Bringing Glad Tidings

Let him who is taught the word share

in all good things with him who teaches.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;

for whatever a man sows that he

will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh

will of the flesh reap corruption,

but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit

reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary

while doing good, for in due season we shall

reap if we do not lose heart.

Therefore, as we have opportunity,

Let us do good to all, especially to those

who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:6–10

            This Scripture, vs. 6, is so often used as a hammer to make a person feel bad, to cause a person to give money. It is true that we should be supporting our congregations, but, and this again is a big but, not before you pay your bills, you owe the bills, and Scripture us clear that we are not to owe anything to anybody, and then pay what God has placed on your heart to give. I know, I know, some churches demand 10%, even go so far as to say pay the church before paying your bills, as if God will bless you for doing so in special ways. Cannot God bless you if you give according to the Spirit within you, when you have paid your debts? Jesus paid the debt we owed, our debt first, then the blessing of His death, His resurrection, His ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God to make eternal intercession for you, not the other way around. That is money, but this Scripture is not all about money. How about this: mow the lawn, clean the church, patch holes, assist in teaching, give the pastor a chicken for his pot, whatever you do, do it for God, according to the faith He has given you, not a measure of faith, God gives faith, we measure it out often in portions. SHARE! There it is!

            Sowing is to reap, no sowing, no reaping. Sow the wrong thing, reap the wrong thing, sow the right thing, reap the right thing. SIMPLE! Hard though as our flesh, our sinfulness that has not yet left us, and still is in enmity with God when we take our eyes off of Him and place them on ourselves. “I have sowed,” you say, “I have done all these godly things,” and still do not see any blessing, my wife has cancer, my kids are rebellious, my friends have left me, and I am broke. Where is the blessings promised? How about this, you are already blessed. What more can you want than the promised blessing, a blessing given to the children of God; everlasting life. Want more? Why? Do you trust God? Do you believe that you are the seed of Abraham and are recipients of the covenant God made with Abraham that the Messiah would come through his line, and that many in all nations would receive the benefit, the blessing by the coming of the Seed, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Why live now as those this is all the life there is? Why not live as what God made you to be, the bride of Christ, an ambassador, and an adopted son and daughter by God who gives eternal life.  This life passes, eternal life is just that: eternal. Your citizenship is not here on earth: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Do you really believe He is coming again, coming for His bride, that that which is corruptible will put on incorruptibleness? Or is just a strong hope?

            Now, as we have opportunity, to good to all, especially those of the faith, those who are our brothers, and sisters, who need our help, we may need help and would it not be good to have a brother or sister give us aid? Is this not good? You say, “I don’t know who needs help.” Well, take the time to find out. Or just rush off to home, or to some restaurant, or to the beach, or to the lake, or to do some shopping, all for yourself, and the needy left in the lurch. You reap what you sow. What you have sown, will be reaped in due season. This is a promise of God, and God never, never, never, goes back on His promises, so remember He has promised the greatest blessing of all; life with Him, in a new world, a place where Jesus has gone to prepare for you a mansion, and in that mansion you shall live eternally.

            So many churches, pastors, leaders, teachers, demand that you get what the Bible never promises, a second baptism of the Holy Spirit, a must to speak in some gibberish tongue, or to be healers, to do, to do, to do, and the compel you to make a good showing and this showing is in the flesh for God does not desire works, does not desire sacrifice; He desires obedience. Why would such men compel you to do things that the Bible does not require? So that the may boast in your flesh. (Galatians 6:12–13). Paul ends this letter to the Galatians: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. and as may as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15–16). Let this end this work on Galatians; we are free, we are no longer under the throes of sin, unless we allow ourselves to be bewitched, misled. You are Israel, and the promises given to Abraham are promises for you, you are his seed, and heirs of God. Paul states this plainly: “who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because the are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’” “That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of God the promise are counted as the seed” (Romans 9:4–8.

For there is not distinction

            Between Jew and Greek,

For the same Lord over all is rich

            To all who call upon Him,

For “whoever calls on the name

            Of the LORD shall saved.

