Category Archives: Salvation

Bible, Foundation, Learning, Maturity, Salvation, Scripture

THE A, B, C’S

GALATIANS 4:3

“So we too, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elementary principles of the world.”

When I was in college I took Hebrew, Greek, Syriac and Aramaic. I love languages. I am learning Swahili right now. Each of these languages have basic fundamental principles. The above mentioned languages (except Swahili) all had their own alphabet different from the English, so I had to learn that basic foundation before I could begin to learn the language. There are some basic principles to learning.

Paul uses a phrase in today’s verse, “the elementary principles of the world,” that is much debated among the scholars. I like Myer’s New Testament Commentary which says this about this phrase. “The στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου are the elements of non-Christian humanity (κόσμος; see 1 Corinthians 6:2;  1 Corinthians 11:32, et al.), that is, the elementary things, the immature beginnings of religion, which occupy the minds of those who are still without the pale of Christianity.” Let’s talk about that.

APPLICATION

Religion is a good thing until it’s not. Religion can teach you to be moral and good, but not lead you to a saving knowledge of Christ. There are going to be a lot of morally good people in hell. The world loves religion – just not Jesus. The world’s religions want you to feel loved and accepted, but they won’t condemn your sin. Romans 12:2 says it well, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

It is not a matter of how “religious” you are. It’s about being filled with the Spirit and allowing that Spirit to control your eyes, tongue, actions, etc. In Acts 13:52 it says, “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is the best teacher. He will grow you up beyond just the a, b, c’s of religion. He will show you what true faith is about.

I have been a believer for almost 47 years now. I have so much still to learn about submission to the Spirit and Spirit-filled living. But I want to learn. I want to grow into the perfect image of my Savior. I know that won’t happen until I reach Glory, but I will strive each day to learn more and grow more.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me a firm foundation. Help me grow to be more like You.

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Age, Babies, Bible, God's Will, Maturity, Promises, Salvation, Scripture

STILL BABIES

GALATIANS 4:1

“Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything,” 

We have all probably heard of a story or two of some young child or infant who inherited a fortune from their parents. Although this child had all this wealth, he was far too young to know how to handle it. So, a guardian was placed in their lives to control the estate up until the time the child reached an age where they could make their own financial decisions.

Paul continues his thought from chapter 3 into chapter 4 (remember, there were no chapters and verses in the original letter he wrote). And in 4:1, Paul uses the analogy of a child heir. The word “child” used here is really an infant. Paul says he has no more control of his inheritance than the slaves who work for him. He is powerless even to make his own decision. But Paul is preparing to show that real freedom, real power comes through knowing Jesus.

APPLICATION

Think back to when you first came to Christ. Before you were saved, you were a slave to sin. You could not escape its snares and traps. Try as you might, you could not affect your spiritual future. Nothing you did was going to gain your salvation. You thought you were in control of your life, but you weren’t.

Let me carry this “baby” analogy a step further. When you came to Christ, you were freed from those bonds. Now what? You were free but totally uninformed on how to live. You were like a baby taking its first steps – a little unsteady. You were looking for anything to hold on to as you started walking in Christ.

I love how Peter says it in 1 Peter 2:2. “and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,” That is the only thing that will give us the strength and knowledge we need to grow into adults spiritually – the Word. Are you going to it daily to get that “pure milk” it offers? Go to it today.

O Father, I know I will not reach full maturity in Christ until I see You face to face, but I long to grow more each day.

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Bible, Forgiveness, Gifts, Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Scripture, Secrets

HE HAS GRANTED

GALATIANS 3:18

“For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”

Getting something you don’t deserve is nice. It’s especially nice if you receive it in spite of something you may have done. Grace gifts are given that way. Have you ever received a gift like that? I sure have. My wife has forgiven me more times than I can count when I know I didn’t deserve it. She’s that kind of person. How can she do that? It’s only because she knows how much she’s been forgiven.

