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Do you have history in the Worldwide Church of God? Are you still attending one of its offshoots? Do you see cracks in the doctrine and want more information, or do you not know why you're still there anymore? Is there a hole in your heart and just don't know why God isn't granting you the happiness you were promised would come through tithing and following a man? Do you find that no matter how hard you try you cannot live up to your own standards, and you feel like a failure? Do you find your pursuit of God to be based on fear?
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Monday, October 27, 2008

Galatians Quick Scan

Upon reading Galatians this weekend, I was reminded how I never cease to be amazed at how different my Bible is when I read it on my own as opposed to reading it without Herbert Armstrong telling me what to think.
I would like to write what I've found in my own words.

Things that do not come by the law:
Justification (GAL. 2: 16)
Righteousness (GAL. 2: 21)
The Spirit (GAL. 3: 2)
Perfection (GAL. 3: 3)
Miracles (GAL. 3: 4)
Inheritance (GAL. 3: 18)
Life (GAL. 3: 21)
Grace (GAL. 5: 4)

Quick Scan Overview:
(GAL. 1: 6) Some TROUBLE the Galatians. Anyone who preaches this 'other gospel' is accursed.
**Who? "Trouble" is key to identifying them.  See also GAL. 5: 10 & 12.
(GAL. 2: 4) False brethren were bringing in bondage ..they failed to compel Titus to be circumcised (v. 3).
(GAL. 2: 14) Why compel Gentiles to live as Jews? This is not straightforward to the truth of the gospel (v. 13)! Even the converts who were natural born Jews that keep the law believe that justification is in Christ and not the law (v. 15-16).
Verses 11-13 show something about 'the circumcision' was troubling things between Jew and Gentile. Peter, Barnabas, and the Jewish converts were influenced by men of the circumcision, influencing them to be divided.
**What is 'the circumcision' to Paul?
(GAL. 2: 16) No one is justified by keeping the law [three times this is said].
(GAL. 2: 21) Righteousness is not of the law - if so, Christ died for no reason.
**If someone says 'you avoid sin and I avoid sin, but I keep the Commandments, therefor I am better' they do not understand grace. By faith in Christ we are justified and not by the law at all. Keeping the Sabbath does not justify. If it did, Christ died in vain.
(GAL. 3: 2-4) The Spirit does not come by keeping the law. Perfection does not come by the flesh. It is foolish to think so. Miracles do not come by the law.
(GAL. 3: 10-12) If you start to keep the law, you must keep the WHOLE law - every last bit of it - or you are cursed! Only if you do the law can you benefit. Therefore it isn't faith in God, but our own effort.
**See my other posts on Cherry-Picking the law for more info on how the COGs do not keep the whole law.
(GAL. 3: 15) No man can change the law!
(GAL. 3: 16-18) We receive the gift by a promise by God to Abraham and his Seed, Christ. That comes to us through oneness with Christ (also see v. 26-29 and GAL. 4: 1-7). The law cannot enhance nor annul that promise. (also see v. 21).
(GAL. 3: 19-25) What is the point of the law? to curb our carnal nature until Christ comes, bringing faith with Him. But once Christ and faith came, we no longer need the law.
**We grow up individually, and the world grows up in God's eyes as well.
(GAL. 4: 8-9) The Gentiles were once pagans, then came to Christ, now again they turn to bondage to weak and beggarly elements [the law].
**We know this "weak and beggarly elements" refers to the law since this is the subject of this and the previous chapters, as well as the following. The key is the word "bondage". What/who is bondage? The Old Covenant (GAL. 4: 21-31)!
(GAL. 4: 11) Paul is so worried about the Galatians turning to the law; he doubts their conversion (see also v. 20).
(GAL. 4: 16) Is Paul an enemy because he tells the truth?
(GAL. 4: 17) Those of the law zealously court the freed Gentiles, but for no good purpose.
**Bringing someone under the law is not a good purpose.
(GAL. 4: 24-25) The Old Covenant gives birth to bondage! The Old Covenant is that which was given at Sinai.
**What was given at Sinai? The 10 Commandments!! (see also EXO. 34: 28 and DEU. 4: 13).
(GAL. 4: 28) We are not children of bondage [the law], but of promise (also see v. 31).
(GAL. 4: 30) Cast out the Old Covenant.
(GAL. 5: 1) Stand fast in the liberty of the New Covenant! Do not be entangled again in bondage [through the law - the 'yoke of bondage']!
(GAL. 5: 2) If you submit to the Old Covenant (even in part) Christ profits you NOTHING!
(GAL. 5: 3) If you submit to one part of the law you are bound to keep the whole thing - ALL of it.
(GAL. 5: 4) The law removes us from Christ's grace.
(GAL. 5: 8) The persuasion to keep the law does not come from Christ.
(GAL. 5: 10) Paul is confident the Galatians will reject this false gospel of the keeping of the law, and the one who teaches such will face God's judgment.
(GAL. 5: 11) Paul did not still preach circumcision [keeping of the law]. If so, then what Christ did on the cross has ceased.
(GAL. 5: 12) Paul wishes those who teach the necessity for circumcision [and thus, the law] would emasculate themselves.
(GAL. 5: 13) We have been called to liberty [not law], but that liberty is no excuse to continue in carnality. 
(GAL. 5: 18) If we are under the Spirit, we are not under the law.
**Remember, the Spirit does not come by the law!
**If there is no law, how do we know what to avoid? (GAL. 5: 19-25) answers this.
(GAL. 5: 12-13) Those who promote circumcision [the keeping of the law] don't keep the law anyhow. They just wish to boast in meaningless flesh.
**And if you start out to keep the law but don't keep the whole law, you fall under the curse of the law.

