“Life in the Spirit”

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

Did you realize that we have been delving into the Book of Galatians for 8 weeks already? How time flies! And we still have two more weeks to go! I have always enjoyed Galatians, but I’ve never done such an indepth study of the entire book before. While we have seen Paul taking the church to task for putting more trust in “works” than they were in their faith in Christ, he is also giving them encouragement to listen more closely to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
While he has been addressing the fact that this church was beginning to accept the critical importance of circumcision, it is actually about the conflict, even in the church of today, of following the law, or the things we do, versus following the Spirit . And even more so, it is the confusion that sometimes exists in whether we are following the Holy Spirit, or simply the desires of our own hearts. The differences aren’t always crystal clear, unless we lean completely on what scripture is telling us, and not just on a selected verse or two! And even then, we can be lead astray.

Paul was teaching that the law could only hold the church in bondage – that the law was solely about slavery, but that faith in Christ, that following the lead of the Holy Spirit, was a step in freedom. The law leads us into sin, the Spirit leads us out of sin. But how do we truly know which is which?
Today, Paul offers us some thoughts on how to know when we are in the world, and when we are in the Spirit.

Read Galatians 5:16-18

The way that he introduces this passage is very interesting – “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Do you notice that he doesn’t say the Spirit will keep us from ever being tempted? He simply tells us that if we live in the Spirit, we won’t fall for the temptations – we won’t “gratify” those sinful desires.
This is an important point, and Paul is very intentional in pointing it out to the church. But more on this later.

The next thing that he wants us to understand is that we can either live in the Spirit, or we can live in the world, but it is impossible to live in both. It’s about that old chestnut that describes those times when we can’t seem to make a decision – we are said to be “straddling the fence”. It’s an act of presumable safety – it’s so we won’t get into trouble with either side.
But Paul says that this is impossible – the “fence” that divides faith from fiction is so absolute that we can’t be on both sides of the line at the same time. In verse 17 he writes that they are contrary to each other. They stand in direct opposition to each other. For those who are Star Trek fans, it’s comparable to mixing “matter” and “anti-matter” – they would be mutually destructive.

The bottom line that Paul offers is this – Christians must always strive to “gratify” the desires that come from the Holy Spirit, and they must always work to reject the desires that come from the world. Admittedly, we aren’t always successful in this, but the desires of the Spirit must take precedence.

Read Galatians 5:19-21

And now he gets down to the “nitty-gritty”. He begins with the words “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious”. Why does he say that they are obvious? I’m not so sure that they are! If they really were, why would Christians engage in these acts? Sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, and others – these are stumbling blocks for many today – even some who are in the church. Some, like witchcraft, drunkenness, and orgies may not be so routine for most of us, and only some may fall for their allure. They may not be quite as common as others in his list, but they’re a problem, just the same. But why would he say that they are obvious?
I think the only possible explanation is that they are only obvious to people who have been taught that they are part of our sinful nature and are not of our spiritual nature. Everyone else will be unable, and are unable, to see the folly of these ways. But does this give the people of earth license to do as they wish, and to ignore the leading of the Spirit? Certainly not, but they may never know the call of the Spirit unless someone introduces them in faith to Christ.

This is why the church must be faithful in witnessing and leading. We cannot be tolerant of sinful practices; we cannot compromise in our polity; we cannot overlook the “little sins” and let them slide; we cannot throw up our hands and loudly proclaim “O well, they’re just going to do it anyway, so why bother!”

Consistency in living out the gospel must be our watchword. You’ve probably heard someone say that as long as we live faithfully in whatever lifestyle we choose, we are OK – that one belief structure is just as good as any other one. We know that this isn’t true, and we can never let others go on believing this without at least letting them know that there is another side to the issue. We may never change their minds, but they have to know that there is a decision that has to be made!

And just a few comments on Paul’s list. It begins with sexual offenses, then moves to idolatry and the occult, then to sins that cause divisiveness and brokenness in relationships in families, in friendships, and within the church, and he ends with issues of self indulgence. It’s a pretty inclusive list, and it’s an important distinction to note that Paul says that exclusion from heaven will come to those who live like this. This does not mean that one occurrence, or even several will put us on the outs with God. It means that if our lives seem to center on these acts, and we do nothing to rid ourselves of these “gratifications”, then, unfortunately, we will have chosen to “live like this” and will have to suffer the consequences.

