by Pastor John Kim

The prayer of the original Lighthouse San Diego church plant team back in 1998 was based on Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

As we look back at that starting point, those of us who were there at the beginning would never have imagined that not only would Lighthouse San Diego survive against the “9 out 10 church plants fail within 2 years” odds but the vision of planting churches would become a reality and within fifteen years there would be Lighthouse churches inaugurated in the communities of San Diego (1999), San Jose (2011), Alameda (2012), Los Angeles (2014), and Orange County (2014).

This growing network of Lighthouse churches has created an opportunity to explore and develop what would define the relationship between the churches, and this has proven to be no small challenge.

If there is any reality that we have observed over the years, it is the very harsh reality of the spiritual battle that continues to wage war both within as well as from outside the church. If there is anything that I have come to notice more and more, it is the truth stated in Philippians chapter 1 regarding opponents and suffering:

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. (Philippians 1:27–30)

The growing intensity of trials and tribulations along the way has only confirmed to all of us over the years that not only are we granted to believe in Christ but we are privileged to suffer for His sake. But there have been a number of trials that have severely tested the resolve of the church individually as well as collectively.

But the tribulations have not deterred us from moving forward. As each church plant was established, the leaders of each church recognized that there was a growing need to communicate and define how we would work together while still maintaining a clear sense of autonomy for each church. In other words, we were not interested in starting a denomination where there would be a governing board that would exercise authority over all the churches. Neither was there going to be the equivalent of a “Lighthouse pope” which unfortunately was being propagated by some disgruntled folks who sought to undermine the unity of the churches with unfounded claims. But we also wanted to be more than a loose association with some minimal common ground.

Thus what was initially bantered about, at least unofficially as the Lighthouse Association, grew into an ongoing discussion centered on the concept of an alliance. We wanted to be more than an association in that the purpose for our cooperation was to be based on the unity found in what were the foundational principles upon which Lighthouse Bible Church was started, namely, the Mission, Vision, and Passion Statements, the Peacemaker Pledge, and the doctrinal statement and distinctives that were established in the beginning of this whole endeavor.

Our initial meeting of the five Lighthouse pastors took place in December 2014 in Alameda as Lighthouse East Bay hosted the first pastors fellowship so that the alliance could be defined and developed. It was at the first meeting that the reality of the challenge of how difficult it would be was realized and the goal of building a strong unified foundation was going to take longer than just a few meetings. It was decided that each of the Lighthouse churches would take turns hosting the pastors on a quarterly basis and so it was in February of this year that Lighthouse San Jose hosted the second pastors fellowship and we were able to hammer out a purpose statement that will hopefully provide more clarity and understanding as to what the Lighthouse Alliance entails.

The Lighthouse Alliance purpose statement is as follows:

The Lighthouse Alliance is a fellowship of like-minded churches partnering together in the service of the gospel by providing support for each local congregation and opportunities for cooperative ministry to the glory of God.

We exist to promote the MVP Statement, the Peacemaker Pledge, and doctrinal convictions of Lighthouse Bible Church.

This statement highlights both the cooperative nature as well as the autonomy of each Lighthouse church. It sets the groundwork for what we hope will be the cultivating and nurturing of a joint partnership that will pave the way, God-willing, for future ministry and missions opportunities, both locally and internationally, that would mutually benefit as well as bless all the Lighthouse churches individually and collectively as we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness in the proclamation of the gospel.

Fellowship

We are first a fellowship of churches that share a participation in the gospel, are united by the head of the church, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and are committed to the purposes for which Christ has called His body to fulfill.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3–5)

The apostle Paul recognized, even from prison that what he shared with believers in other cities was a participation in the gospel. Though he would not be physically present in each church that he helped start, he cultivated a partnership that was shown in his practical goal of collecting financial support for the church in Jerusalem to care for the poor and needy believers. This participation was something that brought joy and continued to instill affection with the heart of Paul as he recalled their sharing.

