PSA Bible Reading Challenge 2023-2024

I can’t help but think of this song when I read vs.18.  We begin Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.  It is thought to have been written in 62 while Paul was in prison in Rome.  This is another church that Paul founded.  If you go back to Acts 18:19-21 you see that Paul briefly visited Ephesus  and this work was carried on by Apollo and Aquila and Priscilla.  He then later spent three years in Ephesus.  Needless to say it is a church that he knows well and that he loves.  Unlike the churches in Galatia, this church is not leaving the faith.  It is one in which Paul can rely.  

If you look at vs.15 and 16 you will see the love that Paul has for this church is revealed in these words: “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[e] toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”

So what exactly does it mean when Paul says in vs.7 that God is not mocked?  Paul goes on to explain it in that verse and the following verses.  It comes down to the fact that you sow what you reap.  Now that is an interesting statement in light of Matthew 5:45 where Jesus states that the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  I just started over these past few months something that I have never done before.  I have started to measure how much rain has fallen in my yard with a rain gauge.  Every time it rains there are three of us that text each other to say how much we have received in rain.  One person lives 2 miles away and another lives about 4.  I am amazed at the disparity of rainfall in these three places.  One time I received about a quarter of an inch and another person in the group received an inch and a half.

So when it states that we sow what we reap, does that take rainfall into account?  I mean what if I sow the same as my friends but they get more rain, they will probably get a better crop, and I did nothing wrong or different.  Paul’s point is a different one.  He is encouraging a community that is walking away from the faith to stay the course.  As he states in vs.9 “do not be weary in doing what is right.”  He goes on and tells us not to give up.  

I love the way that he ends out the chapter and the book of Galatians.  If you look at vs.17 he states: “Let no one make trouble for me.”  For some reason I get the image of Arnold pointing at me as he makes that statement.  

You probably didn’t think that you would hear the words which we find in vs.12.  “I wish those who are bothering you would castrate themselves.”  Paul has been addressing the topic of circumcision and how that act is a sign not of freedom, but rather of slavery.  This chapter is all about the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.  Vs. 1 sounds like my absolute favorite verse in the Bible which you find in John 8:32.  The freedom that we have in Christ is not tied up in following the law, but rather in knowing Jesus as your Savior.  But it does not end there.

Paul says that the entire law is summed up in the words that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  You can find that in vs.14.  How we love our neighbors is totally up to us, and in what way that manifests itself does not follow a set protocol.  Vs.13 says that we were called to a life of freedom, but not in order to indulge ourselves.  If we are truly disciples of Jesus Christ then our freedom would be  seen in following the desire of Jesus Christ.  

It’s interesting that for someone who says that we are to live our  lives in freedom that he actually gives a list of things we are not supposed to do.  Paul calls this list which starts in vs.19 the works of the flesh.  He then contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruits of the spirit and gives the list of these starting in vs.22.  The separation between the two, according to Paul, is that one will allow its followers to inherit the kingdom of God, and the other will not.  Once again, Paul speaks about an inheritance that is wrapped up in the kingdom of God.

So do you remember what Jesus said while he was in the garden when he was in agony and pain for what he was about to face?  Look at Mark 14:36 and you see Jesus call out to his father and say: Abba, father.  Back in Jesus’ day the people of Palestine spoke a language called Aramaic which is neither Hebrew, the language of the temple and the religious people, nor is it Greek, the language of the land.  It is a language of the people, and it represented a language of intimacy.  Abba in Aramaic means father, but in a much more personal way.  The best definition that we could give it in English is “daddy”.  Just as a matter of fact, the New Testament was written in Greek and Old Testament was written in Hebrew.  They are both considered languages which the people of God used to express the words of God.  Aramaic never had that place in history, even if Jesus’ first language was probably Aramaic.

Vs.6 Paul states that we are adopted children of our Father in heaven.  When you are an adopted child, and I am not saying this from experience but rather from conjecture, then you are, or at least should be, fully included in the family as a blood relative.  Adoption does not in any way make you a second class citizen.  What Paul states in these verses is that we are fully children of God.  There is no distinction.  In fact, he states that we are not only children but heirs.  An heir is one who is getting ready to inherit that which the one who went before left behind.  What Jesus left for us is eternal life.  That is our inheritance, a life that is eternal.  

