# 47. 2017 Dev. Gal. 3. Faith or Works? Read Verses 1-14. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Galatians. 3:6,11
6.“So also Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
11.“Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
Paul continues with the precepts of the true Gospel drawing on Old Testament quotes showing the Galatians and us that “belief, believing God” was and still is the basis for God’s grace to mankind then, as it is to us today.
The Galatians were being mislead by a very humanistic idea; that people have something good to offer up, something of value in and of ourselves to contribute to our own salvation. I remember a person, an expatriate also working in Africa, who wanted a relationship with Jesus but could not get past the idea that one needed to be saved from something: “I am not a bad person, I do good things, I don’t need to repent”. Apparently, the effects of sin in that person’s life was not yet obvious. That person is correct about one thing, People do good things, we see that every day but if those good things are not done in the name of Jesus, while doing good for many people, there is no personal salvation value.
V11 is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4. It is part of God’s answer to the question posed by the prophet: Since you are a Holy God why do you tolerate the wicked? God’s answer is punishment on the unrepentant, but those who believe in God/Jesus will live. They will live on this earth with the absolute assurance of forgiveness and salvation, blessing our earthly lives and blessing us with life forever after this life.
That is God’s goal. He wants to redeem all of His people, redemption comes to those who believe, who have faith. Paul makes that clear: “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”[d] 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
The answer to faith or works? Is not either /or, obviously we are saved by grace, by faith in Jesus, but we do good works, service, ministry because we are saved. That work is forever, follows us to heaven and become the building blocks for the New Heaven and Earth! Praise the Lord!
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