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Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer upon Rising from Sleep

My God, Father, and Savior, since you have been pleased to give me the grace to come through the night to the present day, now grant that I may employ it entirely in your service, so that all my works may be to the glory of your name and the edification of my neighbors. As you have been pleased to make your sun shine upon the earth to give us bodily light, grant the light of your Spirit to illumine my understanding and my heart.

And because it means nothing to begin well if one does not persevere, I ask that you would continue to increase your grace in me until you have led me into full communion with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the true Sun of our souls, shining day and night, eternally and without end. Hear me, merciful Father, by our Lord Jesus Christ,

~ John Calvin

Mason Barge 4/2024

Prayer for The Unsaved

O  God, the everlasting Creator of all things, I pray for the souls of unbelievers, for they were made by you and formed in your image. Jesus, your Son, endured a most bitter death for their salvation. Permit not, I beseech you, Holy Lord, that your Son should be any longer despised by unbelievers, but accept the prayers of those who remember them and be mindful of your mercy. I pray you to forgive their idolatry and blasphemy, in the hopes that they too may some day know Him whom you have sent, the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may yet be redeemed and delivered, as was always the deep desire of your Son.

Meditation

“A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.”

~ Washington Irving

Blessing for the Day

Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always,

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Semi-Christians

Galatians 3:2-5 (BSB)

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing, if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?

DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 3

Notes on the Scripture

Paul vs. the Judaizers (Galatians #27)

We have been looking at almost the same short passage of Galatians for four days, but now we have the payoff: The fundamental contribution of Paul to Christian theology, which begins here in Galatians. Although it was the rallying cry of Martin Luther and the Reformation, it is accepted to a great degree by every Christian denomination: “Salvation by faith.” (There are differences in emphasis, however, especially between Protestant and Catholic/Orthodox believers.)

We can now identify with reasonable assurance at least one major “false gospel” that Paul so vehemently cursed in Ch. 1 of Galatians: the teachings of a sect called the Judaizers, who believed that all Christians had to become Jews. This involved both physical circumcision (for men) and obedience to the Law of Moses (for all).

If we find this strange, we must remember two things about the early church. First, as far as we know, it did not have a written Gospel. The Gospel of Mark, the first one written, was almost surely finished many years after this epistle, and even then, it would be a long and labor-intensive process to have it copied and delivered to the various churches. To the early Christians, “Scripture” was mostly the Jewish Scripture, our Old Testament, together with whatever epistles and scraps of Gospels they could get. (Evidence suggests that there were several early drafts that were later incorporated into our four Gospels.)

Secondly, Jesus was himself a practicing Jew. He was circumcised and celebrated the festivals, as far as we know, according to the Law. Moreover, since the Law of Moses was (and in some ways continues to be) the actual Law of God, we might infer that Jesus followed it perfectly, and was the only human being ever to do so. (Note that His difficulties with the Pharisees was with their interpretation of the Law, not with the Law per se.)

Saying He was justified before God by the Law, however, would be going too far. As the Son of God, He needed no justification; He was guilty in the eyes of men, but innocent in the eyes of the Father, simply by virtue of the identity of His person. Plus, He was free of sin.

One of Jesus' most prominent human characteristics was His absolute faith. In fact, the faith of Jesus is arguably a key to our salvation. We have discussed the ambiguity of the concept “faith in Christ” (the pistis Xristou problem) previously, and sooner or later we will have to devote a day to it. But for now, realize that “faith in Christ” might more accurately refer to the faith “of” Christ. All of the Gospels, and especially John, emphasize the importance of His faith by their descriptions of the time spent in Gethsemane preceding the crucifixion.

The initial and pre-eminent requirement for salvation is faith. Faith occurs in our spirit. It is a relationship with God of total trust and a desire for obedience. We can be good people, apparently perfect in our conduct, devoting our lives to others in utter humility and total love; but God will still see us as sinners, unless we have faith: 1) faith in Christ, 2) faith like that of Christ, and 3) the faith of Christ Himself which, like His sacrifice and resurrection, has already been given to us.

The interior of the tiny Romanesque church (The Scrovegni Chapel) where Giotto revolutionized the world of art @ 1305.

Daily Inspiration

“What Comes In, Comes Out”

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