“Meet Three VIPs” (Gal 3:1-14) - Galatians: Be Free IV -

“Meet Three VIPs” (Gal 3:1-14)

- Galatians: Be Free IV -

Question of the Day

Who is the most influential person in your life? You may have one or several people who influence you most. For me personally, I would say the most influential person in my life is my maternal grandfather. He is a North Korean defector. He defected from North Korea alone just before the Korean civil war broke out. Since he knew no one and had no family in South Korea, he suffered a lot from the hardships of life. He ended up considering committing suicide. Around that time one Christian friend invited him to an early morning prayer meeting at his church. On the first morning nothing happened. My grandfather said to himself, “I will try one more time, and if nothing happens, I will die.” But by the grace of God, on the second morning he dramatically encountered God in the midst of distress. That morning the pastor preached on repentance. After that, he called a time of corporate prayer. While my grandfather was confessing his sins, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. And he became a different person. Years later, he was called to ministry and served Christ’s church for life. He touched so many souls and led them to Christ. My uncle and my father were also deeply influenced by his transformed life, and they also became pastors. When I was in Korea, every time I spiritually wondered, I used to stop by my grandfather’s house. Sometimes we watched TV together. Sometime we ate a meal together. Sometimes he shared his life story with me. Sometimes he was busy with preparing a sermon, so I had to spend time by myself there. But every time I was with him, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. My grandfather is a man of faith. In fact, I talked to him on the phone the day before yesterday. That encouraged me a lot. I think you too may have the people who influence you and shape you most. Today’s scripture tells us that we need to meet at least three VIPs on our pilgrim journey. So, who are they?

Meet Abraham: Grace

The first person we must meet is “Abraham.” In verse 6 the Apostle Paul says, “Consider Abraham: “He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Who is Abraham? He was a man of faith. But at the same time, he was still actually unrighteous and sinful in his heart and behavior. Abraham lied twice and said that his wife, Sarah, was his sister in order to save his life (cf. Gen 12, 20). As a result, he put his wife in danger. He also got impatient about God’s promise that he would have a son. He took Sarah’s maidservant Hagar and slept with her and had a son Ishmael with his own efforts. But God counted Abraham as righteous because of his faith. In Genesis 15 God makes a covenant with Abraham that all nations will be blessed through Abraham and his seed. God tells him to get a cow, a goat, a ram, a dove and a pigeon. Abraham cuts them in two and arranges the halves opposite each other. This seems strange to us, but in Abraham’s day this was the way a covenant was signed. Each covenant-maker would pass between the halves of the animals. It was a vivid graphic way of those entering a covenant saying: “If I break this agreement, may I be cut up and cut off: I will deserve to die just like these animals did.” What’s astonishing in the covenant between God and Abraham is that Abraham never walks between the halves! The only thing that passes through is “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch,” that is God Himself (vv.17-18). It is a covenant that relies in no way on Abraham, but only on God. Here God is saying to Abraham, “See, I will make this happen for my name!” Indeed, in order to offer blessing to all nations, in the end one particular Abraham’s seed, the man Jesus Christ, did die on a cross (cf. Gal 3:16).

God treated Abraham as righteous, even though he was still sinful and imperfect. All other religions tell us that if we live righteously, then we are pleasing and acceptable to God. If we live unrighteously, we are alienated from God. But Christianity is counter-intuitive. It says that it is possible to be loved and accepted by God while we are ourselves wicked and unrighteous. This is grace! We are accepted by God not because we have reached a certain level of submission and righteousness. No! We are accepted by God simply because we believed him. We have to meet this God, the God of love, the God of grace. I still remember how He delivered me out of the valley of death when I was suffering from an endemic disease in East Timor. I still remember how He sustained me with his righteous right hand when I cried out to him in times of trouble in the army. I still remember how He saved me out of temptations, depression, and spiritual bankruptcy. And I am sure that you have many more powerful stories how God saved you, how He healed you, and how He did hover and deliver you up to this day. So every time you feel unworthy or self-righteous, go back again and again to those moments. And remember who He is and who you are in him.