In today’s verse, Paul makes a statement that needs to be looked at. He says, “God has granted.” That Greek word for “has granted” is “used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness. It is used of God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done and therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness.” (HELPS Word Studies)

APPLICATION

Why did I use such a long quote above? I wanted you to see the full definition of this word. We have been granted our righteousness through Jesus in the same way. It is given to us not based on anything we have done. In fact, we don’t deserve it. We deserve hell. But God saw fit to send His one and only Son to die for us. John 3:16 tells us that.

In 2 Corinthians 9:8 Paul says this, “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” Don’t you like that? His grace overflows to us. How about Ephesians 4:7? “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The gift of grace has nothing to do with us and all to do with Him.

Here’s a practical application of this verse. Will you extend grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it? Perhaps they have offended you – give grace. Maybe they have lied about you – give grace. They may have tried to intentionally hurt you – give grace. That is exactly what God does for us. Shouldn’t we imitate Him? I didn’t say it would be easy, but it would be the “grace filled” thing to do.

Father God, give me the grace I need to extend grace to others.  

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Decisions, Faith, Following, God's Will, Grace, Justified, Obedience, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

GALATIANS 3:11

“Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’”

In March of 1969, a song was released by Frank Sinatra that gained worldwide popularity. “My Way” was an instant success. That song is still sung around the world. You should google the lyrics to that song and read them. Wow! It epitomizes self. Its premise is all that matters is that you do it your way.

In today’s verse, Paul emphatically states what he has been saying in this whole letter. Man is not justified by what he does for himself, by his works, by following the Law. He may feel better about himself, but that doesn’t matter in God’s eyes. God is concerned with faith, with confession of sin, not in how many works a person does or how good he feels about himself. There is no other way to the Father except faith in His Son, Jesus.

APPLICATION

The quote in today’s verse comes from Habakkuk 2:4. This is God talking to Habakkuk. “‘Behold, as for the impudent one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous one will live by his faith.’” Now, if God says it, that settles it. He says through faith we find righteousness. We know that only the righteousness of Christ can make us righteous, not what we do.

Paul uses this same quote in Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’” Paul must have liked that verse in Habakkuk to use it in two letters. Better yet, he believed it to be true. Do you? Do you believe it is not up to you? Do you believe your righteousness has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Jesus?

An old hymn just popped into my head. Don’t you love it when that happens?  “Faith is the Victory” is a great hymn that describes our reliance on faith in our daily battles. The chorus simply says this:

Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.

Go out today and be faithful. Place all your trust in Him and Him alone.

Father, I give You praise for the faith You have birthed within me.

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Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

FATHER ABRAHAM

GALATIANS 3:7

“Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

Do you remember the childhood song, Father Abraham? The lyrics were:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord.
Right arm!

You would progressively add the left arm, right foot, left foot, nod your head, turn around and sit down as you did these motions. It’s a fun song to sing with small children. But we often miss what it is teaching us.

In today’s verse, Paul is teaching us this very truth. We, the faithful, those who have placed their faith in Jesus alone are considered to be children of Abraham, the faithful father. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, our righteousness comes solely through our faith in Jesus, not in any works we may do. It is faith alone in Christ alone. Period! Exclamation mark!

APPLICATION

So, what is faith? I was discussing this recently with a friend. He shared how he had this very conversation with his physical therapists. He explained to her that the Greek word for faith, pistis, means to be persuaded by something. We have all experienced that in some way or another. I have been persuaded to get on airplanes and have faith that the mechanic has checked it out completely. Some call that blind faith. Maybe it is.

1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is why we can have faith in God – because He is faithful to do what He says He will do. So, it’s not blind faith. He has proven Himself over and over and over. All through Scripture we see His faithfulness. In our lives we have experienced it.

Today, share your faith to someone else. Tell them what God has done in and through your life. Tell them all about your journey with the faithful One. It’s one thing to preach the Gospel. It’s another thing to share life experiences that they can relate to. Be transparent and let God use you to bring others to faith in Jesus.

O Lord, find me faithful as You are. You have proven Yourself over and over to me.

