Looking through the lens...Currently during my quiet times I have been going through Galatians, feasting on its richness and trying to absorb it in. Its difficult to be fed spiritually when you cant speak the language but its equally encouraging to read a letter like Galatians and know that there are some universal truths that will always remain. I am going to explore some of them with you and write up my thoughts and how it is helping me here. Its not going to be an indepth study, but its going to be a glance and hopefully a helpful one at that...
Pt 1 :: One True Gospel
How easy is it to desert Christ? When you think about it right now, its very easy to say that it would never happen. Right now, we can be sure that we would never desert Christ or follow a different Gospel, but what about tomorrow or next week when Christ doesnt seem to fit into my modern living or when God doesn´t feel so close - what happens to our heart? Is it a time where we turn to Christ or desert Him?
What I have noticed in Galatains is Pauls shock to how quickly they are deserting Christ (1v6). And the way they are deserting Him is by going to a different Gospel. Pauls message to the Galatains is very clear - there is only one true Gospel. If anyone preaches something different to this, they are accursed! (1v8-9) This is no fluffy language, Paul is hitting it between the eyes and is making it clear that the Gospel is true and precious. Nothing can match to it, but yet people want to distort it - some days I want to distort it. Why? Because some days the message of the Gospel has razor sharpe teeth and bites hard, it shows me all of my sin and cuts through my pride. The problem is, is that I want to rule the Gospel rather then let the Gospel rule my life, I want it distorted so that it pleases me and allows me to live an easier life. But the message is clear - there is only one true Gospel and it if we are to follow Christ then He must rule over us. IF we reject or change the Gospel then we reject Christ and we are accursed.
This makes me think alot. I have to be careful about what I say when talking about the Gospel through bible studies, teachings or working with students. I am held acountable with the words I use and I have to check myself - am I telling the true Gospel or a watered down, different Gospel? Not only do my words count but also my actions do. Am I telling the Gospel in love and Grace with a heart for the person and our relationship or because I see them as a project or to win evangelism points? Sometimes our actions can shout a different Gospel and this to is dangerious.
But the great thing about there being a one true Gospel is that we know what our foundation is, we know the truth in which we stand on and we can trust it. We can trust Jesus and while I am here in Peru where there is much distortion of the Gospel, especially in catholisim here, then I need to be sure what is real and what I can grasp hold of and pour my heart out with. Its very easy to get trapped and apathetic, but I dont want to do that because the one true Gospel is bringing good news to the lost and they so need to hear it here, they need that truth and security and to know the Love of Christ and how their sins can be forgiven. Paul was so right in expressing such hard language here, he knew how important and precious the Gospel is and how it needs to be treasured and how we need to warn our hearts against distorting it, because once we begin to distort it we start to move away from the hope we have to a complete darkness of superstition.
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