The Israel of God

Paul's closing in his epistle to the Galatians has been a debate which has caused a lot of controversy throughout the years. However, there is no doubt that it was most controversial to it's original audience. Consider the following:

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:15-16)

Paul was not confused when he wrote this. He knew exactly what he was saying. He is making an open declaration that those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ are indeed the true Israel of God. And in this statement the rejection of national Israel is implied. But why should he make such a statement anyway?

Well, if you recall, Paul has already made several similar arguments which all lead up to this thesis. He has already demonstrated that neither circumcision, nor law, nor genealogy are qualifications to secure the true chosen, adopted children of God. Lets review each of these quickly to gain a better understanding.

1. First, he reproves the need to be circumcised. Circumcision is the sign of the covenant God made with man. In the Jewish tradition, all true children of God [males] must be circumcised to demonstrate their fidelity. This is very similar to the western tradition of a man and woman wearing wedding rings when they are married. Circumcision was required by God's law. To not be circumcised was an abomination in the Jewish religion.

2. Then he finds fault with the efficacy of God's law. He demonstrates that the law was never powerful enough to save anyone. If it was then there surely would have been a law to provide for it. Therefore, Paul tells us the law is our school master always pointing us to the Savior who would come: Jesus Christ.

3. Thirdly, he demonstrates error with those who claim to be the descendants of Abraham. God promised that Abraham's descendants would inherit the blessings of the covenant, but Paul conditions that with faith in Jesus Christ. He argues and proves that those who believe in Jesus by faith are the true descendants of Abraham to whom the promises were spoken.

Circumcision, God's law, and genealogy were all signs of the true Israel. For Paul to reprove them was considered a national assault on the Jewish heritage and faith. But Paul is not assaulting or discounting them. He is demonstrating over and over that in Christ each of these things are fulfilled. Therefore, all that Israel is looking to in circumcision, God's law, and genealogy are now fulfilled and found in Christ alone.

Paul is telling us there are two Israels: One who trusts in circumcision, God's law, and genealogy; and one who trusts in Jesus Christ. One is physical, one is spiritual. One is the type, and one is the anti-type. One is rejected, and one is accepted.

Salvation in Jesus Christ is not a matter of what we do or don't do. It's not a checklist to follow or a carte blanche for a new life. Salvation in Jesus Christ a gift given by God to men based purely on the person and work of Jesus Christ and applied to us by grace through faith according to the mercies of God alone.

To you who are the called, chosen, Israel of God: May his peace and mercy be upon you all the days of your life and, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." (Galatians 6:18)

With the greatest respect, honor, and love for the holy children of Jesus Christ,

Jay Silvas

Boasting Only in Jesus Christ

We are, by nature, proud people.

We love to talk about ourselves. We love to make our accomplishments known. We want everyone else to know about who we are and what we are doing. Just turn to your favorite social media outlet Q.E.D.

And likewise, the Galatian heretics loved to boast in themselves as well. They would boast and brag about all the converts who followed them and believed their teachings. Paul points this out to us in the following verses:

"As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh." (Galatians 6:12-13)

These heretics did not really care for the people. They only wanted the pride and public applause for having many disciples. But consider Jesus: He never wanted men to follow him simply for the sake of following (cf. John 6:65-66, Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand). He desired true believers: Those whom the Father had granted to come to Jesus.

Paul knew the corruption of those false teachers who were leading the Galatians believers astray and he countered it with this:

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (v. 14)

He would not boast in anything he had done. He had no credit to his own name, but all credit should be given to Jesus Christ. For he is the one who saved us solely by his person and work. Therefore, this teaching that we should be circumcised is a vain and pointless pursuit. It leads to nothing spiritually profitable and it is not pleasing to God.

In fact, he said that they who desire to mutilate you don't even follow the teachings they impose on you! So why should we carry on our body the mark of circumcision? There is no reason too. And Paul had a more convincing argument about following Jesus. He said, if it's marks you are interested in, then just take a look at all the marks I carry for Jesus:

"for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." (v. 17)

He was speaking of the scars he had received from being beaten when he went preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Those, he says, are marks worth bearing, but still not necessary.

