Lonely People

Text:  Genesis 2:18

Sermon Introduction:  Most of you are aware I am a fan of mystery fiction.  I especially enjoy those stories set in exotic or foreign settings.  When it’s done well, the book becomes something of a travelogue introducing me to a place I’m not likely to visit or spend much time in should I get to visit.  For example, there’s the great four-corners reservation country where Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee work for the Navaho Tribal Police.  Recently, I was reading a mystery set in rural Yorkshire and the author described a scene I’d witnessed myself.

During our trip to London, Pat and I ate a few of our evening meals in our hotel room, purchasing items from the prepared food department at Marks and Spencer’s. The mystery author described how a few minutes after 5:00 o’clock the department would be filled with young adults trying to buy something to take back to their flats or apartments.  I recall saying to Pat that London seemed to have a lot of lonely young people.

But it’s not just in London.  Lonely people come from everywhere.  Young or old, rich or poor, educated and uneducated people often suffer from grievous loneliness.  According to some studies one person in six feels friendless, isolated.  A few years ago, studies showed that 26% of us eat alone each night.  

Consider the following observation by psychologist Gary Collins:

“Based on a landmark study of loneliness, sociologist Robert Weiss estimates that a quarter of the American population feels extremely lonely at some time during any given month.  It is condition that effects people of all ages, including young children, but researchers agree that loneliness soars during the teenage years and reaches its highest peak in people between ages eighteen and twenty-five.  Although it is seen in all cultures, loneliness occurs most often in societies, like ours, that emphasize individualism.  Lonely people appear in all vocational groups, but there is evidence that highly ambitious, ‘fast-track,’ upwardly mobile people…have an especially high incidence of loneliness.”

Such loneliness gives rise to feelings of being isolated and misunderstood.  And, of course, such loneliness may be experienced even when we are surrounded by others.  Being alone and being lonely are not synonymous.  

 John Altrocchi in his book, Abnormal Behavior writes, “One aspect of what people seem to be looking for today is a psychological sense of community…a sense that one is part of a readily available, dependable, mutually supportive network of relationships that minimizes the likelihood of experiencing the sustained feelings of loneliness and anguish, which often lead to desperate or destructive actions.” 

That quest for a sense of community is at the heart of loneliness.  But knowing this doesn’t answer key question.

Why are we so lonely?  

If we look at the story of creation we discover a crucial statement about the human personality.  After creating Adam, God declared, “ It is not good that man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:28)  Now, in the story this introduces us to the creation of Eve, but it also states something very basic about human nature.  God created us to be social creatures.   He intended us to have interaction with him and with each other.

The existence of so much loneliness signals that something has gone wrong with what God intended.  To understand what has gone wrong we need to take a look as some the contributing factors to our loneliness.

We need to understand these to help deal with the loneliness of others and our own loneliness.  What are these causes of the epidemic of loneliness?

Collins lists several causes for loneliness.  He organizes them under several categories which involve…

•   Social causes include technology, mobility, urbanization, and television.  Ironically, rather than making us feel closer, Facebook and other forms of social media may actually accentuate our loneliness as we witness--vicariously--what is happening in the lives or our friends.
•   Developmental causes  include unmet developmental needs related to our need for stable attachment, our need for acceptance, and our need for acquiring social skills.
•   Psychological causes include low low-esteem, inability to communicate, self-defeating attitudes, lack of control, hostility, and fear.
•   Spiritual causes reflect our rebellion against God, the God who has made us for himself and apart from Whom our hearts are restless, the God who placed us in human communities after declaring that it is not good for man to be alone.

Ultimately, all our loneliness is rooted in this spiritual problem.

