How God uses difficult times to mature the Christian

Colossians 2:1-3 "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

The importance of understanding the place of difficult times in Christian spiritual maturity

When you begin to read the New Testament epistles or letters, you are struck more and more how Paul or the other writers will purposefully make known their trials and sufferings. Take for instance the opening verse of today's post: Paul did not try to hide his situation of being under house arrest in Rome nor did he try to appear "macho" and "separated from the pain" of his circumstance.  If anything, his suffering and circumstances ended up being at the heart of his life and ministry, per the Lord's calling (compare Acts 9:16).  This seems to cut across the grain of the 21st century conception of a blessed Christian life being equal to no pain, worry or hardship. How do we make sense of Paul's insistence on his readers knowing about his plight? Let's look at some cross references in both his other epistles and other New Testament letters to find the answer.

1. Galatians 4:19 "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

This statement is from the earliest of Paul's letters. When he wrote these words, he had just completed his 1st missionary journey in Acts 13-14 and had declared, defined and defended the Gospel he was preaching at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15. Already Paul had to deal with constant verbal and physical attacks from opponents who were bent on silencing his attempts to proclaim the Gospel in the Galatian region. As Paul and his fellow laborers stated during the course of that missionary journey in Acts 14:22 - "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

2. Philippians 1:27-30  "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me."

Paul wrote Philippians very close to the time he would had composed Colossians. Interestingly enough two intriguing statements about the relationship of suffering to the Christian's maturity emerge. First we see that in either knowing about suffering or undergoing it, their tends to be a dependence upon Christ that is cultivated. The sensitivity to the destiny of those who persist in their rejection of Christ is heightened, causing the Christian to be burdened for them while greatly assured of their own faith in Christ.  Secondly, suffering is part of the Christian's calling. 2 Timothy 3:12 for instance records Paul writing: "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:21 "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." Thankfully we are told the purpose of God's Sovereign inclusion of suffering in the Christian life in 1 Peter 5:10 "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

3. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4 "For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. 3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts."

Here again we see Paul making known all that he underwent in suffering for the Gospel. Here in 1 Thessalonians, Paul uses his sufferings as proof of his commitment to the Gospel and for the advancement of his readers. Such information is not meant to garner sympathy nor to elicit praise from his readers. If anything, Paul is informing his readers that God uses such sufferings to put an exclamation point on the fact that it is worth living for Christ in this world. 

I find it interesting that when looking at Colossians 2:1, the word translated "struggle" is a greek word "agona" from whence we get our word "agony". To live for Christ is a joyful agony, we could say. Why? Because as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison."

Closing thoughts

So in closing out today's post, what did we observe regarding how God uses suffering to mature the Christian? I see three reasons from the above observations in the New Testament letters:

1. Strengthen the believer's confidence. Galatians 4:19

2. Sharpen the believer's calling. Philippians 1:27-30

3. Certify the believer's commitment. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Certainly two other passages can be mentioned to demonstrate the reality of these observations: James 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:6-7. May God strengthen His saints in these up and coming days. 

How Southern Baptists understand the rich meaning of believer's baptism

Colossians 2:11-12 " and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."


Introduction:
Whenever we begin to approach the ordinance (or what some call the sacrament) of water baptism, much discussion and debate can ensue between different church groups and denominations. Many people do not realize the richness of meaning that lies within the practice of water baptism. To understand this, we first of all have to see the variety of ways in which the term "baptism" was used in the New Testament to speak of a variety of events, including of course our target discussion of the rich meaning of water baptism.


Several different types of baptism in the New Testament
Whenever we survey the New Testament, we discover nearly 100 passages of scripture mentioning or discussing baptisms of one sort or another. Hebrews 6:2 for example speaks of what is called the "doctrine of baptisms" as pertaining to the many types of ceremonial washings that existed in the Judaism of that day. Jesus speaks of having to undergo a "baptism" in Mark 10:38-39, indicating the suffering He would endure on the cross. We see reference to what is called the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" from the lips of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11; Peter in Acts 10:37 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:13.
The Apostle Paul once again uses the term "baptism" to describe the journey of Moses and the children of Israel across the Red Sea in 1 Corinthians 10:1-3. There is even of course the very hotly debated text of 1 Corinthians 15:29 which uses the difficult to interpret phrase "baptized for the dead".


