(Galatians 2:11-21)…One thing I admire about Paul is the boldness he had to tell it like it was. Peter, of all people, had fallen into a classic example of legalism, and in a way salvation by works. He was living like a Gentile, when other Jews weren’t around, but then stay away from the Gentiles when Jews were around. He was also trying to get the Gentiles to follow the Jewish customs. Paul got after Peter and accused him of being quite the hypocrite and at the same time confusing believers.
Paul states quite clearly that if you try to live by the law you are going to die by it. Salvation doesn’t come by living up to the law, we can’t do it, we’re sinful people. We can only have salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I love how Paul says clearly that if salvation could be gain through the law then Christ died for nothing. That’s a pretty bold statement, however it is exactly true.
The verse that stands out to me the most is Galatians 2:20. When I came to faith in Christ it was at that moment that my old self was put on the cross and a new life was born through Him. What I love about this is the promise of new life. And that new life doesn’t ever go away. We may fall, yet our new life is still there for us. Christ’s salvation is a free and eternal gift. We can mess up and come running back to Him. I love that! I’m so thankful for a gracious loving God who allows me to come back to Him no matter what. And I know that there is nothing I can do in this world to gain God’s favor, Christ finished it all when He died on the cross. Salvation is a gift, and you never work for a gift, it’s free! Thanks for that!