Read Galatians 5:22-26

The first list shows us the things that we must avoid, but Paul knows that we can never just look at the “negatives” of life – that we must also understand the “positives”. And I believe that the biggest difference between the two lists is that the first one is all about our own self indulgence, while the second is about what we can give to others. Think about it –sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, rage, ambition, factions, orgies – are these things intended to give others pleasure? Hardly! It is all about what we can get for ourselves!
But the fruit of the Spirit – this isn’t about what we get – it’s about what we can bring into the lives of someone else! It’s true that these are attributes that we may exhibit, but the intent isn’t that we will gain from them, but rather that others will. Let’s pick a couple to see if this is true.

Let’s compare the fruit of “joy” to the act of “hatred”. The Psalms are filled with references to joy – and each one is either about the joy that comes to us from God’s blessings, or the joy that God receives when we are faithful. Hatred, on the other hand, is all about us – it is our reaction to something that has been done to us. It builds up within us, and can become quite debilitating. It doesn’t benefit anyone, and actually destroys our relationships.
How about “self control” versus “Selfish ambition”? Self control is a self-limiting act that keeps us from tearing someone else down, and may even result in building them up. Selfish ambition, though, is generally about making ourselves greater at the expense of someone else.
Will it be “others first”, or “me first”?

The fruit are God’s blessings to us, and our blessings to others - they are not what we claim for ourselves.

Paul also writes that when we are in Christ Jesus, we not only have moved beyond the sins of the flesh, but that they have been “crucified”! Crucifixion implies that the passions and desires of sin no longer have any hold, any presence, any effect, any place in our lives. This is the Spirit-filled life that Paul is encouraging the Galatians to claim once again, and it is the life that every Christian must strive for, especially today. When we crucify the sin, it is then that we can live in the Spirit!

But remember that claiming this Spirit-centered Life does not mean that we will live within it perfectly. I wish it did, but it doesn’t! The truth is that there are going to be days when we think that some of those old crucified sins of ours have somehow been resurrected into a new life! The old ones are still dead, but new ones will continue to challenge us throughout this life - the onslaught will never end! We must continue to be vigilant in the battle, and continue to seek the leading of the Spirit, and continue to reject the nature of sin, and continue to offer God’s goodness to our world, regardless of what may come against us.

The law can’t do it - Paul tells Galatia that it will only pull the church backward, while the Spirit will always lead us forward. Praise the Lord for his Spirit – life over death, hope over condemnation, freedom over slavery! Which sound better to you?

“No Longer the Slave, But the Freed!”

Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31

Slavery is a terrible blight on the history of humanity. It oppresses, it demeans, it belittles, and even scripture says very little in direct condemnation of the act. Of course, there is nothing that would imply that slavery in the world is a good thing, but the 79 references in NIV to the word “slave” are almost indifferent to human bondage – almost as though it is a foregone conclusion. The best that I could find is in 1 Corinthians 7:20-22 . In essence, Paul is telling the Church that they shouldn’t worry about their worldly situation – improve it if you can - but that it is inconsequential when it comes to faith.

But when it comes to oppression, scripture never treats it lightly, we’re told that bondage is nothing less than an evil, and these usually become the consequences of slavery. The effects and impact of slavery on human lives can never be condoned, but the involuntary obligation of one person’s life to another seems to be treated very lightly.

Of course, the Bible is condemning of the concept of spiritual slavery – our slavery to sin, and this is not an inconsequential aspect of our lives. And as we go to our text for this morning, keep in mind that the premise of this passage is, I believe, to remind us that God brings us freedom, and that the world only immerses us deeper and deeper in our dependence to the law and in our slavery to the sinful life.

