As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“As a follower of Jesus for many years, I can attest that his example is inspiring…. I can also tell you that it is impossible to completely follow his example. And as a parent, I can also tell you that living like a child will not lead to kindness, compassion, and love.” - Ben Edwards
This is part of a commentary series through the Book of Galatians. It began with Galatians 3:1-6. This series will progress until the book is finished, then circle back and cover ch. 1-2. This article covers Galatians 3:23-29.
A little more than 2,000 years ago, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4, NKJV). It was exactly the right time, as predicted by Daniel (cf. 9:25) and confirmed by Jesus (cf. Luke 19:41-44).
It was also the right place—Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem. Seven hundred years earlier, Micah wrote:
“Our transformation means that the formula is not ‘MY life plus Jesus’ on top, but rather ‘JESUS equals my life’ in all that I do, how I do it, and why.” - Ken Brown
“Contextualization is good and necessary. Syncretism is dangerous and should be avoided.” - Kenneth Berding
In a previous blog post, we evaluated a few common approaches Christians use when communicating the gospel. There were two main concerns that I expressed about some of these approaches. First, the gospel can unintentionally be presented as a means to a self-centered end. Secondly, these approaches assume that the listener has a Biblical framework to process gospel truth. We can’t presume, however, that people understand what we mean when we talk about God, sin, Jesus, repentance, or faith.
In our previous article, we sought to clarify the nature and goal of biblical evangelism. We noted that evangelism is proclaiming the good news of Jesus with the goal of persuading people to repent and believe in Christ. In today’s article, we want to clarify the message of evangelism so that we can faithfully proclaim the gospel.
“This sort of ‘try harder, guys!’ cheerleading may be helpful for some men, but it’s not ‘why the Christian Church is here,’ and it’s certainly not the Gospel.” - Relevant
“…the Bible shows that in His unfolding drama of redemption, God is at work to reclaim not just our souls, but also our bodies, and not just our bodies, but also the earth from which that first human body was made, and over which God purposed us to reign.” - Randy Alcorn
When we think of the story of Jesus’s birth in the little town of Bethlehem, we envision a beautiful and peaceful scene with shepherds and wise men gathered around a manger, worshipping the young Christ. But that’s not the whole picture! Matthew reminds us that the birth of Christ was not only associated with happiness and hope but also with feelings of profound sorrow and deep despair.
Discussion