David Bahn – Reflections

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

There was no way it was real. But I didn’t care. I wanted a Rolex. And I gladly parted with $5.00 for it. Not $5,000. Not $500. Not even $50. $5. We were in Beijing China with our guide on a mission trip extension.

We had visited Hong Kong, Macau, Kunming, and Chuching learning about the work of foreign missionaries in that part of the world. They can’t use the “m” word there. But they were doing what they could to share the message of Jesus and strengthen believers there. This was years ago, before a severe crackdown on Christian churches and believers. It had been an enlightening trip, and we were quite inspired by it all.

After the mission trip we took a few days to visit Beijing, Xian, and Okinawa (where our son was stationed at that time). As we finished touring the Forbidden City we walked through Tiananmen Square and came upon a young man who was selling “Rolex” watches. As I was buying the watch, our guide spoke to Diane, “That’s a fake watch!” She assured him, “Yes, he knows that.”

When we think of imitation we often think of knockoff watches, Gucci handbags, and Chanel No. 5 perfume. But Paul is inviting a different kind of imitation. In another place, he says, straight out, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He is calling for the Corinthian Christians to imitate him in the same way that a young boy will imitate his dad shaving or working in the workshop. It has to do with inviting others to see how you live and follow Jesus so that they can learn what it looks like. It’s real-time learning – apprentice style.

The question is always whether your life is worth imitating. Do you want others to behave the way you do? Do you want to have people pointing to you and saying, there goes a true believer. It’s the opposite of having someone think of you as a hypocrite. It’s living a life of real faith. It’s about letting people see your struggles and your successes. It means recognizing we are not Lone Rangers. We are part of the Body of Christ. We need each other.

Tonight I sat with a group of men at Hope Lutheran Church where the new senior pastor is to be installed this coming Sunday. He talked about the importance of relationships, and said that discipleship happens in relationships. As we rub up against one another, we wear off the rough spots, and polish the smooth places in our lives. We become stronger. More refined. More like Christ. More worth imitating.

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Saul of Tarsus was thrown to the ground on his way to Damascus take followers of Jesus to prison. His mission was to shut down the spread of the gospel of Jesus. Then, he makes his way from place to place throughout the Roman Empire spreading the Gospel of Jesus. And that not without much suffering, trial, and struggle. As he turns the page on this letter to the Galatians he refers also to the suffering he endured as he brought the gospel also to them.

Before going further into that, Paul makes a very important point. He says, “Become as I am, for I also have become as you are.” He is urging the Galatians to embrace the freedom in Christ that he himself has embraced. He has set aside Jewish customs and lives as a Gentile when among them, showing that he does not rely on the Law for justification. He is concerned that they are turning toward a legalistic understanding of the Christian faith.

I’ve seen this subtly played out in churches that allow for a less formalistic worship style, while holding to a formal liturgical style of worship. One (good and faithful man) once said, in effect, that people may come into the church through a contemporary worship style, but as they grow they will likely embrace a liturgical worship style. It was said without malice, but the message could be gotten that true faithfulness or worship is the liturgical style, while the less formal or more contemporary style is a poor substitute. That argument can go both ways, as those who prefer the contemporary worship style can think they are superior to those who prefer a liturgical style. They might think that the liturgy is all about going through the motions, not truly from the heart.

Our pathway to either preference is a product of many different experiences, times of pain and struggle, blessings of joy and favor, and challenges of many kinds. But we come into our own when we recognize the blessings of freedom in Christ and his calling to abandon anything that holds us back from faith active in love. So whether a more formal liturgical style of worship or a more contemporary style is not the point. The point is that we are free in Christ, and as we serve him in that freedom we do truly come into our own.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

During a very long call process at Hope Lutheran Church the Call Committee members began to get discouraged. They had been at work for more than 2 years and at that time they were wondering if their work was all in vain. They had issued two calls which had been declined. Another wrinkle in the process had cropped up. The list of candidates they had most recently received provided no good possibilities as they explored the list. They wondered if their work had been in vain.

Parents who see their children grow up in a Christian home, having been taught God’s word, and done all they could to raise them in the Christian faith – only to see them abandon the faith. They go to college and someone entices them away from the faith. Or through any number of circumstances a child grows up and completely disconnects from family, faith, and God. A faithful employee sees a colleague who cheats, lies, and steals gets the promotion. A faithful husband discovers his wife is having an affair. The list goes on and on. People wonder whether their faithfulness, godliness, integrity, and effort to do good is all in vain.

A child grows up and by the age of 14 learns that being good doesn’t pay off. At least that’s the way they see it. There is no quid pro quo; goodness in blessings out does not happen. The books seem never to be balanced. Evil seems always to get away with it. That is part of the key to all this. We don’t fight the battle of faithfulness without enemies within and without. Our sinful flesh, the world itself, and the devil conspire to bring evil upon even the faithful. Just ask Job.

Paul worries that his work among the Galatians might have been in vain. But he knows better. He writes to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). He knows better, but he warns the Galatian Christians not to let the message of Jesus be shared with them in vain. He is appealing to their better nature, and calling them back to faith in Jesus and away from anything that would trust in themselves for life and salvation.

