Trust Not in Rulers

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”

 (Psalm 146:3-4 ESV)

We are truly blessed to live in the United States of America. We have freedoms here that are enjoyed nowhere else in the world. For that, I am truly grateful. And it’s for this reason that we will soon celebrate the Fourth of July.

However, as Christians, we often go to an extreme when it comes to our love of country. For many of us, our nation has become almost an idol. Even though our Constitution guarantees us the freedom of speech, and even though men and women have died defending that freedom, we act as if anything negative said about our nation, or if people express a viewpoint other than our own, they are unpatriotic. We may even question their faith when they do so.

In the same vein, although I use it a great deal from the church standpoint, and although I love to share life with family and friends around the world on this platform, I can barely stomach Facebook any longer. A vast majority of what is posted is political in nature. And, once again, the viewpoints of many Christians border on idolatry.

Many Christians make it seem that our current president is almost equivalent to Christ himself. They make it seem that he is the Savior of our nation. Others, however, make it seem as if he’s equivalent to Satan. They make it seem as though he is drawing us away from the Lord and his will.

For these reasons, we would do well to pay attention to the above verses of Scripture. Even though the Bible does tell us that God appoints people to their positions of authority, we are told here that we are not to put our trust in princes. We are not to put our trust in men. And we are not to do so because, in them, there is no salvation.

Men are very limited. Their power is only temporary. They will one day die. And, on that day, their plans and intentions perish along with them.

Our salvation is found in Christ alone. And in Christ alone is our hope. We must look to him and only to him for the blessings and the salvation that we so desperately need.

And rather than putting so much time and energy into spouting politics, we would do better to point people to Christ. Instead of trying to convert others to our political viewpoint, we would do better to reach out to them with the gospel. As citizens of this nation, it is our God-given duty to vote and to hold the feet of our politicians to the fire. However, our primary focus must always be upon Jesus and the salvation of souls.

The Appearance of Godliness

“See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.”

(Galatians 6:11-13 ESV)

 

The church has often sought to force certain practices upon its members. It has sought to force the law upon its members. And there are countless examples of this.

 

Some churches insist that their members abstain completely from alcohol. It’s from here that we get the jokes about believers who won’t make eye contact in a liquor store. Some churches insist that their members do no work on Sunday, and criticize anyone who may dare to mow the lawn or rake leaves on a Sunday afternoon. Still others insist that their members are not to gamble, shunning even those who buy a raffle ticket to support a children’s baseball team. We could go on and on citing instances of this reality.

 

Their aim, when they do this, seems good. Their aim is that members of their congregation will give the appearance of godliness. They want it to seem as if the members of their church are righteous.

 

Although we're given the impression that it’s a matter of our relationship with God, it’s really about our appearance. It’s because they want us to make a good showing in the flesh. It’s that they might boast in our flesh.

 

There is good reason for this. There is good reason for it because one of the main accusations lobbed at the church is that it’s full of hypocrites. We are accused of being hypocrites because, although we hold up Scripture as truth, we’re unable to live it out. Despite our faith and our love for the Lord, we continue to violate his will.

 

For the Galatians, it was circumcision that was being forced upon them. And those who were pushing this practice, Paul says, did so to make a good showing in the flesh. In other words, they wanted to look good. They wanted to look good even though they, themselves, did not keep the law.

 

No matter their appearance, the simple truth is that they were sinners. And, because they were sinners, they couldn’t keep God’s law. Even if they desired to do so, it was impossible for them.

 

Rather than laboring to look good, our energy is better spent allowing Christ to look good. It’s best that we allow our imperfection to demonstrate the grace and mercy of Christ. It’s best that we highlight not our own righteousness, but that of Jesus.

 

When I say this, I’m not suggesting that we live according to our sinful desires. Nor am I suggesting that we take advantage of the grace of God (as if that were possible). As those who have been saved from sin, our desire is to live for the Lord.

 

However, we must not encourage people to make their performance the focus. We must openly acknowledge our sin and the redemption that’s found in Jesus. And we must allow him the glory for the great salvation he has provided.

In the Face of Weariness

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are times when I want to give up. There are times when I want to stop trying. I’m tired. I’m burnt out. And I simply don’t want to do it anymore.

The reasons for this are many. I might feel, for example, that my efforts are not appreciated. Although I am doing my best to love and to serve them, others don’t even seem to notice. Worse yet, they seem to take these efforts for granted.

I might feel that my efforts are not being reciprocated. As much as I try to love and serve others, they are not behaving in the same way toward me. It feels completely one sided. 

And I might feel like, as I seek to love and serve others, nothing is being accomplished. I don’t see any fruit from my labor. It seems, in the moment, that my efforts have been wasted.

Whatever the case may be, we’ve all felt this from time to time. And, in these moments, we do sometimes quit. We stop trying and throw in the towel.

In the midst of these feelings, Paul gives to us the encouragement seen above. He tells us that we are not to grow weary of doing good. And he assures us that we will reap a harvest in due season.

