September 27, 2022

Passage Read: Galatians 5-6
Meditation Verses: 5:2-4

Thought

Paul is making this a very big deal! It is either Christ alone or nothing! But keeping the Law provides a measure of security and comfort--except that no one can keep the Law perfectly, so in that sense, the Law is useless. Still, it is attractive to have a back up plan, so that if Christ is not enough, then God might still accept you for your effort to keep the Law. Paul is forcing a choice, either Christ or the Law. We can't have both. And trusting in Christ means refusing anything the Law might offer as security for salvation. Which begs the question: Can Christ really save? Is it enough to believe in Him, that that alone would save us?

Application

If faith in Christ alone is not able to save, then we have no hope at all. No one is able to be saved by the Law, because no one can keep it perfectly, so what legalists are hoping in is faith in God to save because of our effort, not our perfection. They are hoping that the Lord grades on a sliding scale. They're not even trusting in the Law, but in God not requiring perfection, and no where has He offered that. They think that keeping certain parts of the Law is more important than keeping all of it, that certain parts are absolutely required, but other parts only need an effort, not completion. They do violence to the Law and the Lord by their thinking. Is Christ enough? Then I need to trust in Him alone for my salvation. Any obedience and spiritual maturity doesn't affect my salvation, because my salvation never rested on my obedience.