We may not need that kind of reminder, except that any time we believe we can guarantee a good outcome by our efforts we are in danger of setting aside the true message of Jesus. His grace and truth are the foundation upon which we can build a life strong in hope and joyful in freedom. Our hope is in Jesus. Our freedom is in him, and in taking ourselves off the hook of engineering a good outcome by means of our own efforts. That freedom is made possible by his death. That hope is secured in the resurrection of Jesus.

Our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Paul will say that to the Galatians later in this letter: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). That’s a good reminder for all of us.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

During a very long call process at Hope Lutheran Church the Call Committee members began to get discouraged. They had been at work for more than 2 years and at that time they were wondering if their work was all in vain. They had issued two calls which had been declined. Another wrinkle in the process had cropped up. The list of candidates they had most recently received provided no good possibilities as they explored the list. They wondered if their work had been in vain.

Parents who see their children grow up in a Christian home, having been taught God’s word, and done all they could to raise them in the Christian faith – only to see them abandon the faith. They go to college and someone entices them away from the faith. Or through any number of circumstances a child grows up and completely disconnects from family, faith, and God. A faithful employee sees a colleague who cheats, lies, and steals gets the promotion. A faithful husband discovers his wife is having an affair. The list goes on and on. People wonder whether their faithfulness, godliness, integrity, and effort to do good is all in vain.

A child grows up and by the age of 14 learns that being good doesn’t pay off. At least that’s the way they see it. There is no quid pro quo; goodness in blessings out does not happen. The books seem never to be balanced. Evil seems always to get away with it. That is part of the key to all this. We don’t fight the battle of faithfulness without enemies within and without. Our sinful flesh, the world itself, and the devil conspire to bring evil upon even the faithful. Just ask Job.

Paul worries that his work among the Galatians might have been in vain. But he knows better. He writes to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). He knows better, but he warns the Galatian Christians not to let the message of Jesus be shared with them in vain. He is appealing to their better nature, and calling them back to faith in Jesus and away from anything that would trust in themselves for life and salvation.

We may not need that kind of reminder, except that any time we believe we can guarantee a good outcome by our efforts we are in danger of setting aside the true message of Jesus. His grace and truth are the foundation upon which we can build a life strong in hope and joyful in freedom. Our hope is in Jesus. Our freedom is in him, and in taking ourselves off the hook of engineering a good outcome by means of our own efforts. That freedom is made possible by his death. That hope is secured in the resurrection of Jesus.

Our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Paul will say that to the Galatians later in this letter: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). That’s a good reminder for all of us.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

I was in my first semester of my first year of seminary. Sitting with 20 other “Sem one’s” in Dr. Heino Kadai’s Church History class when he asked a question. “Do you know why we Lutherans don’t baptize by immersion?” No one ventured a guess. “It’s not because we believe you cannot be baptized by immersion.” Still no one offered an answer. Finally I offered what I thought was a reasonable explanation and answer, “Well, the idea of drowning little babies isn’t very appealing.” The class burst into laughter.

He stifled a laugh and said, “No, actually that’s not the reason. We don’t baptize by immersion because the bana-baptists insisted that the only valid means of baptism is by immersion.” Luther felt compelled, under those circumstances to refuse to practice baptism by immersion – even though he would otherwise have preferred this mode of baptism. He noted that immersion was practiced historically. He saw it as symbolically rich, particularly in representing dying and rising with Christ (Romans 6:3-4). But he emphasised that the mode was not the important thing. The key, for him, was the faithfulness to Christ’s institution of baptism and the proclamation of God’s promise through water and the Word.

Paul was dealing with people who were saying certain ceremonies (circumcision being one of the main ones) were essential to full expression of the Christian faith. This is why he expressed his displeasure about their celebration of certain days and months and seasons and years. To require these observances as essential to the true faith was antithetical to the truth of the Gospel.

The Lutheran Confessions express it this way, “It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform ceremonies, instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere.” To impose only a certain type of worship, specific instrumentation (or prohibition of such), architecture or style of music on a church or group as essential to the true faith is antithetical to the freedom we have in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We all have our preferences. And as long as we keep them in that category no problem. We acknowledge all modes of baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We recognize that not all people everywhere will find just one type of hymnody edifying or beneficial. But take Christ away, and his message of grace and truth, and we can end up clinging to our preferences to our shame and eternal harm. Better we cling to Jesus and his word.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

It will soon be New Years Day as I write this. Many parties will have been attended, celebrations marked, and resolutions made. Some will have toasted the New Year with Champagne. Others will have sealed it with a kiss. Some will have gone to bed early. Some will try to sleep in this morning as you read this.