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Bible, Gifts, God's Will, Promises, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

TAKING INVENTORY

GALATIANS 3:6

“Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

While I was in seminary, I worked for The Gap selling clothes during the Christmas season. Since I worked at the end of their fiscal year, I was also tasked with taking inventory. This required us to count every piece of clothing and apparel in the store. They needed an accurate count to measure how much the stuff in the store was worth. This information was passed on to the corporate office for tax purposes. Our “reckoning” of the numbers was important.

I prefer God’s count. Paul shares a verse from Genesis in today’s verse. It comes from Genesis 15:6, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” The point Paul is trying to make is that Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish nation, was not saved through any work or deed. He was made righteous through faith, long before circumcision, long before the Law. God “took inventory” of Abraham’s faith and counted it as righteousness.

APPLICATION

What are you “counting” right now to prove your righteousness? You had might as well stop. In Romans 4:13, Paul says this, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.” The same applies to us. There is nothing we can ever do to earn the righteousness of God. It is a gift through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

And aren’t you glad it’s a gift? Don’t you love gifts? You do nothing to deserve them. Think about it. What do you do to “earn” a birthday present? Nothing, except keep having them, lol. Because someone loves you, they gave you a gift. The same is true about our righteousness in Christ. Because He loved you, He gives you His righteousness as a gift. You just have to accept it.

Sadly, some people refuse that gift. They think it sounds too simple. They don’t think they need it. For whatever reason, they refuse to accept this free gift of grace which makes us righteous. My faith in Jesus is “counted.” The inventory is taken. I am found righteous, not because of anything I have done but only because of Him. Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I give You all praise for giving me this gift of righteousness.

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Bible, Miracles, Power, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MIRACLE?

GALATIANS 3:5

“So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

The closest thing I have seen to a miracle was the birth of my two children. If you have never experienced that, it is truly amazing. How can a living being come from within another living being? How can that little being start breathing air for the first time? How does that little baby know to begin to breastfeed from their mother? It is truly a miracle that happens thousands of times every day.

In today’s verse, Paul continues to ask questions. This time he asked them whether God, Who gave them the Spirit and works miracles among them, did this by the Law or through faith. We know the answer is through faith, right? But what kind of miracles did God work among them? Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers says this. “The Greek means not so much ‘causes miracles to be wrought in your midst’ as ‘implants in you miraculous powers.’ The power to work miracles is regarded as a special faculty bestowed by God upon individual Christians.” 

APPLICATION

While we do not know what specific miracles Paul was referring to, we can make an educated guess based on the evidence throughout the New Testament. We know that Jesus performed miracles to draw the unbelievers unto Himself. I love John’s last verse which says, “21:25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”

God is still performing miracles today. He is working in and through believers to do these. Unfortunately, many of us in the Western world are too busy trying to explain away these miracles. However, in other parts of the world, we hear of miracles of healings and even the dead being raised. Visions are happening all over the Muslim world. Why? To draw unbelievers to Jesus.

So, every time you share the Gospel with someone, you are being used to deliver the miraculous saving power of Jesus. The Greek word for “miracles” is dynamis, which according to HELPS Word-studies means, “for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord’s inherent abilities.” We are simply the Lord’s tools to perform His miracles, if we are willing to be used. Are you?

Lord, use me to perform whatever You want to do. 

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Bible, Blessing, Perfection, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Salvation, Scripture

PERFECTED

GALATIANS 3:3

“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

I have never met a perfect person. No one can claim that status. Well, there is one – Jesus, but I am talking about us regular, old ordinary, run-of-the-mill people. I have seen a baseball pitcher pitch a perfect game. I have seen golfers play a perfect round of golf (by that I mean playing at or under par). But I have never seen a perfect human being who has never made a mistake.

Paul continues in today’s verse with his questions. After calling them foolish again (do you think that got their attention?), he asks them if they think they can perfect themselves through the Law. That’s what he means by “are you now being perfected by the flesh.” Paul knew, all too well, that there was no way to keep all the Law. If you failed at even one law, you were guilty of failing them all. One step forward, two steps back.

APPLICATION

So, what can we do? Do we just give up and say Well, I gave it my best shot! No, goodness no. We have a way of escape. We have a path to perfection. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “‘Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’” What?! Perfect?! That’s what He said. So, how is that supposed to happen.

