legalism

Two Sides of the Same Coin

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8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. – Titus 3:8-11 ESV

Paul has just reminded Titus of the core message of the gospel: Jesus Christ appeared in human form as a visible expression of God’s goodness and love. Not only that, but Jesus proved the love of God by offering His own life as payment for the sins of humanity. His death made salvation possible, not based on our efforts to live righteous lives, but because of the mercy of God the Father. The death of Jesus on the cross provided a way for sinful man to be forgiven, cleansed, and restored to a right relationship with God the Father. After His resurrection and return to His Father’s side, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers; the result was their “new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NLT). And the Holy Spirit’s presence within the life of every believer is a guarantee of the eternal life awaiting them.

Paul tells Titus that this is a trustworthy saying. In Greek, the phrase is pistos logos. It means these are words we can rely on and believe in. They are true and worthy of our trust because they hold the key to our present effectiveness and our future hope.

Paul places such high expectations on the believers living on Crete because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death made possible a life filled with a never-before-available power to live above and beyond the norms of everyday life. A Christian is a new creation whose purpose for life has been radically changed because of his relationship with Jesus Christ. That is why Paul expected Titus to hold the believers on Crete to the higher standard that came with their newfound status as God’s children.

Jesus died so that sinful men might be saved, but His death also made possible their ongoing spiritual transformation. He didn’t just provide a clean slate, wiping them free from the sin debt they owed; He also made it possible for them to live righteous lives. So, Titus was to “insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:8 NLT).

Notice Paul’s emphasis on belief and behavior. In his mind, these two things were inseparable, like two sides of the same coin. You could never have one without the other. For Paul, the good news regarding Jesus Christ was not just about gaining entrance into heaven someday; it was about the daily manifestation of our faith through tangible works that reveal the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is exactly what Paul told the believers in Ephesus:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 NLT

Paul insists that every believer is God’s handiwork or masterpiece. The Greek word he used is poiēma, and it refers to “the thing that is made.” Each believer is a handcrafted work of God. This refers not only to their creation, but also to their re-creation through salvation. Paul’s point is that no one saves themselves; no one becomes a Christian. The work of salvation is entirely up to God, from beginning to end, just as Paul told the believers in Rome.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. – Romans 8:29-30 NLT

Paul was consistently emphatic when declaring man’s non-existent role in salvation.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. – Ephesians 2:9 NLT

God is entirely responsible for the entire redemptive process, from initial salvation to sanctification and, ultimately, final glorification. From beginning to end, it is the work of God.

…because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ESV

But while man’s works cannot make him right with God, they can certainly provide evidence of God’s work in him, which is the entire point of Paul’s letter to Titus. He wanted the believers on Crete to live their lives in the power of the Spirit, fulfilling the preordained plans God had for them. There was work to be done because many had not yet heard the gospel message. God had a divine strategy in place requiring all believers to live in obedience to His will and in total submission to His Spirit. Their righteous behavior would give evidence of their belief and shine like light in the darkness. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His audience, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16 NLT). Jesus used this theme repeatedly.

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” – Luke 8:16 NLT

“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” – Luke 11:33 NLT

What Paul shared with Titus was meant to be considered good and beneficial. This wasn’t pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. Salvation wasn’t to be viewed as some future escape plan from eternal torment; it was to be the key to abundant life in the present, and Paul lived his life that way, which is why he could so boldly state, “I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

He firmly believed that his old self was crucified alongside Christ, “so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless” ªRomans 6:6 BSB). He regularly experienced the reality of his own teaching in his own life.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. – Galatians 5:24 NLT

If those old passions and desires have been nailed to the cross, it is essential that they be replaced with new passions and desires. The believer’s new nature in Christ should become increasingly more evident, revealing the power of God’s indwelling Spirit. So, everything Paul instructed Titus to teach the believers on Crete is tied to the good works God created them to accomplish. That includes submission, self-control, love, patience, temperance, kindness, sacrifice, and a host of other qualities that are still in short supply today. Our behavior should reflect what we say we believe.

…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

We are to believe and behave in a way that displays our new status as God’s adopted sons and daughters. From God’s perspective, we are new creations, so why would we continue to live according to our old natures? God has new things for us to do and a radically different lifestyle in mind, intended to prove the reality of our new identities. Which is why Paul told the believers in Ephesus, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT).

But many of the believers on the island of Crete were struggling. Some were causing dissension by teaching unadulterated lies. Arguments were breaking out within their gatherings. Sides were being taken, damaging the church’s unity and diluting the gospel’s message. Paul makes it brutally clear what Titus was to do with those who caused divisions within the local church.

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him… – Titus 3:10 ESV

The point of Paul’s letter is godly behavior; he is calling all professing Christians to live as who they are: the sons and daughters of God, reflecting Christ’s character and devoting themselves to good works. Anything that distracted from the objective was to be avoided at all costs. Anyone who distorted or took away from that mission was to be rejected for being warped, sinful, and self-condemning. They were guilty of twisting and perverting the message of the gospel, and their actions condemned them. Paul insists that they be avoided like a plague because the spiritual well-being of the body of Christ was at risk. The believers on Crete would find it nearly impossible to accomplish the good works God had prepared for them to do as long as these individuals were allowed to remain in their midst. There was no place for tolerance or complacency when it came to threats against the truth of the gospel.

This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. – Galatians 5:9-10 NLT

Paul had no tolerance for false teachers, and neither should they. Right living becomes virtually impossible when wrong doctrines are allowed to exist. Doing good works is difficult when bad teaching is left unchallenged in the church. The church must always take the truth seriously and deal with falsehood decisively. The world may be filled with lies, driven by deception, and motivated by selfishness, but the church of Jesus Christ is to be the unwavering foundation of God’s truth.

Paul was providing Titus with the same powerful reminder that he had given Timothy, so that both men might “know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 BSB).

Father, Your servant Paul talked a lot about good works because he understood that belief and behavior were inseparable and non-negotiable. I am reminded of the words of James, when he wrote, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror” (James 2:19 NLT). Demons know You exist, but thir belief in Your existence does not produce righteous behavior. They fear You, but lack the ability to worship You because they remain unrepentant and unredeemed. So, our verbal expressions of belief may impress others, but they don’t fool You because You know our hearts and You look for “the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11 ESV). But that fruit is not something we produce, it is the work of Your Spirit within us. Yet, it should be evident to all those around us, like light shining in a darkened room. If we lack fruitfulness, it is because of faithlessness. We either doubt Your power to transform our lives, question the need to live differently, or buy the lie that sanctification is up to us. But for You, belief and behavior are irrevocably linked and the byproducts of Your grace. I can’t produce the fruit of righteousness, but Your Spirit can. So, keep me dependent upon Him so that His fruit might flow through me. Amen. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Wanted: Godly Leaders

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10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. – Titus 1:10-16 ESV

Like Timothy, Titus was one of Paul’s protégés. He was a Greek Gentile whom Paul had led to Christ and who joined the apostle on several of his missionary journeys. Over time, Titus earned Paul’s trust and was sent on his own mission endeavors, including the island of Crete, where he was to appoint elders and establish some sense of order among the congregations there.

