A Different Gospel – 10/05/2025

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
We are such frail creatures
Full of anxiety
Full of fear
And often full of hate

And we organize our lives
around this fear and hate
We codify it
Institutionalize it
Teach it in our families
And in our schools
And in our churches

That this person
should be feared or hated
Or that one
And how we
should be
Regarded carefully
Honored
Treated well
Better than others
As is our due

And though this satisfies
the hunger of our fears and hate
It keeps us tied up
Locked up
And stuck
within sight
of the kingdom of heaven
But still outside

Break through to us
Break us down if you must
So we may fully enter
Your kingdom
Your presence
And fully partake
Of your love
As it casts out all fears
And makes us able
To love our neighbors
All of them
Just as you have loved us

And help us help others
Especially our neighbors
who already claim your name
Love this way
Putting aside every hinderance that
Leads to bigotry
And oppression
And prejudice
And disregard
And cruelty
So with you
And in your way
We can be
The kingdom of heaven
At hand
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand Galatians 6:11

Intro: The Galatians were coming to the end of Paul’s letter,

And suddenly the handwriting was different
– instead of the well-formed characters of a professional scribe,
• the printed letters were large and scribbled
◦ this shift was certain to grab their attention
◦ like changing the “font” of a sentence in a document to all upper case or bold print
• but why did Paul insist on writing this last bit with his “own hand”?
◦ perhaps this is how he usually signed off (as many commentaries point out)
“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write” (2 Thes. 3:17)
◦ or, he wanted to ensure that they took notice, and that is why he drew attention to it
– here at the end, Paul returns to what had been his hot topic–and I think I understand why
• it is frustrating to manage a crisis from a distance
◦ had he been with them, their feedback would been immediate
◦ he would know whether they understood him and agreed or disagreed
• separated by many miles and months of waiting for a response by mail,
◦ he could not be sure they were convinced
◦ so he hammers at his point one last time

Paul looks at the same issue, but from a different angle
 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh Galatians 6:12-13

His previous concern has been with what the legalist party was demanding
– and this is something we need to understand
• they weren’t preaching Christian conversion, but cultural conversion
◦ this has been goal of many Evangelicals and missionaries

Question: How do we know when a person is a true Christian?
Answer: When they look and think and talk like us
For those of us who remember the Smothers Brothers, one of their famous parodies went like this:
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo,
as I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy, all dressed in white linen,
dressed in white linen as cold as the clay.
I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.
I see by your outfit you are a cowboy, too.
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys;
if you get an outfit you can be a cowboy, too!

◦ this is the simplistic message of some evangelists, “Want to be a Christian? Get the outfit.”
• Paul has covered that, but what he is telling them now is new
– he is exposing the motives of these interlopers, and he lists three:

First, they were concerned with their image
– The New Living Translation, they “want to look good to others”
• there was a group of rigid Pharisees they wanted to please
◦ this was the popular movement back home in Jerusalem
• talking Gentile Christians into circumcision and law-keeping would enhance their status with other religious bigots
Second, they wanted to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ
– when Paul refers to “the cross,” it is shorthand for his central message
• it’s the entire story of Jesus, which Paul also refers to as “the gospel”
◦ it features the death and resurrection of Jesus
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. . . . For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:18 and 22-24)
• Paul was brutally persecuted for taking this message to Gentiles
◦ he could have compromised his message to avoid persecution
◦ but then he could no longer say that we are “saved by grace”
Third, converting Gentiles to Judaism would give the interlopers bragging rights
– Paul makes this point in an odd, but graphic way
• in effect, these people could win popularity points when they could control what Gentiles did with their bodies
• this is a basic requirement of bad religion
◦ and it is a recognizable characteristic of every cult

In listing these motives, Paul exposed another problem
“they do not themselves keep the law”
– it’s hard to think of anything that does worse damage to religion than hypocrisy
• but people who pretend they can achieve perfect holiness cannot help but fail
◦ and their failure can destroy others who looked up to them and trusted them

So where did Paul stand in comparison?
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God Galatians 6:14-16

Paul uses the word “boast” a lot (twenty-two times in 2 Corinthians)
– the same word can also mean something like, “look for glory”
• in high school baseball, we called players who stepped in front of other players to catch an outfield fly ball “glory hounds”
– but though bragging was frowned upon in Paul’s day, boasting was considered a legitimate behavior
• the social structure in Mediterranean world has been labeled honor/shame cultures
◦ it was okay to boast to enhance your social standing

Paul, however surrendered all his boasting rights
– he considered himself fortunate to be God’s slave
• his Lord was everything and he was nothing
• so though the bigots boasted in their achievements,
◦ Paul refused to boast in himself
– I feel it necessary to point out that we find Paul doing some hefty boasting in 2 Corinthians
• the Corinthians were greatly influenced by boasting of spiritual leaders
◦ so to win the Corinthians’ attention, Paul was compelled to boast
• however, he was embarrassed in doing this, and more than once apologizes for it
◦ in fact, he stated openly how he felt about it:
“‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends”
“let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.”
“I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you.” (2 Cor. 10:17-18; 11:16; 12:11)

In chapter 2, we’ve already seen how the cross affected Paul’s life
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20)
– this is the life to which Jesus called his disciples
“If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24)
• to this day, Bible scholars are still working out a coherent theology of the cross
• at any rate, somehow the cross becomes an experience we share with Jesus
◦ it is death to an old life of addiction to sin
◦ it is resurrection to a life of new possibilities
– we’ll leave it there for now

So what is Paul’s last word on circumcision?
– “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision” – a huge relief!
• there are many trivial issues in which religious people can get tangled up or be driven crazy
• in 1 Corinthians, Paul addressed eating food offered to idols
◦ for some, it was an issue with great importance, but Paul wrote,
“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do” (1 Cor. 8:8)
– like circumcision, the issue is irrelevant to the life of faith in Jesus
• what is relevant, is that in Christ we are something new–a new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17)
After these concluding thoughts, Paul pronounces a benediction for a specific community
– namely, “all who walk by this rule”; that is to say, who live by this principle
• “peace and mercy”
– the “Israel of God” is the new people of God, brought together in Jesus Christ

Paul’s parting words
From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen Galatians 6:17-18

This past week the President of the United States and the United States Secretary of War addressed a gathering of career military soldiers, including Generals and other high ranking officers
– without commenting on it, Paul’s demand seems to be an appropriate response of the audience to the speakers that day
• Paul’s message is essentially, “Back off! I’ve earned my stripes”
• when he came to Galatia, he wore the marks of physical abuse on his body
– in verse 18, Paul comes full circle, closing the letter the way he began–with “grace”

Conclusion: If you’ve ever gone in the Ocean at Salt Creek beach,

You may have experienced the strong riptide there
If you try to fight it, all you will gain is exhaustion — resistance will only wear you out

Some of us have felt a similar exhaustion trying to deal with the division in our nation
(However, sociopaths never get tired of irritating and angering others, arguing, and name-calling)
Reading in Revelation yesterday, I came to Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus,
“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false” (Re. 2:2)
Jesus knew their resistance to the false apostles had taken a toll on them
He also knew that resisting the strong current of deception had carried them away from their “first love”
It is possible that in resisting what we perceive as gross error and deadly trends,
our first love for the Lord and others has been threatened or lost
(and in all honesty, at times we have lost it)
But then, if lose our first love, what have we been fighting for?
We need to find our way back to the center,
where rational and meaningful spiritual conversations can take place
We need to find our way back to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
We need to let the Spirit of God help us recover our first love
We need to receive the benediction of God’s peace and mercy and grace