A Fresh look at Galatians - Part 1: The Flesh

We are all familiar with some of the key verses in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The fruit of the spirit vs. the works of the flesh, being set free for freedom, not using our freedom to indulge our sinful nature and Paul’s well known exclamation: “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you!”

Traditionally these scriptures have been understood to talk about sin in the sense of ‘doing bad things’ like lying, fornication or idolatry, etc. However, I’ve decided to take a fresh look at these verses, with a special focus on their context.

The topic of Galatians as a whole is the contrast between that which is by faith and that which is by works. The letter was really written to alert the Galatian believers to the dangers of “any other gospel” and to encourage them to stick to the gospel Paul preached to them. Paul then re-iterates what the gospel is and illustrates the differences between the truth and the lie for clarity.

The letter is written for no other reason but to help the Galatians stand firm in the faith they have, and not to be lured into a false gospel.

The false gospel which the Galatians had been facing, had to do with adding works to their faith.  We see in chapter 1 and 2 that those who were preaching the false gospel came from the Jews, probably the church in Jerusalem, and were trying to convince the gentile believers that there was value in obeying the Law of God.  These were very persuasive and obviously intimidating people, because even Peter seemed to be under their spell when he visited Galatia. Paul says that men came from James (the church in Jerusalem), who had obviously had a hard time holding onto a life of faith because we see in Acts 21:20, “When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.”

Paul introduces the first key concept, “the flesh” in Galatians 3. We see clearly that in this context, the term “flesh” refers to religious effort, especially Jewish religious practise. Paul actually uses “works of the Law” and “the flesh” to refer to the same thing in Gal 3:2+3. The Greek word here is: “sarx” and it is also translated in Galatians by the NIV and NLT; “human effort”, “sinful nature . The ESV and NKJV use “flesh” throughout.

The translation by the NIV and NLT of “sarx” into “sinful nature” is unfortunate, since it is misleading. Clearly Paul is talking about ‘religious work or effort’ when referring to “flesh”, and not ‘wrongdoing’.

We can apply this meaning of the term “flesh” through the rest of the letter. It yields some surprising results:

Galatians 4:23

“His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.”

“Flesh” refers to Abraham’s effort, acting according to his natural understanding. He slept with Hagar and she bore him a son. The fruit was achieved, but not in a spiritual way. Abraham was still living as a slave to the “basic principles of the world” (Gal 4:3). He still thought in terms of physical capability and constraints.

Galatians 5:13
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Having established the context of “flesh” we see that “Indulging the flesh” here actually has nothing to do with ‘doing bad things’ as the traditional understanding of this verse implies, but rather, indulging the flesh is talking about allowing yourself to work for your salvation. Indulging the flesh here is talking about allowing yourself to be circumcised, not about allowing yourself to be tempted to commit some sin, like adultery.  Paul is saying that we shouldn’t let any kind of self-righteousness get a foothold in our lives, do not allow the little bit of leaven, just allowing yourself to feel like you could ever earn the promises of God even a little bit, because the leaven will spoil the whole batch.

Galatians 5:16
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Keeping to the meaning of the term “flesh” allows us to see this scripture in a whole new light. “Gratifying the desires of the flesh” has nothing to do with looking at porn but with doing religious GOOD WORKS! Our flesh needs to be justified by works, we have this constant draw to try and work for our justification. THAT is what Paul is trying to get across.  This is what Hebrews 9:14 is talking about, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

While we have the burden of religious guilt, we are bound and cannot serve God. Gal 5:17 says it clearly, “…so that you do not do whatever you want”.

Galatians 5:19
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Wow! Does this scripture have new meaning! Paul is showing us, religion, human effort, self-righteousness, GOOD LAW ABIDING MORAL LIVING, will only result in all kinds of evil. He is not saying the dirty drunk man at the bar will do these things. He is actually saying it is the religious, those who take pride in their own works. Fortunately we see this clearly in the religions of the world, even the religious Christian church. Just look at the history of the Catholic Church, a great example.

