Monday Morning, March 5, 1973
Richmond, Virginia
Ministry given through Brother Stephen Kaung
Father, we confess that this is the day that the Lord hath made. We will be glad and rejoice in it, because Jesus Christ is all.
Father, we are coming into Your presence this morning to receive the bread of life, the living Word. Father, we pray for our brother as he serves and speaks. Father, we pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Father, we pray that those who hear might have ears to hear and eyes to see. But You have to save us today. Open our hearts and speak.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Will you please turn to Acts Chapter 14, beginning with Verse 1?
And it came to pass in Iconium, that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.
But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren.
Long time therefore they tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, Who bare witness unto the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
But the multitude of the city was divided; and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
And when there was made an onset both of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers, to entreat them shamefully and to stone them, they became aware of it, and fled unto the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the region round about:
And there they preached the gospel.
Now turn to Acts Chapter 16, Verse 6.
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Then Acts Chapter 18, Verse 23.
And having spent some time there, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, establishing all the disciples.
Now let us turn to Galatians Chapter 1.
Paul, an apostle—not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead—and all the brethren that are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Beginning with Verse 15:
But when it was the good pleasure of God, Who separated me, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that were apostles before me: but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned unto Damascus.
In Galatians Chapter 2, Verses 20 and 21, Paul says:
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.
I do not make void the grace of God: for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nought.
Galatians Chapter 4, Verse 19:
My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you.
And finally, Galatians Chapter 6, Verse 18:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
We mentioned last night that in the latter part of the Book of Acts—perhaps we ought to go back a little and begin with Chapter 13—we find mainly a record of the ministry of the apostle Paul. His ministry was occupied not only with the preaching of the gospel, but also with the establishing of churches everywhere that the Lord sent him.
This morning, we would like to go to the very beginning of his ministry and connect it with one of the epistles which he wrote.
When God set apart Barnabas and Paul for this special work, they left Antioch and went to the island of Cyprus. Cyprus was the native place of Barnabas, so it was very natural that, after leaving Antioch, they should go to Cyprus. After passing through that island, they returned to the mainland.
They came to another Antioch—Antioch of Pisidia—and there God used them greatly. From that place, they traveled on and came to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding country.
After they had been in that area for a while, the Bible says they returned to those places, exhorting the brethren and encouraging them. They appointed elders in the various churches, committing them to the Lord. Then they returned to Antioch of Syria, where they had first started.
Some time afterward, Paul took his second journey. With Silas, he came again to the places they had first visited: Lystra, Derbe, Iconium, and the surrounding places. Then he passed through the Phrygian and Galatian country.
You remember that on this second journey, the Lord did not allow him to go either to Asia or to Bithynia. So they went on to Troas, and God gave Paul the vision of the Macedonian. They crossed the Aegean Sea, and the gospel was preached in Europe for the first time.
On the third journey, again the Bible says in Acts Chapter 18 that Paul passed through the Galatian and Phrygian country. This time the Lord sent him to Asia, and he stayed in Ephesus for three years, so that the gospel was known to all the people of Asia.
Here you find, again and again, Galatia being mentioned. Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians—the letter to the churches in Galatia.
The question is: who were the churches in Galatia? Who were the people to whom Paul wrote this letter?
In history, the term Galatia, or Galatian country, can be used in two different ways. If you think in terms of geography, Galatia was an area inhabited by a very special people.
Galatia, geographically speaking, was an area inhabited by Celtic people—people who migrated into Asia from Europe. They were the Gauls in history.
But Galatia, politically speaking, was a much larger area than that inhabited by the Gauls. Why? Because the Roman government made Galatia a Roman province.
When they made Galatia a Roman province, it included not only the area called Galatia proper, inhabited by the Gauls—those immigrants from Europe—but also part of Phrygia. This part of Phrygia was inhabited mostly by Greeks. It included all the cities of Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding country.
So the term Galatia may refer either to a geographical area inhabited by Celtic people, the Gauls, or to the Roman province, which included Galatia proper in the north and the southern part of Phrygia with all these familiar cities recorded in the Book of Acts.
When Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia, did he refer to Galatia as a geographical area inhabited mostly by the Gauls? Or was he writing to the churches in the Roman province, including all the cities in the south?
Commentators have offered different opinions. Some feel that Paul wrote to Galatia as a geographical area, the place inhabited by the Gauls. Why? Because if you read the Letter to the Galatians, the temperament of these people seems to tell us that they were truly Gauls.
