Devotion - July 9th - Righteousness from Faith

A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. We continue a multi-sermon series on Galatians that will run through the summer.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

As we recall, the Galatian church had slipped into trying to obey Mosaic law as part of their salvation. When Paul was amongst them years ago he taught them the Gospel news about God’s grace and how freely it is provided if one has faith. Now in his absence, they have listened to false teachers and seem to be under a spell [Who has bewitched you?] Paul is trying to paint word pictures, trying to get them to get out of the law mode and into the Gospel teaching of faith and Grace. How do we receive the spirit? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he has sacrificed His life for our salvation. Once that we accept Paul’s argument that humans are not perfect and are not able to perfectly obey the law it opens the door to salvation by receiving the Holy Spirit through faith. Paul says in verse 2: “by hearing with faith”.  I pray that you are a person of faith.