                                    Romans 10:11–12

Bring glad tidings to someone today

Richard L. Crumb

Bearing The Burdens Of Our Brothers And Sisters

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass,

you who are spiritual restore such a one

in a spirit of gentleness, considering

yourself lest you also be tempted.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so

fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone

thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing,

he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work,

and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone,

and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Galatians 6:1–5

            How often have you heard someone say: “We are not to judge anyone?” This is the pluralism, a philosophy that there is more than one basic substance or principle. This is the culture of this present age which has often been assigned as post­–modernism. What is being taught to us as adults and especially to the children in school,, by the media, movies, music, etc., is that everyone has their own truth and we are not to judge them by our truth. Scripture used to be the basis for this philosophy that has found its way into the church: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1–2). Then of course those philosopher’s of this age, they who call themselves Christian point out Paul’s words: “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:3–4). It is always, context, context, context, to consider when understanding, or interpreting Scripture. In both cases, one when Jesus was speaking was not that we do not judge that which is good or bad according to God, rather that we first examine ourselves before making any judgment on others, and to ensure before judging that the person to be judged has provocation to be judged. Did Paul judge? Yes!: “For I indeed, as absent in the body but presenting spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed”(1Corinthians 5:3). How will we be able to know when a person is overtaken in sin? Because we see what is to be done, and then judge that action or teaching according to Scripture. We must though be careful and examine ourselves first, is this not what we do before partaking of the Lord’s Supper? If not being done then you should read Paul’s words in regard to the manner a person is to approach this sacrament. Notice this: it is a spiritual man, the one who has examined himself, the one that has read, studied, and mediated upon Scripture that is to be the judge. Paul makes this clear: “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one” (1Corinthians 2:15). Does this mean that a spiritual man is not to be judged? Or, is this to mean that if a man is spiritual and has the mind of Christ then we are not to judge this one as not having the mind of Christ, that he has received the Spirit of God. Listen to the words of Jesus: “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him––the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:47–48). It is not that we do not see the sin in the world, those works of the world, that are contrary to Scripture and are to do nothing. No, for we are to be the light of the world, as was Jesus for we are to be the image of Jesus: therefore, we see their sin, we address their sin, but we do not have to judge them for their sin has already judged. As Christians, we are not to be passive, apathetic to the sins of this world, to sit aside and say: “God will judge!” Yes, God will judge: “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Romans 2:16). Will we, as Christians judge anyone? Yes! Paul makes this clear that we do things that are so unchristian, so hurtful to another Christian, and disparaging to the gospel, to Jesus Christ Himself, to God the Father who sent Him. How? We take our brothers and sisters to court and not before saints. We have the word of Jesus (Matthew 18:15–17; read the whole chapter) for we are to judge but we are first to judge ourselves seeing that we have not a sin that would disqualify us from being a judge: “Dare any of you, having a matte against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you no know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? Is ay this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers”(1Corinthians 6:1–6)!

            We are called to bear one another’s burdens. We are the adopted sons of God so why not act like that which we are? We are we so ready to condemn for almost any reason another brother over matters that are at times so trivial: i.e., color of the carpet, to have wine, water, grape juice, or, crackers, bread, wafers, etc., and not meet together to settle the matter? We are we so ready to sue our brother, our sister? We are we taking our fellow Christians to court? Have we not instructions on how, as Christians we are to handle matters? Do not deceive yourself into thinking that we will not be judged according to the manner in which we have dealt with our brothers and sisters. Judge your thinking on matters of God, His people, and examine yourself to assure that what you are attempting to judge is not something of a speck in your own eye. Now, in love we approach our belief in Jesus Christ towards others who are they adopted sons and daughters of God. We are those who have the promise of Abraham. We are heirs to the throne of God and who are ambassadors of Jesus Christ, who will judge this world and angels. We examine ourselves we ensure the joy that comes from being love by God, by His Son, and led by the Holy Spirit, and then we have a witness to the world that cannot be overturned.

Beloved, let us love one another,

            For love is of God;

And everyone who loves is born

            Of God and knows God.

                                    1John 4:6

Love By God’s Principles

Richard L. Crumb

Walking In The Spirit Of Truth

Now the works of the flesh are evident,

which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,

lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,

jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,

dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,

revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand,

just as I also told you in time past, that those who

practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

self–control. Against such there is no law.