The Celtic people, the Gauls, were very temperamental. They were subject to change very quickly. They were a very emotional people.
When Paul first preached the gospel to them, you find how warmly they received the gospel of Jesus Christ. But within a short time, they could be turned aside by other people to another gospel, which was not a gospel at all.
When Paul first visited them, they loved him so much that they were willing to pluck out their own eyes for him. Probably Paul had very bad eyesight. He traveled in an area infested with malaria, and some people say Paul probably contracted malaria.
Because of malaria, he may at times have been very weak and afflicted. Malaria may have affected his eyes so that he could not see very well. When he wrote a letter, he had to say, “See with what large letters I write unto you with mine own hand,” because he could not see too well.
The Galatians loved Paul so much that they were willing to take out their eyes and replace his eyesight. Yet, within a very short period, they could turn against Paul and consider him their enemy. So these people were very temperamental, just like the Gauls.
Some commentators therefore say that he was writing to Galatia as a geographical area because of the special temperament of the Gauls.
Just by way of explanation, I always feel that temperament is neutral, whether it is individual temperament or ethnic temperament. God does not make any mistakes. Just as God makes us physically different, so He makes us temperamentally different.
Physically, we are all made differently. God loves variety. There is nothing wrong with being a little taller or a little shorter. It is simply variety, and there is beauty in variety. You do not need to be too proud of your physical stature or features. Thank God that you are just as you are.
I think temperament is probably the form of our soul. Every soul is different; that is our temperament. Some people are more reserved, some are more aggressive. Some people are introverts; some are extroverts. Some are very quick, and some are slower. There is nothing wrong with that. Thank God for everything.
There is nothing sinful in being quick. There is nothing sinful in being a little slow. There is nothing sinful in being an extrovert, and there is nothing sinful in being an introvert. Nothing is sinful unless it goes to excess. Then something is wrong.
As far as temperament is concerned, it is beautiful and neutral. If it is under the control of the Holy Spirit, it can be used by God. If it is under your own control, nothing is good.
If you are quick and under the Holy Spirit’s control, fine—the Lord can use that. If you are temperamentally more adventurous, the Lord can use that, if you are under the control of the Holy Spirit. But if it is under your own control, then you get into all kinds of problems.
Temperament is just all right. What is needed is the inner man, not the natural man.
The Gauls may have been temperamentally more emotional and quick. Thank God that, because they were more emotional, they received the gospel openly and very quickly. That was a good point, and they went all the way. But the bad point was that they could change very quickly.
Actually, it is well balanced. If we commit ourselves to the Lord, God can use us for His glory. I will not go into this further, because that is not what I want to speak about.
Other commentators feel that, when Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians, he was not writing only to Galatia as a geographical area—to the Gauls. Rather, he was writing to the churches in Galatia as a Roman province.
Why? Because in the Bible, Galatia as a geographical area is mentioned only a few times. In Acts Chapter 16, Verse 6, Paul passed through the Phrygian and Galatian country. In Acts Chapter 18, Verse 23, again he passed through the Galatian and Phrygian country. In those instances, Galatia is used as a geographical area.
Aside from those two places, little is mentioned about Galatia as a geographical area. We do not know what happened in Galatia proper, inhabited by the Gauls. We do not know what Paul did there or what churches were established there. Nothing is mentioned in the Bible.
But on the other hand, concerning the churches which God used Paul to establish in lower Galatia, there are many detailed records. We are told about his work in Lystra, what he suffered there, and the churches established in that area.
Certainly, when Paul wrote such a solemn letter, he must have written to churches that he knew very well. There was only one letter written to a church Paul had never visited: the Letter to the Colossians. Paul had never been to Colossae, but he knew the church there through Epaphras.
Therefore, when Paul wrote a letter such as Galatians, he must have written it to churches that he knew very well—churches in the lower part of Galatia, in the Roman province.
It was Paul’s habit, whenever he addressed a letter to a church, either to write to the church in a city or to the churches in a province. He wrote to the church in Corinth, which was a Roman city. He wrote to the church in Ephesus, also a city. But he wrote to the churches in Galatia because Galatia was a province, not a city.
In a city, the church is spoken of in the singular, because the church is the expression of the Body of Christ in one city. But when he wrote to the churches in Galatia, the word is plural because Galatia was a Roman province. It was like a state in this country: not a city, but a larger territory containing many cities.