Unfolding the rich meaning of the New Testament ordinance of water baptism
For our purposes in this post, we are interested in the rite of water baptism as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 and practiced by the early church in Acts and the Epistles. We could had included John the Baptist's practice of baptizing people, including Jesus Himself, however for the sake of space we will focus only those texts that deal directly with the church itself and Jesus' giving of the ordinance to the church to perform on new converts.  Of those nearly 100 passages referenced above, we can narrow our focus to those references that speak specifically of the water baptism that is to be performed by generation after generation of Christ's church.
Notice....


1. 22 New Testament passages speak of the act of water baptism, whether it was being performed in the early church or was included in the instructions of an apostle or an associate of an apostle.




2. 8 New Testament passages serve to unfold the meaning and richness of this very important practice of Christ's church.


Due to the significance of these texts in numerous ongoing discussions over the meaning of baptism, I will simply list them, and offer a very brief comment on each:


a. Matthew 28:18-20
Baptism is a command of the Lord Jesus Christ, and points to the meaning of discipleship and the Great Commission. This command of Jesus also includes the notion that baptism is meant for those who have by grace through faith believed on Jesus Christ and thus are disciples. This is why baptism, at least in Baptist circles, is called "believer's baptism".


b. Acts 19:5
Baptism includes the idea of having associated oneself with Jesus Christ, hence the phrase: "baptized in the name of Jesus".



c. Romans 6:3-4
Baptism speaks of having identified oneself with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. The word "baptism" itself comes from a verb and corresponding noun that unless otherwise prohibited by context, speaks of immersion or dipping of the candidate into the water to bring them back up. This text is one we can point out in understanding the proper mode of baptism.


d. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The baptism here refers to the Holy Spirit connecting the new believer to Jesus Christ. Thus this event, which occurs at salvation, is signified, pictured and illustrated by water baptism.


e. Galatians 3:27
Water baptism also communicates the idea of someone who has been "clothed" with Christ - His life, character and nature.


f. Ephesians 4:5
The Spirit's baptism of the new convert into Christ at conversion and water baptism following conversion have a logical relationship to one another as a sign (water baptism) signifying an already existing reality in the life of the new convert (The Spirit's baptism or "installing" of the believing sinner into Christ at salvation). In experience and scripture they are two distinct events in terms of sequence. Hence when the church is practicing water baptism, it is an act that signifies a prior genuine act of God in bringing the person to saving faith. Thus people do not get water baptized to get saved, rather they get water baptized because they have been born again. 


g. Colossians 2:12
Baptism communicates that the person being baptized has turned their back on the world and former way of life as a result of God's prior working of saving faith in their life through the Gospel. Circumcision was a rite in the Old Testament that pictured a saint's identification with God's Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and New Testament Baptism signifies the New Testament saint's tie of faith with Jesus Christ. Some well meaning and Godly people attempt to build the practice of infant baptism from texts such as these, however we do not see one example of infant baptism being practiced by the church nor apostles in the New Testament.


h. 1 Peter 3:21
Baptism is not something done to get saved, but rather something one does because they were saved. It is the pledging to God of a good conscience and a public profession of one's prior faith to a group of witnesses.


How Southern Baptists understand the act, meaning and mode of Jesus' ordinance of water Baptism
It is so important to derive our understanding of any doctrine or practice from the scriptures - which constitutes our final authority of faith and practice. In looking at the Southern Baptist's understanding of water baptism, one can compare the following statement in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 to the above scriptures:
"Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper."


