A Pitfall of Legalism

Recently our Sunday School class has been studying the book of Galatians. You may recall that much of this book deals with the problem of false teaching in the church. The particular error confronting the Galatians was legalism. A group known as the Judaizers insisted that you could not be a Christian without first becoming a Jew — this included not only circumcision for men but following all the Jewish laws.

As we talked this over, i realized that legalism is not just an error, it also leads us into sin. How? Well, Jesus said that the law could be summed up as follows:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and most important commandment. ³The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ Luke 22:37-39

Notice that this requires our focus to be outward –toward God and others. Legalism on the other hand, encourages an inward focus. We are concerned about ourselves, and how well we are keeping the commandments. If we’ve messed up, we’re worried about how to fix things, or what to do next. If we’re doing well, we may become self-righteous and boastful. Either way, it doesn’t leave much room for God and the people around us. It’s truly all about me.

This is the very definition of sin: turned in upon ourselves. My husband is fond of calling himself “a recovering pharisee.” We all have to struggle with that mindset. We like to think we can earn God’s approval. It makes more sense. However, the Gospel has set us free from that thinking. Don’t be foolish and fall back into that pitfall.

Reactivity by Paul David Tripp–Book Review

According to the author, the central question of this book is this: in the situations, relationships, and social media interactions of our daily lives, do we value what God values? In determining what this is, he refers to the fruit of the Spirit as enumerated in Galatians 5:22.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Unless we learn to communicate with one another according to these principles, we will never attain unity. Too often, we place ourselves at the center of the universe. Our words are driven by anger, envy and self-righteousness. We live in a culture of “reactivity” and social media has encouraged it. Now we can quickly respond to an email, tweet, or article and never have to face the person behind the words.

This doesn’t mean we must agree with something we believe to be wrong. It does mean we see others as children of God, deserving of respect and dignity. It means we speak the truth in love, seek to encourage, and strive to understand and believe the best of others.

Full of good, biblical advice, this would make an excellent book for a small group to study.

VERDICT: 5 STARS. Biblical, practical and very readable. I loved it!

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of thisbook in return for a fair and honest review. Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CPR 255.

If you would like to purchase this book, follow the link below:

https://www.crossway.org/books/reactivity-hcj/

For more book reviews see these posts:

Lead by Paul David Tripp–Book Review

Bold: Moving Forward in Faith not Fear by Sean Feucht–Book Review

From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks–Book Review

A Children’s Sermon — For Adults

At the church I attended recently, the pastor gave an excellent children’s sermon. His visual aid was a piggy bank. He asked the youngsters what it was, if they had one, and how it was used. The answer of course, is, most people have one and they put coins into the slot. He made the point that some of us put our spare change into a piggy bank every day because those few nickels and pennies don’t seem to amount to much. However, in time they add up. If we save a small amount regularly, we soon have some dollars to spend!

In the same way, he noted, our good deeds add up. It may seem like a trifling thing to be kind or courteous, to send a card or make a visit. When we combine what we are doing with the rest of our family, our church, and our community, those small actions make a difference. We can be part of making things change for the better.

This is a lesson I needed to hear. Often I feel that I’m not doing enough. I can’t point to a wonderful ministry and say — here’s what I did! I need to remember that I’m not a lone ranger Christian. Every little bit that each of us does has an impact. We can all influence our environment in a positive way, and together we can change the world. That’s exactly what twelve disciples did over 2000 years ago, and God’s plan is still the same. It includes every single one of us, doing what we can, day after day.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

United with Christ in our Baptism

In our most recent class on union with Christ, we discussed baptism. In the book of Galatians, we learn:

“for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27″

Union with Christ begins with our baptism. What does that mean to Lutherans? Well, for us baptism is a sacrament because:

1. It was commanded by God
2. It has a physical component (something we can see, touch, etc.) which is used in connection with God’s promise in His Word

We Lutherans baptize infants because we believe it is a work of God, not man. It is God reaching down to touch us, to claim us, and to change us. Although the rite of baptism is not what saves us, it is important. Martin Luther said we should remember our baptism every day.

