Trekking through the Scriptures is an adventure. Feel free to comment here, or email me personally.

Friday, December 16, 2011


The next letter for which I will be writing devotionals is 1 Thessalonians.  I will probably wait to post them until we are going through it as a Bible study group.  However,  if you would like the devotionals before then, you may contact me and I will email them to you.
           
May the grace and peace of Jesus guard your hearts and minds in His love.  

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Galatians 6:18


                                                grace to come
                At the end of this letter, the Galatians are left with choices regarding their response to Paul’s exhortations and encouragements.  Did they have the strength, wisdom and will to withstand the pressures of Judaizers, as well as Roman and Greek pagans?  Did Paul have unrealistic expectations of them?  Do you find the expectations of this letter beyond what you feel you can bear?
                Really, it probably is too much--too much to resist temptations on every side and too much to continually say “no” to selfishness.  What were they to do?  What are we to do? 
                We are to take heart!  In Jesus Christ we have peace with God, and though we will have tribulation in the world, we can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world.  The grace of God was not just a one time experience when you first asked Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life.  The grace of God is the ongoing limitless expression of His nature and of His lavish affection for His children.  As such, our fellowship with Him allows us access to that grace every moment of every day!!! 
                No, you will not be able to just muster the strength to ‘be all that God desires’.  But you will be able to draw on His grace for the transformation of your heart, soul, mind and strength.  His grace will enable you to die to yourself and live to Christ bit by bit.  His grace is the beginning and the perfection of all that it is to be truly alive. 
                As John Piper so aptly says, “My hope for future goodness and future glory is future grace.”            
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 

“Amen” means, “Yes, Lord, you can do it.”
It means, “Yes, Lord, you are powerful.
Yes, Lord, you are wise.
Yes, Lord, you are merciful.
Yes, Lord, all future grace comes from you
and has been confirmed in Christ.”
“Amen” is an exclamation point of hope after a prayer for help.[1]

                Amen

Read and Pray:  Romans 11:6, Isaiah 46:9, Jeremiah 32:27, 2 Corinthians 1:20


[1] Piper, John, Future Grace, (Multnomah Publishers Inc., 1995) p.100

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Galatians 6:11,14-17


                                                    true signs of faith
                Unlike those seeking converts for their own personal comfort and gain, Paul truly seeks the well-being of those who have received the gospel message.  Most scholars believe Paul took the pen at the end of this letter to authenticate this written message, and the large letters were possibly due to his impaired eyesight.  It was his honest and sincere presentation of truth to fellow believers who were dear to his heart.  The large letters were quite possibly a humble testimony of his own physical weakness—unlike his Jewish opponents who made a “good showing”.
                Paul could have boasted in large numbers of converts, but instead, he boasts in the vehicle of his own personal salvation and transformation—the cross.  For typical Romans or Greeks the cross was a symbol of shame and horror, and in polite society one would not even speak of it.  Yet salvation of man comes by the cross, and the cross of Jesus sets a pattern of laying down self for the sake of love.
                The sacrifice of Jesus opens relationship to God, and in accepting it, one is accepted and invited into resurrection life with Jesus:  A new creation, a new man, new relationships without distinctions and prejudices.   This new life offers freedom from self-justification, self-preservation, self-adulation. 
 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”[1]  As long as I live on in the flesh, I have opportunity for the life of Christ to be expressed in and through me.  The journey is one in which transformation occurs when I aim to present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…no longer being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of my mind so that God’s good will toward mankind is experienced.[2] 
Inevitably, suffering will be part of the journey.  Why?  There are those who choose to love darkness rather than light, self rather than God or others.  Consider Jesus—He was made perfect and complete through sufferings.[3]  Will his followers not experience some of the same?  The Bible, and real life experience, both show clearly the reality that suffering is part of life, and sometimes specifically suffering because one is walking with Christ.  Though Paul had been circumcised as a Jew, his true “marks” of faith were a combination of physical scars from being beaten because of his faith, and fruits of the Spirit produced in him, resulting from his faith. How about you, do you bear any marks of the Lord Jesus?
Read and pray: 2Peter 1:2-4,  Ephesians 4:17-24,  1Peter 4:12-14,  Jeremiah 9:23-24


