Have you ever felt like a prisoner; In chains, shackled, subject to the one holding you, your every move scrutinized?
Galatians 3:23 we read that the Galatians then, as well as you and I now, are held "in custody under the law (God's law in the 10 Commandments), locked up until the faith that was to come was revealed." That is faith in the One who was revealed in the person of Christ.
This means that when we live under the law we are "in custody", or bound up, attempting to follow the law. The law is also described as a "guardian" in verse 24 sort of like a babysitter. Who wants to live like that? Christ offers something so much more. He offers Maximum Joy! For anyone who believes in the Son of Man will be justified. Galatians 2:16 says "man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ".
As stated in the previous post, Funny Peace/Maximum Joy, the law is trivial. It is trivial to the extent that we, believers on Christ, are no longer under the law but under grace. Observing the law really is trivial when it stands against grace. But remember that law's job is to make us aware of sin which leads us to the cross where grace abounds.
How are believers to experience Maximum joy?
First of all, believers are the "son's of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (3:26), we are grafted into the vine, adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God! Since we are adopted in as children of God then logically we are Abraham's seed and "heirs according to the promise" (3:29). That promise came in Genesis 22:17-18 KJV "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice."
Galatians 4:1-7 of the Message paraphrase captures the concept of the law as the guardian or babysitter.
"Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the
heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the
entire inheritance, he is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever
date the father has set for emancipation. That is the way it is with us: When we
were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple instructions (the
tutors and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own
lives.
But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father,
God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law
so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we
have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure
that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit
of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of
intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a
child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the
inheritance."
We who believe no longer live under the authority of the kidnapper. We have been emancipated and are free to experience "our rightful heritage"!
As if that's not enough, God also sends "the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit that calls out Abba Father" (4:6). The expression 'Abba Father', which is used in most other translations, is an expression of an especially close relationship to God the Father. If not for Christ we don't have an especially close relationship with Father God. As a matter of fact, we don't have any relationship with God without Christ.
So with all that our joy should be maxed out 24/7/365. That joy should cause us to be silent before the Lord and on our knees in gratitude for all He has given us and that there is nothing we could EVER do to deserve His grace.
Next up... I Am A Child Of______
Galatians 3:23 we read that the Galatians then, as well as you and I now, are held "in custody under the law (God's law in the 10 Commandments), locked up until the faith that was to come was revealed." That is faith in the One who was revealed in the person of Christ.
This means that when we live under the law we are "in custody", or bound up, attempting to follow the law. The law is also described as a "guardian" in verse 24 sort of like a babysitter. Who wants to live like that? Christ offers something so much more. He offers Maximum Joy! For anyone who believes in the Son of Man will be justified. Galatians 2:16 says "man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ".
As stated in the previous post, Funny Peace/Maximum Joy, the law is trivial. It is trivial to the extent that we, believers on Christ, are no longer under the law but under grace. Observing the law really is trivial when it stands against grace. But remember that law's job is to make us aware of sin which leads us to the cross where grace abounds.
How are believers to experience Maximum joy?
First of all, believers are the "son's of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (3:26), we are grafted into the vine, adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God! Since we are adopted in as children of God then logically we are Abraham's seed and "heirs according to the promise" (3:29). That promise came in Genesis 22:17-18 KJV "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice."
Galatians 4:1-7 of the Message paraphrase captures the concept of the law as the guardian or babysitter.
"Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the
heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the
entire inheritance, he is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever
date the father has set for emancipation. That is the way it is with us: When we
were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple instructions (the
tutors and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own
lives.
But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father,
God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law
so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we
have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure
that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit
of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of
intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a
child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the
inheritance."
We who believe no longer live under the authority of the kidnapper. We have been emancipated and are free to experience "our rightful heritage"!
As if that's not enough, God also sends "the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit that calls out Abba Father" (4:6). The expression 'Abba Father', which is used in most other translations, is an expression of an especially close relationship to God the Father. If not for Christ we don't have an especially close relationship with Father God. As a matter of fact, we don't have any relationship with God without Christ.
So with all that our joy should be maxed out 24/7/365. That joy should cause us to be silent before the Lord and on our knees in gratitude for all He has given us and that there is nothing we could EVER do to deserve His grace.
Next up... I Am A Child Of______
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