Perhaps you just chuckled (hope so). There is a big campaign today about foods being labeled, “Gluten Free” for those with intolerance to wheat.
Paul had a campaign in his day, a holy one, preaching the Son of God in light of those who seemed to think there needed to be “mixture” to the Christian life.
In going through once again, this glorious letter to the churches at Galatia, it’s clear as a bell. Paul was a FORMER Judiazer, a true zealot for the former traditions of the Law; BUT was called by God THROUGH His Son, to the Grace found in God’s Gospel. There was no mixture.
He left one to come to another.
And that “another” was none other than the Lord Himself. He tells us He was TAUGHT by God this powerful reality of coming into Christ. He also was clear that true GRACE in completion is first coming to Christ to be justified before God – to be declared righteous.
Yet Paul follows through in HOW the Christian Life is lived. It’s not through man’s flesh, but in faith of God’s Son in us to produce true FRUIT as he shared in his letter (found in Galatians 5).
Otherwise, the most we can do is fake the Christian walk – artificial at best.
I found that one of the great keys to truly seeking the Lord, His Truth, and His Gospel in reality is to recognize falseness – also to be miserable and sick of yourself. We are supposed to love others as we first love ourselves, but we all know that the true love of God must first be discovered in Truth.
Yet God wants to use our partial understanding to get us to seek Him and know the fullness of the riches of understanding found only in Christ Himself.
It’s not a bad thing at all to be honest with one self, recognizing if we are truly joyful, have true knowledge of Christ, recognizing if the fruit of the Spirit is growing: love, joy, peace, self-control, gentleness, long-suffering, meekness, and the like. And what about His Wisdom? His insights? Are these real and flowing in and through us with the love of God’s Spirit manifested? And another on of God’s riches: We are invited to live by Christ’s mind.
In my lifetime I’ve heard so many different presentations. Years ago, I heard a guy at work talking about the Grace of God, and then right behind it his freedom to smoke a joint. That did not minister to me at all. Why? Because I was really looking for some answers and it just didn’t sound like one to me.
And then I realized later what God was truly saying and meaning: You can’t be in two powers at the same time – only one or the other.
We’re either caught in the power of sin (Romans 6) or living, walking in the power of Christ. Christ is not a sinner, nor is He unfruitful – there is nothing to be found in Him of evil or of the devil, or of flesh or worldliness.
This is why the life is truly found only in HIM – as well as the true walk. His Spirit lives in us. His Spirit is LIFE and certainly, liberty. Liberty is freedom from the power of sin, the world, the flesh and the devil.
Therefore to stay free, to walk free is all about knowing Him, relying on Him, trusting Him to reveal His Word of Life to us, to seek Him, to understand the Gospel through Him.
And through Him we have no leaven, no “gluten!”
His life has nothing but true righteousness.
Therefore it’s worth our thoughts today to realize that we are called through GRACE to Him. Him is the operative word. Not grace living by ourselves – but by grace through Him.
This is our justification – being right with God by Him. And then we are called to live by Him, walk by Him – this is our sanctification, even on a daily basis.
May God’s Spirit make us truly complete in the true Grace of God – the true Gospel of His Son – the true walking in His Spirit so that we can know the same way Paul knew. He really knew and preached Christ.
The flesh will always profit nothing – but Christ will bring forth His fruit and His glory through our faith in Him – now, daily, every moment, and forevermore. And let us believe Paul (because he wrote by God’s Spirit to us) that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.
Amen. I’m alive because He Lives,
Sue Gaither
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