Letter to the Galatians -- Chapter 3
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Galatians 3:1).
The Galatians serve as a warning and lesson to us all. We must not fall into complacency in our faith walk and we must be very aware of all the pitfalls of our old sinful flesh and depravity. By God’s grace we know our vices, our weaknesses and we must set ourselves up to defend against them with the aid of the Spirit. All men have different pet vices and weaknesses of the flesh and whether it is pride, vanity, sexual immorality, a slanderous tongue, greed, laziness, impatience, anger, drunkenness, jealousy, idolatry, or whatever, we must “head them off at the pass,” keeping ourselves away from situations where they will cause us to stumble. The temptation lies in the fact that we fall in love with our pet sins and we want to keep the Spirit away from purging us from them. But let us be warned, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 5:3-6). There is no place for our pet sins in Christ Jesus and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If we hold onto these sins that Christ died to destroy, what are we truly doing? Do we really want to make a mockery of His sacrifice? Let us pray that by the grace of God we submit to the Spirit’s work in our life, cleansing us from the vices that weigh us down.
None of us are above false beliefs, gospels, and doctrines. Just like the Galatians we are susceptible to the lies of Satan, who tries to pervert the Gospel of our Lord. Once again we must heed the Words of Scripture, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). We all are capable of falling into error and so we must be in the Word daily to guard against this. We also should rely on our fellow believer to help us point out our errors, and in the same way we should return the favor to him, letting him know when he has also strayed.
Just because we are sure of something does not mean that it is the truth. The greatest lies and deceptions are always accompanied by the avid oaths that they are the truth. Men will swear on heaven and earth that what they are holding on to is the truth, all while they are believing lies and deceits. This is how Satan gets us: he makes us proud in our reliance on our own reasoning. We rationalize our own systematic theology with the wisdom of the world and completely miss God’s truth in His Word. It is on the simple, clear, and plain Word of God that we must stand and it is on the Cross that we rely thru all things. In humility and fear we cling to what God tells us in His Word and has made known to us in the Cross tossing aside all logic systems, reasonings, rationalizations, and methods. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). In the end we know and rest on the promise that where we are unfaithful, God is faithful, and where we stray, He seeks us out. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).
“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:2).
It is very important for us to realize that our regeneration in the Holy Spirit occurs thru the Gospel and not thru the Law. It is faith that receives the Holy Spirit, not works, actions, obedience, decision, or human will. It is the simple purpose of the Gospel, as Paul points out, to bring us the free gifts of our God for the sake of Jesus Christ crucified.
It is our human reason and will that, as always, fights against the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Cross is truly foolish to natural man as he believes deep down that all great things must come through great efforts. Everything in human nature points us this false direction. Our entire society is set up as a reward system where great work brings great reward, little work brings little reward. The “unfairness” of the Gospel, the fact that no man can work for or earn it and that all has already been done on our behalf, sits very “wrong” with our human reason. Christ illustrated this perfectly in His parable about the vineyard workers who all received the same pay no matter how many hours they worked. “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matthew 20:8-15). Are we envious because God is so generous with His grace? Would we rather work hard for salvation and see the lazy perish? It is this attitude of man that fails to see how unwarranted and undeserved God’s love in Christ is towards his very self. We are still being self-righteous anytime we think it is unfair that men who have lived selfish, sin-consumed lives are converted and changed by the grace of God at the end of their lives. We think, “It’s not fair that I have given up sin and pleasure my whole life while they lived a wild and indulgent life and still received the same gift of grace that I have!” Oh what evil and wretched thoughts we have! If we find ourselves having these thoughts of the workers who worked in the heat of the day and were envious of the workers who only worked one hour then we need to truly stop and take assessment of ourselves. We will find that we ourselves have lost sight of the undeserved love that God has shown us in Christ Jesus anytime that we desire to withhold the full bounty of God’s gift from our fellow man.
Hearing about the true freeness of the Gospel offends our reason. In our nature we believe that it will only create lazy sinners who live in carnal security. This thought of ours shows how little we truly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ that transforms lives, hearts, wills, and minds. It is the free grace of God that cannot be earned, merited, or worked for that makes transforms men into the most diligent, hardest working, and obedient of all. We must come to understand that we become the followers of Christ thru hearing and not thru working. “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42). Each of us is a Martha in our human nature. We all want the world to look and see how hard and well we are working to prepare things for the Lord, when in fact all Christ wants us to do first is to be still and listen. “‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:28-29). It is thru patient listening and simple belief that the work of the Lord is accomplished. Ironically the true work of God is no work at all. Often times our pragmatic natures will get in the way of true devotion to our Lord as we try to think of the “big picture” and the “practical” way to manage things. We need to remember the story of the woman and the perfume. “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her’” (Matthew 26:6-13). Spending time in listening and waiting on the Lord may seem like a waste of time or resources to us but we must remember that this is the way we receive our faith which empowers us to live for Him in all things. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The temptation is to think that there is so much work to be done out in the world that there is no time for study, prayer, meditation, and reflection on the Word of God. This is completely false and we must point this out to ourselves daily. We too, like the woman who poured the perfume on Christ, need to be willing to be “unpractical” in our devotion to the Lord; we need to realize that He is our focus and is more important than all the petty worries of this life. This is not an excuse for us to ignore His call to service, but it is a firm reminder that we must give daily devotion and time to simply being still and waiting patiently on the Lord.
“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Galatians 3:3-6).
Many unwittingly think that the Old Testament fathers were justified thru the Law or thru their works and obedience. Scripture is very clear however stating that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. This righteousness was not Abraham’s own, or something that Abraham earned, it was credited to him freely by the grace of God. It is very important for us to realize that the faith of the New Testament is no different than the faith of the Old Testament. The faith of the Old Testament pointed to the work of Christ to come and the faith of the New Testament points to the work that Christ has done. Both are one and the same faith in that they cling to Jesus Christ, the promises of God Almighty, and have complete trust in God’s Word. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
What is faith really? According to the dictionary faith is “belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.” Notice that faith is a kind of belief and that belief can itself take many forms. I can believe in something based on logic and reason (like believing the sky is blue or that I have ten fingers or that two plus two equals four), but faith on the other hand is independent of logic and reason. Faith never rests on logical proof and it is for this reason that many go awry having “belief” but no faith. Instead of taking the Word of God for what it simply and clearly states and trusting God blindly they devise theological systems which attempt to fit within logical proofs all under the declaration banner of “God is not irrational.” Well certainly we can agree with the statement that “God is not irrational,” but that by no means says that God is rational to us. He certainly works within perfect reason, but not within the fallen reason and rationalization of man. “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (Job 9:10). “His understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28). Belief can easily rest on our reason and logic of God instead of resting on God Almighty Himself and His rationally “absurd” promises; sadly, many within Christian circles fall into this deadly trap.
