Galatians, Day 3
Freedom from the Law (Galatians Chapters 3, 4)
“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Galatians 4:8 – 9).
In this section of Galatians, Paul is explaining the difference between being justified by faith and being justified by the law. Why does Paul do this? Because he knows that his readers, as well as those alive today, are used to being rewarded for good behavior. Yes, Christians know that we are saved through faith alone, but we inherently also feel as if we need to do more to gain even more favor and actually “earn” this free gift. Why is this so problematic for believers? Why do we feel the need to add works to faith?
It is easy because we are supposed to be full of good works. Doing good things is not a bad thing. What can be bad is the motive behind doing good works. As Christians, our desire to do good should come from a love for God and not a love for ourselves. This is similar to how a husband should want to take care of the children when he gets home from work — not because his wife will now owe him something, but because he appreciates all that she does for the family throughout the day. If his motives are pure, his wife will know and will appreciate the act. Now, if she thinks he is doing it because he wants to get something in return, it will not mean nearly as much, and he may even be worse off.
When we do good works, our desire should be to glorify God and not to make ourselves look good. That can be so very difficult because it is so easy to compare ourselves with those around us. Even religious leaders back in the day struggled with this. In Luke 18:9 – 14, we read of a Pharisee who thanked God that he was not a sinner like other men, including this man who was near him. What made the Pharisee think he was so much better? Well, he thought himself as righteous and better than others whom he considers extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or tax collectors. Jesus answers this behavior in Verse 14: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Good works do not save us, and if we do good only to show others how righteous we are, then we will be humbled.
So, how do we make sure that our motives are pure and righteous when we do the right thing? We need to put God first. I recently heard a sermon about how the Israelites fasted like they were supposed to when they were in exile, but God was not blessing them as they expected. Why? Because they were only fasting to get what they wanted and not to honor God. Check your motives. If they are not pure, repent and ask God for forgiveness. Do good deeds in secret and then do not tell anyone that it was you. Glorifying God instead of yourself may seem difficult at first, but if you focus on that, it will eventually become a habit. And when the habit is formed, then you will experience freedom from the law and truly live for Christ.
Pastor David Guenin