  

Meet Moses: Law

The second person we must meet in our pilgrim journey is “Moses.” Moses is a representative of God’s law. Some of you may ask, “If we are free from the law by God’s grace, why do we need the law?” “What is then the purpose of the law?” (v.19) In verse 24 Paul answers this question: “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (NIV). The law shows us how sinful and rebellious we are. It shows us how much we fall short of the glory of God. I used to have a white winter jacket. One day I went for a walk the snowfield. I just realized that my white jacket didn’t look like a white color at all compared to pure white snow. Our righteousness is like a dirty rag compared to God’s righteousness. In 2008 revival came to my seminary. At first, God placed spiritual hunger and burden upon five Korean students. We began to get together and have a prayer meeting every night. We sang hymns, read the Scriptures and had a time of corporate prayer. About a week later, more students started joining us. The meeting grew in number. Every night about 30 seminarians cried out to God and sought his face. One night on the way to the prayer meeting one of my friends said to me, “Victor, until now, I thought I was a good man. But now I know how sinful I am and how much I fall short of the glory of God.” I was shocked because at that moment I felt the exact same way. God brought deep conviction of sin and a holy hear of God and genuine repentance among us. Every night we mourned over our sin. We also mourned over other’s sin.

When we encounter God’s law, the God of justice, we see how helpless and profoundly sinful we are. In 2 Kings 22 King Josiah found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD. When he heard the words of the law, he tore his robes. And he cried out, “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book.” In Nehemiah 8, when the wall was completed, the Israelites asked Ezra to bring the Book of the Law of Moses. As Ezra opened the book, the people all stood up. As the people listened to the words of the law, they wept! The law brutally shows us who we really are and then leads us to Christ. John Stott says, “We must never bypass the law and come straight to the gospel… No man has ever appreciated the gospel until the law has first revealed him to himself. It is only against the inky blackness of the night sky that the stars begin to appear, and it is only against the dark background of sin and judgment that the gospel shines forth.” Many people want a sense of joy and acceptance, but they don’t want to hear about the seriousness of their sin. But unless we see how helpless and sinful we are, the message of salvation will be not heart-throbbing and liberating. Unless we encounter Moses, we will think that we are not all that bad and good people will be saved by their good deeds. Only after we meet Moses, we will see Christ clearly.

Meet Christ

Through Abraham we learn that God counts us as righteous no matter who we are if we put our trust in him. Through Moses we see who we really are – how sinful and helpless we are, how easily bewildered and bewitched we are, and now we are guided to see who Christ really is. Christ is the last but not least VIP. In fact, he is the most important person we must meet. Who is Jesus? There are many ways to describe him. But most of all, we have to meet Jesus Christ “crucified.” In verse 1 Paul says, “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” Yes, he is our Savior, the One who obeyed the law on our behalf and then was crucified in our place so that we might have real and eternal life in his name. When God seems silent in our life, we often say, “God, show me your love!” Then, God takes us to Calvary and says, “I love you this much!” It is important to remember when he showed this love. He showed this great love while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8). A Christian is not someone who knows about Jesus and his words, but one who has seen Him on the cross. Our hearts are moved and melt when we see not just that He died, but that He died for us. Fanny J. Crosby wrote many of the hymns what we know so well today. When she was six weeks old, she became blind by the mistake of her doctor. Reflecting on this incident, Crosby said, “I have not, for a moment, in more than eighty-five years, felt a spark of resentment against him.” How is it possible? We can find out the secret of this in her hymn, “I’m thine, O Lord”:

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and it told thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou has died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to thy precious, bleeding side.

Every time darkness throws a shadow over her outer vision, she ran to Calvary and remembered how she had been blessed. Are you anxious? Are you afraid? Are you depressed? Are you lost? Go back again and again to Calvary and look to Jesus Christ crucified, and there your hearts will be renewed and you will soar on wings like eagle again. Amen. 

“Freed through Faith” (Gal 2:11-21) - Galatians: Be Free III –

“Freed through Faith” (Gal 2:11-21)

- Galatians: Be Free III –

Why Powerless?

