Here’s how the study works: Read the chapter mentioned in the heading several times during the week and share any words, thoughts, verses that stood out to you. Having a week for a chapter creates the opportunity to reread it several times and make additional comments as you feel inclined as well as make comments on other people’s insights
As I was thinking about freedom/slavery; predestination/free choice; I remembered a story about Abraham Lincoln when he was campaigning against slavery. He bought a slave girl and set her free but she had been a slave all her life and was having trouble understanding what it meant to be free. When she eventually understood she could choose to do whatever she liked she said to Lincoln, “Well sir, if that’s the case, I choose to serve you all the days of my life.”
It’s a great illustration of what God has done for us. We were slaves, He paid the price, we were freed, then, out of gratitude and love we freely choose to serve Him. Predestination is in the Bible but so is free choice. Joshua said to the people, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” Joshua 24:15; Elijah challenged the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him; but if Baal is God follow him” 1 Kings 18:21 Jesus gave the rich young ruler a choice and then allowed him to make the wrong one.
The bit I really like in this chapter is v.19-25 where Paul explains the purpose of the law, which is to lead us to Christ v.24 and my current favourite verse, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law” v.25. Paul writes similarly in Colossians 2:20-22 “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!?” We are free indeed.
As I was thinking about freedom/slavery; predestination/free choice; I remembered a story about Abraham Lincoln when he was campaigning against slavery. He bought a slave girl and set her free but she had been a slave all her life and was having trouble understanding what it meant to be free. When she eventually understood she could choose to do whatever she liked she said to Lincoln, “Well sir, if that’s the case, I choose to serve you all the days of my life.”
It’s a great illustration of what God has done for us. We were slaves, He paid the price, we were freed, then, out of gratitude and love we freely choose to serve Him. Predestination is in the Bible but so is free choice. Joshua said to the people, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” Joshua 24:15; Elijah challenged the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him; but if Baal is God follow him” 1 Kings 18:21 Jesus gave the rich young ruler a choice and then allowed him to make the wrong one.
The bit I really like in this chapter is v.19-25 where Paul explains the purpose of the law, which is to lead us to Christ v.24 and my current favourite verse, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law” v.25. Paul writes similarly in Colossians 2:20-22 “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!?” We are free indeed.
does anyone see int his chapter the huge paralels to the american church right now? atl east it seems like it to me—how we are so gung ho about setting up religious rules, eager to cite somebody else’s sin, etc.
does anyone see int his chapter the huge paralels to the american church right now? atl east it seems like it to me—how we are so gung ho about setting up religious rules, eager to cite somebody else’s sin, etc.
My sheep hear my voice and they follow me…. He knows who will receive Him… before we are born He knows who will serve Him and who won’t. That’s just God, He just knows these things. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Our problem is that we don’t GET the depth of His love for us and I think that grieves the Holy Spirit for we have not been taught the things of Love in our churches which is WHO the Lord is. But the Holy Spirit has been teaching it to all who have ears to hear…
Faith …. the part I like best about this chapter is this …
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.”
The PROMISE came FIRST. And it was set in place for all those who live by faith…
vs 28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now that’s equality…. 🙂
My sheep hear my voice and they follow me…. He knows who will receive Him… before we are born He knows who will serve Him and who won’t. That’s just God, He just knows these things. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Our problem is that we don’t GET the depth of His love for us and I think that grieves the Holy Spirit for we have not been taught the things of Love in our churches which is WHO the Lord is. But the Holy Spirit has been teaching it to all who have ears to hear…
Faith …. the part I like best about this chapter is this …
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.”
The PROMISE came FIRST. And it was set in place for all those who live by faith…
vs 28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now that’s equality…. 🙂
i had never heard that story before, susan. and i live in the united states! but it is a good spring board of balance, i believe, for this preD thing. does it have to be a choosing of individuals? could it not be that he predestined whoever would so choose him freely once freedom had been given? as in the case of the slave? for we know that he “desires all men to come to repentance” and that he has “no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies”. yet, i think he leaves it up to us. in some cases. most people don’t get jesus stopping them on the road to damascus with a blinding light and speaking directly to them. seems like an unfair advantage. more thoughts…
yes, herschel, i do see the parallels. they are literally screaming off of the page. and i have to wonder, “how did we get here?” what has happened that we can have a chapter, or a whole letter, rather, addressing this issue, and still end up where we are? as it says in v. 19-20. mediators. i think too often the message from both sides is the same. from the clergy, “we are the ones trained to teach to you what this book says and how to live it.” and from the lay people, “we do not want to put in the work of understanding. simply tell us what the book says and how to live it.” and so you have a very few people, in truth, defining “christianity” and laying down certain ground rules so that we will be easily identifyable to the clergy and each other. because getting to know a person and their heart takes FAR too long. and we don’t have the time. do you vote repulican? are you against abortion? do you smoke? do you drink? and on and on…
according to paul, it is not supposed to be this way any longer. we are no longer under the tutor, but under the spirit. and we should be living this way. problem is, as jesus said, people like this are “like the wind. you cannot tell where they come from or where they are going. so it is with people lead by the spirit.”
and did you notice that the whole purpose of the law was to make sure that we were are sinners? (v.22) and how about the fact that we have been given a choice of two curses to live under? the curse of the law, or the curse of the man hung on a tree?