Galatians 5:24
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. “

To have “crucified the flesh” gets a whole new meaning too. It means that we have decided to give up trying to earn salvation. Like Paul says, it is all faeces! To become a believer, you have to recognise the futility of self effort and give it up! That is what it means to crucify the flesh in Galatians.

Galatians 6:1
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Again, new light brings new revelation. If you read the rest of this chapter, (Gal 6) it becomes obvious that being caught in a sin is being religious! That is why Paul says “Each one should test their own actions.” Because the only person who knows if what you are doing is prompted by faith or religion is yourself. 

I have really enjoyed this revelation, and hope it benefits you. Do comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The Moral Law

I have heard it taught many places that the Law, as in the law of the Old Covenant, given under the leadership of Moses by God, is split up into 3 parts: There is the moral law, the ceremonial law and the civil law. The moral law is the Ten Commandments, the Ceremonial Law is all the priestly stuff, and the Civil law is all the stuff relating to running a country.

This is all very interesting and for the sake of scholarship and study, I’m sure it is very useful. The thing is, usually when talking about the parts of the law, we get told that as Christians, the moral law is still in force and we are expected to live by it. “Of course!” we all say, and who wouldn’t? Isn’t it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God?

As Christians we are wonderfully free, we can eat bacon, we can mix cheese and meat, we can eat crayfish and crabs and we can even touch unclean people! The huge burden of the ceremonial and civil law has been lifted. Thank God!  I know my wife doesn’t relish the idea of walking around the streets shouting “unclean” when she’s menstruating!

But there is still this issue of the moral law.

We can’t commit adultery, we can’t lie, we better rest on the Sabbath and we definitely shouldn’t disobey our parents! I’m just not sure how the graven images thing works. Is a photo or a movie with pictures of Jesus illegal? I’m also not exactly sure when am I no longer a child so that I don’t have to obey my parents, is it when I’m 13, or 21? Especially now that there’s no civil law from God to tell me when I’m no longer a child.

It’s not like any of us want to go about breaking the Law, at least, none of us would dare admit that there might be a desire to go for a hike on a Sabbath day, or that we REALLY like our neighbour’s car, or his new iMac. 

Then we move onto the New Testament and Jesus just completely destroys that haven of merely entertaining the THOUGHT of beating up my stupid neighbour and "borrowing" his iMac. Now I no longer have to do to be condemned, I just THINK a sinful thought and I’m GUILTY! We really have moved from works to faith. On top of that he tells people to cut off and pluck out body parts that cause them to sin. (That shows how obedient I’ve been, I’m still typing!)

Who decided to call those first four books of the New Testament the Gospels? They certainly don’t sound like good news to me. After all if my righteousness doesn’t exceed that of the Pharisees, then I’m a goner!

No more lifting up holy hands for me, I’m a sinner! I looked at that super hot girl on the beach the other day... Sheesh! Poor guy who invented the bikini, imagine how many guys he has caused to stumble!

I think it’s easier to be a Muslim.

There is something wrong with this picture, because I know the gospel is good news. How can we proclaim freedom and liberty while at the same time binding people up with moral rules? It doesn’t quite add up.

So I did a bit of research. I'd like to share with you my findings and also some perspectives on the implications:

There is no place in the Bible where the law is split up into parts.

James 2: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

Jesus talks about the “law and the prophets” and while he talks about “the law” many times, there is no place where the law is not spoken of as one thing. It is unscriptural, especially in light of James’ statement, to break up the law.  The law is always just referred to as the law. In Greek and Hebrew there are a few different words for the law, sometimes translated as law, sometimes commandments, sometimes as precepts or statutes, but there is no consistency, the different words are used interchangeably and don’t refer to the same “parts” of the law every time. There is no language or imagery used that gives even the impression of the law being anything but a composite whole.

While it may be argued that James is talking about the moral law, and even if it can be shown from scripture that there is a distinction between moral, ceremonial and civil laws, I want to look again at what exactly Jesus set us free from on the cross.

What happened to the Law?

Colossians 2
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Jesus cancelled the written code on the cross! 