One of the most amazing truths and the greatest gifts in human history is that the eternal God became man in Jesus Christ and lives in us by his Holy Spirit. If Jesus, Almighty God, truly lives in those who believe in him, Christians should always live a victorious life. But in reality, so many Christians seem to live a joyless, powerless, and fruitless life. Have you ever wondered why? In John 2, Jesus was invited to the wedding with his disciples. Although Jesus was there at the banquet, everything didn’t go smoothly. The wine, a symbol of “joy,” was gone in the middle of the banquet. That was a very embarrassing situation. In John 21 Jesus’ disciples worked very hard to catch fish throughout the night. Jesus was right there and watching them, but they caught nothing. The same thing happens in our lives today. Jesus is here with us and lives within us, but there is a time when our joy is gone. And there is a time when we have no fruit even though we work very hard. So, why is this happening? Today’s scripture, Galatians 2, helps us answer this question. It shows us three different ways to live a Christian life. The first two pictures are the reasons why many Christians live a powerless life. And the third picture helps us to understand what it means to live a victorious Christian life.

“Legalism”: Right Behavior with Wrong Belief (2:1-10)

The first picture in verses 1-10 we see legalism, right behavior with wrong belief. In the Galatian churches at that time the most controversial question was this: “How are we saved?” “How do we please God?” Some false teachers were trying to please God by human effort (3:3). They were saying that in order to be saved, we needed to follow the Jewish law, particularly, the requirement of circumcision. So they argued that Titus, a Gentile believer, needed to be circumcised to be fully accepted by God. The rationale behind this is that one can earn merit before God by observing God’s law. In fact, the Bible says, “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (Rom 7:12). None of Old Testament laws are bad in and of themselves. But the problem is that laws become “legalistic” when we begin to believe that we can actually earn God’s favor by keeping the law. Today we easily fall into this legalism, right behavior with wrong belief category: having a quiet time, studying the Bible, avoiding certain sins, coming to worship, helping other people. All these are good things of themselves, but when we do them thinking that we are earning God’s favor, we are becoming legalistic. If we try to live a good life and to please God by our efforts, by doing certain things, we will always feel insecure and not enough.

In his early life Martin Luther became a monk because he thought the life of a monk would make him easier to attain salvation. He made every effort to do good works and serve others to please God. He devoted himself to fasts, long hours in prayer, and constant confession. But he had no peace with God. The more he tried to do for God, the more aware he became of his sinfulness. Later, while he was studying the Book of Romans, he discovered the truth that a man is justified only by the righteousness of Christ, not by our righteousness (3:26, 28). He said, “I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.” So how do we please God? The answer is we can’t. We need Christ to please God. God’s pleasure in us is not based on our performance for him; instead, God’s pleasure in us is based on Christ’s performance for us. Legalism is the first stumbling block to living a victorious life.

“Hypocrisy”: Right Belief with Wrong Behavior (2:11-14)

The second stumbling block is found in verses 11-14. It is called, “hypocrisy”: right belief with wrong behavior. Peter knew the gospel and believed the gospel, but his actions didn’t reflect the gospel, so Paul confronted him. Peter used to eat with the Gentiles. But when the Jewish circumcision group came, he feared them and began separating himself from the Gentiles. The implication of Peter’s actions was that the Gentiles may not be fully acceptable before God. That was right belief with wrong behavior, hypocrisy. Today we find plenty of inconsistencies in our lifestyle that is not in line with the truth of the gospel. Most of the time we are even not aware of our hypocrisy just like Peter and Barnabas. Oftentimes we don’t live in line with the gospel because of our cultural pressure, peer pressure, group pressure, and family tradition. Particularly, we need to examine who we are at home, who we are to our spouse, who we are to our parents, and who we are to our children. For me personally, I see my hypocrisy and struggle most in my relationship with my children. What we need today is to pray that God may open our eyes to see our inconsistencies within us and give us courage and power to live in line with the gospel of the truth. Galatians reminds us how easily we drift toward both “legalism” and “hypocrisy.” On the one hand, we think that by doing good things we earn God’s favor, legalism. On the other hand, we claim to have the gospel of grace but live just like the rest of the world, hypocrisy. These two have in common that they live by the power of self and the flesh. They are the major stumbling blocks to living a victorious life.