So what should we boast in if not Jesus Christ? He is the one who has payed in full the debt of our sin. Without him we have nothing; indeed, we are nothing. I pray that you would not boast in your self today but give all honor and praise and glory to the risen Savior, Jesus. I included a link to a song to help you reflect on him.

In Christ,

Jay

Reaping What You Sow

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

Our actions have consequences. If you over eat, you will become fat. If you spend more than you make, you will be in debt. If you are a drunkard, your liver will be permanently damaged.

This is one of the final thoughts Paul leaves us with as he is closing the letter to the Galatians. He continues to remind us that we can sow in the flesh or we can sow in the Spirit. 

"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (v. 8)

And for many, the instant return for what we sow seems to negate the consequences of our actions later on down the road. For example, I used to smoke cigarettes. I knew cigarettes were terrible for my health and I knew of several studies that empirically proved 'cigarettes cause lung cancer'. But in the moment of deciding should I smoke or not smoke the fear of lung cancer and degraded health was swept away by the exhilarating high I felt now by smoking.

The same can be said about drinking. We know it is a destructive habit yet we participate in it anyway ignoring the future consequences of our actions: I may not come home to my wife and children tonight; I may become a violent alcoholic; I may become physically addicted and destroy my body. 

But this is not an message about the dangers of smoking and drinking. This can be applied to anything: Eating, sleeping, working, gambling, studying, shopping, and the list goes on.

We will reap tomorrow what we sow today. To be more inline with the context Paul is speaking of, he intends for us to treat each other with great love, respect, honor, and good works. To do these things is to walk in the Spirit as we are filled with the Spirit. Then, in the future, we will reap the Spiritual fruit of our good works today.

But if we fight against each other, hating even our brothers and sisters in Christ, treating them with great indignity, and sowing evil works... then we must know - God is not mocked. We will reap of the same things we sow.

So what then? How should we live? Well, the Scripture is given to us for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Here is what it teaches us:

"9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:9-10)

The labor of good works through faith in Jesus Christ is a perpetual work. We are instructed to never cease from them nor to find them too weary. But sometimes we can live in the impression that our works are meaningless. Many pastors and Bible teachers struggle with this when do not see change in the lives of those they teach. But it is not limited to clergy. You may find that you don't want to love your neighbor. Maybe they just annoy you too much that you would rather not serve them in good works. We are taught to not faint in our labor, "for in due season we shall reap".

We are also taught to take advantage of every opportunity to serve others with good works. However, how often we ignore those poor and homeless beggars on the subway and on the streets. How often we justify in our hearts and minds that we are not responsible for their plight. How often we tell our selves that they are simply faking. But we are not justified. We are to use every opportunity given unto us to serve others with good works. So the next time you have money in your pocket, wallet, purse, sock, or shoe... help the poor beggar. Don't think about it, just do it. God has given you to them for an opportunity to serve. Of course, this extends well beyond just beggars, so always be mindful of how you can serve.

And thirdly, we are taught to serve those who are of Jesus Christ even more honorably. It's not that we should save our best works for our brothers and sisters in Christ, but rather we should never ever NOT serve them with good works. To bring division and evil into the house of God is an egregious sin! Jesus even taught us that the world would know that we are his by the love that we show to one another (John 13:35).

What will you do today?

Bearing One Another

I was in an interview once in which I was asked this question, "How do you handle interpersonal conflict?" Perhaps you have been asked the same question?

My response to this was, "I believe I must pour on each relationship a measure of grace. For some it may be more and for some it may be less." The idea is that people are different and likewise struggle with different things. I cannot experience your suffering all the time, but I can respect it. I can come along side others, understand their suffering, and share their emotional pain. This is empathy.

But what about faults? What if a person moves past simple suffering and into something greater? What if a person falls into a sin that I disprove of? What then?

