11/1/17

All grown up!!! by Gary Rose

Now, there is something you don't see every day- a dog leading himself (herself?) through an intersection!!! What a dog!!!! 

I would like to say that all PEOPLE are capable of directing their lives, but I can't. Our nation has become a nanny-state; a place where the government takes care of you from cradle to grave. The good news is- under president Donald Trump this is slowly changing.

Reflecting upon this picture, I thought of the spiritual application of direction and immediately thought of a passage from the book of Galatians. But, I had to choose the right translation to convey the message...

Galatians, Chapter 3 (Young's Literal Translation)
  19 Why, then, the law? on account of the transgressions it was added, till the seed might come to which the promise hath been made, having been set in order through messengers in the hand of a mediator--  20 and the mediator is not of one, and God is one--  21 the law, then, is against the promises of God? --let it not be! for if a law was given that was able to make alive, truly by law there would have been the righteousness,  22 but the Writing did shut up the whole under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ may be given to those believing.  23 And before the coming of the faith, under law we were being kept, shut up to the faith about to be revealed,  24 so that the law became our child-conductor--to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous, 25 and the faith having come, no more under a child-conductor are we, (Emphasis added, vss. 25f.) 26 for ye are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus,  27 for as many as to Christ were baptized did put on Christ;  28 there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus;  29 and if ye are of Christ then of Abraham ye are seed, and according to promise--heirs.


So, I chose Young's Literal Translation. Where most translations use the english word Tutor, Young uses child-conductor. This most accurately reflects the original language, as the greek word (παιδαγωγον) referred to the slave that had the task of leading a young child around by the hand to provide guidance.

Christians are not under law, but grace. We are not as the immature which need to be hand-led about to do the right thing. We are to be grown up, mature- led by reason and discipline in the knowledge of Christ.

Now, for the hard part! We actually have to grow up!!! So, just do it, Gary!!!!