Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Paul is getting to the point of his argument. It’s not about the theology of law vs. grace. It’s about where our focus lies when we believe the law to be superior. Life in the Spirit is our goal, and that life looks very different than chasing after a purity standard. If we are living in the Spirit, we aren’t focused on the condemnation of what we do wrong. We get Paul’s list of fruits, and those bring blessings to ourselves and others.

Paul decides to come into the discussion about the law by bringing Abraham (the father of the nation) into play. Issac was the son God promised, but Ishmael (the son by the slave woman) was the son that Abraham produced of his own accord. Ishmael was not the son of the promise, but he was still a son. God’s working out of the covenant works the same way: the law was a framework, it was a glimpse into what the fullness of the covenant could be, just like Ishmael as a son was a glimpse of what having a son could be. But it was not the end of the story. The fullness of the covenant came with Jesus, just as the fullness of God’s covenant came after Ishmael, with Isaac.

Paul seems to be splitting a few doctrinal hairs with this talk about law and Jesus, but it does matter. What he is saying is that God’s covenant with Abraham, is fulfilled in Christ, and that matters tremendously. That means that the old covenant with Abraham isn’t null; it’s fulfilled. If our faith is in Christ then we receive the benefit of that fulfilled covenant, which is the reward that is only give to those who are in Jesus.

In this second chapter of Galatians, there is a lot going on. Paul is establishing a fairly critical piece of theology that defined the Christian Church vs. historical Judaism: that the law convicts and brings death, but Christ gives life. He is trying to bring that live to the early church, but of course it was no small task. Even Peter (called “Cephas” several times here, the Aramaic version of his name) didn’t always get it right, and Paul got fiery about it. He called Peter out in front of others which was more than a rebuke of a man. It was a stand in favor of a united Church. Don’t worry, though. The two of them will still be working together!

Today we start a new year, and also remember the day when Jesus received his name in Jewish tradition. That is a pretty big deal, because that’s the very name that Philippians 2:10 says will cause every knee to bow. We also have a passage from Paul to the Galatians that reminds us that Jesus is enough, his authority is more than that of men. (And lest we think that we can claim that same authority instead of being accountable to others, remember that Paul says Jesus face to face!)

The King at last! John has been before Jesus before, but this time it is different. This is not merely the man he walked beside, but a King to rule all other kings. It is telling that he falls down before the angel, even though he knew it was not Jesus. The atmosphere must have been overwhelming. This was his future, and it is ours as well. Come soon, Lord Jesus.

This grand city isn’t the thing we’re following Jesus for; Jesus himself is enough and we should be content with him. Still, it’s a pretty good retirement plan! It’s intriguing that part of John’s dream is measuring, because Jesus did say he was going to prepare a place, and this is it. God will abolish sadness and pain, and we will be worshiping him for eternity as we have been on earth.

Here at the end of the calendar year, we take a look at what a new beginning will look like, and it’s all God’s design. We’re passing the judgments and getting to what God was all about: a new Heaven and earth where he will live among his people. This is why we worship: because we need to be people well-acquainted with worship. This is why we become disciples: because that will be our main identity in that amazing place.

As we remember the slaughter of the innocents after the birth of Jesus, we must also remember that God is concerned for the suffering of innocents. Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount by lifting up the rejected. In Jeremiah, we see a picture of God restoring his scattered people. Even in today’s verse from Revelation, we see the flip side: those who have oppressed the innocent are dealt with harshly in judgement. God takes it seriously because of his great love for us.

We actually have two writings from John today, on the day of his feast. Remembering him is best done with both Revelation and his Gospel. He makes a point of shooting down the idea that he would live forever, but it's more than verification of him as some sort of super hero. He would never want to distract from what Jesus has done and will do, and we see that in Revelation, as Jesus begins to judge the powers. It's a Lord that John would never try to upstage, even in his own book He doesn't even use his own name, but rather calls himself, "the disciple Jesus loved." Is there any greater title?