Christ lives in Me

Faith in Action

Self-controlled, Upright and Godly Faith

Faith Without Works is Dead

Galatians 2:15-21 The Message

15-16 We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over “non-Jewish sinners.” We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.
17-18 Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must, therefore, be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.
19-21 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

For Reflection

We are in the process of becoming.  Because  we are made in the image of  God, we are complete. We have all the characteristics and skills that we need to mature toward perfection. Ultimately, in addition to the ability to grow, for in as much as we are free to choose, we can also excersize our will to improve in righteousness toward the example of Christ.

Obedience to the will of God is all that is needed.  Our progression toward human perfection is not a matter of rewards for "good action," or punishment for "untoward action" (sin). It is a progression toward maturity within the family of grace that is the Kingdom of God. As Jesus gave his being away, so shall we, who seek to be more Christ-like, give our being away to be present in God.

Pray

Pray so that you may become more Christ-like.  Pray so that you can mature into the fullness of the image of God.

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