Here I Stand

Galatians 1:1-12        Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the members of God’s family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 18:20-39        So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.”

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At the roundtable this week we started talking about how our thoughts and opinions and beliefs are so often influenced by others.   We use the word “sway” – as in “he has come under the sway of terrorists, or politicians” to suggest that perhaps someone or something has power over us to form our beliefs and affect our actions.  And when I say us, I don’t actually mean us.  Some people allow others to sway their thoughts and beliefs – right? 

We are much more likely to see this effect in others than we are to see it in ourselves.  After all, we are much more rational and objective when we are observers of others.  And besides, none of us likes to think that we, ourselves, are susceptible to this kind of sway – but why not?  We are just as human as anyone else.

The subject came up because we noticed in both passages – Paul’s letter to the Galatians and the wonderful story about the showdown on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal – there seems to be a case of a whole community of people being swayed.

In the context of Paul’s letter, it would seem that the church in Galatia had been influenced by a new teacher on the scene – one who was apparently teaching a different gospel than what Paul had shared with them.  At the risk of oversimplifying, this alternative gospel preached that justification (that is, forgiveness of one’s sins) comes not just from faith in Jesus Christ but also requires good works.  That might not sound like a big deal – after all, the church preaches the importance of good works 52 weeks a year.  But, in fact, it is the issue that formed the crux of the Protestant Reformation, back in the 16^th century when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door.  Right at the heart of it was the concept of Sola Fide:  our justification is by faith alone.  Christ’s work on the cross has accomplished something that our own works could never do.

We wondered, at the roundtable, why the people of Galatia would have bought into this new teaching and tossed aside what they had been given by Paul.  Perhaps this new teacher had more charisma than Paul.

Very likely so.  Paul doesn’t appear to be such a charming fellow, based on what we can put together from the writings.  He is intense, driven, zealous, often irritable.  But probably not charming. 

Maybe this new guy who came into Galatia after Paul left was charming.  Maybe he was tall, handsome, funny.  Maybe he could look into your eyes when he talked to you and convince you that you were the only one in the world who mattered to him at that moment.  Maybe.

Or, on the other hand, maybe he preyed on their fears and insecurities.  That often works quite well when you’re trying to sway somebody. 

The point is this:  can one be swayed to believe something other than the truth simply by force of personality? 

To put it bluntly, there are times when the truth is less desirable than something else.  We might rather hear a flattering lie than an unflattering truth.  We might prefer to hear something that assuages our fears rather than to hear that we should let go of our fears.  We might prefer to hear someone who gives us permission to be angry and hateful rather than someone who encourages us to be generous of spirit.  It’s always less work to appeal to the baser nature of human beings than to call upon our better angels. 

That is what made the life of a prophet so hard.  When God sent prophets to speak truth to kings and queens, it was rare for the prophet to receive a warm welcome.  Elijah certainly did not.  He had the misfortune of living during the reign of one of the all-time worst kings of Israel – Ahab, and Ahab’s wife Jezebel.  Jezebel was not an Israelite; she came from Sidon, a place where the gods of Canaan were worshiped. Jezebel brought her gods with her, and Ahab found it more convenient to transfer his loyalties to the foreign gods and turn his back on Yahweh.  And, unsurprisingly, the people of Israel found it to be more – should we say – advantageous to turn their loyalties to the gods of their king and queen. 

Elijah really felt like one small man up against the multitude.  Reading his story, you get the impression that he would love to have a friend, a comrade, at his side.  But he doesn’t.  It’s just him … and God, and the angels.  Truly a mismatch of power if ever there was one.

The power of God against the Baals of the world?  The truth against the self-serving idols we prop up for our convenience?  The Lord of hosts, who cannot be reduced to an image, a location, a simple function; a God whose presence is everywhere and whose power is over all – against a man-made figurehead. 

We see in this story of Elijah that there is no match. The pathetic prophets of Baal work themselves into a lather, they cut themselves and offer their own blood to the sacrifice – and yet there is no voice, no answer from Baal, the god of the storm.  Then Elijah steps up to the altar of the Lord and offers his prayer:

O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  Let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant.  Answer me, Lord, that these people may know that you can change their hearts.

It doesn’t require his blood.  It doesn’t need any overwrought gesticulations and articulations.  It takes only submission and obedience to the one who is Lord of all.  Elijah might stand alone.  But in his solitary stance he has the heavenly host at his side.  Paul might stand alone.  But in his solitary stance he has the full power of the gospel and the glory of Almighty God at his side.

Martin Luther, five centuries ago, stood alone before the powers of his day – a church that had grown corrupt by power, who was once again leading people into beliefs that distorted the gospel, hid the truth.  Luther, like Paul and so many of the saints before him, stood alone on the side of the gospel.  And as he stood before a council which commanded him to recant his beliefs, to submit to their authority, he refused.  His conscience would not allow him to do so.  He said, “Here I stand.  I can do no other.”

We will all have opportunities to take a stand in our lives – for the sake of truth, for the sake of the gospel.  The choice you make at those moments is informed by the way you live your faith each and every day.  It is a hard thing to stand alone.  But when you stand on the side of truth against the idols of the age, whatever they may be – Baal, money, comfort, safety, popularity, or others – you do not stand alone.

Stand for truth and you stand with the power of God.