Monday, July 23, 2012


Gal 4:20, 21 "I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.  Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?" 

It would be easier to gain understanding and agreement if we could discuss this face to face, so we could really get at the core of the confusion. Why do you want to be put under a system of rituals and rules when you haven't heard or understood the reason they came about?
You see Abraham had two biological sons one from a free woman and one from a woman that was a servant. In a comparison the descendants of Abraham were not all children of promise, but you like Isaac are of the promise, because of the gift of faith given by grace. It is becoming a child of God by God's decision to give you grace to bring you to faith that He is your Father.

Gal 4:22-28 "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.  But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.  For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband."  Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise." 

In the same way that Hagar's children hated the place of promise relegated to Isaac, now those who hold on to ritual and keeping of rules, hate the offering of grace. These slaves are bound to the captivity of trying to gain God's favor by keeping the rules. Don't give any place for these teachers or the things they teach. 
You are set free to follow Christ now, He is Absolute Love. Love brings freedom and following after Him in love becomes a way to gain freedom from sin. You don't need the rules and ritual to show you the way, you know the way in your hearts. So don't give up grace for rule keeping, it is captivity and death, because if you rely on rule keeping falling short in just one thing brings you under judgement.

Gal 4:29-5:!  "But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman." For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." 


The result of relying on rules and ritual rather that a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ is you lose the connection to God's love. He is Absolute Love. So these rules and ritual can never be kept to the satisfaction of God, because they become disconnected from the Love of God and cut off from truly loving others as God loves. These rituals become an futile obligation that can never fulfill or set free. Only Jesus Christ sets free, He is Yahweh, He is Absolute Love. 

Gal 5:2-4  "Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." 


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