LIVING TO PLEASE GOD AND NOT HUMANS 1
3 AND THEY [those considered to be leaders of the church] SUPPORTED ME [Paul] AND DID NOT EVEN DEMAND THAT MY COMPANION TITUS BE CIRCUMCISED, THOUGH HE WAS A GENTILE.
4 EVEN THAT QUESTION CAME UP ONLY BECAUSE OF SOME SO-CALLED BELIEVERS THERE—false ones, really—WHO WERE SECRETLY BROUGHT IN. THEY SNEAKED IN TO SPY ON US AND TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOM WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS. THEY WANTED TO ENSLAVE US AND FORCE US TO FOLLOW THEIR JEWISH REGULATIONS.
5 BUT WE REFUSED TO GIVE IN TO THEM FOR A SINGLE MOMENT. WE WANTED TO PRESERVE THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE FOR YOU.”
Galatians 2:3–5 (NLT)
Your freedom in Christ Jesus should not be traded. Believers in Christ Jesus should not entangle themselves with human traditions and cultures, especially those which are contradictory to the Bible (Colossians 2:14-16).
Some people still want to believe that biblical principles are cultural pattern of the Jews, thus, they would not want to agree with it and emulate it.
Bible principles are not cultural pattern of the Jews, they are the principles given to them by God because He called and
separated them, the Israelites, as His own people. Definitely, the laws and regulations and principles given to them by God became their cultures and traditions.
The principles found in the Bible, particularly the new testament, are the standard with which God expected the
believers to live their lives.
Because the laws and regulations given in the old testament were given to serve a purpose, serve as a guide, pending or
while waiting for the time when Christ would come and give or set the right standard as God would want it to be (Galatians 3:23-25; Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 7:18; 8:7).
The new testament church is set up and should be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets and Jesus Christ
being the chief cornerstone:
19 NOW, THEREFORE, YOU ARE NO
LONGER STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS, BUT FELLOW CITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, 20 HAVING BEEN BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE” (Ephesians 2:19,20 NKJV).
Believers’ lives should not be lived in line with the traditions and cultures they live in, but in line or agreement with the principles found in the written Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is the standard for believers’ living!
The Jews or gentiles who come to God through faith in Christ Jesus would have to jettison their belief system; cultures and traditions, and embrace the principles for living a life that is pleasing to God which are found on the pages of the Scriptures, especially the new testament (Galatians 2:18,19; 3:26-28).
The new testament are the letters written to the church, the believers in Christ Jesus. The ways to live or walk or relate with God are found there.
What Apostle Paul was trying to address in the Bible passage used as our text are the judaizers or Jewish believers who still wanted the gentiles who come to Christ Jesus through faith but be observing the old testament laws—rules and regulations, and all the rituals, sacrifices and be observing all the feasts and festivals (Galatians 4:9,10; 5:4-6; Colossians 2:20-23).
Those things are peculiar to the Jews, and they had been abolished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:1-4).
The things, the sacrifices for atonements and other rituals are shadows and a type of Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection. They are not meant to be continued even after Christ has come:
“RULES LIKE THAT ARE ONLY LIKE
SHADOWS OF REAL THINGS THAT WOULD HAPPEN LATER. BUT NOW WE HAVE WHAT IS REAL, CHRIST HIMSELF” (Colossians 2:17 EasyEnglish Bible).
READ: Galatians 3:24,25
Both the Jews and the gentiles who come to Christ Jesus would have to drop their cultures and traditions:
16 AND THAT HE [Christ Jesus] MIGHT
RECONCILE THEM [the Jews and the Gentiles] BOTH TO GOD IN ONE BODY THROUGH THE CROSS, THEREBY PUTTING TO DEATH THE ENMITY. 18 FOR THROUGH HIM [Jesus Christ] WE BOTH HAVE ACCESS BY ONE SPIRIT TO THE FATHER.”
Ephesians 2:16,18 (NKJV)
READ: Galatians 2:15,16; 3:28
Having been reconciled to God, all are to embrace the standard principles given in the new testament through Jesus’
teachings and that of the foundational apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19,20).
As those Jewish believers wanted to do, that whoever comes to Christ Jesus had to be circumcised and embraced the
practices of old testament religious belief—Judaism:
“EVEN THAT QUESTION CAME UP ONLY
BECAUSE OF SOME SO-CALLED BELIEVERS THERE—false ones, really—WHO WERE SECRETLY BROUGHT IN. THEY SNEAKED IN TO SPY ON US AND TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOM WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS. THEY WANTED TO ENSLAVE US AND FORCE US TO FOLLOW THEIR JEWISH REGULATIONS” (Galatians 2:4 (NLT)
There are some today who claimed to be saved or born-again and still want to hold on tightly to their traditions and cultures which they grew in and are living in. Such people considered the traditions and the cultures, or principles found in the Bible, as foreign traditions.
They still give preferences to their cultures and traditions than whatever the Bible says, yet, they claimed to be of God—they claimed to be born-again—but they live not by the standards or principles of the Bible.
If you still participate in the cultures and traditions of your people, you are still with them partially, although you claimed not to be fully involved in all they do; It means you have not totally submitted to God. Let God be your focus, not the tradition or culture.
You have been set free in Christ Jesus, do not be entangled again with traditions—the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).
Not only that, there are rules set up by men or humans in some denominations which are entanglements that would
not allow you to run the race set before you by God and fufil His purpose for your life. You should not allow yourself to be entangled with any tradition that is not found in the Bible.
Based on what the Jewish believers were trying to press home, the circumcision of the flesh, which Paul opposed vehemently because It was a kind or way of salvation by work, which is completely contrary to the gospel of salvation by faith taught and established by the foundational apostles and prophets (Galatians 2:14-16).
Circumcision is of the heart and should be of the heart by faith (Romans 2:29). The state of your heart is much more
important to God, in whatever you are doing, than the observation of the regimented laws; rules and regulations. The reason being that, the observing of the old testament rules and regulations and laws would not bring a needed
change or transformation in your life (Colossians 2:23).
If your actions are wrong but your motives are right, God will consider you, and have mercy on you and put you right. God relates with believers based on the state of their hearts (Romans 2:26-29).
An excerpt from the School Of The Bible 2 by Steve Ezekiel — LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
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