Tag Archives: Galatians

Bible 101: Justification By Faith

“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” – Gal. 2:16

I get more pushback on this topic than on any other. It is Bible 101. It is foundational.

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” – Gal. 3:24-25

“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” – Gal. 4:9

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1

“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” – Galatians 5:4-5

And this is just some of the verses… and just in Galatians

Sola Fide!

Our Precious Modern Ears

woe-to-you-when-all-people-speak-well-of-you-for-so-their-fathers-did-to-th-esv

We would love to have a strong preacher like John the Baptist, wouldn’t we?

When the crowds came out to be baptized by him, he said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath! Produce fruit in keeping with repentance!” (Luke 3:7-8)

How about now?

Our precious modern ears don’t like such strong language. Our precious modern feelings don’t want to be offended. Our precious modern egos flinch at such plain words.

Have we forgotten texts like:

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!” – Luke 6:26

and

“Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people – I would not be Christ’s servant.”- Galatians 1:10

J.C. Ryle said,

“There is no ‘charity’ in flattering unconverted people. My chief desire is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, make Him beautiful & glorious in the eyes of men, and to promote the increase of repentance, faith, & holiness upon earth. I am one of those old-fashioned ministers who believe the whole Bible and everything it contains.”

Imagine that.

The Wrong Seed For The Harvest You Desire

Gal 6 7

Be careful what seeds you are planting, watering, and ultimately – harvesting. It would be crazy for a farmer to plant corn and then expect sunflowers. Likewise, don’t expect joy, patience, and good will, if you are planting seeds of doubt, anxiety, and fear,

“You will always harvest what you plant.” – Gal. 6:7 (NLT)

“When your eyes are upon your symptoms and your mind is occupied with them more than with God’s Word, you have in the ground the wrong kind of seed for the harvest that you desire. You have in the ground seeds of doubt. You are trying to raise one kind of crop from another kind of seed. It is impossible to sow tares and reap wheat. Your symptoms may point you to death, but God’s Word points you to life,”  ― F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer

Gal. 2:16

Gal 2 16

If I tell my children something once, that should be enough… but, of course, it’s usually not. If I tell my children something three times right in a row: its probably pretty important.

In one verse, Paul repeats himself THREE times:

“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no human being shall be justified.” – Gal. 2:16

  1. We are not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.
  2. We are justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.
  3. By the works of the law no human being shall be justified.

If you are leaning on works, rituals, or traditions instead of faith in Jesus, you will not be justified (right with God).

The Rich Young Ruler

rich young ruler

If someone asked you how to get to Heaven, you’d probably say “by grace through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9),” right? So why did Jesus give the Law to the rich young ruler when he asked the same question (Mark 10:17-22)?

This passage used to scare me. Will I have to sell all my stuff and give it to the poor?

No, no – that’s not the point.

The point is Jesus was exposing where the young ruler put his faith and it was IN HIS ABILITY TO KEEP THE LAW. (The Law THEN was the 10 commandments, NOW is any human effort or religious tradition). He thought rule-keeping was his ticket. His faith was in himself.

I’m not rich, young, or a ruler – but I identify with this guy, don’t you? Self-righteous, works-based faith is a constant struggle. What would Jesus say to me? “Throw away your device and follow Me.” Abraham was asked to give up Isaac (Gen. 22). What would He say to you?

The Law cannot save (Gal. 4:21). It’s not faith-worthy. It’s a ministry of death bringing God’s wrath ( 2 Cor. 3:7 & Rom. 4:15). Likewise today, putting your faith in your works, only brings God’s wrath. The Law is there to reveal our sin and point us to Jesus (Rom. 6:14). Like a mirror: it reflects you (warts & all), but cannot clean you. No one uses the mirror to clean their face. The mirror just shows you how dirty you are (Rom. 3:20). The Law crushes self-reliance, it is not a reason for it.

Mark 10:21 is a tender moment: Jesus looks at the young ruler and loves him. He’s trying to take him from Sinai to Calvary. He does the same for us. He knows us the best and loves us the most. After all, we’re all little Prodigals and Pharisees.

The young ruler boasted in keeping “all” the Law, so Jesus showed how he had missed the FIRST ONE! (Exd. 20:3) He placed his possessions before God. Look, if you rely on human effort, there will always be cracks (Gal. 3:10). Like a chain holding you over a fire; remove just one link and it all falls apart (James 2:10). Anything you make into a Law and then use to condemn others – will be used to condemn you.

 “Everything that isn’t gospel is law. If its not rooted in the good news of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is damnable, crushing, despair-breeding , Pharisee-producing law. We’ll get either shallow self-righteousness or blazing rebellion or both.” – Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, Give Them Grace

This passage doesn’t scare me anymore. I am not under the Law. It is obsolete (Heb. 8:13). I am under GRACE (Rom. 8:2). Relying on tradition & religious rituals makes Jesus of no effect (Mark 7:13). It blinds us with a veil that only Jesus can remove (2 Cor. 3:14-16). Jesus came to set us free from this nonsense (Gal. 5:1).

Luke’s account says when the young ruler left, Jesus was saddened (18:24).  Jesus didn’t force anything. It was his choice. Jesus loves us enough to let us reject Him. However, if we do, it grieves Him.

Please don’t make the same mistake as the rich young ruler. Put your faith totally in Jesus today.