You find this usage elsewhere. In Galatians, Paul mentions the churches of Judea because Judea was a Roman province. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 8, he mentions the churches of Macedonia because Macedonia was a province. In Revelation, you find the seven churches in Asia because Asia there was neither a continent nor a city, but a Roman province.
According to Paul’s habit, he either wrote to the church in a particular city or to the churches in a Roman province. If you take it that way, the Letter to the Galatians was written to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia.
There is no letter written by Paul with such anguish as the Letter to the Galatians.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote with grief and tears. He was deeply concerned with the condition of the church in Corinth. His heart was broken, and he had to say hard words to the saints there because he loved them and wanted to help them.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, he thanked God that the tears with which he wrote the first letter were not wasted, because the Corinthians accepted correction. The spiritual condition of the church in Corinth had been very bad. They were not only morally wrong; even doctrinally, they had questions.
Yet, if you compare First Corinthians with Galatians, you find that the tone in Galatians is much harsher. Paul wrote Galatians with such vehemence that it almost bordered on violence.
If you read the Letter to the Galatians, you might almost think that Paul had lost his temper. He said, “If any man should come and preach another gospel, let him be accursed,” and he repeated it.
Did Paul lose his temper? Oh, no. But it shows that Paul’s heart was deeply broken. He was full of anguish. Literally, he was travailing once again for these little children.
He was not merely crying or weeping with tears. He was so concerned in his heart that it bordered on violence. How can you explain that?
Probably one explanation is that these churches in Galatia were the first fruit of Paul’s labor after he had been set apart by the Holy Spirit for this special work. These churches were his firstfruits.
The churches in Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Derbe, and Lystra were churches established immediately after Paul was called by God to this special work. These were the churches of his first love.
The more you love, the more deeply you can be hurt. Paul was full of anguish because he loved them so much. Out of that kind of heart, he poured out his heart in words that bordered on violence.
If only people could understand. If they did not understand, they might suppose that Paul had lost his temper and react against him even more. But if they could understand, they would see the love behind all those outpourings of anguish.
Brothers and sisters, whatever interpretation you may take, I think we can include this as a certain truth: Paul wrote to churches that were part of his personal labor, and when he saw something wrong with them, he was hurt to the very depths within him. He tried to help them come back.
What was the problem with the churches in Galatia?
The churches in Galatia did not at that time have the problem found in the church at Corinth. You do not find anything morally wrong mentioned in the churches in Galatia. You do not see doctrinal controversies there.
Strangely, the problem with the churches in Galatia was the problem of growth—of growth.
They received the gospel in the very beginning with wholeheartedness. They had such a good beginning. The Holy Spirit was so manifest among them. They really loved the Lord, lived for the Lord, and wanted to go on so badly.
They had a marvelous beginning. But because they were so anxious to grow into perfection and maturity, they became impatient.
Somebody came and said, “We have a formula for instant spirituality.” When somebody came with a formula of instant spirituality, the people said, “If you want to be perfect, it is very easy. Be circumcised. Keep the days, seasons, and years. Keep a certain law. Go ahead.”
They were so anxious to be perfect and so anxious to be spiritual and fully grown that, when this formula of instant spirituality came, they simply jumped at it.
In one sense, their error was an error of good intention. But actually, it was an error they accepted because the flesh could not stand the working of the cross.
The working of the cross in our lives takes time, and it costs something. But here was a prescription: you did not need to pay the full cost. You paid only a little bit—perhaps you abstained from meat on Friday—and that was all required. You could do anything else you liked.
It appealed to the flesh and gave the flesh a sense of achievement, a sense of spirituality. That was the problem with the churches in Galatia.
It was not because they did not want to go on with the Lord. It was because they wanted to go on so much that they were led off to another gospel, which was not a gospel at all.
In Greek, there are two different words for “another.” One is allos, which means another of the same kind. The other is heteros, another of a different kind. The word used here means another of a different kind—not of the same kind.
They were led from the gospel into something different, which was not a gospel at all—a mixture of grace and law.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we have the same problem. Not only did the churches in Galatia have this problem; the problem exists today.
Some Christians simply do not have a heart to go on with the Lord. They are just walking along, that is all. They are merely saved, and they think that being saved is all that matters. “If only I can get inside heaven—even if I am a doorkeeper there—that is fine. That is enough.”
