June 17th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Life In the Spirit

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

My Lord and God, in Your love I am found, in Your mercy and grace I live. I bow in worship.

Read Galatians 3:1-14

[1] You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. [2] I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? [3] Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? [4] Have you experienced so much in vain-if it really was in vain? [5] So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? [6] So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” [7] Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. [8] Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” [9] So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. [10] For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” [11] Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” [12] The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” [13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” [14] He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Baptize thy whole church with fire, that the divisions soon may cease, and that it may stand before the world as a pillar and buttress of thy truth” (Taizé Community, Litany of the Holy Spirit).

Think Further

In the early days of Christianity there were constant debates about the role of the law. Are we justified by keeping the law, or by accepting, by faith, what God has done in Christ? We see an early expression in the treatment of Stephen. We shall meet it again later in Acts. It is a major theme of both Romans and Galatians.

In Galatians another polarity runs alongside this one, that between flesh (the Greek word sarx is not easy to translate) and Spirit. The Spirit is the source of our new life (3); it owes nothing to our human effort. We start in the Spirit, who produces faith within us, enabling us to trust God and to receive the grace of God. We continue in the Spirit. Faith and the presence of the Spirit are the distinguishing marks of the Christian community. The Spirit plants faith in us and comes to us in response to our faith. He gives us the power to fulfill our mission. He is the life-giving river that flows from the followers of Jesus (John 7:38) bringing life to others.

To maintain that keeping the law was essential to salvation would have been a denial of all that the Spirit had done in them. For the church today to conduct its mission through human effort alone, or by relying on the latest techniques, also denies the work of the Spirit. Only in his strength can we find salvation and only in his strength can we carry out the calling of God on our lives. Nevertheless, we face the constant temptation to do things in our own strength. We need to heed the words of the prophets (Zech. 4:7) and the apostles.

Apply

Pray that you and your church will experience a fresh sense of the Spirit’s presence and will live and work in the power of the Spirit.

Closing prayer

Lord, I want to work for You with all my ability and strength, but I also rely on the power of Your Holy Spirit.

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