Category Archives: Galatians

How to identify a Christian

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John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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We have developed lots of ways to let the world know we believe in Jesus. Bumper stickers proclaim our faith. Scripture passages on checks, greeting cards and refrigerator magnets; profile descriptions on Facebook; jewelry with crosses, a fish and WWJD all tell the world we are followers of Jesus. Jesus said there would be another way they would know but this seems a little strange to me.  Let me explain.

Jesus says the identification badge that will convince the world that we are His followers is our love for one another.  Notice He didn’t say it would be how we love the lost – though certainly other passages say we need to love, pray for and bless them. He said they would know we are His disciples by how we treat other believers.  I find that strange but actually quite a relief.

It should be much easier to love other believers than it is to love unbelievers.  After all, some of “those people” are actually enemies of the cross.  Some might actually hate or despise us for our faith. Some would ridicule or reject any expressions of love.  How nice that all we have to do is love one another to demonstrate we are followers of Jesus.  That should be easy.  Right?

Unfortunately the evidence is that we often don’t even do an excellent job of loving, forgiving, caring for and ministering to each other.  From the very start of the church we “bite and devour one another” (Galatians 5:15), “there is jealousy and quarreling among” us (1 Corinthians 3:3) and we are experts at “passing judgment on one another” (Romans 14:13).  We say we love everyone but the most basic sign we are His followers is that we simply love other Christians.  Let’s at least start there.

Is there something you can do today to demonstrate to the world that you are His disciple?
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1 John 3:14
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

Jesus and Paul disagree?

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1 Corinthians 5:3
For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.
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It seems one Scripture many people know and enjoy quoting is Jesus saying “judge not that you be not judged”. This is a handy one to bring up when confronted with sin in our lives. So is Paul disobeying this command of Jesus when he says “I have already passed judgment” on this man?

Most who quote Matthew 7:1, “judge not”, aren’t aware that 14 verses later Jesus says, “Watch out for false prophets”. How can I do that if I do not make some judgment about who is speaking truth and who is speaking lies? Clearly Jesus was not saying close your eyes to all evil, all false teaching, swallow whatever comes your way with no discernment. So what was He referring to?

In short, there are things I can know and things I cannot know. I can know a man who is openly engaged in immorality is living in sin because God’s Word tells me such behavior is sin. I can know a man teaching things contrary to Scripture is a false prophet. What I cannot know, and therefore am not to judge, are the motives of his heart.

To point out evil and call it evil is not judging. In fact, it is following the example of Jesus, Paul, Peter and others. In fact, it is following what we are often commanded to do in Scripture – “overcome evil with good”. It is “good” to warn someone of something in their life that will destroy them. It would be unloving and evil to see symptoms of a deadly disease in someone’s life and not warn them. The disease would only kill the body. How much more unloving to not warn them of a disease that will destroy their soul?
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Just a few of many passages that command us to judge actions: Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17,18; 1 Corinthians 5:11; Galatians 6:1; Titus 3:10,11; Leviticus 19:17

New and Improved Jesus

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Galatians 5:4, 10, 12
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
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Paul is really in attack mode here. You have been severed from Christ, fallen from grace! “I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.” All this just because they are trying to get folks to keep the law?

Paul clearly condemns sin but never uses such harsh words to assault adulterers, homosexuals or murderers. What is the big deal? Folks who are into the law teach Jesus is the means for salvation, they just add a couple of provisos. Jesus PLUS. Certainly, if Jesus is good, then Jesus PLUS has to be better or, as advertisers say it, “new and improved”. The new and improved Jesus.

Oops, I think that may be the problem. Keeping the law as an element of salvation is me trying to improve upon God’s work. It is me saying “Thanks, Jesus, for that cross thing. It gave me a good start but I’ll take it from here. Your death and resurrection was nice but not enough.”. What an insult to God!

Jesus plus anything else, no matter how good the anything, is to fall from grace and crawl back under bondage to our old sin nature.
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Galatians 2:19,21
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. … for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Islam in the Bible

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Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
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Mohammed declared an angel appeared to him and revealed the Koran. Joseph Smith proclaimed the Book of Mormon was shown to him by an angel. Others make similar claims to divine inspiration and revelation.

Today another “gospel”, not a new one, just a revived one, is slithering into the Body of Christ. The “good news” that God is only a one dimensional God of love. He has no anger, wrath or justice within Him, in spite of the Bible’s many clear declarations (Old and New Testament) to the contrary.

The vilest wretch of a human and the most precious saint will both ultimately live forever in an eternal reward. Obviously this is not how the lie is sold but the idea of universalism is another gospel, certainly not one taught by Jesus or Paul.

Did Mohammed and Joseph Smith really communicate with angels? Does the revelation of God’s universal salvation really come from a supernatural source? I believe the answer is clearly, “Yes.” But not all angels are sent by God.
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2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

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