Even if it seems slow in coming, we will reap a harvest. Even if it seems that nothing is being accomplished, we will reap a harvest. No matter how it may seem, our labor will not be in vain.

In other words, God is working through us. He is blessing our efforts. He is doing a work that will endure, even if it’s unseen in the present.

For this reason, he tells us that we’re to do good to everyone. And this is especially true of our fellow believers. We are to continue doing all that we can to love and bless others.

Reaping What We Sow

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

(Galatians 6:7-8 ESV) 

While we live in these bodies of flesh, our sinful nature will remain a part of us. And they will lure us continually to do those things that are contrary to the will of God. They will lure us, they will entice us, into sin.

At the same time, the Spirit of God lives within us. And he leads us continually to do those things that are pleasing to God. He leads us, and he empowers us, to serve and glorify God.

That being said, many of us, who profess faith in Christ, live for the desires of the flesh. The will of God doesn’t seem to matter to us in the least. Although we have been given a new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we continue to live in the old. Our lives remain unchanged as we seek only to satisfy our carnal desires.

In the midst of his instructions to us, on caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ, Paul gives to us a warning. And he begins by saying that God is not mocked. What he means by this is that God cannot and will not be treated with contempt.

I think this is something that many of us fail to realize. By living in sin, by living in unrepentance, we are, quite literally, treating God with contempt. We are thumbing our nose at him while we fully expect his salvation.

However, as Paul goes on to say, whatever we sow, that will we reap. If we sow to the flesh, if we live for the flesh, we’ll reap corruption. If we live under the power and direction of the flesh, we’ll reap destruction. And this, of course, refers to judgment.

This, you see, is the consequence of sin. And while none of us can live perfectly this side of eternity, we cannot live in sin. We cannot live in unrepentance. As Christ has redeemed us from sin, we can remain in it no longer.

However, if we sow to the Spirit, if we live for the Lord, we’ll reap from the Spirit eternal life. If we live under the power and direction of the Spirit of God, we’ll receive salvation. The Spirit of God will bestow upon us the salvation accomplished by Christ Jesus.

This isn’t to say that we’re saved by our own efforts. This is in no way contrary to the gospel. Our salvation is his work, and his work alone. And anything and everything we do for the Lord is the result of God’s grace.

But, if we truly trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and if we trust in his sacrifice for eternal life, we cannot and will not live in sin. As we receive his salvation, we turn from the desires of the flesh. As we receive his deliverance, we leave behind the lusts of our sinful nature.

Faithfully Providing

“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As I graduated seminary, and as I was ordained, I was called to serve as Assistant Pastor of a church in San Diego. In the Lutheran body of which I was then a part, my call had to be reviewed and agreed upon by the presiding pastor of our body. And, when he saw my call, he called the church and told them that they were offering me too much money. He told them that there were pastors who had been serving in ministry for twenty years who weren’t making as much as I was being offered.

I don’t want you to get a wrong impression. The first thing, which the presiding pastor failed to consider, is that the cost of living in San Diego was very different than it was in a small midwestern town. The salary and benefits they offered me were not lavish, but fair. They would take care of my needs and allow me to live comfortably as a single man, starting out in his first church, in Southern California.

As I was being called to a congregation more than ten years later, and by this time I was married with four children and another on the way, I was offered a small, run-down parsonage and an extremely small salary. It was so small, in fact, that there was no way I could support my family. No benefits were to be provided. And they were upset when I turned down the call. 

The mindset that I’m describing was once prevalent. Pastors were not well paid. They were, more or less, expected to be poor. 

When I was starting out in ministry, pastors were not always provided with health insurance. They were not always provided with a retirement plan. They were oftentimes given a parsonage in which they would live, and a small salary. And they were simply expected to trust God.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Pastors should absolutely trust God. But this shouldn’t be an excuse for a congregation’s failure to care for their pastor. It’s safe to say that no one, in a congregation like this, would accept a job under these circumstances.

In the verse above, Paul makes a very simple statement. He says that the one who is taught is to share all good things with the one who teaches. In other words, those who are taught are to bless and care for the one who teaches them.

Members of the congregation, then, are called to bless and to provide for their pastor(s). They are to recognize his work, they are to recognize his service among them, and care for him. They are not to be stingy or miserly in their provision.

I believe that things have improved over the years. Churches are doing a much better job at providing for those who serve them. My current congregation treats me very well and has been very generous with my family. But, as believers, this is something we must take to heart. We must faithfully care for those who teach us. We must faithfully provide for those who minister among us.

Viewing Ourselves Realistically

“For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.”

(Galatians 6:3-5 ESV)

 

We have a natural tendency to compare ourselves with others. We have a tendency to measure our success, and even our goodness, by comparing ourselves with one another. Even when we fall short, we tend to think highly of ourselves because we’re not as bad, because we’re not as sinful, as others.

 

This is true of us, even in the church. It’s true of us, who confess that we’re saved by the grace of God alone. It’s true of us who believe that we are, by nature, corrupt and deserving of God’s judgment.