Should I then be disproving, rejecting their acquaintance, or contemning them? I don't think so. Even in this, we need to pour on each other a measure of grace that is sufficient to bear one another and restore each other to the hope we have in the Gospel.

Paul gives us some very wise instruction in the latter portion of Galatians. He writes, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We have already learned that the law of Christ is to walk in the law of love. In love we are to lift up, edify, and restore each other when we both suffer and struggle with sin. But we are to do so in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1).

It's very easy to look down on others who suffer from and struggle with things that we do not. We may look on somebody's failed pregnancy as just punishment for some wickedness in their life; or a teenager's rebellious spirit as the wicked fruit of bad parenting. Even still, when we catch somebody caught up in a sin that we find deplorable we may be quick to judge them and cast them out of our fellowship with scornful contempt. But is this what the Scripture is teaching us?

"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." (Galatians 6:3)

"Looking down our nose" is an American idiom that means to think one is better than someone else. If we stick our nose high in the air and look down on everybody else then we fool ourselves. The Scriptures have reproved all to be in sin, and by necessity, we all need the saving blood of Jesus equally. Who am I to look down my nose on you when you suffer or struggle? I should be reminded that I am no better off; for I too am just as susceptible to your current plight.

So in the spirit of meekness, fulfill the law of Christ. We need to encourage each other in the hope of Christ. We need to always remind each other of our daily need of the gospel of grace. This includes those who teach you God's word. Your pastor needs to be encouraged in the truth of the gospel (v. 6). No man is exempt from suffering and certainly no one person can withstand sin but Jesus.

Praying for you all,

Jay Silvas

Called to Walk in the Spirit

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:16-17)

Paul has been building up to this point throughout his entire letter to the Galatians. Here, in the latter part of chapter five, we see the works of the flesh juxtaposed with the fruit of the Spirit. There is absolutely no denying that a grand tension exists between the Spirit and that flesh. In fact, Paul goes as far to say that the flesh is so contrary to the Spirit that it even incapacitates us to do the good we know we ought to do and even want to do (v. 17).

For example, I want to love people. I really do. I want to care about other people's needs, desires, dreams, and circumstances, but the truth is, my flesh simply doesn't care and won't allow me to either. My flesh tells me to care about myself: Me alone, at the expense of all others! No matter how much I desire to love others, I am simply incapable of doing so. This is my life in the flesh.

However, God has saved me and conquered my flesh through his Spirit. He has caused his Spirit to dwell in me daily to guide me into this love that I desire to have for others. Through God's Spirit alone I can truly love you, love others, and even love my enemies.

God's Spirit is transforming me daily to be more and more like his Son Jesus. Through the power of the Spirit of God I can obey the law of love; I can walk in faith which worketh by love! But without him... Oh, without the Spirit I am hopelessly lost!

If I am left to walk in the lust of my flesh then I am a dreadfully wicked sinner. I seek only what I want, only whats best for me. But by the grace of God alone, I can now walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the selfishness that I once held dear is now dead within me.

But what Paul really wants us to notice is that we can do no good thing in and of ourselves. All of our works are tainted with the lust of the flesh. All transformation, all good works, all obedience are works and products of the Spirit of God alone. They are not from us.

We cannot become more spiritually loving people through morality. I can not simply slap on a new exterior of good works, happiness, and joy and expect the interior to be changed. That would be as preposterous as laying new coats of paint on a termite infested, condemned house. It may look good on the outside, but the inside is rotting away.

Instead of this, we are taught that God through his Spirit heals us internally. He fixes what is broken within us. Then goodness, mercy, love, and obedience flow from within us and out to our hands, down to our feet, out through our lips, and into our mind.

The biblical analogy is that in the flesh we are as rotting corpses who can do nothing but sour the air with our rotting stench. But in the Spirit we are brought to life. God breathes life into our lifeless, dead bodies and it heals us. Our flesh which was once dead and good for nothing is now made fully alive and restored, not to live as if we were dead, but to fulfill the law of faith which worketh by love!

