One of the great ironies of religious life is how some of the people whose lives are most dictated by rules are often the people who are greatest offenders of the rules. This makes no sense to many people who are outside of religion. Religious people who fail to uphold the rules are very quickly labeled as “hypocrites” and cast …
Shepherds and Wolves
Matthew 20:25-28 The paradigm of leadership that Jesus gave to his followers is one that turns every non-Christian view of leadership on its head. Whereas the world (Gentiles) typically view leadership as an exercise of power (lording authority), Jesus teaches that those who would lead in his kingdom must be servants first. Leaders who lead the way that Jesus taught …
What Does It Mean to be Adopted?
In Galatians 4 Paul gives extended usage to a metaphor to describe our relationship to God as well as the former relationship that God’s people had to the law. That metaphor concerns how the relationship of an heir to his father changed over time under Roman law. An heir becomes such because he is the son of his father. Nothing …
The Purpose of the Mosaic Law
One of the great themes of Galatians about which we have discussed in many different ways over the last several weeks is the comparison between religious law and relationship with God by grace through faith. Grace is superior to religion in every way imaginable. A natural question for people reading Galatians might be “so if the law of Moses is …
The Story of Religion
The story of religion can be summed up as the story of making and trying to keep divine laws. Even Biblical religion can be described in this way. There is no doubt that God gives laws in the Scriptures and that the laws that he gives are good. But the greatest gift that God gives to humanity is his Son, …
What’s worth fighting over?
Galatians 2:1-14 Discussion Guide One of the saddest statements about the American church in recent years is that we are mostlyknown for arguments and disagreements with other Christians. Some of these disagreementsare over important matters, but others of them appear stupid and petty to everyone who is notdirectly engaged in the argument. One of the great characteristics of Paul in …
Distorting the Gospel
Galatians 1:6-9 As stated in last week’s discussion guide, turning aside from the true Gospel- the oneproclaimed by Jesus and the apostles- to a different gospel was a concern for the church from avery early time. Keeping the purity of the Gospel is a challenge to which every single generationof Christians has had to rise.Austin’s sermon challenge zeroed in on …
Galatians 1:1-5 Discussion Guide
Some scholars believe that Galatians is one of the first, if not the first, of the New Testamentbooks to be written. There is zero debate among any Biblical scholars. that it was written by theApostle Paul and that it reflects his concerns for the church in his day. Even some of the mostradically anti-Christian skeptics who study the New Testament …
A Redeemer and a King
Today’s sermon and discussion guide will tie together to conclude all of the multiple layers of themes that we have seen in the short book of Ruth. Take time in your group to review some of the things that we have learned so far. Today we will focus on the many ways that God provides for his people. He has …