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. –  Titus 1:5 NLT

As he had done with Timothy, Paul gave Titus advice on how to deal with false teachers, a recurring problem in the fledgling churches on Crete. Titus found himself ministering in a place where the reputation of the inhabitants was far from stellar. Paul even quoted Epimenides, a 6th-century BC philosopher and religious prophet from Crete who held a low view of his fellow Cretans.

Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. – Titus 1:12 ESV

“In his poem Cretica, Epimenides accuses the Cretans of being liars and evil beasts because they claim to host a tomb of Zeus, the chief of the gods. Since Zeus “lives and abides forever,” the Cretans must be liars. Paul quotes from this same poem in his sermon to the Areopagus in Acts 17:28. Crete also claimed to be the birthplace of Zeus, known in antiquity as the Dictaean Cave, which legend placed on the slopes of Mount Ida, Crete’s tallest mountain. Reputedly from Knossos, Epimenides was supposed to have the gift of prophecy, which was bestowed on him after he allegedly slept for 57 years in a cave sacred to Zeus.” – Currid, John D., and David W. Chapman, editors. ESV Archaeology Study Bible. Crossway, 2018

Paul concurred with Epimenides’ assessment and went out of his way to paint a less-than-flattering picture of the people of Crete. He described them as  “insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party” (Titus 1:10 ESV).

Evidently, the false teachers were not the only people of poor repute on Crete; some members of the local church were, too. That’s why Paul spends a great deal of time in his letter focusing on good works. He wanted Titus to understand just how important good character and moral behavior were in the life of a believer.

Paul commanded Titus to deal harshly and firmly with those whose lives were marked by laziness and lying. He didn’t want his young disciple to tolerate the disorder and chaos these kinds of people were bringing into the church. He told Titus to “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13 ESV). Rebuking and restoration were both part of Titus’ ministry on Crete.

Paul’s objective was for these individuals to become “sound in the faith,” because they were spreading false and deceptive ideas concerning faith in Christ. Paul’s use of the term “faith” refers to eternal salvation made possible through belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. The false teachers were confusing and even contradicting what Paul, Titus, and others had taught regarding what it means to have faith in Christ, experience forgiveness of sins, and have a restored relationship with God.

Rather than teaching faith alone in Christ, these false teachers proclaimed novel messages about salvation that contradicted the gospel Paul and the other apostles proclaimed, weakening the faith of the Cretan believers. These new converts to Christianity no longer knew who or what to believe, leaving their confidence in the gospel in doubt.

One of the qualifications for elders that Paul gave Titus was “he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9 ESV). Elder candidates were to be knowledgeable of the truth so that they might refute falsehood and rebuke those who taught it. As far as Paul was concerned, sound faith was totally dependent upon sound doctrine.

But these false teachers were teaching “what they ought not to teach” and all “for shameful gain” (Titus 1:11 ESV). Paul refers to them as being from the circumcision party, a reference to Jews who expressed faith in Christ, but who taught that Gentiles must keep the Law of Moses and undergo the rite of circumcision in order to be saved. Paul fought this heresy with every fiber of his being. His fear was that, based on their reputation, the Cretans would easily accept this false teaching and end up “devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14 ESV).

The Cretans were easily swayed by the “commands” or teachings of these people. They readily accepted what they had to say about circumcision, abstinence from certain foods, the keeping of Jewish feasts and festivals, and adherence to the Mosaic law. But Paul warned Titus that these false teachers were nothing less than hypocrites and were to be avoided at all costs.

Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. – Titus 1:16 NLT

Paul made it clear that the real problem with these false teachers was their hearts.

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. – Titus 1:15 NLT

They were obsessed with the externals: keeping laws and commands and adhering to rituals and religious rules. During His earthly ministry, Jesus encountered another group of well-respected individuals with a similar outlook. On one occasion, a group of Jewish religious leaders approached Jesus and asked why His disciples didn’t follow their man-made tradition of ceremonial hand-cleansing before they ate. Jesus politely listened to their thinly veiled accusation and then responded with a stinging rebuke.

“And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
    for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” – Matthew 15:3-9 NLT

Jesus went on to say: “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth” (Matthew 15:11 NLT).

Those self-righteous religious leaders had missed the point. They were so busy keeping external rules that they missed the real issue: the condition of their hearts. Paul knew that the false teachers who were so negatively impacting the churches on Crete were suffering from the same problem. Their minds and consciences were defiled, and their hearts were hardened to the truth regarding faith in Christ. They were convinced that there had to be more to salvation than faith alone in Christ alone. Judaism began as a faith-based relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but over time it became a system of rigid rules and religious rituals focused on self-righteousness. But Paul describes these Jewish believers as defiled, unbelieving, wrong, and dangerous. So, Titus was to rebuke these false teachers sharply, and chastise the Cretans for so readily accepting their lies.

Sound doctrine and sound faith go hand in hand. The Word of God is not open to interpretation, and we are not free to add to the gospel or alter the truth of God in any way. We are not to tolerate those who attempt to mislead by misinterpreting the Word of God. That is why Paul told Titus that an elder must “have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong” (Titus 1:9 NLT).

Paul had written something similar to Timothy, stating that the purpose of his letter was that he would “know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 NLT). The church and its leaders were to adhere to and uphold the truth of God, especially as it relates to the message and means of salvation. There is no other gospel except the one we have been given: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31 ESV).

We live in the midst of an ungodly world, and there is an ongoing need for godly individuals who will step forward and provide leadership and protection for the flock of God. The church needs men of character who are led by the Spirit of God and committed to the Word of God because disorder and disruption are all around us. That’s why qualified leaders are in great need, even today.

Father, it is hard to believe, but liars and deceivers exist in the church. We don’t like to admit it, but the enemy has done a masterful job of infiltrating the flock of God, with his agents of deceit masguerading as sheep and propagating his clever-sounding lies disguised as truth. That is why we need godly leaders who know Your Word and are willing, ready, and able to defend it at all costs. The danger is real because the subtle lies of the enemy are difficult to spot. They sound good and cause the innocent and unsuspecting to wander from the path of righteousness. That’s why we need men and women who are dedicated to rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and devoted to the care and protection of Your flock. Continue to raise up leaders like Paul, Titus, and Timothy, and give us the wisdom to recognize and appoint them. The church belongs to You and we want to steward its care well. Amen. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Ignorance of Unbelief

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12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. – 1 Timothy 1:12-20 ESV

Paul was comfortable in his own skin. He was well aware of his past and unafraid to confess it or come face to face with it. He regularly revisited the life he lived before coming to faith in Christ, recognizing that his past was a vital part of his present identity. He unabashedly admits to Timothy, “I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people” (1 Timothy 1:13 NLT). 

There was a dark side to Paul’s past that he was more than willing to admit; he didn’t attempt to hide or gloss over it. In fact, his honest recognition of his past made his present state of grace in Christ all the more amazing to him. It wasn’t that Paul had lived a life of moral degeneracy and spiritual bankruptcy. No, he had been a faithful adherent to the Hebrew religion and a committed member of one of the strictest religious sects of his day.

