What Counts

Grace can be a difficult concept for humans to grasp. How can the God of all creation offer us something that we didn’t earn? How can faith alone qualify us for God’s amazing grace, favor and forgiveness? Surely we must prove ourselves through our deeds, right? The better we are, the more deserving we become, right? Wrong. It is by grace, through faith that we have been saved. But even if we know this to be true in our minds, do we really know it in our hearts? There were some in Paul’s day who, I believe, struggled with this concept as well. Some wanted to prove their worth by their deeds - or by their obedience to the law. They wanted to show their faithfulness through the physical act of circumcision. But in Galatians, chapter 5, verse 6, Paul says this: 

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” 

“Faith expressing itself through love”. That is what counts. What makes a difference in the kingdom of God isn’t legalism, but faith expressing itself through love. We can read as many chapters in the Bible as we want and commit all of it to memory; we can go to every church service and sing every Christian hymn; we can believe that deeds without faith has value; but Paul tells us differently. James reminds us that faith without deeds is dead. But I would also submit to you that deeds without faith is dead.  “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” That is a verse worth committing to memory.

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When it comes to our deeds, as believers in Christ, Paul reminds us that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” For some of us, this might require a shift in attitude. We shouldn’t waste our time on things that don’t matter, even if they are veiled in a shroud of Christianity. Sure, many of our Christian practices have benefits, but what really counts is faith expressing itself through love. When we get to heaven, and all of our deeds are examined and filtered through the lens of God’s character, it is this that will float to the surface. Remember, in first Corinthians Chapter 13, Paul points out three vital attributes that God values; faith, hope and love. And in this verse in Galatians, two of those attributes are highlighted. I don’t know about you, but that tells me something.

Stop Biting

In the book of John, Jesus reminds us that everyone will know that we are his disciples if we love one another. Love should always be an overriding agent in our behavior. It should drive our heart, our dedication, our decision making and our motives. But at times, loving someone, even fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, can be a challenge. Even with believers, personalities may clash, political and world ideologies may differ, and cultural biases may cause division. That is why the Bible stresses unity so strongly. Love is the binding agent that should align us to one common purpose and one common Lord. This commonality, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, should help us to supernaturally love one another if our natural tendencies fail us. It should keep us from quarreling and biting each other so that division will not be the cause of our downfall. Paul puts it this way when speaking to the Galatians in chapter 5, verses 14 and 15:

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Earlier, Paul calls out divisive factions within the body. Apparently, there were those who were actively causing division; those who were resistant to what Paul was preaching, trying their best to cling to the old covenant. But we have the benefit of knowing the whole truth. We have the entire scripture. This should bring unity. It should inspire love for one another. And if we are able to remain focused on this commonality, fueled by the Holy Spirit, we will grow together in faith and we will flourish. We will encourage and uplift one another in love. And we will avoid the pitfalls outlined in this portion of scripture.

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If we rely on our flesh, we will begin to look more and more like the world. Our love for each other will eventually grow cold. And like angry dogs we will “bite” at each other, and if we continue down that path, we may even devour each other. An overriding commandment is for us to love one another. I challenge you to explore what this means in your life. What does loving your neighbor look like? Are you loving your neighbor? Does it even enter your mind? Loving your neighbor may require you to be proactive. It may require prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and maybe even a change of heart. Love is the primary agent driving everything in the Bible. In fact, God is love. And if love is that important, shouldn’t we pursue it with everything that is within us?

Spirit Walk

There’s a treasure trove of Godly wisdom that Paul shares with the churches throughout the New Testament. He often expounds on the character of God, teaches us how to follow Jesus, and warns against potential pitfalls in our walk. He also encourages us with words that help us in our effort to live a Godly life in a fallen world. We need this kind of wisdom because whether we want to admit it or not, the flesh can be exceedingly weak. To battle the flesh, with it’s temptations and sinful desires, we should heed Paul’s words in Galatians chapter 5, verse 16, which says:  

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” 

Notice that he didn’t say that we will not desire the sinful nature. He says that if we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature - or fall into sin. He goes on to remind us that the flesh and the Spirit are always in conflict. If so, how can we insure that the Spirit will always win out? Well, in verse 18, he encourages us to be led by the Spirit. What does it mean to live by the Spirit or to be led by the Spirit? I believe that it is a conscious effort on our part to follow his prompting, to focus our thoughts on heavenly things, and to remember that since we belong to Jesus, the Bible tells us that we have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. If we walk in step with the Spirit we are able to bare the fruit of the Spirit, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is not by our willpower that we can accomplish this, but only if we are in step with the Spirit. And to be in step with the Spirit involves remaining close enough to him that we can feel, sense or hear his prompting - and when we do, to obey him.

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Paul says that we need to “live by the Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” To overcome the flesh requires the aid of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Our nature is to sin, and our willpower, or flesh, is weak. We will fail more often than we will succeed on our own. So we need to walk in step with the Spirit. We need to daily connect with our God, focus our thoughts on him, continually pray to him, and trust his leading. He can break strongholds, protect us from the evil one, and be our strength when we are weak. Walking in step with the Spirit is a daily challenge. But the life of a Christian is to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. The good thing is that we don’t have to do it on our own. We have the Holy Spirit to help us.

Enslaved Again

In Galatians, Paul writes a letter pretty much chastising the Galatians for going back to practicing traditions from the old law of Moses even after they learned about Jesus and the new covenant. Despite this new knowledge, they chose to go back in “bondage”, so to speak, to the way things used to be done. It says in Galatians 4:8-9:

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?"

As I mentioned earlier, this portion of scripture is in reference to the law of Moses, but I think we could also consider how it might be relevant to sin as well. Paul says, “how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Like putting the law behind us and turning to the new covenant, we also need to put our sin behind us and turn to freedom in Christ. And as we do not want to be enslaved by the law, we also don’t want to be enslaved by sin all over again. So I encourage you, to remember what Jesus promises; freedom in himself. Chapter 5 verse 1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” I think that says it all.

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Remember what Paul said to the Galatians and try to apply it to the Law of Moses as well as to our view on sin. It says, “how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” And we as believers should respond with a resounding “no”. It can be difficult to stand in the face of sin, but we are encouraged to stand firm and to not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. I think it would do us all well to think on that verse for a while and see if the Holy Spirit might bring it to life in our lives.

Crucified Flesh

Do you ever wonder why Jesus tells us that we need to take up our cross daily and follow him? I believe it is that we need to be reminded that our life is not our own. That our desires, whether fleshly or otherwise, need to conform to his desires. That we no longer live for ourselves but we take on the mission that Jesus has set out for us. When we take up our cross and follow him, we realize that by doing so, we prove that we belong to him. And as such, Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:24:

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

The verse just prior to this one talks about the fruits of the spirit. And one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control. All the others are things that we are to do, to exude or to practice. But self-control is something that helps us avoid sin. Self-control doesn’t mean willpower. I think it means discipline. The discipline of filling our minds and our hearts with the things of God. The bible tells us to think on heavenly things. And I believe the more that we do, the more our hearts and minds fall in alignment with the Spirit and the more successful we are in crucifying the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

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“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires”. We can only accomplish this if we take up our cross daily, if we know that we are not our own, and if we keep in step with the Spirit. As a matter of fact, the very next verse says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” To keep in step with the Spirit means that we have to be on the same page as him. His page, not ours. So, I encourage you to remember this verse and to make it real in your life. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.