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The Garden
of Life Our working theme of Galatians: “Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as taught in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone” I.
SOIL, FRUIT AND GARDENS AS METAPHORS FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE A. While the non-Christian life is spoken of in Scripture using the metaphor of courtroom/law; it is not a useful metaphor for the Christian life. B. The Scriptures speak of the Christian life in terms of garden, field, soil, fruit, etc. 25 of the 27 books of the New Testament speak of our lives using agricultural language. C. Union with Christ needs to control not only our thinking about justification but also sanctification. “Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ. Indeed the whole process of salvation has its origin in one phase of union with Christ and salvation has in view the realization of other phases of union with Christ. This can be readily seen if we remember that brief expression which is so common in the NT, namely, “in Christ” (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied p.161). 1. Incarnational Union (Romans 1:3-4; 8:3; Galatians 4:4-7). 2. Representative Union or Federal Union (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22,45-49).
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3. Vital/Spiritual union (John 15:1-11; Romans 6:4-10; 8:10; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:15-16). This is related to Paul’s teaching on sanctification. “The union with Christ is not only a federal one, but also spiritual, arising from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by which we become partakers of the life of Christ. Hence, he is said to dwell in us, to live in us, and his life is said to secure our life. It is said to be analogous to that between the vine and its branches, the head and members of the same body. As the federal union is the ground of our justification and exaltation, so this vital union is the ground of sanctification.” (Charles Hodge, Sermon Outlines: Taken from Princeton Sermons, p.18). Where does faith fit into all
this? 1. We are justified by faith in Christ (Gal.2:16). 2. It is by faith in Christ that we receive the Holy Spirit (Gal.3:2-3). 3. We are sanctified by faith in Christ (Gal.2:20; 5:6; cf. Hebrews 11). 4. We are fruitful through faith in Christ. “Faith sanctifies because it is the necessary condition of the efficacy of the means of grace. It is through the Word, sacraments, and prayer, that God communicates constant supplies of grace. They are the means of calling the activities of spiritual life into exercise. But these means of grace are inoperative unless they are received and used by faith. Faith does not, indeed, give them their power, but it is the condition on which the Spirit of God renders them efficacious” (Charles Hodge, Systematic theology, 3:109). II. THE IMAGERY OF OUR LIVES AS A GARDEN/PLANT IN
SCRIPTURE (Galatians 5:22,23;
6:7-9; Psalm 126; Isaiah 32:15-16; 45:8; 61:3; Joel 2:18-32; Matthew 3:8,10;
7:17-19; 12:33; 15:13; 21:43; John 15:1-11; Romans 1:13; 6:21,22; 7:4;
Eph.5:9,11; Phil.1:11,21-24; Colossians 1:6,10; Hebrews 6:7-8; James 3:17-18;
etc.) “Law may prescribe certain forms of conduct and prohibit others, but love, joy, peace and the patience cannot be legally enforced. ‘A vine does not produce grapes by Act of Parliament; they are the fruit of the vine’s own life; so the conduct which conforms to the standard of the Kingdom is not produced by any demand, not even God’s, but it is the fruit of that divine nature which God gives as the result of what he has done in and by Christ’ (S. H. Hooke, ‘What is Christianity?’ in The Siege Perilous [London, 1956], 264; quoted in F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Galatians: A commentary on the Greek text, 255). A. Scriptural emphasis upon fruitfulness in Scripture is connected with God’s promises of the earth/land. 1. Be fruitful and multiply… (Genesis 1:27-28; cf. Gen.8:17). 2. Fruitfulness was lost after Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:16-19). B. Fruitfulness of the Promised Land was a prominent theme in the prophets (Isaiah 4:2; 27:6; 29:17; 32:15-16; 65:21; Jer.23:3; 31:5; Ezek.17:23; 34:27; 36:8,11,30; 47:12; Amos 9:14; Joel 2:22; Zech.8:12). C. “One of the central promises of the Abrahamic covenant is fruitfulness in terms of the patriarch’s descendants (Gen.17:6; 28:3; 35:11; 47:27; 48:4; Exod 1:7). This too caries over into Galatians, because these Gentile believers are the actualization of Abraham’s seed” (Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians, 275). D. Land and it’s fruitfulness is not only emphasized with respect to the New Heavens and the New Earth but with the church which is the Renewed Israel. 1. “Thus, in speaking of “the fruit of the Spirit,” Paul announces that the new creation has arrived in Galatia…It is they…who fulfill the imagery of the productive land; they are the new Israel which has returned from exile; they are the fruitful vine the old Israel failed to be (John 15:2-8, in contrast to Isa 5:1-6; Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10; 14:6-7; Hab 3:17)” (Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians, 275). 2. The Promised Land is referred to as the “Garden” in Genesis 13:10; Isaiah 51:3; Ezekiel 36:35; Joel 2:3. “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it” (Matthew 21:43). |
