Tag: church

The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:21-22

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

“Before faith in Christ delivered us, we were imprisoned by sin, beaten down by past mistakes, and choked by desires that we knew were wrong. God knew we were sin’s prisoners, but he provided a way of escape—faith in Jesus Christ. Without Christ, everyone is held in sin’s grasp, and only those who place their faith in Christ ever get out of it. Look to Christ—he is reaching out to set you free.” (Life Application Study Bible 1967)

Work Cited

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011. p. 1967.

Faith or Works of the Law

Galatians 3:11

11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”

Trying to be right with God (“justified”) by our own effort doesn’t work. Good intentions such as “I’ll do better next time” or “I’ll never do that again” usually end in failure. Paul points to Habakkuk’s declaration (Habakkuk 2:4) that by trusting God—believing in His provision for our sins and living each day in His power—we can break this cycle of failure.