Finding Ways to Connect to the Scriptures: Galatians

I wasn't born a Jew, under the Law of Moses, only to have a huge paradigm shift when Jesus came and changed everything.  I do not look back on a past life as a practicing, Law-observant, orthodox Jew, and to a present life as a Christian, in danger of being executed for his beliefs.  So I do what I can. Here's what I did last Sunday to try to connect to Galatians a bit, as someone raised Brethren:

Epistle to the Gainesboroeans
Bart, an apostle—not sent out from an assembly nor through any group of Christians, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.

To the assemblies of Gainesboro, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the bondage of legalistic Brethrenism, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 

For am I now seeking the approval of Christians, or of God? Or am I trying to please Christians? If I were still trying to please Christians, I could not be a servant of Christ.

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Brethren Christianity, how I persecuted the other children of God violently and tried to destroy them unless they believed and lived precisely as I did and bowed to the decisions of the elders in the assemblies I was in fellowship with. And I was advancing in Brethren doctrine beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might become free to associate with the nonBrethren Christian people, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Atlanta to those who were gathered before me, but I went away into Fargo, Minnesota, and returned again to Nashville, where there were no Brethren assemblies.

Then after three years I went up to Washington to visit Todd and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other gathered saints except Jim Buchannan. Then I went into Texas and Tennessee. And I was still unknown in person to the various Brethren assemblies up in Ohio. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us for not bowing to the assembly decisions of his group is now reaching out to those he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Washington with Brandon, taking Tyler along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the nonBrethren, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Tyler, who was with me, was not forced to follow a Brethren lifestyle, though he was only raised as a Baptist. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery to the Brethren lifestyle standards— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be the leading men in those church groups (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed to be the leading people didn’t have anything much to say to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been freed to move around freely and connect with the nonBrethren Christians and when Jim and Todd and Liam, who seemed to be pillars of the Brethren community, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Brandon and me, that we should go connect with all the various nonBrethren Christians and they to stay among the Brethren exclusively. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

But when Todd came to Memphis, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain brothers arrived, sent from Jim, he had been worshipping and having bible studies with the nonBrethren Christians; but when these brothers came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the loss of his Brethren status if anyone found out. And the rest of the local brothers acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Brandon was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Pauline epistles, I said to Todd before them all, “If you, though Brethren, worship like a Free Methodist from time to time, and not like a Brethren person, how can you force the Free Methodists to worship like Brethren people and follow your rules and ask to be in fellowship with you?”

We ourselves are Brethren by birth and not Baptist sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by following the legalistic Brethren lifestyle, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by following the Brethren lifestyle, because by the Brethren lifestyle no one will be kept in the Lord.

But if, in our endeavor to know Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the legalistic Brethren lifestyle I died to the legalistic Brethren lifestyle, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the exclusive Brethren lifestyle, then Christ died for no purpose.

O foolish Gainesboro folks! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly presented as crucified for you. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by following the Brethren lifestyle, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being “kept” by your own piety and religious lifestyle? Did you learn so many things in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by your following the Brethren teaching, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the children of God. 

For all who do not rely on keeping the Brethren lifestyle to obtain grace and blessing from God are under a Brethren curse; for it is written in several BTP pamphlets, “Those who stray from the path of the teaching which has come down to us from those faithful Brethren of old who have gone on before, shall not receive any blessing from God.” 

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by following the legalistic Brethren lifestyle, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the Brethren lifestyle is not of faith, rather “The Brethren people shall live by the Brethren lifestyle.” Christ redeemed us from this curse of the Brethren lifestyle so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Christ might come to all, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith, rather than as wages for adhering to the gospel of legalism.

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 

This is what I mean: the Brethren lifestyle, which came 2, 440 years after God made this covenant with Abraham, does not annul that covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by following the Brethren lifestyle, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham as a promise and not unto Moses, Martin Luther, nor John Nelson Darby.

Why then the Brethren lifestyle? It was added because of human transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through faithful men such as Darby and Kelly. 

Is the Brethren lifestyle then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a lifestyle had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by following that Christian lifestyle. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the Brethren lifestyle, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the Brethren lifestyle was our guardian until Christ came to us, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put off Brethrenness and put on Christ. There is neither Brethren nor Pentecostal, there is neither employer nor employee, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from an employee, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under babysitters and tutors until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of human religious ideas.

But when the fullness of time had come, God made Himself known until us Brethren people, to redeem those who were under the Brethren lifestyle, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Dad!” So you are no longer an employee, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those religious ideas that by nature are not God’s. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of a human religious system, whose slaves you want to become once more? You observe superstitious abstinences from any number of harmless things! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Brothers, I entreat you, why aren’t we friends anymore? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would once have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? The Christian community has great respect for you, but for no good purpose. It is always good to be made much of, but for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the Brethren lifestyle, do you not listen to the Brethren teaching? For Brother Mackintosh writes that it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to Nepean, for she is in slavery with her children. But the “Nepean above” is free, and she is our mother. 

For it is written,

“Rejoice, O those denied fellowship;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are silenced!
For the acceptance of the one put away from among his fellows will be more
than those of the one who is ‘out on the Lord’s work.’”

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. We are no longer the children of the gathered saints, but rather, the children of God.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Look: I, Bart, say to you that if you accept the Brethren lifestyle rules, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts the Brethren lifestyle rules that he is obligated to keep them all. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the Brethren lifestyle; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither Brethren lifestyle nor not being Brethren counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This legalism among you is not from him who calls you. Beware. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the legalistic one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach following the Brethren lifestyle, why am I still being persecuted? For I am persecuted for thinking differently. If I were to think according the Brethren teaching, I would not be persecuted among them, and the offense of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ has been removed. I wish those who try to abort your thinking processes would give themselves frontal lobotomies!

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to become religious, pious and legalistic, but through love be of actual benefit to one another. For the whole of Brethren teaching is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your brothers.” But if you gossip about and divide from one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh to seem religious. For the desires of the flesh to seem religious are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh’s need to seem pious, for these are opposed to each other. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under Brethren lifestyle constraints. Now the works of the flesh are evident: enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who act this way will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no Brethren rule. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its need to appear upstanding and pious to those looking on.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own fleshly need to appear religious will from that fleshly need reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do actual, practical good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

See with what a large font I am typing to you with my own hands. 

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to adhere to a Brethren lifestyle, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for having an actual relationship with Christ instead. For even those who are Brethren do not themselves keep the Brethren rules, but they desire to have you follow the Brethren lifestyle so that they may boast in your fleshly investedness in it. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which human religious systems such as the Brethren have been crucified to me, and I to human religious systems. For neither Brethren lifestyle counts for anything, nor unBrethren lifestyle, but a new creation. And as for all who walk in the understanding of this, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the people of God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.