Ruled or Released?

Some mornings I wake up carrying the heavy load of knowing what God wants from His people, wants from me, and knowing how far short we fall. I related to Paul’s words to the church in Galatia. They were believers, but instead of living by faith they had fallen back into living by law or rules.

These days we call it legalism. One pastor jokes, “I don’t smoke, and I don’t chew, and I don’t run with girls that do.” Joking aside, many are turned off by any so-called rules for being a Christian.

Paul’s first concern is the distortion of the gospel. Turning life in Christ into a system of rules is not only going backwards into old thinking, it is sinful.

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:15–21)

The words are blunt and the contrast is sharply defined. Those who fall into legalism or a list of rules are foolish. They saw Jesus die. They suffered for their faith. Was living by rules going to make things easier?

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:1–6)

No doubt these words caught their attention. Then he switches to a logical appeal:

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:21–29)

My load slips off as God makes it His load and not mine. Those who burden me with rules and laws for life are the ones who are burdened. I am free in Christ. I am His child, and the things that bother me now will vanish in the glory that is to come:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:14–18)

PRAY: Jesus, lead me through this day in the freedom I have in You. Amen.

Faith says yes to God

 

When Jesus said people must become as little children to enter the kingdom of God, He meant the child who says, “I’m too little to do that” not that child who says, “Let me do it by myself.”

Faith is like that first child, but more. It is also “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” (Hebrews 11:1–2) These ‘people of old’ did not know what God was going to do, but trusted Him to do right, even when they could not see Him or His plan.

Hebrews 11 points to how OT believers demonstrated faith. It reminds readers that without faith, we cannot please God. Those first readers included first-century Hebrew people who had abandoned true faith in God for a legalistic system of works-righteousness. They had forgotten the importance of faith. This message still applies because faith in Christ often slides into faith in human efforts and becomes a religion of rules called legalism.

This does not mean that people of faith can abandon doing what God asks. This is because faith changes lives. Because I genuinely believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, my life shows it. The writer of Hebrews affirms this:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

This means righteous works are the by-product of true salvation, not its means. This is plainly stated in many places such as:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

While many Christians think that the OT teaches otherwise, we need to realize that OT laws were written to show the people of God how to live in faith, just as the NT tells us what the life of faith looks like. No one is ever saved by their own efforts. These verses show the contrast:  

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— (Philippians 3:8–9)

Again, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” (Hebrews 11:1–2) This commendation was for believing the unseen God with that faith that ‘just knows’ what God says is right and true. It isn’t about being perfect in godly living, but godly living is evidence that He is in the life of those who truly believe.

PRAY: Jesus, faith is a gift. I remember the day You came into my living room and into my life. Suddenly, I believed — all that You are and had confidence that You were for me, not against me. I read a verse of Scripture and it just happened — You were there, and You have never forsaken me. Such a wonder that You should grant faith to those who so badly need You. My prayers continue for those who struggle to please You by their own efforts. May they realize that the way to Your heart is by faith, by ceasing their own efforts and instead believing You and what You say.

PONDER: How does the definition of faith apply to the challenges of today? Of this week? What do I hope for and what am I trusting God for? What self-effort do I need to confess?

 

 

Grace means no self-help needed

Every now and then I need to read the book of Galatians. It was written to a group of Christians who had allowed that deep desire to prove themselves become a basis for the Gospel. God says we are saved by grace through faith, not through good deeds, law-keeping, or anything else we can do, but they had “fallen” from that. Their problem? They thought they had to maintain their standing before God by keeping God’s law. Of course, His laws are good, but their motivation was wrong. They were putting their faith in themselves, not the power of their Savior.

Paul wrote to the Galatians, first giving his own testimony: “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.”

His point was that God taught him, not anyone else. The Galatians needed to go back to the same source of truth, to the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures. They were confused by false teachers who insisted they must be circumcised and keep other laws lest the lose their salvation. Paul told them:

“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery — to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

He heard the same false teaching but didn’t fall for it. His next words explained that the apostles agreed with his stand against the false teachers; those who were not Jews did not need to keep OT laws. If they wanted to prove that they were saved, it should be seen in their love for others, particularly the poor:

“And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised . . . . and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 1:15–2:10)

I understand what motivated those self-appointed teachers who perverted the gospel by preaching that faith in Christ is not sufficient; you must also keep the law of Moses. This idea of needing to add our efforts to Christ’s finished work permeates human hearts. Even today, entire denominations teach salvation by faith BUT if a person fails to keep God’s commandments, they are not saved. This legalism runs rampant even without false teachers. Human pride wants to establish our own righteousness by our own doing, even when we know better.

As the devotional writer says, the issue is not godliness or ungodliness, or what the believer does, or how the believer lives. The issue is the motive and attitude of the heart. Legalists are motivated by fear not love. They start looking at their performance and measuring their faith by it instead of by the saving work of Jesus. Legalists hope to honor God and be rewarded for doing their duty. Their spiritual disciplines are motivated by either fear of punishment or promise of reward, with both pride and shame in the mix. This vain effort is so ingrained that even the most godly believers can fall into its trap.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You know my heart. Sometimes I slide away from the freedom of being loved by You into a sense of ‘I must do something.’ You call me to walk by faith in the same way that I received You. That is, I just keep admitting my sin and inability to save myself and keep trusting You for every detail, every ability, every obedience, even every breath that I take. Thank You for Galatians, and for reminding me and forgiving me every time my pride rears its ugly head and presses me to live by rules instead of by grace.