[1] Philippians 1:21
[2] Adapted from Romans 12:1-2
[3] Hebrews 2:10-11

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Galatians 6:12-13


                                   approval, comfort, and trophies
                What is it the Judaizers really sought?  Was the issue truly the personal benefit of circumcision for the Galatians?  Probably not.  At the time of writing, Jewish Christians were being persecuted for departing from traditional Judaism.  Perhaps the Judaizers believed if they could just get the Galatians to go along with the Jewish tradition, they themselves would avoid persecution.
                Though Judaism is not thrusting itself upon modern American Christianity, plenty of other things are.  The circumstances may be quite different, but the fallout seems quite similar.  Do you ever act like a Judaizer?  In this letter, Paul has identified three distinctive traits of theirs--are any of these your traits too?
Desire to make a good showing - seeking the approval of men, you want other people to do the same things you are doing.  You want them to want what you have, and you want them to desire to be like you.
Aim to avoid suffering persecution because of faith in Jesus – you make your beliefs ‘culturally acceptable’, adapting and conforming your practices to the world around you.
‘Spiritual’ in name and external things, but that’s not the inner reality- instead of dealing with personal internal sin, you use the people who follow you as a defense and affirmation of your ‘right standing’.             
If you are not willing and ready to be truthful with yourself, you risk being stuck in this Judaizer mode.  Jesus says that when we know the truth—that is, when we come to it, experience it and apply it—then the truth will set us free.  This is the Truth as in Jesus, and the Truth as in the Bible, the Word of God, and the truth in our living reality.
In what ways are you tempted to seek the approval of man?
_________________________________________________
Have you ever suffered because of your trust and faith in Jesus?
_________________________________________________
In what ways do you tend to your external flesh appearances?
__________________________________________________________________ 
In what ways do you tend to your inner, spiritual life?
_________________________________________________
Is the bulk of your effort and focus on how you can rule and reign in your little world?  Is your goal approval, comfort and trophies?
Or are you seeking to have more of the rule and reign of God in your very person?
Read and Pray:  Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 7:1-5, Philippians 2:3-8

Monday, December 12, 2011

Galatians 6:7-10


                                             reaping what you sow
                What is the potential deception here?  Could it be the mindset that you will be able to avoid normal consequences of natural actions?  Could it also be the idea that one can violate God’s offer of grace and yet still enjoy it? 
                Paul uses the analogy of sowing seed.  Let’s draw the analogy out a bit.  Suppose your currency for this seed is your time and energy, and the seed selection is broad, so you purchase the seeds from your time and energy investments.  Your planting consists of the actions that result from what you have been thinking about.
Seed     -what kind of seed are you buying and where are you buying it?
What are you dwelling on, and exploring in thought?  Where do you make these mental purchases? (friends, family, internet, movies, music, etc.) And how much do they cost in terms of time, emotional and spiritual health?
Ground Where do you  release the ‘seeds’ /thoughts?  With whom do you
choose to share these thoughts and ideas?  Anyone, anywhere?
Planting How do you plant the seeds?  Do you broadcast them and just
let them land where they will, through posts, jokes, babbling, group interactions, etc. or do you calculate where they will best be received and seek out certain people and places, to put your thoughts into action?
Whatever sort of seeds we sow, we will certainly get more of the same, provided the ground is fertile and receptive. 
Sowing to the flesh we will reap corruption (see Gal.5:19-21):  sexual immorality, faithlessness, disunity with believers, breaks in morals and relationships, and ultimately separation from God. 
Sowing to the Spirit we will reap spiritual fruit (see Gal. 5:22-23): growth, renewal, transformation, unity, and ultimately everlasting life.  
                Have you ever noticed how vigorous weeds can be?  Tenacious burrs and foxtails attach themselves to socks, shoes, animal fur,…  They will find a place to lodge!  Like sin, little effort is required to harvest more. Carrots, lettuce, and corn on the other hand, all need careful planting, watering and cultivation. 
A great risk for the one sowing to the Spirit can be discouragement that may come from diligence required to prepare and plant good seeds in good soil, a lack of observed results, and/or fatigue from “pulling weeds”.           
It is to this potential weariness that Paul speaks the encouragement:   in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart!
Read and Pray:  Matthew 15:18, Romans 2:4-10, 2 Cor. 4:16-18, 1 Cor. 15:57-58 