This is an appropriate term that goes beyond even the scope of the individuals in the local church. It is an unfortunate reality that many churches choose to have nothing to do with other churches, especially if there is any kind of denominational distinction or even with the independent Bible church scene. But our hope as fellow Lighthouse churches is that we would pursue a genuine fellowship that is grounded in our Savior being head of the church and that this fellowship would be something that would truly bring glory to God in ways that we could not as individual churches.

Like-Minded

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

We truly are like-minded in the sense that we think the same thing regarding God, God’s Word, and have a shared conviction regarding what a church should be and do for God’s glory. This like-mindedness is especially seen in our commitment to what we call the MVP Statements, the Peacemaker Pledge, and our doctrinal convictions.

The MVP

• The Mission – to make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20) Our Lord made it very clear as He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth that His church was to be involved in the mission of making disciples. All the going, baptizing, and teaching to observe His commands center around this primary purpose. We are not called to make disciples of the leaders, of the Lighthouse “brand” or to create an exclusive club of Lighthouse clothed minions but we are called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and continually point both unbelievers and believers to His Lordship over their lives.
• The Vision – to plant churches (Acts 1:8). The book of Acts presents the actual carrying-out of the Great Commission as we saw the church start in Jerusalem and then start to spread as the nameless believers who faithfully carried out the mission took the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth as they planted churches and continued to invest in the reproducing of churches through the ministry of evangelism and discipleship. We are simply those who have inherited the baton of passing on the greatness of God to future generations and that is why the vision of church planting has been at the heart and soul of Lighthouse in that we never would desire to settle for growing a church that was only focused inwardly but that there would be an enduring commitment to prayerfully send not only financial support but to send members of the church who would form a team that would work together to plant and grow the church plants to the point where they would be able to carry on the investment in future church plants.
• The Passion – to love God and people (Matthew 22:37–40). If there is one thing that we must never forget, everything that we do must be done out of a genuine and true love for God and people. There are many who are motivated for a project or to build a structure but it is another thing to view all things through the lens of relationships that are to be characterized by the love of God in Christ that has been poured out in our hearts (Romans 5:5). This compelling love (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) should always be at the heart and soul of what we do.

The MVP statements are simply biblical principles that any church should embrace but sad to say that many simply are not willing to commit themselves to these truths. This is not only tragic for those who attend such churches but it makes it impossible for churches to partner with other churches in any capacity as the common commitments are found to be not so common.

This is especially seen when we consider the issue of conflict resolution. If there is one thing that destroys most churches, it is the reality of conflicts that are left unresolved and lead to the fracturing of churches to the point where many churches split or even dissolve.

The Peacemaker Pledge

This is why the commitment to the Peacemaker Pledge is something we place as a priority at each local assembly. It is something that we would like to see be shared as a common pursuit so that we could even support and help each other when conflicts rise to the level where there is assistance needed in order for there to be a peaceful resolution.

The four G’s of the Peacemaker Pledge should be a constant reminder that we are called to be peacemakers as we are God’s children and should be distinguished by our commitment to pursue peace.

• GLORIFY GOD (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 3:20–21)
• GET THE LOG OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE (Matthew 7:3–5)
• GENTLY RESTORE (Galatians 6:1)
• GO AND BE RECONCILED (Matthew 5:23–24)

If there is one distinctive of the Lighthouse churches that truly stands out, it is this commitment to pursue peace to God’s glory. We will never avoid the reality of conflicts as they simply are a part of our lives. We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places so that we might live to the glory of God, and conflicts actually provide an opportunity to show how much we desire God’s glory than anything else.

The partnership of the Lighthouse churches provides a resource where we can assist one another especially when there are conflicts at a leadership level which are difficult to deal with alone. We saw this come into play during situations where partner churches were quick to come alongside those who were in need and it was a blessing to see how our common bond, while tested, proved to be an incredible support and lead to the fellowship and community of churches being strengthened.

Doctrinal Distinctives

The doctrinal statement and distinctives found in the membership handbooks are the same as the investment of each church to plant the succeeding churches established a commitment to these doctrinal convictions from the very beginning as we wanted to be clear that we were going to be united by these convictions in moving forward with the vision of church planting.

