By Faith

Thank goodness our standing with God is based on faith and not our obedience to the law. Many Jews believed you could only be a Christian if you were circumcised and then started following the law. Paul was trying to knock that out. He says that Abraham, that father of the Jewish nation, was accepted by God long before he was circumcised! Why was he accepted? Because of his faith! Therefore Abraham is the spiritual father of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

We really have to choose between trying to come to God by our obedience to the law and coming to God in faith. If we can perfectly obey the law, then we really don't need faith or forgiveness, because we will have earned our way into heaven, much like we earn our paycheck from work. The problem is, if you break the law even once you've blown it. The other problem is we all break the law every day! So we are in desperate need of forgiveness! A relationship with God isn't something that we've earned or even deserve.

This is the whole reason Jesus came! To take our punishment for breaking the law and make it possible for us to have a relationship with God based on faith. That is why His coming was such good news! There is only one way to be forgiven, through the death of Jesus. Faith is something that is available to all people. Therefore, a relationship with God isn't just for a select few, but something that is open to everyone. That is good news!

Enjoy the Journey