The grace that goes before
Jonah 1: Get rid of me and youāll get rid of the storm.
They make their living on the water but the sailors have never seen a storm like this. This storm, they fearfully conclude, has supernatural power. These sailors have no knowledge of God but when Jonah tells them that the God he serves is the Maker of the sea it scares them to death. Jonah bravely accepts his responsibility in all this and tells them to save themselves by throwing him overboard. These idol worshipping, superstitious, and desperate men wonāt do it. One has to wonder why Jonah needs to be āthrownā at all. He can abandon ship with or without their help. However, Iāll leave that for another day, and focus in on these pagan sailors. Even though Jonah tells them that tossing him into the sea will save their lives, they row all the harder, trying to escape the storm. One of John Wesleyās doctrines is called āprevenient grace.ā The āpreā part of the word is the clue to its meaning. It might be called āthe grace that goes before.ā That is, before I ever think of God heās already working in my life. Human beings are created in Godās image and, even though that image is soiled and stained, it remains. It’s prevenient grace that enables a sinner to show God-like compassion on others. It’s prevenient grace that enables us to respond to Godās love as he offers us a relationship with himself. In this case, we see prevenient grace at work in the lives of these heathen sailors who risk their own lives in an attempt to save a person who confesses that their predicament is his fault.
Take Away: Before we ever think of the Lord heās already working in our lives.
Tag: grace
Devotional on Jonah
The God of whatever happens
Jonah 3: God…did change his mind about them.
What an interesting statement! God intends to do one thing, but then, in response to what they do, he changes his mind and does something else. This view of God challenges our thinking about who he is and how he works in this world. The Lord’s willing to be influenced by what we say and do. Of course, in this case, this is what he wanted to have happen. Had God only wanted to destroy them we’d have no story of Jonah and the big fish. Instead, we’d have another Sodom and Gomorrah story about fire and brimstone wiping out a sinful city. The reluctant prophet is sent on this mission exactly because God wants their lives to change. This is a classic Old Testament prophet situation. The prophet says, āIf you do this, God’s going to do that…if you do that, God’s going to do this.ā The Lordās message to Nineveh is that, because of their sin, destruction is coming. However, even though it’s unspoken, they’re also being given a choice. If sin is bringing destruction, repentance will bring life. When the people of Nineveh make the right choice God is happy to change his mind. This kind of thinking opens up all kinds of possibilities for us. When I pray, asking for Godās intervention in some matter, Iām not just going through a spiritual discipline. Rather, Iām actually being allowed to influence God! My standing in this world is much more than my traveling some predetermined path to some predetermined conclusion. Iām a partner with God who’s allowing me to work with him in changing the world. Hereās a view of a God who’s never at a loss; who always knows what he’ll do in response to what I do of my own free will. Such a view doesnāt make God less. Instead, it makes him more. He’s God whatever happens.
Take Away: As his people weāre partners with the Lord who allows us to work with him in changing the world.
Devotional on Jonah
Godās man isnāt much like God
Jonah 4: Jonah was furious.
The heart of the book of Jonah isnāt the first part with the oft-repeated big fish story. Instead, itās the last part. Itās here that we find the motor that drives the story. When the reluctant prophet gives in and goes to Nineveh he does so in fear, not that he’ll fail, but that he’ll succeed. Jonah is nationalistic to the core and heād like nothing better than for the capital city of Israelās enemy, Assyria, to be destroyed. Still, with all his failings, Jonah knows a thing or two about God. The priests and other religious leaders of his country may promote a doctrine of Israel having a corner on the Almighty, but Jonah understands that God has compassion on all people. Israel may be the chosen people but that means God wants to use them to bless all the nations on earth, not that God loves them and hates all others. When Jonah runs from God, refusing to go to Nineveh he does so because he understands these things. He understands them, but he doesnāt agree with them. Now that his mission to Nineveh is a success Jonah’s angry with the Lord, not only for sparing his enemies when they repent, but for using him to bring it to pass. In spite of his unique understanding of God, Jonah isnāt much like God at all.
Take Away: God is love.
Devotional on Jonah
Why Jonah Runs
Jonah 4: I knew you were sheer grace and mercy.
