If, in our preaching, teaching, and evangelism, we declare that Jesus only came to forgive our sins, we are missing a greater and more profound reality of the gospel. Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man, came not only for the purpose of redemption but of adoption. He came not only to pay the price of our sins […]
As we come to the conclusion of the third chapter of Galatians, Paul summarizes his previous arguments into one glorious and sweeping statement: “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there […]
To further bolster his argument against salvation by works, Paul brilliantly highlights the faith demonstrated by Abraham before he was circumcised. In so doing, he points out that “it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7); the blessing of Abraham is in fact available for Jew and Gentile alike who believe […]
Evangelical Christians today boldly profess that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Rom 3:28). Yet many believe that in order to keep our right standing before God, to remain “saved”, we must continue in faithful obedience as if it is our own law-keeping and good works that merits righteousness before God! However, Paul is adamant […]
The doctrine of justification by faith is at the very heart of the Christian gospel. Paul lays this out clearly in his epistle to the Romans: “None is righteous, no, not one. . . Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may […]
As Paul continues to recount his experiences in Jerusalem, we learn that the gospel message he had been proclaiming – of justification by faith alone for both the Jew and Gentile – was ultimately accepted by the other Apostles: “when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave […]
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes himself as the least of the apostles because he persecuted the church of God (1 Cor. 15:9). However, after Paul’s eyes were opened to the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, he became a new creation, zealous for good works and the spread of the gospel. His testimony became a […]
As Paul begins his letter to the Galatians, his feelings are unmistakable: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6). He is quick to address the fact that the Galatians, by adding good works as a condition for receiving […]
Paul’s epistle to the Galatians sought to address a major problem facing the early church. Because of false teachers, the church was quickly abandoning the gospel of grace, of justification by faith alone, in favor of a gospel of works and law. However, even in the introduction to his letter, Paul is quick to remind the Galatian churches of the gospel […]