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. – Philippians 3:5-6 NLT

It was his zeal for his religious faith that led him to attack the followers of Jesus. Like most Jews of his day, Paul had viewed the disciples of Jesus as members of a dangerous religious sect that were falsely proclaiming that the Jewish Messiah had come, and Paul saw this rapidly growing religious movement as a threat to his Jewish faith. That led him to wage a one-man crusade against the followers of “the way.”

I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. – Acts 22:3-4 NLT

Paul was brutally honest about his past, fully admitting his role in trying to exterminate any and all Christians from the face of the earth.

You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. – Galatians 1:13 NLT

But Paul’s dark past was not a problem for God Almighty. In fact, God redeemed Paul despite his former way of life.

He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him… – 1 Timothy 1:12 NLT

It was not Paul’s zeal that earned him a right standing with God. His well-intentioned but misguided efforts to purge the world of all Christians had failed miserably, because God had other plans for this hard-driving, high-energy crusader.

Paul regularly shared how God transformed his life from persecutor of the church to proclaimer of the good news of Jesus Christ (Acts 9). While on his way to Damascus to arrest and imprison Christ-followers, Paul had an unexpected encounter with the resurrected Jesus that changed the entire trajectory of his life. He would later be discipled by a man named Ananias, who revealed Paul’s new God-ordained life’s mission.

“The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’” – Acts 22:14-16 NLT

Paul freely admitted to Timothy that his salvation was the gracious work of God, who sent His Son into the world to save sinners just like him.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. – 1 Timothy 1:15 NLT

Paul was still blown away by God’s unmerited favor and immeasurable grace.

God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. – 1 Timothy 1:13-14 NLT

As far as Paul was concerned, his life was meant to be an example to others of just how gracious and forgiving God could be.

God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. – 1 Timothy 1:16 NLT

Paul wanted Timothy to understand the magnitude of God’s power and undeserved goodness. Timothy needed to fully embrace the one-of-a-kind nature of God Almighty, who “is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God” (1 Timothy 1:17 NLT).

All of this was meant to be an introduction or preface to the primary point behind Paul’s letter to Timothy. As a young man attempting to minister to a small congregation of believers living in the hostile environment of Ephesus. Timothy was in a difficult spot. The believers in Ephesus were surrounded by pagan idolaters and a vocal, sometimes violent, contingent of local Jews who viewed them as enemies.

So, Paul was desperate to prepare and encourage Timothy for the battle ahead. This young pastor was facing strong opposition from a zealous and determined foe, and Paul understood what it was like to have a strong opinion about something. He also knew that passion and zeal did not make your opinion right. But the individuals negatively influencing the believers in Ephesus and causing problems for Timothy were confident but misinformed. Paul wrote, “They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently” (1 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

Paul knew what he was talking about because, in his former life, he had been an expert in the law and a Pharisee. He had the background and training to assess the errors behind their teaching.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.” – Acts 22:3 NLT

However, Paul’s superior education and zeal for God did not prevent him from operating outside the will of God. Everything he had done proved to be a misguided attempt to honor God, even though he did it with confidence and a clear conscience. In his ignorance, he had blasphemed the name of Christ and persecuted the people of God. As Paul looked back on his life, he recognized that it all had been done “in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13 NLT).

Paul wanted Timothy to know that even those causing confusion and conflict in the church in Ephesus were not hopeless cases or lost causes. If God could extend mercy and grace to Paul, He could certainly do the same with those who “have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions” (1 Timothy 1:6 NLT). Paul was trying to encourage Timothy to trust in God’s grace and mercy in the midst of all he was facing. If God could take a man like Paul and miraculously change his heart and his life, He could do it for anyone.

God had mercy and extended grace. Paul’s life was not beyond God’s reach or too far gone for Jesus to transform. He had not been irredeemable. Instead, his life had become “a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:16b NLT).

Paul reminded Timothy that, despite all the opposition, confusion, setbacks, false teachers, uncommitted congregants, limited converts, and trying circumstances, God was at work. He gave Timothy one simple directive: “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear” (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT).

Timothy needed to keep his faith firmly planted in Christ, not his own abilities. His zeal, determination, hard work, and good intentions would not be enough. It was Jesus who made it possible for men to be made right with God; His sacrifice made redemption and restoration with the Father achievable. It was through Him that all men gain access to God’s incredible mercy, grace, power, presence, and provision. Paul wanted Timothy to remain faithful to Christ and faithfully fulfill his work as God’s minister of the gospel. Some had failed to do so, and Paul used them as an example and a warning.  

Hymenaeus and Alexander, evidently believers and members of the local fellowship there in Ephesus, had not remained faithful to Christ. They had violated their consciences, evidently disobeying what they knew to be true and right, and, as a result, they had shipwrecked their faith. Their lives were spiritually “on the rocks,” out of commission, and under God’s discipline.

Faithfulness is the key to preventing spiritual failure. God was going to use Timothy in a powerful way, but Timothy would need to remain faithful to Christ and focused on God’s power to extend grace and mercy to all, even the worst of sinners. Timothy’s God was still on His throne.

Father, we all struggle with ignorance. Before coming to faith, we operate at a deficite, unable to comprehend the gravity of our sin and the goodness of Your grace. Some of us denied Your existence, while others of us tried to earn Your favor through hard work and religious zeal. But until Your Spirit opened our eyes to the reality of the gospel, we were too dumb to recognize the gift You were offering. We were trapped in by the ignorance of unbelief. But even since coming to faith, most of us still continue to wrestle with believing that the gift of salvation is truly free. We cling to the old mantras, “You don’t get something for nothing” and “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” We believe we’re saved by grace and did nothing to earn it, but we somehow think we have to work hard if we want to stay on Your good side. That kind of attitude reveals our ongoing ignorance and misunderstanding of Your grace. Paul reminded Timothy to keep his faith firmly planted on Christ, not his own efforts. At no point are we to take the wheel and steer the course of our lives. Your Son is the key to our salvation, sanctification, and future glorification. To embrace any other view reveals the ignorance of unbelief. Don’t let us wander back into a life of self-effort and hard work where earning Your favor takes the place of freely receiving Your grace. Amen. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Subtle Snare of Self-Confidence

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4 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:4b-11 ESV

To understand what Paul means by “confidence in the flesh,” it’s important to consider the context. He has just warned the believers in Philippi to “look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh” (Philippians 3:2 ESV). This was a direct broadside delivered against the Judaizers, a group comprised of Jewish converts to Christianity who were attempting to bring the legalism associated with the Mosaic Law into the church. They were demanding that male Gentile believers be circumcised and then agree to keep the Jewish laws, religious festivals, and sacrificial requirements. In other words, they had to become Jews before their salvation experience could be considered legitimate.

