David Bahn – Reflections

Sometimes a carefully constructed case needs to be made for a particular truth. Think about the deity of Christ, the triune nature of God, justification by grace through faith, Baptism as a Means of Grace, or the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. These are issues worthy of careful study and testing.

The Apostle John warns us not to believe every teaching or teacher that comes along. He writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out” (1 John 4:1). Paul shared a similar concern in his letter to the Galatians, addressing the influence of the Judaizers. His message is clear: our freedom in Christ and place in God’s kingdom are not dependent on following Old Testament rules and laws. Paul’s letter, particularly here in this passage, is a defense of the gospel and a rejection of anything that would add to the finished work of Christ.

Yet, it seems there is little patience these days for such discussions. Conversations about doctrinal or church issues often devolve into a dismissive “Well, that’s your truth,” reflecting a broader cultural loss of biblical authority and objective truth. Many have abandoned the pursuit of unity in belief, favoring a “live and let live” mindset. Truth is often surrendered to whoever has the smoothest or most compelling story. In this climate, truth is reduced to anecdote.

Paul’s approach, however, is rooted in scriptural truth. His concern is not academic but pastoral and salvific. He emphasizes that the Galatians are heirs of God’s gifts according to His promises, a truth with profound implications for their faith and lives.

Years ago, my vicarage supervisor shared a key insight that has stuck with me for decades: the focus of our quest for truth should not be truth for its own sake, but truth for the sake of the gospel. Whatever issues we may need to clarify, prove, or agree upon, let them serve the gospel message! Let the message of Christ crucified and risen carry the weight of eternal truth. This is the truth that matters most and the truth that sets us free.

I don’t often think of “receiving the promised Spirit,” as opposed to receiving the forgiveness of sins, receiving the Word who “was coming into the world,” or receiving the gifts of God (of whom the Holy Spirit is certainly one). But this is a good phrase to consider this morning. What does it mean to receive the promised Spirit?

When Paul began sharing the Gospel of Jesus with Gentiles – and especially when the message crossed over into new territory – the outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied the new converts. In Acts 10:44-48, the Holy Spirit comes upon Cornelius and his household while Peter is speaking, and they begin speaking in tongues and praising God. This miraculous event convinces Peter and the Jewish believers that Gentiles are also included in God’s plan of salvation. Another confirmation is noted in Acts 11:15-18, where Peter recounts this event, emphasizing that the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers did. 

When he writes his letter to the Romans, Paul asserts that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, Paul says, no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the power of the Holy Spirit. So whenever one confesses faith in Jesus, it is a work of the Holy Spirit. Peter also promises that when people are baptized they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38.

To receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to be brought to faith in Jesus. But there is more to this than a minimalistic parroting of words. For the Holy Spirit does so much more. The Holy Spirit calls the church in Antioch to set aside Barnabas and Saul for their first missionary journey. The Holy Spirit moves people to be generous when people are in need. We are given the words to say by the Holy Spirit when it comes time to give witness to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit reminded the Apostles of Jesus’ teachings (cf. John 14-16), convinces the world of the truth of their claims, inspires them to love each other. He certainly does all these things for us as well.

The Church in Corinth had gotten far afield in their understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit and some claimed superiority because of the various gifts they possessed by the power of the Holy Spirit: tongues, miracles, knowledge, wisdom, (extraordinary) faith, prophecy, and service.

We can easily misunderstand how this works in the church. We may think, for example that because we are able to evangelize everyone ought to be able to exercise that gift equally. Some will say that their gifts are not as important as others’ are.

Whatever gift of the Spirit we may have is a gift from God. And I like to say that a gift isn’t a gift until it’s given – that is if we have the gift of helps or service, teaching, prophecy, or miracles we cannot really claim to have that gift and fail to give (use) it.

Some like to think of the Holy Spirit in human terms as the bashful person of the Holy Trinity. He’s happy when Jesus gets the attention. In fact Jesus said of the Spirit, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). 

We are blessed to have received the gift of the Holy Spirit together with all his gifts and workings in the the world, in the church, and in our lives.