Hebrews 10:14 gives us a wonderful promise. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” You see, we can do nothing to be perfected. But Jesus, through His sacrifice, has already perfected us. Isn’t that incredible? There is never any reason for us to beat ourselves up and say we are failures. No! If we are in Christ, He has perfected us.

I joke a lot about being perfect, but I know I am far from it. I fail miserably every day. My flesh is wicked and corrupt. Now, before you start pointing your finger at me, take a look at your own self. We are all guilty of sin. Praise the Lord that He has taken all that upon Himself and has made us perfect in His eyes.

Words will never say enough to thank You, Lord, for the sacrifice which gave me perfection.

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Abiding, Atonement, Bible, Blessing, Law, Needless, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

NEEDLESS

GALATIANS 2:21

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Have you ever done something for someone that was a waste of time? Perhaps you prepared a wonderful dinner for them, only to have them never show up to enjoy it. Maybe you worked and saved for that special gift and then they never got it. It is a hollow feeling. All your effort, all your work was in vain. It meant nothing to them. That can be painful.

Paul concludes his rebuke of Peter, Barnabas and the other Jewish believers with this final sentence of chapter two. He proclaims once again that their salvation is through Christ alone, but this time he shows the absurdity of the return to the Law. He says he refuses to just throw away God’s grace (something Paul had experienced so fully) and rely on the Law to give him righteousness. The word “needlessly” is used nine times in the New Testament. It can be translated in a good or bad sense. Here it used in that negative sense (in vain, without cause, needlessly). Certainly, Christ’s death was not in vain.

APPLICATION

Well Carl, I would never treat Christ’s death that way. Are you sure about that? Take a look at what you put your faith in. Is it in family? They will fail you. How about that big bank account? That could be gone in a second. In your health? Don’t count on it. The only thing that is for sure is what we have received through Jesus. As Coke says, He is the Real Thing!

The reality is in order to see Christ’s death as meaningful, we must see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior. We must all come to believe what Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We can’t get there by ourselves. We can’t get there any other way than Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. Did He die needlessly? Certainly not!

There are so many people who think they can achieve holiness in the way they live. If they don’t do this and do that, God will smile on them. Listen, holiness only comes as we submit completely and fully to the Holy One. He takes our ungodly life and transforms it through His Spirit. Today, dwell on His atonement. Think about what He did for you. There is no other way but Jesus.

Lord, I praise You for giving me the only thing that could bring me to You – Jesus.

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Bible, Gospel, Impossible, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

FAR FROM IT!

GALATIANS 2:17

“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Far from it!”

Some things are just not going to happen. I will never be a ballerina. Just the thought of that makes me roll with laughter. I will never land on the moon, but if NASA called today, I would suit up. Think of an impossibility in your life as we read today’s verse.

Paul gets forceful. I can just see him saying this to Peter and the crowd. I bet he raised his voice on those last few words. The Greek actually reads, “It cannot be.” These words have been translated as “God forbid,” “May it never be,” “It is not so” and several other ways. I really like how the NIV translates it, “Absolutely not.”

APPLICATION

But what is Paul so worked up about? Well, look back at the previous phrase, “is Christ then a servant of sin?” Whoa, no wonder he gets so forceful. Peter and the Jews, who had pulled away from the Gentiles, were implying by their actions that the Gentiles, who were justified in Christ alone, were sinning by not following Mosaic law. Paul says that is the same as saying Christ is enabling their “sin.”

Is there anything in your spiritual life that you have added to your salvation? Do you think doing certain things makes you more spiritual? We need to live right and do right, of course. But what do you base your salvation on? We’ll get to my favorite verse about this in a few days (Galatians 2:21). You can read ahead in you want. But spoiler alert – it might change your way of thinking.

Are you forcing certain expectations on others? Yes, we need to have a high bar of standards when it comes to living a holy life. But be careful you don’t put “your” standards on them. As Paul was telling Peter and the Jewish believers, all you need, all anyone needs is Jesus.

Instead of a closing prayer today, take a listen to the song by Keith and Kristyn Getty. 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+christ+alone

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