Your Role

"Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God" ~Galatians 4:7

I spent some time this morning reading through the book of Galatians. I am at a point, regarding the New Testament at least, where I am re-reading many of the things I have read many times before, hoping to gain a firmer grasp on the Word. I find I do not have nearly as much of the Scriptures memorized as I would like. As David wrote, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11, NIV). That is the place that I want to be. So, I returned to Galatians - one of my favorite books in the Bible. In this epistle, Paul spends a lot of time emphasizing who we are as children of God. The entire third chapter is an expose on the people of God as heirs of the Blessing of Abraham through Jesus. It explains how Jesus has broken the entire Curse of the law (the Curse Adam thrust upon us all those years ago) and how He has restored the Blessing upon us as His people. It is an exciting chapter that I think many of us have not yet firmly grasped in our hearts. I recommend a thorough reading by all of you in the near future. Then we move into chapter four...

I began reading this morning and immediately the words were jumping off the page. Galatians 4:1-7 further unfolds the transition we have made from the world into the kingdom of God through Jesus. We have been trained to think, act, plan, and live according to the world's standard of operation. We go to school, get good grades, strive to go to college, strive to get a good-paying job so that we can pay-off the excessive debt we accrued in our attempts to survive college, and then put a down-payment on a home we will likely never pay-off before our retirement. It is "the American Way," we are living the "American Dream." No wonder America is so messed up right now. The Church has adopted this attitude, as well. Churches are in-debt all over the place. Christians are struggling to find their place in this world, and are drowning in debts as they try to keep everything together. Paul calls this "bondage to the elemental things of this world" (4:3b). He is referring mostly to religion, however, our churches are teaching us how to get ourselves into trouble, so thank you, religion, you have us wrapped up in the world's ways. Jesus came in order to break us from the dependence we have on the world's system. Jesus came to bring freedom to everyone - especially the poor, the one's held captive to the world's economic system. He came to bring us sonship - with a mighty fine inheritance.

Jesus' purpose was to purchase adoption for us all into the family of God. What stuck out to me the most in rereading Galatians is the emphasis placed on sonship. The religious world over-emphasizes the servant-hood aspect of the Christian life. First of all, due to our history, we understandably have a very negative view on servanthood and slavery. Therefore, we think negatively about the words when we see them in Scripture. Paul talks about being a slave to righteousness in Romans, but that is a result of the work done in him by the Holy Spirit. Many people can give testimony to a life of sin - how no matter what they tried, it felt impossible to break their old habits. They were enslaved. Talk to these folks now, and many will tell you they cannot help but act righteously. It is being "slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6:18). It is not a form of bondage or forced servitude. The same is true in the Christian life. We are not bound into a forced service to God. We do not have to do the things we do not enjoy. We serve God out of a love for Him, not a religious duty. And we are not told that we are to suffer the entire time we are doing it. Hardships in this life are not a result of "servitude," but an adversary bent on our destruction.

It is important that we learn to differentiate the various roles we play in the body of Christ. In this life I am a husband; I am a son; I am a brother; I am a friend. Those roles do not often overlap. I am a friend to my wife; actually she is my best friend, that's why I married her. Over the years, I have become more of a friend to my brothers, and as the years continue I will cultivate a friendship with my younger siblings, as well. Yet, on the grand scheme, the roles I play in life do not overlap greatly. However, in relationship to the Lord we all have many simultaneous roles to play. We are God's children; we are Jesus' disciples; we are soldiers, we are priests, we are servants - all at the same time. That is why we encounter hardships in life, because the fight of faith rests for no one - and Jesus promises us we have the power to win each time, and that this world has no power to harm us (John 16:33, Amplified). No one role takes precedent over the other. I like how author/preacher Jesse Duplantis puts it, "I am not a servant; I am a son who serves." Paul places emphasis on our role as sons and daughters of God throughout the whole of Galatians, yet he calls himself a "bond-servant of Christ" in 1:10. He understands his role as both of servant of the Lord Jesus, and a son of the Father God. Do we understand this difference?

Christianity likes to point out that it is the only religion that is relationship-based. Unlike all the religions of the world, that have a servant-superior design, Christianity is a Father-child relationship. Yet, I hear a strong emphasis on the servant-hood aspect permeating into the pulpits. It leads to bad thinking about God. It colors our prayers - as I said yesterday. Now, do not mis-understand me. Do not take this to the opposite extreme and begin to do nothing but "pal-around" with God and lose the healthy respect for Him. If there is one thing many "religious" people have got right, it is their love for Jesus. The most horrible things imaginable can happen to Christians, and the church will have them duped into believing it was God's Will, and these folks will continue walking with Him, no matter what. These people love God! But I talked about that yesterday...

Once as I was sitting in my living room praying, the Lord told me that I did not respect Him very much, that I used Him too much as a buddy, and not as a Lord. I immediately began to confess His greatness and Lordship in my life. There are times to fall on our knees and worship and marvel at God, to give Him all that we are as Lord of our lives. However, do not forget that there is a healthy place for just having fun with Dad. The way you pray will change when you grasp the balance of a life as a willing servant of God, and a child of the Father. I like how The Message puts verse 7, "Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance." We have access to everything Jesus bought and paid for on that cross. God is not withholding anything from us. We just have not learned how to receive it yet. I know I haven't. Eventually you will find a long essay on receiving. For now, just meditate Mark 11:23-24 over and over along with me. And in the mean time, go read Galatians, and begin to meditate on who you are as a child of God, a "serving son/daughter," and what it means to have access to the biggest inheritance in the world.