Galatians, Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians
The
driving force behind all that I've done
and taught is an absolute assurance that
God loves me. He didn't just love me before
I committed some of my stupid acts, or He
won't just love me in the future when I
get my act together. He loves me right now,
independent of any worth of my own. It's
an unconditional love, not based on my performance.
Therefore, I am assured it will continue.
God's love for us is based on Him being
love (1 John 4:8), not on our being lovable.
That's wonderful news that most Christians
and people in the world have not heard.
Most people think that they have to do something
to earn God's favor; therefore, not many
people have much hope of ever measuring
up.
The Gospel, as it is being presented today,
actually drives people away from the Lord.
Instead of telling people what the Lord
has done for them, people preach about what
we must do for the Lord. Many people are
told that God's acceptance and favor are
conditional, based on them measuring up
to His standard. This is not the truth.
God's true nature and love have not been
accurately portrayed.
The only thing that God demands of us is
faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
This is such a radical truth that evokes
such a response of love from us that the
rest of the Christian life is nothing but
a response to what Christ has done for us,
not an effort to get Christ to respond to
us. Praise the Lord! That's awesome!
The Apostle Paul is the one who really brought
this truth to light. Jesus demonstrated
the grace of God as no one ever had before,
but the Apostle Paul is the one the Lord
used to give an understanding of this truth
in Scripture. Paul shocked the religious
people of his day by proclaiming justification
apart from performance. The religious leaders
couldn't comprehend this. How could they
control people if they couldn't demand performance
in exchange for God's blessing? What would
make the people do the right things?
Paul's answer to these questions was that
their love for God would compel them to
live holier accidentally than they ever
did on purpose. Love is a greater motivator
than fear of punishment or rejection; however,
the leaders of Paul's day and the majority
of the religious leaders today have totally
rejected these claims.
It is commonly preached that God withdraws
from us when we do wrong and draws closer
as we do better. That is just another way
of saying that He gives us what we deserve.
Of course, none of us really deserve anything
from the Lord, so there must be a little
bit of grace mixed with our performance
to make this palatable to the masses. In
Romans, Paul makes it clear that this theory
doesn't wash. Romans 11:6 says that it's
either all grace or all works, but not a
mixture of the two. We are either acceptable
to God based on what we do or on what our
Lord Jesus Christ did for us — not
a combination of the two. It has to be one
way or the other.
The deadliest weapon against the true Gospel
is not a total denial of its claims but
an addition of other terms or conditions
to the only thing that Jesus demanded: faith.
Faith in Jesus plus nothing equals total
victory. Faith in Jesus plus anything else
equals failure. Our faith in Jesus alone
is the key to experiencing all of God's
best.
This was the whole thrust of Paul's teaching
in his letter to the Galatians. The Christians
in Galatia had received Christ as their
Lord through Paul's ministry and were genuinely
saved, but legalistic Jews convinced them
that faith in Jesus alone wasn't enough
to be in right standing with God. They were
also told that they needed to live holy,
according to the Jewish standard of holiness,
or they would be lost. Paul attacked that
doctrine with a vengeance.
The book of Galatians is one of the hardest
hitting books in the Bible. Paul doesn't
mince any words. He tells it like it is,
in almost brutal terms. He didn't do this
to hurt the Galatians but because of his
great love for them. He considered this
truth of the grace of God to be the heart
and soul of the Gospel; therefore, any compromising
on this issue was unacceptable. There is
no true salvation apart from absolute faith
in Christ alone. It was Paul's great love
for the Galatians that compelled him to
invoke curses on any who would pervert the
Gospel.
The book of Ephesians is a much gentler
letter, but it proclaims the same great
truths. Paul starts this letter with a prayer
for the Ephesians, that they would receive
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
what they have in Christ. We have already
been given everything in Christ. Why should
we try and work for something that we already
have? That doesn't make sense. It's just
a matter of believing and receiving, not
working and earning.
In Ephesians, Paul reveals that we are saved
by grace through faith and not of ourselves.
He also reveals that experiencing the love
of God will fill us completely with all
the fullness of God. If we aren't experiencing
the fullness of God in our lives, then we
aren't experiencing God's love in its entirety.
The unconditional love of God is the key.
Actions are a byproduct of love, not the
other way around.
Paul didn't promote ungodly living. He promoted
a relationship with the Lord independent
of our worthiness. Once an individual comes
into relationship with the Lord by faith
alone, it becomes the nature of that person
to live holy as love becomes the motivator.
