One of the blessings that we become heirs of in Christ is assurance. Assurance is the certain confidence that you have been forgiven of your sin and have eternal life. Combine that with security and we have the idea that a believer can know both that their sins are forgiven and that they will never… Continue reading Assurance and Security
Tag: Biblical Studies
Returners of the lost ark
1 Chronicles 15 The Ark returns (1 Chronicles 15) The Ark still matters …. Correction (v1-15) Worship (v 16-28) “And even today, we must wonder whether that kind of expression of devotion which gives little attention to worship -also the formal aspects of worship- has not gone far astray from the mark.”[3] Despised (v29) “The… Continue reading Returners of the lost ark
Abraham’s heirs
Galatians 3 finishes by describing the church, Jews and Gentiles alike as “Abraham’s heirs”. This is an important principle that we find in Romans 9-11 as well. The Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people because they could trace their ethnic lineage back to Abraham, the recipient of the Covenant. They saw themselves as heirs… Continue reading Abraham’s heirs
What does the Law do?
Paul insists that the Law is unable to make us right with God. He also insists that the original promises to God’s people were about faith and not Law. Does this mean that Law and Faith or Law and Grace are in competition? A look at the text Read Galatians 3:23-29 So, does the Law… Continue reading What does the Law do?
The curse
When the people of Israel came out of Egypt, God gave them The Law in the wilderness at Sinai. Then, before they were about to go into Canaan, Moses in effect set before them a choice between curse and blessings. This choice was to be enacted in a covenant ceremony. The people were to pass… Continue reading The curse
Father Abraham had many sons
In Galatians 3:6, Paul has taken us back to the example of Abraham, the ancestor of God’s people, to whom, through whom and in whom God’s covenant with his people was made. He has demonstrated, as he will again when he writes to the Christians in Rome that Abraham was justified by faith. In other… Continue reading Father Abraham had many sons
Bewitched
Do you enjoy magic tricks? Are you left amazed by how the magician manages to get the right card every time, pull the rabbit from a hat or make his assistant disappear. Of course, no one really thinks that it’s real magic. We know that the magician relies on slights of hand and diversion tactics… Continue reading Bewitched
Terms and conditions
Paul reminds the Galatians in chapter 3 of what they’ve seen, heard and received, They’ve seen the Gospel clearly presented, that Christ was crucified for them. They’ve received the Spirit. They know that their new life in the Spirit is founded entirely on Christ’s crucifixion and has been received by faith. So how can they… Continue reading Terms and conditions
Exclusion
It is unlikely that we are going to find ourselves in exactly the same boat as the Galatian church. The issue of circumcision is unlikely to come up in our churches. So, what does the application of Galatians 2 have to do with us? I asked the question at our Life Group one evening and… Continue reading Exclusion
Infiltration
One big question that comes up as we read through Galatians is “How were the agitators able to be so successful?” It seems that they had already managed to infiltrate the Jerusalem church quite significantly when Paul and Titus visited (2:1-10). They also were able to get Peter to cooperate with them, even though it… Continue reading Infiltration
Faithroots 