Man-Made vs. God-Made

Sept. 12

Read: Gal 1:1-10

From Man vs. From God

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” v.10

Ever since “the fall”, there has always been tension between “the ways of man” and “the ways of God.” We sometimes forget this truth. Why are we surprised when the ways of Christ are not appealing to this world or to those around us who are not children of God? It is not particularly “pleasing” to carnal mankind when we follow Christ. Paul puts this plainly here: “If I were still trying to please man, then I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.” There will always be tension between the things of this world and the things of the Lord.

What is interesting is that there is a sort of “man-made” version of just about everything. We see this in the opening remarks of the book of Galatians. There are “apostles” that are man-made… and “gospels” that are man-made…and “teachings” that are man-made. Take a look:

”Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father” (v.1)

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (v.6)

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.” (v.11)

“For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (v.12)

What does this mean for us today? One of the first questions I want us to consider as we start this study of the book of Galatians is this: have we fallen for a “man-made” faith? There are 2 competing ways of living in this world - the “man-made” / “others-pleasing” ways of living and then there is living for Christ! Even within the church, there are plenty of people who are trying to make the ways of the Lord “pleasing to man”… this is futile! There are many “false gospels” that are circulating around in the midst of God’s people… false gospels rooted in our own human thinking and not in the Lord.

This is what the book of Galatians is about… it is written to help us recognize the false gospels / man-made gospels that trap so many of the people of God. The book of Galatians sets us free from the tyranny of trying to please others and into the fullness of life that comes in Christ. Today, I want you to do 2 things: first off, I want you to PRAY and ask the Lord if you have abandoned the true Gospel and been sucked in by a “man-made” false gospel. This may mean taking the time to tell the Lord what you think the “Gospel” is… that is a funny thought… sharing the Gospel with the Lord! lol. The second thing is this; ask yourself who you are trying to please. Are you still trying to “play both sides”? Listen, if you want to please man… then don’t pick being a servant of Jesus… it will not work! As we work through the book of Galatians, the Lord will use his word to open our eyes to any of the empty / “man-made” counterfeits we may have bought into along the way! I am looking forward to it. Love you guys- JDP