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh

with its passions and desires.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:19–25

            Often when we hear or read of something often what is said or printed loses its power; they become just words. Worse, we often make excuses that contradict what is said or written. I am afraid this is true of the opening Scripture; we know it all too well but we don’t apply those written words in our lives. We can recite those works of the flesh, and the works of the Spirit but we far too often miss the important part of this Scripture: “If you are doing the works of the flesh: those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Did you get it? If you think that you are in some favor of God due to any works that seem to be religious or pious and yet are involved in such fleshly practices you are not in God’s favor and all you can expect from Him is that you will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is powerful! How many churches allow homosexuality, or abortion, or women as pastor’s, and then give excuses by misapplying Scripture. They are bewitching those in the congregation. How can anyone get around this Scripture? “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.  For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.” (Note that the appeal is not to Scripture per se, it is that this lesbian lifestyle is against nature) “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust (there it is in a nutshell: lust ad lust is to have

“now” what a person desire whether it be right or wrong, and lust leads to fleshly desires being imposed for man’s self and not God) for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. (Read the first chapter of Romans and tell me how anyone claiming to be Christian can allow these things to exist in their church, to teach that it is ok, and that God will bless them, and not see the hedonism?). Please tell me: how can a person who claims to walk in the Spirit gamble, or get drunk, or fellowship with unbelievers above what is required. How is it that a person claiming Jesus as Savior and then commit murder, that is speaking first and foremost of abortion which in any sense is murder, a taking of life? How is it that a Christ is so filled with selfish desire that are selfish ambitions, and then to follow heresies because they are too lazy to take the time to pray, to read God’s word? If you say you live in the Spirit then live in the Spirit! How many of you are taking time to teach your spouse, your children? Or, are you so busy taking them to some practice, which in of itself is not bad unless it takes away from family time, a time when the family comes together to read God’s word. Maybe it is because you are reading a poor translation; i.e., the NIV, or ESV, etc. that leave out important words when the variances are found to be abundant in other manuscripts, such as the word “adultery” not found in the NIV that I checked, but is in the New King James version that includes the word “adultery” because the majority of manuscripts have the Greek word, “μοιχεία” in the Scripture (Galatians 5:19), but then a person is unwilling to change to a better translation. Why, they are comfortable with what they have and tacitly agree with a poor translation that leads a person away from the truth. I would like to include this song recorded by Ernest Tubb, and written by Willie Nelson:

“There’s a family Bible on the table. Its pages torn and hard to read. But the family Bible on the table will ever be my key to memories. At the end of day when work was over and when the evening meal was done, dad would read to us from the family Bible and we’d count our many blessings one by one. I can see us sitting round the table when from the family Bible dad would read and I can hear my mother softly singing, Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages cleft for me. This old would or ours is full of trouble but this old world would also better be if we’d find more Bible on the tables, and mothers singing Rock of Ages cleft for me. I can see us sitting round the table, when from the family Bible dad would read, and I can here my mother softly singing, Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages cleft for me.”

This song reminds me that I must walk in the Spirit, that my words must be accompanied by action and I hope you are reminded that you too must walk as you speak and put away the desires, those works of the flesh and fall upon your knees before a Holy God who loved you so much that He came, yes Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, the very essence of God, God became man to pay yours and my debt so that we could have the promises especially the promise given to Abraham that all people who are called, enabled and have the Holy Spirit, will be adopted as sons, become the Bride of Christ, and be ambassadors, for God, and in time will live, not in this world full of trouble, but will live eternally (Read Revelation 21:4) you will find great joy.

For this is the love of God,

            That we keep His

Commandments. And His

            Commandments are

Not burdensome.

                        1John 5:3

Praise God He called you!

Richard L. Crumb

Walking In The Spirit Of God

I say then: Walk in the Spirit,

and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh;

and these are contrary to one another,

so that you do not do the things that you wish.

