Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Dec 8th, 2023 We Are Free

Today’s Passages – Galatians 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 47:1

Read the “1208 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “The Schoolmaster“

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

The letter to the Galatians was one of the earliest of the epistles written by the Apostle Paul through the inspiration of the God. In the very early church, there was evidently a problem with legalism. Legalism is the attempt to put people who are saved by faith back under the law. I need to explain here exactly what I mean by “under the law”. In Old Testament days the people of God (the Jews) lived according to the law of Moses which contained three different types of laws: civil law (government), which helped them live in a peaceful society; moral law, which taught them what was right and wrong, morally speaking; and ceremonial law, which were the particular laws that had to do with their system of worship. These ceremonial laws legislated their holy days, their assemblies, and their feasts, etc. The Jews created a system of rules that was impossible for anybody to keep perfectly. That’s why Paul says later in this letter to the Galatians that the law was our “schoolmaster”, in that it taught us that we were sinners in need of mercy. Christ is the only man who perfectly fulfilled all of the law, meaning He never was guilty of violating any command of God in any of the three categories.

Now when God says in the New Testament that we are no longer “under the law”, and that we have been freed from the bondage of the law, He is not saying that we are free to commit moral sin, or that we are free to break the laws that government creates in order to keep the peace, unless, of course, those man-made rules disagree with God’s rules. We are, however, free from all of the ceremonial laws that the Jews lived by, and there were a whole lot of them. By the way, not being “under the law” also means that we have been freed (saved) from the penalty of not keeping the law. The people of Galatia were “bewitched” into attempting to combine the doctrine of salvation through faith alone with the keeping of the Jewish law. By doing so, they just frustrated the concept of grace. Christ fulfilled the law, and He died for us who could not keep the law. We are free! Free from the penalty of sin; free from the bondage of a myriad of rules and regulations that are impossible to live by anyway; and free to love and serve God according to the dictates of our own consciences and understanding of God.

I feel compelled to make one final comment here. The term “legalism” has often been used in reference to standards and convictions. I am not a “legalist” if I have a personal standard in my life that I believe God is pleased with. Having some Biblically based guidelines in my life to live by does not make me a legalist, unless I  believe that adhering to these rules somehow saves me. I am not saved by how I live my life, but I do try to live a life that glorifies God because I am saved.

Dec 9th, 2022 Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Today’s Passages – Galatians 4 – 6; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read –Psalm 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

Read the “1209 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” – (Galatians 4:16)

As I read verse 15, I thought of the phrase, “Don’t Shoot The Messenger”. I looked back in the blog archives and discovered that I have used that phrase as the title to two other posts derived from two different passages. It seems that men of God throughout the Bible have had trouble being negatively received by the people they are ministering to.

In this morning’s passage, Paul is trying to straighten out the problem of legalism in the churches of Galatia. They apparently were trying to mix New Testament Christianity with the Old Testament Law. By doing so, they were adding to salvation by grace through faith, making it a salvation of works. Paul explained to them that if they were going to try to keep the Law, they had better do it perfectly, which, of course, is an impossibility. We are not saved by keeping the Law, and we are certainly not kept by keeping the Law. Salvation comes through faith in Christ, and our Christian life is to be a walk of faith.

The point I am trying to make here in this post, however, is that the Christians in Galatia were very fond of Paul until he started preaching something that went contrary with what they were doing. They had been influenced by some people who were corrupting their thinking. Paul was merely trying to get them back on the right path, but the people didn’t want to hear it. Instead of searching the Scriptures as the Bereans did, and listening to the truth, the people were stubbornly holding on to their false doctrine; and Paul became the bad guy.

I have had this type of thing happen to me in the ministry. I have had people who at one time loved me, later turn on me and become an enemy. Usually it was because there was something in their lives that was inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible and the will of God. Instead of fixing the problem, they decided to get mad at the messenger. I understand that doctors sometimes experience this same scenario. They are just reporting the truth revealed through their examination. They didn’t cause the problem, but somehow they end up with the blame.