The pastors have committed themselves in the next three months to actually study and write statements on each of the doctrinal distinctives so that there would be greater clarity as well as a sound understanding as to why we are committed to principles such as a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic, a pre-tribulational/premillennial eschatology, biblical counseling, complementarianism, and the other positions that while they may be found in the minority in the popular sense, are nonetheless commitments that we have made due to the authority of Scripture being given the place of primacy.

Conclusion

Please be in prayer for the development of the Lighthouse Alliance. The enemy has already sought to destroy the unity in a number of ways and while we trust the Lord’s good hand in watching over us, we are well aware that there are those who would like nothing else to see this partnership disintegrate. Please pray for the pastors and leaders of each Lighthouse church, that there would be a humble faithfulness to serving the churches and a diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace that would prevail in the midst of testing.

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1–6)

by Pastor Jim Kang

THE PERSEVERANCE OF NOAH
An Exposition of Genesis 7

Out of all the Old Testament saints, one of my favorites is Noah. That’s because he exemplifies what perseverance of a saint looks like. According to Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe, a man who perseveres may not see the fruit of his labor in his day. He said, “Ours is a ministry of faith, and we don’t always see the results. The harvest is not the end of the meetings or of the church year. The harvest is the end of the age, and the Lord of the harvest will see to it that His good and faithful servants will get their just rewards.” Here in North America where many professing Christians choose whatever is convenient and whatever is the easy way out, we need to learn what it means to persevere and what it means to be steadfast. Hence, consider the perseverance of Noah.

How Long Did Noah Persevere?

Twice in Genesis 7 the age of Noah is mentioned when the flood finally came (vv. 6 and 11). According the text, Noah was 600 years old.

Now, do you know when Noah was told by God to build the ark? According to Genesis 6 it was around the time when Noah became the father of three sons (vv. 8-13a).

Well, when did Noah become the father of three sons? According to Genesis 5:32, Noah was 500 years old. Now, do the math. How long did Noah take to build the ark? In other words, how long did Noah obey God and keep God’s command? That’s 100 years! By the time you read Genesis 6:22 that’s already 100 years. But when you come to Genesis 7:4 and 7:10 seven more days are gone. And the narrative repeatedly points out his obedience (6:22; 7:5 and 7:9). All that to say, Noah obeyed God and kept God’s command for over 100 years!

It’s hard to find someone who’s consistent for 10 straight months (let alone 10 straight weeks). But for Noah, it’s 100 years of obedience and perseverance!

Now, do you think Noah had it easy to persevere? Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 24:37-42. According to Jesus, the people lived every day as just another day. That is, people doing whatever they pleased – eating, drinking, marrying, and partying. It’s hard to focus in fulfilling God’s will and obeying his command when all around you people are doing whatever they please. It’s not that eating, drinking, and marrying are inherently wrong or evil. However, those things which are part of God’s common grace can become distractions, weights, liabilities, and even idols. They hinder your vision. Even when you sing the hymn “Be Thou My Vision,” you may not mean it because the meaning of those precious words have disappeared.

So, Noah did not have it easy to persevere. But he was determined to obey God’s command and fulfilled God’s will at all cost. John Calvin said Noah had forsaken the world so that he may live.[1] That’s the cost Noah paid to obey and persevere.

In his devotional book My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal.”

Also, J.C. Ryle’s book Holiness, Ryle makes this observation that is common in our day as it was then. He writes, “Nothing is more common than to see people receiving the Word with joy, and then after two or three years falling away, and going back to their sins.”[2] That implies that you have to give time and observe people at least two to three years to see their true color.

Why Do People Fail to Persevere?

