{"id":8191,"date":"2022-08-16T04:44:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T11:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=8191"},"modified":"2022-08-16T04:44:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T11:44:49","slug":"christianity-is-a-maverick-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=8191","title":{"rendered":"
Christianity is a Maverick Religion<\/div>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Click here for a pdf version.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galatians 3:23-4:9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you hear \u201cMaverick,\u201d what do you think of? Many will think of the wildly popular movie, \u201cTop Gun: Maverick.\u201d This movie was just released in May 2022, and it has already grossed globally over $1.3 billion. The lead character is Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell, a US Navy pilot, and he is a maverick, a person with a stubborn streak of independence. The story is loosely based on a real Navy pilot, Duke Cunningham and his accomplishments during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older people among us may remember the TV show \u201cMaverick,\u201d from the early 1980\u2019s, starring James Gardner, about a professional poker player in the Old West. This series was itself a revival of a similar Western from the 1950\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaverick\u201d is a moniker used far beyond the movies. Ford Motor Company has a Maverick pick-up truck. There are Maverick thermometers, Maverick boats, Maverick flying cars. Maverick concerts. Maverick mountain bikes. Maverick chocolates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we read the letters of Paul, it becomes apparent that Paul was a maverick. He was considered an oddball by other apostles. What was the problem? He said: Not by the law. \u201cNeither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything\u201d (Gal 6:15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not only that Paul was a maverick, but Christianity is a maverick religion. It\u2019s really very different from other religions. People think that religion means there\u2019s a certain kind of system you\u2019ve got to follow and certain rules that must be followed in order to be good before God and your neighbor. In the minds of many, religion is about doing the right thing and following the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recall that one thing that was distinctive about Luther is that he was brutally honest. He said that we, by ourselves, end up either in spiritual pride or spiritual despair. Most of the time we comfort ourselves with spiritual pride. I do well enough. I\u2019m a good person. At least I\u2019m better than those people over there. But then if we are like Luther and stop to think, to be self-critical, we end up in spiritual despair. We don\u2019t and we can\u2019t and it\u2019s hopeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Paul\u2019s maverick Christianity? In Gal 3:28 Paul writes that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. Some say this is the key verse in the New Testament. They claim it lays out for us the real plan, the real program of Christianity, the proper requirements. This is what you gotta do. You have to follow this new program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul was a maverick but laying out a program wasn\u2019t what he was all about. Paul expected the end to come soon, in his own generation. As he writes to the Thessalonians:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel\u2019s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive; who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord\u201d (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; see also 1 Cor 15:51-52).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1 Cor 7:17-31 Paul writes about marriage and slavery. He says the time is too short. If you are married, fine; if you are not married, fine. The time is too short. The end is coming in this generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the same about slavery. If you\u2019re a slave, O.K.; if you\u2019re not, O.K.. Let\u2019s not bother with that. There\u2019s no question that for Paul Christianity is not a social program. That\u2019s not what Christianity is about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about the law? In Galatians 3:21 Paul writes: \u201cIs the law against the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness indeed would be by the law.\u201d But, of course, the law does not make alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul gives three examples of how the law is temporary, of this world and only for this world. First, in Romans 10:4 he writes: \u201cChrist is the end of the law.\u201d Some have thought that means that Christ is the \u201cgoal.\u201d But the context in Romans 10:5 shows that Christ is the end as in the termination of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, in Romans 7:1-6 he uses the picture of someone who is married. When you\u2019re married, you are bound by this contract. But when the spouse dies, you\u2019re no longer in the contract. The law is over. There\u2019s no way of mistaking what Paul means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, in Galatians 3:24 he writes: \u201cThe law was our custodian until Christ came.\u201d The original word for \u201ccustodian\u201d here refers to a slave who guarded and took care of a young man between the ages of six and about eighteen, protecting, teaching, and disciplining him. Then their roles are more than reversed. The young man now has the power of life and death over the slave. Such a functionary no longer exists, but Paul uses this as a way of saying to the Galatians that salvation does not depend on keeping the law. They are free in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That illustration comes immediately before Galatians 3:27 where he writes: \u201cAs many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.\u201d That\u2019s what it\u2019s about. In Christ, everything is changed. Christianity is a maverick religion. In fact, Karl Barth said that we shouldn\u2019t even call Christianity a religion because in a religion there is always something you have to do, and it\u2019s up to you to do it, and that\u2019s what\u2019s important, what makes it all work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, the Christian message does not come by human calculation: The Lord has come to us in the flesh, saved us from sin, death, and the devil, and made us his own. He\u2019s done it. He\u2019s done it to you by making you his own in baptism \u2013 outside of you, in spite of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you protest that Galatians 3:27 is just one verse, remember Romans 6:5. Paul writes: \u201cIf you have been united with him in a death like his, you will certainly<\/strong> be united with him in a resurrection like his.\u201d (The Greek idiom requires the word \u201ccertainly.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Colossians 3:3-4: \u201cFor you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Philippians 3:12: \u201cI press on to make it my own, because Christ has made me his own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything has changed because he has changed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s maverick religion. That\u2019s different from thinking there must be something we have to do to make salvation work. Maybe we should do good works to hedge our bets. We think: \u201cIt couldn\u2019t hurt and it may help. Maybe they count?\u201d It goes to show how we always end up in spiritual pride or spiritual despair. The evil one plays tricks on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul goes on in 4:1-9 to interpret himself. He basically describes what it means to be adopted and to receive a gift, a testament, as an heir. We\u2019ve been adopted in spite of ourselves. When you\u2019re adopted, you become a son or daughter. He writes this in Romans 8:16-17 as well: \u201cWhen we cry, \u2018Abba! Father!\u2019 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ . . . .\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us have a \u201clast will and testament\u201d which tells who is to inherit our property. Such documents for us can change according to changing circumstances. But God\u2019s will and testament doesn\u2019t change. It says: Christ has taken care of sin, death, and the devil. Baptized into his death, you are adopted sons and daughters, heirs of his kingdom. It\u2019s all very different, a maverick religion. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Galatians 3:23-4:9<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When you hear \u201cMaverick,\u201d what do you think of? Many will think of the wildly popular movie, \u201cTop Gun: Maverick.\u201d This movie was just released in May 2022, and it has already grossed globally over $1.3 billion. The lead character is Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell, a US Navy pilot, and he is a maverick, a person with a stubborn streak of independence. The story is loosely based on a real Navy pilot, Duke Cunningham and his accomplishments during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Older people among us may remember the TV show \u201cMaverick,\u201d from the early 1980\u2019s, starring James Gardner, about a professional poker player in the Old West. This series was itself a revival of a similar Western from the 1950\u2019s.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cMaverick\u201d is a moniker used far beyond the movies. Ford Motor Company has a Maverick pick-up truck. There are Maverick thermometers, Maverick boats, Maverick flying cars. Maverick concerts. Maverick mountain bikes. Maverick chocolates.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When we read the letters of Paul, it becomes apparent that Paul was a maverick. He was considered an oddball by other apostles. What was the problem? He said: Not by the law. \u201cNeither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything\u201d (Gal 6:15).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Select here<\/a> to read more or here <\/a>for a pdf document.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8191"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8200,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8191\/revisions\/8200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}