Pastor Mark’s Translation: Galatians 4:21-31

Week 11 Scriptures: Galatians 4:21-31

“ ²¹ Tell me—those of you who wish to be under the law—do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. ²³ The son of the slave girl was conceived by natural means, whereas the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ These things are being spoken allegorically: For these women are two covenants; one from Mount Sinai gives birth to slave children—this is Hagar. ²⁵ Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, because the city is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

            ‘Be happy childless woman who bears no children. Shout and cry, you who have not        suffered labor pains; because the deserted woman will have many children, more than the     wife who has a husband.’

²⁸ And you, brothers and sisters, are children of promise like Isaac. ²⁹ But just as it was then, so it is now: the child born by natural means persecuted the child born according to the Spirit. ³⁰ But what does scripture say? ‘Throw out the slave woman and her son, because the son of the slave woman will not inherit with the free woman’s son. ³¹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.”

Push…1…2…3…Breathe

Week 10 Scripture: Galatians 4:8-20

            I attend a seminary. Seminaries are loaded with people who intend to go into ministry full-time. Classes are designed to prepare them for real-life church situations like counseling, leadership, or financial dealings. Many of the people in seminary are young, bright-eyed, and often naïve. I’ve heard people talk about the “lax job” of their pastors. American churches—and especially youth pastors—are known for having “easy hours,” “freedom,” and daily coffee “meetings.” Because church leaders are in the business of people, their meetings often center around a meal or coffee. In any case, the public perception of what pastors “do” has come somewhat unbalanced. Certainly, there are leaders who take advantage of their job, title, and freedom, but this is not the norm. Leadership, regardless or whether in full-time ministry or not, is difficult. In fact, when Paul describes his leadership function in Galatia, he does so by describing his job in terms of “labor pains” (Gal 4:19). I can simply think back to my wife’s own experience of labor pain, and tell you it was neither pleasant for her nor an experience I would ever want to find myself. This video shows two unsympathetic husbands who needed to understand the pain of their wives during labor:

The experience of these men is what Paul describes as “leadership.” Leading and influencing people is not only difficult, but it is painful. However, through this pain comes great joy at the arrival of the child. For Paul, he was willing to go through the “labor pains until Christ is formed in you.” Leadership is sacrifice, but great reward. Leadership means waking up at two in the morning to pick up a drunken friend at the bar. It is sitting with a co-worker for hours because they feel unworthy and want to take their own life. Being a leader is not a convenience, but often a burden. Here is the burden Paul endured, and which he tells us to “imitate” (Gal 4:12): 

            “ ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I   was beaten   with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on          frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from    Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil    and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and         exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Cor 11:24-28).

Questions To Ponder:

1.     Has your leadership/influence looked like Paul’s? Have you given yourself to others as Paul has?

2.     How would those around you be influenced if you were to give with this much labor? Explain. 

3.   What can you do this week to begin to reflect the type of leadership Paul is encouraging? Share some ideas. 

Follow The Leader

Week 10 Scripture: Galatians 4:8-20

            Paul pleads with the church at Galatia to not reject him or his message (Gal 4:8-11) in favor of following his opponents and their “gospel.” In the midst of this, Paul asks them to remember their devotion to him—that they were even willing to “rip out your own eyes and give them to me”—and how they treated him “as though” he were “Christ” (Gal 4:14). In his plea, Paul requests that the Galatians, “Become as I am” (Gal 4:12). Paul calls them to imitate himself. It is curious that Paul does not just say, “Become like Christ…” However, if we were to go back to Galatians 1:1 we see that Paul is the “Apostle (sent) by God the Father and Jesus Christ.” Paul is a representative of God and Jesus, and his appeal to “Become as I am” reflects his own imitation of Jesus. For example, Paul can say, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Paul’s injunction assumes Christ is the one to be imitated.

