Thursday, February 07, 2013

Galatians 3:11-13


11 Now it is evident that no person is justified (declared righteous and brought into right standing with God) through the Law, for the Scripture says, The man in right standing with God [the just, the righteous] shall live by and out of faith and he who through and by faith is declared righteous and in right standing with God shall live.

No person is brought into right standing with our Father by observing a day, by not building an idol, by obeying parents, by not lying or coveting, by not wearing certain clothing, by not eating certain foods, or drinking certain drinks. These things all sound religious I know, they sound very religious, but they are not what makes us right with our Father, only Jesus makes us right with God. To look towards yourself to do any work to gain favor with our Father slaps Jesus right in the face. It does because it takes what Jesus did for us and say that it wasn’t enough. The Cross isn’t the beginning point of our salvation, it is where it was finished for us, John 19:30. 

12 But the Law does not rest on faith [does not require faith, has nothing to do with faith], for it itself says, He who does them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [not by faith].

Those who place their trust in works, religious laws, or the Ten Commandments do not have faith. Faith tells us that it is all undeserved grace that saves us and keeps us. It is only when the Holy Spirit reveals this wonderful Truth that we will actually stop doing the things that we do not want to. As long as we believe that we must on our own do things, we will fail.  

13 Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);

Jesus purchased our freedom completely. Jesus did not buy our right to keep the Law or to keep works. Jesus bought our freedom from sickness, from lack, from evil, from wicked people, from satan, from misery, from fear, from eternal separation, and from hopelessness, Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Jesus purchased our right to be used by Him to show the world that He is real and alive and that He loves them, John 17:19-22. 

The Truth teaches us that all things work out for our good, this is what Jesus purchased for us.

We are assured and know that [ God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28

Think of the glory of what Romans 8:28 actually means for us? It means that even if we screw up, Jesus purchased our freedom to know that it will still work out for our good! How awesome is that? This clearly shows us that our eternal unity with our Father is not by works, it is by Grace. Our Father shows us that works are the responsibility of Jesus to do through us. Jesus is our Head, He is our Vine, and He is our Shepherd. He owns us and if we are doing things right, it is only because He is doing them right through us. If we are not, then it doesn’t matter for one second, because if it did, then all things would not work out for our good and Romans 8 would be a lie. If we are not doing things right it only means that Jesus has not caused us to do them yet. It doesn’t mean that we are separated from Him or that He stopped being our Lord, it only means that He hasn’t used us in that way yet. This is why we can so boldly say that there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ, Romans 8:1.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6

The Holy Spirit will cause us to be convinced with the Truth that will set us free. 

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