But there are other Christians who really want to go on. They have a temptation: they want so much to grow into perfection and maturity that they are very easily persuaded to go outside the Lord’s way—the way of the cross—and into another way, thinking that this will speed up the process.
Brothers and sisters, there is no such thing as instant spirituality.
Growth takes time. It takes the working of the cross for Christ to be truly formed in us. There is no alternative way.
The concept of the modern age is instantness. Everything must be instant. Modern man is very impatient: instant coffee, instant tea, instant noodles—everything instant.
But, brothers and sisters, in the spiritual life there is no such thing as instantness. There is much of the flesh that has to be dealt with in order that Christ may be developed in us.
People get impatient, and people tell you, “If you do this, if you do that, if you have this, if you have that, then suddenly you are spiritual.” How people just jump into these things!
That was the problem. They began in Christ, but they were led away from Christ into the flesh. They began in the Spirit, but they left the Spirit and tried to perfect themselves by the works of the law.
Paul’s heart was sore. Why? Because Paul saw that they were going away from Christ into themselves, away from grace into law, away from the Spirit into the flesh. The whole direction was wrong.
If this was not arrested, they might begin with good intentions—if there is such a thing as good intention—and end up with bad results.
When Paul noticed this, he was deeply hurt, and he wrote this letter.
Usually, when we read the Letter to the Galatians, we are taken up with the arguments in the letter. The letter is very argumentative. But argument was not the purpose of the letter.
What is really in that letter? When Paul noticed the condition among these churches, he was trying to lead them back to the foundation—to the foundation.
It reveals that something was lacking in the foundation. Sometimes we are so anxious to build the superstructure, but if there is some defect in the foundation, you cannot build. If you do build, one day it will tumble.
You need a solid foundation in order to build. With the churches in Galatia, they were so anxious to build, but something was lacking. Therefore, in the Letter to the Galatians, Paul was trying to lead them back to the foundation—the very basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we feel that we are so advanced that we do not need the basics anymore. But when we hit a wall, you find that the Holy Spirit leads us back to the basics again. Very often, it is in the basics that the trouble lies.
In their anxiety to grow, Paul seemed to turn them around and lead them back to the very foundation, in order to establish them firmly in the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If they were firmly established there, they would not be moved.
In other words, go back to the very beginning. That is what our Lord Jesus always does. He always leads people back to the beginning. If anything is wrong somewhere, the Lord says it is because something was defective in the beginning.
This is what the Holy Spirit is doing in the Letter to the Galatians. So, brothers and sisters, I would like to read the Letter to the Galatians with you concerning the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther, the great Reformer, said, “The Epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. I am wedded to it. It is my Catherine.” Catherine was the name of Luther’s wife.
Luther considered the Letter to the Galatians his letter. In the great work of the Reformation, Luther based his work not upon the Letter to the Romans, but upon the Letter to the Galatians.
We often think that Romans is the doctrinal foundation of the Reformation. No, it was Galatians. Most likely Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians and the Letter to the Romans around the same period, perhaps with First and Second Corinthians. Romans is actually an extension of Galatians.
Martin Luther, by the grace of God, really understood Galatians. He could not understand the Epistle of James. He called it an epistle of straw; he said one could not use it to fight. But the weapon of Martin Luther was the Letter to the Galatians.
It was his sword because he really understood the Letter to the Galatians. It is true: the Letter to the Galatians gives us the very basics of the gospel.
Brothers and sisters, if we do not understand the Letter to the Galatians, we will never fully understand the basics of the gospel. How much do we know of the gospel of Jesus Christ? We can measure ourselves by our understanding of the Letter to the Galatians. It is that important.
This morning, I would like to fellowship with you concerning the first basic of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as shown in the Letter to the Galatians.
If you open the letter to the churches in Galatia, you find that it begins with a greeting. Paul always says:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then when you come to the end of the epistle, what do you find?
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
In other words, the first basic of the gospel of Jesus Christ is this matter of grace.
If you do not understand what grace is, you can never understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? We are saved by grace. That is the gospel. That is the characteristic of the gospel: grace.
Throughout this epistle, Paul deals with nothing more than this matter of grace. But what is grace?
First of all, let us consider the word grace in New Testament Greek. According to the usage of this word, it includes a much larger meaning than we usually realize.
We usually think of grace as something given freely. Certainly, that is grace. But according to the New Testament use of the word, there is a threefold meaning to grace.