So, when Paul mentions having confidence in the flesh, he is stressing the teachings of this group. They believed that their human efforts, those things done in their own strength, somehow earned them favor with God. As Jews, they put a high value on the rite of circumcision; it was an outward sign of their unique relationship as God’s chosen people. They were of the strong opinion that circumcision was necessary for anyone who hoped to enjoy the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. But for Paul, this was nothing less than another gospel, a false gospel, and it was to be exposed for what it was: a dangerous heresy.

The Greek word Paul used for “flesh” is sarx, and while it was often used to refer to the physical body, it could also be used metaphorically, as in human nature. The Judaizers put a lot of stock in human nature and their own physical abilities, believing that they were able to keep God’s laws and live up to His holy standards. But Paul rejects that mindset, stating that believers were to “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3 ESV). Salvation was based on the work of Christ, not the works of men.

But Paul chose to use their own argument against them, sarcastically portraying himself as the poster boy for stellar human character and self-achievement. To demonstrate the kind of credentials that might earn someone favor with God, Paul recited his own accomplishments and boldly proclaimed, “If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more…” (Philippians 3:4 NLT).

It is as if Paul is saying, “So, you think you can earn a right standing with God based on your accomplishments and status? Well, check this out!” What follows is a laundry list of Paul’s off-the-chart human credentials.

  • He was a card-carrying member of the nation of Israel
  • He was from the tribe of Benjamin
  • He had been circumcised according to the Mosaic Law
  • He was a Hebrew of Hebrews (a hard-core traditionalist)
  • He had been a member of the Pharisees, an elite religious sect
  • He had been a passionate and zealous persecutor of the church
  • He had been painstakingly dedicated to keeping the law

Even a short glance at that list reveals that Paul was not subtly comparing himself with the Judaizers; he was placing himself in direct competition with them and declaring himself to be a model Jew. If they thought their Jewish heritage and law-keeping ability were somehow better than everyone else’s, they had nothing on Paul. His resume made them look like third-string players trying to win a spot on the varsity squad.

But notice what Paul says next. He takes his list of accomplishments and credentials and describes them “as liabilities because of Christ” (Philippians 3:7 NLT). It was the work that Christ accomplished on his behalf that determined Paul’s righteousness, not flesh-produced efforts at lawkeeping. All of his so-called assets amounted to nothing and earned him no credibility or favor with God. Paul understood that his so-called righteous deeds were of no value when it came to his salvation. He firmly believed what the prophet Isaiah clearly declared.

We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags. – Isaiah 64:6 NLT

Paul’s lofty list of accomplishments and personal assets were worthless. That is why he could say, “I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NLT). Rather than placing stock in human nature or his ability to produce righteous-looking deeds, Paul saw those things as hindrances to his spiritual walk. They were liabilities because they were tainted by sin, so Paul had given them up and treated them like what they were: liabilities rather than assets, all so he could know Christ better.

Paul gets a bit graphic when trying to describe his new relationship with all those things he once held near and dear. He considered them to be as worthless and detestable as dung, to be tossed aside and avoided at all costs.

The bottom line for Paul was righteousness. A holy and righteous God demanded that His people live holy, righteous lives, but man’s sinful nature made that impossible. No amount of law-keeping, ritual-observing, or efforts at God-pleasing were going to make a difference. Paul states, “I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness” (Philippians 3:9 NLT). In other words, Paul’s righteousness was not based on self-effort, but on Christ’s faithfulness. Jesus died a sinner’s death to satisfy the just demands of a holy and righteous God. As Paul explained to the Corinthian believers: “For our sake he [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV).

Earlier in this letter, Paul pointed out that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8 ESV). His faithfulness to do the will of His Father resulted in righteousness for us.

The Judaizers were not right before God because they were circumcised. They were not right before God because they were Jews. They could not claim a right standing before God because they kept the law. In fact, Paul vaporized that idea in his letter to the Galatians.

So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Galatians 3:11 NLT

He said the same thing to the believers in Rome.

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:20 NLT

We have no reason to boast and no ground on which to stand or from which to proclaim our own self-righteousness. Our righteousness is actually Christ’s righteousness imputed to us when we placed our faith in Him. When Christ died on the cross, He paid the debt that was owed for the sins of mankind in full. He died in our place, bearing the penalty we deserved, and that act justified us before God, who now sees us as righteous and just, not sinful and worthy of death.

We have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. With that thought in mind, Paul refocuses his readers’ attention on what is really important: the pursuit of an ongoing and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, not effort and earning.

My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:10-11 NLT

Paul is not talking about cognitive knowledge or suggesting a purely academic understanding of who Jesus is. He is describing a deep and intimate relationship that features an ever-intensifying awareness of all that Jesus Christ has done and will do for him. In the immediate context, Paul wanted to experience all the power that Christ’s resurrection made available to him. Jesus had been raised back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit, and every believer has that same power present within them.

But Paul knew from experience that resurrection power is most often revealed in the context of suffering. Just as Jesus had to suffer and die before He could experience the resurrection, we too must endure suffering before we can experience the resurrection power of God’s Spirit in our lives. Jesus experienced humiliation before His glorification and so will we. Paul reminds us that it will all end in the ultimate form of suffering: our own physical death. But Paul wants us to remember that there is a resurrection of the dead. Death is not the end; it is the beginning of something greater. Paul told the believers in Corinth what they could expect when death finally came.

For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” – I Corinthians 15:53-55 NLT

Why put confidence in the flesh? It is of no value and will ultimately be left behind. And why put stock in our own perceived worthiness before God? Without Christ, we have no righteousness of our own. As Paul told the Colossian believers, it all boils down to one thing: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 ESV). He is our hope of salvation, sanctification, and, ultimately, our future glorification. In this life, we are called to share His sufferings, yet one day, we will share the power of his resurrection. 

Father, how silly it is to think I can somehow earn a right standing with You through self-effort. My best deeds done on my best day and with the best of intentions are no better than soiled rags in Your eyes. I bring nothing to the table that impresses You. My attempts at righteousness don’t score brownie points with You. And while I know that my behavior matters to You, it was never intended to save me. My works are important but they are to be the fruit of Your Spirit’s presence in my life, not the result of human effort. You are the one who declared me righteous and You are the only one who can produce righteousness in me. When I start believing that my adherence to a set of rules can raise my estimation in Your eyes, I depreciate the work of Your Son. When I think my acts of righteousness are my own doing, I rob You of glory and treat Jesus’ sacrificial death as insufficient. Never let me lose the wonder and awe of the gift I have received. Rather than focusing on my accomplishments and trying to promote my own self-worth, I want to consider and appreciate the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Without Him, I am nothing. But because of Him, I am Your son and an heir of the Kingdom. Thank You.  Amen. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Subtle Snare of Self-Made Religion

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16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2:16-23 ESV

Far too often, well-meaning but misguided individuals attempt to turn faith in Christ into a lengthy list of dos and don’ts intended to regulate behavior. They take James’ simple premise that a faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:17) and twist it into a legalistic and guilt-inducing set of rules and regulations designed to measure righteousness. Unable or unwilling to accept that a believer’s right standing with God is based on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, these purveyors of self-righteousness attempt to earn favor with God through rituals, rites, and fervent religious rule-keeping.

