My Daily Pause

In a previous post, the Christian’s claim to the covenant God made with Abraham was considered. Galatians 4 reveals more of the benefits of our inheritance.

A Christian is not an heir of Abraham, but an heir with him, by virtue of sonship and union with Christ. (Galatians 4:6) The reason Paul stressed God’s fathership of Christ in Galatians 4:4 was God must be the father of Christ, in order to be the God and father of his people whom he chose in Christ.

The Christian’s sonship to God is derived from his unity with Christ, identity with Christ, as being “in Christ,” and thus a part of that spiritual body which “is Christ,” who is truly and actually the sinless and perfect Son of God.

When we become Christians, we become part of the covenant made by God to Abraham. The result is, we get to be counted as his seed. It doesn’t matter what color our skin is or our station in life, it applies to all Christians! This is the sum total reason why everything from Abraham to Christ’s resurrection happened.

The way to membership in that covenant then, is to get into Christ. Galatians 3 is a popular scripture to mislead people from the correct way to get “into Christ.” (I’ve posted about how to get into Christ before.)

The truth of Galatians 3 is this:

1. We grow our faith by hearing about it, (Galatians 3:2, 5) and therefore reading and understanding the word of God (Romans 10:17)
2. We become children of God by that faith in Christ when we are baptized into him (Galatians 3: 26-27)

If anyone uses Galatians 3 to try and tell you there is another way to get into Christ outside of these steps, don’t fall for it! It’s a trick!

We should all know by now that we are saved by the faith of Christ (Galatians 2:16)

As we prepare for our next worship, I suggest that be the focus during that time. Christ had enough faith in God’s love and his plan that he went willingly to die for our sins.

Can you, like Paul, say that you have been “…crucified with Christ. It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me”? (Galatians 2:20)

Church and Bible study attendance should be the number one thing on our schedule. By the schedule my congregation keeps, that is four hours a week, maybe a little more.

So is that the extent of the time we need to spend with God?

After Paul’s conversion he spent three years in Arabia in communion and study. (Galatians 1:17-18) This is probably where Jesus revealed the Gospel to him like he did for the other Apostles.

In the same way, we need to spend quality time with God. Even deeper than our daily reading habit, I propose that taking time out to “sojourn” – or getting away for a few minutes is the next logical step. What better way to reflect on your reading, pray, and just be in the presence of God? Taking a walk or even just sitting in a quiet place is an excellent way to do this.

Bonus – Paul’s Timeline

The Chronology of Paul’s conversion, his sojourn to Arabia and his meeting with the Apostles can be confusing when comparing Galatians 1 and Acts 9. Here is the way I reconcile it:

1. Saul was struck down on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-8)
2. Three days of blindness and prayer (Acts 9:8)
3. Sight restored, baptized and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-19)
4. Preached Christ and confounded the Jews (Acts 9:19-22)
5. Made a sudden departure to Arabia for further study and communion with God (Galatians 1:17,18)
6. Came back to Damascus and angered the Jews and they decided to kill him (Acts 9:23) (Three years later)
7. Paul escaped to Jerusalem (Acts 9:24-25)
8. The Christians were afraid of him (Acts 9:26)
9. Barnabas took up his cause and recommended him (Acts 9:27-29
10. The Jerusalem church sent him to Tarsus after more death threats(Acts 9:30)

At the time of this writing, it has been a tough week for some folks around the country. Unfortunately, we often hear that there has been an event that leaves people hurting. It is times like these when we understand exactly what “not guaranteed tomorrow” means.

We have the benefit of a lifestyle that provides comfort and reassurance that there is something better waiting for us. Paul often closed his letters with a few exhortations. (especially Philippians 4:4-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22) I appreciate that he nearly always reminds us to rejoice. (2 Corinthians 13:11 – if you are using KJV, NKJV or ASV you will see “Farewell.” The correct word from the Greek is “Rejoice.”) The first century church was going through some very tough times, yet Paul keeps reminding them to rejoice.

I encourage you to keep living in a way that keeps you rejoicing, and be ready to give account for why you can when your friends ask. (1 Peter 3:15)