Devotionals for July 14, 2023
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READ
Galatians 2:15-21
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles
16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles
16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
REFLECT
Reader, there is good news for you! You have been declared righteous by God. You have been justified. The work of Jesus on the cross has made you a part of God’s family. This is not something you have done through obedience or good moral behavior. You, a sinner, have been washed clean and brought into the family of God. It is likely that most, if not every person reading this is a Gentile. You are the beneficiary of the good news of Galatians 2. The fact that you were not born into a Jewish family does not exclude you. Indeed, nothing excludes you if you have given your life to Christ. He has opened the door, and all who walk through it can know that He will not cast them away. This is cause for celebration! Your daily struggles with sin, family history, mental health issues, traumatic past, cultural identity, ethnicity, gender, and age could never separate you from His love. He has poured it out on you. To live as someone who must earn their justification before God is to “nullify the cross.” Rest in the reality of His grace everlasting. Stop your striving. You are found in Christ.
APPLY
Q: What is the central point Paul is making in this passage? How and why does it connect with his earlier rebuke of Peter?
Q: Where can you infuse the hope of the gospel in your life? What part of you needs this good news the most?
Q: How can you encourage others in light of this passage?
Q: Where can you infuse the hope of the gospel in your life? What part of you needs this good news the most?
Q: How can you encourage others in light of this passage?
SING
PRAY
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
Lord, help us to resist evil, knowing that though it can never separate us from your love, it damages our souls. Help us to find ultimate rest and satisfaction in you! Amen.
Lord, help us to resist evil, knowing that though it can never separate us from your love, it damages our souls. Help us to find ultimate rest and satisfaction in you! Amen.