Faith Alone - Gal. 2:18, 21

"...Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down." Gal. 2:18

"I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there would be no reason for Christ to die." Gal. 2:21

As my friend Terry would say, "Christ plus nothing." It's such a simple principle, but so hard for man to apply. Even though we are saved, we are constantly trying to earn favor with God, and in many ways rebuilding a law of our own. When we fail, we feel as if we are failures as Christians, we beat ourselves up, and worse, might reach the conclusion that God cannot use us in our sinful condition. This is a lie from the pit! Paul recognized it, and took Peter to task for his inconsistent behavior with the Gentiles. I thanks God for the simple message of, "Christ plus nothing." Any added regulation would be a law that would ultimately condemn me.

God, thank you for your perfect plan; Jesus, thank you for your perfect sacrifice; Holy Spirit, I pray that you help me to keep my faith simple--keep me focused on what really matters, and help me to always see through the lies of the enemy.

Today's reading: Deut. 16-18; Ps. 38; Gal. 2