God Alone

May 20, 2015

Devotion:

        "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭1-3‬ KJV)

        We see first in this passage that Paul emphasizes that Jesus Christ was crucified.  All the work of God culminated in the death, burial and resurrections of Jesus and His being seated at the right hand of the Father.  The crucifiction of Jesus paid for all our sins.  This is the fullness of our salvation, not any work of ours but all the work of God.  Oh the wonder of it all that God became flesh and took all our sins upon Himself, paid the full price and gained the full victory over sin for us.  We are now one with the Father.  This is the truth that Paul is amazed that the Galatians were not following.  They had been bewitched to think that they needed to do something to add to what God did.  

        The path that we walked to receive our salvation was to hear the good news about Jesus' sacrifice and accept it at which point we were born again and made righteous and holy.  It was hearing what Jesus did and receiving it, this is how we are to continue to walk.  To continue to hear, with faith the wonderous love of our Father and to walk in it.  We are perfected by His love not our efforts.  

        His word is so important because it reveals to us that love.  Our hearing with faith is a gift from Him.  His word creates faith in our heart to believe what He has done so we will receive it and walk in it.  Paul says that the righteous shall live by faith.  So our lifestyle is to hear the good news of our Father's great love for us, receive it and walk in it.  

      "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ KJV)

            We cannot earn this goodness and we do not merit it.  It is all by the grace of God.  As we comprehend this good news, the faith it creates in us causes us to change our behavior to line up with His because we are saved not to get saved.  God did everything necessariy for our salvation.  We are to just enjoy what He did.