We must slay our reason with faith by means of God’s all-powerful Word. If we read thru the Old Testament we will see how profoundly the men and women lived by faith despite the opposition of their logic and reason (Hebrews 11 breaks this down very well). It is amazing to think of some of the acts of faith that these men and women were called to. Who among us would trust God enough to build an enormous boat in the middle of dry land? Or who among us would believe that our 90 year old wife would give birth to a son? Then trust God to provide as He calls us to sacrifice that only son? How about trusting God despite Him taking all our property, possessions, and even children? The list goes on and on. Reading about the fathers of the Old Testament is a very rewarding because it testifies how we too must slay our reason and live solely on the Word of God. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We must be willing to accept the smallest and most insignificant seeming Word from God’s mouth over the most eloquent and sure logic and reason of our own. If God told us to pick our nose for the forgiveness of sins who are we to question Him? If God told us we were going to lay chickens for seven years who are we to doubt Him? Where God speaks we must simply listen and have faith, crucifying our reason which screams in opposition.
There are two things we should always remember about faith: 1) it is the gift of God and 2) it is imperfect and weak. The first point is important for us to realize so that we do not focus on some need to “manufacture” faith in ourselves, we need to simply cling to Jesus Christ as our righteousness and forgiveness; we hold to God’s promise that thru the Word He will bring us the gift of faith in Christ Jesus. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The second point is important so that we do not dwell on our distrust, unbelief, and doubt. These failings of ours our great reminders to look back to the Cross of Jesus Christ in all things, and we must be sure to not focus on our faith. A faith that is consumed with whether it is a “good enough” or “strong enough” faith will be focused within and no longer focused on Jesus Christ. We must not lean on some ability of our own to believe, trust, and have faith, but we look to Christ we is the creator, author, and writer of our faith. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
We must not consult our reason when we are broken-hearted with our sin. Reason can do nothing to help us even though it will try mightily; in truth, the best efforts of reason can, and will, only drive us deeper into our grave. Reason will come up with countless solutions, methods, and ways to try to comfort our soul but it will never believe Christ; it is only faith that can apprehend Jesus Christ crucified, never reason. If we attempt to create rational and logical theological systems that fit our reason we will find that our faith will in fact be resting on man’s wisdom and no longer on the power of God thru His “foolish” Word. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
Christ must become our lifeblood. It is thru faith and not reason that our utter unrighteousness is withdrawn from us and Christ’s righteousness replaces it. Even though the complete taint of sin remains in our flesh we know we are washed white before the Father because we have had a righteousness transfusion thru the blood of Jesus Christ crucified. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). It is thru the blood of Christ that we have been bought, the imperishable and perfect sacrifice of God. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Therefore, it is thru simple belief in Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins that this righteousness transfusion takes place. God the Father does not love us because we are good or perfect, but He loves us for the sake of His only Son who by His immeasurable and incalculable grace went to the Cross on our behalf. “The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:27).
“Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7-9).
God made a very clear promise to Abraham in that He promised to bless all nations thru him and his offspring. He promised to make his descendents like the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. Who then are the children of Abraham? Do we need to find a bloodline in order to see if we are the blessed descendents of God’s promise? Looking to Scripture we see that Abraham’s firstborn, Ishmael, was not the heir of the promise but that it was Isaac. So why Isaac and not Ishmael? And later, why Jacob and not Esau? “It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring” (Romans 9:8). “The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16). The promise of God was to Abraham’s children of faith, those who cling to the promise of God in Christ Jesus.
It all comes back to the promise of our God for salvation and mercy. So often this great promise of God is lost in the mix and we forget the true “roots” of our faith. It is mere moments after the fall into sin that we are pointed to Christ, pointed to the Seed of the woman who will strike the serpent and redeem us all. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). We all need to cling to this promise that was given in Jesus Christ, for it unites us in the one faith that links all children of the promise from Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to John the Baptist to Peter to Paul, etc. This is the foundational promise of God that envelopes and unites all others. Without the mercy and grace of God thru Christ Jesus we would still be the enemy of God and under His wrath towards sin.
In the letter to the Hebrews we are reminded that Jesus Christ and the promise that we hold to in Him, is unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Whether in the time of the ancient fathers of the Old Testament, the early church of the New Testament, today, or countless years from now, we know that Jesus Christ and the promised salvation that we have in Him has never changed, wavered, or faltered, and never will. We look to the Christ who was promised to Adam and Eve, to the Christ that was born in Bethlehem, and to the Christ who will come again to judge the living and dead, knowing that He is the One Messiah from God Almighty, the eternal Son of God, the chosen and anointed One of God. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8). Let us pray that by the grace of God we daily appreciate the one faith we have been given in Christ Jesus, the faith of our forefathers, “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).
Often times we assume that we have always had the Law, however, the Law wasn’t given until generations and generations after Adam and Eve and even 430 years after Abraham. Abraham was credited righteousness because of his faith almost half a millennia before Moses was given the Law on Mount Sinai. Interestingly enough circumcision was also instituted only after the Scriptures tell us that Abraham’s belief was graciously credited to him as righteousness. These are important facts for us to recognize, for we must see that it is faith in God’s promise of Jesus Christ that justifies us apart from any external work. This promise of salvation thru Jesus Christ was given to Adam and Eve immediately after the fall into sin and was given long before circumcision and the Law.
It is thru Abraham’s line that the promised Gospel would come. The promise of the Messiah, of the Good News of God’s mercy and grace, is how all nations would be blessed thru Abraham. Imagine how confusing God’s words must have been to Abraham when God told him that all nations would be blessed thru him. Imagine if God said that to you today; would we not wonder how it is possible that all nations would be blessed thru us? It is only the free grace in Jesus Christ that is capable of blessing all nations. Even those who were not of the line of Abraham would be blessed thru Abraham because of God’s plan in Christ Jesus our Lord. “[Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:20-25).
