Study on Galatians 4

4:1-7 We get to call God daddy because He has adopted us as His children. We get to inherit God’s blessings.

4:8-28 Because we have this blessing, been adopted as children of God, let’s not go back to become enslaved in observing special days, and other old testament laws.

Study on Galations 3

The Galatians knew that they received salvation by faith. However, upon the influence of the Judaizers, they had started to think that maybe they needed to add to what Christ had done.

The just shall live by faith -- so Paul isn't saying that we shouldn't have good works, but that good works are not for the purpose of salvation. Good works are our response to the grace that God has already shown us by Christ's sacrifice.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (3:28) Here is the original human rights declaration. At the time Paul wrote this, it was normal to practice racism, slavery, and sexism. (Similar sentiments are expressed in Colossians 3:11.)

Many Malaysian Christians, like the society around us, are still racist. I know a lot of us complain about the racism shown against non-Malays, but many of us also show racism towards others. Even things like refusing to rent properties to people of the "wrong race", etc. and I can't count the number of times fellow Chinese-Malaysian Christians have said racist things against Indians and Malays.

Study on Galatians 2

Gal 2:11-14 None of our human leaders, however godly and Spirit-led, are perfect. Peter was truly chosen by Jesus to lead the church after Jesus’ ascension, yet even he messed up here under the influence of the Judaizers, and Paul had to pull him back to the right path.

Gal 2:21 “I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!” It would be pointless for Jesus to die on the cross if we could work out way to salvation. 

Study on Galatians 1

What’s the “other gospel” that the Galatians are being beguiled by? (Galatians 1:6) If I’m not mistaken, it’s the Judaizers -- who wanted to add the works of the law to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We often get the impression from the 4 Gospel accounts that the Pharisees were dead set against Jesus. But actually, many Pharisees became Christians -- their belief in the resurrection (as opposed to their rivals the Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection.)

These Pharisee Christians ended up trying to influence the church to make the Gentiles essentially become Jewish proselytes first -- and follow the Old Testament Law -- to be “real” Christians.

But how do we actually get rescued? “Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works. It is a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus did it all. We can’t add to it.

Study on John 21

Ikan bakar - the Jesus dish 😜

Peter’s 3-fold restoration, to reaffirm him after his 3-fold denial before the crucifixion.

‘So the saying circulated among the brothers and sisters that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?”’ -- John was the only apostle who lived to a ripe old age instead of being martyred.

“There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

I find it interesting that he stopped here, instead of going on to the ascension. I wonder why?

Study on John 20

Interesting that John got to the tomb first but didn’t go in, but he believed.

“Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” -- so he didn’t ascend to the Father until after this? Before the ascension? Because he allowed Thomas to touch him later.

Jesus appeared to the disciples on Sunday evening and breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” But the Holy Spirit didn’t come until Pentecost. So was Jesus predicting the coming of the Holy Spirit, or was this the infilling of the Holy Spirit and Pentecost was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.” That’s us!

“Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Sometimes we try to tell people too much, but John was selective what he told, because he had a clear purpose in mind.

Study on John 19

Pilate thought he had authority but his authority was only was given to him from above. As it turned out, he couldn’t resist the Jewish leaders’ machinations to get Jesus executed -- because God allowed that, so that Jesus would die for the sins of the world.

Though, Pilate did have his last laugh against the Jewish leaders, “The King of the Jews” -- “What I have written, I have written.”

Verse 24 quotes from Psalm 22. Go read Psalm 22. This was a psalm of David! A millennium before Christ! And yet when you read his psalm, there are so many echoes of what Jesus went through. In fact, Jesus himself quotes the first verse of this psalm, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Even on the cross, Jesus thought of his mother’s well-being, entrusting Mary’s care to John bar Zebedee. (“Bar” is Aramaic for “bin”.)

Verse 30: Jesus said, “It is completed!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. -- Jesus died before the normal length of time for people to die on the cross, as evidenced by verse 33 & 34 (and Mark 15:44 points out that Pilate was surprised Jesus was already dead.)

Why did Jesus die so quickly?

1. Jesus was unusually tortured before his crucifixion, weakening him (see http://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/why-jesus-died-so-quickly-on-the-cross/131970 for an enumeration of these.
2. Jesus died of a broken heart (see https://www.quora.com/Did-Jesus-really-die-on-the-cross-after-only-a-few-hours-If-so-why-so-quickly for example.)
3. Jesus voluntarily gave up his life, and the extra weight of the sins of the world killed him more quickly than just the physical trauma would have.