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Chapter 1
(1-5)This letter comes from Paul, a key worker who gets his instructions not
from any human agency but from Jesus, God's Chosen, and from The Loving God
who brought Jesus back to life after he had died. All the members of my team
of Christian workers join with me in what I have to say.
To the Christian communities
among the Celtic peoples:
May you share in the goodness and peace which come from the Loving God and
from Jesus the Leader. Jesus followed the plans of The Loving God and gave
his life to free us from the oppressions of today's evil society and our own
selfishness. Such a wonderful act will never be forgotten!
(6-12) I find it hard to believe you're turning your backs on me so soon,
since it was I who passed on to you the good things which come from Jesus.
You're accepting a different package of 'Good News', although there's only
one 'Good News'. Some people are trying to muddle you by offering you bad
news instead of good news. But if anyone, including a member of my team, or
even a being from beyond time and space, gives you a version of the
Christian message which contradicts the message we gave you, you should tell
them to get lost! I can't say that enough times or put it too strongly!
My job is not to please everybody, only to please God. If I were not clear
about that I'd have no right to count myself a helper of Jesus. Friends, I
must stress that the 'Good News' I passed on was not an invention of the
human mind. I didn't get from other people, nor from any teacher. Jesus
revealed it to me.
(13-22) I expect you've heard about my younger days when I practised the
strictest form of the Jewish religion. I went all out to destroy the new
movement, making trouble for God's people. I was much more strict than most
young people of my age, and intolerant of change. God, who had me in mind
before I was born, was kind enough to ask for my help. I came face to face
with God's Likeness and was given the job of sharing my experience with
people of other races. I insist, I didn't discuss it with anyone else. I
didn't even go to Jerusalem to get the opinion of those who were leaders of
the Christian movement before me. I went into the Arabian desert for a while
and then back to Damascus. It was not until three year's later that I
visited Rocky in Jerusalem and stayed with him for a fortnight. The only
other Christian leader I saw at that time was James, Jesus’s brother. (I'm
determined to set down the truth in writing. God will vouch for my honesty.)
Then I went to live in the border country to the north of Syria. The
Christians of Jerusalem and district never caught sight of me. They simply
heard the rumour, "Our mortal enemy has become one of us. He's spreading the
ideas he once tried to destroy." They thanked God for me!
Chapter 2
(1-10) After fourteen years I
visited Jerusalem again together with Cheery. I had Titus as my personal
assistant. I was convinced it was the right thing to do. I had a private
meeting with the Christian leaders and gave them an account of the message
I'd been giving to those of other races. I wanted to make sure I was on the
right lines. My friend Titus is Greek. But none of the leaders so much as
suggested that he should have his foreskin removed. But then we had some
trouble from spies, supposed Christians, who infiltrated the meeting. They
resented the freedom Jesus has brought us and wanted to take away our
liberty. We stood up to them for your sake. You could have lost the 'Good
News'. I'm not impressed by the titles people give themselves, nor is God.
Those who stood out as the true leaders were satisfied with my message and
had nothing to add to it. More than that, they recognized I had a special
mission to non-Jews, just as Rocky had a special mission to the Jews. It was
the same Jesus who worked through both of us, each in our own sphere of
operations. To settle matters, when James (Jesus’s brother), Rocky and John,
the true leaders, were convinced I had been given special talents by God,
they warmly embraced Cheery and myself and shook us by the hand, agreeing
that we should continue our work among people of other races while they
would be responsible for the work among our own people. The only thing they
asked of us was to provide funds for those in their group who were in need.
I had already made plans to do that.
(11-16a) When Rocky visited Antioch I challenged him face to face because he
wilfully acted in breach of our agreement. He quite happily had meals with
peoples of other races until some associates of James arrived. Then he
stopped eating with non-Jews because he was afraid of offending the
prejudices of the strict group. Other Jews joined in this two-faced cowardly
behaviour, including, it pains me to say, Cheery. When I saw they were not
behaving in the spirit of the Good News, I said to Rocky, "Who are you to
insist that people from other races fall into line with us, when we all know
you've been living like one of them? Although you and I are Jews by birth
and not outcasts, -as we've been brought up to think of non-Jews,- we now
know that someone becomes a friend of God not by keeping our rules and
regulations but by putting their trust in Jesus, God's Chosen!"