Read Galatians 4:21-24a

Hagar was a slave, and quite honesty, was treated very badly. She was, in no uncertain terms, prostituted to Abraham by her mistress Sarah. She would become pregnant, would have a son called Ishmael, and would see her relationship with Sarah deteriorate. When Ishmael was 15 or 16, Isaac would be born, and this would cause even more problems between the two women, and Hagar would be sent away to make her own way in the world with her son. (Genesis 16 and 21)

The slave is treated poorly, and God does not take her side in any of the intrigue. But he does protect the two outcasts and keeps his promise that Ishmael would become the father of a great nation.
But what about Sarah? She was the cause of all of Hagar’s problems, and yet, her son Isaac and his descendants would receive God’s covenant and would be blessed. (Genesis 17:19-21) Hardly seems fair! But God’s plan is unchanging, regardless of what humanity does, or doesn’t do for that matter! It was the Lord who would bring Isaac from the barren Sarah, but it was Sarah who started all of the mess that would produce Ishmael. And in spite of all the trials and struggles of life, God would protect the unfortunates, even while his great plan in Isaac was beginning to unfold. The Lord would love Hagar and her son just as much as he loved Sarah and hers, but the glory of Israel could only immerge through one.

Read Galatians 4:24b-26

The events surrounding the lives of these two women are really about us. Our human birth appears to be identified with Hagar, and our spiritual birth with Sarah; our first birth from the womb is by human action – the joining of a man and a woman, while our second birth - our rebirth from the Spirit of God - is only made possible by the Divine Promise that is in Christ. Two covenants that are established for us – one through the earth and one from heaven.
Then Paul takes it even further – that the covenant of Hagar places us in the law and by implication, places us outside of God’s grace. But aren’t we told that God loves all people? Absolutely! We are loved, but just as with Ishmael, and later with Esau, love is not the same as a covenant.

Think of it in terms of John 3:16 – The first part tells us “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son”. In love, the Lord has offered us salvation, but the love and the offer do not, in and of themselves, produce salvation. But thankfully, the verse continues - “that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The second part of the verse is about the promise – the covenant – the acceptance of the offer of Jesus Christ – “whoever believes in him” is what brings the covenant – the promise – into full effect for our lives.
A promise that is offered, but never agreed to, never accepted, is no better than the one that is never made.

Read Galatians 4:27-31

So who are the “free” people, and who are the “enslaved”? At the beginning of this passage, Sarah was assumed to be the free and Hagar the slave. But by the time Paul gets to the conclusion of his thoughts, it seems to have taken a flip-flop.
He compares the Jerusalem of that day, the descendants of Sarah (!), to the slave woman who continues to produce offspring enslaved to the law, and he associates the Jerusalem of heaven, the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21:1-3 with those that have been freed from slavery to law. The people of this world, those who were still in the law, wouldn’t have seen it that way, and there are many even today who continue to disagree.
He says that the children born in “the ordinary way” persecute the ones born “by the power of the Spirit”. But isn’t it the other way around? Isn’t it the world – the ones who still look to the law and good works - who oppress the “people of the Way”?

Paul would have us take a good, hard look at what slavery is all about, and what it is that is freeing us for life. If we take a “big picture” view of this passage, we might be surprised to learn just who the slaves are and who the freed are.
Sarah has always been seen as the one who was integral to God’s promise of covenant, but she made some very poor decisions in her treatment of Hagar. She showed a complete lack of trust in God’s promise that she would bear a son, to the extent that she took matters into her own hands and indirectly was the cause of Ishmael’s birth. She showed arrogance toward a woman who had served her well, who did all that had been asked of her, who was eventually thrown out of the “household” and sent off alone and destitute.
God showed his love to both, and he gave a promise to both, and he kept them both. But which of them was the slave and which one was freed?

The Lord has offered 2 covenants, not only to Israel, but to the entire world.
The first spells out, in excruciating detail, the things that must be done if we are to become righteous, if we are to be seen as good. All who are born into this existence receive this covenant and, by default, accept it. But it produces a false hope - this covenant can never be kept! And the harder we try to make it work for our lives, the deeper and deeper we sink into failure.
The second offers an achievable and true promise of hope, but the detail seems far too skimpy. It tells us that the covenant has already been satisfied, it has already been fulfilled, and that we only have to accept it for ourselves.
The first must be fulfilled by our own efforts, and the harder we try, the more there is for us to do. The second is perfect and requires so very little on our part that it is hard to believe.
The first will never succeed. The second can never fail.

Which one completely frees us and which one enslaves us for eternity?

Which one is barren, and which one is fruitful?
Which message offers hope through a promise, and which one only offers expectation with no hope whatsoever?

All too often, humanity believes that they can gain the glory of God by their own means, but how can that make any sense at all? We gain a few good things of earth, and every one will eventually let us down. What makes us think that we can possibly gain those greater things, the things that will never disappoint us, all on our own?

