This passage begins with the word, "Finally". This gives us an indication that we are reading a summing-up and application of what we have read. So, we should "rejoice in the Lord". This is the conclusion of what we have read in the first two chapters.
Paul also delivers a hearty endorsement of repetition: "To write these same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard to you." This is an encouragement to preachers and teachers who feel that they seem to be constantly repeating the same things. Repetition is good! And, it is a safeguard. We should be especially wary of anyone who comes along proclaiming a new doctrine.
Hopefully, as hearers of the preached word, we do not grow weary hearing the same themes. If, for example, we are at a conference and we hear a speaker begin to teach from a well-worn passage, we should be careful not to tune out the message. God speaks to us through the preaching of His Word, even on familiar topics.
Verse two in this chapter contains a strong warning against false teachers. In this harsh warning, Paul is not speaking against mistaken or misguided brothers and sisters -- we remember from Chapter 1 that Paul said he would rejoice if Christ was preached whether in pretense or sincerity. His warning was against those who teach a particular wrong doctrine, the doctrine of "Christ - AND...". Salvation by Christ alone was not enough, they said, you needed to be circumcised; you needed Christ - AND observation of the traditional ceremonial law.
We need to be careful in our theology that we are not preaching "Christ - AND..." Even many of the Reformed denominations, though their motto is "Sola Christo," fail in this. They suggest that baptism is the "new" circumcision, and that the baptism of a child confers a spiritual benefit to him by joining him into the covenant.
The third verse here describes the marks of the true Christian. "We are the true circumcision", the "true seed" of Abraham who will inherit the promise. Three marks of the Christian are then given:
1. We worship God in the Spirit. Our worship is a spiritual worship, not one of repetition of forms. And our life, in all that we do, should be a life of living in the Holy Spirit. This is a life of worship.
2. We rejoice in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is our boast. We speak of Him and glory in Him. It's not enough to glory in what He has done; we also glory in who He is.
3. We put no confidence in the flesh. True Christians are humble and thankful people. We see our own inability to "work" our way into favor with God. Furthermore, we cannot have confidence in our own intellect - if we have arrived at a particular doctrinal truth, it is not because of our own mental capacity, it is because of God's grace in revealing the truth to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment