Daily Thought

There are two opposing approaches to securing God’s favour: believing and doing. The false teachers presented the way of works. Paul demonstrates that it is the way of faith which alone can bring us into God’s blessing.

He shows this, firstly, from the experience of the Galatians. Paul challenges them with a series of rhetorical questions. They could not deny that they had already received God’s greatest gift, the Holy Spirit. They had not received Him by doing, but by hearing and believing the message of a crucified Saviour. How foolish of them to think that having started their Christian life in the Spirit they could be brought to spiritual maturity by human effort! The grace and power of God’s Spirit was constantly supplied to them by faith and not by works. We must realize that all of our Christian life depends on daily trust in Christ and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, the experience of the readers exactly matched the classic example of Abraham. He was counted righteous before God when he believed God and His promise, Gen. 15. 6. It is those who trust Christ who are Abraham’s true descendants. Circumcision was unnecessary. God always planned to bless all the nations through Abraham. Men and women of faith of every background share Abraham’s blessing of justification.

Thirdly, the rest of the Old Testament supports the apostle’s argument. Relying on the works of the law leads to cursing, not blessing. Every commandment must be kept all the time. All who break even one commandment stand under God’s curse, Deut. 27. 26. Doing never justifies. Believing justifies. The just shall live by faith, Hab. 2. 4. How can we escape the curse of the broken law? Another passage pronounces a curse on all hanged on a tree, Deut. 21. 23. On the cross, the Lord Jesus experienced the full execution of that dreadful curse. It is the great exchange. He came under God’s curse as our substitute, not for Himself, because He never sinned. By enduring it in our place He liberated us from it. Now, instead of experiencing God’s cursing we enjoy His blessing in Christ. Through faith, we receive the Holy Spirit, the crown of salvation.