It is easy to fall into the trap of making Christ “the example we must follow” and losing the true reality of His work. Any man can concede that Christ was a great teacher and the ultimate example of love that all men should imitate, but this recognition ultimately means nothing. Christ didn’t come to show us the way to salvation; He came to pick us up, put us on His back, and carry us Home to our Father in Heaven. He didn’t come to show us how things should be done ourselves; He actually came to seek and to save what was lost. Luther’s words must not be lost on us; we need to hear what he is saying: “We need Christ Himself, not His example, to save us.” To only esteem Christ’s example is to remain in self-righteousness, to remain in our own will which attempts to work and earn our salvation by “following the example set before us.” Didn’t the Pharisees pridefully follow the example of the Law to their ultimate demise? Herman Sasse said this, “If Christ was born in your heart a thousand times over but not in Bethlehem, you would be eternally lost.” This statement is not meant to undermine the awesome fact that Christ lives in our hearts by grace, thru faith, but it is meant to iterate the importance of Jesus Christ Himself and the importance of His objective redeeming work that He did on this earth. It is not faith that Christ’s example has “made me a better person” and led me to be “transformed” that saves us; it is faith that Jesus Christ physically came down from Heaven and paid the full ransom and atonement for my sins on the Cross. Christianity at its core is not an internal experience of the heart, it is the objective work of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins. If our faith is about an experience of the heart then we are lost and are to be pitied more than all men. No matter how great our heart experience is it is absolutely nothing and is completely futile apart from the actual suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 14, 17). Faith itself is worthless and meaningless; it is what our faith is IN that is important. Simply believing we are forgiven is not enough, it is believing that we are forgiven thru the work and merit of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, crucified and resurrected for us. Apart from the reality of Jesus Christ, full God and full man, sacrificing Himself on our behalf 2000 years ago, everything is empty and hollow.
“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:10-13).
Christ was personally sinless and completely innocent. It is by a pure act of grace that He humbled Himself and bore the sin of us all; He took upon Himself the death sentence that should have been ours. Where He Himself was blameless, He willingly became a wretched and condemned sinner for our sakes.
Many people dislike the language that the Bible uses; they can’t stand to hear the inspired words of the Holy Spirit that declare that Christ became a curse for us and was also made to be sin for us. It is these very words, that we find to be almost blasphemous, which are in fact of the greatest comfort. In the light of the Law of God we know that we are under the curse of sin. It is only if Christ takes this curse upon Himself and becomes sin on our behalf that we can be saved. Our sin must be punished and vanquished, so if Christ does not carry all of our sin then we lost and condemned before the wrath of Almighty God. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If the Cross is not where all of our sin was punished then we are hopeless. So often the true Gospel is lost and we fail to see the objective nature of Christ’s sacrifice. Christ does not die for our sins “when we believe” or when we “make some decision for Jesus.” Christ died for our sins before we were born, He sacrificed Himself and paid for our sins once and for all. “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Hebrews 7:27). Every person in the entire world has had their sins paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no difference. “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). It is simple faith and belief in this sacrifice which receives this immeasurable and unfathomable gift. Because Jesus Christ has paid for our sins we are no longer under the wrath of our sins and it is only unbelief that condemns us. Unbelief is not something we “do,” it is simply the rejection of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, a lack of faith and obstinate unbelief in the promises of God. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Because Christ has paid for our sins the only condemnation is in unbelief which rejects the merit and work of Christ on our behalf. No man’s sin is against him in Jesus Christ, for on the Cross the wrath of God was propitiated. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). Let us pray that we daily appreciate that our sin has been paid for apart from any doing of our own and that no sin of ours stands against us because of what Christ has done. Like the prophet declared, “The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
“The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come” (Galatians 3:17-19).
As Paul exhorts the Galatians he realizes that they have become confused as to the purpose of the Law. He recognizes that they are struggling with understanding the place of Law in their lives, as they knew full well it was handed down from God Himself on Mt. Sinai. We too often become confused about the role of the Law in our lives and fall into the same trap of the Galatians as we look to the Law and ourselves for justification before God. Just because the Law is from God Himself does not mean that it justifies man before God.
Our human reason assumes that obedience to the Law is what justifies us; it assumes that our external following of God’s demands makes us righteous. Our reason also believes that if the Law does not justify us then it is worthless and empty. What kind of rationale is this? As Luther so wisely points out, something can be very excellent and useful despite not justifying us before God. Do we really believe that just because the Law cannot save us that it is useless to us? Of course not! God gave us the Law, and it is indeed good and holy, but it also was not given to save, redeem, or justify us. If we claim that the Law can save us then we not only lose the true use of the Law, but we also destroy the Gospel in the process. Paul’s entire struggle is over the fact that these false prophets, who had corrupted the Galatians, had confounded and muddled both the Law and the Gospel, effectively losing and destroying both. As Paul had proclaimed earlier, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21).
It is essential for us to recognize the real danger of confounding Law and Gospel because it is instinctual and natural for us to cling to the works and deeds of our own for righteousness. This danger is especially real because no man can naturally recognize this self-righteousness for the sin that it is, and often times it is praised and esteemed even within the walls of Christendom. The devil’s favorite trick is making “Christians” who are “great people” that cling to their own righteousness and not to the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is by working within the walls of “Christianity” that Satan does the most damage in the world. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Let us pray that our eyes are daily opened to the dangers of confusing the purposes of Law and Gospel so that we do not fall into the traps of the devil. “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (Romans 3:28).
The first purpose of the Law is to keep some semblance of civil order in this world, to keep the exploits of the devil and evil man in check. Without the Law the whole world would be in unbridled chaos, following the every selfish desire of their hearts. It is the first purpose of the Law therefore to keep this completely sinful and fallen world within a certain level of restraint. “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). The wickedness of man is overwhelming with every thought of his heart being only evil all the time. This is a very strong statement regarding the complete depravity of man and it illustrates the need for God to institute the Law in the world with the purpose of keeping man in check.
The most important purpose of the Law is to make us conscious of our sin. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:19-20). Without the Law we do not realize our utter depravity and helplessness apart from Jesus Christ; we do not see that every inclination of our hearts is only evil all the time until the Law brings this to light. The Law must be used to break us of our self-righteousness and show us the true condition of our heart, preparing us to receive God’s free forgiveness.