 

In the two prior verses, Paul encouraged us to correct our erring brother, while keeping watch over ourselves. He encouraged us to bear one another’s burdens and, in this way, to fulfill the law of Christ. Yet, in the above verses, he recognizes how this tendency can come into play.

 

We can, in this way, unintentionally deceive ourselves. We can do so by thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. We can do so by thinking that we’re something when, in reality, we’re nothing. And this, of course, can influence our behavior toward others.

 

It can lead us to look down our nose at our neighbor. It can lead us to a critical attitude of our neighbor. In fact, it can lead us to disassociate ourselves from them altogether.

 

Paul encourages us to test our own work. In essence, he’s calling us to a healthy self-examination. He’s calling us to give a sincere assessment of ourselves and our actions.

 

In this way, our reason to boast is not in our neighbor. We’re boasting not because our brother is more sinful than we are. We’re boasting not because our sister’s behavior makes us look good by comparison.

 

The reason for this, Paul says, is that each will have to bear his own load. Initially, this may seem to contradict his prior statement, in verse 2, where he says that we’re to bear one another’s burdens. However, it’s not contradictory in the least.

 

Paul is telling us that we will not be judged by the actions of others. We will not be judged in comparison to our brother or sister in Christ. We are responsible for our own behavior.

 

Realizing this will make us all the more willing to bear our brother’s burdens. It will do so because we’re not in competition with them. Our basis of comparison is not our brother. And, for this reason, we’ll desire nothing more than their repentance and faith in Christ.

Our Brother's Keeper

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

(Galatians 6:2 ESV)

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” This is the question that Cain posed to God after murdering his brother, Abel. In this way, he was implying that his brother’s welfare was not his responsibility.

Although we may phrase it differently, we tend to think the same way. We say that our brother’s problems are none of our business. We tell ourselves that people need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. And we tell ourselves that we will not interfere in the lives of others.

However, as we see in the above verse, we are our brother’s keeper. His welfare is our responsibility. Paul tells us clearly that we are to bear one another’s burdens. 

What does this mean, to bear one another’s burdens? Thinking again of God’s question to Cain, it related to his brother’s physical state. And I believe that we  are to be concerned with our brother’s physical needs. 

We should be concerned with his health. We should be concerned about his ability to work and to provide for himself and his family. And we should do all that we can to ensure that his needs are provided for. As Martin Luther says in his explanation of the Seventh Commandment, we are to help him to improve and protect his property and living. 

However, that being said, the context of this passage speaks to our brother’s spiritual state. As we saw in the prior verse, if anyone is caught in any transgression, we are to restore him in a spirit of gentleness. If he has fallen into sin, that should concern us. If he’s turned from his faith in the Lord, that should concern us.

And not only are we to be concerned. We are to act on that concern. We are to reach out to him. We are to show him his need for repentance. We’re to faithfully proclaim to him the gospel in his time of need. And we are to be a support for him in his time of weakness.

We are, then, to get involved in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Their problems are our business. And by doing so, Paul says, we fulfill the law of Christ.

What is this law, to which he’s referring? It clearly refers to Jesus’ command, to love our neighbor as ourselves. It refers to his command to love one another as he has loved us. 

Loving our brother means being concerned for him. It means serving him sacrificially. And it means getting our hands dirty as we seek his welfare.

When a Brother Falls

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

(Galatians 6:1 ESV)

 

It’s not uncommon for a fellow believer to fall into sin. It’s not uncommon for a fellow believer to turn from his faith and to walk in unrepentance. We read stories about such people in the news. And, sadly, we witness this even in our own congregations.

 

But how do we respond in the face of this reality? How do we respond when a brother in Christ falls into sin? How do we respond when a sister in Christ is caught in sin?

 

For most of us, I believe, the answer is plain. When this happens, we tend to respond by condemning the fallen. We tend to respond by looking down our nose at them. We tend to respond by cutting all ties and disassociating from them.

 

However, in the above verse, Paul calls us to a different response. He calls upon us, not to shun them, but to restore them. We are to seek their repentance and for them to receive, once again, the grace of God.

 

Jesus describes this in detail in Matthew 18:15-20. I won’t get into this now. But I encourage you to read it and to meditate upon it.

 

We’re to restore them in a spirit of gentleness, Paul tells us. In other words, this isn’t to be conducted in a messy way. Nor is it to be mean spirited or combative.

 

This flows from our love for our fellow believer. We do not want them to suffer the deserved wrath for their sin. We want them, instead, to receive the undeserved blessing of God, provided by Jesus on the cross.

 

However, that being said, he also tells us to keep watch on ourselves. We’re to do so lest we ourselves be tempted. We’re to so lest we, ourselves, be lured into sin.

 

While seeking the restoration of another, while correcting another, we must take care that we do not become prideful. We must never begin to think that we are greater than the person who has fallen. And we must never think that we’re incapable of falling into the same sin.

 

And not only is that true. As we seek the restoration of our brother or sister in Christ, we must take care that we are not caught up in the same sin. We must take care that we do not fall into the same behavior. We must ensure that we do not begin to justify this sinful pattern as they have. No matter how mature in faith we may be, we are not above any sinful practice.