why don’t we talk about this stuff in sunday school? why do we wait until the children grow and start to learn for themselves and are then shocked when they read the bible and encounter the world? i think it does far more damage than good. can we not be honest with our children and ourselves and each other? hmmm?
dwxukyiq
i had never heard that story before, susan. and i live in the united states! but it is a good spring board of balance, i believe, for this preD thing. does it have to be a choosing of individuals? could it not be that he predestined whoever would so choose him freely once freedom had been given? as in the case of the slave? for we know that he “desires all men to come to repentance” and that he has “no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies”. yet, i think he leaves it up to us. in some cases. most people don’t get jesus stopping them on the road to damascus with a blinding light and speaking directly to them. seems like an unfair advantage. more thoughts…
yes, herschel, i do see the parallels. they are literally screaming off of the page. and i have to wonder, “how did we get here?” what has happened that we can have a chapter, or a whole letter, rather, addressing this issue, and still end up where we are? as it says in v. 19-20. mediators. i think too often the message from both sides is the same. from the clergy, “we are the ones trained to teach to you what this book says and how to live it.” and from the lay people, “we do not want to put in the work of understanding. simply tell us what the book says and how to live it.” and so you have a very few people, in truth, defining “christianity” and laying down certain ground rules so that we will be easily identifyable to the clergy and each other. because getting to know a person and their heart takes FAR too long. and we don’t have the time. do you vote repulican? are you against abortion? do you smoke? do you drink? and on and on…
according to paul, it is not supposed to be this way any longer. we are no longer under the tutor, but under the spirit. and we should be living this way. problem is, as jesus said, people like this are “like the wind. you cannot tell where they come from or where they are going. so it is with people lead by the spirit.”
and did you notice that the whole purpose of the law was to make sure that we were are sinners? (v.22) and how about the fact that we have been given a choice of two curses to live under? the curse of the law, or the curse of the man hung on a tree?
why don’t we talk about this stuff in sunday school? why do we wait until the children grow and start to learn for themselves and are then shocked when they read the bible and encounter the world? i think it does far more damage than good. can we not be honest with our children and ourselves and each other? hmmm?
dwxukyiq
I am a little behind on this one I know. I had alot of notes on this one the other night and now I cannot figure out what all I wrote so I am starting over again.
It seems as though he is chastizing them but he is really setting forth the message of salvation.
This whole chapter seems to deal with Faith and how it alone can save us. We will not get to heaven any other but by faith. Good works just will not do it my friend. I often hear people say, oh, he was such a good man or she was such a good woman and I am often tempted to say, yes, but were they saved? Oh, if we would all just have the faith abraham had. Wouldn’t it be grand? The same promise God gave abraham is given to those of us who chose to have faith in in and be born again as christians are offered eternal life.
I am a little behind on this one I know. I had alot of notes on this one the other night and now I cannot figure out what all I wrote so I am starting over again.
It seems as though he is chastizing them but he is really setting forth the message of salvation.
This whole chapter seems to deal with Faith and how it alone can save us. We will not get to heaven any other but by faith. Good works just will not do it my friend. I often hear people say, oh, he was such a good man or she was such a good woman and I am often tempted to say, yes, but were they saved? Oh, if we would all just have the faith abraham had. Wouldn’t it be grand? The same promise God gave abraham is given to those of us who chose to have faith in in and be born again as christians are offered eternal life.
v.19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
The law was given to make people realize they needed a Saviour. Once we accepted Christ (who fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly) the law had done its job of pointing out that we were sinners.
v.19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
The law was given to make people realize they needed a Saviour. Once we accepted Christ (who fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly) the law had done its job of pointing out that we were sinners.
v.2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
Answer: By believing what we heard. We do not receive the Spirit by observing the law or doing good works.
And this is the way we grow by continuing to believe and applying God's truth to our lives.
v.2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
Answer: By believing what we heard. We do not receive the Spirit by observing the law or doing good works.
And this is the way we grow by continuing to believe and applying God's truth to our lives.
v.25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Hallelujah! We are no longer under the supervision of the the law. We are under the supervision of God's Spirit who leads us and guides us and tells us right from wrong.
v.25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Hallelujah! We are no longer under the supervision of the the law. We are under the supervision of God's Spirit who leads us and guides us and tells us right from wrong.
I spent a fair deal of time contemplating these chapters thus far as I struggled to see how it relates to me as I too get caught up in "have too and should" (laws). But this morning it came to me.
We have freedom in Christ. When we understand the overwhelming love God has for us and demonstrates through sending Jesus we are touched by that love. A love that motivates us to be all we can for God. But this in itself is a journey, one I am still on. I am forever grateful for God's spirit who guides us through this journey when we put our trust in him.
I spent a fair deal of time contemplating these chapters thus far as I struggled to see how it relates to me as I too get caught up in "have too and should" (laws). But this morning it came to me.
We have freedom in Christ. When we understand the overwhelming love God has for us and demonstrates through sending Jesus we are touched by that love. A love that motivates us to be all we can for God. But this in itself is a journey, one I am still on. I am forever grateful for God's spirit who guides us through this journey when we put our trust in him.
Yes, praise God! We do indeed have freedom in Christ and we are motivated by love, not by duty or obligation. It also took me quite a while to get this, but that's ok. It apparently took quite a while for the Galatians to get it too!
Yes, praise God! We do indeed have freedom in Christ and we are motivated by love, not by duty or obligation. It also took me quite a while to get this, but that's ok. It apparently took quite a while for the Galatians to get it too!