Monday, July 05, 2010

The Simple Truth in Galatians

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Galatians tells simple truth that is so tremendous that churches and Christians in general find it hard to believe. And not a few reject the Good News that the Holy Spirit impressed the apostle Paul to write.
An example is chapter 5:16-18, which actually says that if you let the Holy Spirit guide you ("go for a walk with Him, let Him hold you by the hand") you cannot do the evil things your sinful human nature prompts you to do ("you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh"). Then Paul gives the reason for this astounding statement: although your sinful nature fights against that leading of the Holy Spirit ("the flesh strives against the Spirit"), yet at the same time the Holy Spirit fights against your sinful nature ("the Spirit strives against the flesh"). Thus there is constant turmoil in the heart of the believer of the gospel of Jesus ("these are contrary the one to the other"). Because the mighty power of the Third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, is greater and stronger than your sinful nature, you get to the point where it is impossible for you to give in to the clamors of your fallen, sinful nature ("ye cannot do the things that ye would").
Thus Paul explains his statement in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is powerful (like dynamite, dunamis). Now, most people who think they believe that gospel sincerely believe that Galatians teaches that you cannot do the good things the Holy Spirit prompts you to do, when in reality Galatians is teaching that you cannot do the evil things your flesh prompts you to do! Titus 2:11 (NIV) says it's the "grace of God … [that] teaches us to say 'No!'" to those clamors of our fallen, sinful flesh. In other words, for the one who believes Galatians, the Ten Commandments have become ten promises. "This makes the Good News too good," someone objects; so here we are, right back where the Galatians themselves were nearly 2000 years ago. When, oh when, will "whosoever believe"?
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 17, 2000.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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