Galatians 1:6-10

A few brief comments about this passage before we answer some questions about the text.

The Apostle Paul typically enters into a time of praise and thanksgiving, but the seriousness of the matter and his amazement lead him to jump right in and address the issue. They were in danger of a complete abandonment of the faith. This is not like moving from one church to another that may have some differences in doctrine. It was a wholesale deserting of the Gospel they had come to believe in. For us today the Gospel must be evaluated- not by human standards, but the Word of God
Here is the seriousness of this passage: If the Gospel Paul preached (the gospel we have recorded in the Bible) is true then the glory of Christ and the salvation of people are at stake. The thing is that if people are taught a false Gospel they are being led away from the one thing that can save them to something that will destroy them.

Galatians 1:6-10
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is {really} not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Answer the following Questions:
What does this passage say?
About what Paul’s amazement? Vv. 6
About what the false teachers were doing? Vv. 7
About the warning against perverting the Gospel? Vv. 8-9
About Paul’s motivation? Vv. 10
How can meaning of this passage apply to my life?
What are some ways that we can help guard against deserting the Gospel?
What do you not understand about this passage?
What phrase or sentence from this passage would you like to think about this week?

The Sufficiency of Christ, Part One Colossians 2:11-12
Below is an abbreviated version of a message preached on Sunday September 24, 2006. Some things have been changed and questions asked for thought provoking discussion. Feel free to answer any question or comment in general.
“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; 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.” NASB

One of the threats that led to Paul writing Colossians was an issue with the sufficiency of Christ. Was Christ alone sufficient for salvation or was something else needed.

Circumcision in the Old Testament was a sign of God’s covenant with His people. On several occasions God instructed the people to circumcise their hearts. Two of these instances are in Deuteronomy 10:16 “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.” and Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
In the New Testament we see the reality symbolized by the Old Testament symbol. This spiritual circumcision in Christ is described as a removal of a person’s sinful nature. Other translations say putting off. The idea of putting off is one of discarding. Stripping off and casting away. Here is a good picture of what takes place. Imagine yourself getting caught in the rain and mud. Unfortunately it is slippery and you fall several times. You are just covered in mud. Every inch of your clothing is covered. What would you do? As soon as you got home you strip those clothes off and cast them away, in the dirty clothes. That is the picture of Spiritual circumcision. It is a casting off of that part of our nature that is sinful. By casting off our sinful nature it is rendered inoperative. Our sinful nature is rendered inoperative and we are given a new nature with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to help us pursue a growing relationship with Christ.
Question: What are some struggles that you have in growing in Christ? What have you found helpful in growing in Christ?

As you go through verse 12 it mentions the word baptism. In the New Testament the word baptism has a literal and figurative meaning. The literal is more a picture of the figurative. The figurative meaning is that in baptism we are identified with Christ. This baptism takes place at the time of conversion and elsewhere it is mentioned as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a one time act at the time we place our faith and trust in Christ. A good passage of Scripture that shows this more clearly is 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “For even as the body is one and {yet} has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” The Holy Spirit places us in the body of Christ and we are identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Our spiritual baptism is explained in more detail in Romans 6:4-11 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with {Him} in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be {in the likeness} of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with {Him,} in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Question: What are some blessings associated with our identification with Christ in spiritual baptism?

There are two important words at the end of verse 12. All this takes place through faith. Faith! Nothing else, nothing more, simple faith. Faith is simple, but it is life changing. This faith of course is in Christ alone. We come to Him and trust in His work on the cross, His substitutionary death as the payment for our sins. We accept it by faith. We receive it by faith. God accomplished everything for us and He now says come and receive what I have done for you! Another great thing is that God even goes a step further. God draws us to the cross. When a person is searching, hungering and longing in their heart for something else, many times it is the Holy Spirit drawing them to Christ.
Just briefly we can see why Christ alone is sufficient. Our spiritual circumcision & spiritual baptism received by faith does not need anything else added to it.
Question: How can be more sensitive to those around us that maybe God is working on?

A moment ago I mentioned that baptism was both something that was literal and figurative. Let’s talk for a moment about the literal understanding and practice of baptism. Baptism is not a special rite that becomes a means for our salvation. Our personal relationship with Christ is based on our response of faith in what He has already done. So baptism does not save a person. A person should not and cannot trust in anything but faith alone. The mode for baptism that we believe in is believer’s baptism by immersion. Believer’s baptism means that it is important for a person to be baptized after they have made a decision to follow Christ. So we do not believe that it is the biblical model to baptize infants because they are not at a place where they can make a decision to follow Christ. We believe also that this baptism needs to be by immersion. That means a person needs to be completely submerged in the water.
Five reasons why we practice believer’s baptism by immersion: 1. Every NT command and instance is preceded by faith. The book of Acts is a great place to see this. Baptism always takes place after a person responds in faith. 2. No explicit instance of infant baptism in NT. 3. The word baptism means literally to immerse. When a person in the first century was reading the book of Acts, specifically in Acts 2:41 they would have understood it this way: “So then those who had received his word were immersed in water.” 4. It was the mode that Jesus was baptized. 5. It best represents our faith in Christ! We have died with Christ, were buried and raised to walk with a new life.
Question: Do you have any questions about believer’s baptism by immersion?