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)

Through the Spirit our wickedness is put to death and our righteousness is made alive. Is there some grand struggle in your life that only God's Spirit can conquer?

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)

Love,

Jay

Called to Walk in the Law of Love

We have not been called into lawlessness. We are called to fulfill the law of love.

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Paul has made a very clear and pointed thesis up to this point: In Jesus Christ, we are completely free from the law (v. 13a). He has spent five chapters of this six chapter epistle teaching us this very thing. There is nothing left for us "to do", nothing left "undone", and nothing to "complete" to make us acceptable to God. We have been radically purchased from the claims of sin, death, and hell by the decree of the Father, blood of the Son, and efficacy of the Spirit. In our sin God loved us; In our sin God saved us; In our sin we will continue to be saved. Our salvation is based purely on God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We indeed have a great liberty given unto us!

Now, some have concluded that Paul's extreme emphasis of grace means that we can live anyway we want. Some have even concluded that it's better to live a life of exceeding sin as a Christian because God is glorified more and more by pouring on us more and more grace. But this is not Paul's conclusion: "Use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh" (v. 13b).

We are not to be brazen sinners, unashamedly flaunting our freedom as if we have no self-control. Rather, our lives are to be ordered by the law of love, serving each other (v. 13c). This quite literally means to put aside selfishness and esteem each other better than our own selves.

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (v. 14)

You see, we have never been free to live in love, serving one another. We have always been enslaved to the law of sin in our flesh. No matter how much good we wanted to do in our previous life, it was always tainted with wickedness. But now we are free! We are free at last to truly love! And love is demonstrated most powerfully by self-less service and sacrifice.

God is saving us, not to be free agents of wickedness, but to be transformed into a new creature; changed into what he originally intended us to be. He is saving us and freeing us to be agents of mercy, stewards of grace, and ministers of love. In reality, we are not free, but bound to the eternal law of love in Christ Jesus.

"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Romans 6:18)

So now, being free to love each other, let us do so more and more in this life. It's easy to become blind to the law of love. The Scripture reminds us constantly of it. But if we ignore this truth and follow lawlessness we will be consumed in wickedness, sold under the law of the flesh. 

"But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." (Galatians 5:15)

Do not use your freedom in Christ as an excuse to sin without restraint, but be brazenly bold in your service of love!

With love for you all,

Jay Silvas

Preserving the Truth

English speakers have a proverb, "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch."

Apples are pretty hardy when kept in the right conditions. They can last for quite some time (up to seven months for some varieties) in a properly built root cellar, which is what families and farmers did before the modern age of refrigeration. But to ensure the apples would not spoil while in storage, they had to be gathered carefully, examining each apple for signs of spoil. One bad apple included in the bunch will spoil the entire lot. Likewise, Paul makes a similar statement:

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Galatians 5:9)

If you have ever baked with yeast you will know that it does not take much to work through the entire dough. You mix in a little yeast and give it time to rise. A short while later you will have a dough that has doubled or tripled in size. 

Just like the bad apple and the leaven, so goes a little false teaching. You might hear something that sparks your interest or alerts your mind. It may sound fascinating, incredible, and even almost truthful. From there your mind is set in motion, and if you are not careful, your faith in Jesus will be consumed by an ever increasing snowball of falsities.

But what is the truth that we must be careful to preserve? Paul tells us, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:7). The apostle is very clear that it doesn't matter what you do or don't do. Faith in Christ is not a matter of "doing something" or "doing nothing" (cf. Romans 14:17). True faith will work itself out naturally in love. We call this the gospel love response.

The idea is pretty simple: If you truly love someone you will do good to them. Likewise, our good works and obedience must be inspired by our love for who God is and what he has done for us. We serve God willfully and lovingly because he first loved us! Our good works and obedience then become a response of worship toward God. But this can only happen when we recognize the salvation we have been called into and respond by faith in love. Then, Gods commandments will not be a burden to us.

So having begun well in the faith, who should come along and rob you of it? Who should come and teach you contrary to the simple faith we have in Jesus Christ, that you should not obey the truth? It is not God that teaches you these things... the false teachers of this world seek to make you their disciples and their servants. 