Mr. Gow (not his real name) was my high school chemistry teacher. He would present something to us in class and make the comment, “Seems pretty clear to me, huh!” Well it was clear as mud to me. I just couldn’t get it. I never understood what it was all about. My parents even hired a high school boy to tutor me in chemistry. I’m thinking it wasn’t Mr. Gow’s fault. My high school tutor couldn’t get it through my head either. It was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” to quote Winston Churchill. It was “about as transparent as a brick wall” to quote my chat gpt friend. I just didn’t get it.

This seems to be the case with the Galatians and the Judaizers, and those of the circumcision party. They didn’t get the idea that “the just shall live by faith.” While it may not immediately clear what that phrase means, it seems likely that the difficulty on the part of the Galatians and others was a bit more than their ability to comprehend. They had too much at stake personally for that phrase from the Bible to make sense and shape their faith and religious practices.

Some of the religious leaders of Paul’s day were convinced that he was wrong. He had sold out in their minds to this new upstart religious movement. They were convinced that Paul was leading people away from God. Afterall, their Jewish rituals, laws, and sacrifices had been part of their religious practices for centuries. They had been taught that this is the way we do things. They couldn’t believe that all they had been doing was now supplanted by a new way – the way of faith.

This reminds me of a scene in the movie Martin Luther Heretic. Luther is teaching his students about salvation by grace through faith. “Faith!” one German student exclaims. “Every German peasant has faith.” “Yes?” says Luther. “Is heaven going to be filled with German peasants?!? The student wasn’t happy about that potentiality. “It can’t be that easy,” he mutters. Luther hears him and says, “You think faith is easy…”

There are those who think little of God’s love for all people. There are those who are not pleased to think of sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors and others of that ilk will be in heaven with them. This would be the challenge of the Judaizers. They were not so such that everyone who believed should be accepted into God’s kingdom. They had little awareness of their own brokenness. They thought they were superior.

The just shall live by faith may have been confusing to them. But it doesn’t have to be. It means that we who believe the promises of God, believe that he is good, believe that his grace is fully given in Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Son, are right with God. It’s a matter of what we think of God. And the enlightenment  of those things comes from God’s Holy Spirit, working in our hearts.

It is totally confusing, confounding, silly, despisable, and worthless to those without the Holy Spirit. Our natural condition thinks little of God and his goodness. But we live with childlike faith, trust, belief in God’s word and promise. That doesn’t have to be confusing if we are willing simply to believe.

One of my favorite movies is Hunt for Red October. It’s based on a Tom Clancy novel by the same name, and features Sean Connery as a Russian submarine captain and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan a US spy. Ryan figures out what Connery’s character is up to. But he has a problem. How will he convince the captain of a US submarine that he knows what the Russian is trying to do? He has a sudden idea while shaving: “Russians don’t … without a plan,” he recalls a senior officer saying. He convinces the captain that he knows the plan and of course he’s right and…well, if you haven’t seen the movie go watch it and you’ll see how it works out.

Speaking of plans, imagine the Creator of the Universe going to work and speaking worlds into existence and doing so without a grand plan. Imagine God creating man and woman and placing them in the Garden of Eden without a plan. Imagine the Almighty King of Creation not having a plan to redeem sinners and renew a broken creation – knowing that Adam and Eve would sin and the paradise would be subjected to sin and brokenness.

God had a plan from the beginning. It started with Adam and Eve. It continued through the call of Abraham. It was fully revealed in Jesus’ death and resurrection. It will be consummated at the Great Last Day when Christ returns.

God is working out his plan throughout all of history. It is tied to the original “it was very good” of Genesis 1:31. It is made more clear in God’s commendation of Abraham’s faith. “Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6). Now, Paul says, God’s plan to include the Gentiles was working itself out.

God’s word to Abraham, “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” is coming true even today. God is working out his plan in we who believe in Jesus. Through faith like that of Abraham we are counted righteous. God is working out his plan to bless all nations as he calls them to faith. 