Galatians
Below are some questions about a passage in Galatians? Answer them to on your own or post your thoughts. Feel free to answer any question or comment in general.

Briefly let’s set the background for Galatians. Galatians was written to the churches of Galatia that Paul established on his first missionary journey. Although we do not know that exact time that it was written it is very reasonable to place the date of Galatians after the first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) and before the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.

Paul is addressing an issue that had arisen about the relationship of the Jewish Law (specifically circumcision) and the non Jewish believers. Some Judean Christians had settled in the area and began teaching these new churches that they must be circumcised and follow the law. In essence they wanted them to become culturally Jewish before becoming Christian. Paul rightly saw this as an issue that would destroy the basic tenants of Christianity.

Question to Ponder:
Do we as Christians run the same danger today?

Below is the test to Galatians 1:1-5 (NASB)
“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), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 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, to whom {be} the glory forevermore. Amen.”

What are your general impressions of this passage?
What does this passage say about Paul?
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about Christ?
How can the meaning of this passage apply to my life?
Is there anything in this passage that you do not understand?
What phrase or sentence from this passage would you like to think about this week?

Maturity is Threatened by Worldviews Colossians 2:8-10

Below is an abbreviated version of a message preached on Sunday September 17, 2006. Some things have been changed and questions asked for thought provoking discussion. Feel free to answer any question or comment in general.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;” NASB

See to it or beware, be on your guard. Take captive literally speaks about being carried off as a captive. They would become slaves to this system. That is the danger in false teaching. That is the danger in the prevailing worldviews that are not according to Christ.
The danger as we can see was becoming captive to a specific philosophy. This is not a condemnation of all philosophy. Paul had a specific philosophy in mind. The literal meaning of philosophy is love of wisdom. So philosophy of and in itself is not bad. But this particular philosophy as you can see from the text had no substance. It was empty deception. I like the way the NIV translates this verse: “through hollow and deceptive philosophy.” This philosophy had nothing of any value on the one hand and it was deceptive on the other. At the foundation of this hallow worldview was human tradition combined with a spiritual element.
At issue was the sufficiency of Christ. Was Christ alone sufficient or did they need to add something else. Of course the answer is that Christ alone is sufficient. Why would someone leave the all sufficient Christ for something vain and something that provided no purpose or real meaning to life? Their danger was similar to the Jews in the days of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 2:13 we read “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.” Obviously none of us would forsake clear, fresh drinking water for a mud puddle! That was the spiritual equivalent if the Colossians forsook Christ for this other worldview.
I think that this verse has significant implications and applications for the body of Christ today.
Question: What worldviews are prevalent today and what dangers do they pose to a Christian worldview?

Some may say what’s the big deal? Is this really something we should think about or even worry about? Here is the thing: Everyone has a worldview. Whether or not we realize it, we all have certain presuppositions and biases that affect the way we view all of life and reality. These presuppositions alter the way we perceive the world around us. A person’s worldview is usually absorbed from the influences around them: education, family, culture etc. A person’s worldview becomes very practical. It guides our decisions and actions.
It is easy to understand that our beliefs will guide our actions, but why can’t Christianity co-exist with these other prevailing worldviews. Paul answers this in a few simple words: It was not “according to Christ.” This new worldview conflicted with the Christ they had believed and been taught. Jesus Christ is the standard by which all doctrine, all beliefs are to be measured. Any system, regardless of its claims, must be rejected if it fails to conform to the revelation God has given us in Christ.
Question: What can Christians do to strengthen their worldview according to Christ?

Verses 9-10 highlight at least two things that reminded them about the sufficiency of Christ. 1. The Deity of Christ! Christ is God! He did not become god, He is not a lesser god, He is God! In Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. He is the personal revelation of the Father and the One Mediator between humanity and the Father. 2. The Supremacy of Christ! If Jesus is God, then we must acknowledge the supremacy of Christ. He is the head over all rule and authority. To sum up we could say that God has revealed Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and Christ reigns supreme over His creation.
The future of our mission to share the Good News of Jesus Christ rests in part by our ability as Christians to share our worldview with those around us; showing that Christianity is a viable worldview. A key text or doing this is 1 Peter 3:15 says “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always {being} ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” We can share the hope we have and show them that Christianity as a worldview is a viable, intelligent and truthful option. Of course a big emphasis in doing this is found at the end of the verse: “with gentleness and reverence.”
Question: What are some ways that Christians can share their worldview with gentleness and reverence?