Jonah runs because he understands what God’s all about and because his heart doesnāt beat with Godās heart. He knows that in spite of the message of condemnation and destruction the Lord gives him to preach that the very reason heās sent to Nineveh is that God doesnāt want to destroy that city at all. Here are the things Jonah knows about God: his attitude toward lost people is one of grace; he delights in being merciful, he’s not easily angered; and he’s rich in love toward the lost. Jonah also knows that when it comes to judgment God always stands ready to change his mind. Since Jonah knows these things about God and since he’s so out of sync with God, heād rather be dead than be instrumental in Godās extending mercy to his enemies. Also, Jonah knows that many of his countrymen agree with him. Once people find out that Jonah went to Nineveh to warn them and that heās instrumental in Godās deciding not to destroy them his life wonāt be worth a plug nickel. Itās a miserable thing to be filled with hate and to be used as an instrument of Godās love. I see here that God loves the lost to the point that he’ll do almost anything to reach them. If he has to use a hard-hearted prophet and a big fish to do it, then thatās what heāll do. If Iām going to be a partner with God in what heās doing in this world, Iām going to have to allow him to love people with that kind of abandon through me.
Take Away: The Lord loves the lost to the point that he’ll do almost anything to reach them.
Devotional on Nahum
The God of grace
Nahum 1: He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help.
Even as the prophet prepares to deliver his sermon of condemnation on the mighty nation of Assyria he canāt help but rejoice in the grace and mercy of God. This same God who declares his judgment on those who reject his claim on their lives has nothing but good news for those who turn to him for help. In fact, the Lord is drawn to such people. I love the fact that even in these portions of the Old Testament that appear to be focused on God as Judge of the World that there are these beautiful word pictures of him as the God of Grace. Nahum declares that āno matter how desperate the troubleā that God is more than willing to ārecognize and welcomeā all who come to him. In an uncertain world I need such a Savior. Iām reminded in this passage that I donāt have to come to God and convince him that Iām worthy of his help in my life. Instead, I see that he stands ready to extend his mercy to me. In the parable of the prodigal son, the returning son expects to have to make concessions, to take a lowly role if he wants to, once again, have a place in the Fatherās household. Instead, the Father runs to him, embraces him, and immediately begins celebrating his return. Hundreds of years before Jesus ever tells this story, Nahum understands this about God, declaring, āHe recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help.ā
Take Away: The Lord stands ready to extend his mercy to us.
Devotional on Haggai
Sorting out a passage and finding at its core: grace
Haggai 2: From now on you can count on a blessing.
āTemple feverā is sweeping the nation as governor Zerubbabel and his people give themselves to the rebuilding project. One group thatās especially energized is the priests who’ve served without a Temple. Theyāre sure things are going to be much better once the Temple is restored. Haggai comes teach them a core spiritual truth and he does so by asking two questions. Question number one has to do with imparted holiness. If meat from a sacrifice is put into some priestās pocket, it will make his robe holy, but what about other foods then touched by the robe? The priests respond that thereās no ripple effect concerning what other foods the robe might touch. Therefore, those foods remain unholy. The second question concerns the flip side of things. If a person touches a corpse, becoming ceremonially unclean and then touches various foods, do they also become unclean? The answer is āyesā ā the āuncleannessā is imparted to whatever that person touches. Haggai then tells them that the sacrifices theyāve been making havenāt been proper because of their spiritual failure. The sin of not rebuilding the Temple has impacted all they’ve done, making them all worthless. Even as a person who touches a corpse makes all they touch unclean, so has their disobedience concerning the rebuilding of the Temple had a negative impact on all their religious practices. The flip side, which I wish Haggai had more clearly stated, is just as disturbing. Just offering proper sacrifices in the rebuilt Temple isnāt going to have the hoped for ripple effect of making the entire nation holy. Itās like the robe touched by the sanctified meat. Itās made holy but thatās as far as it goes. Touching other things with that robe wonāt make them also holy. In other words, rebuilding the Temple isnāt a cure-all. Still, the prophet has some wonderful, and educational, news. From the moment they returned to God he began to bless them. His blessings werenāt a result of their making the right kind of sacrifices; in fact, they werenāt the right kind. Rather the blessings were the result of his grace. As I read this especially confusing little passage I come away with a better grasp of this truth: sin has contaminated our entire lives, making us exempt from any hope of self-manufactured holiness. Even when I return to God, my renewed commitment to him will still come up short because of the contamination of sin that has ruled my life. However, Iām not without hope because of Godās grace. He blesses me, not because Iāve managed to restore all that was broken but because he chooses to respond to my surrender to him with wonderful grace.