In the book of Ephesians, Paul exhorts the
Ephesians to live holy, but from the positive
motivation of love instead of the negative
motivation of punishment that is so common
today.
The book of Philippians gives tremendous
insight into the personal life of the Apostle
Paul. This letter was written to Paul's
biggest supporters and some of his best
friends in the ministry. He praised God
for their partnership in the Gospel, and
he bared his heart to them. He revealed
that he was not only willing to die for
the sake of Christ, but he was actually
looking forward to doing so. He was actually
in a struggle as to whether he should stay
in this world so he could preach the Gospel
or just go on to be with the Lord, which
he would much rather do.
How could Paul say such things? How can
a person reach a point to where their own
life is not the most important thing to
them? Paul gives the answers to these questions
to his friends in Philippi. He learned how
to be content. It didn't come naturally.
He chose to be the way he was. The key was
that he had died. You can't threaten, intimidate,
or kill a dead man. Paul was dead to himself
and alive to God.
How did this happen? It was through the
love of God. Paul had such a revelation
of the unconditional love of God that it
caused him to die to himself and to all
his own desires. The love of Christ constrained
him to live the way he did. No law could
ever do that. No rule or regulation is worth
dying for. It was the personal relationship
he had with the living Lord Jesus Christ
that caused him to count all of his accomplishments
as dung in comparison.
Although written from prison, Paul's letter
to the Philippians has more references to
joy and rejoicing than any of his other
letters. Paul told us to rejoice in the
Lord always. Just in case this seemed so
impossible that people would think Paul
surely made a mistake, he said it again.
It is only when we find our identities in
what Jesus has done for us, and not in what
we do for Him, that we can experience joy
unspeakable and full of glory.
In the book of Colossians, Paul reminds
the believers in Colosse that they have
already been made worthy to partake of the
inheritance Christ bought for them. They've
already been placed in Christ's kingdom
and are heirs to all His benefits. Understanding
this is the foundation of faith. All the
deception that the enemy uses against us
violates this fundamental principle. Understanding
our completeness in Christ as a total work
of grace voids the power of the devil. The
only real power the devil ever had against
us was our sins. They have been dealt with
through the atoning work of Christ.
We are already seated in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. We aren't headed toward
victory. We are coming from a victory —
Christ's total victory over the devil. Colossians
is a powerful book that describes victorious
Christian living.
These four letters that Paul wrote reveal
some of the most powerful truths about the
grace of God in the Bible. They provide
practical understanding as to how God can
love us unconditionally and still be just.
Feelings fluctuate, but facts fix our hearts
in truth. These letters will help establish
you in the unconditional love and grace
of God.
I have bound into a book all of the Life
for Today study notes on the four letters
written by Paul to the Galatians, Ephesians,
Philippians, and Colossians. I believe that
this book could make a profound impact on
your understanding of the Gospel therefore,
impacting your relationship with the Lord.
These are the scriptures that the Lord used
to turn my life around. I know they will
work for you too, if you will let them.
These study guides make these truths simple
and easy to understand. This is an attractive
spiral-bound book that has the actual text
of these letters printed along with hundreds
of my personal notes and marginal references.
There is a footnote index in the back of
this book with entries allowing you to look
up footnotes by subject and have an in-depth
study on numerous topics.
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Jamie
and I are so thankful our path has crossed with yours. In fact, we believe
it was a divine appointment. Over thirty-five years ago, an encounter
with God changed our lives forever, and we believe He’ll do the same for
you. We consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to share the truth
of His life-changing power and grace with you.
God
called us to teach the truth of the Gospel to the body of Christ with
special emphasis on God’s unconditional love and the balance between grace
and faith. We are doing our best to fulfill that call by teaching at seminars,
in churches, on radio and television, by training others at Charis Bible
College, and by developing ministry materials designed to help you in
your relationship with the Lord.
Visi
the Andrew
Wommack Ministries website for an amazing array of Study
& teaching resources ...
Watch
Andrew’s daily television programs day or night, or listen to his radio
broadcast at your convenience. Archived television and radio programs
can be selected by date or topic. You may download a Bible commentary
with nearly 5,000 footnotes written by Andrew on the New Testament, from
Matthew through 2 Timothy. Access any footnote by simply looking up the
verse. In the book of Romans, Andrew’s audio commentary teaching accompany
the footnotes. Over thirty of his teaching articles from past newsletters
can be read. In addition, a popular daily devotional is available as well.
http://www.awmi.net
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