Craig Ellison has written extensively on the subject of loneliness.  A Christian, Ellison places great importance on the spiritual issues which contribute to our loneliness.  He reminds us that God created our need for human intimacy and sin distorted that need.  Then he goes on to write, 

“As a result of sin misunderstanding, defensiveness, blaming, and power replaced perfect intimacy.  Self-interest intruded on love.  Intimacy was crushed by the lack of integrity.  Loneliness and isolation became normal and intimacy an ideal.  The Bible indicates that to the extent God is ignored or sin is left unconfessed, loneliness will pervade human life because intimacy with God and other people will be lost.”

Because of this it is impossible to always blame others for our loneliness.  Sometimes we are excluded from the company of others, sometimes we do experience rejection but these things are never the complete answer.

An important word used to describe what Jesus Christ has done for us is “reconciliation.”  Reconciliation involves bringing formerly hostile parties back together.  In the cross, Jesus accomplished reconciliation.  Not only do we have access to God through Christ, we have the possibility of a new relationship with one another through Christ.

In Ephesians Paul speaks of how Jews and Gentiles are now the one people of God.  He says the wall of division has been broken down by Christ.  He writes, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” (EPH 2:14)  There seems to be an important principle implicit here.  Through Christ the walls which separate us from others can be torn down.  Truly, “in Christ,” the term Paul uses so often to describe the believer carries with it the twofold implication that we are both in communion with Christ and in the community of Christ.

Just as God never desires us to be separated from him, He never wishes us to be separated, isolated from one another.  Reconciliation is not just about overcoming the hostility that might be reflected in racism but about overcoming anything that keeps us from community.

The psalmists and other writers of Scripture seem to have understood that God cares when we are lonely.  

In Psalm 25:16 David, prays to the God who had been with him in the isolation he knew as a shepherd, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.”

Another psalmist praised God for his concern for widows and orphans, individuals who might be forgotten in a society.  “God,” the psalmist says, “sets the lonely in families….”  (Ps. 68:6)

In the strange book of Ecclesiastes the writer underscores a fact of human nature—we need each other.

  ECC 4:8 There was a man all alone;

    he had neither son nor brother.

  There was no end to his toil,

    yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

  "For whom am I toiling," he asked,

    "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"

  This too is meaningless--

    a miserable business!

 ECC 4:9 Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their work:

  ECC 4:10 If one falls down,

    his friend can help him up.

  But pity the man who falls

    and has no one to help him up!

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus assured Peter that following him would include close human ties. Jesus understood that those following him might be losing family and friends because of their decision.  In light of this, he offered this promise: "I tell you the truth…no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age... and in the age to come, eternal life."  (MK 10:29-31)

The writer of Hebrews, writing to individuals who somehow believed it might be wise to isolate themselves when trouble started, underscored the importance of being part of a community of faith.  He told them, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:25)  The writer imagined the church being a place of encouragement in a world of alienation.

All of these seem to point to the fact that God does not intend for you to be bound in the grip of loneliness.  He wants you to know human companionship and intimacy.  He wants you to experience that sense of community which is the polar opposite of loneliness.  But, how can we overcome the power of loneliness?

Let me be honest with you.  Chances are, unless your feelings are related to a very recent change in your life, your loneliness won’t be cured in a day, certainly not in the time it takes to listen to a single sermon.  Still, I believe there are some things you can do to push back the loneliness and rediscover the community which God wishes you to know.

Using the insights of Gary Collins and others I’ve tried to draw together some suggestions for dealing with loneliness.  (If you decide to apply these suggestions to your life and find you need help, don’t hesitate to seek it.)  

