The Only Two Ways To Salvation | Galatians 3:11-12

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”— Galatians 3:11-12

CALL OUT: Shout out to Mark Lerom, who is hosting me at Men's Advance this year. I am excited to be with you, 700+ guys. Let's see what God does!

These verses may sound a bit cryptic if you only read them once, but if you read them multiple times, Paul is saying there are two ways to salvation. Yep, you read that right.

This text contains two quotes from Old Testament Scriptures. The first is from Habakkuk 2:4, and the second is from Leviticus 18:5. The operative connecting phrase is "shall live by," which is found in both. The first declares justification by faith, while the second declares justification by works. The first is humanity's only possible means of salvation, and the second is Jesus Christ's means of providing salvation, who is "The one" of the text.

So yes, there are two ways to salvation. One way, the second way, would require someone to fulfill the entire works of the Pentateuchal law, with its 242 positive commands and 365 prohibitions. Only this person could stand before God at judgment and be justified on the basis of his performance. That person, of course, was Jesus (Matthew 5:17). This way is impossible for us. The first way is our only hope.

Therefore, we have only one possible way to salvation: "by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Paul is going to beat this point to death, hoping that the Galatians will see the hopeless nature of a doctrine of justification by works. He is trying to beat this out of their minds. The effort he makes is notable. It is exactly what we should do when we encounter questionable ideologies. We should test them against Scripture. Then, we should test them again against the work of Jesus Christ. If they don't pair up, we need to refuse and remove them from our minds and lives because our only hope is faith in Jesus.

Put your faith in him today.

#FaithVsWorks #JustificationByFaith #SalvationThroughChrist #GalatiansInsights #HopeInJesus

ASK THIS:

How does understanding the contrast between justification by faith and justification by works impact your daily walk with Christ?
In what areas of your life do you find yourself relying more on your own efforts rather than trusting in God's grace through faith?

DO THIS: Have faith. There is only one possible way.

PRAY THIS: Father, help me to fully grasp the depth of your grace and the significance of justification by faith alone. Guide me to place my trust entirely in Christ, knowing that my salvation rests solely on His finished work on the cross. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Faithful God.