Galatians 3:6-9

Around 1995 we worked hard and struggled with a vision statement for our congregation.  What we came up with has worked for us for over a decade.  As a reminder to some, and perhaps news to others, here is vision we have been working under for a while: The vision of the Los Alamos Church of Christ is to offer to the community a Christ-centered church family. This has really been what we have focused on and I believe we have been successful in accomplishing.  We have a Christ-centered; which means loving and caring and compassionate and concerned, and not hammering or ugly, family.  As I look out amongst you this morning, that is what I see.  I see a web of relationships that feels a lot like a family.  I don’t see you as employer and me, employee.  Or even you as “The Church” which I am called to preach.  I see us as a bunch of family members, each connecting and interconnecting while, attempting to help each other through this thing we call life.  As Sister Sledge once sang, “We are family.”

And this is amazingly important. In a world that is fragmented and disjointed and scary and people living, not only alone, but lonely, what we have here is:
-an oasis in the a hostile desert
-an island in the endless sea
-a rest-stop on the highway of life
-fox hole in the battle of good vs. evil
Help me out here…
-a hospital for broken people to heal
-a safety net under a dangerous circus big-top tent thingy
-others?

But what it is, mostly, is family.  Where we all know there is the assurance that we are here for each other to help and support and encourage and develop each other to be more Christ-centered.  And I mean by that Christ is the center of us.  We remind each other to eat the cake.  We help each other digest Jesus.  We have the sweet taste of Jesus on the inside of us.  We are Christ centered. All of us are valuable and precious with Christ on the inside. 

I said all that to have a: suppose. Suppose, after the last ten years of singing, we are family, we changed.  Suppose we began to act like some of you weren’t really family.  Suppose we began to treat some of you like you were really not family, but more like tolerated neighbors or necessary obligations.  What would happen?  Let’s pick something silly to make a point. Let’s say… gray hair.  Unless you have a gorgeous head gray hair you are not really first class members of our family.  After all scripture says…

Proverbs 16:31   Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.

Isn’t that a beautiful passage? I think I could base some serious exegesis and come up with some spectacular theology.  Those with gray hair have splendor and are living a righteous life.  That is what the verse says. Me and Richard Gere are splendid and righteous. So, obviously, the reverse is also true.  If you do not have gray hair, then you don’t have the crown of splendor, which is to say the crown of life; which is to say your names written in the book of life.  And, I’m sorry; you obviously haven’t been living a righteous life.  The verse clearly says gray hair is the sign of a righteous life; no gray hair; no righteous life.  Clearly you could not be a full fledge member of our family; maybe a want-a-be member, perhaps a tolerated distant cousin, but not first class. 

What would that do to the dynamic of our congregation?  How would that make you feel; without gray hair?  What would that do to our vision statement?  It changes everything if we have fringe members.

But not to fear, not to fear, I have a solution; literally.  It is called “The Crown of Splendor Formula,” or also known as, the “Reverse Grecian Formula.”  It is a solution, solution.  In order for you to be a part of our family you need to upgrade your hair color to “The crown of Splendor” and then you will be accepted into our family.   Proverbs 16:31 becomes our key verse and the way we judge the acceptability of each other. 

Some of you may be thinking, “Come on Tim, where in the world are you going with all this silliness?” Go ahead and ask.  I’m glad you asked.  We are going to Galatians 3 where there is a similar, if less silly, situation. The question in Galatians 3:6-9 is, “Who is in our family?” Sound like an important question?   Who is supposed to be in our family!  I think this is worth playing for.