Faith is realizing that God is good, faithful, just, holy, and gracious. Faith is believing that Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior. Faith is trusting in God’s promises. Faith is simple and profound all at once. The smallest child can have faith, and the wisest believer can fathom faith’s depths and never reach it’s ending.

Wherever you or I may be on that continuum we can be sure that God honors faith, and that we are part of God’s plan for the redemption of lost people and a broken creation. 

When I was in college there was a growing interest in the work of the Holy Spirit among many Christians. The Charismatic Movement was gaining strength and attention, and not without some controversy. Some thought the idea of speaking in tongues was a gift every Christian should pray for and receive. Others said the more spectacular gifts of the Holy Spirit were no longer being given. It led to some church splits and some very strained family and friend relationships.

Thankfully that controversy seems to have settled down a bit. There are some who each make those mutually-exclusive claims. But they are decidedly on the margins of the conversations these days. Sadly, that may be so because so few people seem to care about good theology. Too many folks have an “If it seems good to me, it must be right” mentality. We don’t have to fight about these things. But we should care about them.

As Paul speaks about the Holy Spirit here, he reminds the Galatians and us that the gift(s) of the Spirit are gifts of grace (“charismata” in Greek, from which we get the word charismatic). They are to be prized. And in the earliest days of the church the outward manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence were evidence of God’s favor. They were the means by which Paul was able to make the case for the inclusion of the new Gentile believers into the nascent Christian Church.

But now, another rung on the ladder is being required. This is the issue there. Must the Galatians (and other Gentile believers) observe Old Testament Laws and rituals to be fully included in the family of God? Paul makes the strongest case possible: No. And here he reminds them of the means by which they gained entrance into the church: hearing in faith. Listening to the Good News and being brought to faith. That was it.

While we don’t seem to worry about Old Testament Law or charismatic gifts of the Spirit today, we should remember the attendant lesson of God’s grace and the means by which we assure ourselves that we are legitimately part of the family of God. It’s the same thing: we hear God’s word and believe it. Even this is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This is why we read the Bible and pray, and talk with other believers, and sing God’s praises. These bolster our faith.

We need not worry about issues like circumcision or other Old Testament rituals. Nor do we need to rely on outward manifestations of the Spirit to prove to ourselves that we are true believers. Simply hear God’s word. Believe what he says. Rejoice in his salvation. This the the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke 3 recorded John the Baptizer’s greeting to the people who were coming out to be baptized by him: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). Jesus says to his disciples(!), “If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children…” (Matthew 7:11). Here Paul calls the Galatians foolish. What’s up with this?

John the Baptizer was a wild prophet. He dressed funny. He ate locusts and wild honey. He did not pull punches – even when it meant confronting the king who would take his life. So in a sense it’s not too surprising that he would be so harsh in his greeting to the people who came to be baptized by him.  Jesus is the embodiment of grace and truth. He claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. Although his assessment of the disciples was harsh – calling them evil – it was true. We’re all sinful by nature, we fallen creatures.

So I suppose Paul is in good company as he expresses dismay at the Galatians’ abandonment of the truth of the gospel. But I wonder, is he being too harsh? After all, they’re new believers. The Christian faith was very new to them. Perhaps they thought it was only a more full expression of the faith that they were embracing. By going along with the Old Testament Laws about food and drink, not to mention circumcision, maybe they thought they were rounding out their faith.

But the whole point of the gospel is that we’re put right with God through faith in Jesus, and by God’s grace. No ritual, religious observance, sacrifice, or need to go up to the Temple avails before God. But not only are these unnecessary, they undercut the gospel message. They cloud our view of God’s grace and truth. There is much at stake here.

A gentleman in a church I served once claimed that the only truly acceptable form of worship what that which came from the Lutheran hymnal, and that any other form of worship was sinful. Wrong. Evil. Try as I might, I could not convince him otherwise. I could not help him to see that we have freedom in our religion for many different expressions of worship to God. Oh, foolish man! Who has bewitched you? Sadly he was convinced that he was defending true Lutheran teaching – Formula of Concord Article X notwithstanding.

I’m not sure I like being called evil – by Jesus or anyone else for that matter. But I’d rather be corrected and taught humility than be allowed to abandon God’s grace in an ill-advised attempt to impress the king of the universe any day. Truly, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6).

I recall how my campus pastor, Robert Lange, spoke about this verse. It was very meaningful to him. Inspired by his enthusiasm I have memorized it. I love the idea that Paul gives witness to his ongoing life of faith. The fact that he has been crucified but is still alive is intriguing. And perhaps the key to understanding the phrase: “I’ve been crucified with Christ.”

Something has died in order to be united with Christ. Something has been killed. Something no longer defines us. In Paul’s case, it was certainly his determined effort to stamp out every vestige of adherence to Jesus’ teachings. He saw Jesus as a deceiver, false prophet, and usurper of God’s true identity and glory. He had believed that whatever it took to rid the world of his followers was not only proper, but properly called for. He had been doing everything he could to persecute Jesus’ followers.

Then he learned that he was persecuting Jesus himself when he encountered him on the road to Damascus. He soon realized that Jesus was (is) God’s Son. He learned that Jesus had risen from the dead. He discovered that God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus was the greatest treasure of all. He came to believe that Jesus died for his sins. His old self was nailed to the cross along with all his sins and Jesus himself. He (the old nature) was crucified with Christ.

Now he lives. He is more fully alive than ever before. His new life of faith took him to places he would never have gone before. The persecution he himself experienced was like that which he had previously sought to inflict on others. Now it was being inflicted upon him. But it did not turn him away. He had faith in Jesus. He believed. He trusted. He set his heart on Jesus’ promises. He embraced the goodness of God in the fullest sense.

For lifelong Christians the difference is often not so obvious. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus. But I did take a sad and sinful detour during my college years. All the while I was outwardly identifying as being a Christian. But so much of what I was living for was abhorrent to God. I am still tempted to look away from God and his ways. Sins especially of thought, but sometimes word and deed seek to entangle me.

That’s why I am thankful to be crucified with Christ – to have those parts of me that go against God’s ways nailed there and die. That’s why my life of faith is so precious. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I believe his promises are true. I believe God is good. I believe it is better to live in ways that honor God. By his power and with his help, I live faithfully and resist temptation. But I never outgrow the need for the cross, Jesus’ forgiveness, and God’s mercy. I believe Jesus gave himself for me, and I am deeply grateful: now and forever.

I believe that’s what it means to be crucified with Christ and yet to live.

Several decades ago my aunt died very unexpectedly. She was much loved and it was a shock for the family and their many friends. I remember visiting with my uncle and sharing the Easter sermon I was going to preach as a lay reader that coming Sunday. It was well-intentioned on my part. But I may have failed to acknowledge the pain and loss he was experiencing at the time. Truly, her eternal hope was being realized, and she was with Jesus. But he had a lot of life to live then and there.

I remember how my mom spoke of missing my dad so severely. She lost him too soon; he was only 64 at the time of his death. And she lived for nearly 30 years after he died. She never doubted her eternal destiny. But life in the meantime was full of challenges, blessings, opportunities, and pain.

How do you live today in light of our eternal hope? What does it mean to acknowledge that we have been saved and yet we’re not in heaven just yet?

This is what Paul is speaking of here when he writes, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.” He is acknowledging that daily life is not a matter of ritualistic religion, but of daily faith working itself out in love. We’re commanded to love God above all things, and love our neighbor as ourselves. That’s not a matter of focusing on proper religious rituals, but of living in daily repentance and faith according to our calling. 

I think of John the Baptizer who was asked by crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers what they should do if they were living unto God. His answer: share with those in need, treat people honestly and fairly, and don’t use your power to intimidate or take advantage of others.

Living unto God is more than a two hour Sunday morning stint. It’s everyday life in humility, hope, kindness, mercy, and love. It’s a reflection of the way Jesus lived. And it is a life free from condemnation because he lived it perfectly and has secured our eternal salvation.