Important Thing To Know

"We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."
Galatians 2:15-16

This is kind of a strange selection of Scripture for a daily devotional, I will admit. But you need to read Galatians 1:19 through the end of the chapter, and the first fourteen verses of chapter 2 to really set it in context. If you haven't done that already, go ahead and do it now. I will wait.

Finished? Okay. So you see, there were some issues at hand. First, Paul had to present himself eventually to the "mother church" in Jerusalem, so that they could examine him to make sure he wasn't preaching some kind of heresy. I understand that. When I became a pastor, I had to undergo a similar testing, and did so willingly, because I understand the need for orthodoxy in the pastorate. You can't have "just anybody" running around out there and hanging out their shingle and starting a church. Yes, I know this has happened. But it is much to the shame of the individual. Where is the accountability? Where is the making sure that the interpretation being taught is actually contextually correct? Now, don't get me started. This is, perhaps, a topic for another day. So Paul went to Jerusalem.

Secondly, there was the issue of legalism. Some legalistic brothers, and I use the term loosely, had sneaked into the church meeting, to make sure that Paul was following the rules. They were very persuasive, and even convinced Titus, who was young and impressionable, and travelling with Paul, to become circumcised. Titus was a Gentile, and consequently, uncircumcised. But he had become a believer under Paul's ministry, and now was travelling around with him. And some legalists convinced young Titus that he was bound by Christ AND the law. There is the same kind of thing going on in the Church today. Jesus says, "Come unto me ALL you who are weary and heavy laden...." (emphasis mine) But there are some who would have you believe that only a select portion of people are going to heaven. Don't be swayed by the legalism. These people are under a law, not under the grace of God. Jesus says, "...Whosoever...shall have everlasting life." This means whoever. Not any select individuals. Anyone can come to Christ. Anyone.

Thirdly, there was the hypocrisy of Peter, of which Paul had to confront, and did so face-to-face with Peter. He didn't start spreading rumors about Paul. He didn't go to this one or that one, and say, "Did you hear what Peter is doing?" No. He went to Peter, and met with him face-to-face, and pointed out the blind spot in Peter's life. Oh this is much needed in the Church today. Too many times we start wagging our tongues to everyone, instead of going to the brother or the sister and sitting down with them face-to-face, and pointing out the blindspot, and then praying together, so that the relationship is still intact. Not so with us. We would much rather spread lies and rumors and gossip, which is so much easier, than to go to the person with our concerns. My Bible tells me that gossipers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Beloved, the point of today's Scripture is very important. There is no "list" of things you need to do, to check off if you will, to be saved. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, not of ourselves, because it is the gift of God. It is not by the works we do, because if it were, we would surely boast about it, and become all puffed up with pride. It has nothing to do with us. It is all about Jesus Christ, and the work that He did for us on the cross. When He said from the cross, "It is finished," it means that the work has been done, and there is nothing more that needs to be done. So don't let anyone tell you that you have to "keep the rules" to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Not by what version of the Bible that you read. Not by how much time you spend in prayer. Not by how many chapters of Scripture you read. Not by your appearance, nor the songs you sing or listen to. Not even by your attendance at a certain church, or brand of church. None of that. Yes, Bible reading is extremely vital to the believer. Yes, prayer is of the utmost importance. But man, those are "get to's" not "got to's." We get to do those things out of our love for Jesus. We want to do those things because of our love for Him. It isn't because if we don't we won't belong to Him. It is because we belong to Him, and we want to become closer and closer and walk with Him on a daily basis. That is why we do it. Not because a "law" says we have to. And so beloved, at the end of this lengthy writing, here is the important thing to know: you are under grace, not the law. Don't worry so much about keeping the "rules." Just live under the grace of God. Let the Holy Spirit guide you today. Pray. Let the Word of God speak to you. Have faith. And enjoy your walk with Jesus. Shalom.