Paul’s conclusion to his epistle to the Galatians is a beautiful summary of its contents. As we come to the end of this letter, we must remember to whom it was addressed, its purpose and major themes, as well its message to the Church throughout the ages. The issue of submitting our own righteousness to God is a […]
In Galatians 5 and 6, Paul appeals to the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer as further proof for the gospel of justification by faith. He demonstrates that only faith working through love, as a result of the freedom that comes from the gospel of grace, counts for anything. However circumcision and […]
“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). The story of the repentant thief who was crucified alongside of our Lord provides one of the most stunning pictures of sovereign grace, human inability, regeneration, and justification by faith alone in the […]
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 […]
Having made the profound and astonishing claim that “by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16), Paul now moves into a further explanation of the doctrine of justification by faith. What exactly is the relationship between the gospel, the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, and the works of the […]
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 […]
The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones is often preached and understood to be nothing more than an illustration of the faith we must possess in order to “speak life” into our circumstances. However, this faulty interpretation falls miserably short of the glorious gospel truths being communicated and places the focus exclusively on man […]
Throughout the Scriptures, and especially in our own lives, God is repeatedly questioned regarding our trials, his judgments, our suffering, his promises, our future, and his plan. However, at the bottom of all these questions is the singular issue of faith – whether or not we believe God to be the God he says he is in […]
The story of Naaman, in 2 Kings 5, is a profound illustration of one of the most penetrating questions posed by Jesus: “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Many “lepers” today are consumed by the soul-destroying […]
