Wow—what a morning. In Galatians 3, Paul doubles down on the doctrine of grace through faith. The Galatians were still clinging to a Jesus + mindset, as if the grace received by faith alone wasn’t enough. But if works could save us, why would we need a Savior at all? They can’t. On our own, we will never be “good enough” for the Kingdom of God.
The law was never meant to save us—it was meant to expose our inadequacy and reveal our need for a Savior who could bear the penalty for sin (death) that we never could. Can you fully believe that accepting Jesus is all that is required for salvation? That kind of trust takes real faith in God’s promise.
I believe the covenant God made with Abraham is true. And I believe that by sending Jesus Christ—Abraham’s descendant—to earth, and allowing Him to be seen as cursed while hanging on a tree, God fulfilled that promise. Our mistakes could never void a covenant that came directly from God.
Once we accept this divine forgiveness, obedience flows from the joy of loving the Lord, not from striving to earn His approval. There is a difference between conviction and guilt: conviction draws us to acknowledge our sin, turn from it and run into the arms of Jesus; guilt is a weapon of the enemy, trapping us in the lie that we must fix ourselves. Send that guilt packing—it was already carried to the cross. Jesus does not require you to hold onto it.
The law was introduced for our good, to guard us like a babysitter watches over children. And though the babysitter has stepped aside, it doesn’t mean the rules no longer matter—it means we now answer directly to Abba.
How comforting it is to know that we are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, with no spiritual hierarchy, no second-class Christians, no competition for God’s favor. We are all equally covered by the righteousness of Jesus. I am deeply grateful that I don’t have to be a prosperous Jewish male to inherit the Kingdom, but am fully embraced, cherished, and chosen by the Creator of the universe.
We already belong to Him. Now, our calling is simply to walk out our true identity in everyday life.