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Before we read the answer we need to place Galatians 3:6-9 in the context of Galatians.  We don’t want to forget the flow of Galatians.
-Remember Peter came to Antioch and had table-fellowship with the Gentiles; which is to say they were all family.  As Peter broke the bread of the Lord’s Supper with these Gentiles he accepted them as family. This is real.  As we eat of the body of Christ we are saying we are the body of Christ.  And as we drink the blood of Christ, we are saying we share in his death.  Peter acknowledged the Gentiles’ “familiness.” 
-But when some men from James came, Peter began to crawdad.  He backed off sharing the table with them and in essence was saying they weren’t really full fledge members of his family.   “Hey, that’s kind of like your example of the grey haired thing, isn’t it?”  Right.  Instead of grey hair it was circumcision.  If you weren’t a Jew then you were not part of the family of God and you needed to become a Jew, by circumcision, in order to be a real family member.
-Then Paul told us last week, that some of the “no brains” Galatians were starting to buy “The Crown of Splendor Formula,” or in their case being circumcised in order to be accepted into the family.  Can you image that?  They were willing to do most anything to be a part of the family.  Family is a powerful motivation.
-But Paul asked them one question… Remember the question from last week?

Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

They experienced the Spirit in their conversion, in their “Spiridences” and in their miracles because Jesus was on the inside, not because their hair was gray! They knew the Spirit because they ate the cake. 

Now in verses 6-9, Paul begins to focus on this Peter thing again and how Peter’s crawdadding had caused the Galatians to feel marginalized by the family.  Now, we are ready for Paul to answer the question, “Who is in your family?” So let’s read the answer.
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Galatians 3:6  Consider Abraham:

Perhaps we need to do stop and do that.  Let’s go back to the book of Genesis and consider Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-4  The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

This is an amazingly significant passage of Scripture, for us.  God said go and Abraham went.  At 75 years of age and I’m sure gray headed, Abraham packed up all his stuff and left the house and went.  Notice the promise; through Abraham all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.  Now that is a promise.  All the nations of the earth are going to be blessed through Abraham. 

Now skip to Genesis 15.  Years have gone by and Abraham still didn’t have any of his own children.  He is not anywhere near being a nation; no kids.

Genesis 15:1-5  After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."  But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"  And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."  Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."  He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-- if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 

Look at the stars on a clear night in the desert and try to count them.  God reaffirms the promise.  You will make a difference to all the peoples of the earth.  Abraham was old, older than Jimmy, and still did not have a child to bless all the nations of the earth.  When was God’s promise going to come true?  How was he going to do this wonderful thing?  Surely, God must have it wrong?  Old and have kids, it doesn’t happen.  Now listen to verse 6.

Genesis 15:6  Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

How could he believe? I don’t know.  How was God going to do it?  Abraham didn’t have a clue.  When was God going to bless him with a child?  It seemed too late!  But, Abraham believed his Lord and that counted as righteousness!  Now we have done what Paul told us to do and considered Abraham. We are ready to listen to the answer to our question, “Who is in our family?”  

Galatians 3:6-9  Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.  The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Those who have Abraham’s faith, become Abraham’s kids.  That’s what the Galatians wanted.  They wanted to be Abraham’s children.  They wanted to be the chosen people of God.  They wanted to be family.  But that did not happen through circumcision or any of the Jewish laws, it happened by having the faith of Abraham.  Abraham believed and it was credited as being right with God.  The Galatians believed and they were made righteous and they became children of God; they became part of God’s family! 

Faith, then, as defined in this passage, trusts the promise of God. Abraham walked away from Haran and knew God would bless him wherever he went.  Abraham knew that God was going to give him a son, even in his old age! That was faith.  Abraham looked at the stars in the sky and knew the nations would be blessed through him. Abraham believed in the promise of God and that was faith.  That is the faith which makes us family!

Our family is defined by all those who believe in the promises of God.  When God says, “Go!” we go.  When God says, “I will bless others through you” we know he will bless others through us. When God says, “I will make you right by the death of Jesus portrayed upon the cross.” We know that we have been made right by the death of Jesus. Faith makes us family.

This is not a new step in our journey to freedom.  Remember we are searching for steps in our freedom? Today Paul reaffirms step two; “The faith becomes our faith.”  He is also emphasizing  step three, “Be in fellowship.”  I think that is what we are going to discover as we continue.  Paul is going to be unpacking the points about freedom he made early in his letter.  It will be fun to find out. 

As much as I like Proverbs 16:31 and gray hair making us righteous, our family is not defined by any set of outward stuff.  Our family is defined by those who place their faith in the promises of God! 

Los Alamos Church of Christ
March 8, 2009