“Faith”: Right Belief with Right Behavior (2:15-21)

And now we come to the third picture in today’s passage that shows us how to live a victorious life. It is simple and crystal clear. The Bible says, “By faith” we live a victorious life. Then, what kind of faith? It is the faith that we are dead to self and alive to Christ. In verse 20 Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” For non-Christians, dying to self means the end of the world because self is the center of the universe. As for Christians, dying to self is the beginning of a new victorious life because self is a slave to sin (Rom 6:6). In the Book of Judges we see the vicious circle: The Israelites forget God. -> They serve other gods. -> They are defeated by enemies. -> They cry to God. -> God sends judges to deliver them. And they forget God and serve other gods again. At the heart of this vicious circle is the power of self and the flesh. Our old self – our knowledge, our affection, our will, and every area of self – is polluted by sin. At the end of the Book of Judges the author diagnoses the cause of the vicious circle in one sentence: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes” (21:25, NRSV). God was with the Israelites all the time, but the life of the Israelite was a mass, because they lived by the power of self, not by the power of God.

Then, how do we die to self? The Bible doesn’t say, “Try to die to self.” Instead, it says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:11, NRSV). In other words, through baptism when Christ was crucified, our old self was also crucified with him. When Christ died, we also died and buried with him. When Christ was raised from the dead, we too may live a new life (Rom 6:3-6). By faith we have been crucified and died with Christ and by faith now we live a new life with Christ. This faith that considers ourselves dead to sin (our old self) and alive to Christ, is the key to the Christian faith. Only when we die to self with Christ, we live a new life with him. John Hyde (1865-1912) was an extraordinary man of God who became known as “Praying Hyde” in India. John graduated in 1892 and only months later he set sail for India. He was proud of himself by the fact that he was from a godly family and now became a missionary. On board the ship, he found a letter from a high respected family friend he greatly loved and admired. The letter was short and read: “I shall not cease praying for you, dear John, until you are filled with the Holy Spirit.” John’s pride was touched and he reacted in anger at the implication that he wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet, the conviction grew stronger and after a few days he surrendered. He wrote, “At last, in a kind of despair, I asked the Lord to fill me with the Holy Spirit, and the moment I did this, the whole atmosphere seemed to clear up. I began to see myself, and what a selfish ambition I had… I was determined… that whatever would be the cost, I would be really filled with the Spirit… I was willing even to fail in my language examinations in India, and be a missionary working quietly out of sight… I would do anything and be anything, but the Holy Spirit I would have at any cost.” That day John (his old self) was crucified with Christ and was born again with him.

Freed through Faith  

George Müller cared for 10,024 orphans and established 117 schools in his life. Many people asked him, “What is the secret of such a fruitful life?” Pastor Müller shared his story with them and said, “There was a day when I died, utterly died . . . died to George Müller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will— died to the world, its approval or censure— died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends— and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.” The Apostle Paul pronounced his death day by day. In 1 Corinthians 15:31 he said, “I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you--a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Let us pronounce the death of our old self everyday! Let us say, “Lord Jesus, I have been crucified with you. I died to my opinions, preferences, tastes and will. I died to the approval or blame of the world.” And we will live a new life, a victorious life, with Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen.

“My Gospel” (Gal 1:11-24) - Galatians: Be Free II -

“My Gospel” (Gal 1:11-24)

- Galatians: Be Free II -

Defining Conversion

How do you define “conversion”? In the magazine of the Naval Institute, Frank Koch shares his experience as battleship captain. One night he was serving on the lead battleship. The visibility was poor with thick fog. Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow." The captain called out, "Is it steady or moving astern?" The lookout replied, "Steady, Captain," which meant they were on a dangerous collision course with that ship. The captain then called to the signalman, "Signal that ship: 'We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.'" The signal came back, "Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees." The captain said, "Send: "I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.'" The reply came, "I'm a seaman second-class. You had better change course twenty degrees." By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, "Send: 'I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.'" Back came the flashing light, "I'm a lighthouse." The captain changed course. Conversion is a change of mind and change of life, a turning towards God by the result of a personal encounter with the risen Christ. In the beginning of the letter the Apostle Paul declares there is no other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, he shares his own conversion in order to prove that only the gospel of Christ is the scripture way of salvation and transforms people from the inside out. The gospel transformed Paul from terrorist to evangelist. So let us look at his pre-conversion, his conversion, and his post-conversion.

