The Law is not Based on Faith
Devotional Reading: Galatians 3:12 ESV
But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”
In Galatians 3, Paul contrasts the law with faith. He says the law is not based on faith, but rather on doing. It’s like a checklist – if you do this, this, and this, then you’ll be okay. But faith is different. Faith says, “I trust in God’s goodness and grace, regardless of my performance.”
Think about it. When we try to live by the law, we’re constantly worried about messing up. We’re like a student trying to get an A on a test – we’re anxious about every little mistake. But when we live by faith, we’re like a child who knows they’re loved by their parents, no matter what. We can rest in God’s love and grace.
In other words, this means we need to stop trying to earn God’s favor. We need to stop thinking that if we do enough good things, God will love us more. That’s not how it works. God loves us because of who He is, not because of what we do. For example, when we’re tempted to try to earn God’s favor, we can say, “No, I’m going to rest in Your love and grace instead.”
The verse above, also reminds us that the law can’t give us life. Only faith in Jesus can do that. It’s like trying to get water from a dry well – it’s just not going to happen. But when we put our faith in Jesus, we’re like a tree planted by a river – we’ll bear fruit and flourish.
It is always important to remember to live by faith, not by the law. Let us trust in God’s goodness and grace, and rest in His love.
Prayer and Confession
I declare that I am free from the burden of trying to earn God’s favor, and may I flourish in our relationship with Him.
Further Reading: Romans 4:25, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 3:12