One of the reasons such is the case is because people are not willing to take what it costs to be a true disciple. The cost can be their self-righteousness and pride. Another is laziness. Another is worldliness or love of the world. Another is simply their sin. They enjoy their sin too much to let it go. Jesus said in John 3, “People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” On the contrary, he said, “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Another cost is true repentance. Some simply do not want to repent because 1) they don’t see the need to repent, 2) they are stubborn to remain in sin, and 3) all of the above. Again, listen to J.C. Ryle:

“I grant it costs much to be a true Christian. But who is in his sound senses can doubt that it is worth any cost to have the soul saved? When the ship is in danger of sinking, the crew think nothing of casting overboard the precious cargo. When a limb is mortified, a man will submit to any severe operations, and even to amputation, to save life. Surely a Christian should be willing to give up anything which stands between him and heaven. A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing! A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown.”[3]

So, do you think Noah had it easy to persevere? Imagine having to persevere against people mocking at you for 100 years! There’s no biblical text that’s clearer than 2 Peter 3:3-6 in regards to Genesis 7. It says:

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.” (2 Peter 3:3)

Imagine mockers mocking at you for 100 years!

What is clear from Genesis is that in between those 100 years there is no record that God ever spoke to Noah. There was no revelation from God. God was silent during those 100 years that Noah faced mockery, persecutions, and hardships. Remember, Noah lived in a time when there was no Bible. There was no pastor to run to. There were no online sermons. There were no discipleship groups where he can receive encouragement. There was no Lighthouse Bible Church, let alone any church to hear the voice of God. Yet he persevered and obeyed God for over 100 years! If that’s the case, then you and I have absolutely no excuse for failing to obey God and persevere with joy!

What Kept Noah Going?

So, what kept Noah going for 100 years? The answer is simply Noah believed God’s covenant promise in Genesis 6:18! How do we know that? Because the Bible says so.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

The fundamental problem with many of us is that we don’t believe. We say, “Yeah that’s what the Bible says, but…” I can assure you that all the problems that you may be having can be traced to this fundamental problem, namely not believing God and his word.

During the 100 years of God’s silence, it is safe to assume that Noah asked questions such as “Is today the day that the flood would come?” “Is today the day that God’s promise be fulfilled?” I’m sure he often checked the weather to see if there’s any clouds forming. If so, he would have been asking “Is today the day?” You can imagine the disappointments and discouragements he faced when the day did not come. Not to mention depressions and dark times he had to endure.

Have you been in times like that? Perhaps you’re in it now. If not, you will be some day.

Even though the Bible credits Noah for his faith (e.g., Hebrews 11), I can assure you that the journey or the process wasn’t easy for Noah. So often in our Christian life the issue isn’t about whether we’re going to make it to the finish line. Rather, the issue is the process or the journey in getting to the finish line. So when we read the patriarchs’ faith in Hebrews 11, we need to realize that behind the final product, there lies many tears and toil, and many trials and errors of those men. No one became mighty in faith overnight. All that to say, the process matters!

If anything, Genesis teaches us what the patriarchs went through to become the examples of faith. More importantly, even in spite of many patriarchs’ lack of faith, God showed himself to be faithful to his promises. And by God’s faithful grace, he shapes us through the process of persevering! Again, process matters! Hence, you need to learn to remain faithful, available, and teachable. That’s what you and I need to cultivate in our assigned journey called the Christian life!

[1] John Calvin, “Genesis” in Calvin Commentaries, 22 Volumes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 264.

[2] J. C. Ryle, Holiness (Moscow, Idaho: Charles Nolan Publishers, 2001), 82.

[3] Ibid., 86-86.

by Pastor Mark Chin

The Apostle Paul: Republican or Democrat?
Christian Identity in Light of Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians

INTRODUCTION

What is to determine the Christian identity in America? What are the means with which this identity is to be expressed? In response to these questions, the political history of the past decade points to a disturbing trend. As the theological landscape of the evangelical church has become increasingly fragmented, conservative evangelical Christians have enthusiastically engaged in the post-modern culture wars and identity politics of the twenty first century, mobilizing themselves into a political power base, choosing to be defined by political platforms, asserting their agenda through party politics, and embracing politicians who can talk their talk. In contrast to such a trend, Jesus’ refusal to engage in political agendas, even to defend His own innocence, pointing out to Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world, somehow seems embarrassingly passé (not to mention His commands to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek).

Ever faithful to the Lord and Savior to whose Gospel he had been called, the life and message of the apostle Paul also stands in stark contrast to the identity path being charted by the politically invested post-modern American evangelical. His epistle to the Galatians is a case in point. Written in all likelihood on the eve of the first Jerusalem Council, in passionate opposition to those who were attempting to redefine the Christian identity by a Christ-plus-culture formula, the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Galatians clearly articulates what is to determine the Christian identity.[1] Party politics, moral agendas, personality cults, and even, arguably, partisanship to a particular theological system are conspicuously absent in Paul’s letter. For the apostle Paul, it is the true Gospel alone, Christ crucified for the sins of believers and resurrected by God, which is to determine the Christian identity. A believer is to be like Christ, which can be accomplished only through a life lived by faith in union with the crucified and resurrected Christ – nothing more, nothing less.

PAUL’S EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS: ONE WEAPON FOR TWO FRONTS

The epistle to the Galatians, likely the earliest of Paul’s extant letters, has always held a position of primacy in the Christian faith.[2] It is considered by some to be Paul’s most direct defense and exposition of justification by faith, which is so much the heart of Paul’s understanding of the Gospel and of the Christian experience.[3] Its divine challenge to distortions of the gospel is fundamental to the apostle Paul, to the individual believer, to the Church, and to the true Christian faith, especially during times of soteriological uncertainty. Its divine power to bring true biblical change has rarely been matched. Nowhere was this more evident in the West than in the hands of a German monk some fourteen hundred plus years after Galatians was first penned. Yet to reduce the message of Galatians to the now infamous reformation anthem, “justification by faith alone” or to a “salvation by faith rather than works” apologetic is to miss much and to risk stepping into a “non-Lordship salvation” misunderstanding of Paul’s argument.

With this letter, Paul was waging a war against an insidious heresy on two fronts. The obvious frontal attack against the true gospel was clearly being made by the Judaizer faction within the early church. This faction claimed that Paul’s gospel to the Gentiles was not divine but rather Paul’s own invention (Gal 1:11), that circumcision (i.e. fulfillment of the Law) was a prerequisite for full acceptance by God (i.e. justification, being declared right before God by God), and that living by means of the Jewish Law was the only way to check the excesses of the flesh and to live a life pleasing to God (i.e. sanctification, a life set apart for God).[4] Far more insidious and dangerous was the rear attack coming from some of the apostles themselves, Peter most notably, as well as Barnabas (Gal 2:14) who had stopped eating publicly with Gentile Christians in conformity to the Mosaic Law. Though publicly confessing with Paul salvation from the wrath of God for all men through faith in Christ alone (Acts 10:43) and not by works of the Law (Acts 11:17), unlike Paul, these Christian leaders were exemplifying a different faith – a Christ-plus-culture Christianity whose identity was based on a conservative, traditional, man-centered, merit-based, legalistic system of salvation. Paul summed up this type of Christian walk in one word, “hypocrisy” (Gal 2:13).

The true Gospel, then, was not merely being attacked by outsiders with a blatant salvation-by-Judaism message. Galatians 2:15-16 suggests that the assault was being made by insiders and Christian leaders who actually confessed the key tenets of the faith – Jesus as Lord and justification/salvation by faith in Christ – plus a Christian identity based on a now cultural religious system of merit. For Paul, Christ was everything and sufficient for the entirety of the Christian experience and identity. A faith composed of Christ plus anything else, including a cultural Christianity, whether in word or deed, was a deviation from the truth of the Gospel (Gal 2:14), worthy of public condemnation (Gal 2:11), and a damnable heresy (Gal 1:8). The heart of Paul’s argument in support of this is found in the pivotal passage of Gal 2:15-21 which provides both the conclusion of Paul’s narrative introduction and his proposition for the entire letter.[5] It is one weapon that destroys the enemies of the Gospel on every front. The heart of Paul’s argument, considered by many to be the very heart of Paul’s entire ministry, is the doctrine of union with Christ – the summation and consummation of the entire gospel message in the life of the believer.