Pre-Conversion: Prevenient Grace (vv. 13-14)

Paul was a terrorist. He tried to destroy the church. He approved the martyrdom of Stephen. He went from house to house, dragging men and women off to jail. He even got a permission letter from the high priest to arrest Christians who lived outside of Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). In 1 Timothy 1:13 he referred to himself as a “blasphemer,” “persecutor,” “violent man,” and “the worst” of sinners. The thing is that before Paul’s conversion, he thought he was a righteous man. He thought he was doing the right thing before God by persecuting Christians. He was extremely zealous for his ancestors’ traditions. Paul probably saw himself as a modern day hero of the Pharisees. He might compare himself to Old Testament characters like Phinehas (Num 25:11), who pierced an Israelite man and Midianite woman with a spear in God’s zeal. He might also compare himself to Elijah, who displayed zeal by slaying the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs 19:10, 14). Paul was sincere in his beliefs, but he was sincerely wrong. He was beyond the hope of the gospel. John Stott says, Now a man in that mental and emotional state is in no mood to change his mind, or even to have it changed for him by men. No conditioned reflex or other psychological device could convert a man in that state. Only God could reach him— and God did!”

As he looks back, Paul now recognizes God’s grace was working in his life long before his actual conversion. As you look back, probably you have “aha” moments or turning points in your life. In verse 15 he says God “set me apart from birth.” Not only Paul but also each one of us in this room God set apart from birth for his glory. Do you believe this? John Wesley describes God’s grace as threefold: prevenient (preparing) grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace. In this case we call it prevenient grace, which is God’s grace coming before we believe in Christ. It is God’s grace given to every human being. God always takes the initiative in relating to humanity. We do not have to beg and plead for God’s love and grace. God actively seeks us. It was not Paul but God who did seek. God found Paul and transformed him from terrorist to evangelist. No one is so bad that they can’t receive the gospel of grace, nor so good that they don’t need the gospel of grace.

Conversion: Justifying Grace (vv. 15-16a)

If you are a Christian, you have your own conversion experience. You may not have a Damascus Road experience. But the heart of the conversion experience is to personally encounter with Jesus Christ. So, as we examine ourselves to see whether we are converted (cf. 2 Co 13:5a), the most crucial question we have to ask ourselves is this: “Who is Jesus to me?” 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” If you believe in your heart that you are made right with God through Jesus Christ and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you already encountered Christ and he lives in you! (cf. Rom 10:10; 2Co 13:5b) The heart of marriage is “oneness” between bridegroom and bride. How was the weather on the wedding day? How many people did come to the wedding? How was the wedding food? Those are only secondary and soon forgotten. In the same way, some may have dramatic conversion, others gradual. Some may see visions or hear audible voices, others not. But the heart of our conversion is a personal encounter with Jesus. In today’s Scripture Paul describes his conversion in this way, “God was pleased to reveal his Son in me.” At that time, Paul was against God. He was an enemy of God. But God was pleased to reveal Christ in him. God set his grace on Paul not because he was worthy of it, but simply because God was please to do so. This is grace. Moses tells God’s people in Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you.” God does not love us because we are worthy. He loves us simply because he loves us. This is God’s love toward us in Christ. Have you experienced this love?

Post-Conversion: Sanctifying Grace (vv. 16b-24)

When we experience God’s unconditional love, we are transformed. We are converted. However, this is not the end but the beginning. Conversion is a lifetime experience. When we are converted and sense a personal relationship with Jesus, God gives us a new mission, that is to reveal Christ through what we are, do, and say. In verses 15-16 Paul says, “God was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” Paul was not converted just for his own benefit. His conversion came with a commission. And so does ours! 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (NIV). Before our conversion, we either don’t have purpose of life or have self-centered one. But after our conversion, our purpose of life turns into other-centered and God-centered one.  Paul had a difficult life, but his life was meaningful in God’s eyes.

I still remember when I was a senior in college, I rededicated my life to Christ. At that time, I was a youth group teacher at my home church in Korea. In my group there were several high school students who wanted to go to college but couldn’t because of their personal or family circumstances. God gave me a desire to set up “Vision Study Club.” I began to teach the students both the Bible and academic subjects. By the grace of God they started to discover purpose of their lives and eventually entered college they aimed at. I clearly witnessed how God’s grace transformed their lives. More importantly, God transformed me. I encountered Christ who was at work within and among us. I also sensed that God was calling me to ministry. I still remember the day I responded to God’s call and decided to become a pastor. When I shared my decision with my parents, they were so happy. And particularly, my father who is a Korean Methodist pastor, wrote me a letter. He wrote: "My son, I pray that the Lord will make your paths straight. I still remember the moment when you shared with me that you would want to be a pastor. That was the happiest moment in my entire life. I am still always grateful to God who called you to ministry. It is such a narrow path. You will have hardships ahead, but our Lord will give you all strength and wisdom to overcome them. I believe that you will be a good and faithful servant of God and turn many to Christ!" Whether we are clergy or laity, all Christians are called for one mission. God calls us and converts us and reveals Christ in us, so that we may proclaim him to others.

