Thoughts on Galatians 3

Today's reading: 2 Samuel 14; Galatians 3

Galatians in general, but especially Galatians 3, should really put the whole faith vs. works debate to bed.

There are some Christians who try to argue that our salvation is based on our works from beginning to end, and others that try to argue that we enter salvation by faith but then it is maintained by our works. This generally comes from James' comment in James 2 that "faith without works is dead," but I'm going to say, based on Galatians 3, that both attempts to understand/reconcile James' teaching in James 2 are wrong and are dangerous to the message of the gospel.

At the beginning of Galatians 3 Paul says,

"Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"

This is the exact mentality/understanding that Paul is addressing here. We talked about this a couple days ago in Galatians 1, that these men in Galatia were not trying to persuade people to abandon Jesus, but were trying to persuade them that they needed the works of the law to complete or maintain their salvation. Paul declared, unequivocally, in chapter 1, that our works play no part in our entering into salvation, and here he builds upon that, asking, "If we arrive at salvation by faith apart from works, why are we trying to maintain or grow in that salvation by works?" In fact, Paul goes so far as to call them foolish for even entertaining this idea!

Our salvation is based on nothing other than our faith. It is a simple question. Is your faith, right now, in Jesus as the payment for your sins and your entrance into Heaven? If so, then you are saved, if not, you are not. It's as simple as that!

But since that's the case, then what part do works play in the Christian life? I'm sure there are more answers to this question, but I'm going to give two prominent and important answers from Scripture.

The first value of our works is as evidence of our faith before others. Many people argue that this is the exact intent of the passage in James 2. James is talking about how our faith is shown, and the point there would be that if you have faith but no works, then there is no real evidence for your faith that others could see. That would not necessarily invalidate your faith, but it does make your faith worthless as a testament to the gospel before the non-believing world. And not just the non-believing world, but before believers as well. If someone tells me they have faith but there is nothing in their life that would attest to them having a relationship with Jesus, I have to assume they don't. Again, that doesn't mean they are going to be separated from God for eternity when they die, but Jesus says you can tell the tree by it's fruit, and if there is no fruit, I can only go by what I see.

The second value of our works is that they guard our hearts against sin. Our flesh is at enmity with God, our hearts are deceitful above all else, and our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. There is no stasis in the Christian life because of these things. If we stop actively moving toward the Lord, sin will quietly slip in, slowly leading us, inch-by-inch, away from the love we had at first. Our hearts become more calloused to sin and we drift further and further, often without any recognition, away from our grounding in our faith in Christ. This is the great, hidden danger of sin, that without our intention or consent, it leads us away from our faith in Christ. This is why the author of Hebrews warns his readers in Hebrews 3, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." It is not that there is a sin so great that it cannot be paid for by the blood of Christ, but that we can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and led to fall away from our faith in that atoning sacrifice.

So are works important in the Christian life? Yes, very! But never make the mistake of thinking, with the Galatians, that your works either earn you your salvation or somehow maintain or complete your salvation. What was started by the Spirit can never be perfected by the flesh. We were saved by faith, we walk by faith, and we will enter into eternal glory on the basis on that same faith in the saving work of Jesus on the cross.

Praise God for such a great salvation!