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Galatians 5:4 – Secure Grace

Posted on January 23, 2008 by admin

Galatians 5:4

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Truth to Learn

You cannot be justified by keeping the law, and you cannot lose your salvation by falling from grace.

Behind the Words

The word translated “estranged” is katargeō, made up of kata, used here as an intensifier, and argeō, which means “to be idle.” Hence, katargeō means “to make something inactive, idle, useless, or ineffective.” This verb is expressed in the aorist tense (past, non-continuous action) and in the passive voice (action done to the subject which is “you, plural”).

Some consider the opening phrase of this verse to be what grammatically is called a hypallage, which is where the subject and object are reversed, in spite of the form of the verb. Hence, some translate this as “Christ has become of no effect unto you.” Others would see an implied verb before “from Christ” and would express it thus: “You were brought to nothing, separated from Christ.” Whichever is correct, it is a hypothetical situation, anyway, as we will see.

The words “you have fallen” are translated from a form of the Greek verb ekpiptō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and piptō, which means “to fall.” Hence, it literally means “to fall out.” In Classical Greek writings this word is used to describe seaman thrown ashore, banishment from a country, someone kicked-out of an office, or of an actor being hissed off the stage.

Meaning Explained

There are those who claim that this verse demonstrates that Paul believed a Christian can lose his or her salvation as the result of willful sinning. Nothing could be farther from the truth. First of all, the people Paul is talking about are those who are committed to keeping the Law of Moses. Christ was committed to keeping the Law of Moses, yet He was without sin. So Paul is not talking about willful sin. He’s talking about people who think they have to earn their righteousness.

Secondly, notice that the two words “attempt to” are italicized. This is because they have been added by the translators. They do not appear in the Greek text. Instead, it literally reads, “you who are being justified by law …” So, now we have to ask ourselves, “Who is justified by the law?” To answer that, we need go no further than the book of Romans where Paul said:

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)

The answer is “No one!” Since no one is justified by law, no one has fallen from grace. Therefore, in effect, what Paul is saying is, “You who claim to be justified by law, if you could be justified by law then you would be a cast-off from grace because you can’t have both. It’s one or the other.”

Application

Rest assured, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through faith in his atoning sacrifice, then your soul is eternally saved and there is nothing that you or anyone else can do to take that away from you. But, neither can you add to your salvation by obeying a set of church rules or laws.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Galatians 5:3 – Unpayable Debt

Posted on January 22, 2008 by admin

Galatians 5:3

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

Truth to Learn

No matter how obedient we are to laws, church ordinances, and regulations, we can never repay the debt that we owe to God for our sins.

Behind the Words

“Testify” is translated from the Greek word marturomai, which in its noun form (martus) refers to someone who has been called to give a testimony in a court of law. Hence, marturomai means to give a testimony regarding what is known by the witness. Throughout the centuries Christians have testified regarding their faith in Christ even to the point of death. These who have given their lives rather than denouncing their faith have come to be known as martyrs from the word martus.

We looked at the word “circumcised” in the last verse. The word used in this verse is from the same root, but this word is a present tense participle in the passive voice. This indicates someone who is currently having himself circumcised.

The word “debtor” is from the Greek ophleiletēs, which is from the word opheilō meaning “a debtor, someone who owes a debt to another.”

“To keep” is translated from “poiēsai,” which means “to make, perform, or do.” The thought here is that the person who becomes circumcised is now bound to perform all the requirements of the law.

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off this verse with the statement, “I testify again.” Some believe that Paul taught this principle to the Galatian Christians when he first delivered the gospel to them. It seems to make more sense, however, that he is simply reiterating what he said in the previous verse.

The central issue that Paul has been dealing with throughout this letter is whether or not a person has to become a Jew, through submission and obedience to the law, in order to be a complete Christian. Circumcision is to a Jew as baptism is to a Christian. It is the final testimony or action that serves as a public declaration of faith. In the case of the Jews, it is faith in righteousness through complete obedience to the law, whereas in Christianity it is faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Paul is telling the Galatian Christians that if they think that circumcision is the completion of faith then they are sorely mistaken. Since circumcision is the declaration that righteousness comes through law, anyone becoming circumcised is declaring that they are trusting in the law and that means the whole law. If they fail to keep a single point of the law, they are guilty of breaking the entire law. They now owe all their righteousness to a set of rules that they can’t obey. What futility!