Closing thoughts
When I look at doctrinal statements like the BFM 2000 or any other denomination, it must be remembered that they function to summarize and capture the main points of the Bible's overall detailed and rich contents. After all the words of men in doctrinal statements, no matter how weighty, are ever to be judged by the words of God in the Bible. To whit, the BFM 2000 appears consistent with the Biblical evidence for communicating the rich meaning of water baptism as so given by Jesus to His church. As always, the final court of appeal is the scripture, being that it is where we turn to in understanding how we ought to believe, act and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Truly then we can say that Baptism in the New Testament is rich in meaning. It pictures and communicates the richness of the Gospel, the scriptures, the Christian life and Christ Himself.  

Your Share in Christ's Ministry - Colossians 1:21-29

Colossians 1:26-28 "that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ."

Introduction:

At our home when my wife needs everyone to come and help out in doing chores, she will say: "all hands on deck". Over the years we have taught our children that taking care of a home involves everyone, and not just a select few. That idea of taking care of one's personal house is all the more true in God's house.


In our periodic study of Colossians we have considered how we are to grow up into spiritual maturity in Colossians 1:1-12 and how Jesus Christ is our wonderful fulfillment in Colossians 1:13-20. To remind the reader once again of the key theme of Colossians - "Jesus is enough", we now come to not only the final portion of chapter one but also the key verse to the whole book: Colossians 1:26-28. As quoted above, Paul's concern is to demonstrate to these Colossians and us why Jesus is enough, and why all other substitutes and man-made ideas are inadequate and condemning. To drive home these points, Paul is going to show his readers that because they have a share in the ministry given by the Lord Jesus Christ to His church, finding their fulfillment in Jesus Christ is ever more vital.

How do you know that you have a share in the ministry given by Jesus to His church?

We must recall that when Paul wrote his letters, with the exception of one (Philemon), all the others were written to churches or multiple individuals.  Even the letters of Timothy, though primarily addressed to Timothy, nevertheless contained instructions to the whole church. The pronoun "you" or its usage in verbs in this section of Colossians 1:21-29 is found seven times in our English translations. Furthermore, every single one of those occurrences refer to every single believer in the church. Thus for example, we see the first occurrence of the plural "you" in Colossians 1:21 "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds." Clearly Paul is speaking to all the Christians at Colossae who were formerly unconverted. When we factor in other words indicating the whole church, such as "the church" in 1:24; "His saints" in 1:26 and "every man" in 1:28, it is very apparent that every single believer who is a member of the local church has a stake in the ministry which Jesus has assigned to them.

So what about this idea of ministry or service? Paul indicates that the hope of the Gospel, of which his readers believed, is something to which He was called to be a minister in 1:23. Ministers are made and called by Christ before they ever go off to school or get some type of formalized training (as important as that if of course). Paul goes on mentioning again that "of this church I was made a minister" in 1:25. The key verses of Colossians 1:26-28 indicate that everyone is not only the recipients of this ministry, but have some type of share in it. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18 states plainly the role every born-again disciple of Jesus has in Christ's ministry: "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." Later on we will flesh this more out as we explore the text of Colossians 1:21-29, but for now let us consider the point of application for today's post. 

Point of Application: "Everyone of you that are followers of Jesus Christ share in his ministry."  So the question is: what exactly is entailed in Christ's ministry of the local church, and how is it that you and I have a share in it? Notice....

1. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in the message - The Gospel. 1:21-23

As Paul unfolds the message of the Gospel in which you and I share, we find four major elements that are applied to people at saving faith as a result of the Gospel:

a. Reconciliation. Colossians 1:21-22a

b. Regeneration. Colossians 1:21-22a/Eph 2:5,8-9

c. Glorification. Colossians 1:22b

d. Sanctification. Colossians 1:23/Ephesians 2:10

Herein we see that salvation is an event in reconciliation, experienced in regeneration, that upon saving faith becomes a process in sanctification, aimed at a guaranteed goal of completion in glorification. Every Christian has a share in these powerful truths, and their fountainhead is in Jesus Christ. But notice secondly...

