REMAIN UNBOUNDED

 Some believers in the church according to Acts 15, had concerns about the Gentile brethren who were not circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law and customs. In Galatians 5, there was an unnamed person working to create division in the church of Galatia by asking that members who were not circumcised be circumcised as a requirement to be truly saved by God. In Genesis 17, God declared his promise to Abraham to make him a father of descendants of many nations. The genealogy of Christ in Mathew 1, Christ comes from the lineage of Abraham, this promise was to be fulfilled through Christ (“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29). The physical sign of the covenant God made was for Abraham to be circumcised because God had accepted him righteous by his faith (Romans vs 11), circumcision became a law afterwards. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, the promise of God in Christ is that the old nature of sin may be removed and man may be given a new nature of righteousness in Christ. Thus, circumcision is figurative of this promise which has been fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ, that as many that believe in him will be saved. This teaching isn’t to condemn circumcision , to do or not to do.

 

People hold on to the law because they think this is what justifies them or makes them worthy. In John 5, the Pharisees persecuted Jesus because he healed a man on the sabbath, this was Jesus’ response to them “You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me! Yet you are not willing to come to me in order to have life.” (John 5 vs 39-40). The scriptures point us to Christ. A lot of people hold on to figures in the scriptures without understanding what these figures are about and who they point to. Another case, is holding on to the traditions of men, many people will pledge their allegiance to carry out the traditions of men even when its being exalted above the word of God or contradicting to the word of God. It’s worse when these things have been practiced for years. For some, they are afraid to fail those who enacted these traditions and for others, it’s a matter of pride, their hearts are hardened from receiving light.

 

In Galatians 5, Paul says that we all have been set free! Understand what this entails and live wisely. You were not set free by Christ to be bound to another slave master in the name of traditions which contradict the will of God for you or the church. This would only limit how one lives the life God has purposed for them in Christ Jesus. The church of Galatia was disputed on the matter of circumcision which must have affected their relationship with one another but Paul rebuked their ignorance. Galatians 5 vs 6 “For when we are in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the lack of it makes any difference at all; what matters is faith that works through love.”.

 

 In addition, there are people who quote ‘The devil you know is better than the angel you don't know”. These people apply this notion to Christianity as well, they build a hedge around themselves because they are afraid to discover what more they have in Christ. They hold on to untrue teachings and false doctrines that limit them from living the life God wants them to have. When they see people live and walk in the supernatural, they are overwhelmed by the unbelief in their hearts and fear of the unknown that they avoid anything that stirs them in that direction believing it’s an irrelevant part of the faith (Colossians 2 vs 2-8, Mark 7 vs 7-13). These people are okay with being mediocre in their Christian walk. God’s will is for us to discover more in him (Ephesians 5 vs 17 - 19). Traditions are not always bad, but the traditions you hold on to, does it exalt itself in your life above the word of God, the finished works of Christ or the excellency of the knowledge of Christ? If so, let it be a loss to you (Philipians 3 vs 8). 

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