Shovelation:Galatians

A personal modern paraphrase of Galatians by Jim Minker

I, who go by the handle "the shovel", write to you who struggle with the truth of freedom. I am not backed by any religious establishment, and I offer no program or formula. I am well aware that what I'm about to tell you will sound overly simplistic and out of touch with reality! Despite your better judgment, there's nothing that happens in your life that is not directly affected by Christ's message of freedom.

Now, I have viewed the "Christian" scene for years ... and it disturbs me. It disturbs me because you are so willing to try any means of freedom other than Christ. More than likely you'll write this off as an optional ministry that some Christians may need. You have been so influenced by the religious system and all its methods of freedom that this idea that "the gospel is all you need" probably sounds ridiculous. So, what formula or program have you settled for to help you cope with daily living? It may seem to work, but it's not freedom.

There is only one message that brings freedom! Aren't you aware of the attempts to twist it? It makes no difference who it is -- a “messenger from God”, or a respected preacher -- anyone who tells you there is freedom in anything other than the finished work of Christ should be viewed as offering death! Picture this: You go to a restaurant and order the "Freedom Plate Special" and when you get it you notice that the meat is rotten and has maggots in it! How would you view the meal? Well, pour on extra A-1 sauce and hold your nose -- you should be used to it by now.

There are lots of deceivers who say they believe in "grace." If they did, would they be so caught up in the reputation game? I know what it's like to be considered an "authority" in spiritual things; it used to be important to me. Now, I don't care that the system doesn't validate me. If I did, I wouldn't have anything to do with Jesus ... the system didn't validate Him, either.

They claim I have nothing different to offer, that I'm just a product of my upbringing. Sure, I've studied theology and I've read many “important” men's views ... but I didn't learn this message of freedom from a book or from a man. This truth comes from Christ. If He hadn't opened my eyes to it I wouldn't have seen it! The fact is that I used to resist this freedom just as you have. Though I had shown great promise, and was actively involved in “ministry” I turned out to be quite a disappointment to my teachers, my peers and my family. Why wasn't I “moving on with my life”? Why didn't I have my “own” church?

I thought I already knew God's grace, but what was being revealed to me began to blow my whole belief system apart! God, who makes no mistakes, purposed this inconvenient interruption before I was even born. Had I followed the advice of my peers I would have abandoned this “heresy” before it ruined my chances of operating within the system! Why do I tell you this? So that you don't try to credit any man with the message of freedom that I speak. It's understanding comes directly from God! And what “proof” do I offer? Only that those who hear me give God the credit for it.

Did you know there were spies among us? Or did you think we had nothing worth spying on? We might be naive, but deceivers can detect the slightest scent of freedom. Haven't you noticed how someone always seems to be around to squash it? They're in bondage and can't stand the thought that someone else could be free. If I seem unbending it's only in this. The fact is that someone wants to take this from you. Don't you see what they are doing with their programs and their "entrance requirements"? Don't you see the distinctions they use to split believers? They talk about "unity", but their words would convince you that you are a "lesser" Christian who should go to the next level by a dedication or an action. Fill in the blanks, it's all the same! "Because I fall short in ___ I must do ___ in order to get ___ !"

The written formula makes it look more like the program that it is, doesn't it? And it forces you to put on a mask! For how can you evaluate someone through the reality of Christ when the system demands that you judge them by the flesh? We can do such stupid stuff under that influence! These programs may seem so biblically correct, but haven't you seen how it has been used to categorize? If there are "Spirit-filled" Christians, then do the rest not have the Spirit? If there are obedient Christians, are all others disobedient Christians? The list is almost endless, but the distinction is the same: some Christians have it and some don't! And because we have read the Bible in view of the formula, it seems to support the formula.

Look at it another way. Let's say you do the "spiritual" thing and join an accountability group, and in the process you discover just how "carnal" you are. Do you think it is Christ who tells you that you are still a sinner? Do you really think it is His Spirit who "convicts" you of sin? If I put myself back into the system that sets one above another who is convicting me of "carnality"? I am!

Christ has nothing more to do with sin. Don't you get it? It is the old system of rules that killed me. It is that death (through Christ) that removed me from the system of rules. And His death also removed me from the sin. He did this to make me alive to God! For when Christ was crucified, I was crucified. The sinner I used to be is no longer alive ... and Christ has become my very life! This life I am now living in this body I live by the faith that has its source in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.