Take Away: The blessings of the Lord are the result of his grace.
Devotional on Zechariah
God, golf, and grace
Zechariah 10: Theyāll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.
Iām not a golf historian, so I may not have the story right, but I understand that in days of old a golfer who had not had the opportunity to warm up on the driving range was allowed to declare his first shot off the tee to be a āmulligan.ā That meant it was going to be a practice shot and wouldnāt count. The āmulliganā morphed into an after-the-fact point of grace, first, for the opening shot only and then to any one tee shot during the round. Iāve even played golf with some folks who took however many āmulligansā they wanted. My response has always been, āYou can take as many second shots as you want as long as you donāt brag about your score!ā Iām reminded that out in real life we donāt get many mulligans. Once in a while we do, for instance, when the traffic cop lets us off with a warning. However, if my poor driving has resulted in a car wreck the clock canāt be turned back and thereās no mulligan for me. Godās man Zechariah has good news for Israel. The Lord’s going to give them another chance. Heās going to gather this scattered nation from all the places where it’s landed and give it a fresh start. We serve a God who graciously gives nations and individuals second chances. When I confess my sin and failure and return to the Lord, I find that he delights in forgiving me and restoring me to his family. In golf, the mulligan is just an unofficial part of a game. With God, itās the real deal and it happens only because of his grace.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.
Devotional on Matthew
The Perfect Sermon
Matthew 5: Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
In one glorious Sermon Jesus sums up the life to which God calls us. In every word we hear pure gold. Itās in retrospect that I realize that this beautiful, perfectly constructed Sermon challenges me at every level of my life. This chapter of the Sermon touches on everything from how to be blessed, to heavy topics like murder, adultery and divorce. Jesus deals with the promises we make and our relationships with our enemies. Obviously, the religion he teaches isnāt merely about āme and God.ā Just about every word in this perfect Sermon is about āme and you.ā It concerns my relationship with people I like (and maybe like too much according to the section on adultery) and people I donāt like (Iām to settle things with my old enemy quickly before things get even worse). He sums up this first part of the Sermon by teaching me to live āgenerously and graciously.ā Rather than protecting my turf Iām to think the best of people and be generous in my dealings with them. This pretty Sermon has teeth. Itās supposed to work out here in the real world. And, just so I clearly understand the measure of this gracious, generous life style, Jesus tells me that Iām to treat others in the same gracious, generous way God treats me. I need to spend a whole lot of time here at the Sermon on the Mount.
Take Away: The Christian life is as much about āme and youā as itās about āGod and me.ā
Devotional on Matthew
The banquet table of Godās grace
Matthew 8: This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions.
In these early days of our Lordās public ministry his popularity and reputation soars. Heās not only preaching the greatest message ever heard but heās also performing miracle after miracle. His nameās on everyoneās lips. In Capernaum a Roman officer comes to ask Jesus to help his servant. This man, a conqueror, impresses us with his humility and his love for his slave. Even more impressive, though, is his faith. When Jesus offers to accompany the Roman to see his slave the Roman suggests that Jesus just give the command, then and there. Jesus is surprised at such a depth of faith from an āoutsider.ā Later in this same chapter heāll chastise his Jewish disciples for being afraid in a storm; after all theyāre supposed to know more about how God works. This officer, though, surprises Jesus with his simple trust. Not only does Jesus do a ālong distanceā act of healing, he also comments that this Roman soldier is among the first of what will be a flood of āoutsidersā who’ll place their faith in him and be counted among heroes of the faith like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I love this story because itās about me. You see, that Roman captain might have been one of the first, but Iām one of those who followed his lead. Jesus predicted this and now Iām one of the outsiders who have made their way to that ābanquet table of grace.ā
Take Away: How blessed to be invited to the banquet table of Godās grace.
Devotional on Matthew
The way to forgiveness
Matthew 12: If Satan banishes Satan is there any Satan left?
