EPISODE · Oct 12, 2022 · 39 MIN
Galatians 3:1-14 Faith from Beginning to End
from RUF at UNCW · host Reformed University Fellowship at UNCW
In this week's message from our RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul begins to directly address the teaching that has tripped up the new Christians in Galatia. In the process, he reminds us that we make progress in our relationship with God in the same way we begin: by grace, through simple faith in Jesus Christ. “God is a vast reservoir of blessing who supplies us abundantly. If we lose touch with the reality of God, we will live clumsily and badly. A wrong idea of reality leads to a wrong response to life. If we think God is stern and angry and despotic, we will live frightened. If we think that God is miserly and stingy, we will live feeling gypped. If we think that God is abstract and impersonal, we will live aimlessly and trivially. And how many people live that way—feeling scared, deprived, ignored and insignificant? . . . . The gospel teaches us that in every way God supplies—he overflows with blessing and salvation. In touch with that reality we live with a sense of abandonment and walk with a confident gaiety, freely trusting, freely hoping, freely loving. Paul wants us to stay in touch with that reality." - Eugene Peterson “I cannot pray but I sin. I cannot hear or preach a sermon but I sin. I cannot give an alms or receive the sacrament but I sin. Nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them. My repentance needs to be repented of, my tears need washing, and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer.” -William Beveridge “Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them, and you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly a hundred years." - C.S. Lewis DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Why do you think Christians are called “believers” and not “doers”? Why then do we tend to evaluate people’s status with God based upon their actions? What would Paul say about this? (v.3-6) If you asked Christians around campus how someone “stays” or “matures” in the faith, what do you think they would say? Why does the idea that we grow by “obeying more and sinning less” sound plausible? How does that idea actually run contrary to the pattern for growth laid out in the Bible? (v. 10-11) Have you experienced, or witnessed others experience, the psychological curse of living by human effort (the law)? Think of a sin you regularly commit. What are you worshipping more than Jesus that causes you to disobey him? How might you replace that false savior with your true Savior next time you are tempted?
What this episode covers
In this week's message from our RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul begins to directly address the teaching that has tripped up the new Christians in Galatia. In the process, he reminds us that we make progress in our relationship with God in the same way we begin: by grace, through simple faith in Jesus Christ. “God is a vast reservoir of blessing who supplies us abundantly. If we lose touch with the reality of God, we will live clumsily and badly. A wrong idea of reality leads to a wrong response to life. If we think God is stern and angry and despotic, we will live frightened. If we think that God is miserly and stingy, we will live feeling gypped. If we think that God is abstract and impersonal, we will live aimlessly and trivially. And how many people live that way—feeling scared, deprived, ignored and insignificant? . . . . The gospel teaches us that in every way God supplies—he overflows with blessing and salvation. In touch with that reality we live with a sense of abandonment and walk with a confident gaiety, freely trusting, freely hoping, freely loving. Paul wants us to stay in touch with that reality." - Eugene Peterson “I cannot pray but I sin. I cannot hear or preach a sermon but I sin. I cannot give an alms or receive the sacrament but I sin. Nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them. My repentance needs to be repented of, my tears need washing, and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer.” -William Beveridge “Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them, and you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly a hundred years." - C.S. Lewis DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Why do you think Christians are called “believers” and not “doers”? Why then do we tend to evaluate people’s status with God based upon their actions? What would Paul say about this? (v.3-6) If you asked Christians around campus how someone “stays” or “matures” in the faith, what do you think they would say? Why does the idea that we grow by “obeying more and sinning less” sound plausible? How does that idea actually run contrary to the pattern for growth laid out in the Bible? (v. 10-11) Have you experienced, or witnessed others experience, the psychological curse of living by human effort (the law)? Think of a sin you regularly commit. What are you worshipping more than Jesus that causes you to disobey him? How might you replace that false savior with your true Savior next time you are tempted?
NOW PLAYING
Galatians 3:1-14 Faith from Beginning to End
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Jun 15, 2022 ·8m