Galatians 18-Day Reading PlanSample

"This way of faith is very different from the way of law" (v.2). What the Apostle Paul says in this verse is a little bit of an understatement. Paul tells the Galatians that the old way to have life was by keeping 613 laws from the old testaments. Laws that no one could follow, but after Jesus came, it is not through following laws but by faith alone we have life. To say this is "very different" is like saying we are getting rid of all the traffic laws.  No more stop lights, stop signs, speed limits, restrictions on who can drive, or using the right lane. I know this will be "very different." To this, you may say, "very different? Sounds like chaos and a disaster waiting to happen." Maybe you think there is no way we can drive like that. There have to be rules and guidelines. That isn't just different; that is downright insanity. Honestly, that may be precisely what the Galatians thought and what we think too. 

Paul says that not only does trying to obey keep you from life, it also puts you under a curse. The curse Paul is talking about is psychological. When we seek to save ourselves, we are subject to insecurity and anxiety because we never live up to "the standard," whatever you deem the standard to be. We become overly sensitive, envious, and intimidated by others who we think are outshining us. The good news is that Jesus has removed this curse on our lives if we want it.

Jesus has rescued us from the curse of saving ourselves through works. The requirement of being obedient in ALL commandments, not just some. Romans 10:5 says 'For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.’ Verses like this make me thankful we live in a world where Jesus has come. Where we can live in freedom, and it's not dependent on us. If life and salvation are no longer gained by following ALL the commands, how do we have life?  

 'If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 'Romans 10:9-10

Believing in your heart that not only is Jesus God, but that he came down from heaven and paid the price for your sins- this is how we have life. Declaring that, without Jesus, we are all bound by sin because we could never be good enough, but He came to set us free - free from the psychological curse of trying to save ourselves. We have life through faith alone.  

Questions

Have you ever experienced the psychological curse of living by the law?  How does it feel to know that it’s not our works that saves us but faith in Jesus?