Application

No matter how sincere we might be, to base our righteousness on anything other than faith and faith alone puts us in debt. As a debtor we are enslaved to the one or the thing to which we owe allegiance. It is our sin debt that must be paid, and that can only be paid with the blood of the sinless Lamb of God, our Savior Jesus Christ.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 5:2 – Faith Alone

Posted on January 22, 2008 by admin

Galatians 5:2

Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

Truth to Learn

Obedience to the Law of Moses (or any other set of rules and regulations) adds nothing to salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “indeed” is eidō which means “to see” or “to know.” It is used in this verse in the imperative mood indicating a command. Paul is commanding the Galatian Christians to know something important. Today, in English we express a similar notion with the word “look,” meaning “understand this.”

“Become circumcised” is from the Greek word peritemnēsthe, which is a compound word made up of peri, meaning “around” or “about” and a form of temnō, meaning to cut off. This word is expressed in the passive voice, indicating action that is done to the subject. And, it is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating that it is action that has not happened and is not happening but has the possibility of happening.

The word translated “profit” is a form of the Greek word ōpheleō, which literally means “to heap up” hence, “to increase” or “to profit.” It is expressed here in the future tense.

Meaning Explained

Up to this point in his letter to the Galatian Christians, Paul has defended the source of his message, his salvation in Christ Jesus, and his claim to apostleship. He has defended his position of righteousness by grace through faith alone and the inability of the Law of Moses to produce righteousness and he has done so in the presence of the leading members of the church in Jerusalem. He has shown that even Abraham was justified by faith more than four hundred years before the Law was given to Moses. And he has demonstrated that is not those who are descendents of Abraham in the flesh who are God’s chosen, but those who believe God’s Word who are chosen by God and are to be God’s children and heirs through adoption.

Now that he has laid the groundwork, Paul expresses the main point of his letter, “if you should become circumcised then Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death will profit you nothing.” He is not saying that if you are already circumcised then faith in Christ is impossible, as some translations seem to imply. He is saying that if you choose to be circumcised, then by that act you are declaring that you believe that salvation comes through works of the law. And, if you believe that salvation comes via works, then you don’t believe that salvation is by faith alone. The act of becoming circumcised after having proclaimed faith in the blood of Christ is, in fact, a declaration that you never had faith in Christ in the first place.

Don’t miss this point, as it is one of the most important doctrinal issues that Paul defends. Salvation does not come by faith and anything else. It comes by faith alone! Once you have accepted the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the shedding of His blood there as payment for your sins, there is nothing more that you need in order to be a Christian, a child of God, and an heir of all His promises.

Application

As Paul told the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” That’s all there is to it!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 5:1 – Stay Free

Posted on January 17, 2008 by admin

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Truth to Learn

Once we are freed from the bondage of church laws and rules we are not to return to that form of bondage.

Behind the Words

There is a variant reading of the word order of this verse depending on the text that is followed, but the meaning is essentially the same for either of them.

The words “stand fast” are translated from the Greek word stēkō, which means “to remain stationary.”

“Liberty” is translated from eleutheria, which means “freedom.” You may notice the similarity with the word that was translated “freewoman” in the previous verse, eleutheros. They both have the same root. And, in fact, the word in this verse which is translated “has made us free” is from the verb form of the same word.

The word translated “entangled” is from the Greek word enechō, which is a compound word made up of en, meaning “in or upon” and echō, which means “to have or to hold.” Hence, this word means “to hold on.” In the current verse it is in the passive voice, so here it means “to be held onto.” Paul expresses this word in the imperative mood indicating a command.

The word translated “yoke” is dzugos, which is the noun form of the word meaning “to bind together,” so it refers to something which binds two things together, like a yoke which binds two oxen together in a single task.

Meaning Explained

This verse should have been included with the previous chapter rather than separating it out with this one. It is a statement of conclusion based on the fact that we are children of the freewoman. Since we are born free in our spiritual new birth, we need to remain firmly in place with regard to that freedom that Christ has given us. We are not to allow ourselves to become bound again by the works of the law.

The freedom which Paul talks about is not freedom to do as we please, or to sin without restraint. The freedom he refers to is the freedom from religious rules and practices. In other words, we have been set free from the requirements of rules and rituals that the former way of seeking God’s favor imposed on us. They could not make us righteous because righteousness only comes through faith. We are not to turn again to rules and rituals now as part of our relationship with God.

Again, let me say that we are not free to act as we please. God has given us specific instruction in the New Testament as to how a Christian is to behave in the world. Our actions are now to be based on a father-son relationship with our God, not on what a particular church or denomination says we have to do.

