Week 8: Holy Adoption!

As we step into Chapter 4, we are greeted with an overarching theme of "family"!  Since we all are a part of family - no matter what type - this is easily relatable.  Paul starts it off in the first few verses when he explains that we have been emancipated (freed from legal, social, or political restrictions).. + adopted as His children!  Isn't it so like the character of God to always go one step further?  Freedom from the law would have been enough but He doesn't stop there.  He goes on to bring us intimately + permanently into His family!

I love the concept of adoption + I fully believe God uses this word knowing how powerfully it would speak to our hearts.  My husband has a niece and a nephew that are adopted + it is so neat to watch how they so specifically fit into the family.  Being around them, you would never guess they are adopted - + the funny thing is, his nephew is hispanic in a white family!  I can think of numerous families with adopted children that I am absolutely shocked to find out they're adopted!

In vs. 5-7 Paul explains that when we are adopted we have access to such a beautiful, intimate conversation with the Heavenly Father.  When we are adopted we are set free to experience that heritage (the MSG version even says our "rightful" heritage!) and become a child of the Lord.

In review of the first 3 chapters of Galatians, this chapter really gives me a sense of peace.  I have felt stretched + challenged up to this point, + now I just feel like soaking in the promise of God.  I hope you each have enjoyed the study so far + thanks for sticking with us still!  -Justine

In vs. 8 Paul talks about being enslaved to gods with no divinity + in vs. 9 asks how anyone could go back to them after knowing - or rather being known by - God.  What in your life is God gently showing you is a god with no divinity?  Through this study, I hope you gain a strong sense that God knows you so intimately + has chosen you!  And embracing this, I hope we can all find freedom from the things of this world.

Week 7

All this talk about Law and the Promise has made me have to really clear out the cobwebs and read over this text numerous times.  Ultimately, this section of scripture offers so much hope to those of us trying to do this life under our own power or control.  For those of us who have at times tried to follow the "rules" to the letter, understand that it is impossible to follow every rule of the law under our own power.  And we were never meant to do that!  We were never meant to live this life on our own or by our good works follow the law.  No, we were meant to have the law point us to the Promise, point us to Jesus.  Only through the work He did at the cross can we find any liberation from the prison sin puts us in.

vs. 22 says, "The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, beign given trhoguh faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe."

vs. 25 says, " now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law."

The law no longer applies to us.  We no longer have to live in its prison.  We are liberated through our faith in Jesus Christ.  And I don' t know about you, but that is the most wonderful news I could have ever been told.  To know that my eternity does not depend upon my ability to fulfill the law give such great comfort to me every day.

Questions to Consider:
What about you?  Do you still struggle with being in the prison where the law places you?  Or have you been able to experience the liberation of fatih in Christ Jesus?

Week 6: Faith or the law?

Like many of you, my Bible is full of notes in the margins. Sermons, Bible studies, chapel services in college...taking notes helps me understand what I'm reading and helps me remember what I learned. When I found out I was assigned to write the weekly blog post for week 6, it sure was nice to open my Bible and find some notes in the margins!

Paul begins chapter 3 with, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" Those are pretty strong words. I can only imagine the emotions that must have been behind those words. Why was Paul so stirred up? In this portion of Galatians, we see Paul rebuking the mentality of working to keep salvation. Galatians 3:4 says, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

Talk about taking one step forward and two steps back! Like the Galatians, we need to challenge ourselves to begin with the Spirit--and then we need to remain there! We are redeemed from the curse of the law because our Savior became a curse for us. Paul sums it up in verse 14. "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Some thoughts to ponder today:

• Am I living foolishly like the Galatians, trying to work to keep my salvation?
• If so, what does that say about Jesus's sacrifice on the cross?
• Is there anyone in my life who needs to hear the freeing message of living by faith?

God, give us Your Spirit and work miracles among us. We receive You by faith!

Sarah Ann

Week Five

Galatians 2:11-21

Good evening, ladies!  I can't believe we are at week five of our study + coming to the end of chapter two.  I had planned to reflect on the different parts of these last few verses, but the more I read it the more I just wanted to settle on this:

17 Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous.18 If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan [fraud].

19 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man.20 Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.21 I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. [MSG]

Throughout all that we have read so far in Galatians, we know that this life is simply not about us.  This Greater Story being written has Christ as the center, so very graciously allowing us to play a part in God being glorified.  So as we go throughout the rest of this week + then open chapter three, I want us to slightly pause + do some authentic heart-work: 

am I "working my head off to please God"?  If so.. why?  

what is inhibiting my ability to be called "God's man" instead of "law's man"?

This is such a struggle for me, so know that you are not alone!  I pray that God would use this Word as a turning point for you - so that you would be known as God's woman, living free of the rule-keeping, people-pleasing nonsense that the enemy is trying to keep you in.  

I hope you are blessed greatly in the weeks to come!

Justine