Don’t Row Your Way to God – Let the Holy Spirit Fill Your Sails

Let this article speak to you about heart, soul, mind and life. It could be my last!

We are reading Galatians chapter 3 and have focused on verse 6.

In dealing with this crucial issue of legalism and license in the Church of Jesus Christ, Paul takes these believers in Jesus back to the Scriptures. We looked at the 15th chapter of Genesis.

The experience, the novelties, the fashions and everything that is new, no matter who brings it and no matter where it comes from, is not good enough.

Everything in the Church of Jesus Christ has to be based and grounded in the Word of God.

Paul refers these disciples to Abraham. There are only two religions if we dare to use that word, those that are based on trying, and faith in Jesus Christ, which is based on trust.

We are not here trying to be good, but trusting in a good God.

Paul had been raised in a testing atmosphere. He had been frustrated and even angry for trying to be good; then he met Jesus, and what he had been trying to achieve was given to him: salvation and safety, and also God’s mercy, grace, love and forgiveness.

Paul saw the truth. It was good news, which is more than good advice.

Someone came down from heaven to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves, and because of what Jesus did, He comes to us and offers us everything in such a simple way.

But some came saying – it’s not enough to trust Jesus Christ – you have to try to be good at keeping the law.

We must be careful not to mix trust with intent.

If someone comes and tells you to try to be good, they will put you under a curse.

That is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is what Galatians chapter 3 is particularly about.

Paul has described in chapters 1 and 2 how he was freed from trying to be good and trying to keep the law, and now everything he had tried to achieve, he received from Jesus.

Peter was about to re-introduce the “proof legalistic approach”, and that is why Paul argued with him. Now this is not something exciting. It’s not something that people would find entertaining.

Pleasure was about to become duty.

Paul kept our Christian faith from becoming legalistic monotony. But this passage, this letter, gives us the opportunity to love God with our mind, since Paul encourages us to think things through.

We feel that we should be doing certain things, but the image given to us is that of moving not in a rowboat but in a sailboat: some want to row their way to God. Paul doesn’t call it sinful, he calls it dumb, stupid.

Don’t lower the candles! Let the Holy Spirit blow you, inspire you and use you.

Here is an argument from your experience, and also from the Word. Now both are necessary, because you can have a false experience.

We need the Word of God to challenge any false experience and correct any false belief.

Experience and Scripture go together. That is a great vital lesson in these verses.

Paul takes them back to the beginning when they first came to faith in Jesus Christ, with the question: how are they going to complete things? How are they going to continue?

I fixed your eyes on Jesus, I pointed to Christ, I pointed to the Cross.

For people to be right with God, we need a clear view of the Cross. Who made you look elsewhere? Who has diverted your attention from the Cross?

When you came to the Cross and heard me preach about Jesus Christ and the Cross, you saw the truth, and God confirmed it by giving you the Holy Spirit. You believed what you heard and received what our generous God gave you.

They were about to abandon something that was succeeding, for something that did not give them satisfaction.

Having started with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, are you going to go on and try to finish it, trying to keep the law?

People get to that point where they believe they can handle it on their own and have spiritual success on their own.

It is what God does and continues to do that really matters.

Paul looks at a complete sweep of the Scriptures, referring to Abraham and Moses.

Abraham believed. Abraham trusted God that he would have a family to pass down the line. When he believed and trusted, he was credited to him for righteousness.

Galatians – can you not see? We are descendants of Abraham when we come to believe. What matters is believing, what matters is faith, trusting in God.

Verses 9 and 10 are powerfully strong. You had to observe and keep everything in the law, but no man could do it. The law demands perfection – 100%.

The law cannot cope with failure, and it cannot offer forgiveness. It was sacrifice after sacrifice so that one’s sins would be dealt with. The law can only tell you what to do and punish you if you break it. The law can only tell you that you are bad!

God in His Grace gave a promise to Abraham, 430 years before the law was given.

The promise was given to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ.

At 33 years old, Jesus Christ died – having kept the law – and His Sacrifice was accepted by the Father – and He is able to remove any curse from us.

Jesus took the curse and paid the ransom price: our perfect sinless Passover Lamb. Jesus was punished as if he had broken every part of the law, so that we can be set free and set free. This is the Gospel for all mankind.

That night before Jesus went to the Cross He did His Will.

Turn to John chapter 14 verse 25 – “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.”

This is what Jesus offers. This is what we receive and it can touch every part and area of ​​our lives: the peace of God.

Let us thank God that Paul fought this essential battle, and let us thank God that Jesus Christ on the cross did whatever was required for us to be forgiven, set free, and set free, and then anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

What we are reading here is cause for thanksgiving.