So, do you think we should void out the grace of God with another message of freedom? Listen up. If you can really find freedom from the things that overpower you in this life by following some kind of a program or system with "steps to victory," then Christ didn't have to die at all! It would all have been for nothing!

Have you gone insane? You act as if you're under a spell. Remember when you saw this life in Jesus as miraculous? Don't you remember that His death put an end to what you used to be? Tell me just one thing: this new life -- the Spirit of Christ living in you -- did it come from something you did? Or was it a miracle that came through faith? You know the Spirit came and made you alive by the miracle of hearing! But do you think you can make the new life better by something you do? If so, you are insane!

I know they claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but how have they set themselves up as the authorities of "spirituality"? The word they study doesn't support such an arrogant attitude. I know you have your own Bible and you check out what they tell you. But you validate it by following their system of interpretation. Man's wisdom will justify itself, you know!

You have been convinced you that your "relationship" with God is a changing thing -- here one day, but gone the next. You might call it "fellowship", and speak of being "in" or "out" of it. Or you might call it "knowing God", "getting closer to God", "getting right with God", or "abiding in Christ." However you refer to it, the result is always the same. You become convinced that you are not as close to God as you should be!

How is it that you have missed the reality of salvation? Could it be that you have fallen for the concept that “salvation” means “going to heaven”? Maybe that's why it has little affect on how you see yourself right now! Maybe that's why you see no true "salvation" in your day to day living! That's why you look elsewhere for that freedom.

The promise of having the righteousness of God is not found within a program, nor can we get closer to it by anything we do! The Bible they quote declares that believers are already made the righteousness of Jesus Christ! Those who hold to the Bible as an "instruction book" have turned it into a book of rules -- a curse -- for by it they are always lacking! Following "solid, Biblical principles" is not of faith! Christ has delivered us from the curse by becoming the curse for us! By what He did, we have received the promise of the Spirit through faith.

I know many Bible verses seem to suggest more than what I'm telling you, but do you think any will contradict its main promise? The promise was made to Christ. To receive a promise given to Christ you would have to be in union with Him. The promise of being one with God through His Son was made way before there were any Bible verses and before there were any programs derived from such verses. Somebody has been reading it all wrong, because if this promise is given by obedience on your part then it's not a promise. Those who tell you differently just don't understand the book they study.

I know you've heard different views on the law, but its purpose was to push law-breaking to the max. I know it doesn't sound right, but it's not open to debate. And it sure throws the concept of being made better by obedience right out the door! If it made anyone better, then God made a major goof. But there is no conflict between the law and the promise -- one kills, the other makes alive!

Before Christ came, God's people were separated from a life of faith by the law. They were like little children who had to be led about by the hand. They needed supervision. But now that faith has come, those who belong to Him are not under a supervisor. So while you're considering one of the programs that ranks your spirituality among your peers, I have a question to ask. Don't you know who you are? ALL of you who believe in Christ are equal as sons of God and there is nothing that separates one from another or puts some in a better class than the rest!

Now, Israel was supposed to live under the law. It was the nanny for God's wandering kids to keep them in line. Their life consisted of a series of punishments and rewards that dogged their every step. But this is exactly what Christ came to get them out of. They were imprisoned by the same kind of performance standards we know all too well. And they longed for the coming of the promise.

The intimidation you feel is not from God, but from the system. Where do you get the idea that “membership” means anything to God? The time for His people to be led about by the hand in such a way is long gone! But many, like little children forming a clubhouse with rules to join want to say who does or doesn't belong. But if you don't belong how has the Spirit of God caused you to call out to the true God as "Daddy"? If He has been sent into the outsiders, then true freedom is also available for the insiders. This means that those in the system have no advantage over those who are not a part of it!!

Do you know what you really misunderstand? The way your life operated as an unbeliever is no different than how religious people function! Don't you realize that we were all stuck in the same "That's just the way life is" mentality? But now that you've found God -- or should I say, since God found you -- where does this desire come from to return to that pathetic concept of life? Were you taken out of your slavery and into His freedom only to trade it off for their slavery? Just look at the religious rituals you have constructed in an attempt to keep yourselves in line!