Entire denominations have been formed based on doctrines that teach that righteousness must be achieved the old-fashioned way: through hard work and merit. Essentially, their teaching is based on the old maxim, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Some seem to have founded their works-based concept of salvation on the often quoted but unbiblical statement, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Humanity’s pervasive pride problem lies at the core of this brand of false teaching and has been around since the fall. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, mankind has been attempting to assuage its guilt and amend its broken relationship with God through human effort. Over the centuries, countless religions have sprung up, each promoting its own unique set of rules and rituals for keeping its particular deity pleased and in a generous mood. While diverse in their doctrines and dogma, each of these religions shares one thing in common: a works-based form of righteousness. The adherents to these religions live under the repressive pressure of a performance-based system that demands constant and unwavering compliance to a set of rigid and unrelenting standards.

Paul and his fellow apostles had to constantly deal with the problem of legalism infiltrating the churches they helped to found. It was only natural for those who converted to Christianity from pagan religions to carry the baggage of their former faith system into their relationship with Christ. They were used to practicing a religion based on rule-keeping and rife with prohibitions of all kinds. So, they were attracted to any form of teaching that gave them a list of rules to follow and activities to avoid. This propensity made them particularly susceptible to the teachings of a group that later became known as the Judaizers.

The word Judaizer first appeared in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia, where Paul describes an encounter with one of his fellow apostles. Peter had been visiting Paul and the church in Antioch, where he freely associated with the predominantly Gentile congregation. Everything was going well until a group of Jewish believers from the church in Jerusalem showed up.

Paul states that “when they came he [Peter] drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party” (Galatians 2:12 ESV). His reference to “the circumcision party” was meant to explain that these were Jews who believed that all Gentiles had to convert to Judaism and practice all the rites and rules associated with it before they could be fully saved.  In their minds, salvation was reserved for God’s chosen people, the Jews. One of the primary ordinances they demanded the Gentile men to obey was that of circumcision.

The presence of these Jewish Christians from Jerusalem caused Peter to avoid the Gentile converts because they were uncircumcised and, therefore, ceremonially unclean. These Jewish believers were demanding that all converts to Christianity submit to the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Essentially, they were teaching that the Gentiles were not truly saved because they were living in violation of the law. But Paul, a Jew and a former Pharisee, would have none of it.

…when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” – Galatians 2:14 ESV

The Greek word translated as “to live like Jews” is ioudaikōs, meaning “after the manner of the Jews.” Paul was appalled that Peter was demanding that Gentile Christians be required to “Judaize” or live according to Jewish commands and customs. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). The Jews who had shown up in Antioch were teaching, “unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1 NLT).

Paul’s confrontation with Peter and the Judaizers forced Paul to make a trip to visit the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Once there, Paul and his co-worker, Barnabas, debated the teaching of the Judaizers with James and the other apostles of Jesus. Paul pulled no punches in confronting this dangerous heresy.

“Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 15:7-11 NLT

According to verse 16 of Colossians 2, this was the same teaching that had infiltrated the church in Colossae. Paul lists a variety of topics that have a decidedly Jewish feel to them: Teachings about the consumption of food and drink, rules concerning feasts and new moon celebrations, and the keeping of the Sabbath.

Someone had obviously been teaching the Gentile members of the local congregation that there was more to their newfound faith than simply belief in Jesus. They were being told that they would have to alter their behavior and accommodate a litany of prescribed religious rules and rituals. But Paul strongly refuted the idea of adding anything to their faith in Christ alone.

…these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. – Colossians 2:17 NLT

As a Jew, Paul knew that God had designed these things to serve a vital but temporary purpose. Paul assured the believers in Galatia that the law had been given by God but that it had fulfilled its primary purpose. Now that Jesus had come, adherence to the law was no longer required to pursue a right standing with God.

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. – Galatians 3:23-25 NLT

Paul wanted the believers in Colossae to understand that they were not subject to anyone’s teaching regarding additional requirements or rules concerning salvation.

Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. – Colossians 2:18 NLT

Their right standing with God was not based on what they did or didn’t do; it was based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Upon placing their faith in Christ, they had been imputed His righteousness. What was true for Paul was also true for them.

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. – Philippians 3:9 NLT

Paul was a staunch defender of the faith who was willing to hold accountable all those who taught a different gospel or a different Jesus. He declared that those who attempted to mislead the believers in Colossae were “puffed up without reason” (Colossians 2:18 ESV). He accused them of allowing their “sensuous” minds to determine their theology. These men were obsessed with the physical rather than the spiritual, which led Paul to assert, “They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body” (Colossians 2:19 NLT).

Their errant teaching separated them from Christ and His church, and their false doctrines concerning salvation made them enemies of the gospel. Their false teaching was doing more harm than good and was diminishing the unity of the body that Christ’s death made possible.

Paul reminded his brothers and sisters in Christ, “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?” (Colossians 2:20 NLT). They were becoming distracted by rules that declared, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” (Colossians 2:21 NLT). But these kinds of prohibitions were man-made and destined to fail. Laws can regulate human behavior but are incapable of changing the heart.

These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. – Colossians 2:23 NLT

For Paul, the law was never about behavior modification. He revealed its true purpose to the believers in Galatia.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. – Galatians 3:19 NLT

Paul also pointed out that the law was never meant to provide salvation. It simply declared the kind of righteousness God required and revealed mankind’s incapacity to live up to God’s holy standards. Paul makes it painfully clear that rule-keeping was never intended to bring salvation.

If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. – Galatians 3:21-22 NLT

Self-denial and forced compliance with a list of moral codes may promote a semblance of sanctification, but it can never change the heart.

Jesus had addressed this issue with His disciples. When answering a question about which foods defile the body, Jesus responded, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Matthew 15:17-20 NLT).

Jesus came to bring about heart transformation, not behavior modification. Yes, He expects our behavior to change, but that change must come from the inside out. Only a transformed heart can produce a changed life. So, Paul warned the Galatians that a law-based and flesh-focused religion would produce the wrong kind of fruit. Only a heart submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit can produce life-altering, behavior-modifying fruit that made the law unnecessary.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. – Galatians 5:17-18 NLT

Adherence to a list of rules, rites, and religious rituals might make us feel more spiritual, but they are powerless to transform the human heart. Man’s penchant for pursuing holiness through self-effort is an ongoing problem and one that Jesus confronted the Pharisees about. He described these self-righteous Jewish religious leaders in unflattering terms, calling them “hypocrites” and declaring, “you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28 NLT).

Having refused to recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, their hearts remained unchanged despite their vain attempts to purify their actions. Man-made religions and self-help holiness never work. Salvation is a gift from God that is based on faith alone in Christ alone and nothing else.

Father, we like rules and get a perverse sense of self-satisfaction in being able to measure our holiness based on our performance. But You look at the heart and You determine our righteousness based on our reliance upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Your Son. It is our reliance upon Him that makes possible our relationship with You. We stand in Your presence, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. Never let us forget that life-changing and freedom-producing truth. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Pursuit of Peace Over Personal Preference

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13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. – Romans 14:13-23 ESV

Paul bookends this section with virtually the same words. He opens with “let us not pass judgment on one another” (Romans 14:13 ESV) and ends with “blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself” (Romans 14:22 ESV). The only difference is the one on whom the judgment is assessed.