First, grace is something that awakens pleasure, delight, and satisfaction in those who come in contact with it.
In other words, grace has its origin in the One Who is full of grace. Just as, when you see a beautiful picture, it gives you great pleasure in your soul, that picture may be called graceful because it gives you pleasure and satisfaction.
There is something in that picture—there is beauty in it—that gives you that feeling of satisfaction. So the picture is graceful.
According to the New Testament meaning of grace, our Lord Jesus is so full of beauty, so full of grace, so full of love, so full of everything, that when we see Him and are in touch with Him, He becomes the source of pleasure, delight, and satisfaction within us. Therefore, we say that He is grace.
Grace is more than something that comes to you freely. Grace has its origin in a Person. Because there is such an origin, you can receive grace. Otherwise, it cannot be imparted.
If there is no beautiful picture, you do not have that feeling of pleasure in your soul. You must have the source first, and the source is Christ. That is grace.
Second, because grace is in Him, the grace of our Lord Jesus comes to us in at least two ways. First, grace must be free—it must be freely given. Second, it must be universally given.
When the grace of our Lord Jesus comes to us, it does not require any payment—no down payment. It does not come by credit card.
Many people think of salvation as buying something on credit. You have nothing to pay, so the Lord says, “All right, I will give it to you first. But take care and do well. If you take care and do well, then you can keep it. If you do not do well, I will take it away because you do not pay.”
It is not payment before; it is payment afterward. Many people think of salvation that way. Some people think salvation must be paid for: if you do not pay, you do not get it. Others feel they cannot pay, so they receive it on credit. After they are saved, if they are good, they will go to heaven; if they are not good, God will take it away.
But that is not salvation. That is not grace. Grace is given freely, before and after. That is grace.
Not only is grace given freely, but it is given universally. If anything is not given universally, it is not grace. Why? Because in the very idea of selection, there is some kind of merit. But grace must be universal: whosoever will.
When the grace of God comes to us, it comes so freely and so universally. That is the second meaning of the word grace.
Third, in the New Testament usage of this word, sometimes you find the expression, “Thanks be unto God.” The word thanks is related to the word grace in the original language.
Because He is so full of grace, and because He gives Himself to us in such a free and universal way, after we have received Him, we return thanks. We say, “Thank You, Lord.” That is grace.
More than that, as recipients of grace, grace works in us and begins to produce, or reproduce, graciousness in us according to His nature. This fruit of grace is also called grace.
In other words, grace is not only Christ; it is Christ coming to us. Not only does Christ come to us, but Christ is reproduced in us from beginning to end. Is that not gracious?
Brothers and sisters, if you know the Word of God, you find that even the very basic of the gospel, which is grace, is far greater than we usually think.
We usually think of grace as something God gives to us. Certainly, that is grace. Perhaps I am deeply troubled in my conscience because of my sins. Who can forgive my sins? I try every way, and it does not work.
Finally, I come to the Lord and say, “Lord, please forgive me.” The Lord has pity upon me and says, “Well, you seem to be really regretful. All right, I forgive you. I will give you a package called forgiveness of sins.”
If you receive that package, you are saved, and you say, “Thank God for His grace.” Then you think, “One day, if I die, where shall I go? I want to go to heaven. How can I go to heaven? I need eternal life.”
So you go to the Lord and say, “Lord, give me eternal life.” The Lord says, “All right, I will give you another package.” You receive that package and say, “Thank God for His grace.”
Suppose you are sick. Suppose you are very weak physically, and you go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I want healing.” The Lord says, “All right, I will give you something.” Then you thank God for His grace—another package.
Sometimes you are in need, and you go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I need this. I need that.” The Lord says, “All right, I will provide for you.” When the Lord gives you provision, you say, “God, thank You for Your grace.”
Brothers and sisters, I am not trying to belittle these things. But what I am trying to tell you is this: we often think of grace in terms of things.
But if you go to the Lord and ask Him, “What is grace?” God will tell you, “Grace is not a thing. Grace is a Person.”
“I have not given you this and that, and this and that, as many separate things. No, I have only one grace. My grace is My Son. When I gave My Son to you, that is grace.”
“If you want forgiveness of sins, it is there in My Son. If you want eternal life, it is there in My Son. If you want healing, it is in My Son. If you want provision, it is in My Son. Everything that you need is in My Son.”
My Son is My grace. I have no other grace.
