Scripture Text (NRSV)

 

Galatians 3:23-29

 

3:23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.

3:24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.

3:25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,

3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.

3:27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

 

Comments:

 

I want to see if I can remove the first century
formal rhetorical structure. What would it look
like up to where we are at the end of chapter 3 -
beginning of chapter 4.
My dear Galatians. Christ has gained for you the
spirit of freedom at the price of his life. I
can't believe that some guys can come along and
tell you that you are not "real
Christians" and you would buy what they are
selling. Look, I didn't just come up with this
good news or get it from somebody else. God
upended my life, which was a very good life, thank
you very much, and revealed the truth to me. I
checked it out with Peter and James. They agreed
that God had given me the truth of God's saving
grace for all the people who were not Jewish. We
shook on it, and I came to your part of the world
to tell you the wonderful news. Now this group of
guys shows up from Jerusalem telling you that if
you don't follow all their rules, Jesus death on
the cross doesn't count for you. I know that they
are very persuasive, even Peter and Barnabas got
carried away with them. But look, They can't even
follow their own rules. They even admit that there
is no promise of eternal life from following their
rules, they need the Grace of God in Jesus life,
death, and resurrection every bit as much as you
do. They use fear tactics aimed to make you
unsure.
All they really want is to feel secure that
they are right by getting you to agree with them.
They think that if they have the biggest church,
it makes them right or they win or something.
Having begun with the joy of knowing freedom
from all the crap this world can throw at you, do
you want to end up chained to an earthly set of
rules? If those rules are absolutely essential to
your eternal and abiding relationship with God,
why did Jesus bother to die for you?
Look, their rules are kind of like a special
tutor that follows you to class and makes sure you
learn your lessons about right and wrong. You
know, whacks you on the knuckles when you aren't
paying attention. But those rules don't have any
real claim on us.
Christ has come to put us into our proper
relationship with God. When you were baptized you
put on Christ. He is now a part of you and you are
a part of him. In your spirit you know the deep
and abiding spirit of God. In Christ, God has made
you heirs, inheritors of eternal life. and in that
life there is no hierarchy. All are equal before
God. Equal in value, equal in access to the love
from God, equal in knowing how to express the love
of God. We all have unique qualities that describe
us, but only the promise we received in our
baptism defines us. we are heirs.
My challenge is to help you see how to live this
word of hope and promise in a way that is bigger
than any problem this world can dish out. A tall
order for the week ending June 18, anno dominie
2016. May you have shalom on this shabbat, and may
the day of resurrection June 19 show the Love of
God in Christ that triumphs.

Northport Rev

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Great translation. I may use it as the basis of my
sermon, We have to figure out how to speak to the
"Nones", or we die.  MaRev

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