Galatians 18-Day Reading PlanSample

Today’s reading is the climax of Paul’s speech to Peter, and it’s a great reminder that if an Apostle like Peter needed to hear the Gospel message again, so do you and me. 

Paul wants Peter to remember that no person is clean or unclean based on their behavior, but rather solely based on their faith in Jesus. Traditionally, this is called justification and sanctification, and they are the foundation of the Christian faith, so it’s important we know what they mean.

Justification is when “a person is made right with God” (v. 16). This happens the instant you believe the Gospel. Once you put your faith in Jesus, God doesn’t see your sins or hold your sins against you because Jesus’ blood covers it. 

Here is a great way to remember what it means to be justified: “Just-If-I-had Never-Sinned.”

But you still sin–we all do. Does that mean you need to be justified again? No. That’s where sanctification comes in.

Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus as “Christ lives in you” (v.20).

It’s easy to assume after becoming a Christian your job is to “be better” or “do better,” but it’s not. Your job is to “trust in the Son of God” (v. 20).  As you do, you are being “sanctified.” The motivation makes all the difference. You don’t try to be a good person so that God will love you, but rather because God “loved you and gave himself for you.” (v.21)

A Christian who forgets the Gospel will either feel inferior or superior. You will either fail miserably and believe you’ve lost God’s love, or achieve some level of moral goodness through willpower and believe you’ve earned God’s love. Neither is true. Jesus either did everything for you or nothing. Either you believe salvation is based on what He did, or what you do. You can’t have it both ways.

The good news is you don’t have to change for God to love you. The better news is, once you trust that God loves you, your life will change. That’s the difference between trusting and trying. You’re not trying to earn anything; you trust that Jesus earned it for you when you put your faith in Him.

If you’ve been trying to change, or be a “better” Christian, or stop sinning, but it doesn’t feel like it’s working, ask yourself, “Why am I trying so hard?” If I had to guess, you still believe you have to change to be accepted by God. You don’t. God accepts you because of what Jesus did, not what you do. Trust that, and everything will change. 

Question

What would you say to someone who says they are “trying” to be a Christian?