“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
Paul wrote His epistle to the Galatians because “Judaizers” were teaching them that they had to become Jews before they could become Christians. This meant that they had to keep the Mosaic law and be circumcised in order to receive Christ as Savior. It didn’t make sense that if one had to become a Jew to become a Christian, that Christ had to come and offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Paul’s teaching about the law was that the law taught us what sin is, i.e., it defined sin as idolatry, adultery, lying, etc. The law also gave names to sin in order for us to recognize it. But the law does not have the power to save us from sin. Paul also wrote on this theme in Ephesians. Ephesians 2:8-10 is the standard definition of what it means to be saved: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The main catalyst for salvation is not based on who we are or what we do; rather, it is based on God’s grace. Grace has been defined as “unmerited favor.” This means that we can never merit, or earn, salvation: “not of works, lest any man should boast.” We cannot earn salvation, but through our faith in Christ, by God’s grace, we can be saved. Our part is to put our faith in Christ, but without grace even faith could not save us. Paul gave God’s grace credit, not only for his salvation, but also for everything that was accomplished through his ministry. For example, here is what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by grace I am what I am: and His grace which was given to me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paul could not have been saved and could not have served were it not for the grace, the unmerited favor, of God. It makes sense then that we are saved, not by our own righteousness, nor by our own works, but because of the grace of God. Paul admitted that because of his past actions in persecuting the church, that he should not have been able to be saved, nor should he have been able to serve the Lord. It was the grace of God that made all of it possible. I can say the same thing about my own salvation and my own ministry. There was nothing that I did that enabled me to be a servant of the Lord. By grace He has let me serve Him. It is the same for all of God’s servants, from Peter, to Paul, to Martin Luther, to Billy Graham, to you. The essential element in all of our dealings with God, whether it be our salvation or our service, is God’s grace – His unmerited favor. God’s grace has made it all possible. Praise God! GRACE...... God's Riches At Christ's Expense Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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