As Peter began to rebuke the
Lord for His talk about suffering and death Jesus responded quite sharply, “Get
behind me Satan.” Peter obviously
thought Jesus was out of His mind to walk right into the hands of those who sought
to take His life, but according to Jesus it was the other way around. Peter just previous to this incident received
great revelation from the Father in heaven concerning the identity of Christ
but moments later his thoughts were derived out of Satan’s influence upon flesh
and blood and human reasoning.
This is a good example of
what Paul addresses in his first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 2 and
verse 14. But the natural man does not
receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
For a moment Peter received
revelation from heaven but quickly reverted back to natural human
thinking. It could seem that Jesus’
response, speaking to Satan was extreme but if we look at Philippians 3: 18 -19 Paul speaks with great emotion. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory
is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things.
Paul’s words express how
serious a matter it is to walk according to the flesh and to set the mind on
earthly things. We absolutely do not
want to live as an enemy of the cross or to find ourselves in opposition to the
plan and purpose of God.
And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why
do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 I
could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! Galatians
5:11-12
Paul warns the Galatians
concerning those who promote circumcision.
He was so opposed to their message that he hoped they might slip with
their knife and cut themselves totally off.
He pointed out that his persecutors were offended by his preaching of
the cross and the sacrifice of Christ.
His message (the gospel) brought an end to the Old Covenant practice of
circumcision. Paul’s message basically
issued lay off notices effective immediately to all those who promoted
circumcision and other ceremonial practices of the Old Covenant.
It boils down to a battle
between the natural mind of man and the mind of God. The Old Covenant was designed for and given
to a people who lived and operated in their natural thinking, but the new is
for those who are born again, having the mind of Christ and live by the Spirit
of God, not the flesh. Therefore Paul
warns those who read his writing not to revert back to a system designed for
the natural mind and forfeit the victorious life which is found in Christ
through the Spirit of God.
For to be carnally minded is death, but
to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So
then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8
Though we live in a flesh and
blood body, we do not make decisions based on the comforts and pleasures of our
temporary life in the flesh. Our
decisions are made through yielding to God’s Spirit as He speaks to our eternal
spirit man.
Ephesians 2:17 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity , that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity .
The cross destroyed the
enmity and removed the middle wall that separated between Jew and Gentile as well
as between God and all mankind. The Jews
had a corner so to speak on God’s presence but only through obeying the
ordinances and rituals of the Law of Moses.
They were God’s chosen people which made all other nations outsiders and
unable to receive God’s favor. Imagine
if you can, having a God appointed history of superiority over other nations
then suddenly being subjected to a message that eliminated that advantage. Not only did the teachers of circumcision
receive a lay off notice but the whole national pride thing was threatened by
the message of the cross of Christ.
Paul’s message was quite a shock to those who had been legally separated
from other groups of people all their lives but now are to become one with
those they despised. I imagine they
seriously questioned Paul’s authority to say that God had brought an end to the
law system and has made all men equal?
The sacrifices and ordinances
of the law were but road signs to reveal sin and to point the way to the
savior. When the road ended at Calvary
God unveiled a far superior method of dealing with the sin problem making the
former obsolete. Those who rejected the
unveiling of Christ as the Messiah and final sacrifice for sin naturally would
think they were still on the road and needed all those signs. Paul understood possibly like no other, that
continuing to observe the law with all its religious ceremonies was nothing
more than running on a treadmill going nowhere.
To a degree this same
struggle still exists today between Jew and gentile as well as between our
flesh man and our born again spirit.
Prior to encountering Christ and the cross, our flesh man has had
superior control and we lived according to the desires of our flesh and natural
thinking. Now that we are Christ’s the
flesh doesn’t go quietly, but wants the same pampering and control. I am not necessarily referring to an old sin
nature but our body and the appetites of our humanity. God made us with appetites that are not
sinful but if allowed to rule our lives they lead us to sin. Paul referred to the Corinthians as carnal or
fleshly minded believers. They had
received Christ but had not matured in their walk with God. Their carnal thinking resulted in divisions
and strife among them. Some thought they
were superior to others not seeing themselves as belonging to one body.
We are made up of spirit soul
and body. Our bodily appetites can be
given priority over our soul and spirit thereby leading to sin. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil was appealing to the eye as good, it appealed to the mind as good to
make one wise and gave a sense of superiority.