1.   Admit the problem.  Although the experience is quite common, many people still have great difficulty admitting they are lonely.  Perhaps this is related to our culture’s emphasis upon “rugged individualism” which prompts us to try to seem stronger than we are.
2.   Explore the causes of your loneliness.  This may take the help of a counselor, although in some instances the cause for the loneliness might be very apparent. 
3.   Be prepared to change your thinking.    We might try to develop a “lifestyle of staying in touch.”  Our culture affords many opportunities of social interaction.  We may have to allow God to help.  Only rarely is our loneliness caused by another.  Ralph Keyes suggested that most of us want a sense of community with others, but there are three things we want more:  privacy, convenience, and the freedom to move.  These all contribute to loneliness.  
4.   Be open to develop a healthier self-esteem.  Again, a counselor may be helpful in the initial stages of this pursuit.
5.   Resolve to take some risks.  Take advantage of opportunities to reach out and form friendships.
6.   Be willing to develop better social skills.  In extreme cases we might need some help from a sympathetic but tough friend or counselor.
7.   Place yourself in a position to have your spiritual needs met.   Religious people are sometimes lonely, just like everyone else, but they know that their loneliness would increase if they cut themselves off from they care and encouragement of their church family.

CONCLUSION

Many of the young adults I saw in Marks and Spencer’s would be spend Friday nights at the pubs trying to make contact with someone.  Such contacts would be brief and artificial.

Monday evening it would be back to prawn sandwiches eaten alone over a sink.

In London church attendance is in the single digits.  All those lonely people ignore the very God who gave them the appetite for community.

If you’re lonely and you’re here, you’ve taken the right first step.  Don’t give up.

If you know someone who’s lonely, be the one friend who points them this way.

Galatians--A Study in Christian Freedom: An Autobiographical Reminder

 

Session 2:  An Autobiographical Reminder

Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship

(Cp Acts 9)

¹¹ For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; ¹² for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

This statement speaks to two problems.  First, it addresses the charge that Paul is not really an apostle.  Second, it underscores why it is perilous to “pervert the gospel of Christ.”

The response to the charge that he is not a legitimate apostle it reminds us something important about Paul.  While we might attempt to model our ministry after his, the truth is there are some things about his ministry that can never be true of ours. Paul had had an encounter with Jesus Christ that forever ended any doubts about his resurrection and, consequently, ended any doubts about his identity as the Messiah.

As he would put it in I Corinthians 15, when he listed the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, “Last of all he appeared also to me.”  The story of Paul’s encounter with the Risen Christ is pivotal in the story of his life presented in Acts.  It is repeated three times in Luke’s history; once as part of the narrative introducing us to Saul (Acts 9:1f) and twice in testimonies before authorities, both Jewish and Roman (Acts 22:1f; 26:12f). 

 

 

¹³ You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. ¹⁴ I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

He reminds them of two important aspects of his early life:  1. His commitment to Judaism was unquestioned. His credential were exceptional as he would explain to the Philippians:  “I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew.”  He could even be thought of as something of a prodigy, extremely “zealous” for the traditions of his ancestors, demonstrating greater zeal than his contemporaries.

2.  He was so zealous that he eagerly became a persecutor of the young church.  In Acts, Luke would report that “Saul was ravaging the church.”  His intent was to destroy it completely.

So, Saul/Paul enters the picture, not as a nominal Jew who might be easily persuaded by the new Christian message, but as an earnest, thoroughly committed Jew who would not be easily moved from the commitment of a lifetime.

 

¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles,

Only something remarkable could shake Paul from his convictions.  That shaking came from God.

Paul doesn’t repeat the story here but you can be pretty sure the Galatians had heard of what happened when Saul was thrown from his mount and found himself facing a man who said, “I am Jesus….”

Try to imagine for a moment the impact of those words.  They were so filled with implication and meaning that we can only deal with some of what Saul discovered in that moment.

Saul discovered the man he knew was dead was truly alive.  This Jesus Whom the Christians claimed walked out of his tomb was really alive.  The Lord used the name Mary used to call him to dinner, the name by which he was known young man in Nazareth, the name which identified him as a specific historical person who had been crucified by the order of the Romans.

Saul discovered the closeness of Jesus and his people.  Jesus’ statement seems to imply that the persecution of Christians was actually directed against him.  The church was struck and Jesus felt the pain, one writer put it.  The men and women Paul had been beating and throwing into jail had such an intimate relationship with the Risen Jesus that he shared their anguish and pain.

