"To make a man a saint, grace is absolutely necessary, and whoever doubts it, does not know what

a saint is or what a man. - Pascal

Keep standing firm in this

Christ set us free from the death curse of our sin,

to follow by faith His righteous way of living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Keep Standing Firm!

Identify your best effort to validate or save yourself asking if it was done after a prayer of faith and with a grateful spirit.
The works of the Law are not identified by WHAT is done, but WHY its done.

Keep Standing Firm!

Consciously, intentionally, and perhaps even materially (to symbolize whats in your heart) say NO to any effort that is not done in step with Gods Spirit.

Titus 2:11-14

Keep Standing Firm!

Ask God to cleanse your heart of any selfreliance and self-promotion -- but be prepared to be broken in the process!
Christians emphasize Gods grace in changing people like Jacob and Joseph who were liars and braggarts These individuals had to become aware of their own transgressions and limitations. They had to be broken...
Marvin Olansky (WORLD 9/10/11)

Keep Standing Firm!

Look to Christ and believe in Him!

Let all the world look to Me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.
Isaiah 45:22
NLT

Keep Standing Firm!

Look to Christ and believe in Him!

I looked to Him, He looked on me, And we were one forever.

What prevents the unsaved from coming to Christ and the saved from following Him in faith? MISPLACED TRUST
man Vs.

GOD

The dangers to you in believing the false gospel of righteousness by works

V.2

You wont value Christ as you should, and therefore, can not receive the benefits from Him that He gives ONLY to the

believing heart

Galatians 5:2-3 (MSG)

2-3I

am emphatic about this. The moment any

one of you submits to circumcision or any other

rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is

squandered. I repeat my warning: The person

who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.

The dangers to you in believing the false gospel of righteousness by works

V. 3

In Christs Kingdom, you cannot work to save part of your life, and trust Christ with the rest.

Your best effort can never be enough to make up for a fundamental deficiency of Christ in your heart. Your relationship with HIM must become the most precious possession of your heart. And if you continue to look for His blessings based on comparing yourself to others, or your claim on His attentions is based on doing the best that you can, then THAT literally and really is the standard by which youre living. And it will NEVER be enough.

The dangers to you in believing the false gospel of righteousness by works

V.4

Severance from Christ, leading to a falling away from grace.

How would you describe a person who has been exposed to the gracious truth of the

gospel and then turned his back on living by faith in Christ?

We must see this verse in the context, or end up believing that by any momentary digression from living by faith, you are once again eternally damned.

As in earlier passages from Galatians, both the title Christ and the word Law represent two opposing ways of life
The way of life in Christ The way of life

is only by grace through faith.

under the law is slavery to its impossible demands on human performance.

Fallen from grace and severed from Christ are about losing ones grip on a

fundamental principle of life in Christ (it can only be lived by faith), and then in experience drifting further and further away from knowing personally the depth of His love for you and the freedom of living your life His way by the Holy Spirit.

In repentance, we turn from...

How well am I doing? to How thankful I am for what

Christ is doing in my life to fill me with His love and help me to walk His way of righteousness by faith.

Lord, grant me a joyful heart and a holy sense of humor. Please give me the gift of faith to be renewed and shared with others each day. Teach me to live this moment only, looking neither to the past with regret, nor to the future with apprehension.

Let love be my aim and my life a prayer.

Roseann Alexander-Isham