“No greater jewel, therefore, can adorn our body and soul than baptism, for through it we become completely holy and blessed, which no other kind of life and no work on earth can acquire” (Book of Concord, 462)

For more posts about baptism see:

Martin Luther on Baptism

Spiritually Reborn in Baptism

Baptism, A New Beginning

Producing Fruit

I recently heard a sermon based on the parable of the fig tree from the gospel of Luke. If you don’t remember the details, here it is:

“…A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” Luke 13:6-9

It’s meant, of course, to show the patience God has with us. He is willing to wait, and to give us the benefit of time and careful cultivation — but the rest of the story is this — if we are not in union with Christ, we will be like that unfruitful fig, just taking up space.

In the gospel of John, we learn:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. “John 15:5

If we are in Christ, we will bear fruit. Once again, we see how this doctrine lays the foundation for everything is else in our faith life. The fruit that we can expect to see in a true believer is described in Galatians 5:

” … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

We can’t produce this crop on our own. In baptism, we’ve been united to the One who can. The more we lean into that relationship, the more we learn to depend upon Him, the greater our harvest will be. The fields are ripe for harvest today — don’t be an unfruitful fig!

For more about the fruit of the Spirit see:

Fruitful Gifts

Mmm . . . Fruit.

How to Bear Fruit

Identity Crisis

These days it seems like many people are suffering from an identity crisis. We are told that we can be anything we want to be — we can even choose our own gender! This simply isn’t realistic. The Bible says:

“For you (God) formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139: 13-16

God created each of us with talents and also with limitations. He also has a plan for us, a plan that involves others. We are not just individuals; we are an integral part of the whole of history. Our identity is wrapped up in our union with the One who created us, who saved us, and who sustains us.

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Galatians 3:26

As the adopted children of God we are:

“…heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:17

Don’t try to make yourself up — that’s bound to end in disappointment. Instead, accept your God given role as His child. His plan for you is will never fail.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

For more about God’s plan see:

Your Dream. God’s Plan. by Tiffany Smiling — Book Review

Everything According To God’s Plan & Timing

When God Says go by Elizabeth Laing Thompson–Book Review

Did You Call Dad?

One of my daughters was in an accident recently.  The road was a little icy, and a truck in front skidded, causing others to hit their brakes and pretty soon … there were quite a number of cars running off the road and spinning in circles!  Luckily nobody was hurt, but standing on the side of the road, Beth texted her sister, who lives in another state.  The first response she got back was, “oh no, did you call dad?” And she had. They laughed about it later — here they are, adults, one 40 and the other in her 30’s,  yet when trouble strikes, the first impulse is:  Call Dad!  He will comfort, he will be there for you, he will know just what to do.

The nice thing is, we all have a dad to call on.  Even if your biological dad is gone, not in the picture, or completely irresponsible, there is someone who can fill those dad shoes.  Someone you can always count on — God.  In the book of Isaiah, He says:

“fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God;  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

Not only is God there for us, He cares for us with a fatherly compassion.  Thanks to the saving work of Jesus, we are His sons and daughters.  Listen to these verses from Galatians 4:4-7

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

So don’t stress.  Whatever the problem, whatever the emergency, call God.  Call out to Him in prayer, because He is always there and waiting to listen and to help you.Make that your first thought.  He is your Abba, your Daddy.

For related posts see:

The Potter, Abba

God Will Take Care of You

O God Our Help

 

Keep in Step with the Spirit

In our second church study of the Holy Spirit, we took up a new topic — the fruit of the Spirit.  Good fruit in our lives does not come through self development — it is a gift from God.  Our redemption has a purpose — to transform us into fruit-bearers. This is called sanctification — the process of becoming Christlike.

