Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 28.
oh foolish Galatians, who has cast an evil
spell on you for the meaning of Jesus.
Christ's death was made as clear
to you as if you had seen a
picture of his death on the cross.
Let me ask you this one question.
Did you receive the Holy Spirit
by obeying the law of Moses?
Of course not.
You received the spirit
because you believed the
message you heard about Christ.
How foolish can you be after starting
your new lives In the Spirit?
Why are you now trying to become
perfect by your own human effort?
Have you experienced so much for nothing?
Surely it was not in vain, was it?
I ask you again, does God give you
the Holy Spirit and work miracles
among you because you obey the law?
Of course not.
It is because you believe the
message you heard about Christ.
In the same way, Abraham believed God and
God counted him as righteous because of
his faith, the real children of Abraham
then are those who put their faith in God.
What's more, the scriptures looked
forward to this time when God
would make the Gentiles right in
his sight because of their faith.
God proclaimed this good news to
Abraham long ago when he said, all
nations will be blessed through you.
So all who put their faith in Christ
share the same blessing Abraham
received because of his faith.
But those who depend on the law to make
them right with God are under his curse.
For the scriptures say, cursed is
everyone who does not observe and
obey all the commands that are
written in God's book of the law.
So it is clear that no one can be made
right with God by trying to keep the law.
For the scriptures say it is through
faith that a righteous person has life.
This way of faith is very different
from the way of law, which says it is
through obeying the law that a person
has life, but Christ has rescued us
from the curse pronounced by the law.
When he was hung on the cross, he took
upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.
For it is written in the scriptures.
Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
Through Christ Jesus.
God has blessed the Gentiles with the
same blessing he promised to Abraham so
that we who are believers might receive
the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Dear brothers and sisters, here's
an example from everyday life.
Just as no one can set aside or
amend an irrevocable agreement.
So it is in this case.
God gave the promises to Abraham
and his child and notice that the
scripture doesn't say to his children
as if it meant many descendants.
Rather, it says to his child,
and that of course means Christ.
This is what I am trying to say.
The agreement God made with Abraham
could not be canceled 430 years later.
When God gave the law to Moses, God
would be breaking his promise for if
the inheritance could be received by
keeping the law, then it would not be
the result of accepting God's promise.
But God graciously gave it
to Abraham as a promise.
Why then was the law given?
It was given alongside the promise to
show people their sins, but the law
was designed to last only until the
coming of the child who was promised.
God gave his law through angels
to Moses, who was the mediator
between God and the people.
Now, a mediator is helpful if more than
one party must reach an agreement, but
God, who is one, did not use a mediator
when he gave his promise to Abraham.
Is there a conflict then between
God's law and God's promises?
Absolutely not.
If the law could give us
new life, we could be made
right with God by obeying it.
But the scriptures declare that
we are all prisoners of sin, so we
receive God's promise of freedom
only by believing in Jesus Christ.
Before the way of faith in Christ
was available to us, we were
placed under guard by the law.
We were kept in protective
custody, so to speak, until
the way of faith was revealed.
Let me put it another way.
The law was our guardian
until Christ came.
It protected us until we could be
made right with God through faith.
And now that the way of faith has come,
we no longer need the law as our guardian.
For you are all children of God through
faith in Christ Jesus and all who have
been united with Christ in baptism have
put on Christ like putting on new clothes.
There is no longer Jew or gentile
slave or free male and female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus,
and now that you belong to Christ,
you are the true children of Abraham.
You are his heirs and God's
promise to Abraham belongs to you.
Think of it this way, if a father
dies and leaves an inheritance for his
young children, those children are not
much better off than slaves until they
grow up, even though they actually
own everything their father had.
They have to obey their guardians until
they reach whatever age their father set.
And that's the way it was
with us before Christ came.
We were like children.
We were slaves to the basic
spiritual principles of this world.
But when the right time came, God sent his
son, born of a woman subject to the law.
God sent him to buy freedom for us who
were slaves to the law so that he could
adopt us as his very own children.
And because we are his children, God has
sent the spirit of his son into our hearts
prompting us to call out Abba Father.
Now you are no longer a slave but
God's own child, and since you are
his child, God has made you his heir.
Before you Gentiles knew God,
you were slaves to so-called
Gods that do not even exist.
So now that you know God, or should I
say, now that God knows you, why do you
want to go back again and become slaves
once more to the weakened, useless,
spiritual principles of this world?
You are trying to earn favor with
God by observing certain days
or months or seasons or years.
I fear for you, perhaps all my
hard work with you was for nothing.
Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with
you to live as I do in freedom from
these things, for I have become like
you Gentiles, free from those laws.
You did not mistreat me when
I first preached to you.
Surely you remember that I was sick
when I first brought you the good news.
But even though my condition
tempted you to reject me, you did
not despise me or turn me away.
No, you took me in and cared for
me as though I were an angel from
God or even Christ Jesus himself.
Where is that joyful and
grateful spirit you felt then?
I am sure you would've taken
out your own eyes and given them
to me if it had been possible.
Have I now become your enemy
because I am telling you the truth.
Those false teachers are so
eager to win your favor, but
their intentions are not good.
They are trying to shut you off from me so
that you will pay attention only to them.
If someone is eager to do good
things for you, that's all right.
But let them do it all the time,
not just when I'm with you.
Oh my dear children.
I feel as if I'm going through labor pains
for you again and they will continue until
Christ is fully developed in your lives.
I wish I were with you right
now so I could change my tone,
but at this distance, I don't
know how else to help you.