 

2. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in the blessings. 1:24-27

What blessings does Paul speak of here in 1:24-27? All Christians share (get ready) in Christ's sufferings. Other passages such as 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:10 and 1 Peter 5:9 speak of every disciple of Jesus suffering when another fellow believer suffers. This is part of what Paul calls "Christ's sufferings". Why are they "His sufferings?" Because though He reigns alongside the Father's right hand in heaven, He ever still retains glorified, physical humanity. By the Holy Spirit's working, Jesus is able to empathize and enter into every Christian's suffering, disappointment and pain. (compare Acts 9:4; Hebrews 2:11-15; 4:15; 7:24-25).

The second blessing of Christ's ministry in which every Christian shares is that of the scriptures, as seen in 1:25. Other passages such as Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 speak of the immeasurable value of the Bible to the Christian life. We need to read it, hear it preached and apply it. 

The third blessing is Christ's glory, as expressed in 1:26-27. 2 Corinthians 3:18 spells this blessing out: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." So as believers in Jesus Christ, we all have a share in Christ's ministry assigned to His church by way of the message of the Gospel and the attending blessings of such a ministry.  Now notice one more idea....

 

3. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in its completion. 1:28-29

Paul writes in Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." How is it that the ministry in which we share will be achieved to completion? The way we measure whether or not we are headed in the right direction is by maturity in the faith, as spelled out in 1:28. Then of course nothing can occur apart from the strength of the Lord coursing through you and me. (Colossians 1:29; John 15:5; Philippians 4:13. 

Dr. John MacArthur sums up salvation in 5 terms

 Dr. John MacArthur sums up salvation in 5 terms
Colossians 1:20-22 "and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."


Introduction:
Today's post features an excerpt from a sermon preached by pastor and Bible teacher Dr. John MacArthur years ago entitled: "Reconciled to God". In the portion quoted below, Dr. MacArthur is summing up for readers and listeners what the doctrine of reconciliation and salvation is all about. If anyone has ever listened to Dr. MacArthur's preaching or teaching or has ever read his books, you know that what he has to say is always good because it comes from God's book and is anointed by the Spirit of God. The link to the full manuscript of this message is at the following link: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/2136/reconciled-to-god


Thus without further delay I give you the excerpt from Dr. MacArthur's sermon: "Reconciled to God".  


"Now I want to talk about the theology of reconciliation for just a moment, if I can, because it's needful that you understand it. In the New Testament, I'm trying to sum this down or draw this down to just the simplest way I can. There are probably five terms that summarize our salvation, and you ought to jot them down. Five terms that summarize our salvation. And you can talk about these five terms in various ways throughout the New Testament. They're illustrated and elucidated to us many times.


Five terms, here they are, and I'll go over them again so you don't need to worry about writing them all at once. Justification, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation and son­ship, or adoption, same thing.


All right, let's look at the first one. The first term that's used to summarize our salvation is the term justification. In justification, and I'm just going to say it briefly so stay in there, in justification the sinner stands before God as the accused and is declared righteous. In justification, the sinner stands before God as the accused and is declared righteous.


The second term is redemption. In redemption, the sinner stands before God as a slave and is granted freedom by a ransom. In redemption, the sinner stands before God as the slave and is granted freedom by ransom.


The third term that summarizes our salvation is forgiveness. In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor and the debt, having been paid, is forgotten. In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor, and the debt having been paid is forgotten.


Fourth, is reconciliation. And this is beautiful. In reconciliation the sinner stands before God as an enemy and becomes a friend. Peace with God is made. In reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy, and is led to peace as a friend.


Fifthly, the term sonship summarizes our salvation. In sonship, I love this, the sinner stands before God as a stranger and is made a son. The sinner stands before God as a stranger and is made a son. Think of it. We stood before God as the accused and He declared us righteous. We stood before God as a slave and He granted us freedom. We stood before God as a debtor and He forgot our debt. We stood before God as an enemy and He made us a friend. We stoodbefore God as a stranger and He called us a son. Now that sums it up, people. That sums up salvation."

Defining the Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.



What constitutes the core of the Gospel?
In the above text we see presented the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Three areas are presented that provide starting points for knowing the God of the Bible:


1. Salvation by grace through Faith Alone


2. Jesus Christ


3. The Scriptures. 


Below we will unpack these three-core truths of the Gospel in order to identify how one can tell when they are being faithful to it.