 

Straining at Rowing

spruce island lake davis wv kayak

I took Mary kayaking this weekend. Typical of a 2-year old, she wanted to “do it myself!” Needless to say, we didn’t get very far and she ended up pretty frustrated. Truth be told, she was a hot mess and I apologize to anyone who was expecting a peaceful afternoon on the water, but was instead subject to a full-blown temper tantrum that I’m sure was heard far and wide.

I kept thinking: If she would just relax and let her father do the rowing, we could have fun zipping all over that lake. Instead, she huffed & puffed and sweated & cried. Instead of going somewhere, we went nowhere. Instead of fun, it was… torturous. I was reminded of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee.

“Then He saw them STRAINING AT ROWING, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.” – Mark 6:48 (NKJV) [Emphasis mine.]

“Straining” doesn’t do that Greek word justice. Basanizó literally means TORTURING.

They were literally torturing themselves by not relying on Jesus! Likewise, you and I are literally torturing ourselves by not relying on Jesus too.

Whenever we try to earn our salvation by being a “good person,” we are straining at the oars. Whenever we try to save ourselves with religious rituals, we are straining at the oars. Whenever we try to do ANY of the rowing, we will inevitably be straining at the oars.

Thinking you have anything to do with your redemption is the opposite of the gospel. Paul says that teaching telling you otherwise is not even a gospel; it is distorted and accursed, twice! (Gal. 1:7-9) Listen: we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, by His blood, through faith. Period. (Rom. 3:24-25)

We are all in a tempestuous sea. The wind is against us. No matter how furiously we strain, ROWING IN OUR OWN STRENGTH will never get us to shore. Aren’t you tired of rowing in circles? Aren’t you tired of torturing yourself? Jesus can easily step in if we would only let Him. He calms the sea, silences the wind, and gets us safely to the other side.

But we must first hand the oars over to Him.

Let God help you.

Ref: https://biblehub.com/greek/928.htm

Faith Expressing Itself Through Love (Gal. 5:6)

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” – Gal. 5:6 (NIV)

When the Bible says something like “the only thing that counts is.. ” I tend to take notice.

“that counts” (“availeth any thing,” KJV) is isxýō = strength that “gets into the fray” (action), i.e. engaging the resistance. For the believer, it refers to the Lord strengthening them with combative, confrontive force to achieve all He gives faith for. That is, facing necessary resistance that brings what the Lord defines as success.

Wow. You may want to read that again. Slow down and REALLY read that.

Therefore, if you want to get into the mix and succeed: it takes FAITH revealed by LOVE.

Don’t forget that. It’s the only thing that counts.

The Little Engine That Couldn’t

the little engine that could

We are all familiar with “The little engine that could.” A little steam engine pulls a big train over a big hill, or (depending on the version) a little engine is loaded with an abnormally large cargo and has to make it over that big hill. He ends up doing so by believing in himself and relying on his own strength. He chugs slowly up the hill. With every inch he repeats the famous phrase: “I think I can. I think I can.”

This is a wonderful fable about positivism and self-reliance. I get that. But please understand: it is fiction both literally and figuratively. Eternally-speaking, no amount of positive thinking or determination will help you. The impossible task set before us, that hill so high, that load so heavy; cannot be overcome on our own tenacity.

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

You might as well be saying: “I know I can’t. I know I can’t.”

Now, before you run me out of town as a Debbie-downer, remember there is hope. There is such wonderful hope because: I know the One who can.

Jesus can get you over that hill. Jesus can help you bear that load. But you have to let Him. He won’t take over without your consent.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Gal. 2:20

I know I can’t, but I know God can. “I know God can, I know God can” should be our famous phrase.

We are the little engine that couldn’t… but relied on Jesus who could!

Not as catchy, I know, but much more true.

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Engine_That_Could

Spinach In My Teeth

Gal. 6:1
Gal. 6:1

What if you had a bright-green glob of spinach stuck right in the middle of your two front teeth? Then you went the whole day and no one told you. Wouldn’t you wonder, with all the people you came into contact with that day, why no one told you?!

If someone did tell you, it would probably be embarrassing at first. It might even make you feel stupid. However, later on, you would thank them. Right?

If no one told me, I would think that the whole day, people were actually ignoring it. They had to have been distracted by this giant glaring piece of vegetable lodged in my teeth! Oh, you know they saw it, right? I mean, there’s no mistaking it!

Well, it takes guts to tell someone there is something stuck in their teeth. The whole time you’re thinking, “Should I tell them? Nah, it’s not that bad. Maybe someone else will tell them. Maybe it will become loose and just fall out on its own. How do they not know? Look at it! Wow, its huge!… Great, too much time has gone by and it would look weird if I mentioned it now. Ok, this is making me uncomfortable. WAIT! Maybe I’ve got something in MY teeth! AHHHH!”

If I did tell you had spinach in your teeth, how would you respond?

“MY TEETH? Look at YOUR TEETH! You think YOUR TEETH are so clean? They are just as bad as mine! Not to mention your breath! I’ve been meaning to tell you: Your breath is pretty rank, buddy. Why don’t you use some mouthwash? THEN come back and tell me about MY terrible spinach infestation!”
Of course not. You and I are not like that, are we? We would thank that person and get that dastardly spinach out of our teeth right then and there and FOREVER! Right?

I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. Pride is a funny thing. It can topple even the strongest person. It can blind even the brightest of people. We have to fill ourselves with the Holy Word of God and align our steps with His only Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. That’s the only way any of us even have a chance.

And if someone loves you enough to tell you that you have spinach in your teeth? Thank them. Thank them for being so brave and honest.

God Bless!
#BearOneAnothersBurdens
Ref: Galatians 6:1