The serpent succeeded in causing Eve to think God had purposely short
changed her and was keeping her from becoming greater by forbidding them to eat
from the tree of knowledge. Of course we
know this was the serpent’s big lie but our first parents took the bait thus
the fall into sin.
We must remember that it
doesn’t require having an old sinful nature to commit sin. Adam and Eve were
innocent and pure until they obeyed the lies of the devil by receiving the forbidden
things that appealed to their natural appetites. We who have believed on and received Christ
have been declared innocent of all charges and our relationship is restored
with God. The serpent therefore tends to
use the same strategy, appealing to our natural appetites and our excessive desires
to separate us once again from the Father.
Do you suppose the devil
would use the law against us? I can
imagine it being difficult for people who honored God and the law of Moses
their whole lives to perceive it as a tool used by the devil. But adding any portion of the law as a
requirement to new covenant salvation is denying the completeness of the
sacrifice of Christ. It appears noble to
want to help God clean up our sin mess but it actually pollutes the
process. Any contribution of human
effort through legal obligation added to Christ’s sacrifice actually makes it
void. If we refuse to accept His payment
for sin as a gift we reject the gospel of salvation and return to bondage and
sin.
Most religious leaders
rejected Paul’s message of the gospel because it set the people free from their
control. The law system was easily
manipulated and used to enslave people, not unto a loving kind God but to
insecure leaders. I believe the parable
Jesus told about the unjust steward revealed the motives of many religious
leaders. It was evident that the unjust
steward was more interested in preserving his own position of power than he was
concerned for the people he had charge over.
He used their indebtedness for his own gain and even when confronted with
his mismanagement he did not repent but tried to insure long term benefits by
cutting some quick deals. When he was
given his layoff notice he attempted to keep the people obligated by posing as
a good guy reducing their debts. He knew
his money would run out so he wanted them to feel obligated to care for
him.
Those Paul spoke of who
perverted the gospel by adding debt (law) to it were doing the very same thing
the unjust steward did. (See Luke
16) They were trying to preserve their
position as beneficiaries of the people’s debt when in reality their debt no
longer even existed. They were trying to
preserve the wall that separated men from God profiting from their exclusive
connection to Him. This is a gross
perversion of the true gospel which proclaims a removal of the wall of
separation and a total cancellation of debt not just a small reduction.
It is no secrete that our
enemy wants to render us ineffective and even destroy us. For those who are Christians he most likely
will disguise himself under the cover of religion. Since he is a legalist he will use religious
obligations and duties to ensnare people and lead them back into slavery and
the condemnation of the law. Paul said
in Galatians 2:19 that through the law he is dead to the law that he might live
unto God. He being familiar with the law
knew it condemned him to death but when he discovered Christ had died in his
place and had given him new life, he could but live it whole heartedly for Him.
Paul’s new found life was being
in Christ as one with Him. He said in
Gal. 2:20 , “I am
crucified with Christ never the less I live, but its no longer my life it belongs
to Him. I now live by the faith of the
Son of God. Since He loved me so much
that He would die for me, how could I withhold anything from Him?” (My own
Paraphrase)
Jesus’ words to Peter and all
those who hear Him are, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it. Matthew 16:24-26. One way to save or preserve our life is by
turning again to serving through the law as the Galatians did. Their former slave master showed up wearing
religious garments and hoodwinked them into thinking they must be yoked to the
law by submitting to requirements like circumcision. They had no idea it was a devil in priest’s
garments drawing them away from the yoke of the Lord and the new life they
had. With out realizing it they
abandoned the cross and the life of freedom in Christ for the life of guilt,
shame, condemnation and distance from God.
What were they thinking?
Again in the garden when the mob came to arrest Jesus, Peter pulled out his sword to defend Him. In Matthew 26:52 Jesus told Peter to put away the sword, all who take (trust in) the sword will perish by the sword. The sword can refer to the law. Those who trust in performing or fulfilling legal obligations will be judged by the same and found lacking, condemned to death.
Just as Peter’s thoughts were
about preserving natural life God’s thoughts were about providing eternal life
to all. The Galatians were swayed back
into thinking as Peter had, they trusted in the sword (law) if you will to save
their own life rather than surrendering or loosing their life by taking up the
cross as Jesus said. What were they
thinking? Their beliefs and actions had
canceled the benefit of the cross of Christ in their lives.
