Galatians 3:23-24

(Galatians 3:23-24)

『But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 』

 

Church people say they come to church because of their faith. But to believe so is self-belief. This is the one who is called. They may be impressed by the words of others, determined by their knowledge and experience, and come to church. 『But if it is not the faith of the elect, it is still in the God's law. The reason is in Galatians』(3:22). But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Although trapped in God's law, they are promised by the faith of Jesus Christ. Those who enter into Christ are united with the faith of Christ. The merit of the cross is open to all, but it applies only to those who repent and enter into the Christ of the cross. An illustration of this is the same as the story of Abraham, ten spies, and Peter. Peter, in particular, became a disciple by the call of Jesus. And he had all kinds of miracles and experiences that ordinary people do not experience. And he knew that Jesus was the Son of God. Even the demon in the Bible knew that Jesus was the Son of God. The demonic man said, "What does it have to do with me?"But Peter said, "Lord, we have left everything and followed you."And he confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The disciples thought that Jesus was king, but Jesus said that he suffered from the priest, died, and was resurrected in three days. But the disciples were not interested in that. Only a woman who poured perfumed oil over Jesus' head at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany area. 『And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?』(Mark 14:3-4) Jesus commended her for doing a good.『Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.』(Mark 14:9)

Who is the woman who poured the ointment on Jesus' head? The Bible does not say who exactly is. But Jesus said, "Commemorate this woman where the gospel is preached. The reason is in Mark (14: 8). 『She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.』This contrasts with what Mark (14: 3-4) says.

"perfumed oil" can be a funeral for Jesus, or an expensive thing to sell and give to the poor. The priority of perfumed oil is funeral, and helping the poor is the next. The reason is given in Mark (14:7). 『For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.』Participating in Jesus' funeral must be done before helping the poor. This is the real gospel.

『Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.』(Romans 6:4) Jesus is telling those who attended the funeral to enter the tomb together. Unless you are buried with Jesus, you become unrelated to Jesus. Even though attending a funeral is grateful to the dead, does it make sense to be buried with the dead?

It is not the living flesh that is to be buried with Jesus who died on the cross, but the inner man (old-man) of greed. It is important to help the poor to share the gospel with the world, but we must first share the death of the old man of greed. The priority is wrong. There are countless churches and missionaries today, but how many will preach the old man's death first? Only to help the poor first to lead to the church, so they may be indifferent to the death of the old man.

If the death of the old man is not preceded, then all believers become like Abram until the age of 99, ten spies that say, “If we enter, we die” before the land of Canaan, and disciples of Jesus who fled before the cross. If Anyone do not speak of the death of the old man with Jesus, they will be a speaker in Matthew(23:15).『Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.』

『Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?』(Matthew 23: 16-17) Today, I see the greedy ones who have fallen into the golden almighty Manmonism that many people think personally own church buildings. They serve both riches and God.『No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.』(Matthew 6:24)

Judas Iscariot was a member of Jesus' twelve disciples. He was a stealer. He stole the money from the donation box. The Bible says he is a lover of money. He learned the words from Jesus and ghosted him, but his inner man was greedy. His master was not jesus but greed. So Satan used Judas Iscariot. Although the rest of the disciples did not act like that of Judas Iscariot, Jesus said, "Everyone will leave me tonight." They left everything and followed Jesus. They discarded all but one thing. It was an old man called "self" that they could not discard. This old man tries to act like the master of the flesh. The key to salvation depends on the treatment of the old man.『Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.』(Romans 6:6) It is not important how you lived in the past, but it is important that you become a new person and live differently. So God tells you that the old man dies with Jesus. Even if you have everything in the world, you will not be saved from God unless the old man dies with Jesus. If your spirit does not enter the kingdom of God, you will be judged by God.