Live By Faith in the Son of God
You Can't Afford What Christ Already Paid For
SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 2:20-21 NKJV - "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
OBSERVATION:
In Galatians 2, Paul begins to lay out his case for justification by faith. The very reason he wrote the book was that they were quickly turning from the gospel to another gospel. He will go on to argue that it is not another gospel at all, but works. These works are an attempt to justify oneself before God…
Paul makes his first point at the end of chapter two… "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
If you and I can find justification (righteousness) by keeping the law, then Christ died in vain. The phrase “in vain” in the Greek means: done without cause… for naught… in vain.
My question to you is, “Was Christ’s death in vain?” Why did He need to die if all we needed to do was follow the law?
The Judaizers who came in could not get over the “law of circumcision.” They claimed that to truly be saved, you needed the grace of God and circumcision… They took God's free gift and added something to it… Grace plus something is not grace…
Galatians 2:20-21 NKJV - "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
OBSERVATION:
In Galatians 2, Paul begins to lay out his case for justification by faith. The very reason he wrote the book was that they were quickly turning from the gospel to another gospel. He will go on to argue that it is not another gospel at all, but works. These works are an attempt to justify oneself before God…
Paul makes his first point at the end of chapter two… "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
If you and I can find justification (righteousness) by keeping the law, then Christ died in vain. The phrase “in vain” in the Greek means: done without cause… for naught… in vain.
My question to you is, “Was Christ’s death in vain?” Why did He need to die if all we needed to do was follow the law?
The Judaizers who came in could not get over the “law of circumcision.” They claimed that to truly be saved, you needed the grace of God and circumcision… They took God's free gift and added something to it… Grace plus something is not grace…
Paul’s humility and complete reliance on the power of God instead of the power of his own personality, coupled with his strong letters, were being used against him. They said Paul was like a dog that barks like crazy at a safe distance, but is a coward when confronted face to face. – David Guzik.
2 Corinthians 10:10 NKJV – “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”
What the Corinthians had neglected to see was a changed man. They had either forgotten or not known of Paul, formerly known as Saul, the great persecutor of the Church. He was a very powerful and influential man who was taught by the greatest of Rabbis and excelled them all. It was believed that Gamaliel (his teacher) said, “he could not teach him anything else.” Paul was such a voracious reader that he read everything and studied until he said, “He was a Pharisee of Pharisees.”
What the Corinthians had seen was the changed Paul, the Paul who took on the same character and nature of Jesus, the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
Would you say of Jesus what the Corinthians said of Paul? No!
What the Corinthians had neglected to see was a changed man. They had either forgotten or not known of Paul, formerly known as Saul, the great persecutor of the Church. He was a very powerful and influential man who was taught by the greatest of Rabbis and excelled them all. It was believed that Gamaliel (his teacher) said, “he could not teach him anything else.” Paul was such a voracious reader that he read everything and studied until he said, “He was a Pharisee of Pharisees.”
What the Corinthians had seen was the changed Paul, the Paul who took on the same character and nature of Jesus, the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
Would you say of Jesus what the Corinthians said of Paul? No!
To nullify grace would be to put one’s trust, not in salvation as God’s gift, but in one’s own efforts. To do this is to reject grace altogether, and relying on one’s puny effort means that one nullifies that grace. – Leon Morris.
This is also the great problem with seeing the grace of God as something that helps us get to heaven, as if we put forth the best we can, and then grace supplies the rest. Grace doesn’t help, it does it all. All of our righteousness comes from the work of Jesus for us. – David Guzik.
If my salvation was so difficult to accomplish that it necessitated the death of Christ, then all my works, all the righteousness of the Law, are good for nothing. How can I buy for a penny what cost a million dollars? – Martin Luther.
This is also the great problem with seeing the grace of God as something that helps us get to heaven, as if we put forth the best we can, and then grace supplies the rest. Grace doesn’t help, it does it all. All of our righteousness comes from the work of Jesus for us. – David Guzik.
If my salvation was so difficult to accomplish that it necessitated the death of Christ, then all my works, all the righteousness of the Law, are good for nothing. How can I buy for a penny what cost a million dollars? – Martin Luther.
APPLICATION:
Do not be tempted or led astray by those who would come to you and say… Grace plus something… Grace does not supply the rest after we have put forth our best… It all comes from the grace of God, given through Jesus. It’s a gift! Gifts are not earned; if they are, they are no longer gifts but things we work for.
Do not be tempted or led astray by those who would come to you and say… Grace plus something… Grace does not supply the rest after we have put forth our best… It all comes from the grace of God, given through Jesus. It’s a gift! Gifts are not earned; if they are, they are no longer gifts but things we work for.
How can I buy for a penny what cost a million dollars?” – Martin Luther.
PRAYER:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound… Jesus, may it not just be a sweet sound but a life I live every day. I know my tendency to live by my own justification, but I am reminded, like Luther, that all I have is a penny and the debt I owe is a million dollars. Thank you, Jesus, for paying that debt IN FULL once and for all. May I live by faith in the Son of God.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound… Jesus, may it not just be a sweet sound but a life I live every day. I know my tendency to live by my own justification, but I am reminded, like Luther, that all I have is a penny and the debt I owe is a million dollars. Thank you, Jesus, for paying that debt IN FULL once and for all. May I live by faith in the Son of God.
If righteousness could be earned by keeping the law, then Christ died for nothing — but He didn't, which means grace isn't a supplement to our effort; it's the whole gift.
Posted in 09 - Galatians
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