From verses 8-20 it is as if Paul had forgotten that he was chastising the Galatians for their unfaithfulness, and goes back into it.  But it is also here where we find some evidence for the claim that Paul had an ailment that affected his eyes.  We had mentioned earlier that this could be his “thorn in the flesh”.  I love the line in vs.19 where he states that he is like a woman who is in childbirth until Christ is born again in them.  As if he knows what that is like.  As if I know what that is like.  But it is an incredibly rich image.  A pastor saying to a community that he loves who is wandering away from the faith that he is in the type of pain that can only result in joy because they will once again rediscover Christ.  I love that image.

The next image is not so spectacular.  Paul uses the image of Hagar and Sara as an allegory.  He says as such, so we shouldn’t take it literally.  Meaning, Paul uses the difference between the mothers of two sons and how we fit the model of the children born from those whom God had chosen to carry forward his kingdom.  Sara was chosen by God to carry forward His people and His kingdom.  Hagar, at no fault of her own, became involved in God’s  plan as a result of our human deficiencies.  But it was not her fault that she was included.  I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Hagar and I’ve never been greatly impressed with Sarah.   But again, the focus is on the children as being legitimate heirs to God’s kingdom.  That’s us folks.

Every now and then there is a verse in the Bible that I come across and it reminds us of how powerful Scripture is.  Galatians 3:28 is one of those verses that I keep going back to in order to be reminded of God’s love for all of humanity.  It is also one of those verses that I keep going back to in order to prove a point for those who just might want to limit who is able to perform God’s work for His kingdom.  In Christ there is “no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female…”  Did you hear that?  There is no longer male and female.  God is able to use all of us in order to bring about His kingdom.  I go back to this verse often in order to prove this point, and it isn’t just proof texting.  It is a consistent Scripture which reminds us of God’s presence in all of our lives.

Paul’s tone remains reproving, he calls out the Galatians for that which they had slipped in the previous chapters.  Don’t make people become Jewish before they come into the church.  We settled that argument in Jerusalem.  We can’t think that Jesus came and died for our sins just for the sake of us having to redo his whole work by continuing to be under the law.  A faith in Jesus is sufficient for all of us, just as Jesus’ grace is sufficient for all of us.  Remember when Paul says this in II Corinthians 2:19.  It wasn’t that long ago when we were reminded that it is not about following the rules, it is about following Jesus.  Paul keeps going back to that point time after time after time.  I like that point.

So today we delve into a theological concept that is fundamental to our faith, and yet is one with which theologians over the ages have struggled.  The term we are going to look at is justification.  If you break that word down you see that it is composed of the root which is “justify”.  How is a person made just, made right, even made righteous before God?  In the past, or at least in the past for Paul which would have been in his Jewish days, one was made righteous before God through the law.  It had to happen every year.  Every year there would be a sacrifice made of a lamb, its blood would be shed and it would be sent over the cliff outside of Jerusalem as a symbol that God had laid the sin of all of His people on this lamb who carried it away.  Now, before you think: how cruel, think of the symbolism that we have in communion.  Our symbolism is that we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus, which allows us to be cleansed.  So, before you hold your nose to the savagery of the past, keep in mind that we are not much better.  That is the value of symbolism.

Paul states in this chapter that no longer are we justified under the law, but rather, if you look at vs.21: “if justification comes though the law, then Christ died for nothing.”  Instead, Paul tells us, justification comes by “faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  This is the difference between the Old Covenant that was tied up in the law and an act that we had to perform in order to be justified, and the New Covenant which is tied up in the cross and the act that Jesus did and offered to us freely.  According to Hebrews, Jesus was/is the sacrificial lamb who was killed once and for all for us.  Go back to vs.16 and you can read these exact words and explanation by Paul that is noteworthy.  He states: “a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.”  This is the single most important difference that Jesus made.  He connects the chasm between us and God.  We do not try to connect it, he does it for us.

The beginning part of this chapter is a bit of a diatribe, again, again those who would insist that the only way to be a Christian is to first become Jewish.  Specifically, and this is where he objects the most, if anyone would require a person to be circumcised before they were welcomed into the fold, then that is simply wrong.  If you look at vs.12 you will see that there is a circumcision “faction”.  So, just in case you thought the first century church was perfect, it was not.  It had factions which caused church leaders, Barnabas at that, to be stifled and change their actions in such a way that it did not fulfill the will of God.  Paul says he approached them and talked to them to their face about their errors.  Now you know how you are made right before God.  It has nothing to do with what you do.  It has everything to do with Jesus and what he did for us.  If we have faith in what he did for us, we are in that number.  On that note see below.

This letter of Paul is clearly written to the churches of Galatia.  If you look at your map today you will not see a city called Galatia.  In fact, it is important that we see that this letter is written to the churches (plural) in Galatia as opposed to the church (singular) in Corinth (I Corinthians 1:2).  

The four churches of Galatia were thought to be Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe.  They were squarely folded into the Roman Empire in  the 20’s BC.  It is thought that Paul established these churches in his early first missionary journey in the years 46-48AD.  He then wrote this letter to the churches around 49AD while he was on the way to the Jerusalem council.  The churches found themselves in a region that was often swayed and vacillated among ideas and philosophies.  This comes out in the letter.  Let’s look at the first chapter.

Paul gives us his testimony here.  What is your testimony?  I love the way in which he succinctly speaks of his born again moment in a few short paragraphs.  My testimony is not in any way similar to that of Paul’s.  I did grow up in a Christian family.  My parents did nurture me with Scripture and bathed me in prayer.  But I chose to not follow Jesus and to follow a path which I felt was right for me at that time, which had nothing to do with God.  In short, I was self-centered on that which was most important to me, and God was not a part of the equation.  I wasn’t necessarily hostile to God, He just didn’t enter the picture…until He did.  On a winter retreat on January 14, 1986 Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to talk to me and say that He wanted me in His fold.  Praise be to God I responded.  I was not out persecuting the church.  I was not hostile to people or groups.  I was involved in some actions which would be called immoral, but for the most part I was a good kid.  When I asked Jesus to enter my life, everything changed.  I became focused on knowing that my life had to reflect every single day the presence of Jesus in my life.  

Paul’s testimony is one of a celebrity and well educated clergyman who was empowered to root out the enemy and bring them to justice.  His conversion allowed the Holy Spirit to work in his life and it turned him into one who joined sides with the enemy, at least according to the religious rulers of the day.  I guess the most equal comparison would be if a well-known Christian pastor were tasked by the church to seek out ISIS cells within the US and bring them to justice.  In his responsibility of rooting them out he then changes his mind and joins ISIS to establish cells throughout the US.  His transition was a scandal to the religious authority and a bonus, a big bonus, to the early Christian church.  Yes, I am comparing the early church to ISIS in that the status quo of the day saw them as a threat which needed to be eliminated because they were a threat to their way of life and a real threat to their livelihood.

He begins the letter after his greeting where he lifts up the grace and the work of Jesus on the cross.  He chastises the churches in Galatia for their apostasy as it seems like they have quickly turned away from the faith which Paul had brought to them.  It does sound like someone who is disappointed in the recent development of things.  Keep in mind that once Paul visited that region and established churches that it would be years before he would be able to visit them again, if he was able to at all.  His main point is the following: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received (to what Paul had originally brought), let that one be accursed.  The Galatians were moving away from Paul’s original teaching and moving toward whatever teachings might have been appealing at that time and on that day.  

His testimony follows, and it a convincing one which allows the churches in Galatia to remember the authority which Paul has and the reason why, in the first place, that they turned to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  

We launch ourselves into the last chapter of Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth.  It is hard to believe that we have made our way through both letters, and I hope you have been able to hear the difference between the two letters.  The first is much more encouraging and Paul seems to have more of a mentoring approach.  The second is much more critical and one in which Paul almost realizes either they are going to get it, or they are not.  Vs.2 Paul has another warning for the church in Corinth, if he has to come back again to Corinth in order to right the wrongs: “I will not be lenient”.  