1. Salvation is received by Grace through Faith Alone. 15:1-2
The Gospel is received only one way - by faith alone. John 1:12 states - "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."  It is God's grace which delivers the divine gifting of faith, whereby the sinner is positioned to make a decision of trust in Jesus Christ.  As a matter of fact, the next verse, John 1:13, affirms the necessity of God's grace for saving faith - "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." .


All belief systems claiming to provide salvation must affirm not only the necessity of faith, but the sufficiency of it.  Faith by itself is enough to receive the gift of eternal life.  Faith alone is the exclusive means ordained by God whereby a sinner is reconciled and credited by God with Christ's righteousness. Once declared righteous (what the Bible calls "justified"), God also declares in Romans 8:14-16 that I am  a son by adoption, reconciled and loved. From the starting point of saving faith, I walk in progressive obedience and desire for God, or what we call sanctification. (Romans 6:12-13)  We are saved by grace through faith alone, and true conversion results in a working faith that is never alone. (James 2:14-26)  So saving faith is the first fundamental truth or starting point for understanding the Gospel, but now lets consider the second....



2. Salvation is in Christ alone. 15:3-5
The Gospel centers around one Person as both the source and object of saving faith - Jesus Christ.  It is vital that we get Jesus right, and that we have the right Jesus. A Jehovah Witness Christ cannot save, since their version of Jesus presents him as just a creature. The Mormon Jesus cannot save either, since He is some type of hybrid creature that is neither fully God nor fully man. A Muslim version of Jesus cannot save, since in their book, the Quran, Jesus never died on the cross.


So which Jesus are we referring to when we say: Jesus Christ alone can save sinners from the wrath of God to come? Only the Jesus presented in the Bible can save. Christ's death, burial, resurrection and appearances are the focus of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.  More could be brought in from other scriptures: namely His human life before His crucifixion, His Eternal Deity prior to His taking on humanity, and then His ascension into Heaven. 


Furthermore, Christ is returning again in a literally, bodily return. The truth of Jesus' second advent or coming is spoken of in over 200 places in scripture. 

Jesus Christ is not only fully man is but also fully God. 


Along with the belief of there being One God, Christians assert the full Deity of Jesus Christ.  He perfectly and visibly reveals the Father, with whom He shares the same, undivided nature.  Additionally, along with God the Son, Christians assert the full Deity and Personality of the Holy Spirit.  He functions as the third Person of the Trinity who enjoys equal fellowship in sharing the One, undivided nature with the Father and the Son. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:9-23; Acts 5:4-5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Revelation 4)  Jesus Christ is our gateway to the Divine Reality of the Trinity. (Ephesians 2:18)


Why mention all of these details? Because if we get the wrong Jesus, we will end up with no salvation. The two fundamental truths of the Gospel we have looked at thus far are that people are reconciled to God by grace through: a). Faith alone in b). Christ alone. All that we just mentioned above is contained in the most basic confession of saving faith: Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. But now lets consider one more fundamental starting point in understanding the Gospel.....



3. Salvation is understood from the scripture alone. 15:3-5
Paul's description of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 is saturated with references to the Bible.  We see the Bible referenced as "the Gospel that was preached", "the word" and twice we see the Bible called "the scriptures".  Salvation cannot take place without the presence, preaching or explanation of the scriptures to the hearer. (Romans 10:8-16)  In fact faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)  After all, Psalm 119:105 states: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."


Just as we noted on having the right Jesus as the Object of saving faith, we need to be sure we have the right book when defining the good news of Jesus Christ. No other religious book in the world can be considered the "Word of God" save the Bible. Out of all the characteristics we could cite for proving the uniqueness of the scriptures, the chief trait of Divine inspiration is evidence of fulfilled prophecy. No other book in the world claiming to be God's words has a shred of fulfilled prophecy, except the Bible. Furthermore, no other book in the world can convert the human heart to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ except the Bible. 