UNION WITH CHRIST: COUNTER-CULTURE BY WAY OF THE CROSS

“I have been crucified with Christ…”

For Paul, the true gospel is not a creed, a confession, a tag line, or rallying cry, nor is it even the founding theory of a religious, theological, or political system. “It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… “ (Rm 1:16). It is the work of God in Christ that unites sinful man with the holy Sovereign God of the universe, doing so by way of the cross. As such, Paul makes clear in Gal 2:20b, using an emphatic gnomic “I” to represent all true believers, that the Gospel is to be lived and experienced in its entirety, not in part, and that this can be done only in union with the life of Christ.[6] Union with Christ is an inclusive term for the whole of salvation that characterizes the profound relation between man and God by way of the believer’s personal identification and fellowship with the Savior, Jesus Christ.[7] The consequence for the believer of this union with Christ is the personal appropriation of the effects of the life, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ that are shared and experienced as radical life-transforming identity-shaping living realities.[8] The believer’s life becomes inseparable from Christ’s life – past, present, and future.

Standing at the center of this union is neither culture nor political persuasion, but rather the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ represents a true historical and spiritual event. It demonstrates emphatically and without exception that union with Christ is entirely built upon the will and work of God in Christ and that no system of man, be it religious, political, philosophical, cultural, or economic, has any place in that union. The entire first two chapters leading up to Gal 2:15-21 show that all aspects of a believer’s union with Christ, including the believer’s justification and sanctification, are the product of God’s divine work in the believer’s life. This includes God’s will (Gal 1:4), Christ’s work (Gal 1:4), God’s calling (Gal 1:6), Christ’s grace (Gal 1:6), God’s Gospel (Gal 1:11), and God’s apostle (Gal 1:1), all of which are made manifest most fully to man at the cross of Christ. No system of man finds any place in the believer’s union with Christ at the cross. In fact, the crucifixion of Christ historically, as it testifies to the complete grace of God in salvation, damningly testifies to the complete hateful rejection of that grace by all human systems of merit, including the ones already mentioned. All human systems of merit, religious, political, philosophical, cultural, economic, etc…, willingly participated in the crucifixion of Christ and to all these systems including the Judaic system of Law, Christ died once and for all, demonstrating for all the magnitude of both His humanity and His deity. To be united with Christ is to be united with His cross and everything that it represents, hence Paul’s confession in Gal 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.”

So then, how can participation in any of these human systems of merit that clearly hate God make a man right with God? Paul’s argument in Gal 2:15-21 not only affirms without question that they cannot,[9] “a man is not justified by works of the Law … since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), but also proves that all such systems of human merit are actually antagonistic and detrimental to the believer’s union with Christ (2:17-21). Participation then in salvation and union with Christ can only happen by a means that excludes any system of human merit or effort. The only means adequate for such a task is God’s gift of grace, faith in Christ (Eph 1:7; 2:8; Gal 2:16; 3:26). The cross of Christ leaves room for nothing else.

FAITH = CHRIST ALONE : CHRIST = FAITH ALONE

“… the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God…”

The biblical concept of faith, from the OT (amen) through the NT (pistis) is a declarative, rather than a causative, expression for man’s relation to God[10] that expresses both a positive affirmation and negative renunciation.[11] It is a complete positive affirmation of God’s word as being true, resulting in complete persevering commitment, dependence, and obedience to the will and word of God.[12] The notion of complete trust, confidence, assurance, and hope in God and His word are part of this positive affirmation.[13] Conversely, faith is also a negative renunciation of anything that is not of God, including self-confidence, self-assurance, self-righteousness, human achievement, or any human systems of merit. Abraham serves as our example, displaying a faith that included a positive reliance upon God and a negative renunciation of his own ability to please God.[14]

Faith in Christ, then, brings all these aspects into play. Faith is the instrument of participation and Christ is the source, the object, the basis, and the sphere of that faith. Faith in Christ expresses a complete persevering dependence on the work and person of Jesus Christ for everything in the life of the believer and a complete persevering abandonment of anything that is not of Christ. As such, it can only be a gift of God since it rejects any work of sinful man. By definition, then, faith in Christ is incompatible with the world and all its systems of merit. Like the cross, it is in fact an affirmation of the war that exists between the two. Union with Christ, then, is by faith in Christ alone.