Itās really about the Sabbath. The religious leaders have taken āRemember the Sabbath dayā and turned it into a heavy burden laid on the backs of the people. Even picking a piece of fruit to eat is considered to be a transgression. Jesus responds with examples from their own law and history proving that theyāre wrong. He goes on healing people, even on the Sabbath. When a demon-afflicted woman is set free the critics of Jesus sputter that he must be in cahoots with the devil. Our Lord responds that if they say that about him what do they say about their own exorcists? Beyond that, itās a silly contention anyway. If Satan casts out Satan there wouldnāt be anything of Satan left. He then deals with the opposite side of the same coin. If the Holy Spirit is the One who forgives sins and we cast the Holy Spirit out of lives, how can we ever expect to be forgiven our sins? Its serious business isnāt it. Weāre sinners in need of forgiveness. Thereās one who forgives. Throw him out and weāre left without hope. Stated differently, thereās one road to forgiveness, if I refuse to travel that road, thereās no way I can ever arrive at forgiveness. The way to God is abundant and grace-filled, offering hope to the worst sinner. Still, itās the only way. I can take it or leave it, but if I leave it, Iām left with nothing.
Take Away: We have, in Christ, hope abundant, but aside from Christ we have no hope at all.
Devotional on Matthew
Really, itās Godās business and not mine
Matthew 20: Canāt I do what I want with my own money?
Jesus tells the story of a man who hires day laborers. Early in the morning he hires a group, promising them a certain wage. As the day goes on, he continues to add workers with some only working the last hour of the day. When the workers are paid, all receive the amount promised the workers who first hired on and have worked all day long. Some of them complain that since they worked longer and harder that they should be paid more. The answer is that theyāre being paid exactly what was agreed when they were hired and itās no business of theirs what the boss does with his own money. This, I think, is a picture of Godās grace to us. I understand that no one is deserving of Godās blessings, but obviously, some are more deserving than others. However, the Lord wants to bless each and every one. At the Judgment there will be some who gave their lives to Jesus while they were young and then served the Lord many years. Others will be there who barely made it in, maybe due to a death bed conversion. The grace of God will be extended to all who were willing to receive it. After all, itās his grace and he can do with it whatever he wants.
Take Away: The very definition of grace includes the concept that itās given to the undeserving.
Devotional on Matthew
Letting the Pharisees have it
Matthew 23: They talk a good line, but they donāt live it.
This is the chapter in which Jesus nails the Pharisees. In line after line he pronounces judgment on them. They, who know more about the Laws of the Old Testament than anyone else, have strained all the grace and mercy out of it, leaving only a brittle, unyielding, damning crust. They load people down with all that while stripping away the very essence of God. Rather than pointing the way to a living relationship with a good, loving, and gracious God they point to rules and regulations and assured failure and doom. To say it gently, Jesus thinks these rule-making, burden-loading, grace-denying individuals are bad people. We Christians need to pay careful attention to this. We understand that living in the Lord means that we abstain from some things and pursue others. However, if that approach becomes the dominant one; if keeping all the rules becomes the definition of who we are in God; if we come to believe that āknowing aboutā God is our primary calling, then weāve taken a dangerous step toward the religion of the Pharisees. In contrast to that brittle religion our Lord pictures Godās desire for people as being like that of the mother hen who extends her embrace to her chicks. If we lose sight of that and make the āhard sideā the main element of our relationship with the Lord we have more in common with the Pharisees than we might want to think.
Take Away: Christianity is more about love and grace and mercy than it is about knowing all the right things and keeping a list of rules.
Devotional on Mark
Struggling faith
Mark 9: Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!
The man is desperate to get help for his son whoās possessed by a demon causing the boy to have dangerous convulsions. He brings him to Jesus, pleading for help. However, Jesus is absent at the time. Some of the disciples, though, have had experience with such things. Theyāve been commissioned by Jesus to do exactly what needs to be done. However, in spite of their efforts the condition of the child is unchanged. Just as the father is about to leave Jesus arrives and asks whatās going on. The man explains the need. As the boy is again thrown into a seizure, Jesus asks how long this has been going on and the man answers, adding, āIf you can do anything, do it…help us!ā Jesus calls the man to faith reminding him that there are no āifsā in faith. I love the answer of the desperate father. For the sake of his son heāll banish all the āifsā and replace them with belief. Then, with transparent honestly, he pleads āHelp me with my doubts!ā Oh how I identify with this good man. With the hard facts so close at hand he struggles to get a grasp on absolute faith. As he says these words, he has a son trashing about on the ground and, right before him he has Jesus, the Miracle Worker. With every fiber of his being he wants to be doubt free. Apparently, thatās good enough for Jesus. An honest struggle for faith is enough faith for the impossible to happen. As I struggle with the hard realities of life in view of the claims of Godās grace and mercy Iām often like that father. Happily, Iām reminded here that the Lord does, indeed, help us with our doubts. Even a struggling faith has power in Godās eyes.
