In my last post I talked about the main point of Galatians, which was that “circumcision” is directly opposed to the cross of Christ. Only the cross of Christ provides the righteousness that God requires. I had a few more ideas on the subject.

REVIEW: I had said that in Galatians “circumcision” serves as a metaphor for all the man-made attempts of achieving righteousness through man’s efforts and for all the religions which teach that man can become acceptable to God through his works. In Paul’s day, the only religious system that made any attempt at earning righteousness was Judaism, but today there are many such systems. All these religious systems that attempt to achieve righteousness by means of what a person does and that rely on anything that a person is or does would fall under the heading of “circumcision.”

And we had said that “righteousness” as used in the Bible is the required condition of a person where he/she is viewed by God as being completely without sin AND where his/her every thought, word and deed are perfectly in accord with the will of God.

NEW: “Circumcision” points to the self and to what I have done to earn my righteousness, but faith points to the cross of Christ and to what God has done to provide for my righteousness.

“Circumcision” 1) grossly underestimates the offense of your sin and the amount of your sin. My first small sin was an intolerable stench in God’s nostrils and sealed my condemnation. Can any number of religious works erase the offense to the Holy One of even one of my sins? 2) “Circumcision” pathetically overestimates the value of any number of “good deeds.” Do we really think that any number of good works can possibly atone for even the smallest sin? (Micah 6:6-7; Psalm 51:16-17) and 3) MOST IMPORTANT – “Circumcision” despises and rejects the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the cross as God’s only means of atonement and believes that my sin-stained human works are just as effective as Jesus’ sinless, holy sacrifice to make me acceptable to God.

Why do people naturally prefer “circumcision” over the cross of Jesus Christ? The path of religion and of a righteousness that can be earned appeals to many people because religion (“circumcision”) requires no true confession of sin and no recognition of a person’s abject wretchedness (Luke 18:9-14). There is no self-loathing required and no need for repentance. I don’t have to do any embarrassing begging for forgiveness. I can keep all my pride and my dignity and my good reputation intact. No need to be plunged in the waters of baptism like those sinners. I can continue to be a clean and respectable pew-sitter, admired by others for my holiness and my goodness. The flesh loves “circumcision” and the flesh hates the admission of and the exposure of all of my most filthy sins.

But only the cross of Christ can atone for sin and only the shed-blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can wash away my wickedness,

Galatians 6:14.  “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 6:12-15 (6:14) “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Galatians is a book that pits circumcision as the means of EARNED RIGHTEOUSNESS against faith in Christ and His death on the cross as the means of IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. Let’s study this concept.

First we must understand that “circumcision” serves as a very broad term in Galatians. When Paul speaks of “circumcision” in this epistle, he is speaking not just about the Jewish practice of circumcision, but he is including in the word all the Jewish traditions and rituals that made up the Jewish religion. “Circumcision” is short-hand for keeping the Law and for obeying all the traditions of the elders and for observing circumcision and for keeping the Sabbath and for staying separate from all the Gentiles and so on. Basically for Paul in his context, “circumcision” is a comprehensive word for all of religious Judaism.

So “circumcision” serves as a metaphor for all the man-made attempts of achieving righteousness through man’s efforts. In Paul’s day, the only religious system that made any attempt at earning righteousness was Judaism, but that is not true in our day. In fact, all religious systems that attempt to achieve righteousness by means of what a person does would fall under the heading of “circumcision.” So today this would include Catholicism and formal Protestantism and all the so-called Christian cults and would also include any church that relies upon works and duties and external practices to make its people acceptable to God.