Saul discovered that much of what he thought Judaism said about the coming Messiah was wrong.  It would take time to fully understand how his teachers had misunderstood but, with the Risen Jesus standing before him, bearing the marks of crucifixion, it was clear that he needed to review some of the scriptures he had thought he understood so clearly.

Saul discovered Jesus wasn’t finished with him.  No lightning bolt from heaven would strike him dead.  The ground was not going to open up and swallow him.  Instead, he was to go into the city to await further instructions.  Again, Paul’s testimony before Agrippa fills in some of the blanks in Luke’s skeletal account.  According to Paul—as Luke himself records it—Jesus had more to say.  He told Saul,

I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.   I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in

me.'

 

What took place on that Damascus road ushered Paul into his ministry of proclaiming the good news about Christ among the Gentiles.

 

I did not confer with any human being, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

Here Paul elaborates on his claim that his message is not of human origin.  What he says isn’t intended to be anti-Jerusalem or to pit Jerusalem against somewhere else, like Antioch; it’s intended to underscore that no place is more sacred than another.  What’s important is whether you have a vital relationship with Jesus wherever you may be.  And Paul seems to imply he had such a relationship with Jesus in Arabia.  This seems to be what he is implying in his words about his message, “I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”  

Just what does Paul mean here?  The term “revelation of Jesus Christ” can mean either a disclosure from Jesus or a disclosure about Jesus.  Given the context, it seems clear that Paul is claiming that his message about Christ came directly from Christ.

But how was this “revelation” mediated?  His words don’t necessarily mean he was in a face to face encounter with Christ while in Arabia.  Perhaps the encounter with the Risen Christ on the Damascus Road involved such a paradigm shift that he found himself reading the Old Testament in an entirely new way.  Or, perhaps the Spirit led him to a new understanding of the Scripture.  On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus had made such a promise regarding the Holy Spirit when he said, “The Spirit will teach you everything.”

 Of course, Paul wouldn’t say anyone preaching the gospel who hadn’t had his experience was his inferior nor was he denigrating the role of human teachers; he is establishing his claim to a genuine apostleship in response to specific charges his opponents had made.  Moises Silva explains:

This is a clear indication that Paul was responding to some very specific accusations. No doubt, the Judaizers were spreading stories to the effect that he had sat under the drawn-out instruction of the Jerusalem apostles as a disciple would normally do under a rabbi.[1]

This is especially important because the false teachers apparently claimed to have apostolic authority for their teaching.  It would, therefore, be essential to deny such authority to Paul.  This is important because if the Judaizers could successfully argue that their authority trumped Paul’s, they might persuade the Galatians to listen to them rather than Paul.  At the same time, if they could present Paul as just a disciple of the Apostles in Jerusalem, the Judaizers might be able to persuade the Galatians that Paul had abandoned the true message of Jesus, not they. Dealing with that reality is why Paul inserts these autobiographical comments.

Of course, Paul is not claiming to have some innate moral or spiritual superiority. As he has already made clear, he is a beneficiary of God’s grace. 

 

 

¹⁸ Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; ¹⁹ but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!

Although Paul spent some time in Arabia (a term that could refer to the region just south of Damascus), he did not remain completely isolated from the Jerusalem community.  Three years after his conversion, Paul did travel to Jerusalem for just over two weeks.  He went to spend time with Cephas—Paul’s usual name for Peter.  Just why Paul made this visit where he saw Peter and “James, the Lord’s brother” isn’t spelled out but if he Paul had questions about the earthly life of Jesus this would have been a good way to find answers.  But, as Paul will make clear, this was not a matter of submitting to their authority.

 

 

²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, ²² and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; ²³ they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.

 

Altogether these three verses cover about a decade.  Paul mentions where he was and where he wasn’t . 

He spent time in Syria, possibly near Damascus where he was converted.  And he spent time in Cilicia.  Tarsus, Paul’s hometown, was located in this region in southern part of Asia Minor in what is now Turkey.  He was, doubtless, preaching and teaching and further developing his understanding of who Christ was and what his coming meant, especially for all the Gentiles he encountered.