Now we can still not conclusively say which part of the written code (law) he cancelled. From this scripture it could be that the ceremonial and civil laws are cancelled but the moral still stands. Please note though, that he cancelled the code, that has regulations that was against us.

2 Corinthians 3
“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Now if we look at 2 Corinthians and put it next to Colossians, allowing them to enlighten each other some things become very clear:

From Colossians we see that the written code that was against us was cancelled at the cross.

Corinthians shows us that the letter kills and the ministry that brought death was written on tablets of stone. That same ministry is called the ministry that condemns men!

I only know one “letter” that was written on tablets of stone. In fact, Paul makes it clear later on in 2 Corinthians that he is talking about the Ten Commandments because he starts referring to the Old Covenant and Moses.

So we can see that the written code that was against us is the same “letter that kills” which was engraved on tablets of stone. AKA, the “ministry of death”.

What is the moral code? The ten commandments. What was cancelled at the cross? The written code, the one written on tablets of stone.

So even if we are able to prove the distinction between different parts of the law and insist on the distinction, it is specifically the MORAL LAW that we have been set free from, not the ceremonial or civil.

The effect of the Law

2 Corinthians 3 actually makes some scary statements, if you like the Ten Commandments:

“But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Reading the Law makes you spiritually stupid! It makes your mind dull and HIDES the glory of the New Covenant! (“Reading” means studying it and teaching: There were no bibles when this was written, the law was read from a scroll by a priest or a rabbi or a Jewish man in the synagogue or at the temple during meetings.)

If you’re a believer, and the law is read to you, the glory starts fading, like Moses. However, when you turn to Christ the veil is taken away and we reflect with an unfading glory! Turning here clearly implies leaving. 

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  

We’ve all heard this so many times but have you ever stopped to think what the freedom is from?

This verse actually continues on from verse 6, I’ll put the two verses together: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

 

Paul is contrasting living in the Lord, who is spirit and gives life, against living by the letter, which kills.  The freedom we have is FROM THE LETTER WHICH KILLS, which brings a veil over our hearts and faces!

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom from the Law! There is no other way to interpret this in the context it is in.

As an aside: There is no distinction in most of the New Testament between “Spirit” and “spirit”. Both are exactly the same word in Greek. There is only the word “pneuma”. Writing “Spirit” (to refer to the Holy Spirit) or “spirit” (referring to the spiritual part of a man or the spiritual realm) is done by the translators through inference but it does not always necessarily specifically refer to the Holy Spirit when “Spirit” is used instead of “spirit”.

 Another effect of the Law is that it empowers sin. We see this over and over in the epistles of Paul: 

1 Corinthians 15:56

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

Romans 6:14
“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (If you are under law then it is clear that sin is your master.)

Romans 7:9
“Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.”

Teaching people to live according to the Law (or any external law) will only increase sin. It is the grace of God that leads us to repentance and teaches us to say no to ungodliness, not laws.

Just looking at a few verses from Scripture shows me that the Law is not my friend! There is no positive thing that the believer can get out of the Law except relief that we are free from it!

What is the purpose of the Law?

The Law was never given for anyone to live by. In fact, the Law was a test people were given that they could never pass, a standard no one could live up to. The idea of the law was never to show you how to live, but to show you your sin.
As Paul writes in Galatians 3:
“Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

The purpose of the law was to show man the need for a saviour. Once you turn to Christ, the Law has no purpose, it is fulfilled. It is as clear as day:

“Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

Jesus said it himself in Luke 16:

"The Law and the Prophets were until John.”

What is the Christian’s relationship with the Law?

“Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

Paul draws a parallel between the ways of the flesh and the way of the spirit in Galatians 4-5. He contrasts Hagar, Abraham’s slave, and Sarah, his wife. The way of the flesh is the way of human effort, the “ordinary way”, and is dictated by flesh (laws), while the way of the spirit is the way of God’s effort and is dictated by spirit. Notice how Paul makes it clear that the two cannot co-exist:

Galatians 4-5:
“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

 These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written:
   "Be glad, O barren woman,
      who bears no children;
   break forth and cry aloud,
      you who have no labor pains;
   because more are the children of the desolate woman
      than of her who has a husband."