But if you are led by the Spirit

you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16–18

            Paul writing to the Galatian churches makes this one thing clear: There is neither Jew or Greek, nor is their slave not free, there is neither female nor male, for all are one in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:28). The Jew is not better than the Greek because he has been circumcised. No Christian is better due to their works. The Gentile is not better or worse because he is not circumcised. No Christian is better because the do not perform works. Neither are separated due to their condition, but by faith a slave can be better than a free man and a free man can outstrip a slave, by the quality of faith. Faith is the devotion of the mind. A woman may have all the qualities that outstrip a man, be more esteemed in piety, and a man may surpass a woman in piety; but, and this is an important. All these conditions may exist and yet all have one thing in common: depravity; original sin, this disparity of condition whereby the body may be destroyed by baptism into and putting on the clothing in Jesus Christ. We may say that we are Christian and yet our lives are in contradiction to our words. We do not keep all the Ten Commandments, and make excuses for not keeping the one Commandment: keeping the Sabbath holy, and a separate day to rest, to worship God, outside of going to church. We don’t associate with our brothers and sisters except that short time we spend at church. We not only make excuses for such failure, we make excuses for other failures, and the one greatest failure is not walking in the Spirit, and when we fail in this we are liable to fulfill the lust of the flesh. We are all one in Jesus Christ, just as the Only Begotten Son of God and the Father are together as One, so also we, all Christians are one together. If we fail to walk in the Spirit and allow our flesh to become our master then we are a slave to that master and all our brothers and sisters are affected, and be bring much bad report and effect upon our congregation and the church as a whole.

            The need is to walk by faith, uprightly in this present life and how much this will accomplish completely now and how much more amply will this walking in faith be a splendor when we face Jesus Christ face to face. When we walk by faith, the righteousness of faith we have many of the first fruits of the Spirit who is life. Though our body is dead in sin, we are alive in Jesus Christ and no matter who we are, no matter what nationality, not matter what gender, male or female, we all are in Jesus Christ and all will face Jesus Christ. Our faith, our walking in faith and not allowing our flesh to rule keeps us from being contrary to the will of God, His commandments, not because we will have something from God, that something has already been promised, and that promise is secure in Jesus Christ; eternal life. What more do you want?  In our everyday life it is this unity of faith, that unity we have with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father. When we come face to face with Jesus Christ do we not want to hear: “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’” (Matthew 25:21).  What is holding you back? Why have you not become sold out for Jesus Christ? Do you really believe in the promises of God? Do you really believe that you are legally in heaven now and are waiting until this temporary life is over, and then reside eternally with Jesus Christ, that is, with God and this lust of the flesh will be destroyed never to return. You are all one in Jesus Christ, therefore you are Abraham’s seed. This fact shows that one seed, Jesus Christ, is not only our mediator but also as the church, that is you, is the body of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and as one in Jesus Christ we are to be His representative here on earth. Are you one? Or, are you allowing the works of the flesh to be your ruler, your head, and are you representing Satan, and those who perform satanic things? You may say: “I am not doing satanic thing, I keep the Sabbath, I do, I do, I do, but are doing things that seem pious, but are contrary to God’s word, a work that has the appearance of godliness, but only are enslaving you to those works.

            Walk by faith, allow the Spirit of God to be your paidagogos, your master, and walk as to what you have become, the seed of Abraham according to the promise of God, We are the adopted offspring of God. Take the word of God seriously and believe upon Him. Employ in your life His Spirit that resides in you and is willing to continue to guide you, to instruct you and this through proper preaching, and proper interpretation of His word. When you allow the flesh, the lust of the flesh rule your life, then you have pushed aside the Holy Spirit, and are walking contrary to the will of God.  Now, here is the good news: You are a son of God! You do not have to walk in the lust of the flesh! You can walk in the Spirit! We are not under the law, the law of works. From our faith, walking in righteousness we will do works, not because we are more righteous, rather because we are an ambassador of Christ, and we live, do, those things for Him. Here is where there is blessings, and here is, when we face Him face to face, we will enjoy the splendor of His pleasure with us.

Most assuredly, I say to you

            The hour is coming,

And now is, when the dead

            Will hear the voice

Of the Son of God; and

            Those who hear will live.

                        John 5:25

Walk in the Spirit today

Richard L. Crumb

Living In True Liberty

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;

only do not use liberty as an opportunity

for the flesh, but through love serve

one another. For all the law is fulfilled

in one word, even in this: “You shall love

                your neighbor as yourself.”(Lev. 19:18)

But if you bite and devour one another,

Beware lest you be consumed by one another!

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you

shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:13–16

            Liberty: a word that is so misused and misunderstood in many churches.  Oh to be free, to have liberty, is the cry of many and they devise many systems of thought and theology to gain this liberty.  All in the guise of being Scriptural, or as many say: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Lev. 19:18). Who is our neighbor?  It is someone that lives nearby. It is the one we wish to associate with in a neighborly way; who then should be our neighbor? Who is Paul speaking too and about? Is it not our brothers and sisters in Christ? Yes! Paul is addressing the brethren and this letter to the Galatians is to the brethren; therefore our neighbor is first those who are our fellow adopted sons and daughters by God in Jesus Christ. This country, the United States, was formed by our Constitution to provide liberty. Liberty from what? Adverse rule that they were under in the countries from which the fled. Liberty is to be free from arbitrary rule. Does God rule arbitrarily? NO! So the why do many churches form a libertarian theology that is not Scriptural? Why do they allow what is clear and plainly taught in Scripture that we are to avoid.  We do we allow such things to draw us away from the truth of Scripture? Paul nails it on the head: it is an opportunity for our flesh, our sinful flesh to be free to do whatever we so desire. Is this love, is this Scriptural, and is this only a veil to say that our liberty is to allow what God condemns in our congregations? How is this showing love for our brethren? To allow sinful yeast to mix with good yeast does not make the bad yeast good. All it does is contaminate the good yeast making is unusable. Then there is factions among the brethren. Why? Because we place ourselves under a paidagogos, masters, rulers, teachers that do not live even under the law given by Moses by God for His children to follow. The law points us to our sin, and drives us to desire a savior, a redeemer. Causing us to desire to be free from this sin, but the law cannot do so, even though it leads in the way of God for it requires faith, and faith cannot reside with a paidagogos, that master, teacher, ruler, that teaches a form of liberty that is not liberty at all only another form of control. How sad that we fall into this error, and become bewitched by such masters, pastors, celebrity pastors that teach a form of Scriptural, good sounding words, yet only have the goal of lining their pockets with as much luxury as they possibly get; but we do this because we want that too. Our lust thirsts for fulfillment. We do not walk in the Spirit! Paul writes to the Romans: “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13–14).

            We say we believe in Jesus Christ. Do we? Are we following Him, taking up our cross daily, forgetting those things behind and pressing forward? Are we not baptized in Christ and have put on Christ? Is it not speaking with “forked tongue” to say that you are “Christian” and then not live according to His commands? We are to have “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and to become formed in His image and this is what God predestined: For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, That He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). So why do make provision for the flesh? Would you take Jesus to sit with you and watch MMA, two people beating each other to a pulp, for some sort of personal glory? Would you take the Holy Spirit with you and then park Him outside the hotel room while you commit adultery, or fornication? Would you take Jesus, the Holy Spirit to go gambling with you? Are you really converted to Jesus Christ or is it just some good sounding and desirable thing that you want but will not give up your lustful liberty? Maybe you are just like those people in the past who would not be baptized until they are on their deathbed, who lived a lustful libertarian life, but believed that baptism would cleanse them from their past, so they waited until this time believing their sins were absolved. If we have been baptized in Christ then we have put on Christ, the One whom we are to believe, and if you are not living according to the plain truth of Scripture, then it is obvious that you have not put on Christ; you are under a false paidagogos, this master, this ruler, this teacher that teaches another gospel. You are misled; so, how can you expect God to be pleased, and to bless you if you are not willing to give up this life the life promised to Abraham and all his children in all the nations that believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ: eternal life. Live now for eternity, not the temporary life we now live. Allow faith, simple and complete faith in Jesus Christ to guide your life, to be the way you live in this life. Care for your brothers and sisters in Christ, and then allow that love to extend to the world, but first care for your brethren. It is our brethren we are to be neighborly with, to associate with and as steel sharpens steel we are kept from our lustful desire. We are not to be lone wolves.

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead

            Because of sin, but the Spirit is life

Because of righteousness. But if the Spirit

            Of Him who raised Jesus from the

Dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ

            From the dead will also give life

To your mortal bodies through His Spirit

            Who dwells in you.

                                    Romans 8:10–11

Be the image of Jesus today

Richard L. Crumb

Living In The Image Of Jesus Christ

You have become estranged from Christ,

you who attempt to be justified by law;

you have fallen from grace.