Saturday, December 10, 2011


     Galatians 6:6              share all good things
                What do you think it means to “share in all good things with him who teaches”?  ___________________________________________________________
Apparently, in Greek the word for ‘share’ is koinoneito which was a euphemism for “make a financial contribution”.  The pagan priests in New Testament times often received fees for their sacrificial services, but Paul prefers to train his converts in voluntary liberality as distinguished from payments received from performing sacrificial rites.[1]
                The specific injunction of giving money for the Galatians has an underlying principle.  Can you tell what it is?  The body of Christ is to operate each according to their gifts, and those for the benefit of all.  Everyone—both learner and teacher—has  something to contribute!
How do you usually think about the learner-teacher relationship?  Is it a one-way street where the teacher is always the one dispensing and the learner is always receiving?  If it is not just one way, what does the learner dispense toward, or share with the teacher?  Think of the various teachers in your life.  What do they receive as a result of teaching you? _______________________________________________ 
In America, there has been much talk of this upcoming generation as a “generation of entitlement”—a people who believe it is their right to have and receive all the goods they desire.  Does this describe you?  Has this sense of ‘entitlement’ has crept into the Church?  Is it our ‘right’ to worship freely, to have good teaching, a decent facility, and programs that suit us—all with little or no effort and input from us? 
One way to measure your heart in this, is to consider your attitude when the teaching isn’t that great.  Are you annoyed?  Or are you grateful someone took time and energy to prepare something to share with you?  Your words and actions probably reveal your mindset and attitudes toward those who teach:
         you are thankful, grateful, appreciative    vs.    you are nit-picking and/or unresponsive
                  you share money & resources       vs.        money & resources are spent on your own interests
               you invest time and energy to help   vs.    you spend time & energy only on your own interests
To “share all good things” is to acknowledge how incredibly blessed you are and to acknowledge the fact that God often uses people to bless people.  The currency may not always be the monetary, or the same in both directions, but between believers, the street should never be ‘one-way’.  What do you think Paul would say to you, about your relationship with the teachers in your life?
Read and Pray:  2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Ephesians 4:11-16


[1] Arnold, Clinton E. editor, Zondervon Illustrated Bible Commentary, p. 130

Friday, December 9, 2011

Galatians 6:1-5


                                             bearing a burden
                How do you react when someone else is “overtaken in a trespass” –physically, emotionally, or spiritually going where they should not?  Is there any way to deal with it and still maintain of peace? 
It seems to me there are at least three major lines of response, each with their fruit:
Pray about it                   Obsess over it                  Be apathetic
Submit to God’s wisdom         figure and reason it out              why waste brain waves?
                        ^                                                  ^                                                                ^
humility, empathy                      judgment, criticism                       detachment
compassion, forgiveness                       pride
            ^                                                          ^                                                                 ^
acceptance, grace                      frustration, anger                        disunity
         Service                                    control
            ^                                                           ^                                                                 ^
draws near, builds                      pushes away, strains &                    antithesis
relationship & unity                          breaks relationship                         of love
                ^                                                           ^                                                                  ^
About Christ                      About You                            About You
& in Christ                      in your own strength               in your own desires
                ^                                                           ^                                                                  ^
Peace in the trial                              NO PEACE in the trial                  NO PEACE in the trial
                        When you are concerned about a brother or sister in Christ, evaluate your actual goal.  Is it to make the person in your image or is your goal to be a vessel for Christ, inviting them into (or back into) the unique, gracious relationship God desires?  If it is the latter, you are yoked with Christ who shares His strength with you.
                As a parent, or one in authority, it is not that a lackadaisical approach is called for—there are still standards and guidelines for those under authority.  But the attitude still meets this fork in the road.  The question is, will the guidelines or rules be enforced in a spirit of Christ, displaying the spiritual man, the new creation, both having and offering peace?  Or will the attitude of the enforcer display the natural man, “self”?
                For those of you under authority, what should you do when one who has authority over you is in sin?  Are the pathway possibilities any different?  If yes, how?
                Think of a person in your life who may be “caught in sin”.  How are you responding?  What steps can/should you take to ensure that you do not sacrifice your peace with God, nor your own integrity, over this situation.
Read and Pray:  Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 12:3-21 

