I got nearly all this, including the title of this post, from an author named Jerry Bridges. In his devotional book called Holiness, he writes about Galatians 3:3:
"One of the best kept secrets among Christians today is this: Jesus paid it all. I mean all. He not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to heaven, He purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive. Every one of them -- no exceptions."
How often do I live like these Galatians, who apparently had fallen into the trap of believing that once they were forgiven in Christ, it was their responsibility to clean up their act so that they could earn and deserve God's gift to them. That's the reality of the Gospel; there is nothing and never will be anything we do to merit God's blessing on our lives. We are certainly called to obedience, discipline, etc., but these do not earn our status as children of God. In fact, the obedience, discipline, etc. we are called to is impossible apart from the redemptive, transformational work of the Holy Spirit. Last week we looked at chapter 2 in which Paul claimed that he no longer lives, but that Christ lives in him. That reality is the only thing that makes obedience and faithfulness and ultimately, Christlikenss a possibility for any of us.
The final verse of the chapter summarizes nicely for us:
"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." We don't work to earn it. It's a gift to be received gratefully.
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