One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 316
Galatians 3
3Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.G5599G453G1052G5101G940G5209G3982G3361G3982G225G2596G3739G3788G2424G5547G4270G4717G1722G52132Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.G5124G3440G2309G3129G575G5216G2983G4151G1537G2041G3551G2228G1537G189G41023How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?G2075G3779G453G1728G4151G2005G3568G2005G45614Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?G3958G5118G1500G1489G2532G15005I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.G3767G2023G5213G4151G2532G1754G1411G1722G5213G1537G2041G3551G2228G1537G189G41026In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”G2531G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G13437The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.G1097G686G3754G1537G4102G3778G1526G5207G118What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”G1161G1124G4275G3754G2316G1344G1484G1537G4102G4283G11G3754G1722G4671G1757G3956G1484G17579So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.G5620G1537G4102G2127G4862G4103G1110But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”G1063G3745G1526G1537G2041G3551G1526G5259G2671G1063G1125G1944G3956G3739G1696G3756G1722G3956G3588G1125G1722G975G3551G4160G84611So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”G1161G3754G3762G1344G1722G3551G3844G2316G1212G3754G1342G2198G1537G410212This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”G1161G3551G2076G3756G1537G4102G235G444G4160G846G2198G1722G84613But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”G5547G1805G2248G1537G2671G3551G1096G2671G5228G2257G1063G1125G1944G3956G2910G1909G358614Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.G2443G2129G11G1096G1519G1484G1722G2424G5547G2443G2983G1860G4151G1223G410215Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.G80G3004G2596G444G3676G444G1242G2964G3762G114G2228G192816God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.G1161G11G2532G846G4690G4483G1860G4483G3004G3756G2532G4690G5613G1909G4183G235G5613G1909G1520G2532G4675G4690G3739G2076G554717This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.G1161G5124G3004G1242G4300G5259G2316G1519G5547G3551G1096G5071G2532G5144G2094G3326G3756G208G1519G2673G1860G267318For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.G1063G1487G2817G1537G3551G3765G1537G1860G1161G2316G5483G11G1223G186019Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.G5101G3767G3551G4369G5484G3847G891G3739G4690G2064G3739G1861G1299G1223G32G1722G5495G331620Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.G1161G3316G2076G3756G1520G1161G2316G2076G152021Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.G3551G3767G2596G1860G2316G3361G1096G1063G1487G1325G3551G1325G3588G1410G2227G3689G1343G302G2258G1537G355122But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.G235G1124G4788G3956G5259G266G2443G1860G1537G4102G2424G5547G1325G410023Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.G1161G4253G4102G2064G5432G5259G3551G4788G1519G4102G3195G60124Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.G5620G3551G1096G2257G3807G1519G5547G2443G1344G1537G410225And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.G1161G4102G2064G2070G2089G3765G5259G380726For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.G1063G2075G3956G5207G2316G1223G4102G1722G5547G242427And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.G1063G3745G907G1519G5547G1746G554728There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.G1762G3756G2453G3761G1672G1762G3756G1401G3761G1658G1762G3756G730G2532G2338G1063G5210G2075G3956G1520G1722G5547G242429And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.G1161G1487G5210G5547G686G2075G11G4690G2532G2818G2596G1860
Galatians 4
4Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.G1161G3004G2818G1909G3745G5550G2076G3516G1308G3762G1401G5607G2962G39562They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.G235G2076G5259G2012G2532G3623G891G4287G39623And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.G2532G3779G2249G3753G2258G3516G2258G1402G5259G4747G28894But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.G1161G3753G4138G5550G2064G2316G1821G846G5207G1096G1537G1135G1096G5259G35515God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.G2443G1805G5259G3551G2443G618G52066And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”G1161G3754G2075G5207G2316G1821G4151G846G5207G1519G5216G2588G2896G5G39627Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.G5620G1488G3765G1401G235G5207G1161G1487G5207G2532G2818G2316G1223G55478Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.G235G5119G3303G1492G3756G2316G1398G5449G5607G3361G23169So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?G1161G3568G1097G2316G1161G3123G1097G5259G2316G4459G1994G3825G1909G772G2532G4434G4747G3739G2309G3825G509G139810You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years.G3906G2250G2532G3376G2532G2540G2532G176311I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.G5399G5209G3381G4458G2872G1519G5209G2872G150012Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws. You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you.G80G1189G5216G1096G5613G1473G3754G2504G5613G5210G91G3165G376213Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News.G1161G1492G3754G1223G769G4561G2097G5213G438614But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.G2532G3450G3986G1722G3450G4561G1848G3756G3761G1609G235G1209G3165G5613G32G2316G5613G5547G242415Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.G5101G2258G3767G3108G5216G1063G3140G5213G3140G3754G1487G1415G1846G5216G3788G302G1325G342716Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?G1096G5620G1096G5216G2190G226G5213G22617Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.G2206G5209G3756G2573G235G2309G1576G5209G2443G2206G84618If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.G1161G2570G2206G3842G1722G2570G2532G3361G3440G1722G3165G3918G4314G520919Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.G3450G5040G3739G5605G3825G891G3739G5547G3445G1722G521320I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.G1161G2309G3918G4314G5209G737G2532G236G3450G5456G3754G639G1722G521321Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says?G3004G3427G2309G1511G5259G3551G191G3756G191G355122The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.G1063G1125G3754G11G2192G1417G5207G1520G1537G3814G2532G1520G1537G165823The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.G235G3303G1537G3814G1080G2596G4561G1161G1537G1658G1223G186024These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.G3748G2076G238G1063G3778G1526G1417G1242G3391G3303G575G3735G4614G1080G1519G1397G3748G2076G2825And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.G1063G28G2076G3735G4614G1722G688G1161G4960G2419G3588G3568G1161G1398G3326G846G504326But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.G1161G2419G507G2076G1658G3748G2076G3384G2257G395627As Isaiah said, “Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”G1063G1125G2165G4723G5088G3756G4486G2532G994G5605G3756G3754G2048G4183G5043G3123G2228G2192G43528And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac.G1161G2249G80G2596G2464G2596G2070G5043G186029But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.G235G5618G5119G1080G2596G4561G1377G2596G4151G2532G3779G356830But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”G235G5101G3004G1124G1544G3814G2532G846G5207G1063G5207G3814G2816G3364G2816G3326G5207G165831So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.G686G80G2070G3756G5043G3814G235G1658
Psalms 6
6[For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.] O LORD, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.H5329H5058H8067H4210H1732H3068H3198H639H3256H25342Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.H2603H3068H536H3068H7495H6106H9263I am sick at heart. How long, O LORD, until you restore me?H5315H3966H926H30684Return, O LORD, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love.H7725H3068H2502H5315H3467H26175For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave?H4194H2143H7585H30346I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.H3021H585H3915H4296H7811H4529H6210H18327My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.H5869H6244H3708H6275H68878Go away, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.H5493H6466H205H3068H8085H6963H10659The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.H3068H8085H8467H3068H3947H860510May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame.H341H954H3966H926H7725H954H7281
Dublin, OH
so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?G3958