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Galatians 5:22-26


                                                bearing fruit
                Contrasting with ‘work’ is the metaphor of bearing fruit. The fruits of the Spirit occur as a consequence of really living and walking in and with the Spirit of God.  Jesus said He is the vine, we are the branches—we must be connected for the fruit of His Spirit to be produced.  Unlike the works of the flesh, (where force has been applied which moves us away from God), the fruits of the Spirit are produced from the life of Jesus operating within us.
                The works of the flesh are self-centered, seeking to satisfy one’s own physical and emotional desires.  Self-centeredness is destructive to relationships because the needs and interests of others will be viewed as less important than my own. This is true not only with the obvious, like fornication or murder, but can be seen in operation under a “spiritual” guise as well.  “Good” or “Christian” works of the flesh may appear quite innocent, but sometimes right under the surface is a hefty dose of selfish ambition, jealousy, and dissention.  If you are becoming impatient or contentious with people who you think aren’t “doing enough”,  or if you are jealous of people who are doing a "better" job, or more than you, then there will likely be dissension rather than unity—a work of the flesh.
The fruits of the Spirit, on the other hand promote healthy relationships through healthy thoughts, words and actions which stem from genuine love, and a humble understanding of self and forgiveness.
                Looking at the fruit of the Spirit list, how many of these are cultural norms?
Love:  a profoundly tender, affectionate attachment which considers the other as more
important than self
Joy:  calm delight, great gladness
Peace:  quietness, rest, oneness
Patience:  long and patient enduring of provocation, trouble or injury, forbearance, fortitude,
longsuffering, to abstain from enforcing a personal right,
Gentleness: moral excellence in character and demeanor, usefulness
Goodness:  the doing of good, active goodness or kindness, virtue
Faith:  conviction of the truthfulness of God, reliance upon Christ for salvation, constancy in
what is professed
Meekness:  gentleness and humility
Temperance:  self-control
 If you want to take your “spiritual temperature”, look at both today’s fruit of the Spirit list and yesterday’s works of the flesh list, and put a mark by the attributes which mark your daily (or weekly) life.  Are you living according to your sinful nature or are you walking and bearing fruit in truth, according to the Spirit?
Read and Pray:  Ephesians 5:8-10, John 15:1-6, Colossians 3:12-17, Romans 8:1-4

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Galatians 5:19-21


                                            flesh at work
                How we walk –each step—mental or physical, sets us on a trajectory in some direction.  At first, the thoughts or actions may seem inconsequential, but imagine that thought or action as the first step on a trail.  The fork in the road is the point of decision:   submit to God and His good pleasure (which is good for you and for others) or to be submitted to you own will and flesh desire (which may feel good, but holds no guarantee of being truly good).
                Think of the “work” of the flesh in terms of physics: "The transfer of energy from one system to another, especially the transfer of energy to a body by the application of a force that moves the body in the direction of the force.  It is calculated as the product of the force and the distance through which the body moves." [1] Here, keep in mind that your flesh is applying a force in your life that can result in a displacement of your peace with God.
                As you read the following definitions, consider how many of them are cultural norms.
Fornication:  voluntary sexual intercourse outside of marriage
Uncleanness:  morally impure, evil, vile thoughts
Lewdness:  that which leads to, or is characterized by, unrestrained sexual desire
                     being obscene or indecent,  as language or songs
Idolatry:  excessive or blind reverence and devotion to any created object, [or person]
Sorcery:  the art, practices, or spells of a person trying to exercise supernatural power
Hatred:  intense dislike, extreme aversion, or hostility (different from “to love less” use in Luke 14:26)
Contentions:  striving in rivalry, competition, dispute, controversy
Jealousies: resentment against rivals, or another’s success, mental uneasiness from
   suspicion, fear of unfaithfulness or rivalry
Outbursts of wrath:  fierce anger, deeply resentful indignation
Selfish ambitions:  earnest desire for distinction for oneself (power, fame, wealth, honor,…)
Dissentions:  strong disagreement, quarrel, discord
Heresies:  opinions and doctrines strongly at odds with the pure gospel
Envy:  discontent over, or coveting of, the advantages, success, possessions of another
Murders:  deliberate and premeditated killing of other people
Drunkenness:  given to, or marked by, intoxication
Revelries:  unrestrained, rough, noisy festivities

Some of the things listed here are quite ‘normal’ in our society.  How can you avoid buying into their ‘normalcy’?  What are the implications for a person who chooses to practice any of the things on this list?  __________________________________________________________
Read and Pray:  Ephesians 5:1-7, Psalm 52, Romans 14:16-19, Proverbs 22:3, & 28:13


