Good Guys Wear White Hats

Galatians 4:1-7

 

 

 

Rules are a part and parcel of our western world. If you break a rule, there are consequences, or at least there’s supposed to be. If you live by the rules, you’re considered a good guy. In terms of the old Western movies, you wear a white hat, because the bad guys, the rule breakers, wear black hats.

 

Paul knew well what it meant to live by the rules. In Philippians he referred to himself as, “a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless”. Paul lived according to the Law as well as anyone could. But it wasn’t enough.

 

Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler about the commandments. The ruler said that he had kept them all since he was a boy. You can hear his pride and self-righteousness in his words. But even before this exchange, Jesus had told him that only God is good. In other words, obeying the commandments can’t make you good. Uh oh. So much for white hats.

 

In Galatia, there were Judaizers, who were Jewish Christians. They believed that a number of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament were still binding, and insisted that the Gentile believers abide by these, particularly circumcision. Paul responded in today’s passage with his attack on this belief.

 

“And that is the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals, for we thought they could save us.  But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew,  to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons.”   Galatians 4:3-5 TLB

 

The Galatians, the rich young ruler and, before his conversion Paul, all thought that the Old Testament Law and rituals could save them. Clearly, that is not true. They are inferior to the freedom that we have that comes through Christ.

 

However, for us, it may not be the Jewish law and rituals, but our own set of rules and expectations; our own pride that leads to self-righteousness. Do we wear the right cloths; go to the right church; say the right things; pray in the right way? We have our own set of rules to make us feel like we wear a white hat, but that can enslave us in the same way that Paul described.

 

Bottom line: It’s not whether you wear a white hat or a black hat. It’s not about rules, but a relationship. It’s not about attending church, but being a child of God. It’s not about maintaining control, but surrendering control to Christ.

 

 

 

Friday Night Football

Galatians 4:1-7

 

Previous to my Senior year of high school, my Dad took a job in Morehead, Kentucky. However, I stayed and lived with family friends so that I could finish high school with my friends. At one point in the fall, my Dad returned to complete some final details for the move. While there, he attended my high school football game on a Friday night. Normally, I didn’t play much, but I really wanted to get into the game and make him proud.

 

Finally, the coach called my name and I went in on offense. It was a running play to the opposite side of the field. The runner was probably thirty yards away from me, but I was desperate to do something, anything to impress my Dad. So I picked out an overweight lineman that was huffing and puffing, and put the hardest block on him that I could. He hit the ground with a great thud, and exhaled whatever air he had left in his lungs. To this day, I don’t know if my Dad saw me do that or not, but it was for him.

 

In Galatia, there were Judaizers, who were Jewish Christians. They believed that a number of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament were still binding, and insisted that the Gentile believers abide by these, particularly circumcision. Paul responded in today’s passage with his attack on this belief.

 

“And that is the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals, for we thought they could save us.  But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew,  to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons.”   Galatians 4:3-5 TLB

 

Paul knew well what it meant to try to live by the Law. In Philippians he referred to himself as, “a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless”. If you read this verse carefully, you will see that Paul defined himself according to his perceived ability to obey the Law. But in today’s passage, Paul suggests a better way for believers to define themselves.

 

“Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God Abba. Abba means Father. So you aren’t a slave any longer. You are God’s child. Because you are his child, God gives you the rights of those who are his children.”      Galatians 4:6-7 NIRV

 

The Law does not define who I am. My job, my family, my church, the things that I have done, even my personality, does not define who I am. But my Heavenly Father does. I am His child, and like my earthly Dad on that fall evening years ago, I want my Heavenly Dad to be proud of me, so that someday He will say to me, “You are my son. With you I am well pleased.”

 

 

(This was actually my second devotional on the same passage. The following was my first. You decide which you like better.)

 

Fiddler on the Roof

Matthew 15:7-20

 

In the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”, the main character, Tevye, is fighting to uphold the ancient traditions of his faith. A fiddler playing on the roof top serves as a metaphor for the Jewish traditions that Tevye is defending. Like the fiddler, these traditions are at risk of losing their balance and falling; and with it, people’s lives would never be the same.

 

Following the Babylonian exile, Jewish rabbis began to develop a system of meticulous rules and regulations governing the daily life of the people. There may have been good reasons for this in the beginning, but by the time Jesus appears, they had become a burden and did more harm than good. But, like Tevye, the Pharisees are defending their system of oppressive rules.

 

It is a system that focuses on the outside of a person and not what is on the inside. That is precisely what makes it so appealing. After all, if your salvation is dependent on your ability to obey and follow the rules, what do you need God for? You can put God in a box that you open on Sunday, or other designated times, and then put Him back in the box when you are done.

 

How appealing that is to human nature. From the time of Adam and Eve, human nature has coveted to control their world and be like God. And in a very real way, to become your own god. All you need to do is focus on the outside and not look at what is going on inside your soul.

 

We can look good on the outside: wear designer clothes, drive a luxury car, live in the best neighborhood and say all the right things – but be ugly on the inside. We can go to church every Sunday, pray every day, read our Bible and get involved in church committees – but our hearts can still be cold towards God.

 

Our identity is in Christ, not rules or traditions or some other substitute. So ask yourself, “What have I used to take God’s place”, and then ask God to take His rightful place in your life. If you do this, the fiddler on the roof will come tumbling down, but your life will have so much more meaning and purpose that there is no comparison.