Brothers and sisters, our concept of grace has to undergo a great change. The grace of God is not in things. Things are included, but they are not grace. The grace of God is a Person: His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
When God gave His Son to us, He gave grace to us. Grace to you. Now, thank Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, thank God. Can there be anything more gracious than this grace? How gracious is God, that He should give His Son to us as grace.
When you receive the Son, you have everything in Him. There is nothing that man needs, nothing that is lacking. That is grace.
Oh, if only we could see this, brothers and sisters, we could not help but worship. That is God. That is like God. When God does things, He does them in a way exactly like Himself. That is the grace of our Lord.
Now let us quickly go through the Letter to the Galatians. How is this grace shown to us in the letter? On the basis that grace is a Person, that it is Christ, how does it work?
You find three different stages:
That is Galatians.
First of all, Paul says:
But when it was the good pleasure of God, Who separated me, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.
Do you hear this? Even when Paul was in his mother’s womb, God had already set him apart for a purpose. But then one day, grace met him on the road to Damascus.
How did grace meet him? It pleased the Father to reveal His Son in him.
On the road to Damascus, Paul not only received forgiveness of sins—and that in itself was grace. He was a blasphemer, a persecutor, an insolent man, a proud person, and arrogant.
But on the road to Damascus, all his sins were forgiven. His past was blotted out. He became an entirely new person. He came into a new relationship with God. But how did grace come to him? Christ was revealed.
It was more than forgiveness. It was more than a right relationship with God. It was even more than new birth and transformation. All these were included, but it was Christ Himself.
Think of that: an archenemy of Christ, intent upon wiping out even the name of Christ, totally unworthy and unprepared. Suddenly grace met him.
That grace struck him to the ground, shattered him, and remade him. Grace came into him: Christ in him, the hope of glory. Can you call that anything less than grace?
That is grace.
Such a vessel—totally unfit—and yet the treasure was put into that earthen vessel. Paul could not get away from that. He said, “What is that? That is grace. That is grace.”
Brothers and sisters, is it not true that this happened to us? We are totally unworthy. We are totally unprepared. We are but earthen vessels—nothing. Yet suddenly the treasure appeared in us: Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is grace.
But this is only the beginning.
As Christ is revealed in us, grace continues to work. When grace continues in its working, Jesus Christ lives in us.
Christ in you is more than a guarantee for the future. Christ in you is meant to live for you.
Once upon a time, we were so afraid to die. Christ came and said, “You do not need to be afraid to die.” Why? “Because I have died. I have died for you; therefore, you will never die.” Thank God.
But today, after you have believed in the Lord Jesus, you know that you have eternal life. You know that you are born again. You know you are saved. Then you try to live up to a Christian standard.
You try to live and live and live until one day you are very tired of living. Formerly you were afraid to die, but now you are afraid to live.
One day, the Lord says, “You do not need to live. I live.” Christ lives in you.
When Paul said that, he said, “Thank God, I am on the cross. Christ lives.” That is grace. Is that not grace?
You try to live up to a Christian standard, and if you can live up to that standard, what is that? Work. But the Lord says, “You do not need to do the work. This is grace. He is grace. He lives for you.”
Now that is grace. Brothers and sisters, if we allow the Lord to live in us, what will happen? Gradually, you will find Christ formed in us.
Whenever a thing is formed, it can be seen. Before a thing is formed, it cannot be seen. Many people say, “You are a Christian, are you?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because I believe in the Lord Jesus. I am born again. I have new life.” But people say, “I do not see it.”
It is not because they do not see it that you do not have it. You have it. You know you have it. But it is not formed yet.
If you allow Christ to live in you and He begins to form in you, then people begin to see Christ.
That is grace. That is the ultimate of grace. Grace comes to you, and grace reproduces Christ in you.
But in the process, there is temptation. How we are tempted to go away from Christ into something else! That becomes another gospel, which is not a gospel.
Brothers and sisters, the Epistle to the Galatians tells us what grace is. Grace is Christ. From the beginning to the end, it is Christ and nothing else. That is grace.
That is where we stand. You are saved by grace. So: grace.
Lord, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation unto the full knowledge of Thyself.
Lord, we need to know what grace is. We need to experience what grace can do, that we may be unto the praise of Thy glory.
So, Lord, we commit ourselves to Thee for Thy working in us. Oh, may it be grace upon grace, and grace into glory—Thyself.
Amen.