            In our verses this week, a number of paths could be discussed, but I want to draw our conclusions from Paul’s leadership. Leadership, as usually understood, is not merely positions of authority—church or secular positions. In fact, Jesus was a leader yet he had little “authority” in the eyes of the world. Jesus’ family and closest friends rejected him as a “leader” (Mt 13:57; Mk 6:1-6; Jn 6:67-71). A leader is one who has influence over others in some capacity. Each of us influence in one-way or another. Influence can be good or bad. For example, think back to the time when a friend was talking poorly about another person—wasn’t it easy to jump in and join the bashing? This person had influence over you. Or have you ever been in a study group with an overachiever? When somebody else works hard, it pushes you to be better and perform higher. This person has influenced you. Others certainly carry more influence than others, but nevertheless we all have it! We lead even if we choose not to lead. Therefore, our actions, what we do and say, contain influence and leadership. Evaluating how we live our lives is dire to “becoming” like Paul (and Christ).

Questions To Ponder:

1.     Do you see yourself as being an influencer/leader? Explain.

2.     Would you change how you act or speak if you realized you were an influencer/leader? Why?

3.     What areas of your daily life do you get to lead and be an example? (i.e. Work, School, etc.). 

4.   What would you change about your influence/leadership if you could? Explain

Pastor Mark's Translation: Galatians 4:8-20

Week 10 Scriptures: Galatians 4:8-20:

“  ⁸ But, formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to the things which by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather be known by God, how are you returning again to the weak and shabby elemental spirits? Do you wish to become slaves all over again? ¹⁰ You religiously observe days, months, seasons, and years. ¹¹ I fear for you that perhaps I have labored for no purpose.

¹² I beg of you, brothers and sisters, become as I am because I also became like you. You have done nothing wrong to me; ¹³ but you know that I first preached the gospel to you on account of a bodily sickness, ¹⁴ and though my illness was a burden to you, you did not reject me or spit at me, but you welcomed me as an angel of God, as though I were Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Where then has your blessing gone? For I swear to you that if it had been possible you would have ripped out your own eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ Those people zealously seek you, but without sincerity. They desire to alienate you from us in order that you might be zealous for them. ¹⁸ However, it is fine to be zealous always whenever it is with good intention, not only when I am with you. ¹⁹ My little children, I am once again going through labor pains until Christ is formed in you. ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am at a loss about you.”

Welcome To The Family

Week 9 Scriptures: Galatians 4:1-7

Having a stepbrother is about as close as I can personally get to understand adoption. Our family, my dad, sister, and myself, had conjoined with my stepmom and stepbrother when I was about 6 years old. I grew up in the same household as my stepbrother, we had rooms next to each other, and played, and fought, together like normal brothers. So when Paul uses the language of “adoption,” I connected to it quite easily. However, in further probing, it is important to understand the context by which Paul is speaking. Paul, as a Greek speaking—Jewish—Roman citizen, had a number of metaphors to draw upon and decidedly does so with his multifaceted background. However, he focuses his thoughts of adoption with a Roman understanding. This makes sense, because out of all five uses of “adoption” by Paul, each is written in to churches under Roman rule. So what did it mean to be adopted in the Roman Empire?

·      Old familial connections severed entirely: In the Roman system, fathers needed to sell their children into slavery three times before allowing another family to “adopt” them. So when Paul uses slavery language right next to adoption language he intends to capture this practice. God becomes the new father, and all old familial ties are abandoned. This has special interest for the Christian now has a new role within a new family. The old life is left behind and the new life is embraced with joy.  

·      Removal of all old debts, reputation, or status: Adoption looked quite different in the ancient world in that adults, and not children, were adopted into families. Therefore, along with all past familial ties being cut off, the entire reputation, debts, or status prior to joining the new family was removed. Your old life had literally been wiped clean, and you started afresh.

·      New legal status: The legal implication of adoption was powerful, as it gave new legal status to the adoptee. It was as if the adoptee had been born biologically under the adopter. In fact, Emperor Nero, during the time Paul wrote Galatians, tried to marry his adopted sister (no blood relation) and had to have special sanctions passed because they were considered “blood related.” The Christian is given the status of God, and their old status is wiped away.