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Galatians 5:16-18


                                                           Walk in the Spirit       
“Walk in the Spirit” is a pretty typical Christian phrase, but what does it actually mean?  How do you practically do this?  _____________________________________________________________________
The promise of freedom from bondage to sin is bound up with the call to have our lives in Christ and His life in us.  There is no magical phrase or prayer that changes who we are, but there is a very real experience that begins the moment we receive His gift and commit to walk with God.  Sometimes, in having hoped for a total and immediate deliverance from the flesh, people become disillusioned with their faith, believing it to be ineffective.  But is a human life deemed ineffective simply because at its initial point of beginning it is quite dependent and ill-equipped to be productive?  Of course not!  That life is valued in part, for the potential it carries.  We too, as new creations in Christ Jesus are full of incredible potential that can and will be realized only as we continue to learn and grow and walk with the Spirit of God.
The more we walk in the Spirit of God, the less we are inclined to seek the fulfillment of “self”.  Likewise, the more we seek the mind of Christ, the less we will be motivated by our own will and ambitions.  What  replaces that will and ambition of ours? __________________________________________________
Something that I find interesting in these verses is the contrast that is set up:

   “walk”èmake progress                        versus            “lust”èwant badly

   by the Spiritèin God’s power            versus            of the fleshèof my own power

And there is the tension between the flesh which “lusts” against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.  What do you think that means? __________________________________________________________________
I believe this has to do with desires and yearnings.  The Spirit of God yearns for my fellowship and unity with God.  My flesh on the other hand, yearns for more immediate, tangible, temporary “feel goods” (–and sometimes even the ‘not-feel-goods’, like self-condemnation and regret).  Unfortunately, I sometimes fall for the here-and-now experience rather than thinking the thoughts,doing the things, embracing the love that God has displayed and wants communicated in and through me.  This creates a sort of battle zone within.  And this is why it is so very important to continually come back to grace and truth.  I am forgiven, I am free from the law of my flesh and my self-justification (or condemnation) as well as the “law” of my self-satisfaction. 
As I learn to be led by the Spirit, l also learn to love in thought, in word, and in actions, not because I am compelled by law, but because I am choosing to give the Spirit freedom to love well through me.
Read and Pray:  I Corinthians 2:9-12, Romans 6:14, 8:5-6, Psalm 50:23

Monday, December 5, 2011

Galatians 5:13-15

                                                        liberty!
                There is only one thing that is bound up with total freedom in Christ.  Do you know what it is?  Does that one thing permit total self-indulgence?  Why, or why not? 
I have often seen ‘freedom in Christ’ as an excuse for people to do what they want to do anyway.  I have also seen it so narrowly interpreted that those who had this ‘freedom’ appeared to be anything but ‘free’ as they lay their burden of expectations on others.  So what kind of freedom is Paul talking about?  Freedom from civil law?  Cultural law? Religious law? Parental law? Self-imposed law?
“Paul is concerned about the wrong influence of man’s perspective about freedom. To the world (those operating without the divine absolutes of Scripture) freedom means the right to be and do as you please, how you please, when you please, where you please. It means doing your own thing, being your own boss, looking after number one first. The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary says it means “exemption from necessity in choice and action.” It is the right to any choice so long as it is your own personal choice.”[1]
What are some problems with this point of view _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________    
In your own life, in what ways have you used your liberty, (your throwing off of the laws rules and expectations of man), as an opportunity for the flesh? ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________Are you pleased with the results?  Is your conscience clear and free? Have your words and/or actions been good, healthy, and edifying to others? 
Now let’s look at freedom as described by Jesus and the apostles.  If we are set free from the condemnation due us, and set free from fear of the future and fear of man, from a mindset of self-serving, and set free from striving for personal justification and approval, then we are free indeed!  Exploitation of others and moral degeneracy do not result from this kind of freedom.  For in this state of freedom we are able to love well, and to ourselves grow in a good way, whether circumstances are positive or negative, whether men are for us or against us.
This is the liberty to which we are called and it is the liberty which enables us to fulfill the law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.  Seriously evaluate your own understanding and exercise of freedom.  Has it served you as an opportunity for your flesh, or has it enabled you to love well?
Read and Pray:  I Corinthians 5:6-13, I Peter, 2:13-16, I Corinthians 9:19-23, Matthew 7:12

