Living by faith?

I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh…

Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. (Galatians 3:2-3, 11)

What does it mean to live by faith? That’s what I was thinking about this morning. What did Paul mean by it?

I think the base of it is found in Galatians 2:20.

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.

To live by faith starts with believing:

1. God actually loves me.
2. Jesus died for my sins on the cross. Jesus completely paid my debt.

I know the moment I first realized that truth, the moment it truly sunk in, it blew me away. For years, I’d known those truths in my head, but that day it really sunk into my heart.

For many Christians, though, they start out believing and rejoicing in those truths, but then these kinds of thoughts start creeping in their minds.

“God must be disappointed in me.”

“I’m not a very good Christian. I should be doing better as a Christian.”

“I should be doing more. Reading my Bible more. Praying more. Sharing Christ more. Serving more.”

“I should be more successful in fighting sin in my life.”

“I should be a better person. A better father. A better mother. A better student. A better leader at church.”

Do these kinds of thoughts ever go through your mind?

These are not thoughts coming from faith. They’re certainly not the thoughts of joy that come from faith.

After starting our relationship with God with faith, rejoicing that he loves us and has accepted us because of what Jesus has done for us, why do we so quickly start thinking that he loves and accepts us based on our performance?

Paul told the Galatians, “When you became Christians, God didn’t accept you because you got circumcised and were keeping all his laws. He accepted you because you put your faith in Jesus.

“Why are you now trying to get him to accept you by all your efforts to keep his law?”

How are you living your Christian life? Are you living by faith, rejoicing in the fact that Jesus loves you and gave himself up for you?

Or are you living your Christian life still trying to prove to God that you’re somehow worthy of his love and acceptance?