Summary:
Galatians deals with a controversy of mixing the law of Moses with faith. The claims of these false teachers were not that keeping the law earns justification, but in order to achieve justification one must also be keeping the Old Covenant law. This is identical to Armstrong's teaching. In other words, Paul absolutely contradicts Herbert W. Armstrong in the strongest terms. 
A gospel based on keeping the Old Covenant law is a false gospel. The Old Covenant is the 10 Commandments. The law was never meant to continue past Christ; but to keep man's carnal nature in check until Christ [among other things]. Those false brethren who preach this 'other gospel' are accursed because they teach the keeping of the law, yet they do not themselves keep the whole law. If you start to keep the law,  you are bound to keep the whole thing - ALL of it! No exemptions. Some may attempt to "change the law out of necessity" - but no man can change the law. The false gospel of blending faith with law nullifies all Christ did for us.

Dearly loved of God, is this what you want? As you attend a COG to get close to God, is this really what you want? Do you want to keep a tradition that Paul comes out so strongly against? Do you want a partial keeping of the law? Do you want to nullify what Christ has done for you? Is that honestly what you intend?? The nullification of the cross? I doubt that deeply. I know that you want justification, righteousness, the Spirit, perfection, miracles, inheritance, life, and grace - in other words, salvation. Believe what you read in your Bible; those things will never come from the law. The law cannot be a requirement to receive what can never come from it. Accept that it comes by grace through faith - as a promise made 4,000 years ago that the law cannot nullify. Step into the New Covenant!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Law is actually the whole word of God(ie, when they read the Law in the synagogue, they read the Scriptures-Acts 13:15)but there is no physical temple today, and so we are not held accountable for the "handwritten laws" of Moses(Col.2:14-17)because all that was "the shadow of things to come" but Christ is the reality and fulfillment of those things(v.17)
However, this does not mean that we can all become ax murderers and be saved. We are still accountable for our behaviour, just as the corrupt ministry of HWA will be.
We prove that we are Christians by the way we live, not by spiritual anarchy.
The Old Covenant testimonies are there in order to show us that in order to have that individual relationship with God, we will have to do it His way, not ours. We have to follow Christ.
thanks

Anonymous said...

If I read your comment right, Anonymous, I agree with you.

"(GAL. 5: 13) We have been called to liberty [not law], but that liberty is no excuse to continue in carnality.
...
**If there is no law, how do we know what to avoid? (GAL. 5: 19-25) answers this"

Anonymous said...

I used to get tripped up in Gal. 3 & 4 about who Paul was speaking to and in which verses. (esp. with 4:8,9,10) I now know it was both Jew and Gentile Christians and both were in bondage. One to the law and the other to "other gods" but both were in danger of being in bondage again but only, it seems, to the Law. It was really helpful for me to read Romans 3 with Gal. 3 and 4 and to read other translations.
XHWA, I like the innocence of your blog and I hope you won't get the nay-sayers over here that you see all the time on the others. I am sure they can find somewhere else to rant and rave.
Keep searching. I am on my 4th year and I learn all the time. It takes time but there are many "a-ha!" moments that are really joyous.
28vet

Anonymous said...

Thanks 28vet. I appreciate the kind words. And thanks for your input!

I have been really blessed to have some wonderful contributors here. Most people are very polite and helpful.
They understand that I'm not a scholar and I'm searching just as much as anybody else. They're a good bunch. I hope you'll come back regularly as well.

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