“Now” Is the Time!

We are called to proclaim Jesus because he is the only way of salvation. The gospel of Christ is not good advice from man. It is good news from God. Before his conversion, Paul was a fanatic headed in the wrong direction. But God already set him apart from birth and was calling him and pleased to reveal Christ in him. Paul’s conversion is all of God’s grace from beginning to end. After his conversion, Paul’s life was not easy, but it was purposeful and meaningful. How about you? Have you found Jesus, the fountain of living water? The Bible says, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Co 6:2b). God already set you apart from birth and has a wonderful plan for you. Christ is calling you. Come and drink now!

“A Different Gospel” (Galatians 1:1-10) - Galatians: Be Free I –

“A Different Gospel” (Galatians 1:1-10)

- Galatians: Be Free I –

Grace!

Today we begin a new sermon series, Paul's letter to the Galatians. The reason I have chosen to preach from Galatians over the next several weeks is that more than any other New Testament letter, this one is full of the gospel of grace. Over the past year, as Joyce and I went through another pregnancy and childbirth, and as we were anxiously waiting for the baby, one word was always in our minds – “Grace,” the free and unmerited favor of God. From beginning to end every step of the way was God’s grace. Actually, there was nothing I could do in pregnancy and childbirth. All that I could do was to wait, pray, and thank him. The term “grace” appears seven times throughout Galatians (cf. 1:3,6,15; 2:9,21; 5:4; 6:18), and it’s one of Paul’s favorite words throughout his writings. He uses it 100 times in the New Testament. Over the next several weeks, we will explore what the gospel of grace really means.

For me personally, Galatians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Pastor Tim Keller says the book of Galatians is “dynamite,” because it brings us face to face with the gospel. In Galatians Paul is at his most vigorous. You can’t read the first ten verses without feeling that something utterly important is at stake. I strongly encourage you to take time to read the entire letter at one sitting, and as you read, note Paul’s emotional force. You will feel like you have a live coal with your bare hands. Galatians exalts two essential things: the cross of Christ as the only way a person can get right with God, and the Spirit of Christ as the only way a person can obey God. My prayer is that as we study this book together, we will fall in love afresh with the magnificent Christ of Galatians.

A “Different” Gospel?

First of all, let me explain a little bit about the historical context of the book. Most scholars agree that this letter was written by Paul around AD 50. At that time there was a social and racial division in the churches of Galatia. The first Christians in Jerusalem were Jewish, but as the gospel spread out, more and more Gentiles began to receive Christ. But then, a group of teachers in Galatia were now teaching that in order to be saved, the Gentile Christians had to believe in Christ plus they had to follow the laws of Moses, including circumcision. In other words, they were insisting on Christ-plus-anything-else as a requirement for the full acceptance by God. Paul calls this a “different’ gospel. In verse 6 he says to the Galatian Christians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all.” Then, what is the gospel? That’s our next question.

What Is the Gospel?

The gospel is all about Christ Jesus. In verse 4 Paul tells us what the gospel is in a nutshell: “He (Jesus) gave himself for our sins in order to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father” (ISV). I would like to specifically draw your attention to the word “rescue.” This word implies who we are. It implies that we are in a lost state and a helpless condition. We are helpless and lost in the present evil world. Then, what was God’s plan? How did he rescue us? God gave himself for our sins in Jesus Christ. Christ is God’s plan, God’s method, and God’s wisdom for our salvation from the creation of the world. In the Old Testament God made a covenant with Abraham, saying “To your seed I will give this land” (Gen 12:7; 13:15; 24:7). The Scripture does not say “seeds,” meaning many people, but “seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ (Gal 3:16). God made a covenant with David, saying, “I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:12-13; NKJV). On the surface, this promise seems to apply to Solomon, but ultimately, it refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and his eternal kingdom. And finally, God made a new covenant with Israel, saying, “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26; cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34). This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. According to the will of God the Father, Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us and was raised from the dead to make us right with God and put his Spirit in us to seek after his kingdom and his righteousness. This is the good news that we have to hear each and everyday.   