Now second, we also must understand what righteousness is. “Righteousness” is an absolute term, not a relative term. You either have righteousness or you do not. It is an “either/or” situation, not a scale. It is absolute. Just as you are either righteous or you are unrighteous, so you either have the righteousness that God requires or you do not. There is no third option. There is no gray area in between. So what is the righteousness that God requires? In the Bible, when righteousness is used in a doctrinal sense it means that you are viewed by God as being completely without sin AND that your every thought, word and deed are perfectly in accord with the will of God. Thus we see that sin is the primary problem for the human who would be righteous. “How can I be righteous before a holy God when I have already sinned countless times and I know that I still wrestle against sin and I know that in my flesh dwells a constant desire to sin?” This is the critical question for every human being. Every human being must be brought to the place where they recognize their own sin and they realize that their sin separates them from the living God and brings them under His wrath and condemnation. Then how do we answer the critical question? How does the sinner obtain the righteousness of God?

In the book of Galatians and throughout all of human history there are two possible paths to obtain righteousness. One path is the path of “circumcision,” the path of relying upon the religious things that you do to remove your sin and to perfectly align your will with the will of God. So you attend church or you participate in the sacraments or you give your tithe or you do your Bible study. You do your duty, trusting that, in the end, God will see that you worked pretty hard and that you were a nice guy and you only rarely lied or cussed and you never cheated on your wife. When God compares all your effort with that of the other guys, He will certainly let you into heaven. Thus you are trusting in “circumcision” and relying on your works to make you righteous before God. “After all, it’s working hard at achieving righteousness that God wants, isn’t it?” That’s the path of circumcision.

The other path to righteousness is the path of the cross. This is the man or the woman who says, “I myself am utterly bankrupt of any and all righteousness. I am a sinner and deserve God’s wrath for my sin. I have no defense and no excuse. But I know that there is a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth and died on Calvary’s cross so that, through His atoning death and His imputed righteousness, I will be viewed as righteous by the living God. I throw myself on His mercy and on His grace and plead for His blood to avail for me.” It is the path of the cross that allows a sinner to obtain righteousness and it is this path that Paul preaches in Galatians.

So the key to understanding and applying the book of Galatians is to see the danger of “circumcision” and the freedom provided by trusting in the cross of Christ as our means to righteousness.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

In a blog from ten days ago I talked about strongholds and introduced the idea of “stronghold demolition projects.” When we were unbelievers, we worked with the flesh to establish strongholds of sin in our lives, but now as believers we work with the Holy Spirit to pull down these strongholds. This pulling down is what I mean by a “stronghold demolition project.”

What is the plan for “stronghold demolition?” How does the believer methodically and intentionally attack these strongholds so that we live holy lives of victory over sin? How do we “put to death” in our earthly body (Colossians 3:5) these strongholds we have previously erected?

I suggest that Step One is identifying your particular strongholds, the areas of sin in your own life to which you are especially vulnerable. While all are vulnerable to all sin, it is evident that there are certain sins to which you are especially vulnerable. What areas of sin are tempting to you, so that there are times when you can hardly resist them? Or in what unrighteous acts or unholy words do you engage without even noticing it? These are strongholds. Is lust or sexual sin a temptation for you? Do you envy other people or do you crave things that others have? Are you greedy for money or do you think about money a lot? Do you spend time worrying about money or planning for ways to get more money? Anger, fear, vicious talk, foul language, lying, laziness, addiction to pleasure, boasting, pride? There are many potential strongholds and you need to ruthlessly examine your life and discover all of sin’s strongholds. If you have a trusted Christian friend, discuss this with them and have them help you identify these areas of sin.

Once you have identified your strongholds, Step Two is developing a demolition plan for how to pull down, to break down, and to destroy those particular strongholds. Note that for all these demolition projects you will need a standard set of tools: confession, repentance, prayer, focused Bible study and accountability with another Christian, along with a commitment to persevere until the victory is won or life ends.

CONFESSION: This is agreeing with God that the specific stronghold is sin. Cry out to the Lord that you know that what you are doing is sinful and you are miserable because of it. Admit unreservedly that you are a sinner and want to be free from this sin.

REPENTANCE: This involves turning from your stronghold and making a commitment to stop doing that sin and stop NOW. In repentance you commit to doing whatever it takes to prevent the sin from happening again.