 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Paul is exhorting the Galatians to get rid of the slave woman and her son. The whole caboodle, anything that has to do with the way of the flesh. Why? Because a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

In short: You cannot mix law and faith.  The Christian and the Law have absolutely nothing to do with each other. You cannot mix the way of the flesh with the way of the spirit. 

Many people say that some things have continued through the cross. We are told to see the cross as a kind of filter and only some things make it through from the Old Covenant to the New.

I believe this is a gross underestimation of the power and impact of the cross and a misunderstanding of the Way. Jesus came to make a New Covenant. It is not a modification of the Old, but a NEW one. It is not even vaguely based on or similar to the Old Mosaic Covenant, it is about as opposite as you can get.

The Old was based on man’s effort and governed by EXTERNAL regulation. The New is based on God’s effort and is based on INTERNAL regulation.

Romans 8:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Living according to laws or regulations that are external is also living in the flesh. We know already the Law brings wrath and condemnation, we see it again here: “For to set the mind on the flesh is death.” If we walk according to our mind, our understanding, we are walking according to the flesh!

Galatians 3
“Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."

Ever since the Fall of Man, our reference point for good and evil moved from an internal, spiritual  reference to a “knowledge of good and evil” based in the mind, our flesh. Living according to any laws is just more knowledge of good and evil. The New Covenant changed all that!  

Now we can be born from above and once again it is possible for man to live according to his spirit which is filled with God himself and no longer is there any need for knowledge of good and evil. Now as a Christian we are to walk with our mind set on the spirit! Our reference point has moved to our spirit, full of His Spirit!

Romans 7
“Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members  to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.^”

It is clear from the above passage that life as a believer has nothing to do with written regulation, but with learning to live according to the spirit. If we still come under the law in any way, we are spiritual adulterers!

You cannot be married to Christ and live under the law at all. 

Even flirting with it would dishonour your new husband!

All Christian behaviour should flow out of an overflow in our innermost being. That is why Jesus spoke so much of being in the vine and bearing fruit. The source is the vine, not the branches!

The minute we adopt behaviour because it has been taught to us from outside without the Spirit’s leading, we are merely being religious and flirting with that old husband again.

Being born again means there is a new nature in us. Learning to walk according to that new nature is the essence of the Christian life. As we grow in our intimacy and comfort in the spiritual, our lives will reflect more and more that of Jesus and his glory. This is an inside out process, in other words, all change in us is initiated by the Spirit in us and reflects in our physical life increasingly as we walk with the Lord. That is what God meant when he said he would write his laws on our hearts. It doesn’t mean we want to obey the Ten Commandments, rather it means we delight in pleasing Him and our lives are directed by the Living God in us. 

Galatians 5:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Paul has just showed the Galatians how they have been set free from the Law by Jesus, through faith. The yoke of slavery is the Law, as we see from Galatians 4, and to be burdened again has to do with allowing people to put rules and regulations for righteousness on you again. We are to live a free people, according to the way of the spirit.

The New Testament as a rule book

Many Christians have not grasped this fundamental change between the way of the Old Covenant (flesh) and the way of the New Covenant (spirit) and so they apply the way of the Old to the New. What this does is it makes us read the New Testament part of the Bible trying to attain more knowledge of good and evil, looking for commands to obey. We are so tuned to external regulation that we want to live by the Bible!

We might be reading from the New Testament, but we are really still living in the Old.

The Way of the New Covenant is the way of spirit. We have to get away from reading to find do’s and don’ts and read with the goal of a revelation of Jesus and what he has accomplished for us.

There is no written code!

Living in freedom

In Hebrews, religious acts are called “acts that lead to death” or “useless rituals”. We see in Hebrews nine that even though Israel had a system of sacrifices for sin under the Old Covenant, the sacrifices were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. They had to come again and again to make sacrifices, year after year. As an Israelite you knew your sins had been paid for but also that you would sin again and therefore that you would need to come and sacrifice again. The rituals did not actually accomplish anything except pay for sin. The worshipper wasn’t changed, he continued to sin again and be aware of his guilt.