"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you." (Galatians 5:7-8)

One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. So, if you are spoiled by some false teaching, chances are, you will cause the ruin of others around you as well. It doesn't take a lot of false teaching to begin the spoiling process; it takes just a little.

The truth is found within the pages of Scripture. Read it, know it, believe it, protect it.

Perhaps there is a similar proverb in your mother tongue? Feel free to share by leaving a comment or replying to all.

In Christ,

Jay

Invincible Jesus: Some Inspired Design

I like to dabble around in graphic design and with the new Pixelmator 2.2 being released this week, I felt inspired to try out some of the cool new vector tools.

My inspiration for this image comes from a cool tutorial found on the Pixelmator website. Ironically, I didn't follow the tutorial because I wanted to attempt recreating the effect using only the new shape styles.

Enjoy!

Sin Boldy!

Can we really be saved even in our sin? Paul believes so, and he teaches us to believe the same.

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." (Galatians 5:5)

As the apostle Paul wraps us his argument - grace is better than the law - he reminds us that the law drives us to performance while grace teaches us to hope in our future righteousness: Jesus. 

Many Christians have attempted to reconcile the relationship between sin and grace. Some believe that we can only be saved if we are completely sinless. Others believe we must keep the law while believing in Jesus. Some even teach that we will grow into perfection and actually reach a point of complete sinlessness in this life. On the other extreme, some teach that we are free to sin all we want. But this is not what Paul taught us.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Paul taught us that Jesus Christ died for us while we were in a complete state of sin and wickedness. There was absolutely nothing lovable about us, yet the Trinity found it acceptable to redeem us.

But the most difficult part to understand and accept is our life of continuing sin once we are saved. What about that wickedness? Does Jesus death cover all our sin, past, present, and future?

Some say no. These people are the same that teach us to "try harder" to be better people; "do better" following God's law. They teach us that God will only forgive our past sin and now we must live in a perfect state of lawfulness. These people can rightly be called "Galatian Heretics".

The gospel clearly teaches that we can do nothing to improve our state; all transformation is the product and working of the Trinity alone. And while it is true that I can change myself to an extent, I can never produce a saving change of character. I can stop lying, I can stop cheating, I can stop stealing, I can stop cursing, but anyone can do these things. You don't need Jesus to be a better person. We need Jesus to be cleansed of our sin.

God has given us Christians, who believe in Jesus by faith, his Spirit to live in us, dwell in us, and work in us. And by the Spirit of God we patiently hope for our future righteousness. You see, we are saved and yet in sin. We are declared righteous by Jesus, yet we have not received the fullness of this righteousness. We look forward to a day when we will be fully redeemed, fully righteous, without sin, living with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit where they are.

Nobody understood this better than Martin Luther, who kick-started the reformation with his famous 95 thesis.

Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. (Let Your Sins Be Strong, Martin Luther, 1521)

I would encourage you to read the whole letter in context. In it you will gain a much better understanding of his argument. But the bottom line is this: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15). Paul believed he was the chief of all sinners, yet he was saved, was being saved, and will be saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9)

But what, is this just a huge license to sin? Should we all run out into the streets right now and have a big sin fest? No. We have not been called into lawlessness, but into the law of love. More on that later.

For now, understand this: The good that you do is no good at all unless it is God who works within you to goodness. "Trying harder" and "Doing better" do not please God, neither do they produce any spiritual change. So lay your works down and cease from attempting to make yourself a better person. Only God through Christ empowered by the Spirit can change you.

You are a sinner saved by grace through faith. So have confidence that God will never leave you nor forsake you... even in your sin.

Pecca Fortiter!

Standing Fast in Christ

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)

Most people are afraid of God. They see him as a giant, all knowing, all seeing, executioner who will destroy us with fiery hailstone when we sin. And honestly, this is the image the old testament paints when we read about God.