PRAYER: To demolish a stronghold, you must get the Lord’s power. Prayer calls on the Lord to come to your aid and to give you His power to resist the sin and instead to destroy all desire to sin again. Pray to the Lord to give you the power to conquer the flesh and to hunger for holiness and for righteousness.

BIBLE READING AND MEDITATION: To pull down a stronghold, saturate your mind with all that the word of God has to say about that stronghold specifically and about sin in general. The more your mind is filled with the words of Scripture, the more aggressively you will be pulling down strongholds. Reading and meditating on Scripture strengthens your spirit and increases your distaste for sin. In Psalm 51:7, David said, “Purify my with hyssop and I will be clean; Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”

ACCOUNTABILITY WITH ANOTHER BELIEVER: Find another believer whom you trust and ask them to keep you accountable on the demolition of this stronghold. That person can help you stay focused on the tasks and tactics that you need to do to gain the victory over the stronghold.

PERSEVERANCE: You must realize that, just as it took time and energy to erect these strongholds, so it will take diligence and perseverance to demolish them. Application of these tools for pulling down strongholds must persist for the long-term if there is to be victory.

THE ULTIMATE VICTORY: You will know that you have reached victory when you have built an altar to the Lord where there once stood a stronghold of sin. This is the ultimate victory, not only that you have demolished the stronghold such that there is no longer evidence of its existence in your life, but even more than that, that there is now a beautiful altar of obedience and holiness where there once stood a temple of wickedness. Saul the Pharisee, the enemy of Jesus Christ and the most self-righteous of all men, became Paul the bond-slave of Jesus Christ and became a man who sought holiness and the righteousness that is found in Jesus Christ. Just so, the believer can pull down a stronghold of sin in their life and in its place erect an altar to the Lord. This is the victory that we can have in Christ. SDG rmb 10/11/2015

In the book of Hebrews, the author’s exhortations come to the reader accompanied by an implied warning. The exhortations of Hebrews expect and, indeed, demand obedience, and if there is not obedience to the commands of the Lord, the implied warning is that you may not be a true believer. The unsettling feature of Hebrews is that the author repeatedly gives explicit warnings to his readers which say to them that, while they may think they are saved and while they may be hanging out with true believers and while they may basically look like real Christians, their hearts may have never been changed and they are still going to face the God who is terrifying (10:27, 31) and who is a consuming fire (12:29). The burning issue in Hebrews that accompanies the warnings and the exhortations is, “Have you truly come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or are you still trusting in your performance or your pedigree?” Have you drawn near to Christ or will you be found to have come short? For there is an eternal difference between those two positions.

It is noteworthy that Jesus also explicitly warned about the coming judgment and about the need to come to Him with unreserved faith. While the Lord offered salvation full and free to all those who would bow the knee to Him and worship Him as Lord and Savior, He also made clear that all those who would not worship Him would perish and would experience the terrifying wrath of the living God.

Indeed, the entire Bible is full of warnings to sinners, declaring to them their unrighteousness, proclaiming the holiness of God, and warning of the judgment to come. Thus the Bible urges sinners to confess their sins to Yahweh and flee to Jesus for refuge and cry out for mercy. Those who throw themselves on Jesus to be saved will receive an indescribable reward and those who do not fly to Jesus will receive terrifying judgment.

[As a side note, it is ONLY IN THE BIBLE that man is warned about his unrighteousness and his peril. Only in the Bible will anyone ever find these warnings. No other work or writing by man has these warnings. Man is godless and blind and remains forever so except for God’s revelation in the Bible. That is why it is incumbent upon all those who have the Scriptures to communicate them to other people, so that men and women who are perishing may be warned and may have the opportunity to turn from their wickedness and their sin and be saved from the wrath to come.]

The book of Hebrews repeatedly and explicitly warns those who may be pretending to be believers of the peril of their position and it declares to those who remain rebellious against the gospel that their destiny is a terrifying judgment, but it also assures those who have come to Jesus with a whole and sincere heart that they have been delivered from the wrath of God and have come to Mount Zion and been saved.  SDG rmb 10/10/2015

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

These are certainly verses that speak of warfare. These verses speak of conflict and struggle and battle. Instead of placidly drifting along, Paul presents the Christian life as one in which there is a striving against sin and a striving against the forces of evil as the believer presses toward holiness. And at the very center of this warfare are strongholds. The disciple is to be destroying or pulling down strongholds. So I want to speak about strongholds.