(16b-21) My friends, we've put our trust in Jesus. That's how we became
friends of God, not by keeping rules. No-one can become a friend of God that
way. If, instead of having rules, we keep company with Jesus, we may
sometimes make mistakes; it doesn't mean we're on the wrong track. If, on
the other hand, we start going back to the old way of doing things, that
really is bad. It was by trying to hold fast to the rules that I came to
realise how useless they were. In order to live as a friend of God I had to
dump the rules. They only make you feel bad about yourself. The miserable
person I was had to die with Jesus on the cross. Now I'm a new person. Jesus
occupies my mind and heart. I've still got the same body, but what makes me
alive is my relationship of trust with Jesus, God's Likeness. He loved me
and gave his life for me. I must not turn my back on the love God has shown
me. If we could have become friends of God by means of the rules there would
have been no point in Jesus dying!
Chapter 3
(1-14) How could you Celts could get things so wrong, of all people? Who's
been tampering with your minds? Some of you were there when Jesus was hanged
on a cross. You saw it all. I only have one question to ask you: Did you get
God's Spirit by keeping rules or by accepting the Good News? You're doing
things the wrong way round and making fools of yourselves. You started with
the experience of the Spirit, now you've gone back to do-it-yourself
religion. In spite of all your amazing experiences, you haven't learnt a
thing! I ask you again: The Spirit who made so many wonderful things happen
for you, did she come in response to something you did or because you opened
your hearts to the Christian message?
It was Abraham's trust that impressed God. Those who trust like Abraham are
Abraham's true descendants. The old books foresaw a time when people of
other races would come to trust God and so have God's approval. God gave the
Good News to Abraham long ago and said, "You will spread happiness all over
the world." God's words have come true. Those who trust like Abraham are now
sharing Abraham's happiness.
On the other hand, those who try to live by a set of rules come to grief.
The old books say, "Break just one rule and you've had it!" It's quite
clear; you can't earn God's 'well-done' by tying yourselves up with rules.
Trust is what God looks for. Trust and rules don't mix. If you choose to
live by the rules, all your energy will be taken up in trying to keep them.
Jesus has freed us from that hopeless struggle. He suffered the humiliation
due to a criminal of the worse type. The old books say, "Anyone hanged on a
tree is a public disgrace." Jesus joined the ranks of the rule-breakers so
that Abraham's happiness could be shared by other races. We now have the
promised Spirit simply by trusting.
(15-18) It's not easy for a human being to explain. Here's one way of
thinking about it. A will is legally binding. It can't be set on one side or
be added to once it is signed. God made a will leaving something to Abraham
and his descendant. Since 'descendant' is singular, not plural, I take it to
refer to The Chosen One. The rule books did not appear until about four
centuries later, so they can't set aside God's bequest to Abraham. The
bequest has nothing to do with the rule books. It stems directly from God's
provision for Abraham.
(19-29) So why the books of rules? They were a temporary measure to check an
increase in wrong doing. They were only meant to be in force until Abraham's
descendant arrived to claim the bequest. In any case, the rules were put
together by a group of people acting on God's behalf, whereas the bequest
was made by God alone.
It looks as if the rule books and the provisions of God's will contradict
each other. That's not the case. The rules were never intended as a way of
life to earn God's approval by point-scoring. They were a temporary measure
during a very bad period. Jesus came to share the promised bequest given in
trust with those who were ready to trust.
Before this invitation to trust, we were tied to the rules. It was like
being in prison. The rules kept us under tight control until the coming of
Jesus. He showed us how to relate to God by means of trust. Now we have
trust, we no longer need such a harsh regime. Jesus has brought us into the
family of God through trust. All of you who declared your trust in Jesus
share his identity. Differences of race, sex and class no longer matter. You
all belong to one another because you belong to Jesus. That also means you
belong to Abraham and get your share of what was promised.
Chapter 4
(1-7)I want to take this line of argument a bit further. Those who inherit
don't get control over the property which is legally theirs until they come
of age. Until that time their parents provide for them to be looked after by
guardians and for the property to be held in trust. It's the same with us.