Application

If you are a born-again Christian then you have been set free from rituals and church rules. The proper way to give God the glory is to read and study the Bible, living as he teaches us in the New Testament, not how the “church” tells us to live.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:31 – Reborn Free

Posted on January 16, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:31

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Truth to Learn

We are spiritually born free; therefore, we should live as freeborn sons and not as slaves to the law.

Behind the Words

The word translated “So then” is ara. Technically, this is called an inferential particle. Its basic function is to mark a transition to what naturally follows from the words preceding. We could paraphrase the first part of this verse as, “So, it naturally follows, brethren, that we …”

The word translated “free,” as we have discussed previously, refers to someone who is free to move about wherever he or she wants to go. It refers to someone who is not a slave but is a free man. This word is normally written as a masculine noun; whereas, here it is written as a feminine noun. Hence, this should have been translated as “freewoman.”

Meaning Explained

In chapter three of Galatians, Paul explained to us that the law was given to show man just how sinful he is. Paul pointed out that a person cannot be justified by the law because no one, except Christ Himself, can keep the whole law. But the law served as a guard to keep us aware of just how sinful we are until the Messiah (the Christ) should come. It also served as our tutor to lead us to Christ so that we might eventually become justified by faith in Him. Paul completed the chapter by telling us that through faith we are now sons of Abraham and heirs according to the promise made to him.

In chapter four Paul showed us that when the Son of God came, born of a woman, He perfectly fulfilled the law so that He might redeem us (purchase us and take us out of the marketplace). Then, because we are redeemed, we can receive the adoption as sons of God, and we can call God Abba, Father. And, since we are adopted, we have become heirs of God.

The only weakness of this line of reasoning is that the Jews could have responded that they were already the sons of Abraham by birth through the flesh. These same Jews were teaching the Galatians that they, too, had to become as a Jew to be fully saved. This is why Paul then presented the Allegory of Ishmael and Isaac. The children of Abraham by birth through the flesh (Jews) are like Ishmael who was the result of Abraham and Sarah taking matters into their own hands to produce a son for Abraham.

We, who are adopted sons of God through faith (Christians), are like Isaac, who came from Abraham and Sarah through faith even when they were too old to have children. And, as a result of the mocking of the child of promise (Isaac) by the child of the flesh (Ishmael), the child of the flesh was cast out and declared to not be an heir with the son of promise.

Now, Paul tells us that we cannot be the sons of the bondwoman because we have already been declared as heirs, and it naturally follows that we are not sons of the bondwoman but of the freewoman. Therefore, we are free born.

Application

When we were saved through faith in the blood of Christ, we became born spiritually and adopted into the family of God. Therefore, we should live as freeborn children of God and not as slaves under the bondage of the law.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:30 – Cast Out Legalism

Posted on January 15, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:30

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.”

Truth to Learn

Get rid of your legalistic rules and practices. They have no place alongside a life of faith.

Behind the Words

“What does the Scripture say?” Once again Paul uses a quotation from the Old Testament to make his point. His use of the scriptural passage, however, is not a direct quotation, for he changes a few words to more fully apply to his point. He changes the expression “with my son” to “with the son of the freewoman.” The passage he quotes is:

Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” (Genesis 21:10)

The expression “shall not be heir” is from the Greek ou mē klēronomēsei. The words ou mē express a double negative, which in English is bad grammar. It Greek, however, it is used to express the intensity of the negation. In effect, what Sarah said is, “There is no way whatsoever that the son of this bondwoman will be an heir along with my son!”

Meaning Explained

We learned with the previous verse that at Isaac’s weaning party, Ishmael, the teenage son of Hagar, was seen mocking Isaac. This made Sarah quite angry, and she responded by insisting that Abraham get rid of Hagar and her son. Since Hagar was her servant girl, normally Sarah would have full say in what was done to Hagar, but since her son was also the son of Abraham, she insisted that Abraham be the one to take the action.

Understandably, Abraham was distressed at the thought of abandoning his eldest son and his son’s mother. If you read the passage in Genesis 21:11-21, you will see that God confirmed to Abraham that it was appropriate for him to cast out Hagar and Ishmael.

Paul has been telling the Galatian Christians that their relationship with God is solely dependent on faith without any works of the law. There was not to be any toleration for intermingling legalism with faith. Isaac represented those who are spiritually saved and sustained through faith, and Ishmael represented those who tried to complete salvation through the works of the law. By using this allegory, Paul is clearly teaching that the works of the law were to be cast off from a life of faith. There is no way that works of the law have any place with a life of faith.

