The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 5:7-10, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one
who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.”

I heard a good message yesterday from the pulpit of the church I attend. Why can’t
every pastor just follow the Word of God instead of seeking to say or do something
he assesses as new? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not supposed to be something
new; it’s as old or older than the Book that contains it.

What was Paul’s initial emphasis? Obey the truth! Obviously, the recipients of this
letter from Paul weren’t obeying the truth; otherwise, why need it be mentioned? Yes,
there are preachers that obliterate the Scriptures entirely. They prey upon people who
have no understanding of what the Scriptures say. Hopefully, they have come to hear
because they sense a hollowness in their lives. But they go home worse than before
they came. Judgment will doubtlessly fall heavily on men who prey upon others.

Paul is quite clear: “This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.” If this
word did not come from the LORD (and it unquestionably did not!), from whom did
it come? It originated with Satan, the great deceiver. It is he who seeks to confuse
the hearts and minds of all mankind. Satan is the great disturber, as well.

Stick with the truth, the apostle Paul advises. The ones who are disturbing you will
bear their own judgment. This is precisely why we need to read and assess the Bible
more often and with increasingly greater scrutiny. Stay away from false preachers!
They have no truth to share; especially not with those who are following Jesus.

A reliable, conservative Bible Commentary offers extensive excitement for the new
and old reader. Why not give the Bible an opportunity tonght? It might just change
your life for the better.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Galatians 5:7-10, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one
who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.”

I heard a good message yesterday from the pulpit of the church I attend. Why can’t
every pastor just follow the Word of God instead of seeking to say or do something
he assesses as new? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not supposed to be something
new; it’s as old or older than the Book that contains it.

What was Paul’s initial emphasis? Obey the truth! Obviously, the recipients of this
letter from Paul weren’t obeying the truth; otherwise, why need it be mentioned? Yes,
there are preachers that obliterate the Scriptures entirely. They prey upon people who
have no understanding of what the Scriptures say. Hopefully, they have come to hear
because they sense a hollowness in their lives. But they go home worse than before
they came. Judgment will doubtlessly fall heavily on men who prey upon others.

Paul is quite clear: “This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.” If this
word did not come from the LORD (and it unquestionably did not!), from whom did
it come? It originated with Satan, the great deceiver. It is he who seeks to confuse
the hearts and minds of all mankind. Satan is the great disturber, as well.

Stick with the truth, the apostle Paul advises. The ones who are disturbing you will
bear their own judgment. This is precisely why we need to read and assess the Bible
more often and with increasingly greater scrutiny. Stay away from false preachers!
They have no truth to share; especially not with those who are following Jesus.

A reliable, conservative Bible Commentary offers extensive excitement for the new
and old reader. Why not give the Bible an opportunity tonght? It might just change
your life for the better.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Galatians 5:1-7, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.
3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

It’s an unending battle! Most spiritual battles are! Paul argues mightily regarding that
salvation in Jesus Christ is far and away superior to just being Jewish! Just being Jewish
is tantamount to being “subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Circumcision is the male declaration of Jewishness! Those who are circumcised are just
one step behind those Jews with whom Peter was cavorting back in Galatians 2:13f. To trust simply in being Jewish and observing the Old Testament law profits absolutely nothing! In fact, it’s a huge step backward!

A lot of people make that same mistake when they view “baptism” as the washing away of sins. Water Baptism has never washed away anyone’s sins! Only the Blood of the LORD Jesus Christ can forgive sin! Paul notes the same for the Jews when he says,

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
means anything, but faith working through love” (vs. 6).

My dear friend, as we don’t believe everything we read in the papers, so never should we believe everything we hear some ministers say. There’s a lot of wrong floating about these days. Stick with the Bible and those who preach it! Trust only the LORD Jesus, as taught in His Word! Jesus’ Coming for His own. The Rapture is the very next item on His agenda. We just don’t know His precise timing. Therefore, the key word is “be ready!”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Galatians 2:17-20, “…if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also
been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!
18 “For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Having openly and forthrightly corrected Simon Peter for mingling with those who believed salvation was partly in keeping the Old Testament Law, Paul lays down the true foundation of salvation which is in Jesus Christ alone.

Paul teaches that the Old Testament Law simply demonstrates that mankind needs salvation. He forshadows the Coming Messiah, but affirms that no one is saved by keeping the Old Testament Law. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law completely through His death, burial, and resurrection.

Now, Paul explains what is required of us for true salvation by citing his own experience.
Where Paul once counted on his own deeds being acceptable to God, he now shows that through a positive act of his own will, he died once and for all to Old Testament Law,
and trusted that Christ Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s only substitute for his sin: past, present, and future!

What occurred for Paul, awaits our faith. Jesus’ death and resurrection was for us, too!
And by confessing our sins to Christ, He wipes them out and gives us a clean slate!
Has that occurred in your life? It surely can! When you confess your sins to Christ, He
forgives them completely and gives you a “clean slate.” The Holy Spirit then enters into your life and becomes your constant Companion. “Why not give Him a place in your heart?”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Galatians 2:12-20, “For prior to the coming of certain men from James, (Peter) used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!
18 “For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

What do you do when someone accuses you of something you positively did not do?
Most of us would furiously leap to our own defense! But what do you do when you see a person keeping company with a questionable group? Do you leap to accuse the compromiser? That’s precisely what the Apostle Paul did.

These were the early days of the Christian faith. Prior to this time, many Jews believed
that salvation was achieved in blending Christianity with the Law of Moses. These Jews were called “Judaizers.” Peter held to salvation in Jesus; however, his fraternizing with the Judaizers was a compromise. That’s when Paul challenged Peter and insisted on salvation being in Jesus Christ alone.

“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed,” (meaning, holding to the Law of Moses), “I prove myself to be a transgressor” against the Christian faith. It must have been a hard pill for Peter to swallow. At the same time, Christianity cannot tolerate compromise of any sort!

If we laugh at jokes that are tainted with profane words, we are compromisers! The joke
Itself may rate a laugh, but not with the intrusions of unacceptable words. Ultimately, Simon Peter sided with Paul in upholding Jesus Christ as the only LORD and Savior! We must uphold Him as well, or we bring disrespect on the only faith that rescues from sin. We must always stand faithfully in and for our LORD Jesus Christ!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom