More Truth to Deliver Us from the Law and religion.
Now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. [Galatians 4:9-10, hear what Paul tells the Hebrew-Christians in chapter 10:38-39 in Hebrews] “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (Strong's G684: the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” From here we could look at what Paul tells Timothy in first Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 through 3: “The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth (John in chapter one of his gospel record as a witness of Christ reveals that Christ is the Truth, the Way and the Life he also reveals that Christ is Grace and to all this I might add that Christ is Salvation or our salvation. As witnessed by Luke in chapter one of his gospel record.).”
I just don't seem to be able to shake the thought of any one needing to know or have an understanding of times, epochs, seasons or years. Just because all of the Hebrew feasts were tied to the sequences of the new moons (there months were 38-39 days long depending on the new moons appearance) alone with the year of jubilees, which were to be observed every 48-49 years. It might be note worthy to say that each year the feast-days were held at different days because of the moons appearance for example the Passover may be on the 14th day in one year and the fifteenth day of the next because of the moon. While I'm on this subject it may suffice to say that most pagans worshiped the sun and therefore their calendars were based on it. Just as our Julian calendar is. But here's where my difficulty lays the Lord told the disciples in Acts 1: 7 this and then through Paul says this: “He (Christ after His resurrection) said unto them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.'” He did not stay on the subject of times or seasons but jumps to them being His martyrs or witnesses in His power as the Holy Spirit, this is the same power in which we're to carry on the works of God while we remain on the earth. Now here's what Paul says as recorded in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and we'll begin at verse 1 through 4: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” Now this day of sudden destruction did indeed come upon them in 70 AD just as Daniel saw in his vision as he records in chapter 9 and other bites and pieces throughout his writing. And the Lord Himself said it would during His earthly ministry to Israel. Now the only season any one may have for spending allot of time in this area is because of the spirit of religion who hinders us from the Truth of Christ or the Truth that is Christ. As a diversion from seeking the true Spirit of all Truth who is as we've said the Spirit of Christ for in Him is all wisdom and knowledge to be found.
In our meditation, we saw that the Lord's promise of liberating truth includes truth to deliver us from the law and religion. If we are going to be justified (declared not guilty and pronounced righteous in Christ), we must be delivered from the law and religion (which condemns us, pronounces us guilty of sin). This rescue from the law and religion is secured by placing our simple trust in the Lord Jesus, enjoying His justifying grace. But the question for us is from what law or religion? We as gentiles have never been under the Mosaic Laws. But we are under the ten commandments as this is a moral code of conduct or law for all of humanity. To find the answer to this question we must go back to Genesis 2 and verses 16-17. Here we find the commandment given to Adam before woman is separated from him. God tells Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (ie...religion). With the penalty that when he does he'll die. In this, the first economy of God, revealed all that Yehovah required was that man obey Him, do not eat the fruit of that tree. The penalty, when you do you'll surely die, death. Become spiritually separated from Him who IS our All in all, or His Life force in us, Spirit.
We know that woman desired this fruit when tempted by Satan. The word desired means to covet, this was also the sin that caused Satan to rebel against God and caused him to want to take a seat above God's throne or place of authority. The woman ate of the fruit and gave it to her husband and he ate of it also, this is lawlessness or rebellion against God, sin. It took both of these actions to change man from a divine being into an earthy being, he became simply flesh, separated from God, his creator, and death became active in man. Because God's glory which covered them both was now gone from them. This same action placed all humanity from then forward under the control and authority of the deceiver and evil task master and his religion filled the void in mans now empty heart [soul/spirit].
The works of this law is what? Sin which activated Death. No, getting around it all things must die because of this law. Now here comes a way out. Dying to that sin and death. Man must die to this earthly realm and become alive again in Christ. Because man was in Christ (figuratively speaking), he was a spiritual divine being at his creation. Man, by disobedience, put Christ ,in him, to death, separating him from communion with Yehovah God. Now here's another thought, why did God call out to man in the Garden? God, could not look upon sin or see sin, therefore He could not see Adam or woman. Neither could they see God any longer and were become afraid of Him because they had known Him who is all justice. This we get a glimpse of with Saul of Tarsus when he meet the ascended Christ in the Light brighter than the noonday Sun and when the disciples were with Him on the mount where they saw His raiment changed.
Remember that woman was the first to eat of the fruit, this is why woman is the primary means to all evil because she was the first to eat or disobey. God gave to man,through woman, a means of salvation, the seed of regeneration a mystery hid in mans flesh now of sin. As a seed covered by a thick hard shell ie...sin. And sin equates to religion as revealed elsewhere.
This means of regeneration requires man to die, but how? That was also a mystery hidden in God. The answer is that God had to become or put on mans flesh and then to die and be risen again. Why? Because of sin, religion and lawlessness. Jesus became man or put on mans flesh through the chosen people Israel and the vehicle God chose was woman, a virgin undefiled. Remember she carries the seed as does all man that comes from or through woman.
When we believe God and His Word, Jesus who is both man and Christ. Who put both sin and it accompanying death (the seed of John 12:24) to death on the cross, and put both law (religion of sin and death) and the Mosaic Laws to death in His flesh, that is, He ended them. When we believe this, then God writes His spiritual law (the ten commandments if you will) on the heart [Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34, 32:39; Ezekiel 36:26-27] and mind of regenerated or regenesized man, then without thinking we begin to live them. You see, by this means we just live them by Grace in faith or His power alive within us again. This then puts us into the place of being known by God as we've passed through the gate of death in Christ Jesus. Into the promised New Covenant which is Christ just as Christ is Christianity and Christianity is Christ, Christ is the personage of the New Covenant.
"We have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law [here we can add religion because religion is works based doctrine].” (Galatians 2:16)
Through this exercise of faith, we come to know the Lord. At this point, many return to a religious striving under law performance, assuming they can grow in sanctification by their own dedicated efforts. This is deceptive works of a religious spirit such as the need to give tithes and offerings, the need to support missionaries or other ministries, or any other needed action that puts you under bondage such as the many programs.* "Now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements." These words from Galatians repeat a major theme of that revolutionary book: the power and richness of grace contrasted with the weakness and poverty ("the weak and beggarly elements") of the law and religion. The grace of God, that was powerful enough to bring us justification, is the only option powerful enough to bring us progress in sanctification (growth in Godly living). The grace of God, that was abundantly rich unto the saving of our souls, is the only resource rich enough to effect the transforming of our heart and character. God's law (the Mosaic Law, this was only to protect Israel until Christ would come) was never intended to be the means of providing the heavenly power or riches needed for justification or sanctification. These only come through death, the death of religion and character therein held by the ontological essence of Satan held by him in the soul/spirit of the unredeemed. The unregenesized soul/spirit ie...heart of man. Neither was the law intended to do such for sanctification. It was only the means to bring us to the sanctifier and death to sin, religion and lawlessness.
* Should you want to support such, you certainly can, but to feel that there is a place reserved for you in heaven because you give, is bondage and a lie. We can not buy God's favor or a right standing.
The futility of the law in producing godliness can be seen in the Galatians' vain hope that observing the religious holy days of the law could empower them spiritually. "You observe days and months and seasons and years." Far from liberating lives, this was a return to religious enslavement. "You desire again to be in bondage." God's people are certainly free to celebrate days that may have spiritual significance to them. "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" [Romans 14:5]. We are not to require or prohibit the observance of days. Nevertheless, if our hope is in religious observances, we are in religious bondage, not into spiritual liberty. We can see these same warnings given in the Hebrew (2:1-4) letter sent to those Hebrew-Christians still in Jerusalem and else where throughout the areas in which they were scattered. And this warning is carried over into Galatians 4:8-11 and 6:11-15 which also ties to 2 Corinthians 6:11-18.
Dear Lord, I rejoice in the power and richness of Your grace that has brought me justification and sanctification from sin! I humbly cry out to You for a daily supply of Your powerful and rich sanctifying grace. Convict me when I am leaning upon the weak and beggarly elements of law or religious performance, Amen.
Taken in part from a daily devotional done by Pastor Bob Hoekstra with editing on our part.
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