Take Away: An honest struggle for faith is enough faith for the impossible to happen.
Devotional on Luke
Proximity religion
Luke 13: Thatās when youāll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace.
I find this phrase, āstrangers to graceā a chilling one. Jesus says that a lot of people think that because they hang out in the right places and associate themselves with the right people that they have it made. When the curtain of history falls they think theyāll be just fine and theyāll have a place at the table. The trouble is that their level of āknowingā falls far short of the requirement. To know Jesus is vastly superior to knowing about Jesus. His disciples live in a personal relationship with him. They donāt just hang out in the vicinity but, instead, enjoy a spiritual intimacy with our Lord. I canāt think of anything worse than depending on āproximity religionā when a personal, cherished, living relationship is available. Itās only at that level, as I live as a friend of the Lord, that I enjoy being a āfriend of grace.ā
Take Away: I want to be well acquainted with Godās grace in my life.
Devotional on Acts
Taking care of Godās people
Acts 20: Godās people they are…God himself thought they were worth dying for.
As did Jesus several years earlier, now Paul āsets his face toward Jerusalemā knowing that his arrival there will result in hardship. To speed his journey the Apostle doesnāt go back into Ephesus but, instead, sends word to the church leaders to meet him in Miletus, located about fifty miles south of Ephesus. Here he has an emotional meeting with his dear friends and co-workers. He charges them to guard and protect Godās people in Ephesus, reminding them that āGod himself thought they were worth dying for.ā Even as this great Apostle is going to go through trials so will this great church. As I study this passage I canāt help but think of the role of the ministry. Paul, I see, isnāt worried about the organization and program of the church. He doesnāt urge the leaders to focus on current worship trends or new technology. Rather, he reminds them that theyāre to guard and protect the āsheepā placed under their watch care. Theyāre to value Godās people as God, himself, values them. Happily, Paul has good news for these leaders of Ephesus and for church leaders across the ages. He tells them that God ācan make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.ā The work of the ministry includes guarding and protecting Godās people from false teaching. The power for accomplishing that task comes from a gracious God who works in our lives, giving us everything we need to successfully do the work to which weāre called.
Take Away: The Lord not only calls people to spiritual leadership, he also empowers them for that task.
Devotional on Acts
My appeal
Acts 25: I appeal to Caesar
Paul has been confined in Caesarea for two years as Governor Felix ignores his innocence and hopes for some kind of bribe that never comes. It isnāt that Paul is chained in a dungeon; in fact, heās invited to chat with Felix several times. Then, a new Governor is appointed. Festus is immediately approached by Paulās enemies who want him moved to Jerusalem, supposedly to stand trial in their courts, but actually that he might be removed from Roman protection and murdered. The new Governor knows the kind of people heās dealing with and, instead, invites them to come to Caesarea and make their case there. In less than two weeks, Paul finds himself being wildly accused once again, this time before Festus. When this new Governor wavers and asks Paul if heās willing to face these people (who obviously canāt wait to get their hands on him) he surprises everyone by playing the trump card available to a Roman citizen: he requests that his case be heard by Caesar, himself. This takes the Jews of Jerusalem out of play and places Paul under the scrutiny of the Emperor. In this case, Caesar isnāt an especially nice guy and he certainly isnāt known for his mercy. From Paulās point of view, though, itās better to take his chances with Caesar than face certain death from the Jewish leadership. Iām glad today that when I face the accusations of my failure, guilt, and sin that, rather than face the consequences, that I can appeal to a Higher Court. This Court is known for its grace and mercy. This is a place where love and forgiveness abounds. As my life is on the line and my sin moves to condemn me, I appeal to God, not for justice, but for mercy.
Take Away: Its mercy I need from God and its mercy I receive.
Devotional on Romans
Grace extended to both insiders and outsiders
Romans 3: Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself.