For we through the Spirit eagerly

wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision

nor uncircumcision avails anything,

but faith working through love.

You ran well. Who hindered you

from obeying the truth?

This persuasion does not come

from Him who calls you.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Galatians 5:4–9

            Remembrance is important here: Paul is not talking to unbelievers; he is talking to believers in Jesus Christ. The Galatians were being led astray from the truth and were becoming estranged from Jesus Christ. How? By following the Law, not the Ten Commandments as some would say is now fulfilled and not applicable to today, but those ceremonial laws; i.e. bringing sheep to be slaughtered, the priestly role in the religions life of the Israelites, etc. By returning to the Law and all its rites, precepts, and needs, and by returning to the works of the Law, those who were doing so had fallen from grace. The one work that being propounded by the Judaizers was circumcision as being necessary if one was to be a child of God. Paul makes it clear that circumcision as was done in the past is no longer necessary. There is no need for this outward working as in the past to be justified, or to be considered a member of God’s nation. It is easy to return to works to prove one’s faith, but this is not faith, it is doing what is no longer necessary. Faith works in love, first to the brothers and sisters in Christ and then extends to the world. It seems as though this practice is now reversed. The secular world gets first priority and the brothers and sisters second. The question is: are you doing all you can to aid your brothers and sisters; i.e., those in need of food, money, clothing, yard clean–up, house cleaning, having them over for lunch or dinner, etc., this is love working and it is true love if done by faith in Jesus Christ, following in His footsteps. Did not Jesus was the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper? Yes! Too often we go to Church and then not talk to anyone, leave as quick as we can, never really getting to know our brothers and sisters. But, we will work at things that are good and may be done in the love of Jesus Christ, but that work takes the place of doing work for our brothers and sisters. Can we do both? Yes! Don’t allow the work you do, such as working for the Rescue Mission, or some clinic to aid pregnant mothers, or to take food to the homeless in the park, or teaching Sunday School, or Vacation Bible Study, to seem good and acceptable to God, when all it is really doing is feeding pride, religious pride. Look, see, what I am doing is it not a good work and I must be acceptable to God for doing so, and maybe it is, but verify why you are working; is it by faith, out faith that your works have its basis? We do, as Christians, have work to do, that work is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, and we need to start at home, and from our home extend out to others, both in the Church and in our secular work. We must examine ourselves, our dress, our words, our bodies, and not allow ourselves to become: “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak” (1Corinthians 8:9).  Our love is to be the love of Jesus Christ, not just a love to Him, rather a love that He demonstrated teaching us what love is acceptable to Him; it is love we have by our faith in Him as our securer of our future, our eternal destiny, given to us by God through His Son: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (1Corithians 16:13–14).

            Are those who subvert the truth persuading you? Have you turned to a religion of works? Is your works do to your converted faith in Jesus Christ? Not just some decision for Jesus Christ, but a conversion that leads you by the faith given to you to do what we as Christians ought to do: love our brothers and sisters, and do good in this world. Not for some prideful reason, but because we are sold out completely to Jesus Christ and have taken up our cross and are following Him? The Law did not remove sin, only gave understanding as to what sin is, and how we are sinful and in need of a Savior. The Law did not diminish the promises of God. The Jews became accustomed to doing and though just the doing was being righteous but this blinded them from the truth that righteousness comes only through God and this by an intermediary because salvation, righteousness does not come by a person’s hand, only from this intermediary, Jesus Christ. The Law could not make a person alive. Only Jesus Christ can make a person alive, alive eternally, without sin, without an iota of sin to mislead a person from God. We are not of this world, even though we reside in this world, we are only temporary ambassadors for Christ. Easy? NO! Can it be done? YES! By the power of the Holy Spirit leading us we can overcome but not by being lazy, apathetic, we are admonished: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1Peter 1:13–16).

For the eyes of the LORD

            Are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to

Their prayers;

But the face of the LORD is

            Against those who do evil.

                                    1Peter 3:12

Live in the image of Jesus Christ

Richard L. Crumb

Free From The Yoke Of Bondage

Stand fast therefore in the liberty

by which Christ has made us free,

and do not be entangled again with

a yoke of bondage.

Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you

become circumcised, Christ will

profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man

who becomes circumcised that

he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

You have become estranged from Christ,

you who attempt to be justified by law;

you have fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:1–4

            We live in a culture that has become prideful, hedonistic, and seeks to serve oneself as though life would be wonderfully great and there would be no problems to face. If only they followed the advice of such men as Dr. Phil (no slam here) and others who while doing some good for a person points that person to themselves instead of to the only One who can help: Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, given by the Father. Humbleness is not to be found unless by being humble a person receives something but this is not being humble: “1. not proud or arrogant; modest; 2. low in importance, status, or condition; 3. courteously respectful; 4. insignificant, inferior, submissive; 5. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase; mortify; 6. to destroy the independence or will of; or subdue; 7. to make meek, (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1997; p. 635). Does this sound like what is being promoted today? No! It is all about self, self-aggrandizement in some form. To not get political but to point out the obvious; women in combat so that they are like men: “…Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16b). Or men wanting to get in touch with their feminine side: HUH!  It is pejorative to be humble, to be insignificant, to do housework, or yard work, or just be a wife and to be a husband for today all this is denigrated.  A substitution has taken place and it is called humanitarianism: “1. humanitarian principles or practices; 2a. the ethical doctrine of humanity’s obligations are concerned wholly wit the welfare of the human race; b. the doctrine that humankind may become perfect without divine aid” ((Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1997; p. 634). Pride is the key word and people, even Christians are caught up in this culture. Many Christians substitute humanitarianism and call it serving God, and in many cases it is true that true faith in Jesus Christ is the driving force and not self, but this is not the case especially with those who claim to be Christian and have substituted works, what exactly Paul was writing about, in place of just be Christian. The Law was appointed for the Israelites who were haughty and this so that they could not receive the grace of clarity, that is they cannot receive this grace from God unless they became humble. If there is not grace then any seeking after it by some humanitarian means apart from this grace is not in any way to fulfill the precepts of the Law, and the Law was to lead a person to the knowledge that he was sinful and needed this grace from God and they by this knowledge would then seed this grace and realize that because they were proud they could not be saved by their own merits. A person is not just by his own authority and power, only God who is Just and justifies by His intermediary, Jesus Christ justifies the unrighteous. Yet many have returned back to the Law, circumcision, the rites of the Law, and have set aside personal devotion to Jesus Christ in favor of some humanitarian effort. Our pride is humbled by the Law for it show us how ill we are and in need of a physician. God in His Mercy sent the intermediary, Jesus Christ to reconcile God’s children to Himself and give to His children a new life through Jesus Christ blood sacrificed on the cross: “Are you washed in the blood, of the lamb,” so goes the old hymn: great question; what is your answer? Pride must be shattered, destroyed for it is pride that separates us from the love of God. Our salvation is secure: “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (John 6:57). Why are you returning to a gospel that is not a gospel: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6). It is disastrous to turn away from the truth and by this turning away fall into sin, into error, and even into heresy: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26).  To follow after those men who preach a “New Age” form of theology, to follow after those who demand that to be in the truth that you need a second baptism of the Holy Spirit, as if one was not enough, and to do supernatural works as evidence that you are a Christian and have God’s favor, RUN, RUN, RUN, as fast as you can back into the arms of the Savior, there is were peace resides, not in prideful living, but in quiet life: “…that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing’ (1Thessalinians 4:11–12.

Now may the God of peace Himself

            Sanctify you completely;

And may your whole spirit, soul,

             And body be preserved

Blameless a the coming of our

            Lord Jesus Christ

                                    1Thessalonians 5:23

Live a quiet and faithful life

Richard L. Crumb

Living As A Child Of The Freewoman

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law,

do you not hear the law? For it is written

that Abraham had two sons: he one by a

bondwoman, the other by a freewoman,

but he who was of he bondwoman was born

according to the flesh, and he of the bondwoman

through promise, which things are symbolic. 