The truth is, my friends, that those who are in Christ Jesus are the children of the “free woman”, the New Jerusalem, the new covenant, the eternal promise, the Father God of heaven and earth. Will the “slaves” of earth continue to persecute us, continue to ridicule us, continue to tell us that we’re on the wrong track? They certainly will!
But we will hang on the promise, and we will stay in the true Way, regardless of what may come – “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Not through the covenant of earth, but through the covenant of heaven that is made in Jesus himself.

Now that is a promise and a covenant that anyone can live in!

“Redeemed as a Child of God”

Scripture: Galatians 3:26-4:7

As Paul’s correction of the church in Galatia is starting to come to an end, his encouragement toward them is beginning to grow. But isn’t that how it should always be? Let the wayward “child” know what they have done wrong, but never stop there. Correction, punishment, chastising, are certainly necessary from time to time, but if one only hears about the mistakes that they’ve made, they will never be able to grow beyond that part of their life. It’s the same as trying to drive a car on a busy highway while only looking in the rear view mirrors! We need to keep our gaze centered on the windshield, with an occasional glance to the rear.
But we still need the mirrors to understand where we have been and how we have been doing.

In last week's message, in my thoughts regarding Paul’s comment that “Abraham’s seed” (Galatians 3:16) didn’t refer to Abraham’s offspring, but rather to Christ, I mentioned that a number of translations used the word “descendent” and not seed, which does imply offspring. I received an email this week from a parishioner (thank you!!), reminding me that King James and several other translations do use the word “seed”. So I offer a clarification of last week’s message – the translations that I checked were all of more modern vintage, and I did not verify the translated word in KJV, or American Standard, or Darby, or several other older works. So I will offer this correction to my thoughts last week – newer translations do not use the word seed, but while several of the older versions do, I believe that the original text in Genesis was implying general lineage, in whatever progression it may come.
Even pastors need “rear view mirrors” from time to time! We need both forward looking vision, as well as that toward the things we have done.

From Homiletics comes this story of the consequences of only seeing the past:

In 1949, a man by the name of John Currier was sentenced to an extended term in prison. Currier could not read or write. He was later transferred from prison and paroled to work for a wealthy farmer. In 1968, Currier's sentence ended.
The records of the Department of Corrections show that a letter was written to the convict and to the farmer informing them that the sentence had been satisfied, but Currier never saw the letter or knew that it existed.
A year went by, then two, five, and finally 10. By this time the farmer had died, but Currier kept working, serving out his sentence on an allowance of $5 per week, living in a dilapidated trailer with a horse trough for a bath and a garden hose for a shower stall.

Not until the 1980s did a state parole officer learn of Currier's plight and tell him of the missing letter. Currier lost more than 10 years of his life because he failed to get the message that he had been freed.
- Homiletics Online.

Paul needed to tell the Galatians that by their faith in Jesus Christ, even though they were guilty of failing the Lord, they had been set free! And he didn’t want them to miss the message.

Read Galatians 3:26-29

Have you ever hear a brother or sister in the church criticize another Christian for some act of either admission or omission?
“You know, if your faith was stronger, you wouldn’t be sick all the time!”
“I heard that your son is constantly in trouble – apparently you didn’t do a very good job of raising him!”
“You should read your Bible every day like I do – your life would be much better if you did!”

Paul would tell us to “Cut it out! We are all children of God by faith in Christ!”, and we should be helping each other, not cutting each other down! There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, Catholic nor Protestant, Baptist nor Presbyterian nor Lutheran nor Methodist, it no longer has anything to do with how successful nor how poor we are, it no longer matters what our past was all about – the only question that has to be asked any more is “Are you clothed in Christ?”
And if our honest answer to the question is “Yes!”, then we are considered to be “the seed of Abraham”. This is exactly the point that Paul was making in verse 16. It no longer matters who we have been in the flesh – the only necessity is who we are now in the Spirit. And whether we are a direct descendent of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or if we come as a child of God in Christ, the promise has been given and the promise is sure.

Read Galatians 4:1-3

Before Jesus comes into our lives, we are a slave to the law, and there is no way out. The law constantly shows us that we are truly and fully sinful, and until we can shed that curse, we are condemned by the very law that we depend on.
But even after Jesus did come, and even after he taught us the truth of God, and even though he did make the perfect sacrifice on our behalf, there are still many who continue to choose to live a life under law - a life in which they can never win - instead of a life in grace, in which they can never loose. Paul’s problem with Galatia was that even though they knew Jesus, and even though they had been baptized into his freedom, they insisted on living in bondage to legalism.

Why do people insist on living life by their own definition? I expect that, in the simplest sense, they are reluctant to give up some aspect of their life – something that brings them some degree of personal satisfaction, or joy, or release, or escape. They just miss the point that Jesus makes those things superfluous, that he replaces our shallow and temporal pleasures with an eternal joy that is so wide and so deep that it is impossible to describe.

Read Galatians 4:4-7

Paul reminds the church that we aren’t simply talking about some Divine Presence that magically appears in our lives - this Divine Presence came into this world just as we did. He didn’t just appear – he was born. He wasn’t created free - he was born under law. He didn’t come to condemn – he came to save. He didn’t come to live a life of luxury - he came to live as we live. He didn’t come to turn away from pain – he came to give his all that we might be free.
But he also tells us that Jesus isn’t just about being freed from the excesses of the law, but that he is about a relationship that is defined by “family”. As a child, we live and grow under the tutelage of our parents. It is their responsibility to teach us standards for life, to be an example of honesty, to encourage us to live responsibly as a good citizen. Yes, it’s true that some parents fail at their task, and yes, it is equally true that some children rebel against their parent’s teaching. But the responsibility is there, on both sides, just the same.

And as a child of God, we are taught his standards, we have been given his example for an honest and Godly existence, and his Spirit leads us to become a good child of his kingdom. And while the Lord never fails on his part, his children will rebel, and will try to make their own way in the world, and will turn their backs on their Heavenly Father, for no other reason than they don’t want to be told what to do.
Talk about a myopic view of life! “Let me do it my way, even if it will cause me pain and failure and hopelessness!”

A man by the name of Wesley Fitzpatrick went before a judge in Kansas City, Kansas several years ago, and asked for a temporary restraining order against a woman that he said was making him “scared, depressed and in fear for my freedom.”
According to Wichita’s newspaper the Eagle (March 14, 2003), the judge rescinded the order when it was discovered that Fitzpatrick’s “stalker” was none other than his parole officer, who was trying to verify that he was meeting the terms of his parole.
- Homiletics Online

As hard as we may try, we will never get a restraining order against Jesus! He will continue to hold his hand out to us as long as we have breath; he will continue to call our name as long as we can hear and feel his presence; he will continue to love us even when we express contempt for his gift of salvation; he will continue to desire a relationship with us, regardless of our desires, for eternity.

Born of the flesh, born to the law, so that he might become the sacrifice that redeemed us from the condemnation of law. But we will only see the truth in this if we see our own lives in both retrospect and future vision.
Take the blinders off and see!

“The Holy and Perfect Covenant”

Scripture: Galatians 3:15-22

Up until now, Paul has been chastising the Galatians for deviating from the truth of Christ’s Gospel. They had begun to follow the advocates of “good works”, and had been slowly moving away from the concept of “salvation by grace through faith”. Paul wanted them to know that no one has ever gained the grace of God by the things that they have done, that no one can ever earn the joy and benevolence of God on their own.

Today, he begins to move from the inadequacy of their lives, those things that will, in the end, only bring them loss and heartbreak, and into the hope that is theirs in faith. Paul reminds them of just what their “covenant” with Almighty God is all about, and why it is the only way if they are to truly follow Christ.

For many people, the notion of “covenant” is comparable to that of “contract”, but the truth is that they aren’t even close. Even the dictionary would seem to imply a commonality, but some very important distinctions exist.
- A contract is generally an extensive and very legalistic document that, while it is intended to be binding, can usually be found to be breakable through loopholes. It is an agreement between two or more parties that provides for mutual benefits, and those benefits are spelled out in detail.
- A Covenant, on the other hand, is usually a much simpler and specific document that has no loopholes.
- Contracts can be modified and amended.
- Covenants cannot – they are established once and for all time until one of the parties breaks it.