Let’s stop blaming the messengers that God sends into our lives. If the messenger is telling us the truth, then we must face it. We really ought to thank those who are being honest enough with us to help us by telling us what we really don’t want to hear. But how can we get help if we don’t know the truth. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Read the other two “Dont’ Shoot The Messenger” posts from 2 Chronicles 16 and 1 Kings 18

Dec 9th, 2012 WE’RE ALMOST THERE

Dec 9th, 2011 Don’t Shoot The Messenger

Today’s Passages – Galatians 4 – 6; Proverbs 9

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 41 – 45; Memorize – Isaiah 9:6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1

Read last year’s post from this passage – “We’re Almost There”

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” – (Galatians 4:16)

As I read verse 15, I thought of the phrase, “Don’t Shoot The Messenger”. I looked back in the blog archives and discovered that I have used that phrase as the title to two other posts derived from two different passages. It seems that men of God throughout the Bible have  had trouble being negatively received by the people they are ministering to.

In this morning’s passage, Paul is trying to straighten out the problem of legalism in the churches of Galatia. They apparently were trying to mix New Testament Christianity with the Old Testament Law. By doing so, they were adding to salvation by grace through faith, making it a salvation of works. Paul explained to them that if they were going to try to keep the Law, they had better do it perfectly, which, of course, is an impossibility. We are not saved by keeping the Law, and we are certainly not kept by keeping the Law. Salvation comes through faith in Christ, and our Christian life is to be a walk of faith.

The point I am trying to make here in this post, however, is that the Christians in Galatia were very fond of Paul until he started preaching something that went contrary with what they were doing. They, of course, were wrong. They had been influenced by some people who were corrupting their thinking. Paul was merely trying to get them back on the right path; but the people didn’t want to hear it. Instead of searching the Scriptures as the Bereans did, and listening to the truth, the people were stubbornly holding on to their false doctrine; and Paul became the bad guy.

I have had this type of thing happen to me in the ministry. I have had people who at one time loved me, later turn on me and become an enemy. Usually it was because there was something in their lives that was inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible and the will of God. Instead of fixing the problem, they decided to get mad at the messenger. I understand that doctors sometimes experience this same scenario. They are just reporting the truth revealed through their examination. They didn’t cause the problem, but somehow they end up with the blame.

Let’s stop blaming the messengers that God sends into our lives. If the messenger is telling us the truth, then we must face it. We really ought to thank those who are being honest enough with us to help us by telling us what we really don’t want to hear. But how can we get help if we don’t know the truth. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Read the other two “Dont’ Shoot The Messenger” posts from 2 Chronicles 16 and 1 Kings 18

Dec 8th, 2011 The Schoolmaster

Today’s Passages – Galatians 1 – 3; Proverbs 8

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 36 – 40)

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” – (Galatians 3:24)

If people cannot be saved by keeping the Law, then why was the Law given? I believe the Law was given for two reasons:

First, I believe the Law was given to man to show him what God says is right and wrong. I do not believe the Law covers every possible human scenario, but it established what God says that man should and should not do in his relationship with God, and in his dealings with other men. The Law also helped to govern a just society. Society needs to have rules if it is to function properly and peacefully. The Law helped the people of Israel to function as a nation, and to get along well with each other.

Secondly, the Law was given to prove to man that He needed God. Remember, the sinful nature of man preceded the Law. My preacher used to say that rules do not create rebellion, they merely expose rebellion. Therefore when God put down His laws in writing, man either submitted to it or rebelled against it; but no man was able to perfectly obey the Law. Every man fell short. So what was man to do? He was guilty before God, and “the wages of sin [was] death”? Since man could not be saved through his own righteousness in keeping the Law perfectly, He was forced to turn to Christ. Jesus is the only man that obeyed every tenet of the Law completely; and then died to pay the debt for those of us who couldn’t.

Go ahead and try to get to Heaven by keeping the Law if you must; but you will soon find that it is an impossibility. Sin, which is the transgression of the Law, is part of who we are. The Law cannot save us, it only condemns us. Only Jesus can save us.