Choose Your Mother

Recently I met with a few local pastors for prayer. As an introduction we were asked to give our basic approach to ministry, or our church purpose statement. The lead pastor from one of the largest churches around said something startling to me. He explained that he had been reared in the same church association in which I had been reared. He described it as "Jewish, with a thin veneer of grace." He was contrasting law and grace. As a result of this he now emphasizes grace as often as he can. This really got me thinking. In our desire to live for God, and inspire obedience in others, have we developed our own "Law of Moses?" Unessentials become a litmus test for spirituality in a legalistic culture. Strange issues are used as indicators of spiritual life and "maturity." Things like clothing, hairstyle, innocent entertainments, style of music, version of the Bible, day of worship, consumption of alcohol, use of tobacco, and many other issues become the "standards."

This was a huge issue as the Gospel was preached in the first century, and has continued to be huge through the centuries. Paul is not fond of artificial moral standards, to say the least. One example of his attitude about this is when he calls such artificial moral standards "weak and worthless elementary principles of the world." (Gal. 4:9)

I love the allegory in Galatians four.

Galatians 4:23-26 "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother."

In terms of spiritual life we must choose a mother. He says that law keepers are choosing to be children of the slave woman, Hagar. This applies to all false religions that teach salvation by works, but in the context of Galatians it is a caution for believers. Many are following a legalistic slavery thinking that they are pleasing God. Let us be sure that our moral standards are God's. Let us be sure that we are not judging ourselves or others by "weak and worthless elementary principles of the world." Choose your mother!