How many of us can remember a time in our life where we were repetitively told about something? I'm not talking about stories, but those times (especially in the formative years) that your mom, dad, grandma, or some other adult with influence in your life held their proverbial finger down on ONE specific thing. Harping on it and insisting on its importance and ramifications on your destiny....sounds funny, but I think we all have one and for some of us- it could've been a laundry list...
The movie that is brought to my mind that illustrates this the best is Christmas Story. Ralphie has one dream and desire and Christmas is coming. A red rider bb-gun. Do you remember? This coveted item that he has repeatedly been warned against and yet among the refrains of the dooming adults, he gets exactly what he wanted and exactly what was foretold.
He shoots his eye out.
Collective sigh!
Dang. Even if we end up getting exactly what we want, often times it still comes at exactly the price we were warned against. Get that? Getting what you want, doing the things the way you think are right- doesn't make what you get correct or the way you are going after something right.
I remember having times in my life these repetitive refrains would come often from my mom and dad. Looking back, I can recall the annoyance and arrogant response I would have to the oft-related overtures....how could anyone need to be told the SAME THING so many times?
Getting what you want, doing the things the way you want- doesn't make what you get or how you get it right.
I'd like to suggest that Paul was much like the parent with experience and wisdom trying to raise their kids in a way that avoided the pitfalls and circumstances he KNEW could be avoided.
Paul was constantly reminding people about grace.....not to annoy them, not to offend their intelligence, but because he KNEW how much they [we] would be persuaded to believe otherwise.
I mean, how easy is it to think you're doing everything the right way and enjoying life in the midst only to realize that apart from Jesus- apart from grace- none of what you've done gets you anywhere or earns you a thing.
We enter into the next part of Paul's letter with this common refrain of grace, but with the added component of "sonship". Not only does Paul begin to admonish the church for their desire to be under the law once again, he explains the folly of such a desire as children of God.
Galatians 4:1-7
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So that you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Remember, we discussed that Jesus became the access point to the fullness of God much like the parameters to a trust releases the fullness of the inheritance to the heir. Jesus, is the only way to God because he was the key to the release of the kingdom BECAUSE of his atonement for mankind. His death in place of yours and mine as a sinless, spotless human born under the same circumstances as us (human birth) raised us to life in HIS resurrection into a new creation in which we are given His spirit and as such become apart of God's family. It is in this new relational standpoint as a believer we come to God as his kids rather than his slaves. We get to call him "Abba" which is an affectionate term for father, much like "daddy".
What happens when you go from slave to son?
You become an heir.
What does the heir receive?
The full inheritance.
What do we have access to that those pre-Jesus did not?
Faith in Jesus- in what He's done.
What does that do?
Releases the full inheritance to us as NEW creations that make us sons and daughters of the King.
That. Is. Awesome.
I find Paul's repetitive nature to be important. In my own experience- my own life- I've had to repent and come back to grace on more than one occasion. I've had to be reminded of my position in Christ.
You know, when God reminds us of who we are and whose we are- I find that the reminder is often the same as conviction. Now what is conviction? How is different from shame?
Shame is from the enemy. Shame says you ARE your sin. IE) You ARE a cheater, You ARE a drunk, You ARE dirty, etc. Shame makes a statement against your identity. Conviction is completely different. Conviction reminds you WHO you are and empowers you to be better through Jesus. IE) You are loyal- cheating is not you. You are really fun sober and people like you, getting drunk is not what makes you fun and likeable. You are pure and clean in the eyes of your father, come back to doing life this way.
Both can have difficult feelings associated with them, but only one restores someone back to the path God has them on.
So- conviction can come as a "reminder" from God.
You don't need to do anything to prove yourself to me.
You can't do anything to make yourself worthy.
Jesus is the only way.
These reminders come often in our lives, not because God is angry or annoyed with where we're at in process, but BECAUSE He is patient and long-suffering. When we get distracted or off track in any area, He is there to remind us to come back to Him.
Galatians 4:8-11
Formerly, when you did not know God, you wer enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
Paul illustrates this point by reminding them again that things were different BEFORE because they didn't know God. Before Jesus, there wasn't access so there were guardrails to lead to the access.....but NOW- they had come to know God, or rather BE KNOWN by Him.
You guys. I didn't even know that this passage was here before Known to be Known came to be in my life with God. The verse He first captured me with this notion was John 17:3....now here it is again. The desire for relationship being the absolute greatest reward. The relational position of knowing God and being known by Him becoming the filter to which we process and pursue life.
How could they or us possibly turn back to any form of religious or legalistic infrastructure to Him when He made Himself perfectly accessible to us in Jesus?
Do you hear the pleading and frustration in Paul in your own heart at this point?
One hand has grace and freedom and love and relationship and the other has bondage that leads to nothing.
In his frustration, he is pleading the ridiculousness of their attempt to qualify salvation by observing religious days rather than the risen Christ.
Again, how often do we fall into that?
Ever noticed how church is the most packed on Easter and Christmas like God values your attendance the MOST on those two days?
Ya'll your heart posture is the most important. OUR motives are what God looks at. So don't think this means not observing holy days is unimportant, of course it is. But the observation of these times has nothing to do with doing the right thing and everything with celebrating the right person.
Deep breath.
Isn't the Bible incredible?
Isn't the fact that you become not a believer, but a son or daughter in God's eyes?
He doesn't see you as another salvation, He RECOGNIZES you as His.
You aren't a slave to Sunday services, communion, baptism, Christmas tradition, confession, good deeds, tithing, giving, forgiving, etc. You are a son and heir through God and as such, all the things that were once guardrails onto something become the natural expression and pursuit of the one that has released the fullness of God and the opportunity to call him....
Abba.
Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can possibly ask or imagine according to the power at work within us. Ephesians 3:20
Lyns
Comments