We do not destroy the Law by the Gospel, but we uphold it. “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31). We uphold it in the fact that we proclaim the Law in order to break our spirits and drive ourselves to Jesus Christ, subsequently living a life by the grace of the Gospel that loves God and our neighbor in all things. Christ Himself proclaimed the Law very harshly so that He would bring His listeners to repentance; bring them broken to His forgiveness on the Cross. He did not destroy the Law, but fulfilled it on our helpless behalf. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
When we proclaim the Gospel to men who do not see their sinfulness then we are tossing pearls before swine. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6). In order to prevent this we must first break the spirit of self-righteousness in men by the hammer of the Law. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). It is this purpose of the Law that makes it important for us to uphold the Law before the eyes of men. Paul, however, tells us that the Law is good and necessary up until the Gospel promise comes into our life. Once the Law has prepared our hearts for the Gospel, and the promise of Christ Jesus has then come into our life, the Law no longer holds sway. The Law needs to drive us into the arms of Jesus, but once we are there it no longer has any rule over us. The Christian certainly still uses the Law to keep his flesh in check, but spiritually the Christian is dead to the Law. “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19). It is a grave mistake if we cling to the Law after it has broken our spirit instead of clinging to the Gospel promises. We must be willing to let the Law serve its purposes of restraining our flesh, showing us our sin, and pointing out God’s will, but we must make it subservient to the Gospel in our life. As with all gifts from God, the Law’s ultimate purpose is to point us to Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins.
“The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:19-24).
As Christians there is a war within us. Our regenerated spirits are constantly bombarded and hindered by our carnal flesh. “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7:21-23). No Christian is free from this battle that rages inside of us and it is important for us to be aware of it. If we are not aware of our enemy then we will have no way to combat him.
There is a time for Law and a time for Gospel in the life of the Christian. Even though we have died to the Law there are still important uses and purposes for the Law in our life. Our faith walk will have many ups and downs in life and the Law will serve to keep our flesh in check and our spirits humble before our Lord. Looking at the famous passage in Ecclesiastes, which talks about a time for every activity under heaven, we will see that there are distinct times for both Law and Gospel in our life. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born [Gospel] and a time to die [Law], a time to plant [Gospel] and a time to uproot [Law], a time to kill [Law] and a time to heal [Gospel], a time to tear down [Law] and a time to build [Gospel], a time to weep [Law] and a time to laugh [Gospel], a time to mourn [Law] and a time to dance [Gospel]” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4). Thru the Law we die, cry, mourn, and are uprooted, killed, and torn down; thru the Gospel we laugh, dance, and are born again, planted, healed, and built up. The Gospel side is easy for us to see, but often times we forget the need for the elements of the Law in our life even as the forgiven children of God thru Christ Jesus our Lord. Even the strongest and most faithful Christian needs to be humbled by God in order to be kept from falling into pride. “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Just like Paul we too will find that God will use the Law and certain “thorns in the flesh” to keep us weak, broken, and humble before Him. This is no reason to despair, but is in fact reason to rejoice even more surely in the power of Christ’s forgiveness in our life. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Looking at the different aspects of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, we may think that they are complete polar extremes. They certainly are opposites in essence, but in the reality of the hearts of us men (who are simultaneously saint and sinner!) these two poles are very close. At no point in this life as Christians are we on just one end of these two opposites, but we in fact live amidst both daily. Even in the strongest moments of faith and in the midst of our spiritual highs, our flesh must continue to be mortified by the Law; and even in our weakest and darkest moments in the valley of the shadow of death and despair the pure grace of Jesus Christ continues to shine thru triumphantly. Let us pray that we realize the daily purposes of both Law and Gospel, while clinging first and last to the grace of Jesus Christ, given into death for the forgiveness of our sins. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 16-18).
“The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:19-24).
These three abuses of the Law are everywhere within Christian culture. The first two abuses (thinking the Law justifies us or that the Law doesn’t apply to us at all) are by far the ones we think of first. However, the last abuse, that misunderstands the ultimate purpose of the Law, is the one that is the most common and also the least recognized of all. Paul’s words are lost on so many people, “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). If we fail to see that the Law is meant to push us and point us to Jesus Christ crucified then we do not truly understand the Law one bit.
The Law is like a schoolmaster in that it firmly and sternly disciplines us so that we are always pointed towards the Truth, towards Jesus Christ. The Law is not harsh with us for no reason, but does it for our own good. “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11). Without the discipline of the Law we will be blindly stuck in our sin, never seeing our helplessness or our salvation in Christ Jesus.
Our natural response to the Law is to feel bad for failing and transgressing against it and then to turn around and try harder to keep its commandments. This natural reaction is futile as we will continue to fail over and over to no avail. It is only when our stubborn eyes have been opened to the fact that the Law is showing us our inability and complete helplessness before God that we will come to understand that the Law doesn’t want us to “try harder next time” but instead wants us to despair of all ability of our own, turning to Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross for all merit and righteousness. Until we recognize that the Law is pointing us to faith in Jesus Christ crucified we will be stuck in the endless cycle of the Law; trying to keep the Law, then failing, over and over again. Many think repentance is “saying I am sorry” and then trying to do better next time; however, this is not repentance at all, as true repentance lies in turning away from the Law, our self, and our own obedience for righteousness and towards the grace of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that the Law daily points us away from ourselves and always to Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
Through faith in Christ Jesus we are all the sons of God; we have been brought into the family of God. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Because we are God’s children through Jesus Christ we become heirs of His blessings; we are not illegitimate children of God, but we are His adopted heirs thru His eternal promise. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:3-5). The importance of the fact that we have been adopted cannot be overstated. When we were lost orphans in the world, God adopted us as His true sons thru Jesus Christ so that we might be His heirs. Adopted children do not choose their parents, but are instead compassionately chosen to become the children of their adoptive parents thru a simple act of grace. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:16-17).
We are clothed in Christ thru the Gospel, thru Baptism, which is received by faith. This clothing in Christ assures us of our adoption as children of God thru the promise of God. If we are not clothed in Christ then we stand before God naked; naked and exposed for the filthy sinners that we are. Under the mantle of Christ however we are clean, pure, and holy before the sight of God. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Besides the Gospel mantle in Christ we also put on the example and imitation of Christ in our life. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our life of sanctification as we bear our cross for Christ’s sake, following Him thru all things. Our alien righteousness in Christ Jesus is a pure act of grace thru the Gospel means of Word and Baptism, but daily we rise anew, putting on the imitation of Christ in our life as an act of praise and thanksgiving to our God above.
Paul’s words are powerful, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). We all stand before God as fallen sinners who deserve the eternal wrath of God. There is no difference between any of us in the eyes of God. There is only one difference maker: Jesus Christ. He is the only One who makes a difference between men. No matter how great or small a man may seem to the world, the only thing that really matters is whether by grace a man has been clothed with Jesus Christ. Einstein, Lincoln, Caesar, Gandhi, Luther, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Paul all stand before God in the same light as the lowliest and most obscure homeless person on the back streets of Bangladesh. Without Jesus Christ they are all lost, with Jesus Christ however they are the children God. Apart from Jesus Christ we are all nothing, but thanks be to God that thru Christ’s blood and work we have all been freely justified and clothed as the heirs of God’s promise apart from any work, merit, choice, or will of our own.