Application

Salvation comes by grace through faith in the Word of God, not by works of the law. And, as James tells us in his epistle, good works are the result of salvation, not the source of salvation. If we are genuinely saved, then we will do deeds that demonstrate to the world that we are truly a child of God. However, doing works or obeying a set of church rules or ordinances has nothing to do with our relationship or our fellowship with God. Period!

That’s what Paul says.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:29 – Jealous Bondage

Posted on January 14, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:29

But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.

Truth to Learn

The bondage of legalism and religious acts of the flesh will not produce freedom or peace, but they may produce jealousy.

Behind the Words

The word translated “persecuted” is diōkō, which means “to pursue, either in a good sense or a bad sense.” When used as it is in this verse it is often translated as “persecute.” Paul most likely makes this point based on what Moses wrote about Isaac and Ishmael in Genesis chapter 21. In this description Moses uses the Hebrew word which is translated “laughing” or “scoffing,” but the Septuagint uses the word paidzō, which means “to make sport of” or “to mock.”

Background

About ten years after God promised Abram that he would have a son, he and Sarai still had no children. So, they decided to take matters into their own hands and have a child by Hagar, Sarai’s servant girl. But when Hagar became pregnant, she made Sarai feel even worse for not being able to bear children.

Thirteen years later, God again promised Abram that he and Sarai would have children. In fact, God promised him that he would be the father of many nations and renamed him. He would no longer be called Abram (exalted father), but Abraham (father of a multitude). Sarai (princess) was also given a new name; she was now called Sarah (nobelwoman). The amazing thing about this is that Abraham was now one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, yet they believed that God could give them a child together. Their faith had matured.

And, true to God’s promise, a year later Sarah gave birth to a son whom they named Isaac (laughter). At the time of Isaac’s weaning (Ishmael was probably about 15 or 16 years old) they had a celebration. Here’s what Moses wrote about it:

So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. (Genesis 21:8, 9)

It is this scoffing, or mocking, that Paul makes reference to in Galatians 4:29. Since the day of Isaac’s weaning, the descendents of Ishmael (the Arabs) have been mortal enemies of the sons of Isaac (the Israelites).

Meaning Explained

The point that Paul is making in this verse is this: just at Isaac (the son of promise) was persecuted by Ishmael (the son of the flesh), so the Christians (children of promise) of the first century were being persecuted by the Jews (children of the flesh). And, these Jews in the flesh were trying to entrap the Galatian Christians in their bondage of legalism.

Application

Throughout this letter of Paul’s to the Galatian Christians, he has repeatedly shown them that the key to freedom in Christ is living by faith. Without faith, the legalistic works of the flesh will tend to make those who are in bondage jealous of those who are free.

Are you jealous of other Christians who seem to be at peace with God? Are you living by faith?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:28 – Children of Promise

Posted on January 10, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:28

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

Truth to Learn

We are the children of God through believing what He tells us in the Bible and works of the flesh add nothing to that.

Behind the Words

The New Testament was written in Greek, which was the predominant language of the Roman Empire from about 300 BC to about 300 AD. Since it was the language that was common to nearly all the Roman world, it is referred to as Koine (meaning common) Greek.

Most of the books of the New Testament were originally written and sent as circulating letters called epistles, which were passed from one church to the next. As a church received a letter they would make a copy of it to keep and pass the original on to the next church. Since most of the originals and early copies were written on papyrus, which becomes very fragile over time, all of the originals (referred to as autographs) and early copies have disappeared. Most of the copies that exist today were written on vellum (animal skin) or other more durable material. Today there are more than 4000 copies or fragments of the writings of the New Testament dating from as early as the fourth century AD.

Scribes who made the copies were very meticulous in copying the text exactly as it appeared in the version they were copying. Whether intentional or not, occasionally a single letter or word was changed in the copying process. In some cases entire words were added or left out. As a result, of the copies that exist today, there is a variation in the text of some verses (referred to as variant readings). Though these differences exist, few if any, have any significant effect on the major doctrines of the New Testament.

An example of a variant reading is found in the beginning of Galatians 4:28. In most texts the first word in the Greek for this verse is hēmeis, which means “we,” although a few texts have it as humeis, meaning “you.” As can be seen, the difference between whether Paul was saying “we” or “you” is insignificant, since he was referring to Christians.

Meaning Explained

Paul here makes his first conclusion from the allegory between Ishmael and Isaac. In verse 23 he told us that Ishmael was born according to flesh. He was produced by fleshly acts on the part of Abram and Sarai (through Hagar). Ishmael was the result of them doing things which they judged to be necessary to produce the result they were seeking. Isaac, on the other hand, was born according to the promise. He was produced by faith, faith that God would produce the promised son through Abram and Sarai. He was not the result of them doing, but believing.

