Galatians 3:26-27

Galatians 3:26-27 - You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

        Recently I watched the new movie ‘Left Behind’. This is a remake of an older movie and both are based on a book of the same name. The movie follows the experiences of a family that was divided in their religious views as they went through the rapture.
        In this movie the husband and daughter get ‘left behind’ as the mother and brother get taken to heaven. As the daughter runs frantically around trying to find answers to what has happened she finds herself at her mother’s church and finds the pastor still there.
        At first she is relieved because she thinks that there must be some other explanation other than Jesus returning. He assures her that it was indeed the rapture and he is still there because even though he knew all the right things to say, he didn't believe it in his heart.This, then, brings up the question, “If there could be a pastor who is not saved, how do I know if I truly am?”
        Of course this is just a movie, but Jesus did say, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23) So then, how can some people who say they are saved, not be?
        Some of the confusion I think comes from how we teach salvation. We will have an alter call and tell people that if they ‘pray this prayer’ they will be saved. Too often we base salvation on a prayer and whether or not you said it. “I said the prayer, that means I’m saved,” we might say. Does it though? When did Jesus ever tell anyone that their salvation was based on a prayer? Where is that in the Bible?
        As we look in God’s Word we see that salvation is linked to faith and confession (Romans 10:9-10). The reality of it is that it really doesn't matter how many times you’ve said ‘the prayer.’ What matters is what you believe in your heart.
        This verse in Galatians gives us a clear picture of our life with God through faith as it reads, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” It is faith in Christ that brings salvation, and no one can say whether you are ‘saved’ or not, except you and God; no one else can see your heart and what you truly believe.
        I will say this, though, if you believe in Christ and are baptized into Him, then this verse also says that you have been clothed with Him. That means that if you are truly saved you will look like Christ. It is not works that saves you, but your works and actions ought to line up with your salvation. That’s just something to think about.

        The bottom line is this: besides God only you know if you are saved. And if you know it, then you have nothing to worry about; but if you don’t know it, you better figure it out.

Matthew 5:44-45

Matthew 5:44-45 - But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the same sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Jesus command was this: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” We are supposed to stand out from the world and this is one of the ways we do. Our lives should be different because we are God’s children.

Jesus asked what good is it to Love those who Love you. Everyone does that. It is easy to pay back good for good and natural to want to be around those who like us. But that is not how we are going to stand out from the world.

We will stand out when we start to Love those who hate us; to Love the unloveable. That is not something that just anyone will do. In fact most will not and will make a point to avoid those people. But we are not most; we are different and our life should reflect it. We need to Love everyone, even the outcasts.

As we continue in this verse we see Jesus talking about things that happen to us. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from we will all have good times and bad times. Your circumstances will not make you stand out, but your Love will.

When those around you are talking bad about someone or hating on them for some reason, show that person kindness. Even if they are not around, actually, especially if they are not around. That is where your true character will be revealed.

If you are Loving and praying for the unlovable when they are not there, when they do show up you won’t have to change anything. Ultimately, what it comes down to is Love. Love everyone, both those who return it and those who do not.

Galatians 4:6

Galatians 4:6 – Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba; Father.”

         You are a child of God. We are all trying to find out who we are. If I asked you today, “Who are you,” what would your answer be? A lot of people base their identity on what they do, such as being a doctor or a carpenter. Some base it on where they come from. Or if your parents are “great” people you might find their identity in who they are. Others may relate it to what they like doing, such as a soccer player, golfer or even a car enthusiast. Or maybe you try to explain who you are by your personality and how you relate to others. All these are great things and can help you in life, but they are not who you are.

         When we receive Christ in our life it changes who we are from the core. All this other stuff may stay the same, but you yourself are changed and made new. You are a different person; the old is gone.

         Now we see that God’s Spirit, that is the Spirit of Jesus, comes into our hearts. This happens because God has adopted you into His family. As an adopted child you become an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. You must understand that this is now who you are. You must find your identity in Christ Jesus.

If you find your identity in any of the things we mentioned earlier, say your job, what would happen if you lost it. All of a sudden you lose your identity. You don’t even know who you are any more. In our society we have seen a steady increase in depression and suicide. This is a large contributor to those numbers. Too many people find their worth in fallible things and then lose them and in doing so lose themselves.

When we find our identity in God we will never lose it. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and our position in Him will never change. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Once we have become His child, we will always be His child. Let Him come into you and show you who you truly are.  

Galatians 3:26-28

Galatians 3:26-28 – You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

           You look like Christ Jesus. This is an amazing thing. We talked about how we have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer us who live, but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). So Christ lives in us, but now we see it goes beyond that as well. Not only does Christ live in us, but when we are baptized into Him we are also clothed with Him. This is how we become sons of God.

           We are one with Christ, the Son of God. All of us are together in Him, so it takes away all that separates us. As it says here there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female. It does not matter what your race or background or even what sex you are. We are all one in Christ Jesus. It is faith that gets us there, and we need to hold onto that faith.

           In our lives we like to create individuality, but Christ wants unity. Don’t get me wrong, we all have a purpose and a plan that is specific to each one of us, but that gift is given to strengthen the body. It is not given for you to be a loner.

Everyone’s purpose is in relation to the body of Christ. Just like an arm has a different purpose than a leg, but both are guided by the overall purpose of the mind, which in our case is Christ. Stop trying to isolate yourself off from other believers; we are all the same in Jesus. This goes for denominations as well. I like how my brother Matthew put it in his blog when he said if Paul were writing this today it might read a little more like this:

“There is neither Baptist nor Methodist, neither Charismatic nor Pentecostal, nor any other denomination; there is neither Protestant nor Catholic; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

We need to let go of our petty differences of opinion and unite on the reality that is Christ Jesus. He made us all one and it is time that we start acting like it.