Meanwhile, he was known by reputation back in Judea.  Most of the believers had never met him and only knew that “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.”

 

OBSERVATIONS:

 

--Historically, the conversion of Saul from fiery persecutor to passionate advocate for the gospel has loon ben seen as a powerful argument for the resurrection.

Of course, there have been similar conversions in the history of religions and ideologies but when taken with other evidences found in the New Testament, it does seem to point to the reality of Christ’s victory over death.

 --Theologically, Paul reminds us that what the church teaches needs to be ‘vetted” or compared to the teachings of the Bible. 

Paul’s opponents claimed they were preaching the true gospel, Paul claimed he was.  By no means could this conflict be solved by saying, “It doesn’t matter what a person believes as long as he or she is sincere.”  The hope of salvation and the unity of the church rested on the issue. 

--Ecclesiastically (that’s a big word for “related to the church”), there will always be conflict in the church.  The false teachers attempted to undermine Paul’s authority, so they could advance their own agenda.  Other factions grew out of other dynamics.  What was true in the first century is true in the twenty-first century.  As in the first century, today’s trouble makers may have a variety of motives--jealousy, fear, anger, arrogance, error, and even mental illness.  We shouldn’t be surprised they exist. 

--Evangelistically, the story of what Jesus has done for you remains one of the most effective tools for spreading the gospel.

We live in an age when people crave authenticity and honesty.  Some people do  have questions that deserve answers, some people have a poor image of Christians for whatever reason--personal experience or a biased media, some people have imbibed from the well of relativism and think all religions are the same but most people are interested in hearing if what you claim to believe really works. In other words, they are interested in what Jesus has done for you.

You may not have Paul’s story but you have your story.  Alister McGrath, a former atheist and now professor at Oxford and defender of Christianity, believes many of today’s young people are hesitant to commit to Christianity because they don’t want to find themselves having to commit to something else a few years down the road.  McGrath then says:

We are dealing not with some throwaway package but with something that is here until kingdom come!  And this is where older Christians have a real role to  play.  The are able to demonstrate that Christianity has long-term potential by virtue of their being--and continuing to be!--Christians.^[2]

 Let me be candid.  l have been here over twenty years.  During that time I’ve seen a lot of changes.  I could list some of them but I don’t want to digress.  One change is what I see from my vantage point behind this pulpit.  I see a lot more grey than I used to see.  Don’t be offended; it’s the same when I look in the mirror.

What’s my point?

It means you can say to that young person who has questions about the Bible and Christianity that you, too, had questions but in time you found answers to most of them.

It means you can say to that man or woman who has lost a job that you too have faced difficult times but God never abandoned you.

It means you can say to that father or mother who fears they will fail as parents that God has been faithful when you’ve prayed for wisdom.

It means you can say to that young person who beset with loneliness that, when the loneliness of grief gripped you, through Christ you have found a loving, supportive family.

I could go on but you get my point. 

Tell your story.  Someone may need to hear what Jesus has done for you. 

That’s why Paul kept telling his story.  In fact, he wouldn’t stop.

 

 

 

---

[1]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.) (Ga 1:16). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

^[2]  Michael Green and Alister McGrath, How Shall We Reach Them?  Defending and Communicating the Christian Faith to Nonbelievers, Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995, p. 71.

GALATIANS: A STUDY IN CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

 
This morning we are beginning a study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  Our approach will sometimes be a little different.  I won’t always preach a sermon on the text; instead, we may read the text and try to follow Paul’s argument as the deals with a serious problem in a church he founded on his first missionary journey.

Salutation

1 Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the members of God’s family who are with me,

 

Although it is not certain most Bible scholars seem to believe this was one of the earliest, it not the earliest of Paul’s epistles.  I and II Thessalonians are sometimes suggested as being earlier.  If this is Paul’s earliest letter, it would have been written sometime between 48 and 50.  A few others believe it could have been written during the mid-50’s. 