Hebrews 9:
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Unless we can get away from the law, which produces sin consciousness and a guilty conscience and condemnation, we cannot serve God. This passage in Hebrews makes it clear that having a guilty conscience actually interferes with serving God because we get caught up in having to do “useless rituals”. A consciousness of sin comes through the law and the more we are conscious of sin, the less we are conscious of the spirit. A mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.   Why? Because when we set our minds on the flesh, we start seeing our effort, our performance and we measure it by the law. The only thing the law could ever do was to condemn you and so the mind set on the flesh is death!

However when we set our minds on the spirit, on things above, our consciousness becomes filled with what Jesus has done, with the fact that we are as righteous in Christ as God himself and instead of becoming more self-centred we become more Jesus centred! In this way we allow the glory of God to manifest more and more, an ever increasing glory instead of the fading glory we see in the presence of the law.

in Conclusion:

·       -The splitting up of the Mosaic laws into moral, ceremonial and civil can be useful from a perspective of Old Testament study, but has no basis in Scripture.

·       -While there is a lot of teaching that the moral law still applies to Christians, this is simply not Biblical. The opposite is actually true! If anything, the moral law is the one part of the law we can say with 100% certainty is not applicable to anyone in Christ.

 -

·       -The law is actually not very healthy for a Believer, it kills faith, it creates sin consciousness and draws us from living in the spirit to living in the flesh.

·       -The new way of the New Covenant is not related at all to the Old Covenant. The two covenants are completely different and have no resemblance in any way.

·       -The Old Covenant and the New Covenant are so different they actually cannot co-exist. We see examples of this all over the New Testament: Everywhere the gospel was preached, the religious zealots rose up against it.

·       -Reading the New Covenant with an Old Covenant mentality will turn it into a rule book instead of a revelation of Jesus.

·       -The point of the New Covenant is relationship with God, not performance. Believers live out of intimacy with the Holy Spirit, not out of a set of guidelines or rules.

A door no one can shut!

Have you noticed how our worldview affects our interpretation of things? Certainly in my case, I have seen how the revelation of peace with God and his good intentions toward man because of Jesus are changing the way I understand the bible. If it is true that God is perfect and cannot contradict himself, then the revelation of God through Jesus should be our guide for interpreting Scripture. Jesus is, after all, the exact representation of the Father. He said that if we have seen him, then we have seen the Father.

I enjoy thinking about the effect Jesus' words had on different people: To the weak and heavy laden, he was like an oasis in the desert. His words and actions refreshed, set free and loved. To the religious zealots, those who trusted in and took pride in their religious effort, he was confounding and infuriating. Those who came hungry left surprisingly satisfied and those who came to him haughty were generally left with a shaken foundation and a strange hollow feeling.
Most were surprised at what they got from Jesus. It was contrary to their training, to the accepted religious dogma of the day. The sinners expected an angry word and were given living water and acceptance, the religious elite expected a pat on the back but got a stinging rebuke.
Their worldview and training had shaped their view of God and their expectation. SCARY.

One of the things that is being adjusted in my worldview is the centrality of Jesus: If we read it right, ALL scripture should point us to him. If it doesn't we're misinterpreting the meaning. 

So when Josh Mills was here in April, I noticed that a fuse had been lit in my understanding. I knew something had been triggered but it was going to take a while for me to realise what had happened. The words that he spoke that exploded in me were: "Jesus is the door."  I knew this was a key, but I didn't have a lock for the key to go in just yet...

The second event that precipitated the flood happened at a prayer meeting a few weeks later: Steve showed us how the name "Jehovah Jireh" (God who provides) was only used once in the bible, when he provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice in the place of his son, Isaac. Jesus is God's provision. God PROVIDED. It is done. Jesus is the provision. He is the answer to every need!

Last Monday we were praying about our upcoming trip to China and I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of a scripture: "I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut."
This verse comes out of Revelation 3v7+8:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

This promise to the church in China is rocking my world: Jesus rebuked the pharisees: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matthew 23v13)
The religious establishment is very good at giving us reasons why we are not eligible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Religion, legalistic Christianity slams the door in sinner's faces. They're not good enough.