·      New family: As previously mentioned, the adoptee would gain brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, etc. These new family members treated them as if they were blood and had been there all along. As God exists as family—Father, Son, Spirit—so he opens up his family to us, and allows us to experience family in this new way. Additionally, we become “brothers and sisters” with those in this family with us.

·      New heir and inheritor: As a new family member, adoptees would receive the inheritance of the family. Whatever the father had, so they would get. In the same way, we become the inheritors of God’s blessing and mission.

Paul’s metaphor of adoption is rich and multilayered, and works well with his idea of salvation. We are part of a new family, and receive the benefits of our father adopting us.

Questions to Ponder:

1.     What does it mean to you that God has “adopted” you into his family?

2.     Have you acted as though God has really done away with your past?

3.     Have you cut off your past life entirely, and enter your new family fully?

4.     Do you live like an heir of God?

5.     What does it mean to you knowing you have a new family of brothers and sisters? Why is this such an important aspect of church life?

Pastor Mark's Translation: Galatians 4:1-7

Week 9 Scripture: Galatians 4:1-7

 “¹ I tell you: as long as the heir is a minor he does not differ from a slave, even though he is the actual owner of the estate. ² However, an heir is subject to the guardians and managers until the time set by their fathers. ³ So also, when we were minors, we were enslaved under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. ⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, and born under the Law, ⁵ to redeem those under the Law in order that we might receive adoption. ⁶ And because you are sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ⁷ Therefore, you are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters, and if sons and daughters, then also heirs through God.”

A Covenant With God

Week 8 Scriptures: Galatians 3:15-29

A few years back, I was teaching a lesson to a class of about 75 students at CSUB. The class was Christianity, and my topic was the influence of Judaism on early Christianity. I asked a the question, “Do Christianity and Judaism have any commonality?” A few hands went up. One gleaming freshman said, “Of course not, they’re two different religions.” Another gentlemen repeated the young women’s refrain, saying, “Well, at least that’s what I was taught in Sunday school.” Even in many Western churches, Judaism and Christianity often live in two worlds. Jesus has become a white, European businessman, rather than the Jewish peasant from Jewish Galilee. Paul has been stripped of his Jewishness, because of his apparent rebuke of the Law. However, framing Paul or Jesus in this light misses the truth behind these two key figures. Paul and Jesus are thoroughly Jewish—each of them circumcised, obeying food laws, and following Sabbath. Their ideals and teachings stem from their learning of childhood. The Old Testament prophets, Moses, and specifically Abraham informed their understanding of what was happening in the world at the appearance of Jesus. For Paul, then, his gospel is understood within the light of a salvation history that began with Adam, and was being brought through Abraham, and eventually accomplished in Jesus. In the beginning, Adam created a separation between humanity and God, but God, being gracious, brought forth a plan through his servant Abraham. He promised that through him “all the nations will be blessed” (Gen 12:2; Gal 3:8). God set forth this promise through Abraham, and the Jewish people. God’s intention was impeded upon when Judaism took a harsh turn. Instead of be a blessing to the world, they became isolated from it—with an intention to remain “holy.” For Paul, Jesus brought back to light the original mandate and promise of Abraham. Where Judaism lost sight, Jesus brought it back into focus.

            Therefore, Paul advances his plea with the church of Galatia by appealing to the covenant of Abraham. Much of the argument by Paul’s opponents was claiming true progeny of Abraham because of their “works of the law.” The opponents would argue that their being sons or daughters of Abraham—and therefore, God—came not just through faith in Jesus alone, but rather by their identity markers as such. For example, they claimed their circumcision set them apart from the rest of the Pagan world (“holiness”), and showed them to be following in the footsteps of their father Abraham (See Genesis 17:10). However, Paul saw this as a misunderstanding of Abraham, because the mission had always been to make God available for all people, not just some. For Paul, God’s majesty and power were to extend to all people, without reservation or barrier (Gal 3:28). Therefore, regardless of one’s ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, or social status, God’s original mission was to seek and save the all.