This was a time of change and challenge for the church.  The face of the church was changing as more and more Gentiles entered the ranks of the believers.  Inevitably, there would be tensions and conflicts as former enemies attempted to worship together.  The letter will address one of those areas of tension, perhaps the most important.

 

Paul stresses his call as an “apostle.”  The title and position were not conferred upon him by any human agency.  Jesus Christ called him (Acts 9).  The fact that Paul mentions this probably means his authority is being challenged.  In any case, due to the nature of the crisis addressed in Galatians, Paul will find it necessary to stress his authority as an apostle. 

 

 

To the churches of Galatia:

Galatia is an area roughly identifiable with central Asia Minor, eastern Turkey.  Scholars have long debated about what part of Galatia was home to the church to which Paul wrote.  The northern region, which was historically known as Galatia, was populated with people with Celtic roots while the southern region, part of the Roman province of Galatia, was populated with peoples of Phrygian background.  People in the north tended to live in the open country; people in the south tended to live in the cities.  The question of which region Paul was addressing has a bearing on dating Galatians.  Most scholars tend to believe he was writing Christians in southern Galatia.

 

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

So far Paul doesn’t seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary.  The prayer for “grace and peace” to be on the Galatians was the blending of a common Jewish greeting, “shalom,” and a common Greek greeting, “grace.”  However, Paul stresses that such blessings come from God and are associated with the work of Jesus. 

In fact, he stresses the unity and equality of “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Paul further identifies this Jesus as the one whose sacrificial death has liberated the Galatians form the power of “the present evil age,”  a reference to the Jewish custom of dividing history into two parts:  the evil age of anarchy and rebellion against God and the age of God’s unchallenged rule (Keener).  Because of Jesus’ work (fully endorsed by the Father) Christians may have a foretaste of that new age of God’s victory and rule. 

The notion that things have changed because of Jesus is an important one in the New Testament.  It may be expressed differently by different writers or in different metaphors by the same writer but it seems clear that entering into a relationship with Jesus ignites a spiritual revolution.

--In John, believing in Jesus gives eternal life (the life of the age to come) in the here and now (John 10:10). 

--John (8:31) will also stress the freedom Jesus gives.

--Later, Paul will use another image to stress the change Jesus makes in our lives when he tells the Colossians that God, through Jesus, has “delivered us from the Kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.”  (Col 1:13-14)

As we will see, it will be very important for the Galatians to recall what Jesus did for them and how effectively he did it.

 

At this point in most first century letters, the writer would use a few lines to praise and commend the recipients of the letter.  A writer might even offer a word of thanks for them.  Consider Paul writing to the Philippians: 

Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy.

 

For some writers this might have been a mere courtesy but we can give Paul the benefit of the doubt and assume he truly meant the words of commendation and gratitude he expressed toward his fellow believers.  He could even say to the troublesome Corinthians: I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus….

What note of thanks does he offer for the Galatians?  What good thing does he say about them?  Not a word.  Nothing.  It wasn’t unprecedented for a letter-writer to omit these complementary words but when they were omitted it usually meant the writer felt impassioned about something, angry.  And Paul was angry.  This anger is going to rise to the surface several times in the letter.  Why was he so angry?  We’ll answer that as we move ahead.

There Is No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another gospel,

 

The New Living Translation puts Paul’s words more pointedly:  I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God…  Paul is shocked, stunned at the Galatians infidelity.  Some believe this defection may have taken place within weeks of Paul’s ministering in the region. 

Notice that Paul isn’t saying they have betrayed him or been unfaithful to him—he was merely the preacher who brought the gospel to them.  Rather, they have been unfaithful to the God “who called [them] to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.” 

