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In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.
We all need them. Galatians 2.1-3
Galatians 2 (1)
Pray Psalm 25.4-6.
Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Sing Psalm 25.4-6.
(Festal Song: Rise Up, O Men of God)
Make me to know Your ways, teach me Your paths, O LORD!
My Savior, all day long I wait and seek You in Your Word.
Remember mercy, LORD, and steadfast love to me!
But all my sins before You let them not remembered be!
Read and meditate on Galatians 2.1-3.
Preparation
1. Why did Paul go to Jerusalem? Who was with him?
2. How long into his ministry was he before he did this?
Meditation
Paul had been to Jerusalem once already, three years after his conversion (1.18), when Peter and James confirmed his faith and preaching. Though Paul can sometimes seem pretty sure of himself and without need of anyone to tell him what’s what, we note that, from the beginning of his walk with the Lord he submitted to others who knew and loved Jesus as he did.
Fourteen years after that first visit, Paul returned. By now he had been preaching among Jews and Gentiles in southern Asia Minor (Acts 13, 14). False teachers from a sect of Jewish believers followed him around and tried to convert the new believers to Judaism by insisting that circumcision was as important as faith in being saved. That is, one could only be saved by faith plus works, faith in Jesus and the work of being circumcised.
Paul and Barnabas disputed this, of course, and they decided to take the matter to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for an authoritative ruling (Acts 15). Initially, Paul met with a small gathering of faithful saints, to make sure he was right about what he was preaching (Gal. 2.2). Titus, a Greek was with him and Barnabas, and the Judaizers, true to their false view, insisted that he be circumcised. Paul refused. The matter was then taken into the broader arena of elders and apostles for debate. Paul’s side prevailed.
Paul was certain the Gospel he was preaching was the one Jesus had taught him personally. Just so, we can be certain that the Word of God, through which Jesus teaches us, is reliable, true, and indispensable for sanctification and good works (Jn. 17.17; 2 Tim. 3.15-17). But even Paul checked his teaching with those who were in Christ before Him. We should do the same. The treasury of Scripture and of orthodox Christian teaching—samples of which we provide for you each day—are both important in our walk with the Lord. The Spirit uses both these checkpoints to keep us from drifting—like the Galatians were—from the truth.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
What are our modern-day litmus tests for Christianity?
What is it that divides believers today?
What extra Buy one Get one free notion are we adding to the Gospel?
Is it baptism? You know, were you sprinkled or dunked?
How about communion? Is there a set age-limit before a baptized believer is eligible?
How about your beliefs on the Second Coming of Christ? Do you think we’ll all be stamped with 666 and mayhem will reign for a thousand years, or is Jesus coming back with a shout very soon?
What about skirt length? Above or below the knee?
Or here’s a zinger, what about the use of percussion whilst singing?
Really, there are so many “circumcision choices” for us one hardly knows where to begin.
All this without even adding in the questionable use of tobacco, alcohol, or playing cards.
When we investigate the perfect Law of God, we do not see one mention of any of the above topics (Ex. 20.1-17). Whole heart and life love for God, and then our fellowman, is what the Law includes.
And the glorious Gospel is not fueled or compelled by anything other than Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and His current reigning Kingship over us. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12). “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14.6).
How do we humans manage to mess up and obfuscate a Truth so plain, clear, and beautiful?
“Christ Jesus, being in the form of God…made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men…being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every Name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2.5-11).
Circumcision, and all its modern-day equivalents, are not mentioned. Only Jesus.
His love. His beauty. His courage. His gift. His power. His majesty. His glory. His goodness. Only Jesus.
He is the only way to salvation. He is the only reason for our righteousness.
We cannot add any behaviors to get saved. We cannot add any manmade assets to enhance our sanctification.
We can only trust and obey.
There is enough that we are wholeheartedly supposed to do (Eph. 2.8-10; Jn. 14.15; Ex. 20.1-17) that we need not add on any ungodly encumbrances—extra-curricular rules—that divide the Body of Christ or add burdens that do not need to be carried by God’s children (Matt. 23.4, 23).
If there is any place for circumcision, it is this: “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live” (Deut. 30.6).
Please check this teaching by the Scriptures Old and New: they are an accessible Checkpoint, ready for you to delve into—the “Word of God, through which Jesus teaches us, is reliable, true, and indispensable for sanctification and good works.”
Reflection
1. What is the Gospel, as you would share it with a non-Christian friend?
2. When we say that salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life are all of grace, what are we saying about works?
3. Good works of various kinds have a place in the Gospel, but where?
Observe the apostle’s faithfulness in giving a full account of the doctrine he had preached among the Gentiles, and was still resolved to preach, that of Christianity, free from all mixture of Judaism. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Galatians 2.1-10
Pray Psalm 25.8-15.
Thank the Lord for daily teaching you from His Word and for those faithful friends and teachers who have helped you along the way in your walk with and work for the Lord.
Sing Psalm 25.8-15
(Festal Song: Rise Up, O Men of God)
Upright and good are You, You lead us in Your way.
The humble You instruct in truth and guide him day by day.
The paths of God are all of love and faithfulness.
All they who keep His covenant the LORD will surely bless.
For Your sake, LORD, forgive. All they who fear You, LORD,
shall know Your blessings day by day and follow in Your Word.
Your friends are they who fear and seek Your holy face;
Your covenant with them You share and save them by Your grace.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
To learn more about the salvation into which we have been delivered, order the book, Such a Great Salvation, by clicking here. Or order a free copy in PDF by clicking here.
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore
In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.