When our spiritual development was at the child stage, we were directed by
guardians appointed to look after us. But when the time was right, God
arranged to be born, into a human family, someone who would show us God's
true character. He learnt the rules of his parents’ religion in order to
free his own people from those very rules, so making it possible for us to
be adopted as sons and daughters of God. As proof that you're God's
children, God has put the Spirit in you which produces the family likeness
we share with Jesus. Now we can use familiar names when we talk with God,
just as a child uses the words 'Daddy' or 'Mummy'. You must stop thinking of
yourselves as God's employees. You're God's children now. That means you're
due for a share in God's promises.
(8-11) Getting to know God is a new experience for you. You used to be
hooked on false religions. Now that you have a real relationship with God, I
can't understand why you're still bothering with fakes. Do you want to get
hooked again? You've gone back to being slaves to a strict round of
religious duties. I've got the awful feeling that all I've tried to do for
you has been a waste of time!
(12-20) Why can't you be like me? After all, I did my best to be one of you!
I'm not accusing you of doing me any harm, far from it. Remember how we came
to know one another? Illness forced me to break my journey. It gave me the
opportunity to pass the Good News on to you. My illness must have seemed a
poor advertisement, yet you didn't allow it to put you off. You gave me a
welcome fit for one of God's special agents. I might have been Jesus
himself, you treated me so well. What has happened to the warm feelings you
had for me then? You would have donated your eyes to me if such an operation
could have been performed. Are you mad at me because I'm putting my finger
on the truth? There are people who are acting very friendly towards you, but
they have bad motives. They want to destroy your friendship with me, so as
to get you to themselves. I'm quite happy that people are caring for you,
providing their intentions are good. You need looking after. I can't be with
you all the time. I care for you as if you were my children. I feel a
mother's pain for you. I long for you to be like Jesus! I wish I could be
there with you now. Perhaps then I would find there is nothing for me to be
so anxious about. I don't know what to think.
(21-31) Perhaps those of you who are so keen on tying yourselves down with
rules will listen to me if I use a story from the rule books as if it were a
parable. In one of the books it says that Abraham had two sons, one by a
slave woman and the other by a free woman. The child of the slave was only a
son in a biological sense. It was the son Abraham had from his wife who
inherited the promises. Let's think of these two women as symbols. Hagar,
from Mount Sinai, was the slave, and her children became slaves. Mount Sinai
stands for the present city of Jerusalem whose people are slaves. The other
woman, (Sarah,) stands for the Jerusalem of the heart and mind. That
Jerusalem is free and we are its citizens. Remember the song?
“Cheer up, unhappy childless one;
Laugh and shout and sing a song.
With many births your rival groans;
You have a husband; cease your moans!”
You, friends, are children of God in fulfilment of a promise, just like
Isaac. Isaac had a slave brother who made life difficult for him. There's a
slave inside of every one of us, challenging our freedom. What does the old
book recommend? It tells us to get rid of slavish attitudes and develop
those of free people. Freedom is our heritage, not slavery. The future
belongs to the free!
Chapter 5
(1-12) God's Chosen has set us free. So stand your ground and make the most
of your freedom. You're free people. Don't let anyone make you slaves again.
Please listen. It's me, Paul; I'm telling you, if you bow to tradition and
let them cut off your foreskins, you'll be saying, in effect, that Jesus is
no use to you. I want you to know the full implications of what you're
doing. Any man having his foreskin cut to satisfy the rules of his religion,
thereby vows to obey all the rules of that religion. When you choose rules
as your way of life, you're turning your backs on Jesus. It means God's
goodness and love have left you cold.
Our quest for completeness is Spirit-driven and depends on trust. What your
sexual parts look like has nothing whatever to do with your relationship to
Jesus. The only thing that matters is trust based on love.
You were running the race so well. Who put you off track? Not Jesus. He
entered you for the race! You know the saying, "A little yeast makes a lot
of dough rise." I'm sure you're going to see sense, for The Leader's sake.