This union with Christ by faith, however, is not a mere affirmation of the name of Christ or a rejection of certain sins or sinners, actions which are so frequently applauded in evangelical circles. True faith in Christ alone actually unites the believer with Christ in His crucifixion and His resurrection. “In both Romans and Galatians, Paul is referring to the fact that when a person exercises faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is placed in transcendent spiritual union with Christ in the historical event of His death and resurrection, in which the penalty of sin was paid in full.”[15] The believer then, by faith, not only rejects the law, but dies to the law and to any claim the law may have on him. As a result, the believer participates in a new life in Christ, where Christ literally indwells the believer through the bond of the Holy Spirit.[16] As in a marriage, the two become one, the unity becoming the identity of both, thereby heralding a new life which, as Paul states in Gal 2:20, is lived out in the flesh by this same faith in the Son of God. Any other identity by any other means is, therefore, not only incompatible with true union with Christ, but an expression of infidelity to the cross and to Christ.

CONCLUSION

For Paul, there is only one Christian identity, and that is an identity determined solely by a believer’s union with Christ, His life, His death, and His resurrection. Such a union is not merely a theory, a systematic theology, a verbal confession, or an intellectual assent – it is a living, historical and spiritual reality whereby a believer is actually crucified with Christ and Christ actually indwells the believer by faith in Christ alone. Union with Christ, then, is a literal and supernatural identification with all aspects of the life of Christ. The centrality of the cross and of faith in Christ alone to this union, by definition, leaves no room for any human system of merit in any aspect of the believer’s life. The Gospel is, by definition, at war with the world and all its systems of merit, even as the world and all its systems of merit are at war with the Gospel. The testimony of Galatians is that any Christ plus other, be it culture, politics, religion, etc…, formula of faith is a departure from the truth of the Gospel and as such is a damnable heresy. Conservative evangelical Americans would do well to consider the message of the epistle that has brought apostles and popes to their knees – a message that will one day bring all men to their knees – including both Republicans and Democrats.

[1] Richard Longenecker, Word Biblical Commentary: Galatians. [Columbia: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990], xli.

[2] Longnecker, Galatians, xli.

[3] Ronald Y.K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians. [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. , 1988], xi.

[4] Fung, Galatians,  xcviii.

[5] Longnecker, Galatians, 80,83.

[6] Longenecker, Galatians, 92.

[7] James Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, [Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1997], 323.

[8] Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible, s.v. “Union with Christ”.

[9] Fung, Galatians, 114. Fung contends that “The implication of Paul’s statement, however, may well include the rejection of “any and all works as works-of-merit” – that is, of legalism – as of no avail in the matter of justification; for “if even the works prescribed by the holy law of Israel do not contribute to justification, then a fortiori other works certainly do not.”

[10] TDNT, 187.

[11] George J. Zemek, A Biblical Theology of the Doctrines of Sovereign Grace: Exegetical Considerations of Key Anthropological, Hamartiological and Soteriological Terms and Motifs. [ Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005], 174.

[12] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Galatians. [ Chicago: Moody Press, 1987], 57 .

[13] TDNT, 195.

[14] Zemek, A Biblical Theology of the Doctrines of Sovereign Grace, 174.

[15] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Galatians  [Chicago: Moody Press, 1987], 59.

[16] Donald Guthrie,  New Testament Theology. [ Downer’s Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1981], 654. Guthrie notes that Paul never makes any significant distinction between the function of Christ and of the Spirit within the believer.