week of 10/12/11 2nd recorded HighQuest Galatians 3:10-14

The passage I read was Galatians 3:10-14

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203:10-14&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”

As I reflect:

Although I chose verse 11 as my “stood out to me” verse for the more obvious reasons, verse 12 also stands out to me. Verse 12 states the quote, “The person who does these things will live by them”. Though Paul is referring to living by the law and dying by the law (being dead in our sin), this passage reminds me of “live by the sword, die by the sword” and stands out to me as a message with even more impact than these famous words from our Lord. Similar in results, living by the law (not to be confused with doing our best to follow it) will lead to our ultimate death. It is a curse to try our hand at this for the wrong reasons. Following the law because we think it makes us holy or worthy of eternity with God in any way will lead us into worked based salvation, which we know is no salvation at all. This is especially true when we consider who impossible it is for us to maintain following every part of the law of God. Failure and thus eternal separation would be eminent. Paul doesn’t just point out the failing view that some of his recipients lived by, but he also offers us the alternative preferred perception, “the just shall live by faith.” It’s important that Paul shares this quote from Habakkuk 2:4 with them and with us. It serves as a reminder when we start getting caught up in the performance meter that Christianity can become that performance is in fact different than faith living. Though in our walks we are to strive and run as if to win this race, “the just shall live by faith” reminds us that our run doesn’t merit our salvation. This quote not only reminds us not to become caught up in a worked based salvation mentality, but it also serves as an encouragement when we can’t see that is to come or when we may wonder what the unseen work is that God is doing in us at that moment. This is a phrase that I believe would benefit us all to mention several times a day as a reminder to ourselves of how we ought to live. Without this faith; if we had the ability to live blamelessly by the law, then Christ’s redeeming work on the cross would have been in vain. It was this work on the cross that redeemed us allowing us to receive the blessing of Abraham – this promise of the Spirit through faith.

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I thank you for redeeming me by your Son’s actions on the cross. I thank you that I don’t have to live in the curse of knowing that if at any given time I fail at even just one commandment I am doomed for all eternity. I am thankful for that grace you have extended that I be removed from that cursed law of sin and death and granted your blessed Holy Spirit to walk with and guide me here. Help me to live in a just manner, doing your will. In Jesus’ name.