you are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. for through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
[galatians 5:4-5]
believing we can be justified by our works is not a small miss, it’s a fatal one!
life comes through Christ and the gospel; death comes through sin by the law. it is an encouraging thought that once we are saved by grace through faith nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! but for the saved and the unsaved alike, being tricked into trusting in works instead of Christ brings only death. it can work it’s way in small ways or big, but either way, to trust in the self is vain! only trust in Christ!
awaiting the hope of righteousness
by the blood we are credited with Christ’s righteousness, and over time through the gospel of repentance by the Spirit we are formed more into Christ’s image, yet righteousness is still something we await! in this life sin will still remain. what a blessed hope, and what an amazing life-long reminder of God’s love! he who died for us while we were still sinners will be patient with us while we struggle in our obedience! and he is also faithful in helping us resist temptation: he promises to provide a way of escape! but that way of escape comes not through our strength, intelligence, or will, but by His!
Lord, thank you for the hope of righteousness, and thank you for your patience. thank you for freeing us from the consequences of our sin and from the need to justify or sanctify ourselves. we trust you; help us in our lack of trust!
~ stephen hall