For these are the two covenants: the one from

Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage,

which is Hagar––for Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia,

and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is,

and is in bondage with her children––but the

Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians 4:21–26;

(cf. Genesis 16:15,21; 2:3; Isaiah 2:2)

            Choices, that is what life is made and we all are under the consequences of choices: yours, others, and mine. We are free people we can choose, we can do as we please; the question is what is pleasing us? We can choose to be under the bondswoman, or the freewoman. What does it profit to be under the bondswoman?  You are not under the bonds of horrible living under the pressure of torture, or beatings, and living in squander.  That is what some do as masters of slaves. A better master of slaves is one that makes things seem so good, does things for the slaves, and yet the slaves are not free, they just seem to feel free.  True freedom comes to a person, not in some guise that you are free, but that you are actually free, and this is what it is to be under the freewoman. The Law, or the covenant of the Law did not make a person free, even though they could move about life as a free person.  The Law only pointed to death, and the law could not provide righteousness outside of performing what the Law declared. Under the freewoman you are a child of promise and that promise is blessing to you if you live under that freewoman who is the mother of all of God’s children. The promise stated that all of God’s children would receive the Holy Spirit to live within them, to guide them, to pray for them when a person does not know how to pray, and by the Holy Spirit we are free to do the will of God under all circumstances.  We are, as God’s children, adopted sons of God, and this is to be in bondage to the Jerusalem above and that Jerusalem makes us free. We live as adopted sons and daughters of God and this by faith and that faith inspires love of God who placed us under the freewoman making us free; free to live, free to choose, and our choices are made according to the One who adopted us. Confirmed will is not to be scorned or overruled. The will may be altered but the confirmed will is not altered. Why? Because the will is confirmed after death; therefore the will can no longer be changed. God is immutable, His will is immutable, His promises are immutable and are confirmed by death, the death of Jesus Christ: there can be no changes to the will of God. The promises made to Abraham are therefore confirmed and it was by Abraham’s faith that was accounted for justice.

            God made promises to Abraham and to his offspring. Not to “offsprings,” plural as to many, but to one who is Jesus Christ. Paul the apostles makes this clear (Galatians 3:16) that the promise to Abraham was to “seed” and not “seeds” and it is that all Christians imitating the faith of Abraham, whom Paul reduces to a single unit by his comments does so to teach us that it faith is one, and those who live carnally by works cannot be justified with those who live spiritually by faith. Abraham was justified by faith and the Law which came some 400 years later could not justify a person for if the Law could justify a person then the faith of Abraham would be made of no effect. We must admit this and by doing so we are admitting the justification is be faith alone.  We then can realize the all the ancient fathers wee justified by faith alone. We who believe in the past, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the promised One, and believe in the future of His second coming, we then believe the whole story, the Gospel, and this believe in both advents is by the Holy Spirit working in your lives, your hearts as the Holy Spirit reveals this to God’s children. “Abraham longed to see my day; and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).  This by the Holy Spirit operating in Abraham’s life revealing what the promise pointed towards and this then is what God is doing for you today by the power of the Holy Spirit, pointing you to the promises of God.  That promise is that He saves, not you, not anyone else, only Him and this He did by sending His Son Jesus Christ are the propitiation for sin. When we are under the bondage of the bondswoman, we so often count our service, that what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him. As free, under the freewoman we devoted to Jesus Christ and our discipleship is based on that devotion. So many Christians today are devoted to creeds, or personal belief or causes and have substituted them placing them in place of true free devotion to Jesus Christ. Jesus has become a “comrade” and our obedience is to this “friend” and not to the Savior. Our will are our wills, our choices, but this was not the way of Jesus for He came and did the Father’s will.  Jesus did not come to tend to the needs of men, His will was to be obedient to the Father. We must understand this: if our will, is not to Jesus to be sold out completely to Him, then any cause that has our devotion is the not the natural outcome of obedience to the Father. If you, or I love Jesus is personal, and in passion, you are under the Jerusalem above, then your service, or works is not done by your free will, rather it is done by your devotion to Jesus Christ. People love secrets: Let me give you one: the secret of discipleship is one’s life is converted to Jesus and is under devotion to Jesus and the character of this life is not works, causes, or personal desire outside of this devotion; this life is characterized by unobtrusiveness.

Jesus said to Him, “You shall love

            The LORD your God with all

Your heart, with all your soul, and

            With all your mind. This is

The first and great commandment.

            The second is like it; You shall

Love you neighbor as yourself.

                                    Matthew 22:37–39

You are blessed: Heaven is your home

Richard L. Crumb