Jesus is so different. He says to the church in Revelation: "No one can shut this door!" Why not? Because HE is the door! No one can take that away. It doesn't matter what any religious authority says, Jesus said that no one can shut the door. No one can prevent me from coming to him. From entering in through him! WOW! No amount of bible bashing or guilt tripping or anything can close the door of Jesus that has been placed before me. There is no better news than this!

The second part of this truth is also good news, but not to all: "What he shuts, no one can open."
Jesus has opened a new and living way into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he has also SHUT the old way. What he has shut, no one can open. The door that has been shut is the door that was labeled "righteous works" no one can go in that way any more. 

I'm off to go dance in the door...the door that no one can shut!

The devil's gospel...

The last 4 years of my life have been spent largely in retraining my mind: Since I started listening to Rob Rufus' message on the Grace of God, I have been in a non stop process of seeing Truth revealed and then re-aligning my thinking. So many (probably most) of my assumptions about things have been based on erroneous or incomplete data and although it has been hard to see the huge, gaping holes in the foundations of my life, it has been wonderful to see them being filled in.Even the word for this process, "repentance" has had to be redefined in me!
Everything we think or do has been learnt somewhere. We either picked it up from our parents, friends, family, a book, TV, music, etc.  The scary thing is that we don't realise how much of our ways are programmed by things like TV shows and adverts which are written by completely dysfunctional people. It's even worse if we consider that all this "programming" (because that is what it does to us) is based on the wisdom of man. It definitely isn't based on the wisdom of God because the underlying principles easily uncovered in this constant stream of propaganda are so contrary to the nature of God: Take a few moments and think about the kind of advertising you see around you all the time: Most of it promises to make you better in some way (inferring you are not good enough) or to come to your rescue in some way (inferring that you are on your own and no one is there to help you if you don't). Think about the average advert; whether it be for medicine or insurance or a car or a new toy. Their message is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ!

One of the most prevalent propositions we are bombarded with these days is also one of the most deadly to the Christian, and I'd love to hear your comments on this.
"Buy now, pay later" is the dogma of the current age. We see it all the time, all around us. The current world financial system is built on it. Economists have been so drawn into this stupid way of thinking that they call it the lifeblood of any economy. "Credit Rating", "Credit Line", "out of credit", "Credit Card", credit, credit, credit. Governments depend on it, people are slaves to it, it's all "buy now, pay later". This has become the mantra of our daily life. Even in a spiritual way, many would rather "sin now, pay later". How sad.

We've so been programmed into this way of thinking, relying on credit to make ends meet. (I know, I still have debt to repay.) Have we thought about it though?  Have you noticed how if you don't have enough money to buy something you say: "I'll put it on my visa, I'll work out how to pay it later."

I realised that "the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion." and reading the rest of Isaiah 30 and 31 makes it clear that it hurts Him when we don't trust in Him. All over the bible it talks about God making himself known by his mighty hand, of saving his people from a terrible fate so that all may see he is God. God loves it when we look to Him for provision and just like any good father, he loves giving his children good things.

When God showed me how I trust my visa card for provision more than him, I was so trapped in the way of the world that I couldn't possibly just cut it up and close the account even though I wanted to. That revelation was a difficult one to deal with. Besides, the system had done it's work on me and accomplished what it was designed to do; to get me into debt. I wasn't set free from it in a moment, but that was the beginning of our journey to freedom. Freedom from the financial system designed from the ground up to make slaves of all men and to kill the fruit of those who have a destiny and a purpose in Christ. (Mark 4v18) 

This is where coming to Hong Kong has been so good for us. It has provided a break from the situation we were in, to be able to get perspective. We could get out of the pressure of the situation in Ireland and seek God for his solution, his will and his provision. The wonderful environment of grace in the church here has lifted the burdens of religiosity and we have been letting a continuous diet of the goodness of God slowly but surely transform our minds.