We see a vengeful God set to destroy the wicked, but a peaceful loving God who cares for those who love him. But the most difficult part of the old testament is that God's peace and love were conditioned in many cases based on obedience and faithfulness: Those who want to live in God's good graces must live a perfect life according to the law of God.

And it's the law of God that Paul is really bringing into question in the letter to the Galatians. He tells us that to subject ourselves to the law of God is to put ourselves under a system of fear, death, bondage, and darkness. Fear because we are constantly terrified of God; death because it is our payment for any kind of transgression; bondage because we must follow the law 24/7 without fail; and darkness because we are missing the whole point of the old testament - Jesus Christ.

Paul's battle standard is Jesus Christ... and his war cry is, "Jesus is better than the law!"

He makes a big deal out of Jesus, and rightly so. Jesus Christ came not only to free us from sin but to fulfill the law. Jesus frees us from the fear, death, bondage, and darkness of the old covenant. Free from fear because the promise is no longer conditional - it is eternally guaranteed; free from death because it has no power over us - we are raised to new life in Christ; free from bondage because we do not need to be perfect - Christ is our perfection; and free from darkness because Christ is our light - his salvation has been clearly revealed.

So what if we being saved by grace through faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ, return to the law even in one little bit? Well, Paul answers that too:

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." (Galatians 5:2-3)

To return to the law, or subject ourselves unnecessarily to the law, is to deny Jesus Christ. We are saying with our actions that Jesus Christ is not good enough, he is not sufficient to save me, there is something else that I must do before God can love me. But this is simply not true.

It's not that God's law is evil, but rather, Jesus fulfilled the law with his life and death. The law is complete in him. The only acceptable approach to God is through Jesus Christ. If you return to any part of the law, not mater how small in part, you must completely reject Jesus Christ and fulfill the entirety of the law.

"Christ is become of no effect unto you , whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (Galatians 5:4)

This is absurd! Why would we, who know Jesus and have experienced life, liberty, and light return to a system of death, bondage, and darkness? So stand fast in Christ! Be immovable in your faith! Never waiver from that salvation you have experienced and know in Christ alone!

But do not be confused. Christ does not make us lawless. But that is a matter for another discussion.

Sola Fide,

Jay Silvas

Children of the Freewoman

Everything in the Scriptures points us toward faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

As Paul is closing his argument in Galatians chapter four, he concludes by calling Abraham's two sons into memory. If you remember, Abraham was promised a son by Sarah. This son was to be greatly blessed, having many descendants who would become God's special people.

However, in their lack of faith, Abraham and Sarah sought to fulfill this promise on their own by having a son with Sarah's servant, Hagar. Later on God fulfilled his promise and Sarah had a son. So Abraham had two sons: Ishmael by Hagar and Issac by Sarah. Ishmael was the son of a servant, a son of bondage. Issac was the son of a freewoman, a son of freedom.

Paul uses this account as an allegory to powerfully drive home our position in Christ.

"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." (v. 28)

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (v. 31)

He explains that all those who are outside of faith in Jesus Christ are born into bondage, born into sin, born into the passions and desires of our own will, and are children of physical Jerusalem (v. 25).

But those who are born by faith in Jesus Christ are born into freedom, born into righteousness, born into the will of the father, and are children of spiritual Jerusalem (v. 26).

He has told us over and over again that we are the children of the promise by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. We are the citizens of the holy nation Israel. We inhabit spiritual Jerusalem. We are the chosen descendants of Abraham's seed: Jesus Christ. Paul is clear and emphatic; he is not confused. He has interpreted the Scriptures and applied them to us by faith in Jesus Christ! Amen!

We do not achieve this great position by what we have done, but rather, we are adopted into those promises - made equals in our inheritance in Christ. Now we no longer live after the passions and desires of the flesh; we live on in faith, in righteous, loving obedience to God the Father, no longer bound by the limits of our will, but raised to life in the Father's will.

It's a great thing to be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. I hope you are encouraged today to walk in confidence of your faith. You have nothing to fear in this world, nor the world to come. Everything has been accomplished in Jesus Christ and you are his dear child!