Consider, for just a moment, the differences between a prenuptial agreement and the marriage covenant.
- A “pre-nup”, as a contract, is extensively one sided, and is based in establishing rights for both parties in the case that the relationship falls apart.
- The Covenant, however, is equal to all parties in both nature and word, and is based on the continuation of the relationship, not the destruction of it.
- Pre-nups are unique to the situation, the personalities, and the generosity of the one preparing the contract.
- The marriage covenant is identical for everyone who would enter into the marriage relationship.
- A prenuptial contract contains many contingencies and resulting actions.
- The marriage covenant contains only one contingency.

Let me remind you of the marriage vows that every bride and every groom take in United Methodism –
In the Name of God, I take you to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

We take the vow, make the covenant, in the name of God and the only “out” is through the death of the one who makes the promise.

As we begin our text today, keep in mind these differences as evidenced in the comparison between God’s covenant and the contract of law.

Read Galatians 3:15-16

God’s covenant, his promise, was made to Abraham and “his seed”. Paul writes that “seed” refers, not to the descendants of Abraham, but to Jesus. However, when we look to the passages in Genesis that describe the covenant, the word is translated as “offspring”. So what do we do about this apparent conflict?
Paul, I believe, is separating the inheritance that God has given to both the Jews and the Gentiles into two tracts. If Abraham received a legacy, his descendants, through Isaac and Jacob, would also benefit from it. But what about the Gentiles? Their genealogy was all wrong! It didn’t fit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Paul was telling them that Jesus Christ was also an inheritor of the gift of God, and through him, they would also be in line to receive the promise. (Genesis 15, 17:2-8, Ephesians 3:4-6)
Two different ways to look at it, and either way is a blessing for the Gentiles. Are we the “adopted” descendants of Abraham? If so, we are in line to receive the promise of the kingdom. Are we brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ? If so, as the children of Almighty God, how could we ever be excluded from our Father’s kingdom? The covenant that God has made is set and is firm for all time.

Read Galatians 3:17-20

Does the law play a part in the covenant? Certainly not, Paul says! The covenant was first, and God’s word can never be taken away, it can never be modified by a written word. Moses was called to the mountain to receive the law – twice – because of the people’s failure to follow the great Jehovah. In Exodus 24:8, the people are anointed and reminded of the covenant, and the 10 commandments would become a continuing confirmation of the covenant – not an exception to it.
A descendent of Abraham, a follower of Jesus Christ, a child of God – that is our covenant. Not that the law is excepted, not that the covenant discounts the law, but that the covenant is the word and promise of God, and keeping his law is our response to his great gift.
But Paul goes a step further – he talks about the implementation of the law versus that for the covenant. The law came through a “mediator”, or Moses, but the covenant comes directly to each person who claims Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The law needs interpretation and administration. The covenant is straight forward and simple – salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8), and nothing else.

Read Galatians 3:21-22

Does the law contradict God’s covenant? No. Is the law better than the covenant? Certainly not. Can we believe that they work on a equal basis? Never! He shows that the law was never intended to be the way to salvation, especially after Jesus came to us as Savior. If the law could in any way provide a means to righteousness, the covenant would be unnecessary, and Jesus sacrifice on the cross would have been meaningless.
But does the law have a specific purpose for our lives? And the answer is yes. It’s one main principle is that it gives us the knowledge of sin – of what is righteous and what is evil. (Romans 3:19-20) God uses the law to shine a light on our sinful condition, to give us a vision of what and how he sees our lives. Paul says that scripture, or in this context, the law, condemns the entire world as sinful, as a moral failure, as deviates from the truth of God. The law condemns us, and the condemnation can never restore us. The law is in no way a promise of hope – it can only be a condemnation of hope, it can only be a promise of death.
It is Christ, and only Christ, who is the fulfillment of God’s covenant – his promise of life eternal. John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

The truth is that we already stand condemned – it is only in Christ Jesus that we can escape the sentence that is so rightly ours, because the contract of law can’t help us. Whether it is church canon, or the laws of our land – they only tell us what is right and wrong - law sets punishment for the times we fail, but never offers glory and righteousness when we do what is required. The law requires perfection; the Lord’s Covenant bathes us in perfection. The law demands that we earn forgiveness through punishment; the Covenant blesses with a forgiveness that has been earned by the Covenant. The law ends life; the Covenant is life.

Unlimited Spiritual gifts – the unfailing love of God – infinite grace and mercy – never ending hope – and all of it comes to us through the holy and perfect Covenant that we know as Jesus.