Faith-Based Righteousness. Galatians 5:5-6.
Dear Pilgrims and Sojourners,
So far, we have established that the quest for justification based on the law is not only futile, it is fraught with danger. The one who puts his hope in the law is in danger of being lost forever. But the opposite is so simple and attractive, we should all be running there.
Eagerness (v. 5).Those who grasp the full implications of the hope that we have in Christ, what Paul here describes as the “hope of righteousness by faith,” salivate at the very thought of it. Hope in New Testament perception is not a wish that may or may not is realized. It an assured expectation. What the legalists slavishly toil for, we will attain, simply because we trust Jesus for our justification. A day is coming when our sinful nature will be shed. We will attain a state of righteousness that can only be described as perfect and glorious.
Equality (v. 7). All the efforts of the legalists are really for naught. Before God, one’s status when one comes to Christ is of no consequence. Those who come as Jews (the circumcision) and those who come as Gentiles (the uncircumcised) both find a new, equalizer – faith operating in the medium of love. The love in question is the love of God that reached out to undeserving, sinful humanity redeemed us at his own cost. He has put this love in our hearts so that we in turn can love him back and also love others. Faith is it, friends. If you go the way of the law, you are shortchanging yourself.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.