This is Love
Dearest J,
Today I re-read all of Galatians 1-6 again, and John 1.
I split reading between Physical and Digital. For Galatians, I used a Physical copy of the Life Application NLT Bible (this is my least “colorful” Bible but my OG Bible, where I literally only use pencil to underline.
Galatians reminded me of a lot of the book I’m reading right now which is called the “Gospel of Wellness” by Rina Raphael, which was much of who I was before becoming a Christian. Basically, Rina is Jewish … and she mentioned in her book how little support is provided during times of grief in wellness communities that are often so heavy laden with their toxic positivity, which is their form of “law” and idol worship, that anything that falls out of that essentially leads you nowhere.
For example, the crew you might go with to Soul Cycle or Equinox, or do tarot cards with, or study ACIM with — these are typically not the type of people who can really hold you through tough things.
And similarly to the Jews in Galatians, they held so closely to what they regarded as what “rules” to follow, in their case it was following the laws of Moses and circumcision, for example. In Galatians, Paul remarks how though the law is there to help, it shouldn’t be gospel. The only real GOSPEL is that of Jesus Christ, who if we follow leads to TRUE FREEDOM.
In the case of Rina Raphael’s book, I could so clearly see the underpinnings of the wellness world in the same way the Jews would’ve viewed their rules. If it’s not following the vegan diet to a T, or following this or that guru, or making sure to do your daily transendental meditation practice in JUST THE RIGHT WAY … and do everything regularly, then you end up feeling like a failure at the end of the day. And I think this is the same thing, it’s this essence of needing to be in absolute CONTROL. That’s the same thing the law of Moses gave to the Jews, when followed to a T, a sense that they’re doing the right thing.
And that’s why Jesus came … basically to FULFILL this law. And understand that anything, when made a substitute for God, is vain and shallow and will really lead you with nothing but this idea that you’re falling short of whatever it is that you were supposed to be doing perfectly. Cause you’ll never be perfect. Yes, we can use the law for guidance, just like we can use nutritional guidance as exactly that, but when it begins to control our life, we sometimes don’t even know it until it’s too late.
So yeah, that’s why I loved reading Galatians today!
Some favorite verses from Galatians 1-6:Galatians 2:
16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. 17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Galatians 3:
2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? … 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 4:
10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. … 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.
Galatians 5:
1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. … 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. … 6 … What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 6:
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
John 1
For John, I used a digitized version I have for Bible Journaling on my iPad (which I LOVE by the way simply bc it’s unlimited changes with colors, zooming, erasing notes, etc).
I love the Life Application Bible because of all the notes I can take — I didn’t even get too far reading into John 1, because I was mostly reading commentary. But still, it’s SO HELPFUL.
Anyways, that’s all for today :) Until tomorrow!
Amen ♡ xo, Fay
