belie the good news they preach.<br />
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Lord, keep me from becoming a gospel hypocrite. Show me those attitudes and actions that, however unwittingly and subconsciously they might be, deny the gospel I preach. Convict me to repent of any self-deluded rationalizations I might use to justify my behavior. Energize me to live what I preach.David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-3897529455785459942020-04-25T09:12:00.000-04:002020-04-25T09:12:57.225-04:00OUR SOCIAL LIVES AND OUR GOSPEL WITNESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Birds of a feather flock together. We naturally gather with people like us and identify ourselves with those who think like us. Like likes like. We eat, drink, laugh, and share with others from similar subcultures. Our Facebook posts elicit "likes" from those who are most like us socially, culturally, and politically.<br />
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What is wrong with that? Why should it matter with whom I socialize? It matters because our socio/economic and political identifications may negatively impact our gospel witness. The gospel transcends our social boundaries by calling us to reach those unlike us. We can compromise our mission by our social lives and nullify our gospel witness by our partisan politics.<br />
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Paul confronted Peter about how his social activities compromised the gospel. "Prior to the coming of certain men from James, he (Peter) used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision" (Gal. 2:12). This led others to join in his hypocrisy, so Paul accused them of not being "straightforward about the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14).<br />
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Let's peel back the layers to grasp the damage we can do to our gospel witness by our social lives.<br />
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PAST HABITS<br />
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Paul begins with an infinitive clause "prior to the coming of certain men from James." The preposition (πρὸ) with the infinitive (ἐλθεῖν) means "before" (MHT, <i>Grammar</i>, 3:144). Paul adds "from James" (ἀπὸ Ἰακώβου) which is a rare usage of the preposition and means "after coming from James" (MHT, <i>Grammar</i>, 3:259). James is the source of the delegation. But we must be careful not to read too much into the coming from James as if James authorized their theological views (Robertson, <i>Grammar</i>, 579). More likely, they perceived themselves and were perceived by others as having his authority. These Judaizers presented themselves as if they were an official delegation sent by James to examine matters in Antioch.<br />
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Peter "used to eat with the Gentiles" before this pseudo-delegation came from James. The phrase "used to eat" (συνήσθιεν) translates an imperfect tense. The imperfect tense here indicates repeated and ongoing action (Burton, <i>Moods and Tenses</i>, 12). Peter's habitual activity before the arrival of these self-proclaimed ambassadors of legalism was to eat his meals with the Gentiles. This is not surprising since God had shown Peter in a vision that he should welcome Gentiles as equals in the church (Acts 10:28)! Peter knew by direct revelation that God had opened the gates of His kingdom to Gentiles and expected Peter to share the common bond of the gospel with Gentiles as equals.<br />
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WHAT CHANGED?<br />
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When (ὅτε) these men from the mother church in Jerusalem arrived, Peter changed. He withdrew from socializing with the Gentiles. This imperfect tense is best understood as inceptive, he began to withdraw (R&R, <i>Linguistic Key</i>, 505). The tense indicates action in progress but not yet completed (Blass/Debrunner, <i>Grammar</i>, 169). Peter probably thought, "Why can't I socialize with whomever I want? These are my friends from my home church. I identify with them. We think alike. What is wrong with that?" Nothing in itself, of course, but everything is wrong with that thinking when our identification with a partisan group corrupts or obscures the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:14).<br />
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Paul understood immediately that this social change by Peter had enormous ramifications for the gospel. The way Peter was acting undermined the gospel even if it seemed to be merely a social activity. Paul described Peter as "holding himself aloof" from the Gentiles. Once again, the verb is an inceptive imperfect. Peter was beginning to hold himself aloof. The verb (ἀφώριζεν) means to separate himself or to set himself apart. Ironically, Paul chose the same word that he used to describe God's call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles! Paul wrote, God "had set me apart" (ἀφορίσας) "so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles" (Gal. 1:15-16). Peter separated himself from the people that God had separated Paul to reach! Thus, he was undermining the gospel. Paul called it hypocrisy because it threatened the health of the church (Gal. 2:13).<br />
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PEER PRESSURE<br />
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Peter identified himself with the Jewish Christians from James because he "feared the party of the circumcision." The participle translated "fearing" (φοβούμενος) is best understood as a causal participle ( Burton, <i>Moods and Tenses</i>, 170). Peter changed because he feared "the ones out of the circumcision" (τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς). The expression indicates an identifiable group of people - a party of people. They could be a political party within the church like the Judaizers or the self-proclaimed messengers from James. However, it seems unlikely that Peter feared this group of people or that he feared James. We should probably see this as a description of an actual political party within Judaism. The Jewish militants were very active in Judea at this time. These zealots, known as "freedom fighters," had formed a powerful, nationalistic political party that threatened anyone who socialized with Gentiles. Peter likely feared the power of this political party back in Jerusalem, and that is why he compromised the gospel (Bruce, <i>Galatians</i>, 130-131).<br />