In Galatians we find a detailed description of what this means:

“So live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with one another, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft;  hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;  drunkenness, orgies and the like.  …..

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. ”  Galatians 16:5-22

You may take note that love is central to the fruit.  The sinful acts listed destroy love, while the fruit of the Spirit increases love.  Why would this be?  Because God is love, and His desire for us as His creation is that we love Him and love one another.  We were made to live, not for ourselves, but for the glory of God.  So,

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:24

In other words, LOVE.

For more on the Fruit of the Spirit see these posts:

Let the Fruit of the Spirit Flow

Martin Luther on the Fruit of the Spirit

Increasing the Fruit

 

 

 

How Do You Know You’re a Christian?

This idea came from part of a sermon my husband gave earlier this month.  I thought it was worth repeating since all of us want to have the assurance that our faith is genuine.

How do we know we’re real Christians?  Well, the Bible identifies a number of ways.

First, we can know we are Christians if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that He was raised from the dead.  The apostle, Paul tells us this quite plainly in the book of Romans:

“…. 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.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved”  Romans 8:9-10

We can also know we are Christians if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  John says:

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

We know we are Christians if we trust solely in the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our salvation, not imagining we can be saved by being “good people” or doing “good works.”  Again, we read in Romans:

“ For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”  Romans 3:22-25

If we are truly Christian, our lives will be characterized by the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Ad those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  Galatians 6:22-24

Finally the book of Proverbs tells us this that if we are God’s children, He will discipline us for our benefit. Christians are not guaranteed a life of ease.

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”  Proverbs 3:11

These are some Biblical marks of a faith that is real.  Does yours measure up?

 

 

 

A Fruit We All Need — Self Control

We’ve been using a study in our Sunday School class on the fruit of the Spirit, which St. Paul lists in the book of Galatians. This has been a long study and we’re nearing the end — self-control.  At the beginning of this section, one of the questions was about anger — what circumstances tend to make you angry? Anger is an emotion that often causes us to lose our self-control.  We all have our hot buttons, and one of mine is customer service people, or even people in general, who don’t care about doing their jobs conscientiously.  Maybe it’s because before I retired, I was a buyer, and our supervisor always stressed the need to help our customers — and our customer was anyone who called with a question or needing help.  (Hmmm … sounds a bit like the who is my neighbor question, doesn’t it?)  It was simply not acceptable to say “I don’t know” or “That’s not my job” or just route the caller to some other department.  If we didn’t know the answer, we were to find the answer and call the customer back ourselves with the exact information or person needed.  (Oh my, I fear this is becoming a rant).

At any rate, my devotional reading today was speaking right to me and the way in which I sometimes lose control.  Here is the Bible verse:

“Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.”  Proverbs 25:28

 

In other words, when we lack self-control our emotions can easily overwhelm us.  We say things we regret, and act in ways that are unbecoming to any Christian.  We may think our anger is righteous, but if we look carefully, that’s rarely the case.  Anger is generally all about us and not getting what we want.

The quote from my devotion was written by H. L. Sydney Lear:

“One valuable way of practising self-control is in checking grumbling, and an unnecessary display of vexation at petty inconveniences.  A workman has fulfilled his task imperfectly, some order is wrongly executed, some one keeps you waiting unreasonably;  people are careless or forgetful, or do what they have in hand badly.  Try not to be disturbed;  be just, and show the persons to blame where they are wrong, even (if it be needful) make them do the thing over again properly;  but refrain from diffuse or vehement expressions of displeasure.  A naturally quick, impetuous person will find that to cultivate a calm external habit is a great help towards gaining the inward even spirit he needs.”

Point taken.  I’m going to try cultivating that habit of calm the next time my buttons are pushed.  What about you? Where do you need to exercise self-control?

For more on the fruit of the Spirit see these posts:

Mmm . . . Fruit.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Fruit of the Spirit

Let the Fruit of the Spirit Flow