We are not to judge each other, and our actions toward one another should give us no cause to judge ourselves. In both cases, the issue is about rights, and Paul used himself as an example. He declared that he had the right to eat whatever he wanted, because nothing was unclean for him. He had probably heard the story of the vision Peter received from God before Peter was sent to the home of Cornelius, a Roman army officer.

Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. – Acts 10:9-16 NLT

While this vision was meant to convey God’s approval of Gentiles receiving the gospel, it also conveyed a not-so-subtle message regarding Jewish dietary laws. With the coming of Jesus, a radical paradigm shift had taken place. The new was replacing the old. The law of Moses was being replaced with the law of liberty. Jesus put it this way:

“No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” – Luke 5:36-39 NLT

Gentiles were now acceptable, and once-forbidden foods were no longer off-limits. Paul would also have been familiar with Jesus’ teachings about dietary laws and defilement.

“It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” – Mark 7:15 NLT

Jesus’ disciples had been confused by His words, so He provided clarification.

“Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes). – Mark 7:18-19 NLT

So Paul, even though he was a Jew, lived his life with a newfound freedom when it came to his eating habits. He no longer lived under the strict dietary restrictions associated with his Jewish heritage, but he was willing to give up his rights for the sake of a brother or sister in Christ. It all goes back to the “weaker” brother narrative in the opening verses of this chapter.

There will always be those in the church whose understanding of the life of faith is less developed. They will retain certain legalistic expectations, believing that what they do or don’t do earns them favor with God. In Paul’s day, both Jewish and Gentile believers brought their own list of restrictions to the table. There were converted Jews who still felt it necessary to maintain the dietary laws of their Jewish faith. There were also Gentile believers who felt convicted about eating meat that had been sacrificed to pagan idols.

Paul had to deal with this issue in the church in Corinth. He told them, “We all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God” (1 Corinthians 8:4 NLT). But he went on to say, “However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated” (1 Corinthians 8:7 NLT).

Then Paul dealt with the real issue. “It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do” (1 Corinthians 4:8 NLT). But for Paul, it all boiled down to the spiritual well-being of his brother or sister in Christ.

But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble. – Romans 4:9-13 NLT

While Paul understood that certain foods were perfectly fine for him to eat, he was not willing to demand his rights if doing so would cause a brother in Christ to sin against his conscience.

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes a brother to stumble. – Romans 14:21 ESV

It is a wonderful thing to enjoy the freedom that comes with the life of faith. Our right standing with God is not based on adherence to a long list of prohibitions and restrictions. But there will always be those who don’t understand this truth and hold strong convictions about what they eat or don’t eat, what they can and can’t wear, and even which activities they can participate in or abstain from.

For Paul, the final word on all of this concerned faith.

For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. – Romans 14:23 ESV

For the immature or weaker believer, conscience ends up playing a far greater role than necessary. Rather than enjoying the freedom that comes with knowing his standing before God is fully taken care of by the finished work of Christ, he ends up operating from his own inner sense of right and wrong. So if his conscience tells him that something is forbidden by God, to violate that belief would be sin. He becomes burdened with guilt for having done what he believed was against God’s will.

Paul says, “Whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith” (Romans 14:23 ESV). So rather than the stronger believer wearing his or her rights like a badge of honor, they should love their weaker brother or sister in Christ, willingly setting aside their rights so that they might not cause a fellow believer to sin against their conscience.

We are always to build up, not tear down. We are to lovingly teach and instruct one another, not boastfully and arrogantly display our rights and flaunt our newfound freedoms in Christ. Peter summed it up well when he wrote, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8 NLT).

Father, rights are a wonderful thing until they cause pain and suffering for others. I enjoy all kinds of rights and freedoms in Christ, but I am never free to flaunt them in the face of others or use them to condemn those who remain enslaved to guilt-enducing sins. Paul understood the freedoms he enjoyed as a Christ-follower, but he never allowed those freedoms to create barriers or roadblocks for the lost or less mature believers. He was willing to sacrifice his rights so that others might embrace the law of liberty, the freedom found in a relationship with God based on grace, not merit. Defending our rights and protecting our freedoms can actually make us slaves to them. We end up making them the focus of our faith, rather than Christ. If we’re not careful, we can replace righteousness with rights and holiness with the pursuit of happiness. But dying to self is a big part of living for Christ. Help me to see the difference and to never allow my rights to become a pretext for sin. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Free For All

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5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:5-13 ESV

In addressing the issue of how sinful man is justified or made right with God, Paul continues to contrast the difference between man-produced righteousness and righteousness based on faith. Because he was addressing some in the church in Rome who were Jewish believers, he draws on many Old Testament references to prove his point. In verse 5, he references the book of Leviticus, where Moses records the following words from God:

“I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 18:2-5 ESV

In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul clarified the meaning behind this passage.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” – Galatians 3:10-12 ESV

When God spoke of living by them (the laws), He was not simply talking about life, but about right standing before God, or righteousness. Keeping God’s law completely was required for anyone to be justified or viewed as sinless before God. But God made it clear that if anyone wanted to be justified before Him according to the law, they would have to obey every single requirement. And Paul confirmed this by warning that failure to comply with all the law brought a curse, quoting from another Old Testament passage.

“Cursed is anyone who does not affirm and obey the terms of these instructions.” – Deuteronomy 27:26 NLT

But Paul also provides the good news regarding this curse.

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. – Galatians 3:13 NLT

Attempting to earn your way into God’s good graces through the stringent keeping of His law was a dead-end street that led nowhere. But God sent His Son to pay for man’s sins with His death on the cross.

Paul stresses that man’s salvation is to be based on faith in Christ, not on self-effort. It is not what man does that saves him, but belief in what Christ has done on his behalf. Paul summed up his belief with the following statement:

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9 ESV

Nothing more was required for men to be saved. Again, using Old Testament Scriptures to prove his point, Paul quotes and paraphrases Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

“Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” – Romans 10:6-7 NLT

In other words, nobody has to earn their way into God’s presence and invite Jesus to come down. He came of his own volition and in compliance with the will of His Heavenly Father. He descended from heaven because no one could work their way there. And, secondly, nobody has to try to bring the crucified Christ back to life because He has already risen and sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Paul’s point is that human effort is unnecessary for salvation; it is based solely on belief.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. – Romans 10:10 NLT

And Paul stresses that this believing faith is open to all.

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13 NLT

To call on the name of the Lord is to place your hope in Him rather than yourself. It is to recognize that your name or character is not enough to save you. Calling on the name of the Lord is an act of submission and dependence; it is an admission of need and a cry of help because we cannot save ourselves.

In Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the newly constructed Temple, he said, “If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple,  then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave their ancestors” (1 Kings 8:33-34 NLT).