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The gospel levels social hierarchies, breaks down cultural barriers, eliminates racial distinctions, crosses political divisions, and flattens ethnic pride. Eating together - a simple act of respect - reinforces the gospel message. Social distancing compromises our gospel witness.<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3424451916607331979.post-23299196493756802382020-04-07T10:56:00.000-04:002020-04-07T10:56:36.738-04:00A PC GOSPEL?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many warn about the dangers of being "PC" - politically correct. There is undoubtedly a PC of the left that intimidates our gospel witness, but there is also a PC of the right that dresses the gospel in cultural clothing. Whenever a culture absorbs and re-formats the gospel in cultural dress, it loses the universally transformative power God intended. Paul rejected the PC gospel in Antioch when he stood up to Peter.<br />
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<i>"When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned, ... when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all..."</i> (Gal. 2:11-14).<br />
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The verb translated "opposed" (ἀντέστην) means to stand against someone. The word usually implies resistance to an attack initiated by another person. In this case, Peter launched the attack on the Pauline principle that the gospel of grace makes us one in Christ. Peter may not have intended to attack the freedom of the gospel, but his behavior undermined the truth by wrapping it with social expectations (Burton, Galatians, 103).<br />
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Peter "stood condemned" (κατεγνωσμένος) by his past actions (perfect tense). Peter's own behavior rendered him not just offensive but self-condemned. His actions, not Paul or the church, delivered the guilty verdict (Lightfoot, Galatians, 111). When Peter visited the church in Antioch, he ate his meals freely with the Gentile Christians as social equals in Christ. Then a delegation from the right-wing of the church in Jerusalem showed up, and Peter pulled back socially from the Gentile believers to eat only with the Jewish Christians. Peter stood self-condemned by his hypocrisy.<br />
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THE BACK STORY<br />
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Peter had initially been the leader of the mother church in Jerusalem, but James had supplanted him to become the most influential. During these early years of the church, Jewish nationalism was on the rise. The Jewish freedom fighters developed what Josephus called the "fourth philosophy" as their zeal grew to advocate armed revolt against Gentile authority culminating twenty-five years later in the Roman invasion. Masada was their final fight. About the time that Peter and Paul were having this debate, Rome crucified two of the Jewish zealots. The Jewish nationalists became militant in their opposition to Jews who socialized with Gentiles. Such people were traitors to their homeland.<br />
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Jewish Christians brought some of these attitudes with them into the church in Jerusalem and likely felt that the actions of the Christians in Antioch endangered Christians in Jerusalem. The Judaizers were Jews who claimed to be Christians but who followed the regulations of Judaism and were zealous for their country. They formed a strong conservative wing in the Jerusalem church that sought to conserve the Jewish heritage within Christianity. When Paul writes that Peter was "fearing the party of the circumcision" (v.12), he likely meant the militant Jewish nationalists who threatened Christians and may even have infiltrated the church (Bruce, Galatians, 128-131).<br />
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Peer pressure infiltrates our attitudes seductively until it erupts in ugly and unexpected scenes.<br />
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SEPARATE BUT EQUAL<br />
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The first Jerusalem Council had already occurred (Gal. 2:1-10), and the second Jerusalem Council was yet in the future (Acts 15:1-29). The apostles agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised at the first council, but a new issue arose involving the eating habits of Gentile Christians. Gentile Christians did not practice the Jewish dietary expectations, so to eat with them defiled Jewish Christians in their minds. The second Jerusalem Council addressed this issue (Acts 15:20, 29). In the meantime, the disagreement reared its ugly head in Antioch.<br />
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Jewish Christians were eating freely with Gentile Christians in Antioch, and Peter had joined them. The reports to the conservative party in the Jerusalem Church led James to send a delegation to Antioch to find out. Many Jewish Christians did not believe this was part of the agreement they had made at the first council. They had agreed that circumcision was not necessary, but socializing equally with Gentiles was another matter. To the right-wing in Jerusalem, eating together violated the agreement of the council (Burton, Galatians, 104-107). They believed that Jewish and Gentile Christians should be separate but equal in Christ, which is why they had separated the mission of the church. Peter would go to the Jews, and Paul would go to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-9).<br />
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ONE IN CHRIST<br />
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Paul understood that separate but equal meant not fully one in Christ. We practice a PC gospel if we cannot welcome Christians of all languages, colors, cultures, and backgrounds to the common table of Christ. If we cannot eat together, we are not one in Christ. There cannot be superior and inferior Christians based on nationalism or culture. We must oppose, like Paul, any behavior implying that the gospel allows any separate but equal attitude toward social, cultural, or ethnic differences within the church. The gospel is for all equally, and we are all equally one in Christ. We must fight to demonstrate that truth in the attitudes and actions of our daily lives.<br />
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Why do so many churches look socially, culturally, and ethnically similar?<br />
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Why don't we see more churches that exhibit social, cultural, and ethnic diversity?<br />
<br />David Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541071971477932452noreply@blogger.com0