SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Falling into Grace

Falling into Grace

Words of Faith 6-13-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

To unsubscribe follow the directions at the end of this devotion.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

 

Galatians 5

       [4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

 

        Why is this works and grace thing so important?  Isn't being religious good enough?  Paul sought to be very clear on this.  Trying to be justified by works or observance of the Law is more than just a frustrating exercise in futility. 

       Paul says that those believers who make such an attempt to alienate themselves from Christ and have actually fallen away from grace.  Now, what does that mean?

       To be alienated from Christ means that we have placed something between ourselves and our Lord, namely our prideful works.  We are out of fellowship with Him. 

       This is the only place in scripture where the phrase-- "fallen away from grace"-- appears.  So we want to be careful in trying to understand it.  Does this mean we have lost our salvation?  Some have taught this, but that would be quite beyond Paul's use and meaning here. 

        To fall away from grace, in this context, is to fall into legalism.  To choose legalism is to relinquish grace as the principle by which one desires to be related to God. It is a fall backward into a system of futility.  It is not a loss of salvation, but it is most certainly a loss of power and closeness to God.  It is a loss of blessing and a fall into a miserable place away from grace-- the support and strength that gets us through the toughest of times.

       This phrase does not speak about some sin or series of sins that cause a Christian to lose salvation.  If any anything a Christian falls into grace when they sin, are convicted of that sin and repent.  A Christian falls into grace when they discover a new area of freedom from religion and ritual.  A Christian falls into grace when they go through a terrible trial and find His grace that is equal to every need.  A Christian falls into grace when they fail, and God picks them up and starts them anew.

         The alternative to falling away into legalism is the marvelous offer to trust in the work of Christ and be justified by faith!  By faith, we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.   This is the essence of the Gospel.  Religious rituals are of the flesh. Faith is of the Spirit. The Christian "waits eagerly" for the full realization of his salvation. He does not work for it-- he waits for it.  This is the life of faith which expresses itself in love.

         The ethical side of true faith is that it works itself out "through love."  This is the fruit of the Spirit which grows from the walk of faith.  We are saved through faith rather than by works-- but faith is not merely an intellectual conviction. We do not continue in sin.  As Paul wrote to the Romans: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer

(6:1-2)?  By faith, Christ lives His life in us.

        To believe is to place one's personal confidence in Christ, who loves us and gave himself for us. Therefore, since Christians have learned love in such measure and at such a source, faith must issue in genuine and self-denying love for others.

         Paul puts it all together here.  In Christ Jesus, religious ceremony and ritual are of no value-- the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  In a sense, all of Christian living is summed up in this one thought.

         Where are you today?  Are you "in Christ"?  Without Him, there is no hope.  Are you in "religion"-- caught in the trappings of ritual?  It is of no value.  Are you trusting in Him alone for salvation?  This is the only way.  Are you living out that faith in love expressed toward God and those around you?  Are you falling into grace?

 

         Father God, I desire to be in Christ where all things are made new-- the old has passed away and the new has come.  I place my hope entirely in the work of Jesus.  I trust in Him alone for my salvation.  Fill me with Your Spirit.  Give me the fruit of Your Spirit so that I may live out my faith in love toward You and toward those around me.  In Jesus' Name.

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.  Or you can call the church office at 321-259-7200 x1.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><