Beginnings Matter

Sept. 19

Read: Galatians 3:1-9

Beginnings Matter

“Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (v.3)

God was coming after you before you ever even realized it. In HIS love for YOU as one of his children, he initiated relationship with you… began calling you and drawing you to himself before you knew it was actually him. The way we see this here in Galatians is when Paul reminds the people that they have “begun by the Spirit”. It was and is the SPIRIT of GOD who begins our walk with the Lord… who awakens us… who transforms us. We too have “begun by the Spirit”.

There is a prevalent way of thinking that wants to put us as the “pickers” at the beginning of the story. There is a way where people begin to think that they are the ones “at the beginning”… that it starts with them “choosing God”… or “asking them into their heart”. This is a way of thinking that “begins with” the flesh! It is interesting that Paul poses this as a question to the readers; “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” You see, one of the pitfalls with thinking that we are the starting point… that things all began when we picked God… is that if we think that it ll began with the “flesh” - then of course we are going to think that it will be completed in the flesh. We never learn how to live “in the Spirit” because we have been told that it all originates “in the flesh”… we are told that the starting point was us picking, THEN the Spirit comes. This order puts the flesh in the drivers seat… it puts US at the center of the story. We know this is simply not true. Jesus says as much: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Works of the law (works of flesh) will never bring about the Spirit of God: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish?” (v.2,3) It was only in being given “ears to hear” that you heard in faith and received the Spirit. The way that we think we began our journey in Christ will always shape the way we interact with the Lord now. As long as we think that WE were the initiators, then we will be trapped by the law in our own efforts to perform. When we embrace the truth that God is the beginner and finisher of our faith, the source of our faith, the one who gives us ears to hear, the one who was driven by love to redeem us… to come for us while we were yet sinners … then we can live in the Spirit and trust the transformative work God began in us. (cf. Heb. 11, 12:1,2, Eph. 2:8,9, Mark 4:9-23, Romans 5:8)

I think the reason why so many pastors / teachers / leaders fight to put Christians back under the law is because they do not understand how it all started… they think it was their decision. For this reason, they feel like they need to add “their part” to the process. They can’t trust that the Spirit could guide believers and transform them… they want a set of rules that they have to keep so that they can continue to add their “two cents”. Works of the law will never bring the Spirit. (v.2) Works of the law… of the flesh will never perfect us. (v.4) Those who grasp that it is only “hearing with faith” that perfects us and redeems us and that this is something started by the Spirit… initiated by God… these people are the true sons and daughters of Abraham: “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” (v.7) The offspring that the Lord was speaking of with Abraham in Genesis 15 were never meant to be primarily genetic. In fact, it is clearly stated here that the TRUE offspring of Abraham are those who “hear with faith”. This is not purely a Hebrew thing, but actually a faith and Spirit of God thing. Remember, Abraham was hundreds of years before the law ever showed up! God was working and calling a people to himself long before a temple, and laws, and tribes, and priests, and the rest of those things we think of with “the law”.

“So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (v.9)

There is tremendous blessing and freedom for those who walk in FAITH. There is blessing awaiting those who are in Christ and they leave behind the law, trusting the work of the Spirit to transform them and “perfect” them. There is blessing for us the same way that there was blessing for Abraham. (v.9 ) I want you to think back to how you started… how it all began. Have you been duped into thinking it was all you, and as a result you have been carrying a heavy weight upon yourself? Are you trying to perfect yourself instead of trusting the Spirit to do the work he began in you? Beginnings matter. It is easy to become “bewitched” as Paul says here! We can be tricked into trying to add to the work of the Lord with our own efforts. Even things that seem “spiritual” or “religious” can become a distraction. When we realize how it all started, we can rest all the more in how faith… trusting how it will get “finished”. Love you guys. - JDP