Tell me you who want to live
under the law, do you know
what the law actually says?
The scriptures say that Abraham had
two sons, one from his slave wife
and one from his freeborn wife.
The son of the slave wife was born
in a human attempt to bring about the
fulfillment of God's promise, but the
son of the Freeborn wife was born as
God's own fulfillment of his promise.
These two women serve as an
illustration of God's two covenants.
The first woman, Hagar represents Mount
Sinai where people received the law that
enslaved them, and now Jerusalem is just
like Mount Sinai in Arabia because she and
her children live in slavery to the law.
But the other woman, Sarah,
represents the heavenly Jerusalem.
She is the free woman,
and she is our mother.
As Isaiah said, Rejoice old childless
woman, you who have never given
birth, break into a joyful shout.
You who have never been in labor for the
desolate woman now has more children than
the woman who lives with her husband.
And you dear brothers and sisters are
children of the promise, just like
Isaac, but you are now being persecuted
by those who want you to keep the law
just as Ishmael, the child born of
human effort, persecuted Isaac, the
child, born by the power of the spirit.
But what do the scriptures say about that?
Get rid of the slave in her son, for the
son of the slave woman will not share the
inheritance with the free woman's son.
So dear brothers and sisters, we
are not children of the slave woman.
We are children of the free woman.
So Christ has truly set us free.
Now, make sure that you stay
free and don't get tied up
again in slavery to the law.
Listen, I Paul tell you this.
If you are counting on circumcision
to make you right with God, then
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
I'll say it again.
If you are trying to find favor with
God by being circumcised, you must obey
every regulation in the whole law of
Moses for if you are trying to make
yourselves right with God, by keeping the
law, you have been cut off from Christ.
You have fallen away from God's grace, but
we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to
receive by faith the righteousness God has
promised to us for when we place our faith
in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in
being circumcised or being uncircumcised.
What is important is faith
expressing itself in love.
You were running the race so well.
Who has held you back
from following the truth?
It certainly isn't God for He is
the one who called you to freedom.
This false teaching is like
a little yeast that spreads
through the whole batch of doe.
I am trusting the Lord to keep you
from believing false teachings.
God will judge that person, whoever
he is, who has been confusing you.
Dear brothers and sisters, if I
were still preaching that you must
be circumcised as some say I do.
Why am I still being persecuted?
If I were no longer preaching
salvation through the cross of
Christ, no one would be offended.
I just wish that those troublemakers
who want to mutilate you by circumcision
would mutilate themselves for you.
Have been called to live in
freedom, my brothers and sisters.
But don't use your freedom to
satisfy your sinful nature.
Instead, use your freedom to serve
one another in love for the whole law
can be summed up in this one command.
Love your neighbor as your self,
but if you are always biting and
devouring one another, watch out.
Beware of destroying one another.
So I say, let the Holy
Spirit guide your lives.
Then you won't be doing what
your sinful nature craves.
The sinful nature wants to do evil,
which is just the opposite of what
the spirit wants, and the spirit
gives us desires that are the opposite
of what the sinful nature desires.
These two forces are constantly
fighting each other, so you are not
free to carry out your good intentions.
But when you are directed by
the spirit, you are not under
obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your
sinful nature, the results are very clear.
Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful
pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility,
quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger.
Selfish, ambition, dissension,
division envy, drunkenness, wild
parties, and other sins like these.
Let me tell you again as I have before,
that anyone living that sort of life
will not in inherit the kingdom of
God, but the Holy Spirit produces this
kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy.
Peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
There is no law against these things.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have nailed the passions and
desires of their sinful nature to
his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the spirit,
let us follow the spirits leading
in every part of our lives.
Let us not become conceited or provoke
one another or be jealous of one another.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another
believer is overcome by some sin, you who
are godly should gently and humbly help
that person back onto the right path.
And be careful not to fall into
the same Temptation yourself.
Share each other's burdens, and in
this way, obey the law of Christ.
If you think you are too important to help
someone, you are only fooling yourself.
You are not that important.
Pay careful attention to your own work
for then you will get the satisfaction
of a job well done, and you won't need
to compare yourself to anyone else For we
are each responsible for our own conduct.
Those who are taught the word of God
should provide for their teachers,
sharing all good things with them.
Don't be misled.
You cannot mock the justice of God.
You will always harvest what you plant.
Those who live only to satisfy their
own sinful nature will harvest decay
and death from that sinful nature.
But those who live to please
the spirit will harvest
everlasting life from the spirit.
So let's not get tired of doing
what is good at just the right time.
We will reap a harvest of
blessing if we don't give up.
Therefore, whenever we
have the opportunity, we
should do good to everyone.
Especially to those in
the family of faith.
Notice what large letters I use as I write
these closing words in my own handwriting.
Those who are trying to force you
to be circumcised, want to look
good to others, they don't want
to be persecuted for teaching that
the cross of Christ alone can save.
And even those who advocate circumcision
don't keep the whole law themselves.
They only want you to be circumcised
so they can boast about it and
claim you as their disciples.
As for me, may I never boast about
anything, the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, because of that cross, my interest
in this world has been crucified and the
world's interest in me has also died.
It doesn't matter whether we
have been circumcised or not.
What counts is whether we have been
transformed into a new creation.
May God's peace and mercy be upon
all who live by this principle.
They are the new people of God.
From now on, don't let anyone
trouble me with these things.
For I bear on my body, the scars
that show I belong to Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, may
the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit.
Amen.
This concludes today's
immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.