The Galatians serve as a warning and lesson to us all. We must not fall into complacency in our faith walk and we must be very aware of all the pitfalls of our old sinful flesh and depravity. By God’s grace we know our vices, our weaknesses and we must set ourselves up to defend against them with the aid of the Spirit. All men have different pet vices and weaknesses of the flesh and whether it is pride, vanity, sexual immorality, a slanderous tongue, greed, laziness, impatience, anger, drunkenness, jealousy, idolatry, or whatever, we must “head them off at the pass,” keeping ourselves away from situations where they will cause us to stumble. The temptation lies in the fact that we fall in love with our pet sins and we want to keep the Spirit away from purging us from them. But let us be warned, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 5:3-6). There is no place for our pet sins in Christ Jesus and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If we hold onto these sins that Christ died to destroy, what are we truly doing? Do we really want to make a mockery of His sacrifice? Let us pray that by the grace of God we submit to the Spirit’s work in our life, cleansing us from the vices that weigh us down.
None of us are above false beliefs, gospels, and doctrines. Just like the Galatians we are susceptible to the lies of Satan, who tries to pervert the Gospel of our Lord. Once again we must heed the Words of Scripture, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). We all are capable of falling into error and so we must be in the Word daily to guard against this. We also should rely on our fellow believer to help us point out our errors, and in the same way we should return the favor to him, letting him know when he has also strayed.
Just because we are sure of something does not mean that it is the truth. The greatest lies and deceptions are always accompanied by the avid oaths that they are the truth. Men will swear on heaven and earth that what they are holding on to is the truth, all while they are believing lies and deceits. This is how Satan gets us: he makes us proud in our reliance on our own reasoning. We rationalize our own systematic theology with the wisdom of the world and completely miss God’s truth in His Word. It is on the simple, clear, and plain Word of God that we must stand and it is on the Cross that we rely thru all things. In humility and fear we cling to what God tells us in His Word and has made known to us in the Cross tossing aside all logic systems, reasonings, rationalizations, and methods. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). In the end we know and rest on the promise that where we are unfaithful, God is faithful, and where we stray, He seeks us out. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).
“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:2).
It is very important for us to realize that our regeneration in the Holy Spirit occurs thru the Gospel and not thru the Law. It is faith that receives the Holy Spirit, not works, actions, obedience, decision, or human will. It is the simple purpose of the Gospel, as Paul points out, to bring us the free gifts of our God for the sake of Jesus Christ crucified.
It is our human reason and will that, as always, fights against the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Cross is truly foolish to natural man as he believes deep down that all great things must come through great efforts. Everything in human nature points us this false direction. Our entire society is set up as a reward system where great work brings great reward, little work brings little reward. The “unfairness” of the Gospel, the fact that no man can work for or earn it and that all has already been done on our behalf, sits very “wrong” with our human reason. Christ illustrated this perfectly in His parable about the vineyard workers who all received the same pay no matter how many hours they worked. “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matthew 20:8-15). Are we envious because God is so generous with His grace? Would we rather work hard for salvation and see the lazy perish? It is this attitude of man that fails to see how unwarranted and undeserved God’s love in Christ is towards his very self. We are still being self-righteous anytime we think it is unfair that men who have lived selfish, sin-consumed lives are converted and changed by the grace of God at the end of their lives. We think, “It’s not fair that I have given up sin and pleasure my whole life while they lived a wild and indulgent life and still received the same gift of grace that I have!” Oh what evil and wretched thoughts we have! If we find ourselves having these thoughts of the workers who worked in the heat of the day and were envious of the workers who only worked one hour then we need to truly stop and take assessment of ourselves. We will find that we ourselves have lost sight of the undeserved love that God has shown us in Christ Jesus anytime that we desire to withhold the full bounty of God’s gift from our fellow man.
Hearing about the true freeness of the Gospel offends our reason. In our nature we believe that it will only create lazy sinners who live in carnal security. This thought of ours shows how little we truly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ that transforms lives, hearts, wills, and minds. It is the free grace of God that cannot be earned, merited, or worked for that makes transforms men into the most diligent, hardest working, and obedient of all. We must come to understand that we become the followers of Christ thru hearing and not thru working. “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42). Each of us is a Martha in our human nature. We all want the world to look and see how hard and well we are working to prepare things for the Lord, when in fact all Christ wants us to do first is to be still and listen. “‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:28-29). It is thru patient listening and simple belief that the work of the Lord is accomplished. Ironically the true work of God is no work at all. Often times our pragmatic natures will get in the way of true devotion to our Lord as we try to think of the “big picture” and the “practical” way to manage things. We need to remember the story of the woman and the perfume. “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her’” (Matthew 26:6-13). Spending time in listening and waiting on the Lord may seem like a waste of time or resources to us but we must remember that this is the way we receive our faith which empowers us to live for Him in all things. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The temptation is to think that there is so much work to be done out in the world that there is no time for study, prayer, meditation, and reflection on the Word of God. This is completely false and we must point this out to ourselves daily. We too, like the woman who poured the perfume on Christ, need to be willing to be “unpractical” in our devotion to the Lord; we need to realize that He is our focus and is more important than all the petty worries of this life. This is not an excuse for us to ignore His call to service, but it is a firm reminder that we must give daily devotion and time to simply being still and waiting patiently on the Lord.
“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Galatians 3:3-6).
Many unwittingly think that the Old Testament fathers were justified thru the Law or thru their works and obedience. Scripture is very clear however stating that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. This righteousness was not Abraham’s own, or something that Abraham earned, it was credited to him freely by the grace of God. It is very important for us to realize that the faith of the New Testament is no different than the faith of the Old Testament. The faith of the Old Testament pointed to the work of Christ to come and the faith of the New Testament points to the work that Christ has done. Both are one and the same faith in that they cling to Jesus Christ, the promises of God Almighty, and have complete trust in God’s Word. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
What is faith really? According to the dictionary faith is “belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.” Notice that faith is a kind of belief and that belief can itself take many forms. I can believe in something based on logic and reason (like believing the sky is blue or that I have ten fingers or that two plus two equals four), but faith on the other hand is independent of logic and reason. Faith never rests on logical proof and it is for this reason that many go awry having “belief” but no faith. Instead of taking the Word of God for what it simply and clearly states and trusting God blindly they devise theological systems which attempt to fit within logical proofs all under the declaration banner of “God is not irrational.” Well certainly we can agree with the statement that “God is not irrational,” but that by no means says that God is rational to us. He certainly works within perfect reason, but not within the fallen reason and rationalization of man. “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (Job 9:10). “His understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28). Belief can easily rest on our reason and logic of God instead of resting on God Almighty Himself and His rationally “absurd” promises; sadly, many within Christian circles fall into this deadly trap.