Once again Paul’s greatest frustration with the church is that they consistently require Paul to demonstrate that he is a legitimate apostle.  The assumption is that there are probably a number within that community  who do not consider Paul on the same level as the church leaders in Jerusalem.  Paul is not jealous, but rather frustrated that they would not respect him in a way that he is to be respected.  Again, it is not a battle that I would choose to fight, for my belief is that over time if we consistently push forward, then people are going to realize who you are and who you aren’t.  We should never do anything in our lives with the motivation of trying to prove ourselves for other people.  Just do that which God has placed on our heart.  But for Paul, there is a palpable frustration in not being recognize as he feels he should be recognized.

In vs.10 Paul states that all of his words up to this point have been for the purpose of building up and not for tearing down.  His desire is that the church would be strengthened, and not that he would get on the case of any one individual so much so that they would feel inadequate and unable to complete the task at hand.  There is a fine line when dealing with volunteers at the church in regards to whether you are able to be critical in any way or not.  Criticism has the natural tendency to put people on the defensive.  At a certain point a volunteer could easily say that it simply isn’t worth the effort.

Vs.13 gives us a wonderful benediction that can serve universally.  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.  What a wonderful trinitarian statement to end the chapter.  Next…GALATIANS!

In these verses we find the proverbial “thorn in the side” Scripture.  If you look at vs.7 you will find Paul’s words that speak to a weakness that the Lord has given him which he has to face his entire life in order to overcome.  The reason why God has given him this thorn, according to Paul’s self-analysis, is so that Paul would not be able to be too elated about his status in life.  That is, God has gifted Paul powerfully, but there is always the temptation to think that our gifts come from us, and not from our creator.  Paul’s weakness is brought about  as a gift from God to remind Paul who is his creator.  What is this thorn?  There are so many different theories, but I believe it is that Paul has poor eyesight.  

You can find Paul’s reference to his eyesight in Romans 16:22 where he states that he wrote down the greeting in his own hand.  The assumption is that someone else wrote the letter which he dictated.  He says the same in II Thessalonians and I Corinthians.  In Galatians 6:11 he states that he wrote a greeting in his own hand in very large letters.  All of these references lead me to believe that he had trouble with his eyesight, but again, he doesn’t say directly.

But what he does say is that even with his present weakness, he fully realizes that God’s grace is sufficient for him.  He doesn’t need anything about himself to be perfect, because God can make all things perfect, and surely at least sufficient.  This is a great memory verse: My grace is sufficient for you.  That could even be a mantra should we ever find ourselves in times when we just need to be reminded of God’s providence.  My grace is sufficient for you.  That’s a good place to end.

I’ll never forget a conference that I went to which was full of pastors who were considering the current state of our denomination and trying to find ways in which we could champion a more conservative moralistic approach which seemed to be fading in the PC(USA).  At one of the break  out sessions there was a discussion on what a graceful separation from the denomination would look like.  The room was packed.  At this conference, and at this break out room, there were pastors from other countries, Presbyterians like the rest of us, who wanted to see what was happening in our denomination.

The discussion arose in regards to how do we make sure we keep our churches, the buildings, the campuses, the stuff, if we leave the denomination.  This topic seemed to come up and we lingered on it for quite some time.  At one point, a pastor from the Philippines stood up and said: “Why is that you Americans are more concerned about your church buildings and the material things about your churches than about the actual people.  Why don’t you just let the denomination have your building and you just focus on the people.”  It was a very telling statement, and one that hushed the crowd, at least for a moment.  

At the beginning of this chapter Paul once again in a somewhat sarcastic manner speaks out against, it seems, other people who might be preaching a Gospel, but not the Gospel of Christ.  It seems that he is speaking against the church in Corinth because maybe, just maybe and I could be embellishing this, they were also supporting some of these false teachers.  If you look starting at vs.12 you can hear him call them out.  When he states in vs.13 that these teachers, and I’m guessing he’s talking about those who had cut into his profits, calls them deceitful workers.  

The entire ending of this chapter is Paul proving to the reader that he is a better qualified apostle and church worker than anyone who has graced the city of Corinth.  Nuff said.