Good morning all!
Father, we know that our faith has been birthed in us by the power of the cross. Give us the strength to hold onto that faith when everything in life tells us otherwise. Give us faith like Peter to get out of that boat in the midst of a storm and walk to the arms of Your son, the author and finisher of our faith, Amen.
Galatians 3
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The law was just a guide that led us to Christ so we could become innocent through faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
But now that faith has been established through Christ we are NO longer in need of a tutor.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For ALL are children of God through faith established by Christ Jesus.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
God doesn’t distinguish between believer or not, whether you’re living in prison or free, whether you’re a man or a woman…ALL are united in Christ Jesus.
Bottom line
The law was never going to make us one, to unite us to become as Christ. What it showed us is that human standards are never going to lead us to a life of faith, it showed us that we hold others to a higher standard than we hold for ourselves. Who do you think the schoolmaster is? It’s US!!! We all think we know what’s right and wrong, who gets a pass and who doesn’t. We determine who gets held captive for their wrong doings and for how long, and just like a schoolmaster when you do wrong you get detention-Ha! We know we’re called to live by faith according to God’s word and apart from faith God’s NOT interested in our standards or interpretations He just wants us to live by faith and nothing else.
[Heb 10:38 KJV] Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Do you live by faith? Or do you revert BACK to the law and hold people to that standard? Jesus is the WAY…you know there’s NOT more than one? And yet if we’re honest most of us, if not all revert back to the law and hold the people in our life to that standard and sometimes even ourselves to that standard…it’s called condemnation. There is only one standard for ALL according to scripture and that way is faith believing that Christ alone provided the way for all, whether you believe or not, whether you are trapped by that schoolmaster or been set free, ALL are held to ONE standard, faith…don’t draw back, live by it! You know how we draw back? Or said another way…SHRINK? You become somebody much smaller than Christ. How do we shrink ourselves? Make ourselves something less than who we are? We still put each other in detention…we don’t forgive. We see that someone has broken the law and we want to hold them accountable and instead of living by faith and forgiving them…we draw back from faith and hold them to the old standard that Jesus said we are NO longer under. I love that He says under the law, you know why? Faith is above it all, it says the life that Christ has established is a better and holy way to live our life…by FAITH.
[Heb 12:24 NIV] Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. A mediator negotiates a new agreement, a new law to live by, Jesus has BETTER words for us to speak than the blood of Abel. Remember scripture says Abel’s blood cries out from the ground, you know what it says? Retaliation…paybacks, what did the blood of Jesus say? FORGIVE them, without question and much better word, a much better way to live life. This is the fundamental difference between the schoolmaster and one that lives by faith. Jesus said you will know the tree by the fruit of their life, you can’t get a fig from a thornbush…either we forgive like Christ or accuse like the Devil but you will be known by one or the other.
[Jos 5:12 NLT] No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So, from that time on the Israelites ate from the new crops of Canaan. Once Isreal entered the promise land they quit eating the old stuff, it was NEVER seen again but there was NEW produce in the land for them to eat…quit eating the old stuff there is BETTER fruit to partake of, it’s called the promise land for a reason…Christ is the fulfilment of that promise, eat the new fruit and live by faith…He said the old was NEVER seen again…never is never…don’t shrink back!
Point to Ponder
How BIG is your faith? [Hab 2:4 NASB95] Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith. It’s too big to measure, we have God’s faith and you can’t shrink Him.
Let’s all live by faith alone, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