As I write this we don't have all the provision we need yet and we haven't yet seen the manifestation of the provision of God according to his riches in glory, but I now know he is for me. I am expecting goodness and mercy to pursue me, and I know it's only a matter of time before the rain. Finally, like Elijah, a cloud is beginning to form in the vast blue sky and I am getting ready for a flood. Today I am looking at Jesus, the provision from God and I know that in Him, all things are possible. Today, even as everything around me says PANIC, I am finally able to, to rest in the finished work and to trust my dear Father in heaven, who desires good things for his children. Today, I can laugh at the wisdom of the world which would have me die of a heart attack and whisper to my Father as I sit comfortably on his lap how glad I am that he is able!

You see, the "buy now, pay later" mantra has one key deception (actually many, but we'll only discuss one now) built in. The deception is the assumption that you have to pay. We can see how well the master of spin has sold his message because all religion has this lie at its root: "YOU HAVE TO PAY."

The reason it is so deceptive is because it isn't a total lie, but a twisting of the truth. God does desire payment for all transgressions, that is true, but it is only half the story. "Buy now, pay later" draws us to look at our own strength and abilities when it comes to making the payments to service the debt that we have so skillfully accumulated. It is the mindset of an orphan.

Thankfully, the rest of the story changes everything: You see, at just the right time, while we were hopelessly in debt and completely unable to even start repayments, God the Father arranged for his own son to settle all our debts out of his love for us! What is even more astounding is that he didn't just pay all the debt, he actually bought EVERYTHING! "Buy now, pay later" loses its meaning because there's nothing left to buy! Once we understand that Jesus also made a way for us to become adopted into the Father's family as heirs alongside Jesus, and that everything belongs to this family now anyway, we realize that we only need to ask the Father for whatever it is we need or want. There is nothing left to be paid for! We are family and our family owns everything. "Buy now, pay later" becomes "Paid for in full". This is the mindset of a son.

So...... FIFA World Cup 2010. WOW! Already we're well into the tournament. I must say that I'm so pleased to see SA hosting so well. The stadiums look amazing and the infrastructure is incredible. SA really does shine in the context of Africa. Last year Aug when visiting SA we experienced a little of what it has cost the nation in terms of disruption to get this country to be ready for the World Cup. I hope it was worth it, many hours stuck in traffic during road construction does take its toll! So thank you SA for making this such a success!

As for the soccer, I must say I've only really enjoyed the opening match and the Germany vs Australia game. While it has been great to see all the national teams and the skill and individual flair, it feels like the teams were all tiptoeing around, very cautiously. Aside from the odd glimpse of wonderful "happy football" the games really have been very lacking in excitement.  Some are blaming the new ball and some are blaming the vuvuzelas, both of which are relevant issues, but how is it possible then to have a team like Germany play such an amazing game of football. I was amazed at their composure, discipline and absolute conviction that they were in charge. It was beautiful to watch and Australia are lucky to get away with only 4 goals against. The Germans just wouldn't let them into the game, it must have been very frustrating  to chase passes all night.

I just wish there was a way to watch the games in the daytime....so much wonderful football lies ahead.

So, it's been a while... Since that last tally ho, the cares of the world have really been doing their work.... BUT NOT ANY MORE!
Having a blog has been on my heart for a while, but we all know how it goes, at least for me: I start something all excitedly, and then lose interest really quickly. The story of my life....
Fortunately since coming to Hong Kong in September '09, God's been uncovering so much in me that has been left dormant for a really long time. I'm seeing his goodness manifesting into my thoughts and changing my outlook and perspective on life. Everything has been "ground under repair" since coming and it really is good to see the repairs coming to fruition and completion.  I'm looking forward to actually maintaining this blog thing, there's so much to share!

So, finally I decide to step into the modern world and set up a blog of my very own...
(I wonder how many blogs start like this....)

OK, it's not a great start, but a small beginning is a beginning nonetheless!

I thought I'd mix in some personal stuff, a bit of work related stuff and some input relating to what my life is about: Jesus; living for Him and becoming someone who is truly consumed by Him. Hopefully there'll be something worth reading, although I get the feeling I need to write down some of what's happening more for the sake of perspective than anything.

So this blog has begun.
Tally Ho!