Solomon stresses the need for repentance, a turning away from their sin and a returning to the Lord. Acknowledging His name was the same as acknowledging His holiness and righteousness. It was to admit that His power alone can save. It is our word of faith, our confession of Jesus Christ as our Savior, that brings about our justification or right standing before God. When we turn from trusting in ourselves and place all our hope in Him, He rescues and redeems us.

Father, we seemed to be wired to work our way into Your good graces. We are used to doing everything in our own strength and enjoy getting credit for our hard work. But when it comes to salvation, we are helpless and hopeless. We can’t work our way into Your favor. As Isaiah said, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT). And Paul echoed those wods when he wrote, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2;9 NLT). Your plan for our redemption and restoration was never based on our ability to live up to Your righteous standards. Even Your law, through righteous and holy, was intended to show man His sinfulness and need for a Savior. “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Romans 3:20 NLT).

Our inability to earn our way back into Your favor left us condemned and unclean before You. We deserved the penalty of death, but You provided a way for us to receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life by sending Your Son as our sin substitute, and as the prophet Joel said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32 NLT). No more curse or condemnation. No more fear of death or threat of eternal separation from You. And all it requires is faith. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Irrevocable Law of God’s Love

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13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. – Romans 4:13-17 ESV

God promised Abraham that He would bless all the nations of the world through him. But God had a very specific means by which that blessing would come about. In his letter to the church in Galatia, Paul wrote, “God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say ‘to his children,’ as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says ‘to his child’ — and that, of course, means Christ” (Galatians 3:16 NLT).

The means by which God would bless the nations would be through the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Through His incarnation, death, and resurrection, salvation would be made available to all nations. Did Abraham fully grasp the significance of this promise? Did he understand about the Messiah and God’s future offer of salvation and redemption through His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross? Probably not. But he believed. He trusted God. The Scriptures say, “He believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 ESV).

The author of Hebrews, in speaking of the faith of the Old Testament saints like Abraham, Moses, David, Abel, Enoch, and Noah, writes, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13 ESV).

He goes on to say, “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised” (Hebrews 11:39 ESV). Abraham believed the promise of God even though he did not fully understand it. He never lived long enough to see the promise fulfilled, but he believed that God would do it. It was his faith in God’s faithfulness that was counted to him as righteousness.

Paul’s point in Romans 4:13-17 is that God’s promise to Abraham was based on faith, not the law. because the law had not yet been given when the promise was made. And Abraham would not be around when God gave the law to Moses. The promise came long before the law, and the law did not replace or negate the promise of God. Paul makes that point quite clear.

The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. – Galatians 3:17-18 NLT

You can’t have it both ways. There cannot be a way of gaining a right standing before God through keeping the law, and another way that is based solely on faith.

For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. – Romans 4:14 ESV

If God’s promise to Abraham that he would be blessed and a blessing to the nations was based on keeping the law, then there is no place for faith. It is all up to man’s ability to obey. And it would be solely reserved for the nation to which the law had been given: the Israelites.

But Paul reveals that the law can only bring wrath; it cannot provide salvation. God designed the law to reveal the sinfulness of men. With His law in place, it was impossible for the Jews to plead ignorance; they had no excuse for not knowing what God expected of them. But they had a severe lack of ability to carry out what the law commanded. So Paul draws the only logical conclusion.

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring — not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. – Romans 4:16 ESV

Notice that Paul says that our relationship with Abraham is based on our common faith in God, not our adherence to the law of God. God’s promises have always been faith-based. But our faith is not to be in the thing promised as much as in the one who made the promise to begin with. As the author of Hebrews states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).

Abraham trusted the promises of God, even though he could not see or fully understand them. All his life, Abraham lived as a nomad in the land that God had promised as his inheritance. The only plot of land he ever owned in Canaan was the one in which he buried his wife, Sarah. He never owned a home or lived in a city. But he believed in the God who had made the promise.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told. – Romans 4:18 ESV

All along the way, Abraham had more than enough occasions to doubt, fear, grow anxious, and question God’s faithfulness. But Paul declares, “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God” (Hebrews 4:20 NLT). This led Paul to draw the following conclusion:

Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. – Galatians 3:21-22 NLT

A faith-based promise requires faith in a covenant-keeping God.

Father, You are forever faithful. You can always be counted on to keep Your word and to fulfill what You have promised. We can’t always see it and, sometimes, it appears as if You have wavered in Your commitment and have forgotten all about us. There are times when it feels like You have turned Your back on us because it appears as if the enemy is winning. But You are always there and You always care. I recall the words of Joshua to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT). All during their conquest of the land of Canaan, You were with them. Even when things didn’t go as expected, You were leading and loving them. And the same thing is true in my life. I can’t always see what You’re doing, but I know You are actively operating behind the scenes, accomplishing Your will, faithfully fulfilling Your promises, and lovingly watching over me. Because You are the promise-keeping God. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Heart of the Matter

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25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. – Romans 2:25-29 ESV

In this chapter, Paul has been dealing primarily with the Jews, those who have been chosen by God, commanded to keep His law, and who enjoyed a unique and privileged relationship with Him. They believed themselves to be spiritually superior and safe from God’s judgment, because they were His treasured possession.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV

“And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” – Deuteronomy 26:18-19 ESV

But in his ongoing exposition of the “gospel of God,” Paul makes it clear that it is impossible for either the Jew or the Gentile to produce the kind of righteousness God demands. Even though the Jews enjoyed a one-of-a-kind relationship with God, they were no better off when it came to righteousness than their non-Jewish neighbors. Paul even accused them of passing judgment on the Gentiles while practicing the very same sins. It wasn’t enough to have and to know the law; you had to keep it.

Paul said it was “the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13 ESV). In other words, those who wanted to be made right with God would have to keep His law perfectly and completely.

“…you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:37 ESV

You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. – Deuteronomy 5:32-33 ESV

Paul’s accusations against his own people were anything but gentle.

While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. – Romans 2:21-23 ESV

Circumcision, the physical, outward sign of the covenant between the people of Israel and God, was to be a constant reminder and a permanent mark of their status as God’s people. But circumcision was not enough. They still had to obey Him and be faithful, worshiping Him alone. When God gave the law to Moses, the people had a non-negotiable, indisputable outline of God’s righteous expectations, so they were without excuse. That led Paul to conclude that their sign of circumcision was meaningless without obedience.

The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. – Romans 2:25 NLT

Circumcision was intended as a physical sign of their spiritual union with God through the covenant He had established with them. But the sign was rendered meaningless if the recipient was unwilling to submit to God’s will. Being a Jew was directly tied to being obedient to God. The privilege of being God’s chosen people came with a heavy responsibility. It was not enough to have a mark on your body, an external sign of ownership.

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law… – Romans 2:28-29 NLT

The book of Deuteronomy records the words Moses spoke to the people of Israel, not long after their debacle with the golden calf in the wilderness. Because of their disobedience, Moses informed them that the real sign of their covenant relationship with Yahweh was to be a very different kind of circumcision.

“Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” – Deuteronomy 10:14-17 NLT

The people of Israel were guilty of disobedience and unfaithfulness. While Moses had been on the mountaintop receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the people had been busy worshiping the golden calf down in the valley. In his anger and disappointment, Moses had broken the original tablets on which God had inscribed His law. So he was forced to return to the mountain to receive a second set.

Despite their unfaithfulness and spiritual adultery, God gave His rebellious people a second chance.

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” – Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ESV

God demanded obedience and required faithfulness from the heart. The problem with man has always been an inner one, not an outer one. Our sinfulness flows from the heart. Jesus said, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (Mark 7:20-23 NLT).

Paul’s point was that circumcision is a matter of the heart; it has always been about the heart. The kind of heart that God is looking for is only available through a work of the Spirit, not the efforts of men. Keeping the law through outward effort will always fail because man’s heart is inherently evil and unfaithful. The prophet Jeremiah had strong words from the Lord for the people of Judah, who had been repeatedly unfaithful and unable to keep the law of God. And God informed them that their sinful disposition was inherently unchangeable.

“Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.” – Jeremiah 13:23 NLT

They had a heart problem that rendered them incapable of remaining faithful to God or refraining from sin against God.

So Paul wanted his readers to know that all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, stood guilty before God. It wasn’t a matter of perceived spiritual status or a knowledge of God and His ways; it was about obedience, faithfulness, and perfect righteousness, something man was incapable of pulling off on his own.

Paul continues to support his primary premise that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The righteousness God demanded and expected was only available through faith in His Son. The kind of heart change required to remain faithful to God was only made possible through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. All men need the gospel, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV).

Father, You always look for heart change, not just behavior modification. Yet, we tend to concentrate all our efforts at DOING rather than BEING. We spend all our time trying to alter our outward actions, while neglecting the state of our hearts. We think we can somehow live up to Your stringent standards of righteousness through sheer willpower, but we always fail. Because the brand of righteousness You demand cannot be produced through self-effort. It is the fruit of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Only He can empower us to live set-apart lives that reflect our status as Your sons and daughters. But even the Spirit of God will not force holiness upon us. His presence within us requires submission from us. We have to listen and obey. But as Paul told the Galatian believers, “We who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:5-6 NLT). You have provided the power; but we must avail ourselves of it by willingly submitting to it. And when we do, we are “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11 ESV. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Fruitfulness of Faith

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16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. – Galatians 5:16-26 ESV

Not only are we free to love others, but we are free to live under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. But if we’re not careful, we are also free to live according to the desires of our own sinful flesh — our sin nature. It’s a choice. I can choose to let the Holy Spirit guide and direct my life, or I can give in to the constant cravings of my sinful nature. It’s not only a choice, but it’s also a daily battle. Paul puts the contentious nature of these two options on full display when he writes, “These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:17b NLT).

The Holy Spirit directs us one way, while our sin nature prompts us to take an opposite and radically dangerous path. Allowing ourselves to get enslaved to the law only feeds our sin nature. Paul pointed out his own personal experience with this reality in Romans Chapter 7.

…it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! – Romans 7:7-8 NLT).

Paul asserts that the law tells us what we should not do, and then our sinful natures respond by tempting us to do those very things. It’s like telling a young child not to touch a hot stove; that “law” becomes the one thing they want to do. Their sin nature creates a desire for the very thing that has been denied or placed out of bounds.

Like Eve in the garden, we can’t seem to stay away from the one thing God has told us is off limits. When you attempt to live according to laws, decrees, rules, and standards, your sin nature will always resist, tempting you to break those rules or justify your decision to ignore them. When you try to keep God’s commands in your own strength, you will fail. But when you live empowered and guided by His Spirit, you will have all the strength you need and the motivation to do what needs to be done. The apostle Peter explains the life-transforming power that God has made available to every believer.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. – 2 Peter 1:3-5 NLT

But again, we have a choice to make. We can choose to follow the desires of our sinful nature or rely on the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. They both produce unavoidable outcomes that stand in stark contrast to one another, and Paul provides a comprehensive list for both. Relying on our sin nature produces “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these” (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT).

Notice the diverse nature of his list. He includes sexual immorality alongside jealousy. Drunkenness makes the list right there beside envy. All of these things, from the dramatic to the seemingly inconsequential, have one thing in common: they are focused on the self. They are self-centered and driven by selfish desires. This list contains destructive behaviors that are anything but conducive to community and selfless servanthood.

Attempting to live your life according to some set of standards or rules will feed your sin nature and produce an unhealthy and destructive list of “fruits.” You’ll end up comparing yourself with others. You’ll compete and attempt to outdo others in rule-keeping. You’ll justify your own insufficiencies and expose those of others. All of this will lead to division, dissension, quarreling, jealousy, anger, and more.

When we try to produce the fruit of the Spirit on our own, we end up with results that look nothing like what we were aiming for. Rather than producing love that is focused on others, we end up loving ourselves. In place of joy, we find ourselves displaying discontentment and dissatisfaction. Instead of producing patience, we become irritable, judgmental, and angry. Kindness gets replaced with pettiness and an overwhelming need to find fault in others so that we can feel better about ourselves. Goodness gets trumped by selfishness. Faithfulness manifests itself as unreliability and an unattractive penchant for self-promotion. Gentleness becomes harshness. And self-control goes out the window, as love of self takes over our lives, turning our attention inward rather than outward.

Only the Spirit of God can produce the fruit God is interested in; they cannot be self-produced. We are incapable of manufacturing any of them on our own. When we try, we only end up with cheap imitations that are like those knock-off perfumes you can buy at the local drug store. They may cost less, but they are nothing like the real thing. Paul encourages us to live by the Spirit, according to His power and not our own. Rather than living enslaved to the desires of our old sinful nature, we are free to live in the Spirit’s power, allowing Him to produce in and through us what we could never have done on our own.

The Spirit supernaturally produces in us what we could never have produced naturally. Just as with our salvation, this is the work of God, not our own self-effort. It is no longer about trying to live up to some set of standards, rules, or laws. It is not about trying to behave in such a way that somehow makes God happy and satisfied with us. There is no longer any need to compare ourselves with others or measure our righteousness based on some arbitrary standard that makes us look good.

Paul is emphasizing the fact that we must learn to recognize that our righteousness is the work of God from beginning to end. It is the fruit of His Spirit and not our flesh. It is made possible by the work of Christ, not anything we do or don’t do. That is why Paul so emphatically states, “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25 NLT).

Let’s live in His power and operate according to His agenda. Let’s seek His will, not our own. Let’s watch Him produce His fruit in us, rather than trying to produce it on our own. Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to place their hope for true life change in the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Romans 8:1-2 NLT

We are free to live in the power of the Spirit and to bear the fruit of the Spirit — for the good of others and not ourselves.

Father, I want to live increasingly in the power of Your Spirit. I want to say no to my sin nature and yes to Your Spirit’s leading. I desire to see His fruit produced in and through me. My attempts at fruitfulness always fall short and never produce what You’re looking for. My sin nature tends to make everything about ME. But I want to live for You. Continue to patiently show me how to live in Your power, according to Your will, and expressing Your love for others through my life. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.