Only when we are right on all three can we say we are being faithful to the Gospel
In order to get the Gospel right, you have to be certain about the roles of faith, Christ and the scriptures. God's grace alone saves through faith alone in (the right) Jesus alone Who is presented in One Book - the Bible.  Any deviation, addition or deletion from any one of these areas will fail the test of what doctrinally defines the core of the Gospel.



Closing thoughts
When a person is brought to saving faith, they may not fully comprehend these truths in all their detail - yet there will be a fundamental understanding as provided by the Holy Spirit.  True saving faith acknowledges that God is addressing them through the Bible, that Christ alone can save and that by faith alone can they receive the  gift of salvation.  Once converted, the Christian builds the remainder of their Christian life from those three starting points, which comprise the core of the Christian faith.  The circumference of the Christian life, though ever growing and expanding in understanding and obedience, operates from this core.  May you and I today make it our business to know these three areas as much as we can: namely the roles of saving faith, Christ and the scriptures.

P2 - Declaring and Defending the Gospel - The main message of Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2 "Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia."

Introduction & Review
Yesterday we considered how the Book of Acts and the letters of the New Testament relate to one another.  We specifically noted how knowing the situations of Acts 13:1-16:6 can aid greatly in our interpretation of a book like Galatians. Paul's labor in those cities of Galatia that he preached through and revisited in Acts 13-14 required scripture that dealt specifically with the siren call to rely more upon legalism than the Gospel. Even with an Apostolic letter coming from a major church council in Acts 15, the churches needed the Word. Thus with all these factors in play, Paul by inspiration of the Holy Ghost penned Galatians. The main point of application was that by looking at Acts 13-16 and Galatians, we can learn the importance of defending and declaring the Gospel. We are all, after all, called to declare and defend the Gospel.

Outlining the Book of Galatians
With the basic background of the Book of Galatians and its occasion for writing being established, we can begin taking a closer look by noting the following proposed outline:

Outline of Galatians

I. Defense of the Gospel - Galatians 1-2

A.Paul's defense of His apostleship. ch 1
B.Paul's defense of the Gospel. ch 2

II. Declaration of the Gospel - Gal 3-6

A. Saving Gospel. chapters 3-4
B. Sanctifying Gospel. chapter 5
C. Sustaining Gospel. chapter 6

As we can see, the chief point of Galatians is to offer a clear defense and declaration of the Gospel in all of its saving, sanctifying and sustaining benefits. 

Key verses in Galatians
Unlike all of Paul's letters, Galatians is the only one that does not open with any sort of commendation. Paul opens his letter by defending his own apostleship, a defense that was necessary due to the repeated attacks and attempt on his own life in the events recorded in the background passages of Acts 13:44,50; 14:2,519; 15:1-5. Galatians 1:11-12 states - "For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

In having to defend his apostleship, Paul then launches into a premier defense of the Gospel itself in Galatians 2. Galatians 2:16 is a prime example of his defense of the Gospel - "nevertheless 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."

With the defense of the Gospel complete, Paul switches gears from defense to declaration.  We see him fleshing out three main aspects of the Gospel. First Paul reminds his readers of the Gospel that saves in Galatians 3:11 "Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” After further reinforcing the saving power of the Gospel in chapter 4, Paul then adds to the fact that the Gospel is not only the source of salvation, but sanctification in Galatians 5:24 "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." The Gospel declares that by grace through faith I am set free from sin's penalty at salvation (or more specifically in God's declaration of justification by faith) and am set free from sin's power in ongoing sanctification. Then we see a third aspect of the Gospel as that which sustains the believer to the end in Galatians 6:9 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." This sustaining power of the Gospel to keep the believer until the end is stated at the beginning in Galatians 1:3-5 (3) "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."