Whoever's causing you all this hassle will pay for it dearly. Friends, I'd
have an easy life if I went around calling for all foreskins to be cut. It's
the message of the cross which gets me into trouble. So my word to those who
are bothering you is, "Why don't you go all the way and get the lot cut
off?"
(13-26) Yes, friends, you've been set free. That doesn't mean you have to go
wild. Use your freedom to love and help one another. All the rules can be
put into one simple rule, "Love the person next to you as you love
yourself." If you compete with one another, you'll become victims of each
other's selfishness.
Instead of going for what you want all the time, let the Spirit be your
guide. What you want to do and what the Spirit wants you to do are very
different things. The Spirit often stops you doing what you want. If she's
in charge, you don't need rules.
Selfish behaviour is easy to spot: uncontrolled sex, deceitfulness,
hooliganism; attachment to material things, playing with evil, gang warfare,
violence, jealousy, bad-temper, cliques; envy, over-indulgence, wild parties
and so on. Let me make it clear. Those seeking to be citizens of God's New
World don't get involved in such selfish behaviour.
A life which shows the marks of the Spirit is also easy to spot: you will
see love, peace and happiness; patience, kindness, generosity, loyalty,
gentleness and self-control. These things are not tied to rules. The friends
of Jesus get rid of their selfish side, the side which does just what it
feels like. We've taken the Spirit for guide, so let's allow her to guide
us! Let's not be snobbish or pushy or resentful of one another.
Chapter 6
(1-10) Dear friends, you may see other Christians doing something they
shouldn't. If your lives are guided by the Spirit you'll deal gently with
them and make it easy for them to get back on track. Make sure you aren't
the ones who go wrong. Face the hard tasks of life together as a team.
That's the Jesus way. Anyone who thinks they're more important than anyone
else is making a big mistake. All should assess themselves by their own rate
of progress, not by where others have got to. You should be pleased you've
achieved something rather than pleased you've beaten someone else. Comparing
one person with another is unfair since each of us has different problems to
cope with.
If someone is sharing their knowledge of Christian truth with you, you
should share what you have with them.
Be very clear about this: you can't play tricks on God. God's universe runs
on the principle, "You reap what you sow." If you sow the seed of
selfishness, you'll end up by yourself, alone. If you sow the Spirit's
seeds, you'll reap the full life they contain. You shouldn't get bored doing
what's right. Keep at it and you'll see the results. Seize every opportunity
to be of help to others, especially your Christian friends.
(11-18) I'VE TAKEN OVER FROM MY SECRETARY NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE LARGE
HANDWRITING!
THOSE WHO WANT TO PERFORM THAT LITTLE RITUAL ON YOU WITH A KNIFE ARE JUST
USING YOU TO SCORE POINTS. BY SPENDING THEIR TIME ON SUCH A TRIVIAL MATTER
THEY AVOID TELLING OTHERS ABOUT THE DEATH OF JESUS, WHICH WOULD GET THEM
INTO TROUBLE. THEY MAY HAVE LOST THEIR FORESKINS, BUT THEY'RE NO BETTER AT
KEEPING THE RULES. THEY WANT YOUR FORESKINS AS A TROPHY TO GLOAT OVER. I
HOPE I NEVER GLOAT OVER ANYTHING EXCEPT THAT PIECE OF WOOD ON WHICH JESUS,
OUR LEADER, HUNG. THAT'S WHAT TURNED MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN AND WHAT TURNED ME
UPSIDE DOWN TOO. FORESKIN OR NO FORESKIN, WHAT DOES IT MATTER? GOD IS MAKING
A NEW WORLD! THOSE WHO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE BIG THING GOD IS DOING ARE
GOD'S TRUE PEOPLE. THEY WILL HAVE PEACE OF MIND AND WARM HEARTS.
LET'S HAVE NO MORE TROUBLE FROM ANY OF YOU. I'VE GOT MARKS ON MY BODY TO
SHOW I'VE BEEN BEATEN LIKE JESUS.
LET THE BEAUTY OF JESUS, OUR LEADER, GOD'S CHOSEN, AFFECT YOU DEEP INSIDE,
DEAR FRIENDS.
YOURS TRULY, PAUL.
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