So, who am I that you would listen to me? If you were to do some research you would no doubt come away quite disappointed in what you discovered. I would have to agree with you when you asked, "Would God send somebody so unqualified on such an important mission?" And yet I'll tell you: be like me ... because I'm no different than you! If you hear me -- and in that hearing, you hear Jesus -- you'll know with a certainty that it is not because of my impressive reputation. And if I am telling you the truth will you consider me your enemy?

Those who are appealing to you with a different concept of freedom aren't being honest with you. Don't you see through their "concern" into their hidden agenda? Aren't you aware of the techniques they use to get you to seek them out? My God, don't you know they've learned that if they shut the door on you, you'll do whatever it takes to get back in? Of course it's always good when someone seeks you if it's truly for your good, and if it's not just when someone else is watching.

You say you want to live your life by "solid, Biblical principles", or that you want to "do the right thing", or WWJD ... don't you hear the implications of such performance oriented motivations? Looking to such programs have perverted godly desires. Think not? The story of Abraham and his TWO sons give a different perspective.

God made a promise that didn't seem to be working, so Sarah decided God needed their help and convinced Abraham to have sex with her slave girl [That's not how THEY would have put it.]. Of course it was a mistake, but to them it had the appearance of godliness. Don't you think they prayed for “God's will” before and during the act? You've been there enough times. God didn't give them a child until they ran out of options and saw the impossibility of the promise.

The issue of belonging to God is one of legitimacy. In other words, who is the rightful heir? As with Abraham's sons, the APPEARANCE of being first in line is an illusion. The miracle child was harassed by his older brother. And it shouldn't take a brain-surgeon to figure out the motivation – this stupid little kid was getting his inheritance! Ishmael's taunts would have been designed to undermine Isaac's sense of identity, which is the same questioning of your own identity as a rightful heir of God through Christ. How many times has your “salvation” been questioned? How many times has it been suggested that you don't really belong to Him or have a lower standing? How many doctrines have categorized you as illegitimate – as a bastard? Haven't you noticed that the productivity of the flesh always questions the productivity of the Spirit? It's message is that you cannot trust freedom to produce anything of worth! But if you hear the simple lesson of Sarah and Abraham you will find that you have a reason to rejoice when you can't see any fruit ... or when it appears as if nothing is happening!

Christ set us free for freedom; don't let anybody convince you otherwise! You are no longer in the prison you grew up in -- why do you live as if it's part of your new reality? Let me be very blunt. If you give into their "requirement" (whatever it is) you won't need Christ! Or didn't you know that this token religious requirement bull is only a scam to lure you in? Those of you who have found your worth in your performance have cut Christ right out of your daily living. You've slipped from operating in freedom, and are living as if you had not been taken out of the prison!

Have you learned nothing from all your Bible study? Don't you know how true godliness is brought about? What does the story of Abraham and the promise tell you? When everything inside you screams out that you gotta do something spiritual, refuse that lie and live in view of what God has done. Expect Him to perform His work in you to His satisfaction in His time. Of course it doesn't appear as if it's working. But hasn't the child of your own performance convinced you that you'll keep getting the same worthless results? For your life in Christ Jesus has nothing to do with what you do or what you don't do; instead, your life is a miracle of faith operating through love.

Don't kid yourself, your attempts at obedience have only gotten in the way of the reality of obedience. Who has convinced you to pursue this counterproductive course of self-effort? It's not God, so don't even go there! And it only takes a little bit of this poison to permeate all of your thought processes . I only wish that whoever is doing this to you will have their imprisonment made openly obvious. There's only one reason you'll hear someone trying to twist what I say to fit with their system: they don't want their rejection of true freedom to go public.

Refuse to let their system of performance pervert your freedom! For when you turn freedom into a set of "Biblical principles" you effectively re-establish a structure where your world revolves around sin and not around love by which you serve one another. Don't you know that the whole system of doing is fulfilled by love? So why do you revert to principles that only establish a system of measurement by which you tear each other up? I advise you to take care because you will eventually destroy one another!

Instead of continuing down this performance-oriented, sin-conscious road to mutual destruction, I suggest you live your life in the expectation that God's Spirit is the One doing His work in you. This is the only reality you can fall back on to curtail evil desires.

Don't kid yourself, the stuff of your old life goes against everything of the Spirit -- and vice versa. We're talking total opposition. That means that you can't produce any "spirituality" just because you want to, nor can you keep from doing evil by any attempts on your part! You can't do it and you know it because you've tried and it doesn't work! But if the Spirit of Christ really is the One doing the work in you, you are not under the law.

But look what you have settled for. Public programs that spotlight moral issues (which only seem to reveal the immorality of any who get caught in its glare)! Living in the fallacy that life is as it appears to the senses. Dissatisfaction with who you are and what you have. Seeking "God's will" in the same manner as those who consult the horoscope. Holding to "principles" that establish a system by which you can scrutinize one another, resulting in hatred, jealousy, despising and resentment. A system that promotes disputes and challenges. A mentality that goes nuts when it can't change or control someone else. The formation of new programs or teachings to subdivide the body of Christ. A neatly packaged facade that is really out of control, and displays the addictive characteristics of giving into anything that will help you cope with it and produce the illusion that all is well!

Spirituality is not found within these parameters. So don't give in to the enticements no matter how right they seem!

This is what the Spirit of God produces in us. True love from within that is not explained or understood by any system. An inner rejoicing that is not conditioned upon our feelings or circumstances. An unexplained power that destroys fear and produces a compassion that allows us to deal with one another, and to treat each other with a "not-of-this-world" consideration. A "good" that cannot be measured or compared. A life that can do nothing but to believe. A gentleness found from one who took the judgment on Himself. The self-control He offers has been made possible by having killed our uncontrollable former life.

Has it escaped your notice that there are no laws against what we have in Christ? Quit with the rule-based living already -- it only produces destructive comparisons.

You hear all this, and yet there's something nagging at you concerning believers who sin, isn't there? You may agree that there are problems with a life based on biblical principles, but aren't we supposed to deal with those who go against the principles? This is indeed a delicate situation, but not for the reasons you have heard. If you were to examine the question it would scream out the obvious: "What causes a believer to get caught up in breaking laws anyway?"

I'm talking to you who have God's Spirit, don't you realize that your brother has forgotten who he is? Be careful with your approach, for you are the one who is in danger. For when you view him as a "sinner" who needs your advice, you have let go of freedom and have embraced the law-based system in the exact place where God's grace is most effective ... and most needed!

Forget the advice, what the guy needs is for you to lift this weight of bondage off of him through the power of the message of freedom. This is where we really love one another! But those who are trying to impress the "less spiritual" by coming across as "more spiritual" have fooled themselves into believing their performance ranks them above those they "minister" to. But if you were to examine your work without the comparison game you would discover your real worth; for it would be readily obvious that there is no place to boast except in Christ alone! Support those who teach this freedom.

What? Do you think the manipulative mindset of "If I don't do it, it won't get done!" can bypass God's decree that things produce after their own kind? It makes no difference how "spiritual" your attempts may be, a system of performance can only produce the seeds that produce corruption! The seed of the Spirit of God can only produce the life of God! So don't let appearances cause you to lose heart in doing that which is truly good, for the tendency to do the "right thing" always desires to keep you from being the living thing!

Abraham knew the discouragement that comes from seeing nothing happening; he would tell you to wait for God's results because it will come about. Don't let the impatience of your old performance mentality pressure you into trying to finish what God started. Know this: the Spirit of God is actively working in you right at this moment, as He always does.

As you discover desires of goodness (especially to a fellow believer), refuse to justify it in your mind by trying to determine "What would Jesus do?" You know the process. But doesn't the uncertainty of the whole thing tell you that that's the old, dead mind trying to reinterpret the desires of your new life? What else can you call it when you are asking God to give you proof of His working in you, when the reality of His life being your life has been stated as fact by the message of freedom? Stop questioning the freedom, act according to the life that is in you!

Look at what the systemites use to make themselves appear respectable. This is what they really preach! They will urge you to conform to their program, because without it, they would be faced with the fact that their "Savior" was despised, rejected and condemned by the system they are a part of! Aren't you aware that those who want to pull you into it are not even true to their own programs? They really only want you to join their club so they can bestow their "label" on you and glory in gaining one more member!

Think what you want to about me, but I know for myself that God has faithfully and consistently -- and sometimes, painfully, I might add -- removed anything by which I could boast except the very thing the world despises, which is the instrument upon which Christ was rejected by the system. It is this very thing that separates me from the world -- and the world from me. The issues you hold mean nothing, nor do the lack of them mean anything, either. The only thing that counts is the new creation. God's peace is on those who are found in this.