Closing thoughts:
My hope is that the reader has gained a better acquaintance with the Book of Galatians.  We saw the background of the letter yesterday in Acts 13-16 and we concluded the following about the main point of Galatians - As we can see, the chief point of Galatians is to offer a clear defense and declaration of the Gospel in all of its saving, sanctifying and sustaining benefits.  May we all be about defending and declaring the Gospel to those who will listen while bring every thought that opposes it under the authority of King Jesus. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

P1 Declaring and Defending the Gospel - Why Paul wrote Galatians

Acts 16:4-6 "Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily. 6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature an overview of the Book of Galatians, with the point of application being: You and I can learn how to declare and defend the Gospel by noting the overall message of Galatians. Now before getting to Galatians, the reader needs to understand how important it is to see the relationship between the Book of Acts and the New Testament Epistles or letters. 

The Book of Acts gives us the necessary historical and situational details behind most of the New Testament letters. For example, we can understand the latter part of Acts 13-28 as cataloguing Paul's missionary journeys and imprisonments. By simply noting when Paul would had been traveling and when he would had been under trial or in prison can greatly aid in how we understand the New Testament letters that he wrote. 

The relationship between Acts and Galatians

We know for example that Acts 13,14 and most of 15 covered what is typically called "Paul's first missionary journey". The map below summarizes for us when and where Paul would had traveled in those chapters:

In jogging through Acts 13-14 we can track Paul's trip through the region called "Galatia": Antioch to Salmis on the Island of Cyprus (13:5). Then from Antioch to Paphos on the West side of Cyprus (13:6). Paul then journeyed up to Perga in Pamphylia in Asia Minor, which was located South of the Galatian Region in (13:13). Next Paul entered into the Southern Galatian region and went to Pisidian Antioch in 13:14, Iconium in 14:1, Lystra in 14:8 and Derbe in 13:20.  

What Paul then does is revisit every city he had stopped at in Acts 14:21-28. Like any good evangelist, Paul does follow-up on the New converts. Acts 14:22-23 records - "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

As Paul was wrapping up this first missionary journey, he had ran into opposition from a sect of Jews bent on requiring the Gentile converts to be circumcised. (Acts 13:44,50; 14:2,5,19; 15:1-5). Such opposition and the need to defend and declare the Gospel led to the convening of the Jerusalem Council, led by James the half brother of Jesus in Acts 15.  After deliberating over how the Gospel should be preached among the Gospel, the Council came to the following conclusion in Acts 15:28-29  “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

Noting the constant journeying, the council that was convened at Jerusalem and the necessary declaration and defense of the Gospel provides the necessary background for understanding why Galatians was composed. This blogger believes that Paul may had composed Galatians sometime between the close of Acts 15 to Acts 16:6. Why? Because the churches that had been established in Galatia during Paul's missionary journey needed a book of the Bible.  Despite the efforts of Paul to reinforce them in their faith, they were being swayed by the very powerful Jewish faction called the Judiazers. As Paul made his second round of visits to those cities at the opening of his second missionary campaign, we read in Acts 16:5 "So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily."

Galatians - written to defend and declare the Gospel
We will most likely get more directly into Galatians in tomorrow's post, however these words from Bible teacher Dr. Woodrow Kroll summarize why Paul wrote this first of his letters: "But despite Paul's repeated presence, from His letter to the Galatians it is evident that the believers there were losing their joy to the pressures of legalism. Legalism is when Christians revert to keeping the Law rather than living by grace. A group of Jewish teachers had passed through Galatia insisting that non-Jewish believers must obey Jewish Law and keep the traditional rules. But we cannot be saved by keeping the Law. We are saved by God's grace and must live by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).1

Paul's labor in those cities of Galatia that he preached through and revisited in Acts 13-14 required scripture that dealt specifically with the siren call to rely more upon legalism than the Gospel. Even with an Apostolic letter coming from a major church council in Acts 15, the churches needed the Word. Thus with all these factors in play, Paul by inspiration of the Holy Ghost penned Galatians. We will close with a brief outline of the book and explore it in more detail tomorrow.  My hope is that you have seen today the value of studying Acts and epistles like Galatians together. We are all, after all, called to declare and defend the Gospel.

Outline of Galatians

Defense of the Gospel - Galatians 1-2

Declaration of the Gospel - Gal 3-6

Endnotes:
1. Woodrow Kroll. Places in the Bible. Country man. Nashville. 2005. Page 123.