One Gospel from First to Last

We normally think that this gospel is something mainly for non-Christians. We often assume that once we’re converted, we don’t need to hear the gospel but need more advanced material. But we have to remember Paul was now writing this letter not to the unchurched but to the professing Christians of Galatia. Pastor Tim Keller rightly comments, “The gospel is not just the ABC of Christianity, but the A to Z of the Christian life.” It is not only the way to enter the kingdom, but also it is the way Christ transforms people, churches, and communities. By the gospel of Christ we are saved. By the gospel of Christ we continue to grow and be transformed. Much of the teaching of the false teachers in Galatia sounded biblical. They acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, and they even acknowledged his death on the cross. They certainly weren’t telling people that they denied the gospel. Instead, they were improving it, adding requirements. But the reality is that as soon as you add anything to grace, you lose grace altogether. Think about it: If you were about to drink a glass of clean water, and then someone added a drop of poison to it, would you still drink it? It’s close to pure, right? No, it’s totally contaminated and undrinkable as soon as that drop of poison hits the water. It’s the same way with the gospel. If you add anything to grace, you lose the whole gospel. We can be creative the way we deliver the gospel message, but we cannot change the content of it, because the gospel is not invented by men, but it is revealed by God.

A Different Gospel Today

The false teachers were insisting that we had to believe in Christ plus do certain things in order to be saved. Then, what would be contemporary forms of a different gospel? First, in some churches, it is taught that we are all on different roads to heaven, but our destination is the same. It is called, religious pluralism or universalism. This view teaches that all good people, regardless of their religion will find God. This sounds open-minded and tolerant on the surface, but it is actually intolerant of God’s grace. It teaches that good works are enough to get to God. If all good people can know God and be saved, then Jesus’ death was not necessary. All it takes is virtue. But there is no biblical teaching that a person can go on rejecting the gospel of Christ and still be saved. There are other religions besides Christianity, and there are other leaders besides Jesus Christ, but there is no other gospel, no other good news of salvation. Second, in other churches, it is taught that we are saved by grace, and then we live the Christian life in our own strength, essentially leaving grace behind. It is called, legalism. This view teaches that if we are reading the Bible, praying, going to worship, and doing a number of other good things, then we have favor before God. But when we miss days in prayer or time in the Word, or if we don’t attend worship, then we can start to think that God is not pleased with us. This approach makes our performance the savior. But the truth is that God’s pleasure is not based on our performance, but on the performance of Christ, who gave himself for our sins.

By nature the gospel of the cross is offensive to the human heart (Gal 5:11-12; cf. 1 Co 1:23), because it tells us that we are too weak and sinful to do anything to contribute to our salvation. The gospel is offensive to liberal-minded people, because it states that the only way to be saved is through the cross. The gospel is offensive to conservative-minded people, because it states that, without the cross, “good” people are in as much trouble as “bad” people. The gospel is offensive because the cross stands against all schemes of self-salvation. The world is offended by the cross. So people who love the cross are persecuted (Gal 5:11).

Freedom in the Gospel of Grace

Is our gospel the true gospel? Paul provides guidelines on how to judge all truth claims. The standard is the gospel that Paul and all the other Apostles received from Christ found in this letter and throughout the rest of the Bible. Paul teaches us that God’s favor is free. His salvation is free. His love, his mercy, his provision is free. The gospel is free. Not only is the gospel free, but also it is freeing. The gospel rescues us from the power of our present evil world. We still live in the world, but we no longer have to live like this world. The gospel liberates us from having to pursue what this world pursues, love what this world loves. It transforms our worldly values, actions, and everything. It frees us from having to worry about pleasing one person here and another person there. In verse 10 Paul shares this liberty in the gospel of grace with us: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” When we live to please only one person, everything we do is integrated. Shall I meet this person? Watch this movie? Make this purchase? Our relationship, time, and money become integrated. So embrace the one true gospel, and not only are all your sins are forgiven, but also joy and liberty will come into your life because there is only one person to please, Jesus Christ. And he will make you free. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Amen.