The Jews, Paul says, have a special relationship with God. Theyāre the writers of Scripture, introducing God to the world. Thatās a place of great honor, but itās no guarantee of salvation. Not only that, but these custodians of Godās Word have, themselves, failed to live according to it. Meanwhile, the outsiders have gone their own way. Ignorant of Godās commands, uninterested in his ways, they too have failed. The result is āthat weāre sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else.ā So now what? Those with the inside path to God havenāt followed it and those on the outside havenāt found it. Hope for salvation has to come from, not within, but from outside of humanity. Enter Jesus. Through him the remedy for failure and sin is offered. The Jews need him because theyāve rejected what they knew God wanted. The outsiders need him because theyāve never started down Godās path in the first place. The generous provision of God is his making a way to life for all people, Jews and non-Jews alike. The hope of salvation, then, is in this wonderful expression of Godās grace to a lost human race.
Take Away: For those who know the law but havenāt kept it and for those who never kept it because they never knew it, that is, for all of us, our only hope is Godās grace.
Devotional on Romans
Grace wins
Romans 5: When itās sin verses grace, grace wins hands down.
Obviously, it all starts with Adam, the first human being. This first manās failure puts in motion a whole string of failures. Humanity is in a death spiral. One manās sin results in the sins of many. One manās sin results in the deaths of many. Without an intervention this story is going to end badly. Then, Godās own Son, Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, steps into history. Adamās disobedience brings death. Jesusā obedience brings life. For humanity itās a gift beyond understanding. Our sin: our crushing, destroying, death dealing sin seems insurmountable. Now, through Jesus, the remedy is given. Sin, as powerful as it is, meets its match. Grace wins.
Take Away: No matter how great the sin, it meets it match in Godās matchless grace.
Devotional on Romans
You arenāt down for the count
Romans 11: Are they down for the count…the answer is a clear-cut no.
The people of Israel, Paul says, have, in general, messed up royally. They had an inside track to God but rejected him. Because of their disobedience and unbelief theyāve been cut off and are no longer connected to the ārootā of Godās love and faithfulness. The Lord, who specializes in taking bad situations and turning them into good ones, has used their rejection as a way to open the door for all peoples of the world to come in. When an āoutsiderā believes in Jesus that person is grafted into the āvineā of Godās grace. In this the outsider becomes an insider. Now, what of those people of Israel who became dead to God because of their unbelief? Is it too late for them? Is their permanent loss a sad necessity that the way to God be opened for the non-Jews? Paul answers, āNo way!ā He serves a God of Second Chances and even now the Lordās working out a restoration for those whoāve been cut off. In his plan itās never been āJews verses Gentiles.ā The Lord’s working right now to bring salvation to all, grafting in all who will come, making them part of his family. Isnāt this good news! The Gentiles have never known God, but now a way has been made for them to connect to him. The people of Israel have a long history with God but blew it. Still, God works to bring them back home. Maybe you were raised in church and knew the Lord as Savior at one time but now all thatās past tense in your life. I have Good News for you. As it was for the people of Israel who messed up royally there remains hope. Right now the Lord invites you to return and be reattached to the vine of his mercy, love, and grace. Even if everyone else has given up on you, God hasnāt.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.
Devotional on Galations
Rules and regs
Galatians 2: If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.
Years earlier the council at Jerusalem came to a momentous decision. While it was okay for Jewish Christians to continue to observe the Jewish rules and regulations the burden of keeping those rules wouldnāt be placed on the Gentile believers. That was a very big deal, but it wasnāt the end of the subject. Some of the ārule keepingā Jewish Christians refused to accept that decision. Off they went to the Gentile churches to āre-educateā the new Christians. Their brand of Christianity was quite Jewish. Beyond that, even Jewish believers like Peter tended to walk on both sides of the road on this one. Around Jews they were very Jewish, but when they were with non-Jews, they relaxed and conducted themselves as though it is, indeed, faith in Jesus that alone makes a person right with God. Paul and Peter had a bit of a falling out about it when Peter, who had been getting along just fine with the Gentile Christians, quietly withdrew from them when a group of rule keeping Jewish Christians showed up. Clearly, in spite of the fact that there had been an official ruling on the matter, in practice, things were still up in the air. Paul, in this case, doesnāt appeal to the Jerusalem ruling, but, instead goes straight to the cross of Christ. He reminds his readers that if rules did the job, then the Jews, of all people, would be happily satisfied with their situation. He also tells them, that, if that was possible, then Jesus would have never gone to the cross. After all, his message to us isnāt ātry harder and youāll be fine.ā Rather, his message is that he is the āway, the truth, and the life.ā
Take Away: Even if we somehow managed to keep all the rules weād still be unsaved outside of Christ.