Then there is the matter of the various sports seasons. The year end football frenzy is upon us: college football bowl games and NFL League Championships will capture household TV screens – which grow bigger and brighter and with growing resolution (8K Ultra High Definition is now 7680 x 4320 pixels. This equates to approximately 33 million pixels, providing four times the detail of 4K UHD TVs and sixteen times that of Full HD (1080p) TVs!!!) Do I need a new TV so I can see the hairs on the chinny chin chins of the defensive linemen? I’m thinking not. But football season is in full swing now. Basketball is front and center for many. March Madness is just around the corner.

The United Nations has named 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives. While also suggesting 2025 as being the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Or how about the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology? Another UN designation.

Days and seasons and years: we all have our ways of marking them. And while there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with football season, or Ultra High Definition TV, or even cooperatives or glaciers, there is a better way to consider days, seasons, and years.

Let’s start by reclaiming the phrase, “the year of our Lord.” This is the meaning of AD when we append those initials to the date: 2025 AD. Let’s not only reclaim the phrase, let’s seek to remember that our time is in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15). This (and every year) is the year of our Lord.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” Moses reminds us in Psalm 90. Our days are numbered. We may not know their number. But we must remember that there is an ending of them for each of us. While many people seem more afraid of living as the end grows near, and the pain increases, and the troubles pile up, we must learn to live each day unto God. “This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” By the way, that’s from Psalm 118, which is used on Easter Sunday, coming right after, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord‘s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23). Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders who rose from the dead and secured our eternal salvation.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

² a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³ a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

We do not know what tomorrow will bring. But we do know that God is in every moment and place, situation, and event we experience. Jesus urges us to watch and wait for his appearing, recognizing his grace and goodness in every moment, and rejoicing in his goodness and mercy all the days, seasons, and years of our lives.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Iris | Houston, TX | April 2024

It may not really be fair. After all mom does most of the work. Carrying the child for nine months in her womb. Struggling through labor (my wife says they call it that for a reason!). Caring for the newborn baby, nursing him or her, then maybe handing the child off to Dad for the diaper change. Then after all that often the first words of a child is dada, “daddy!” Or in Hebrew or Aramaic, it might be “Abba.”

Joachim Jeremias, the (in)famous German theologian and scholar popularized the idea that Abba means “Daddy,” in 1966. But many scholars now argue that this oversimplifies the term. While Abba does express the intimacy of a child with their father, it’s not identical to “Daddy” as we might use it in modern English. It carries the weight of both a childlike trust and an adult acknowledgment of authority. For Christians, calling God Abba is a profound reminder of our adoption as His children and the close, loving relationship we have with Him through Christ.

The idea that we can call the King of the Universe, “Abba” is a radical idea. This is the Creator of all that exists, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So we call him “Abba?” Daddy? Papa? Father? We do. And this is a reflection of the revolutionary closeness of the relationship between God and His children, as made possible through Jesus. But it is also an acknowledgement of our adoption through Christ.

This is Paul’s point here. Because we have been redeemed by Christ, we are now God’s sons and heirs according to his promise. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. So he says: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

There were times in my life when I did not act like my father’s son. I didn’t honor my earthly father as I should have. I must confess to having sullied my dad’s name, our family name. But my dad did not disown me. He continued to love me, to welcome me as his son. I am thankful for that!

As I reflect on my relationship with our sons, I have a better understanding of this gift and honor. I’m sure there are things one of them could do that would cause me to want to disown him. But I cannot imagine what it would be. They are my sons. I love them. I want them to call to me when they are in need, and to thank me for the ways in which I have blessed them through the years.

Theirs will be a worldly inheritance. As good as that may prove to be, it is nothing compared to the eternal inheritance that is ours through God’s grace in Jesus Christ. So we call God Abba as a sign of intimate love and great respect.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ 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 the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

I don’t really know how to draw a modern-day parallel to the standing of a minor compared to a slave in Paul’s day. There are some limitations imposed on a minor. Everything from contracts, to voting, to alcohol and tobacco, driving, marriage, and legal accountability is limited for minors. These limitations are in place to ensure safety, development, and preparation for adulthood, though they may sometimes feel restrictive to the individuals they are designed to protect.

Our limitations before Christ are even more severe than a minor’s. How can we possibly stand before the King of the Universe and hope to gain access to his riches in our sinful, fallen, and broken condition? This goes beyond the matter of individual sins. These misdeeds, sins, failures, and wrongs testify to a deeper brokenness. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.

But we must not try to use that as an excuse for sinning. Knowing that we are sinners reminds us of our need for Christ, but it does not diminish our responsibility to strive toward godly living. We do not use our sinful nature as a justification for sinful behavior, because that would abuse God’s grace. As Paul says in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

Christ has come to redeem us from the curse and power of the law, not to enslave us to a life of giving into sinful desires and profligacy. We have been redeemed. And as Paul says in Romans 6, “We’ve died to sin, how shall we live in it any longer?”

There are times when I am reminded of past sins – things for which I am deeply ashamed and for which, if there is no grace and hope, I would be forever lost and condemned. But at the right time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem us who would forever perish if it were not for his grace and forgiveness.

Growing up into Christ is not only a matter of becoming more spiritually mature. It is also a matter of becoming more deeply thankful for his redemption, forgiveness, grace, and love.