Looking at Jesus Christ Alone

Galatians has been something I’ve been reading the past few days.  Today is no exception.  In looking at it more closely, I see more and more, the magnitude of what God is saying to us.  If we truly allow this book of Truth and Life concerning Christ to “soak in,” we will find that it’s not only the clear understanding of how we first enter into Christ Jesus to be saved, BUT also HOW and by WHOM, the Christian life is lived.

Beyond today’s devotions are some Scriptures from Galatians worthy to ponder.  None of our beliefs should be based on anything but God’s facts – His Truth.  And the Spirit of God will teach us.

There are two mountains in Galatians:

Mt. Sinai is the history of the Israelites having been given the Law and the commandments of God.  It was given to Israel.  Back then God circumcised them as a sign and seal that they were His people and in covenant with Him.  No Gentile was included unless they became a Jew and under the scrutiny of God’s true religion.

Yet we see in Galatians (in Romans too) how God gave the Law to do something in man – to bring him to faith in Christ.  It was demonstrated time and time again that no man could keep every jot and tittle of God’s commandments, not even the basic TEN, through the efforts of human ability.  Even Moses, Noah, Abraham, and men such as these had favor with God through the same way we do today:  Believing God.

Faith is such a merciful thing.  Faith is a wondrous thing – that God would bestow on us the riches of relationship, fellowship, and eternal life all through believing God.  But believing what?

Believing that through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, He fulfilled ALL righteousness in His Person – every jot and tittle of the Law.  That through His death, He fully paid the penalty for our unrighteousness – all of the world’s.

And now through Him, by receiving the Truth who is Christ, we have been made alive, made sons through faith and live on the other mountain:  Mt. Zion.

Galatians warns us not to go back to Mt. Sinai – we’re in for disappointment, gloom and despair.  We are walking in unbelief if we do.  Unbelief produces works of the flesh.  Unbelief produces clamor and division among people – produces hiarchy, comparison, confusion, every work of Satan’s plotting.

Faith of the Son of God produces what we’re all looking for:  the fruit of God’s Spirit.  But I am finding unless we all get into this same faith (Ephesians calls it the unity of the faith) and the true knowledge of God, we have lots of problems, even among Christians.

I see that Jesus Christ is Lord over each member – that it’s only His Spirit who has the right to lead each one, and lead He will.  God does really bring forth true righteous actions – He never leads us to sin.  Ever, never.  BUT it is only THROUGH CHRIST, REAL FRUIT IS MANIFESTED.

I do not know about you but I’ve lived under bondage in my life by the tyranny of man.  I’ve had Mt. Sinai smoking at me many, many times.  I like what a brother in Christ has said:  “I’ve relocated from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion.”  God has provided RELOCATION SERVICES through this book, Galatians.

It takes the Holy Spirit in us to give us true wisdom and insight about things.  To show us what we are really fighting.  Sometimes we do think we are fighting each other, when the real crux of the matter is our unrenewed minds, and the failure to understand Christ within our hearts.

Until we let Him lead us into all truth, we’ll see lots of confusion, lots of sects, lots of divisions, comparisons, wars among us – sad but true.  But if we personally let go and let God do this work – show us all things, we will end up like-minded and not religious minded.  Mt. Sinai will make you “religious” and kill yourself and others by the letter of the Law.

Spirit-minded (Mt. Zion) will fill us with life and peace and joy in believing our Lord.  We can only see TRUE FELLOWSHIP through God’s way, not our own.

Mt. Zion is Jesus Christ – our Savior.  At Mt. Zion is fellowship with the Father and His Son.  At Mt. Zion are the Table of Grace, Mercy, Peace, the Holy Spirit, Eternal Life, the true Power of God, WISDOM, understanding, and NO religion – only Christ, the Living One.

All of us have traveled back and forth from these mountains in our lives.  But the work of God is to permanently keep us at Mt. Zion - to understand the difference.  To live unto God wholly through and by the grace of Christ provided in our hearts.

Mt. Sinai is striving.  Mt. Zion is rest (but fruitful works).

“Lord, let us relocate permanently to the true Mt. Zion – thank you for keeping us there by your Spirit within our hearts.”

Dwelling at Mt. Zion,

Sue Gaither

 Scriptures to Ponder:

⁶I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

 ⁷which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

 ⁸But 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!

 ⁹As 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!

 ¹⁰For 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.

¹⁸"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

 ¹⁹"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.

 ²⁰"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

 ²¹"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

 ²This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 ²This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

¹²However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM."

Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?

 ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.

 ²³But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.

 ²⁴This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.

 ²⁵Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

 ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.

 ²⁷For it is written,
         "REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR;
         BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR;
         FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE
         THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND."

 ²⁸And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.

 ²⁹But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.

 ³⁰But what does the Scripture say?
         "CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON,
         FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN."

 ³¹So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.