Heralds Digest

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love". (Galatians 5:6 NKJV) Being delivered from the rule of dos and dons , everyone in Christ Jesus is expected to therefrom operate under the frame of trust and love. A completely different mental picture of obedience is captured by those who walk in love, compared to those who are governed by the law. Obedience through a sincere love relationship between the Saviour and His saints is powered by faith; whereas, obedience through the law is powered by moral force that cannot be consistently sustained. Sincerely, we start living when faith comes alive.

"Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”" (Galatians 4:30 NKJV) Unless where trust becomes sacred, all human relationships within home and work institutions can only function with certain regard to some form of bond. Even after Hagai became the mother of Abraham's son, she wasn't free from the bond as Sarah's maid. Relationships under a bond environment is based on give and take; whereas God respects only love-based relationships. Just as God freely gave us His Son because of love, we can only trust and obey Him because of love. However, unlike in an atmosphere of free and pure love, trust is a treacherous phenomenon in every bond relationship.

"But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:9 NKJV) In most religious climes, everyone is godly; or rather, everyone claims the knowledge of God. Until human knowledge of God equals God's knowledge of man, religion remains a mental exercise with inconsequential moral transformation. In which case, fellowship in religious houses remains a social gathering of people with merely recognized denominational dogma. As long as members are willing to abide by these dogmas, recognition of their relevance is guaranteed. Unfortunately, fellowship with man does not guarantee the righteousness of God. The heart must thrive more to retain recognition by God than to attain membership of human social gatherings.

"And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise". (Galatians 3:29 NKJV) It is obviously easier for anyone to profess self-possession of Christ rather than to confess Christ's possession of self. However, either of self-possession of Christ or Christ possession of self needs to be the same. The expected uniformity is particularly expedient in order to qualify for sharing the promises meant for those who are redeemed by the Christ's sacrifice and His heavenly inheritances. What a privilege bought by the atoning blood, and brought by faith - which implies that we can claim the divine inheritance of Abraham's promise, without being one of his biological seeds.

"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3 NKJV) Without a taste of grace and glory by the Spirit of the Lord, it would be hard to accept the foolishness of fainting on the way. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His words, a journey of faith that sees something out of nothing is begun. The journey of faith may be unattractive and void of candy distributions, a daily satisfaction of the soul by the Spirit actually leaves no appetite for candies. The trading of our eternal joy and fellowship with the Lord with the transient goodies of this world is undoubtedly a foolish exchange. A holy walk with the Lord to heaven takes nothing but faith without fainting.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me". (Galatians 2:20 NKJV) Those who have experienced the privilege of inter-cultural or intercontinental relationships understand the challenges with maintaining a single lifestyle. Without sparing the danger in Apostle Peter's hypocritical disposition, Paul underscores the secret of winning the war against pressure to belong - divine influence. If Christ takes the centre stage of influencing our actions and inaction, we would be able to dampen the pressure to fall for the majority. Even when we move about, our conviction shouldn't roam around, with divine influence as the only anchor for the soul.

"But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me". (Galatians 2:6 NKJV) Almost all of heaven resources would remain elusive to most of the current kingdom people, if access is based on personality. Unlike access to good standard of living, access to freedom from sin is based on grace that disregard human perspective of his position, place, and possession. Recognition of human status is expedient in all of man-man relationships; but no man of God is called to promote the flag of favoritism in any of man-God relationships. An wholesome package from the presence of God represents a divine favour, accessed only by God's grace.