But maybe you are reading this and you know you are not a child of faith. Maybe you know someone who has not been adopted into the family of God by faith in Christ. The invitation is open to believe and confess the Lord Jesus.

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised [Jesus] from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

God is searching for his lost sheep. Do you hear his voice?

Loving Reproof

Paul's tone of voice in the letter to the Galatians is very harsh, yet, it is not unloving, nor is it berating. He is reproving their lack of faith but always speaking the truth in love (cf. Ephesians 4:15). This epistle demonstrates our need for loving reproof. By it we see the folly of our own way, but more importantly, we see the folly of those who try to steal us away and make us captive to something that is not truth.

Remember, Paul spent a great deal of time laboring in the gospel so that Christ would be formed completely in them. Yet, when he was away from them, certain false teachers came to attack their simple faith in Jesus Christ. These false teachers didn't like the gospel teaching that we can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. They wanted to steal away their faith and replace it with a system of works and ceremonies. Specifically, they demanded that every male believer among them be circumcised (cf. Genesis 17:9-14) and keep the law of God (cf. Exodus 20), which was delivered to them on mount Sinai.

But this is what Paul had to say about these false teachers:

"They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them." (Galatians 4:17)

He is teaching us that there are many false teachers who come to us with fake love and affection. They demonstrate great zeal toward us; they are kind to us; they treat us well; they tell us they only want what is best for us; yet their mouths are full of lies.

They do not speak these things for our benefit; they tell us these things so that they may win us over to them. They want us to in turn reject those who have taught us the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ and love them who teach us to live in fear and bondage of God and the law.

And this is exactly what they accomplished. They came to those believers in Galatia, turned them away from loving Paul, and toward themselves so they could them be lord's and masters over them. They deceitfully used them in Galatia for their own profit and gain.

Paul then contrasts this deceptive use of zealous affection with a kind that is pure and worth setting our hearts too. He tells us that it is only good for us to set our hearts affections on those things which are good (cf. Philippians 4:8). And not only for a moment, but our affection of holy, pure, and worthy things should be enduring.

"But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." (Galatians 4:18)

Oh how I hope that you will never be deceived by those who call themselves your brothers, yet are no brother to you at all. I sincerely pray that you will be zealously affected in the Scriptures, which teach you the truth and reveal salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus Christ is your one and only hope.

My desire for you is the same as Paul's: To be completely, perfectly formed in Christ Jesus. For if you claim life, liberty, and light in the Son of God, yet you do not live in faith, it is doubtful that you truly know him.

"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you." (Galatians 4:19-20)

These are harsh words and hard to hear, yet they are loving words to reprove us. Paul did not desire to speak to them harshly. He wanted to be with them, love them, see Christ formed in them perfectly, and speak well of them as he spoke well of other believers (cf. I Thessalonians 1:1-4).

How will you recognize those false teachers who claim to be your brother? The answers lie within the pages of the Scriptures. Is your heart zealously affected in them?

With sincere love in Jesus Christ,

Jay Silvas

Laboring in Vain

Paul suffered a lot at the hands of unbelieving heathens, but when I read his new testament epistles, it seems pretty clear to me that his most painful suffering was from those whom he labored over with great zeal.

He boldly preached the gospel both before the Jews and the Gentiles earnestly desiring to see them saved. And many times countless numbers of people came to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior at the hearing of his preaching. But in the case of the Galatian believers, he was afraid that he had labored in vain (Galatians 4:11).

The apostle was worried for their own souls because they had not continued in faith in Jesus Christ as they had begun. We know from reading the Scriptures that Paul clearly taught salvation is a gift from God. He clearly repeats, in several instances, salvation is a matter of God's grace received by faith alone. He committed his whole life to building up the church on the basis of a free salvation by faith in God's Son.

But now those who called themselves believers in Galatia are returning to their old ways of worshiping God, forsaking their faith, rejecting grace. 

