By Aaron Swartzentruber
Greenleafton, MN
“Knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)
The cults and religions of the world all say “do this” or “do that” and you’ll have a chance of getting to Heaven. Christianity says “it’s done.” Christ on the cross said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
Being justified by the faith of Christ means the Judge has dismissed you from your death sentence which He had issued, because One (Jesus Christ) stepped in and willingly took the punishment for you. And then He rose from the dead never to die again. However, having said that, you have to agree with God that you are a sinner, that you’ve broken God’s holy law, and you have to believe that Christ alone has payed fully for your sin debt on the cross. Until you come to Christ alone for salvation you are a hell-bound sinner. That’s harsh but it needs to be said. We hear so much about how God is for us, and that we are all children of God. That’s called the good news, but who needs good news if there is no bad news. The bad news is left out most of the time but the bad news is the only thing that makes the good news good. Dear friends, if you have not come to Christ for salvation you are not a child of God. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Being born again simply means believing in your heart that Christ paid fully for your sin debt. So you see, until you are born into the family of God you are not a child of God. Now, God is for us and Christ did die for the sins of the whole world, and it’s a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), but a gift is of no value to the recipient until he or she recieves it. Don’t ever buy the garbage of “universal salvation.” The Bible does not teach it.
Ok, let’s move on. “For I through the law am dead to the law.” (Galatians 2:19) The law has executed me, therefore I am no longer subject to the law. The law is like a slave master, it tells you what to do, and if you don’t do it, it punishes you. But a slave master can no longer control the slave when the slave dies. Thus he is free from his old master. The law cannot give life, it can only give death. “For if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21)And by the way, if you think keeping the law can make you righteous, how do you explain the righteousness of Abraham. “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, Genesis 15:6) The law did not come until 430 years after God had counted Abraham righteous. The law had absolutely nothing to do with the righteousness of Abraham. Abraham believed God, that’s all he did. He did not follow the rules as best as he could or anything like that. He just believed God.
I know that a lot of you who read my letters are trying your very best to have a chance of getting to Heaven. You are trying to get right with God by keeping the law, but you can’t become righteous by keeping the law. You are in bondage to a legalistic system that has mixed the law of God with the Grace of God for a possible salvation. I am not condemning any certain individual but I am, without apology, in the name of my Saviour, condemning a system that has corrupted the pure Grace of God. “Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Until next time…