Find freedom through faith in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2:16 (NIV)
[We] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 23: The Justification of Sinners
We believe
that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins
because of Jesus Christ,
and that in it our righteousness before God is contained,
as David and Paul teach us
when they declare that man blessed
to whom God grants righteousness
apart from works.
And the same apostle says
that we are justified “freely” or “by grace”
through redemption in Jesus Christ.
And therefore we cling to this foundation,
which is firm forever,
giving all glory to God,
humbling ourselves,
and recognizing ourselves as we are;
not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits
and leaning and resting
on the sole obedience of Christ crucified,
which is ours when we believe in him.
That is enough to cover all our sins
and to make us confident,
freeing the conscience from the fear, dread, and terror
of God’s approach,
without doing what our first father, Adam, did,
who trembled as he tried to cover himself
with fig leaves.
In fact,
if we had to appear before God relying—
no matter how little—
on ourselves or some other creature,
then, alas, we would be swallowed up.
Therefore everyone must say with David:
“Lord, do not enter into judgment with your servants,
for before you no living person shall be justified.”
Summary
Sometimes it's easy to look back at the early church with wistful thoughts about how awesome it must have been during that time. People were coming to faith in Christ from all walks of life and dramatically changing their lifestyles; miracles abounded, and the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were there to lead and guide the newborn church forward.
But the wistful thoughts flee upon reading Paul's letters to churches like the Galatians. Yes, the Holy Spirit was very active in these young assemblies, but at the same time they were a hot mess. These Galatians, for example, had taken the gospel of Jesus and syncretized (mashed two belief systems together) it with all of the rules and regulations of Old Testament Judaism.
But don't be too quick to wag your finger at them, since we all have a propensity to fall into the same trap they did: to think that we're made right with God "by the works of the law." Not many of us still point to the Old Testament rituals as being necessary for salvation, but we are prone to add in all sorts of our own culturally based requirements.
But the New Testament will have none of this. Your salvation depends on only one thing: faith in Jesus Christ.
Dig Deeper
If you had to choose just one word to describe what it means to be a Christian, what word would it be? Loved? Faithful? Graced? Forgiven?
All of those words certainly describe important aspects of Christianity, but I think Paul would choose differently. The most fundamental attribute of being a Christian, Paul says here in today's passage, and in many other places is one who is justified (he used this word three times just in this one sentence!).
Thankfully you don't need to look far for its meaning; all you need to do is pronounce it slightly differently. When I say that I'm a Christian, I mean that I am:
Just-as-if-I'd never sinned, and
Just-as-if-I'd always obeyed.
This is how God sees you: as one who has perfectly fulfilled the covenant God entered into with Adam in which God promised to give man life as long as man gave God perfect obedience. Even though you, me and Adam have failed miserably to uphold our end of the bargain, the new Adam, our Savior Jesus Christ, did on our behalf.
This is why you're called to put your faith in Christ, so that you may share in His eternal benefits.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who calls all people to perfect obedience;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will escape the temptation of thinking the good things you do are the basis for your salvation, and pray that your faith in Christ will grow more and more;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 15
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