            Christians, as Paul sees it, are brought into this mission! Those who become the sons and daughters of Abraham are inheritors of his promise from God. We are integrated not only into the story of Abraham, but also his family—the family of God—and carry the family mission forward. We have the opportunity to make right what Judaism missed, to bless the world and everyone in it!

Questions to Ponder:

1.     How does it effect you to know that you are integrated into a salvation history that extends back to Abraham?

2.     God kept his covenant to Abraham. Even though it took many years to get back on track, God kept his promise. How does this speak to God’s faithfulness, and in what ways does it personally speak to you?

3.     Have you ever set up boundaries, like Judaism of Paul’s day, that has limited who gets to hear the gospel (i.e. homosexuals, criminals, ethnic difference, etc.)? Explain.

4.     How did Jesus’ own life represent Abraham’s mission? Explain.

5.     Do you see yourself as an inheritor Abraham’s mission? Why or why not?

6.     What does it mean for you to be apart of Abraham’s mission? Explain.

Pastor Mark’s Translation: Galatians 3:15-29

Week 8 Scripture: Galatians 3:15-29

“¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, I speak from human experience: No one ignores or adds to a human covenant once it has been settled.¹⁶ But the promise was spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say, ‘And to his ‘descendants,’ as a reference to many, but as to one, ‘And to your descendant,’ who is Christ. ¹⁷ I’m saying this: the Law, having come 430 years after the covenant had been established by God, does not invalidate the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance is based on the law then nothing comes from promise, but through Abraham God freely gave a promise.  

            ¹⁹ So why was the law given? It was added because of offenses, until the descendant might come to whom it had been promised, having been put into effect through angels by the hand of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator does not represent just one party, but God is one. ²¹ Therefore is the Law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a Law were given that would be able to give life then righteousness would have certainly been on the basis law. ²² But the scripture imprisoned all things under the control of sin, in order that what was promised through faith in Jesus might be given to those who believe. ²³ Before faith came, we were being guarded under the Law, being imprisoned until the faith that was coming would be revealed, ²⁴ so then the Law became our tutor until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But, with faith having come, we are no longer supervised by a tutor.

            ²⁶ For you are all are sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all of you who have been baptized into Christ were clothed with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ Now if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s descendent, heirs according to the promise."   

Blessed Or Cursed?

“Faith brings the blessing of the Spirit, legalism brings a curse.  We are either living under the blessing or under the curse and there is no third option” – Bruce Adkinson

Week 7 Scripture: Galatians 3:1-14

Paul finishes this section by warning the Galatians that by not following the truth of the Gospel (that Faith in Jesus is enough to obtain right standing with God), they are in danger of living a life that is cursed.  Again, he points them back to what Jesus did on the Cross; he died so that we do not have to live a life under a curse, a life lived by the Law.  Paul essentially tells them that acts of holiness cannot save you. In fact, they separate you from the blessing.  The danger is that the Galatians have found themselves living a cursed life in one of the following two ways: (1) By believing they are saved by works alone, or (2) by believing they are saved by Faith and belief in the Gospel, but have been deceived (or bewitched or hypnotized) by others who claim that saving faith is only evident through good works.  The curse this second group faces is not the loss of their right standing before God, but the loss of their liberty in God’s saving grace and the insecurity they gain about whether or not they have eternal life.

            Acts of holiness, or good works, are not a bad thing.  Don’t get me wrong.  They are wonderful things.  However, holiness and good works are an outpouring of the grace that God has given us, a fruit of our righteous; not a vehicle to righteousness.  Ministry and service, in and of themselves, are not bad things, however our heart while participating is in these good works should constantly be evaluated by us.  When we feel burned out in serving, often times it is because serving has been reduced to a “job” (a means to an end) and not a “joy” (an overflowing of gratitude).

Questions to reflect on:

1)   Has another Christian or the church every made you feel guilty for not participating in Christian service (aka ministry)?  How did you respond?

