Text: Galatians 5:2-6
Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
Here it is important to translate. Circumcision was a must of the law of the Jews...for men. That is how you were "marked" and if you were to become a Jew - circumcision was a must. Paul uses this illustration that is often very foreign to us as a conversation piece because he is making a more important point than something about circumcision. In his long discussion about law and then the freedom we have in Christ, his argument hits home here. If you want to be justified by the law ( circumcision or any other little bit of the law that would make you think that you are somehow more beloved or more favored by God) then you are literally turning your back on the Christ event in which all people are graciously embraced - forever - for no other reason than that is what God wants to do. Paul goes so far to say "whether we do something or do not do something doesn't matter one little bit at all!! What matters is that we trust (have faith) in the promise of life in Jesus...and let that love be among us. Though we do not make people go through the rite of circumcision, we certainly hold other things up as how we must live or what we must do to "be a full and complete part of the Body of Christ." Fortunately for us, we live in hope...and not in what is seen. We live welcoming and including all because it if part of the hope-filled vision of God's promise for the world - the great banquet feast. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can trust in that vision and we can hold no rituals or pieces of the law as a necessary part of "being one with Christ." We already are!!
Connection: Watch our language and the language of others who claim to be followers of Jesus. It is so easy to fall into the "circumcision traps" of today. Some may call it morality...either you do this or you're not one of us. Some may call it church activity...either you're active or you're not one of us. Some may call it Christian living....either you live like us or you're not one of us. Reality is...Christ has already determined that we are God's beloved - forever - no conditions. So don't buy what "good Christians" are saying must happen in our lives to be followers of Jesus. The power of the Spirit is all that is needed and God will provide even that...so that we can trust God's promise!
Lord of life and host of the Great Banquet at the end of time, we give you thanks for you already make us your own and you have already set a place for us and even our enemies. Grant us the grace to walk in your vision for life that is best known by your love that becomes our life. Amen.
Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
Here it is important to translate. Circumcision was a must of the law of the Jews...for men. That is how you were "marked" and if you were to become a Jew - circumcision was a must. Paul uses this illustration that is often very foreign to us as a conversation piece because he is making a more important point than something about circumcision. In his long discussion about law and then the freedom we have in Christ, his argument hits home here. If you want to be justified by the law ( circumcision or any other little bit of the law that would make you think that you are somehow more beloved or more favored by God) then you are literally turning your back on the Christ event in which all people are graciously embraced - forever - for no other reason than that is what God wants to do. Paul goes so far to say "whether we do something or do not do something doesn't matter one little bit at all!! What matters is that we trust (have faith) in the promise of life in Jesus...and let that love be among us. Though we do not make people go through the rite of circumcision, we certainly hold other things up as how we must live or what we must do to "be a full and complete part of the Body of Christ." Fortunately for us, we live in hope...and not in what is seen. We live welcoming and including all because it if part of the hope-filled vision of God's promise for the world - the great banquet feast. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can trust in that vision and we can hold no rituals or pieces of the law as a necessary part of "being one with Christ." We already are!!
Connection: Watch our language and the language of others who claim to be followers of Jesus. It is so easy to fall into the "circumcision traps" of today. Some may call it morality...either you do this or you're not one of us. Some may call it church activity...either you're active or you're not one of us. Some may call it Christian living....either you live like us or you're not one of us. Reality is...Christ has already determined that we are God's beloved - forever - no conditions. So don't buy what "good Christians" are saying must happen in our lives to be followers of Jesus. The power of the Spirit is all that is needed and God will provide even that...so that we can trust God's promise!
Lord of life and host of the Great Banquet at the end of time, we give you thanks for you already make us your own and you have already set a place for us and even our enemies. Grant us the grace to walk in your vision for life that is best known by your love that becomes our life. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment