Let’s redefine “work” and “obey”
One of the most startling things I’ve seen in the last 16-ish weeks of preaching through Galatians was how the gospel redefines how we think about the words “work” and “obedience” in the Christian life in Galatians 5:6-7. Here’s how we usually think about “work” and “obedience”…
- Work = do better, try harder to do the right things and avoid the wrong things.
- Obedience = actually doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong things.
Right? Pretty standard, I’d say. Not if you’re the Holy Spirit writing Galatians 5. Look at how Paul uses those two words here…
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
What’s incredibly ironic here is that because of the heretic Judaizers, the Galatian church was focusing MORE on “doing better, trying harder” by trusting in their religious performance for salvation. But Paul says that this focus HINDERED them from “obeying the truth”. In two verses, the gospel turns the words “work” and “obey” on their heads for every Christian everywhere. The gospel redefines how we think about work and obedience in the Christian life. Here are the gospel-definitions…
- Work isn’t doing better and trying harder to do the right things and avoid the wrong things. Christian “work” is the hard work of believing (“faith-ing”) the gospel at a deeper level (vs. 6)
- Obedience isn’t doing what the law says to do and not doing what it says not to do because this is what the Galatians were focusing on and Paul says it HINDERED them from “obeying”. Christian “obedience” is actually trusting that God’s love for us isn’t dependent on our obedience, but on Jesus.
Seriously. Is anyone else as mind-blown by this as me???
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In John 6, when the crowd found Jesus on the other side of the lake and asked Him, “What must we do to be doing the works of God, He replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the him who he has sent.”
Jesus, Himself, said it’s not about our work, but the work God did in our hearts to make us believe. Yes, it is amazing, and if I don’t daily remind myself of this I will forget because it’s too good to be anything but from God.
As I am contemplating the passage this morning I see a whole new meaning to the teaching that we must have a child like faith. For those of us who are parents, try to remember the first time you held your child. Your love for that child was overwhelming and unconditional. The child’s ability to understand your requirements of him to be loved was “0″. That is because there were no requirements, and if there were he had no ability to meet them. And so here I am this morning God, with no ability to meet the requirements of the law. I am resting in your hands like a newborn, imagining your face peering into mine and smiling from an overwhelming love. A love I have no ability to comprehend because all of my ability is finite while you are infinite. Father I want to obey you by accepting this gift more each day.
Fantastic.