Galatians 3:11
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “the righteous shall live by faith.”
Have you ever gotten into an event or a party because you had a friend who was well placed to get you access when otherwise you would have been on the outside looking in? I’ve had the good fortune of experiencing that many times in my life to meet some pretty famous people like Tom Petty, President Bush (43) and Vice President Pence. I’ve also has access to things like movie sets and premiers, intimate gatherings with members of Congress, and backstage access to some of the biggest names in Christian music. All of this happened because I knew the right people…not because of my own efforts. In much the same way, most Jews in Jesus’ day were hoping their affiliation with Father Abraham would be enough to overcome their inability to obey the law and gain acceptance with God.
They were wrong.
“…that no one is justified before God by the law” is evident: Paul had already proven this point in the Scriptures by examining the life of Abraham (Galatians 3:5-9). Now he brought in another passage from the Old Testament, Habakkuk 2:4, which reminds us that the just live by faith and not by law…but what does that really mean? Pastor David Guzik notes that, “The Jews themselves sensed that because none could keep the law perfectly, salvation could not come through keeping the law. This is why they placed such emphasis on their descent from Abraham, essentially trusting in Abraham’s merits to save them because they sensed that their own merits could not.” They were putting their trust in the wrong person.
Spurgeon said, “If the best of men find no justification coming to them through their personal virtues, but stand accepted only by faith, how much more such imperfect beings, such frequent sinners as ourselves?” Amen to that! Living by faith in Jesus and Jesus alone provides the peace and security of knowing that you have been made right with God and that all of your sins—past, present, and future—are dealt with. Done. Finished. Gone. With the weight of your guilt removed, and the joy of your redemption in hand, you are free to fully invest in all the Lord has for you…and free to fully enjoy every blessing He lavishes on your life.
The English Bible scholar, John Bertram Phillips, wrote:
“The just shall live by faith – It was this text that revolutionized the life of Martin Luther. How hard he had tried, as a zealous and conscientious monk, to accumulate merit enough to earn his salvation! He had fasted and prayed until he was reduced to a mere skeleton. He had flagellated himself until he was a mass of cuts and sores. He had done penance and gone on pilgrimages. Then, one day, as he crawled on hands and knees up Pilate’s staircase in Rome and prayed earnestly to the Virgin Mary on every step, the light dawned. The voice of God cut through his ritual prayers and thundered in his soul, “The just shall live by faith.” He rose from his knees, brushed off the dust of that place, marched boldly back down those stairs, and on out of the Church of Rome altogether.”
What edifice do you need to walk out of? What building has you trapped in feelings of guilt and shame and hopelessness? If you are in Christ, you are not only called to live by faith, but you have been enabled to do so! Christ has done all that is necessary for you to walk in freedom and power, so enjoy the “backstage access” He has provided for you! Of all people on the earth, God’s people should be the most joyful! The most at peace! We walk that our by our faith in Jesus Christ.
