Galatians 2:17-3:9 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible 

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! ¹⁸ For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a wrongdoer. ¹⁹ For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

3 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? ² This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 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?

⁶ Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ⁷ Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. ⁸ The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

In today’s text it says:  Through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”  Paul made this argument because some in the Galatian church were returning to a doctrine based on works rather than on faith in the grace of God.  Focusing on works nullifies God’s grace and the price that Jesus paid for our redemption. In John 19:30, when Jesus was on the cross, He said:  “It is finished!”  There is no more work to be done for our redemption. We can add nothing to the finished work of the cross. Ephesians 2:8-10 says: By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  Our salvation is not a result of our works, but our good works should be the result of our salvation by grace.

Look again, Paul says:  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God.  If we, having received God’s gift of grace, remain unchanged, continuing to live as we did before, continuing in sin, we not only nullify God’s grace, but we also nullify the sacrifice of Christ. Jesus died once for all sin. There is no sin so bad that it cannot be redeemed by the finished work of the cross. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”  The only way to nullify the work of the cross is by a choice, either choosing not to believe in God’s grace or choosing to continue in sin, in spite of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Paul says:  Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 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 Holy Spirit is not just some unseen mystical power. In John 14:16-17 Jesus says:  “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.”  The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is with us and in us. How then can we continue in the flesh, either to try to do good or to choose to do evil?

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says:  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords whether we acknowledge it or not.  It is not enough though that we call Jesus Lord. We must make Him our Lord. In John 14:15, just before He promised the Spirit would come to be with us and in us, Jesus said: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  It could also be said then that if we do not keep His commandments, if we choose to practice lawlessness, it is a sign that we don’t truly love Him.

In Galatians 5:16-25 Paul says: I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 

Thank You heavenly Father for Your free gift of salvation by grace. Thank You Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior for Your great sacrifice in the finished work of the cross. Thank You Holy Spirit, that You are with me and in me. By Your leading may I never nullify the God’s grace or Jesus sacrifice. May I walk in You, bearing Your fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. May I live for Christ and do the good works that God prepared for me and prepared me for in Christ. Amen.