The holy God came among in them in the person of Jesus Christ, filled with love, mercy, generosity, and grace but they turned their backs on him by turning to “a different gospel.”  Paul is quick to point out that there really is not “another gospel.” There is only one gospel, the message of good news, and the message that the Galatians were embracing was certainly not good news.

Why did they do such a thing?

 

 

…there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

 

They had fallen prey to false teachers who were slick and able to confuse the unwary Galatians.  They should have known better but these false teachers may have added a note of flattery to their words, making them more palatable. 

In any case, the Galatians failed to see the teachers aim was “to pervert the gospel of Christ.”  They twisted the gospel so that it was almost unrecognizable.  Unfortunately, the Galatians failed to see that.  Paul will address their blindness later.

For now, he has some strong words for those false teachers and for any who would copy them.

 

⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

 

Throughout the Scripture, angels are God’s special agents, his messengers.  They spoke to Abraham, to Joshua, to the prophets, to those involved in the Christmas story.  Yet, Paul says, even if an angel should present a “gospel” different than the one we preached, don’t listen.  Paul says, if for some reason we come among you with a different gospel—telling you we’ve changed our minds—don’t listen.  No matter who “proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!”  

That is a powerful statement.  The NET translates the statement this way, “let him be condemned to hell!”  As strong as that language is, that’s the implication of Paul’s words and a clue to how seriously he took the issue of abandoning the gospel.

 

¹⁰ Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul ends this section with what might seem a strange comment.  Think of it this way: he is saying that he isn’t trying to win friends; he refuses to temper his words because the issue is just that important.  In fact, if he were to take the matter less seriously, he would be betraying his calling.

 

SO WHAT WAS THE BIG DEAL?

 

Just who were these false teachers who inspired such passion in the apostle? A little over a hundred years ago, many New Testament scholars would have given one clear, unambiguous answer.  Now, it’s not so certain.  While it was once thought that Paul’s opponents came from Jerusalem, that is no longer certain.  And, while it was once thought that Paul faced the same opponents in each place he ministered, most students believe the opponents differed from place to place.  This required him to continually sharpen his defense of the gospel to meet a new group of false teachers.

In Galatians, Paul is facing a group that is often referred to as “Judaizers.”  However, that term is imprecise and even misleading. (It referred to Gentiles attempting to live like Jews.) So, too, is the term “circumcision party,” for similar reasons.  However, it seems clear that circumcision did play a major role in their teachings. 

The Galatians opponents may have reflected one of two possible positions.

1.  They may have been Jewish-Christians who sought to bring any Gentile converts or near-converts to embrace Judaism.  In other words, before you could become a Christian you had to first become a Jew. 

Their motives appear to have been mixed.  They seem to have, in part, been trying to escape the criticism or their Jewish neighbors and/or the Jewish authorities.

Craig Keener describes these individuals as related to those Paul encountered in Acts

These are Jewish Christians who would rather circumcise the Galatians—thus alienating them from their own Gentile culture—than allow Judean Jews back home to think that Christian missionaries were lax (4:29; 5:11; 6:12–13). Unlike Paul, a more seasoned missionary, these missionaries want to impose their own culture on the Galatians.^[1]

 

2.  They may have been Gentile converts.

This view imagines Gentiles who accepted circumcision because they believe it is integral to their spiritual welfare.  Now, they are insisting that all their fellow Gentiles must be circumcised if they would become Christians. 

While I think the first view is the most likely, there is support among New Testament scholars for the second.

The precise identity of the group probably doesn’t make a major difference in understanding the gist of Paul’s case for the gospel.  For this study, I will refer to this group the false teachers, Paul’s opponents, and as Judaizers, as long as we remember the term does not apply to all of Paul’s opponents everywhere.

The letter was inspired by the situation faced by the Galatian Christians who were the special object of the Judaizers’ attention. 

