Thursday, June 23, 2011

Galatians 6:7-10. Don't give up.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

There is a false dichotomy in some people's minds between the Law and the Spirit. Sometimes people think that without the Law, it doesn't matter what you do. Let sin abound that grace may more abound! But of all places, here in Galatians we have Paul invoking us to be good. Warning us that the Lord sees everything that we do. We must not become weary in well-doing, doing good to all people especially to Christians.

The other false dichotomy is between doing things ourselves and letting the Holy Spirit do them for us. It's not either/or, it's both/and. There is divine sovereignty and human responsibility here. We are to work out our own salvation by keeping in step with the Spirit.

I've told this story before; it's one of David Pawson's. When he was serving in the RAF in the Middle East, during Ramadan his servant was found hiding in a wardrobe scoffing delicacies, thinking that Allah would not be able to observe him there. Do not be fooled. God is not mocked! Everything is recorded. He is concerned that the death of Christ is sufficient to cover every sin. He would not want any to be missed out on.

Calvinists talk about the final preservation of the Saints. But we have the responsibility here, not to give up. Note also the responsibility that we have to the family of believers. From time to time I post about the work of Open Doors and Barnabas Trust which focus on the plight of Christians in difficult circumstances. Your money would be nice, but they really covet your prayers.

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