Remember
Paul? Remember when he traveled to Jerusalem to see Peter and co? How
long had he been serving God without them even knowing Paul? 14 years!
14 years of mission without contact with a local church, a HQ, etc. One
moment having Christians killed, the next WHAM serving God amongst a mob
who no one else had time for. A mob who knew nothing of how to be a
traditional Jew. Totally uncircumcised!
Next thing Peter toddles up to see Paul in his stomping ground. Peter hangs out with the Galatian locals and lives as if he is one of them. Uncircumcised.
Next a few Jewish fellas come to see him. And as quick as a flash Peter, out of fear of being criticised, pretends he is a good Jew too. He stops eating with the locals and starts acting in ways that won't offend his Jewish visitors.
To put it plainly, Paul is a bit more than pissed! He goes up to Peter and basically calls him a hypocrite to his face in front of EVERYONE. The locals and visiting Jews too. No hiding. Peter, the man known for his faith received a public dressing down.
Why? Because as Paul noted: Peter by behaving like this had stopped following the gospel message. Because of his faith he was able to discard his Jewish Levitical traditions and live in the freedom of Christ. But now he was suddenly doing them again. Worse, he was advocating the locals to do likewise - follow the Jewish Levitical traditions. Even Barnabas, Paul's loyal companion had been convinced back.
So here is what Paul explained: Just because you feel guilty that you don't follow the Levitical way once you get right with God by having faith in Christ does not mean Jesus led you to sin! Not at all! What makes you a sinner is trying to rebuild this old Levitical way (or follow it when it is presented to you). Doing this makes you claim that God is a liar. It makes you a sinner because no matter how hard you try to keep it, it can only condemn you. Isn't this why we stopped trying to meet its requirements in the first place and follow Jesus?
Seriously dude... Remember your old self has been crucified with Christ and so it is no longer you who lives but Christ in you. So please live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved you enough to sacrificed his life for you. Remember, God's grace is NOT meaningless because there would be zero need for Christ is by keeping the law we could be right with God.
***
So my question is where in my life do I still pursue these old Levitical ways? Or in other words? What am I doing that says "I don't need Christ" "Doing this or that will make God like me?"
Am I making tithes and offerings? Am I advocating a special priesthood (pastor-hood, apostle-hood)? Are we repeating the same rituals (maybe with an electric guitar) in how we meet and how we do things? etc etc like rearranging the proverbial deck chairs on the Titanic. How much of what I do is based on the church culture I was born into ...
Protestants who in addition to mixing in ideas of human kingship retained much from the Catholic church who was birthed from the Holy Roman Church who took much of what they did directly from the Old Testament traditions of the Law.
And if I am not doing these things from a old covenant stance, and God has done away with them because they only existed because Jesus had not come yet... are they not empty shells? What point is there for them at all?
And if I think that these ways are comfortable or familiar or traditional or make sense ... am I trying to fill these empty shells with the life of the new covenant, ie Jesus? But didn't he say this wouldn't work? Like trying to put new wine in an old wineskin, new cloth to mend an old coat...
***
Bugger
Next thing Peter toddles up to see Paul in his stomping ground. Peter hangs out with the Galatian locals and lives as if he is one of them. Uncircumcised.
Next a few Jewish fellas come to see him. And as quick as a flash Peter, out of fear of being criticised, pretends he is a good Jew too. He stops eating with the locals and starts acting in ways that won't offend his Jewish visitors.
To put it plainly, Paul is a bit more than pissed! He goes up to Peter and basically calls him a hypocrite to his face in front of EVERYONE. The locals and visiting Jews too. No hiding. Peter, the man known for his faith received a public dressing down.
Why? Because as Paul noted: Peter by behaving like this had stopped following the gospel message. Because of his faith he was able to discard his Jewish Levitical traditions and live in the freedom of Christ. But now he was suddenly doing them again. Worse, he was advocating the locals to do likewise - follow the Jewish Levitical traditions. Even Barnabas, Paul's loyal companion had been convinced back.
So here is what Paul explained: Just because you feel guilty that you don't follow the Levitical way once you get right with God by having faith in Christ does not mean Jesus led you to sin! Not at all! What makes you a sinner is trying to rebuild this old Levitical way (or follow it when it is presented to you). Doing this makes you claim that God is a liar. It makes you a sinner because no matter how hard you try to keep it, it can only condemn you. Isn't this why we stopped trying to meet its requirements in the first place and follow Jesus?
Seriously dude... Remember your old self has been crucified with Christ and so it is no longer you who lives but Christ in you. So please live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved you enough to sacrificed his life for you. Remember, God's grace is NOT meaningless because there would be zero need for Christ is by keeping the law we could be right with God.
***
So my question is where in my life do I still pursue these old Levitical ways? Or in other words? What am I doing that says "I don't need Christ" "Doing this or that will make God like me?"
Am I making tithes and offerings? Am I advocating a special priesthood (pastor-hood, apostle-hood)? Are we repeating the same rituals (maybe with an electric guitar) in how we meet and how we do things? etc etc like rearranging the proverbial deck chairs on the Titanic. How much of what I do is based on the church culture I was born into ...
Protestants who in addition to mixing in ideas of human kingship retained much from the Catholic church who was birthed from the Holy Roman Church who took much of what they did directly from the Old Testament traditions of the Law.
And if I am not doing these things from a old covenant stance, and God has done away with them because they only existed because Jesus had not come yet... are they not empty shells? What point is there for them at all?
And if I think that these ways are comfortable or familiar or traditional or make sense ... am I trying to fill these empty shells with the life of the new covenant, ie Jesus? But didn't he say this wouldn't work? Like trying to put new wine in an old wineskin, new cloth to mend an old coat...
***
Bugger