We must slay our reason with faith by means of God’s all-powerful Word. If we read thru the Old Testament we will see how profoundly the men and women lived by faith despite the opposition of their logic and reason (Hebrews 11 breaks this down very well). It is amazing to think of some of the acts of faith that these men and women were called to. Who among us would trust God enough to build an enormous boat in the middle of dry land? Or who among us would believe that our 90 year old wife would give birth to a son? Then trust God to provide as He calls us to sacrifice that only son? How about trusting God despite Him taking all our property, possessions, and even children? The list goes on and on. Reading about the fathers of the Old Testament is a very rewarding because it testifies how we too must slay our reason and live solely on the Word of God. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We must be willing to accept the smallest and most insignificant seeming Word from God’s mouth over the most eloquent and sure logic and reason of our own. If God told us to pick our nose for the forgiveness of sins who are we to question Him? If God told us we were going to lay chickens for seven years who are we to doubt Him? Where God speaks we must simply listen and have faith, crucifying our reason which screams in opposition.
There are two things we should always remember about faith: 1) it is the gift of God and 2) it is imperfect and weak. The first point is important for us to realize so that we do not focus on some need to “manufacture” faith in ourselves, we need to simply cling to Jesus Christ as our righteousness and forgiveness; we hold to God’s promise that thru the Word He will bring us the gift of faith in Christ Jesus. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The second point is important so that we do not dwell on our distrust, unbelief, and doubt. These failings of ours our great reminders to look back to the Cross of Jesus Christ in all things, and we must be sure to not focus on our faith. A faith that is consumed with whether it is a “good enough” or “strong enough” faith will be focused within and no longer focused on Jesus Christ. We must not lean on some ability of our own to believe, trust, and have faith, but we look to Christ we is the creator, author, and writer of our faith. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
We must not consult our reason when we are broken-hearted with our sin. Reason can do nothing to help us even though it will try mightily; in truth, the best efforts of reason can, and will, only drive us deeper into our grave. Reason will come up with countless solutions, methods, and ways to try to comfort our soul but it will never believe Christ; it is only faith that can apprehend Jesus Christ crucified, never reason. If we attempt to create rational and logical theological systems that fit our reason we will find that our faith will in fact be resting on man’s wisdom and no longer on the power of God thru His “foolish” Word. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
Christ must become our lifeblood. It is thru faith and not reason that our utter unrighteousness is withdrawn from us and Christ’s righteousness replaces it. Even though the complete taint of sin remains in our flesh we know we are washed white before the Father because we have had a righteousness transfusion thru the blood of Jesus Christ crucified. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). It is thru the blood of Christ that we have been bought, the imperishable and perfect sacrifice of God. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Therefore, it is thru simple belief in Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins that this righteousness transfusion takes place. God the Father does not love us because we are good or perfect, but He loves us for the sake of His only Son who by His immeasurable and incalculable grace went to the Cross on our behalf. “The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:27).
“Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7-9).
God made a very clear promise to Abraham in that He promised to bless all nations thru him and his offspring. He promised to make his descendents like the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. Who then are the children of Abraham? Do we need to find a bloodline in order to see if we are the blessed descendents of God’s promise? Looking to Scripture we see that Abraham’s firstborn, Ishmael, was not the heir of the promise but that it was Isaac. So why Isaac and not Ishmael? And later, why Jacob and not Esau? “It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring” (Romans 9:8). “The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16). The promise of God was to Abraham’s children of faith, those who cling to the promise of God in Christ Jesus.
It all comes back to the promise of our God for salvation and mercy. So often this great promise of God is lost in the mix and we forget the true “roots” of our faith. It is mere moments after the fall into sin that we are pointed to Christ, pointed to the Seed of the woman who will strike the serpent and redeem us all. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). We all need to cling to this promise that was given in Jesus Christ, for it unites us in the one faith that links all children of the promise from Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to John the Baptist to Peter to Paul, etc. This is the foundational promise of God that envelopes and unites all others. Without the mercy and grace of God thru Christ Jesus we would still be the enemy of God and under His wrath towards sin.
In the letter to the Hebrews we are reminded that Jesus Christ and the promise that we hold to in Him, is unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Whether in the time of the ancient fathers of the Old Testament, the early church of the New Testament, today, or countless years from now, we know that Jesus Christ and the promised salvation that we have in Him has never changed, wavered, or faltered, and never will. We look to the Christ who was promised to Adam and Eve, to the Christ that was born in Bethlehem, and to the Christ who will come again to judge the living and dead, knowing that He is the One Messiah from God Almighty, the eternal Son of God, the chosen and anointed One of God. “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8). Let us pray that by the grace of God we daily appreciate the one faith we have been given in Christ Jesus, the faith of our forefathers, “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).
Often times we assume that we have always had the Law, however, the Law wasn’t given until generations and generations after Adam and Eve and even 430 years after Abraham. Abraham was credited righteousness because of his faith almost half a millennia before Moses was given the Law on Mount Sinai. Interestingly enough circumcision was also instituted only after the Scriptures tell us that Abraham’s belief was graciously credited to him as righteousness. These are important facts for us to recognize, for we must see that it is faith in God’s promise of Jesus Christ that justifies us apart from any external work. This promise of salvation thru Jesus Christ was given to Adam and Eve immediately after the fall into sin and was given long before circumcision and the Law.
It is thru Abraham’s line that the promised Gospel would come. The promise of the Messiah, of the Good News of God’s mercy and grace, is how all nations would be blessed thru Abraham. Imagine how confusing God’s words must have been to Abraham when God told him that all nations would be blessed thru him. Imagine if God said that to you today; would we not wonder how it is possible that all nations would be blessed thru us? It is only the free grace in Jesus Christ that is capable of blessing all nations. Even those who were not of the line of Abraham would be blessed thru Abraham because of God’s plan in Christ Jesus our Lord. “[Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:20-25).
