Skip to main content

Monday Morning Blog - July 14, 2014

FREE OF RELIGIOUS RITUALISM - Galatians 5:2-4


Paul speaks of the shackles of the "Law" when he refers to the Jewish Religious Ritual (and Requirement ... before Christ came) of circumcision. He does so to compare the Law with Grace. Essentially the Law was a bondage ... a burden; because no one could keep it acceptably. One could try but any failure caused the whole thing to be labeled "FAILURE". 

God provided freedom from the bounds of the law in Jesus Christ (who, by the way, is the only one who kept the Law perfectly, being impeccable Himself - without sin). Freedom in Christ Jesus erases all facets of bondage included religiousness! The words Paul wrote, he wrote from the Holy Spirit who used Paul's own experience as a Hebrew and Jewish Leader. See what he says in verses 2-4. (NIV) 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 

 God's design was that the law was good and necessary in pointing all mankind to their need for the "Perfect One", Jesus Christ. No one but Christ himself ever kept the Law fully. He became our substitute for fulfilling the Law - so in reality ... Christ is better! Christ via "Grace" broke the demands of the Law. Exodus 20 shows the demands of the Law (10 Commandments) while Ephesians 2 display the marvel of Grace ( 8 "for by grace you've been saved through faith ... it is the gift of God")!

 There is provided for all a Grace Liberation! And it's a Grace Freedom Reality! Jesus Himself is that Grace Reality that sets man free. God's blueprint for setting man free is GRACE. God's pattern for man's freedom from the Law is GRACE. God's plan for releasing man fro shackles of sin is GRACE. GRACE FREEDOM REALITY is in the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Freedom comes gift-wrapped to you from the Almighty in a Five-Letter Word: G-R-A-C-E!





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Prayer for Christmas Eve

O God our Father, you have brought us again to the glad season .....when we celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant that his Spirit may be born anew in our hearts this day .....and that we may joyfully welcome him to reign over us. Open our ears that we may hear again the angelic chorus of old. Open our lips that we, too, may sing with uplifted hearts. Glory to God in the highest, .....and on earth, peace, goodwill toward all; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The United Methodist Book of Worship, no. 276.
Post a Comment
Read more

"THE CHALLENGE" Monday Morning Blog - 10/3/2011

Eggs, cheese, bacon, home fries and toast are on order. I'm sipping a cup of dark roast as I write. My mind and heart are full (unlike my stomach).I mean that my God has been filling my heart and mind with deep issues of life that are causing me to be challenged. It is necessary I make changes and choices that coincide with what I am being confronted with. All too often I read the Scriptures and see the words but they are or become distant. I leave the words in the closed book when I am expected to make them part of who I am (or am to become). For example, the 1st ten chapters of Acts are extremely full of confronting issues that are there to challenge my heart with deep spiritual issues. I will simply point out one. I am a spiritual being (because of Christ in me) but I live in the natural realm. Acts chapters 1-10 reveal many Christ followers who experienced God's amazing power ... all because they were seeking, craving, living in the strength of the Holy Spirit. They, too ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monday Morning Blog 4-4-2011

Woke to a cool dry morning and drove family to destinations, visited with a neighbor then Kathy and I got ready to drive to Bristol for her ladies gathering at AGF at 10am. As we went outdoors the cool dry morning was now changed to a snowy, windy colder late morning. It's nearly noon now and the snow seemingly is ready to turn to rain. I am reminded that we are in Northern New England. Weather we can't control, mind input we can. As I write, I am at a public diner where I had a nice breakfast and I'm still sipping coffee. There is activity all over the place here. People coming and going, oldies playing on the radio, phones ringing and even a bit ago some of the staff were chasing a loose dog around (who was finally lured into the office by the owner!). In similiar situations like this, I recall times when people and conversations I heard could cause my mind to wander ... drift toward unhealthy thinking for a Christ-follower. Paul exhorted the Philippian believers to ...
Post a Comment
Read more