Dying to Live: Embracing Faith in Christ Over the Law
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
Galatians 2:19-21
Die to live by faith in the Son
Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He bore all of your pain, mistakes, failures, and suffering on that day. Because of His sacrifice, we no longer live under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Therefore, we now live for God and aim to live a life worthy of His name (Ephesians 4:1). We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live but Christ lives in us.
You can’t earn righteousness
The law won’t save you. Yes, Jesus came to fulfill the law not abolish it (Matthew 5:17) but that doesn’t mean that we should still live under the law. We have been SET FREE by the blood of Jesus! The Word says that who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). We are no longer bound by the same laws that the people of God were in the Old Testament. Now, we have grace, mercy, abounding love, and unfailing faithfulness. God has extended these gifts to us so that we can live in complete freedom.
When we sin, we repent which means to simply turn away from sin and walk towards God. He is so merciful to forgive us every single time. We don’t have to strive to accomplish biblical goals or check off a to-list. No, we live in redemption as children of God. We don’t earn righteousness, we put on righteousness. Once we put it on, we never take it off! It is not something you do but someone you become. Our identity is solidified as we are marked by the Holy Spirit, sealed by the blood of Jesus, and restored by the promise of God’s covenant of unconditional love. It is in Jesus and Him alone, that our identity is secure. We never have to question our worth again because we know who we are.
We are not from this world
You were born in the secret place. You are a new creation in Christ that has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus so that you may live a new life in Him. We are not from this world. We are creatures of heaven. That is our true home. We were born there and we will go back after we depart from this earth.
Therefore, we must not live as the world does but live like Christ. We must look to Him, the Perfecter of our faith to guide the way we live our lives. The world offers us opportunities to sin or counterfeit lifestyles but we must not fall into the traps that the enemy has laid out for us. Instead, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to remind us of who we are and how to imitate Christ as He was on earth.
Don’t take His grace for granted
We are only here because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. It is by the grace and mercy of God to send His Son that we have redemption of sins and have gained an inheritance to the kingdom of light that we did nothing to deserve. If it were not for this, we would not be here. In the Old Testament, people would die just being near the presence of God. There were dire consequences including death that were caused by sinning. We were separated from God completely. There was no other way to get to Him. He was too holy to be in our midst. That part hasn’t changed but one thing has: Jesus tore the veil and gave us access to God. Now, we not only can draw near to God but we can have a relationship with our Father! We must not take this for granted. Through faith, we have been granted a one-way ticket to eternity with God in heaven.
Therefore, we have to remember that we can’t do this on our own. Nothing can be accomplished if God’s grace is not on it. Sometimes, we credit ourselves and say that we have done something but in reality, it is the very air you breathe that is sustaining you that God has control over. At any moment He could shift things and our lives could look a lot more different but we have a loving Father who cares for us. He will not put us to shame (Psalm 25:1). We must trust in Him and not make any decisions without Him. If we do, we suffer consequences that the Lord will then have to restore at a later time. Nonetheless, there is still so much grace. God will redeem, restore, heal, and transform every broken area of your life.
My encouragement to you today is to seek the fear of the Lord. This simply means having awe and a holy reverence for God. Without this, we will fall into idolatry and pride.Therefore, honor God in the way you live, always looking to Him for direction. John 15:13 reminds us that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. We must remain in Him through faith and put God in His rightful place on the throne as the Lord of our lives.
Love note: Jesus loves you
Jesus gave His life for you. He desired to see you walk in the abundance of freedom and love that you were created for. Everything you have is His. Jesus took your life and replaced it with His own. You now have the mind of Christ and the heart of God. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you get to walk in righteousness as a new creation in Christ. You have access to everything that Jesus has. Everything is in Him, by Him, for Him, and through Him. So live as if you have everything already because you
do.