It is easy to fall into the trap of making Christ “the example we must follow” and losing the true reality of His work. Any man can concede that Christ was a great teacher and the ultimate example of love that all men should imitate, but this recognition ultimately means nothing. Christ didn’t come to show us the way to salvation; He came to pick us up, put us on His back, and carry us Home to our Father in Heaven. He didn’t come to show us how things should be done ourselves; He actually came to seek and to save what was lost. Luther’s words must not be lost on us; we need to hear what he is saying: “We need Christ Himself, not His example, to save us.” To only esteem Christ’s example is to remain in self-righteousness, to remain in our own will which attempts to work and earn our salvation by “following the example set before us.” Didn’t the Pharisees pridefully follow the example of the Law to their ultimate demise? Herman Sasse said this, “If Christ was born in your heart a thousand times over but not in Bethlehem, you would be eternally lost.” This statement is not meant to undermine the awesome fact that Christ lives in our hearts by grace, thru faith, but it is meant to iterate the importance of Jesus Christ Himself and the importance of His objective redeeming work that He did on this earth. It is not faith that Christ’s example has “made me a better person” and led me to be “transformed” that saves us; it is faith that Jesus Christ physically came down from Heaven and paid the full ransom and atonement for my sins on the Cross. Christianity at its core is not an internal experience of the heart, it is the objective work of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins. If our faith is about an experience of the heart then we are lost and are to be pitied more than all men. No matter how great our heart experience is it is absolutely nothing and is completely futile apart from the actual suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 14, 17). Faith itself is worthless and meaningless; it is what our faith is IN that is important. Simply believing we are forgiven is not enough, it is believing that we are forgiven thru the work and merit of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, crucified and resurrected for us. Apart from the reality of Jesus Christ, full God and full man, sacrificing Himself on our behalf 2000 years ago, everything is empty and hollow.
“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:10-13).
Christ was personally sinless and completely innocent. It is by a pure act of grace that He humbled Himself and bore the sin of us all; He took upon Himself the death sentence that should have been ours. Where He Himself was blameless, He willingly became a wretched and condemned sinner for our sakes.
Many people dislike the language that the Bible uses; they can’t stand to hear the inspired words of the Holy Spirit that declare that Christ became a curse for us and was also made to be sin for us. It is these very words, that we find to be almost blasphemous, which are in fact of the greatest comfort. In the light of the Law of God we know that we are under the curse of sin. It is only if Christ takes this curse upon Himself and becomes sin on our behalf that we can be saved. Our sin must be punished and vanquished, so if Christ does not carry all of our sin then we lost and condemned before the wrath of Almighty God. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If the Cross is not where all of our sin was punished then we are hopeless. So often the true Gospel is lost and we fail to see the objective nature of Christ’s sacrifice. Christ does not die for our sins “when we believe” or when we “make some decision for Jesus.” Christ died for our sins before we were born, He sacrificed Himself and paid for our sins once and for all. “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Hebrews 7:27). Every person in the entire world has had their sins paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no difference. “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). It is simple faith and belief in this sacrifice which receives this immeasurable and unfathomable gift. Because Jesus Christ has paid for our sins we are no longer under the wrath of our sins and it is only unbelief that condemns us. Unbelief is not something we “do,” it is simply the rejection of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, a lack of faith and obstinate unbelief in the promises of God. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Because Christ has paid for our sins the only condemnation is in unbelief which rejects the merit and work of Christ on our behalf. No man’s sin is against him in Jesus Christ, for on the Cross the wrath of God was propitiated. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). Let us pray that we daily appreciate that our sin has been paid for apart from any doing of our own and that no sin of ours stands against us because of what Christ has done. Like the prophet declared, “The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
“The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come” (Galatians 3:17-19).
As Paul exhorts the Galatians he realizes that they have become confused as to the purpose of the Law. He recognizes that they are struggling with understanding the place of Law in their lives, as they knew full well it was handed down from God Himself on Mt. Sinai. We too often become confused about the role of the Law in our lives and fall into the same trap of the Galatians as we look to the Law and ourselves for justification before God. Just because the Law is from God Himself does not mean that it justifies man before God.
Our human reason assumes that obedience to the Law is what justifies us; it assumes that our external following of God’s demands makes us righteous. Our reason also believes that if the Law does not justify us then it is worthless and empty. What kind of rationale is this? As Luther so wisely points out, something can be very excellent and useful despite not justifying us before God. Do we really believe that just because the Law cannot save us that it is useless to us? Of course not! God gave us the Law, and it is indeed good and holy, but it also was not given to save, redeem, or justify us. If we claim that the Law can save us then we not only lose the true use of the Law, but we also destroy the Gospel in the process. Paul’s entire struggle is over the fact that these false prophets, who had corrupted the Galatians, had confounded and muddled both the Law and the Gospel, effectively losing and destroying both. As Paul had proclaimed earlier, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21).
It is essential for us to recognize the real danger of confounding Law and Gospel because it is instinctual and natural for us to cling to the works and deeds of our own for righteousness. This danger is especially real because no man can naturally recognize this self-righteousness for the sin that it is, and often times it is praised and esteemed even within the walls of Christendom. The devil’s favorite trick is making “Christians” who are “great people” that cling to their own righteousness and not to the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is by working within the walls of “Christianity” that Satan does the most damage in the world. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Let us pray that our eyes are daily opened to the dangers of confusing the purposes of Law and Gospel so that we do not fall into the traps of the devil. “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (Romans 3:28).
The first purpose of the Law is to keep some semblance of civil order in this world, to keep the exploits of the devil and evil man in check. Without the Law the whole world would be in unbridled chaos, following the every selfish desire of their hearts. It is the first purpose of the Law therefore to keep this completely sinful and fallen world within a certain level of restraint. “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). The wickedness of man is overwhelming with every thought of his heart being only evil all the time. This is a very strong statement regarding the complete depravity of man and it illustrates the need for God to institute the Law in the world with the purpose of keeping man in check.
The most important purpose of the Law is to make us conscious of our sin. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:19-20). Without the Law we do not realize our utter depravity and helplessness apart from Jesus Christ; we do not see that every inclination of our hearts is only evil all the time until the Law brings this to light. The Law must be used to break us of our self-righteousness and show us the true condition of our heart, preparing us to receive God’s free forgiveness.
We do not destroy the Law by the Gospel, but we uphold it. “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31). We uphold it in the fact that we proclaim the Law in order to break our spirits and drive ourselves to Jesus Christ, subsequently living a life by the grace of the Gospel that loves God and our neighbor in all things. Christ Himself proclaimed the Law very harshly so that He would bring His listeners to repentance; bring them broken to His forgiveness on the Cross. He did not destroy the Law, but fulfilled it on our helpless behalf. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
When we proclaim the Gospel to men who do not see their sinfulness then we are tossing pearls before swine. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6). In order to prevent this we must first break the spirit of self-righteousness in men by the hammer of the Law. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). It is this purpose of the Law that makes it important for us to uphold the Law before the eyes of men. Paul, however, tells us that the Law is good and necessary up until the Gospel promise comes into our life. Once the Law has prepared our hearts for the Gospel, and the promise of Christ Jesus has then come into our life, the Law no longer holds sway. The Law needs to drive us into the arms of Jesus, but once we are there it no longer has any rule over us. The Christian certainly still uses the Law to keep his flesh in check, but spiritually the Christian is dead to the Law. “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19). It is a grave mistake if we cling to the Law after it has broken our spirit instead of clinging to the Gospel promises. We must be willing to let the Law serve its purposes of restraining our flesh, showing us our sin, and pointing out God’s will, but we must make it subservient to the Gospel in our life. As with all gifts from God, the Law’s ultimate purpose is to point us to Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins.