The Christians in that area had become the object of intense missionary zeal by certain ‘Judaizers’ who were convinced that the gospel did not set aside the Jewish ceremonies and that, therefore, the Gentile Christians must become Jews if they were to receive God’s promise given to Abraham….  Moved by the Judaizing arguments, these Galatians, who had initially been evangelized by Paul, began to observe the Jewish ceremonies. The apostle realized that such a turn of events undermined the very essence of the gospel of grace.^[2].

 

 

Again, so what?

 

We might argue that the Judaizers belonged to another age and another culture that has nothing to do with us.  So, Paul’s struggle with them is of little consequence to us.

True, there are no groups going from church to church saying you must become a Jew before you can be a Christian.  But the spirit that drove the Judaizers is still at work today.  That is the spirit of legalism.  I decided we needed to review Galatians because legalism is alive and well and living in our churches today.

Let me offer an informal definition.  Legalism is that outlook that says spirituality may be achieved by strictly following a code of conduct that may, at times, exceed any behavior required in the scripture and observing certain taboos that may find little support in the Scripture.  The one who follows such a lifestyle often believes he or she has attained a position of spiritual superiority over other Christians who do not live so circumspectly.  In extreme cases, legalists believe their way of life actually contributes to their earning God’s favor.

A more formal definition comes from The Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms:

 

Legalism is the attitude that identifies morality with the strict observance of laws or that views adherence to moral codes as defining the boundaries of a community. Religious legalism focuses on obedience to laws or moral codes based on the (misguided) assumption that such obedience is a means of gaining divine favor.[3]

Again, the most radical forms of “Christian” legalism says salvation is a matter of  Jesus plus something else, usually keeping certain rules or performing certain rites. 

As a result, legalism diminishes the role of Jesus in our redemption and robs the Christian of the joy that ought to come from resting wholly in the work of Christ on our behalf.  The message of legalism means the “good news” isn’t quite as “good” as it once was.  Legalism has the capacity of transforming our relationship with others; acts of kindness are never performed out of sheer benevolence, they are done to enhance my standing with God. 

If the fundamental notion of legalism is true—I can contribute to my own salvation—almost everything Paul preached and wrote about in the New Testament is suspect. 

Legalism is insidious; it can wheedle its way into our thinking without our knowing it.  A few years ago, an evangelical who is known for holding some very liberal positions on certain social issues addressed a convention of WMU women.  He told them that no real Christian would wear a Rolex.  Now, this man knows you can’t make such a judgment about a fellow Christian, but a kind of “liberal legalism” had found a place in his heart, probably without his knowing it.  Amazingly, he was praised for what he said; praised, perhaps, by Baptist journalists wearing Timexes. 

Liberalism exploits our fears and worries.  Legalism may be more prevalent when society seems to be out of control.  We feel we need to build stronger walls to protect ourselves.

--The legalist may mishandle the Scripture in deciding right and wrong. This happens when someone says, “No real Christian drinks alcohol.” While the Bible condemns drunkenness, it does not forbid drinking alcohol.

--The legalist may issue non-biblical rules to define Christian behavior.  For example, “No real Christian goes to the theatre.” 

It may seem trivial but Paul knows where such legalism will lead.  As we will see, the spirit of legalism is a spirit of bondage.  Paul wants the Galatians (and us) to understand why the gospel is so important.  Get the gospel right and you are liberated.  Get the “gospel” wrong  and are enslaved.  Paul’s examination of what God has done in Christ will lead him to the conclusion that begins the “practical” or ethical section of the letter.  He says,

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”Galatians 5:1 (NRSV)

That’s an important verse.  It is why I’m calling this “A Study in Christian Freedom.”  In contrast to the way of legalism, Paul will offer the way of grace.  He will show that the way of grace as the foundation for a relationship with God was God’s idea all along.  And he will show that the life inspired by God’s grace is one that bears fruit far better than the life of rules and taboos.

But first he will have to convince his readers he has the right to make those claims.

 

 

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[1]   Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ga). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

 

[3]  Grenz, S., Guretzki, D., & Nordling, C. F. (1999). Pocket dictionary of theological terms (72). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.