What are strongholds? When some speak of strongholds, they have in mind an ethereal realm of angels and demons waging a cosmic battle over earthly geographies to see whether good or evil will prevail. While this idea of “stronghold” may apply in some situations, there is in it very little practical value. It sells books with its fantastic clashes in the heavenlies, but it does not help the disciple in his or her daily striving toward holiness. So this is not the stronghold I have in mind.

Instead, here is my definition of “stronghold:” A stronghold is “an area in a believer’s life where the flesh still has enough strength to consistently cause the believer to sin and to be disobedient to the revealed will of God as commanded in His word.” There are many areas of sin where this can be manifested: fear (of any kind), anger, lust and immorality, drunkenness, greed/coveting, lies and deception, laziness, wasting time, pleasure-seeking, wasting money, and evil-speaking are some of the sins that come to mind, but this list is far from exhaustive. A stronghold in your life is an area of moral evil and sin that you built in your past and that still has the power to take you into that sin today. These strongholds must be destroyed.

How and when are strongholds established? Strongholds are established and constructed in the years that the person is an unbeliever. The flesh is the project manager in these “stronghold construction projects,” and your environment and your personality will determine the particular strongholds that you will build. Some build fortresses of greed and stealing and cheating and lying. Others build strong towers of lust and immorality and revel in the sensual wickedness of this world. Some build fortresses of fear or anger or drunkenness that wreak havoc in their lives. The point is that while you are an unbeliever, the flesh is actively constructing these strongholds of sin and training you to indulge in these sins. When you indulge in the sin, the walls and the foundation of the strongholds are made more secure and are made less vulnerable to attack. And so by this process of building the stronghold of sin and then drawing you back into that sin over and over again, the flesh establishes these strongholds in the unbeliever’s life.

But then the person hears the gospel of Jesus Christ and they confess their sins and repent of the evil of their past and repent of their sins and they commit to follow Jesus no matter the cost for all of eternity. What happens to those strongholds that the flesh so carefully constructed in your life? What happens when the Holy Spirit comes into your life at salvation? The truth is that initially very little happens to the strongholds. For the new believer, these sinful habits and automatic evil responses of the past remain just as active and just as powerful as before. Yes, it is true that your desire for sin has been radically decreased and your hunger for righteousness has been birthed, but the flesh is still right there to oppose all godly actions and to draw you back into those carefully constructed strongholds of sin.

What, then, must the new believer do with these strongholds? Are they to remain in control of the new believer as they were in control when he was an unbeliever? May it never be! The believer has the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer the flesh and the new believer has been set free from their slavery to sin (Romans 6), so the new believer is no longer at the mercy of the sinful desires of the flesh. Rather the new believer (and the young believer and the mature believer) must set about a lifelong series of “stronghold demolition projects,” with the Holy Spirit as the project manager. (Consider Judges 6 when Gideon rose to pull down the altar of Baal or 2 Kings 23 when Josiah broke down the high places and the altars and the sacred pillars and the Asherim in Judah. These are Old Testament pictures of pulling down strongholds in the life of the believer.)

So one of the most important parts of the process of sanctification is “stronghold demolition projects.” As the unbeliever cooperated with the flesh in their construction, so the believer works with the power of the Spirit in the demolition of strongholds. Some of the strongholds will come down quickly and remain heaps of rubble, but others are resistant to all but the most determined efforts to pull them down and to destroy them. The demolition of these stubborn strongholds requires persistence and ongoing repentance and prayer. All the most potent demolition weapons need to be employed for some of these strongholds, but they must be pulled down if the believer is to live a holy life that pleases the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

In the next blog we will explore a project plan for destroying strongholds.