“The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:19-24).
As Christians there is a war within us. Our regenerated spirits are constantly bombarded and hindered by our carnal flesh. “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7:21-23). No Christian is free from this battle that rages inside of us and it is important for us to be aware of it. If we are not aware of our enemy then we will have no way to combat him.
There is a time for Law and a time for Gospel in the life of the Christian. Even though we have died to the Law there are still important uses and purposes for the Law in our life. Our faith walk will have many ups and downs in life and the Law will serve to keep our flesh in check and our spirits humble before our Lord. Looking at the famous passage in Ecclesiastes, which talks about a time for every activity under heaven, we will see that there are distinct times for both Law and Gospel in our life. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born [Gospel] and a time to die [Law], a time to plant [Gospel] and a time to uproot [Law], a time to kill [Law] and a time to heal [Gospel], a time to tear down [Law] and a time to build [Gospel], a time to weep [Law] and a time to laugh [Gospel], a time to mourn [Law] and a time to dance [Gospel]” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4). Thru the Law we die, cry, mourn, and are uprooted, killed, and torn down; thru the Gospel we laugh, dance, and are born again, planted, healed, and built up. The Gospel side is easy for us to see, but often times we forget the need for the elements of the Law in our life even as the forgiven children of God thru Christ Jesus our Lord. Even the strongest and most faithful Christian needs to be humbled by God in order to be kept from falling into pride. “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Just like Paul we too will find that God will use the Law and certain “thorns in the flesh” to keep us weak, broken, and humble before Him. This is no reason to despair, but is in fact reason to rejoice even more surely in the power of Christ’s forgiveness in our life. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Looking at the different aspects of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, we may think that they are complete polar extremes. They certainly are opposites in essence, but in the reality of the hearts of us men (who are simultaneously saint and sinner!) these two poles are very close. At no point in this life as Christians are we on just one end of these two opposites, but we in fact live amidst both daily. Even in the strongest moments of faith and in the midst of our spiritual highs, our flesh must continue to be mortified by the Law; and even in our weakest and darkest moments in the valley of the shadow of death and despair the pure grace of Jesus Christ continues to shine thru triumphantly. Let us pray that we realize the daily purposes of both Law and Gospel, while clinging first and last to the grace of Jesus Christ, given into death for the forgiveness of our sins. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 16-18).
“The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:19-24).
These three abuses of the Law are everywhere within Christian culture. The first two abuses (thinking the Law justifies us or that the Law doesn’t apply to us at all) are by far the ones we think of first. However, the last abuse, that misunderstands the ultimate purpose of the Law, is the one that is the most common and also the least recognized of all. Paul’s words are lost on so many people, “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). If we fail to see that the Law is meant to push us and point us to Jesus Christ crucified then we do not truly understand the Law one bit.
The Law is like a schoolmaster in that it firmly and sternly disciplines us so that we are always pointed towards the Truth, towards Jesus Christ. The Law is not harsh with us for no reason, but does it for our own good. “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11). Without the discipline of the Law we will be blindly stuck in our sin, never seeing our helplessness or our salvation in Christ Jesus.
Our natural response to the Law is to feel bad for failing and transgressing against it and then to turn around and try harder to keep its commandments. This natural reaction is futile as we will continue to fail over and over to no avail. It is only when our stubborn eyes have been opened to the fact that the Law is showing us our inability and complete helplessness before God that we will come to understand that the Law doesn’t want us to “try harder next time” but instead wants us to despair of all ability of our own, turning to Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross for all merit and righteousness. Until we recognize that the Law is pointing us to faith in Jesus Christ crucified we will be stuck in the endless cycle of the Law; trying to keep the Law, then failing, over and over again. Many think repentance is “saying I am sorry” and then trying to do better next time; however, this is not repentance at all, as true repentance lies in turning away from the Law, our self, and our own obedience for righteousness and towards the grace of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that the Law daily points us away from ourselves and always to Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
Through faith in Christ Jesus we are all the sons of God; we have been brought into the family of God. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Because we are God’s children through Jesus Christ we become heirs of His blessings; we are not illegitimate children of God, but we are His adopted heirs thru His eternal promise. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:3-5). The importance of the fact that we have been adopted cannot be overstated. When we were lost orphans in the world, God adopted us as His true sons thru Jesus Christ so that we might be His heirs. Adopted children do not choose their parents, but are instead compassionately chosen to become the children of their adoptive parents thru a simple act of grace. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:16-17).
We are clothed in Christ thru the Gospel, thru Baptism, which is received by faith. This clothing in Christ assures us of our adoption as children of God thru the promise of God. If we are not clothed in Christ then we stand before God naked; naked and exposed for the filthy sinners that we are. Under the mantle of Christ however we are clean, pure, and holy before the sight of God. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Besides the Gospel mantle in Christ we also put on the example and imitation of Christ in our life. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our life of sanctification as we bear our cross for Christ’s sake, following Him thru all things. Our alien righteousness in Christ Jesus is a pure act of grace thru the Gospel means of Word and Baptism, but daily we rise anew, putting on the imitation of Christ in our life as an act of praise and thanksgiving to our God above.
Paul’s words are powerful, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). We all stand before God as fallen sinners who deserve the eternal wrath of God. There is no difference between any of us in the eyes of God. There is only one difference maker: Jesus Christ. He is the only One who makes a difference between men. No matter how great or small a man may seem to the world, the only thing that really matters is whether by grace a man has been clothed with Jesus Christ. Einstein, Lincoln, Caesar, Gandhi, Luther, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Paul all stand before God in the same light as the lowliest and most obscure homeless person on the back streets of Bangladesh. Without Jesus Christ they are all lost, with Jesus Christ however they are the children God. Apart from Jesus Christ we are all nothing, but thanks be to God that thru Christ’s blood and work we have all been freely justified and clothed as the heirs of God’s promise apart from any work, merit, choice, or will of our own.
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