2)   Have you ever felt burned out from serving others? What did you do to shake off that burned out feeling and renew your joy in serving others?

Under A Spell?

Week 7 Scripture: Galatians 3:1-14
          
            At the beginning of chapter 3, Paul starts by calling the Galatians foolish!  He then proceeds to ask them “who has bewitched you?” The term bewitched in the Greek describes the Galatians as having fallen under a demonic spell.   Another translation of this term that may be more relatable is the word hypnotized.  Have you ever been to a hypnotist show?  If you’ve never seen hypnotism in action, check out this video so see what I’m talking about:

I’m sure if these college students that are hypnotized in the video were to look back at this video after they were taken out from under hypnosis, they would be just as shocked as the audience at the way they were acting.  In the case of the Galatians, one way that Paul is attempting to remove this “spell” that has “bewitched” the Galatians is by reminding them of their previous encounter with the Spirit; an encounter in which they received the Spirit by faith, not by works of the law.  Just as the hypnotist hypnotizes his participates, there are many “hypnotist” that we are exposed to daily that try to distract us and blind us from the truth of the Gospel.  Maybe it’s a book you’ve recently read, a conversation with a person, friend, or professor, a sermon, podcast, or even a quote on Facebook or Instagram.  There are so many objects or people in our daily life that can either bring us closer to Jesus, or take us in the opposite direction.  Just as horses have blinders on the sides of their eyes to prevent them from straying off course and to keep their eyes ahead, thankfulness, gratitude, and reflection on the cross and the goodness of God will keep us from being distracted by the peripheral hypnotic spells by keeping our eyes set on the goodness of God and the life we now have because of the Cross.

Questions to Reflect on:

1)   What are some testimonies of things God has done in your Life? Reflect by yourself or share with a friend or your house party.

How does remember the good situations/outcomes in your life help minimize the bad circumstances?

Simple Faith

Week 7 Scripture: Galatians 3:1-14

The Galatians were confused on how to obtain right standing before God; on one hand, Paul is telling them that it is by faith in Jesus Christ and by faith alone that they can be made righteous in the eyes of God.  On the other hand, there is an opposing group of Christians that are telling the Galatians that their simple faith in Jesus is not enough; they must follow the Jewish traditions and Law in order to remain righteous in God’s eyes.  In order to support his position on this topic, Paul reminds the Galatians that Abraham, the father of things Jewish, was seen as righteous in the eyes of God because he simply believed (Gen 15:6).  If you read through the story of Abraham’s encounter with God in Genesis 15 (then referred to as Abram), you will see that Abraham received his blessing and righteousness from the Lord the moment he believed…that is it.  The Law of Moses was established a long time after Abraham was counted as righteous – his righteousness was not dependent on the Law or honoring traditions.  It is also important to see that Abraham did not go through a process of making himself right before he believed, and it can also be assumed that Abraham most likely had very little understanding of God and the big picture of who he was/is.; he simply trusted that God’s promise were going to be true for his life and he believed.   

            So often we feel like we have to make ourselves “right” or “righteous” before we can encounter God, or we feel like we have to follow a formula in order for our belief to be true and “stick.”   Sometimes we may even feel as if we don’t know enough about the Bible or theology to put our full trust in Jesus. This is simply not true.  When we put our trust in Jesus, we are inviting Him into our lives to make us “right.”  The reality is that there is no way to be right or righteous or to fully understand without putting our trust in Christ.   

Questions to reflect on:

1)   Think back to the time before you put your trust in Jesus? Or, if you haven’t yet fully put your trust in Jesus, what areas in your life did/do you feel like you wanted/want to improve upon?

2)   In what ways have you felt like you don’t measure up to the “Christian standard”?  How does the story of Abraham’s simple belief encourage you that your faith is enough?

3)   Have you ever felt disqualified because you are not a Bible expert? Does this ever prevent you from exploring more of God or His word? Does this ever stop you from sharing your faith with others?