According to Paul we, like Isaac, are children of promise; that is, our spiritual birth is a result of our believing what God tells us in His Word, not from performing any acts or actions with our body of flesh. Hence, the teaching of the false teachers in the Galatian churches must be wrong, since it indicates that salvation is, at least in part, dependent on keeping the Law of Moses.

Application

If our spiritual birth which makes us the children of God is based solely on faith, why would it be necessary for us to improve on that relationship through works?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:27 – The Whole Bible

Posted on January 9, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:27

For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.”

Truth to Learn

Even in the Old Testament, God indicated that the true church will one day outnumber the Jews by birth.

Behind the Words

The word “barren” is translated from the Greek ou tiktousa, which literally means “the one who is not having children.”

Meaning Explained

This passage is quoted from the Septuagint version (Greek translation of the Old Testament) of Isaiah 54:1 which says:

Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the LORD.

The Isaiah passage was probably intended for the Jews who were captive in Babylon. This is one of the passages in the Old Testament where God is speaking of the Jews as his wife, spiritually speaking, for Isaiah 54:5 says:

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Both chapters sixteen and twenty-three of Ezekiel show how God considers the Jews His wife and how he considers their idolatry as harlotry. This spiritual harlotry is the very reason why God judged them with the Babylonian captivity. But in Isaiah he reassures them that there will come a day when they will have far more children than those in whose land they are being held captive.

In the past few verses of Galatians, Paul has allegorized the son of Hagar (Ishmael) and the son of Sarah (Isaac) as a picture of Jews who are children of Abram by birth but who are spiritually dead (sons of Hagar) and Christians who are sons of Abram through faith in the promise (sons of Sarai). He is applying this verse to show that the sons of Sarai will be greater than the sons of Hagar. It was Sarai’s inability to have children that ultimately led to God promising Abram that he would be the father of many nations through her. And it was Abram’s belief in that promise which resulted in his being declared righteous by God.

The point that Paul is making is that through Isaiah, God has promised us (Christians) that the sons of the barren one (Sarai) will one day outnumber the unbelieving Jews (the sons of Hagar). So, why did Paul quote this passage? The false teachers were teaching the Galatians that they had to be Jews to be saved and Paul is using their own Jewish Bible to demonstrate to them that it is not through the observance of rules and laws that we are the children of Abraham but through faith (sons of promise).

Application

Some have falsely tried to claim that the Old Testament is not for Christians, but for Jews. There are many truths in the Old Testament which are directly applicable to Christians today.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 4:26 – Jerusalem Free

Posted on January 8, 2008 by admin

Galatians 4:26

but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Truth to Learn

We can choose freedom through simple faith in Christ or bondage through observance of a set of commands.

Behind the Words

The word translated “above” is ano, which means “up high” or “above.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been using an allegory comparing Ishmael, the son of Hagar who represents an agreement that is embodied in a set of spiritual rules and regulations, and Isaac, the son of Sarai who represents an agreement based on the promises made by God. He is using this allegory because the Galatian Christians had been taught by false teachers that in order to be completely Christian they had to become sons of Abraham through observance of the Jewish ceremonial laws and rituals, especially that of circumcision.

In the previous verse Paul said that Hagar represents Mount Sinai where the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses were given and that she corresponds to Jerusalem as it existed at the time of the writing of this letter. The significant thing about Jerusalem at that time was the fact that it was under Roman rule. Its inhabitants were not free but were under the yoke of Roman bondage.

He now talks about another Jerusalem, the high up Jerusalem or the above Jerusalem. The word that he uses for Jerusalem is the Hebrew rendering of the name Ierousalēm, rather than the Greek rendering, Ierosoluma. And, according to Marvin R. Vincent in his Word Studies in the New Testament:

The phrase Jerusalem which is above was familiar to the rabbinical teachers, who conceived the heavenly Jerusalem as the archetype of the earthly. On the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the heavenly archetype would be let down to earth, and would be the capital of the messianic theocracy.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John describes the heavenly Jerusalem this way:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1, 2)

And John later says of this city:

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

This heavenly Jerusalem, according to Paul, is the mother of us all, referring to Christians. The heavenly Jerusalem is free just as God’s promises to us are free to all who will receive them.

Application

Who would want to be part of a city in bondage when they could be part of a city that is free? Do you want to be in bondage to church rules and man-made regulations or set free to live as God intended through faith in Jesus Christ?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –