The Importance of Doctrinal Courage (Selected Scriptures)

• Today on grace to you. >> It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm. Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Trust in your works and you have just destroyed grace. What in the world makes us so embarrassed about the gospel? I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
• The majority of Protestants believe that salvation is by faith plus works. That’s exactly what Catholics believe. They aren’t protesting anymore. Those Protestants who believe what the reformers protested against. There is large confusion looming over the head of Protestantism and even evangelicalism about the gospel.
• Part of the problem is that there is no courage, there is no boldness, there is no conviction to stand for the true gospel against the encroachment of those systems that demand works as a part of salvation. Where is the courage of our convictions in this age which demands acceptance and tolerance? uh we have lost our courage.
• So Paul wants to help us to understand how urgent it is. Now for that let’s go back to the book of Galatians again and having given his arguments for the importance of this issue early in chapter 1 and then given his arguments in support of justification by faith alone in the first and second chapter he gives arguments basically from his own experience with the Lord which was revelational and in chapters 3 and four he defends justification by faith alone from scripture old testament.
• So first from his own life his own encounter long encounter with Christ including the confrontation with Peter over the very issue and in three and four he looks to the old testament both by way of statement and by way of illustration. Now, he’s going to come a little later in chapter five into his final defense of justification by faith, which is experiential or practical because of the power of the spirit made evident in a truly regenerated believer.
• If you’re in Christ, you’re being led by the spirit and you’re seeing the fruit of the spirit. But before he gets to that, there’s this very very severe section in chapter 5:es 1 down to verse 12. You might think, well, circumcision is not a big deal. Small, minor, surgical task for someone.
• Why make a big fuss out of it? Some people think it’s, you know, healthy. Maybe in ancient times that was part of the purpose that the people of God would, as the Old Testament says, have none of these diseases. Why is Paul making a big fuss over false teachers pushing circumcision as just a ceremonial ritual? Doesn’t it have some symbolic meaning? It does.