I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.
— Galatians 2:21 —
Dmitry C. | Russia
Have you tried to justify yourself? We can do this to ourselves, one another, our bosses, our children—even God. The desire to justify self is ingrained in the very nature of sinners, and virtually every religion banks on an effort to keep certain rules to achieve justification. Unfortunately, even those who have believed in Christ can at times live out their sanctification in works-righteousness behavior. When you sin or when you see yourself as more obedient than others, turn to the text of Galatians 2:21 for course correction. In Galatians 2:21, God protects us from horrific self-deception. He wants to put an end to our imagining that we can be justified by the Law (instead of Christ), even in the smallest measure and even if we try hard. He wants to seal off every passageway that leads us astray into false hope, because He desires to keep us on the one true path. Can it be stated any clearer than “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly”? Unfortunately, even though I affirm this truth, I am regularly tempted to feel more justified because of my performance. When I’ve sinned, instead of repenting and believing in the righteousness of Christ, I catch myself simply trying to do something biblical in order to feel better. I attempt to justify myself and do not notice how that devalues Christ. When you sin or when you see yourself as more obedient than others, turn to the text of Galatians 2:21 for course correction. Direct others to do the same. Let us beware of devaluing the sacrifice of Christ and attributing too much importance to ourselves. Justification before God is too difficult a matter to be accomplished by us. Christ alone is our righteousness.
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