You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [Galatians 5:4, NIV]
In our daily walk with Christ, there’s so much call to do right. These expectations are posed on us by an unwritten code of righteousness from the society around us and from our own selves. In the Scriptures we are likewise guided by so much do’s and don'ts and in reality we are never able to keep all. The reality of it is that we find ourselves in different circumstances and conditions that require us to obey the law still. Yet the law as it is, could either be too stringent or does not exactly apply to do us any good. If we try hard to do all things right to fulfill the law we’ll forever be indebted to the law because we can never fully obey.
Jesus Christ brought to us the law of grace that covers us with His own righteousness, instead of the ‘never complete’ righteousness of our own efforts. This He did with the blood of Jesus, so whenever God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ in us. He who therefore attempts to live by the law has fallen from grace and the salvation of Christ will have no effect in him.
Shall we continue to sin that the grace may abound? No. Our call to grace is not to give us room to continue in sin, but it is to guide us to walk in the Spirit instead of the law and the flesh. Gal 5:18 lets us know that if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law. For this reason, instead of trying to fulfill all the rules of righteousness, let us allow ourselves to be led by the spirit.
How do we allow ourselves to be led by the spirit? By filling our hearts with the word of God through study and meditation. The Holy Spirit our helper will then guide our steps by the word of God in us, teaching us what to do and what decisions to take. As we fill ourselves intentionally with the word of God, it will be light to our paths and the grace of our Lord Jesus will fill us with His own righteousness, not ours.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus abound to each and every one of us always.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I receive the truth of your word. Help me to soak and dwell in your word, filling my conscience with the truth. Holy Spirit of God guide me into your truth and order my steps by grace I pray in Jesus name.
One-Year Daily Bible Reading Plan - Sept. 02 2010 - Ezekiel 21-23 (OT), 1 Timothy 2 (NT).