"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:8-9)

It was simply unbelievable for Paul to think that one who claimed life, liberty, and light in Christ would then want to turn again and enslave themselves to a religion of death, fear, and darkness. How could this be? Had all the work he accomplished and love he poured out on them been for naught?

Unfortunately, he was afraid so. His concern is very much like that of a parent for his children. As a parent you want the best for your children. You instruct them in love and prepare them to be successful in life. You spend countless hours working to provide for them so they will lack nothing and labor to pay for their education. But then imagine if your child threw all that away and chose to follow the life of a criminal. How would you feel? Would you think your labor as a parent had been in vain?

The fear of most pastors is that their labor is in vain. All the hard work they put into serving you, preparing you, loving you, and instructing you is for nothing if it is not believed, followed, obeyed. Sometimes wolves sneak into the church and steal away weak believers with deception and lies. Other times, believers simply do not practice what they are being taught, either because they ignore their pastor or do not believe.

Paul even goes on to address their fickle minds and hearts. At one time they were eager to receive him as if they had received Jesus Christ himself (cf. v. 14). But then something happened and he had become their enemy. 

"Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first... if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:13 & 15-16)

He says, "You loved me! Now you hate me? Oh what has happened to you foolish Galatians? Who has bewitched you?!"

And this is the painful dagger that cuts deeper than any weapon the heathen possess. Your pastor labors for you you. He loves you. He cares for you. He works endlessly, praying for you always, desiring to see you saved, urging you to live a life of faith, liberty, and light in Jesus Christ. What then has happened that you now hate him? Is it because he teaches you the truth?

This was the case of those believers in Galatia. What about you? Has your pastor labored over you in vain? Or is there a great fruitful work of faith in your life?

It is my desire to see you all saved by the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ and living a full life of faith in him.

With love for you all,

Jay Silvas

Identity in Chrisis?

Where do you find your identity?

Everyday we are introducing ourselves to strangers and establishing our identity. For some, identity is found in skin color. For others, identity is placed in family, nationality, culture, or occupation. When someone asks us who we are, we attempt to answer the question by establishing value in our identity: "I am American"; or, "I am a doctor." In many Eastern cultures it is proper to identify yourself with a family heritage: "I am Joshua, the son of Nun"; or in the case of many Asian cultures, introductions are made by family name, name, and title. The underpinnings of all this is to establish worth [value] in who we are, what we do, and where we come from. Even modern psychology teaches us that self-worth and identity are essential ingredients to positive mental health.

But the Scriptures point us toward a greater heavenly identity that no worldly value can match. By faith in Jesus Christ we are elevated to the position of sons and daughters of God.

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7)

Paul teaches us that God appointed a time to send his Son Jesus into this world as one of us so that we could be purchased back from the claims of sin and death. According to the law, the only acceptable payment is blood. And by the blood of Jesus - God's only Son - we are now adopted into God's family as legitimate sons and daughters.

Our adoption by faith in Christ is no less powerful or less meaningful than God's relationship with his Son Jesus. We inherit all the blessings, rights, and entitlements that Jesus Christ receives as the Son of God.

Neither do we need to build value in our christian identity because our value and worth are intrinsic to the family of God. We are by nature more precious than gold, silver, or any precious jewel because we are in Christ Jesus. Our identity in Christ transcends the need for positive mental health or self-worth. It transcends any cultural, ethnic, national, family, or occupational claims.

But I believe the best quality of our adoption is that we now have the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts, which enables us to cry out to our Heavenly Father as our Daddy. God is not simply a strict disciplinarian; he is a caring, loving Father who is deeply committed to us in every circumstance.

So, do you live by faith in the Son of God? Then you are a child of God. Your entire identity is wrapped up in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Your value or worth is not diminished in anyway because you have been adopted. You are in equal righteous standing with Jesus Christ and nothing this world can offer compares to who we are in him.

So what if we introduce ourselves for who we truly are the next time someone asks, "Who are you?" We will be making the boldest identity claim man can ever know.

I am Jay Silvas, son of God. I work for my Father as an educator, husband, father, brother, friend, and pastor.

Who are you?