Protected By God’s Peace-Keeping Force

Galatians 4:6-9

Galatians 4:6-9God’s peace-keeping force will guard your hearts and minds. Galatians 4:7

Think about whatever is true. Focus on what is noble. Give your full attention to what is lovely. If you see something admirable, think on it. If anything is excellent or deserves praise, give a shoutout. Consider and promote such things. Galatians 4:8

Put into practice whatever you have learned, received, heard, or seen in the writings of the Apostle Paul (specifically) and in God’s word in general. Galatians 4:9

With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Matthew 7:2

This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. The way you pay is the very way life will pay you back. Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged others?” If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that will be exactly how you will be measured. Oswald Chambers

God’s Law of Love

Saved From Sin Through Christ

God’s Law of Love

Saved From Sin Through Christ

(all typos are the original work of the author and for the entertainment of others)

God's Law of Love

In his letter to the church in Galatia–a town in modern Turkey, not a planet far, far away–the Apostle Paul writes, “Clearly no one is justified (not guilty of sin) before God by keeping his law.” 3:11. Which is to say, that God gave his people laws and commands but no one has ever been able to keep all God’s law. Some do better than others but all of us fall short–and not by a little, but by a lot.

When Paul confronts Peter and other Christian Jews of the “circumcision group” regarding the segregation of uncircumcised Christian Gentiles he writes, “You who (call yourselves saved in Christ) are trying to be found not guilty of sin by keeping the law. In doing so you have separated (segregated) yourself from Christ and fallen away from grace.” 5:4

By claiming that being saved from sin requires Christ PLUS–in this case keeping the law–Paul makes clear that if such faulty arithmetic is true then “Christ died for nothing.” 2:21

So what are we to do with God’s law? Ignore it? Jesus answers the question in this way. “Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Clearly the earth remains, thus the law remains. But not to save us from sin, for Paul has already explained that no person can keep all the law. So the law remains, as does the Spirit of the law. Only now, in Christ and through his Spirit, we are able to keep the law. Not to be saved, but to produce fruit that comes from being saved. Fruit like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, and loyalty to God.

If you accept Christ will you still sin? Yes. Should you feel guilty about this? No. Guilt comes from the law and we are free from the law. Regret is fine. Wishing you could do better is okay. But never let guilt make you think you are “less-than” in God’s eyes. Never assume that when you sin God loves you less. He loves you the same when you sin and when you don’t, because when he sees you, he sees Christ in you, not your sins.

Think of it this way. Once you accept Christ you are on God’s team. Nothing you do can get you kicked off his team. If you have a batting average of zero, can’t catch, or throw the ball into the street, God will not boot you from his team. Your jersey and ball cap say Jesus and that lets God know with certainty that you are on his team.

And because God is a loving and patient general manager and owner, and because his Holy Spirit is your batting coach, bench coach, and pitching coach, you will, over time, get better. If you need an example, Christ is there to demonstrate how to play the game to perfection.

Now with all that going for you, why would you ever want to take off the uniform, quit the team, and go back to playing with the old gang you fled?  Paul offers this warning. “Do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature.” 5:13. But you will. We all do. The key is to acknowledge you would prefer NOT to misbehave, cut up, and slack off during team practices and games. But there are some days when we will slip up. But God still loves that you’re on his team.

Paul says, “Live by the Spirit.” If you live/play by the Spirit’s leading, when the old gang comes around and asks you to skip out and do those things God says in his law are wrong, you will make the choice to stick with the team.

Sticking with the team won’t always be easy. “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit. The Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature. You ARE NOT TO DO whatever you want.” 5:16-17

Bottom line? Keep in step with the Spirit. 5:25 But if you fall out of step, don’t beat yourself up. God still loves you. And after you apologize the Spirit of Christ will you draw you back to himself.


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Christian Owner’s Manual: Advice from and Acts of Jesus

John Chapter 8

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness. He will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Where I go, you cannot go. You will die in your sins.” John 8:22-21

I told you that you would die in your sins IF you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be. You will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil.” John 8:43-44

Christian Owner’s Manual: Advice from and Acts of Jesus

John Chapter 5

Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” John 5:14

My Father is always at his work to this very day. I am working, too.” John 5:17

Whatever the Father does, the Son does also.” John 5:19

Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” John 5:21

The Father judges no one.” John 5:22

The Father has entrusted all judgement to the Son. He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.” John 5:22-23

Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” John 5:25

The Father has life in himself. He has granted the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26

The Father has given theSon authority to judge because he is the Son of Adam.” John 5:27

All who are in the grave will hear his voice and come out.” John 5:28

Those who have done good will rise to live. Those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” John 5:29

I judge only as I hear. My judgement is just. I seek to please him who sent me.” John 5:30

Your accuser is Moses. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” John 5:46

Christian Owner’s Manual: Advice from and Acts of Jesus

John Chapter 4

It was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. John 4:2

Salvation is from Jesus.” John 4:22

True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshippers must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

I who speak to you am he, the Christ – Messiah.” John 4:26

Jesus stayed two days in Sychar, Samaria. “We know that the man really is the Savior of the world.” – Samaritans. John 4:42

Christian Owner’s Manual: Advice from and Acts of Jesus

John Chapter 2 & 3

How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” – John 2:16

Jesus would not entrust himself to them for he knew all men. He knew what was in a man. – John 2:24-25

I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” – John 3:5

So it is (the way wind moves) with everyone born of the Spirit; You cannot tell. ” – John 3:8

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Adam.” – John 3:1

Whoever lives by the truth, comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been through God.” – John 3:21

Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” – John 3:19

Whoever does not believe in the only Son of God stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” – John 3:18

Whoever believes in the Son of God is not condemned.” – John 3:18

Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remans on him.” – John the Baptist. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” – John 3:36

Christian Owner’s Manual: Advice from and Acts of Jesus

John Chapter 1

The Word was with God.”

The Word WAS God.”

The Word WAS at the beginning.”

Through the Word, nothing was made that has been made.”

In the Word was life.”

In the life was the light of men.” – John 1:1-4

The world was made through the WORD.” John 1:10

To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born of God.” John 1:13

The Word became flesh.” John 1:14

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

Jesus takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29