Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Hello there, dear ones.

The clock just struck noon already—before I was ready. We’ve spent a good deal of spontaneous fellowship this morning with Dale and Rita Lidstrom before their departure—and before Becki ran off to Woodburn for her regular Bible Study session. Dale and Rita shared in the little church here yesterday morning—Meadowbrook Community Church. Good time. They joined us for our Gospel Sing at Pheasant Pointe, then running to a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for friends in Estacada. It became a solid busy day. But we still got in a little popcorn, peach cobbler, and ice cream before hitting the beds.

I need to continue figuring out how to arrange the rest of my day. Among other things, I’m now obligated to run off to SW Portland to deliver some special wood samples to a guy trying to fill a special order. If the green light is given to go ahead, the job will call for two hundred 1.5”-thick crosscut disks cut from round logs. I’m offering three kinds of wood—Black Walnut, Maple, and Oak.

Becki just rolled in. I better go confer with her. I’m thankful that she’s such a nice lady to confer with.

Blessings. Love, Dad/Ray.

If we agree with Biblical revelation that there are two, and only two, spiritual kingdoms—and that these two are in perpetual conflict and competition over the souls of men, we will not be surprised at the schemes and strategies of evil to obscure or neutralize God’s plan for salvation. All such strategies are diabolical and in the same camp with witchcraft and black magic. Neutralization (to render ineffective) of the Gospel was the clear objective (at least it was clear to Paul) of the enemy kingdom in regards to the Galatian believers who were converted under Paul’s earlier evangelistic ministries. The tools of influence being used against their faith are some so-called Jewish Christians who turn up to teach that receiving Christ in faith is not enough—they must also practice all the laws handed down from Moses. For this reason these teachers were called “Judaizers.” And for this reason, Paul was very ticked off.

You and I will do well to brace ourselves from any similar attacks and influences that would reduce our faith to so many rules. That is simply the religious treadmill all over again—a lot of superficial activity without accomplishing victory over sin from within. It’s about as effective as reaching real destinations on a rocking horse, as compared with a real horse—lots of activity and motion, but it doesn’t go anywhere. You can be sure that Satan is not at all alarmed with this kind of faith. Indeed, it is one of his favorite objectives. It’s good for us to be reminded of that fact. We are born of the Spirit and saved (changed on the inside) not because we do righteousness (THIS IS THE LIE), but we do righteousness because we are born of the Spirit and saved (THIS IS THE TRUTH). To put it another way, who and what you are is not determined by what you do, but what you do is determined by who and what you are. Paul’s fierce argument is that religious legalistic bondage to the Law of Moses not only weakens the Gospel, it actually repudiates it.