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Posts Tagged ‘Galatians 3’

A New Set of Duds!

Posted in Faith, Feelings, Forgiveness, God, gospel, tagged on April 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. – Galatians 3:27 (CEB)

Our criminal history with God has been expunged,1 so why continually dredge it up in prayer? Before coming to Christ, Yes! we need to be aware we are sinners in need of redemption, but not afterwards!

Though I am a sinner in my sight2 I am not one in his! He see me redeemed, clean, and dressed in his beloved son! He begins his character changing work in me, making me more like Christ in my actions, not from guilt but gratitude.

Prayer: Father, I am grateful that though I see my failures you see your son who died for my sins and ever lives his life in and through me!

Sound Bite: I have given my life to Christ, I am redeemed, and I will not let anyone tell me different.

– fritz
1 – Related Post: Expunged – April 23, 2011
2 – Related Post: Grasshoppers! – April 24, 2011

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Understanding Rocked!

Posted in Commandments, tagged , , on April 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. – Jesus (Matthew 19:8)

Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees when goaded about God’s law for divorce rocks our understanding of the Bible, if we will only think about it a minute.

If God made the divorce laws in the Old Testament as a concession like Jesus said, limiting it as much as our fallen hardened hearts could allow, what other laws are, likewise, concessions?

Could it be the Old Testament law of “Eye-For-An-Eye” was also a concession, limiting the amount of damage a person could do to no more than what was done to them, though God’s desire has always been to turn the other cheek?1

Could it be that Old Testament laws of slavery were concessions, limiting the length and severity of servitude, though God’s desire has always been for all to be equal in Christ?2

How about male dominance and gender submission?3 What a world of difference this concept makes when we see Jesus establishing a kingdom of those with tender hearts, committed to God’s desires instead of his concessions.

Think about this a moment and tell me what you think.

Related Post: Concession vs. Intent – March 31, 2011
Related Post: Same God, Different People – March 19, 2011

– fritz
1 – Matthew 5:38-39
2 – Ephesians 6:9
3 – Galatians 3:28

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>Real Authority

Posted in Submission, Unity, tagged , on January 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »

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“when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line.” – Galatians 2:11(MESSAGE)

Valid authority in the Church derives from following the truth.

Those aligned with God’s word are to be honored and followed,1 those who don’t are to be resisted, sometimes even publicly, regardless of their name, rank, or history.

The apostle, Paul, wrote

“Let me be blunt: … If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed … If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s” – Galatians 1:9-10a (MESSAGE)

This doesn’t mean arguing every little point. The Brethren church has a wonderful saying,

In essentials, Unity;
In non essentials, Liberty;
In all things, Charity.”

All valid authority comes from adherence to God’s word, not an ecclesiastical or educational title.

– fritz

1 – 1st Timothy 5:17

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