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Galatians 5:7-12


                                       recognizing hindrances
                What hinders you most from obeying the Truth in your thoughts and actions?
1.       _____________________________________________________________________________________
2.       _____________________________________________________________________________________
Are these hindrances persuasive?  How so? _______________________________________________  
What is their source? ___________________________________________________________________
What do you think will be the consequences of giving in just a little bit to a persuasion that does not reinforce the truth of the gospel?______________________________________________________________________________________
                Even a good thing, like sincerity, can take a bad turn when it is not guarded by and accountable to truth.  Whether or not they recognized it, the Galatians were being pushed away from obeying the plain truth of the gospel. Paul is calling them into accountability and drawing out the arguments and thinking for all to see. 
In Galatia, there were obviously perpetrators—those pushing for additions to the pure gospel.  Their message was so detrimental that Paul makes the extreme statement which says essentially, “If you think this ritual of circumcision is so helpful in making you ‘worthy’, why not go all the way and castrate yourself!”  [Historically, some of the pagan cults were actually doing this.]  At least then you would be impotent and unable to propagate your wrong thinking!”  Yes, this is a shocking thing to say, but what the Judiazers were promoting was completely counter to Truth.  And Paul's aim seems to be to shock the Galatians back to reality.
Are you able to silence your tempters?  If not, what can you do?  When you think of acting on a temptation, it will be helpful to also consider what direction that action takes you.  Your first response sets you on a path.  What is that path’s direction and destination?  How can you remain true and single-minded about the grace of God?
______________________________________________________________________________________
If something or someone is troubling you—working against the peace you have in and with God—evaluate the situation in the light of truth.  If you have sinned, repent.  If someone has sinned against you, you need to forgive.  If a circumstance is unplanned or unpleasant, set your eyes and hope on Jesus, and His refining work in your life --renew your mind with Truth!  The Word is available to you! He is trustworthy, He is enough, and He alone brings you into peace with God.
Read and Pray:  Proverbs 16:6, 27-30, James 4:7-8,  I Corinthians 9:24-27

Friday, December 2, 2011

Galatians 5:1-6


                                                                    stand fast
                When you think of your religious experience, what gives you the confidence you have it “right”?  ___________________________________________________
When we are daily walking with Christ, we can also experience a daily liberation from things which mentally and spiritually bog us down.  But when we stray in our thinking, we may feel the security of our “right standing with God” begin to give way.  In response, we may grab hold of something else that boosts our confidence that we really are “okay”. Perhaps it is a church ritual or a personal freedom.
                Paul here encourages believers to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.  The Galatians may or may not have already begun to adopt practices of the Judiazers, but there was no doubt they were contemplating more.  Yet to pursue entry into fellowship with God by their own human acts would be to proclaim the work of Jesus as insufficient if not altogether unnecessary.  The Galatians were at fault for buying into a system of men which reduced the importance of Christ and increased the importance of “self”.   The Judiazers were guilty of creating a requirement other than Jesus for entry into fellowship.
                Do you find you identify more with the Galatians in this passage, or the Judiazers?  Are you trying to impose standards on others, or more often trying to meet the expectations of others?  Paul really makes no provision for boasting in being circumcised or uncircumcised, religious or non-religious.  Either one would simply demonstrate an “I’m more spiritual than you” type of attitude. 
                Some Christians these days seem quite proud of the fact that they can drink alcohol, smoke, or swear, and their faith is not jeopardized.  Other Christians seem quite proud that they never watch movies rated above ‘G’, don’t get tattoos and piercings, and only listen to ‘Christian’ music.  Some are quite proud of their liturgical church services and ‘closed communion’, while others boast of Pentecostal expression and ‘open communion’ at church.  Is any of this Biblical?
                Look again at verse 6.  What is it that really makes the difference?  __________________________________________________________________ When Christ set us free, it was because of His love for us.  If we receive His gift of forgiveness, grace and love, a corresponding love will be birthed in us.  And our faith, if sincere, will find expression not in a religious distinctive behavior, but in attitudes and actions of love.  Justifying faith is not just an intellectual experience.  We are to stand fast not in the confidence of our own right behavior, but in the righteousness of Jesus which draws us into relationship with God.
Read and Pray:  Acts 15:7-11, Romans 10:8-13, Philippians 3:17-4:1