Yes, the entire context of Paul's letter to the Galatians is to counteract the false gospel of law and works rather than the true gospel of grace. Oncea believer realizes that, then they can understand the argument the apostle makes in Galatians 3:1-14. Here is a literal translation--
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as having been crucified? 2 I wish only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed also in vain? 5 Therefore, the One supplying to you the Spirit and working miracles among you, is it out of works of the Law, or out of hearing of faith?
6 So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 7 Know then that those of faith, these are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, having foreseen that God justifies the Gentiles by faith, foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then, those of faith are blessed along with the believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of works of the Law are under a curse, for it has been written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue all things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, because “The righteous will live by faith.” 12 But the Law is not of faith. Rather, “The one having done these things will live by them.”
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us —for it has been written: “Cursed is everyone hanging on a tree”— 14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
We are truly saved and kept by simple faith in what Christ did at Calvary, not by anyth I'm ng we do. And for those who think there must be more, Scripture says this--
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard ... (Colossians 1:21-23a).
This passage in Colossians lays out the entire contract between God and man: it clearly states that God will present us holy and blameless and without reproach in His sight IF we hold fast to the gospel. And what is the gospel? That Jesus died for our sins and raised from the dead and that by believing this we are given eternal life. As it says in Colossians 1:12-13, speaking of what was accomplished by Christ's sacrifice for us--
"God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Delivered, translated, redeemed, forgiven ... God did it . And He did it for us through Jesus. All we need to do is accept it. And once we have truly accepted it, it is ours forever. There are no conditions, other than accepting His salvation. Nothing we can add. Acceptance, by committing our minds to believe, is the only part we play in the entire transaction.
Yes, unfortunately due to our inherent sin nature (the "old man" as Paul termed it), we sin regularly-- either through commission, omission or thoughts and attitudes. The daily ccontinuing struggle of trying to avoid such things --in other words the burden of trying to live up to the law of perfection (for anything less than perfection is unacceptable)-- was a very heavy one. Jesus exposed this and offered something far better-- HIS yoke (Matthew 11:28-30). This is the good news of the gospel: it has all been done for us. As the great Christian John Bunyan said 400 years ago: "Run, John, run the law commands, but gives me neither feet not hands. A better thing the gospel brings-- it bids me fly and gives me wings."
There is nothing more sad than a blood-bought Christian trying to be holy by his own efforts. When God said that we must be holy even as He is Holy (Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16 and many other verses) He knew there was only one way for us to be holy-- by being identified fully with Christ's perfection...which we receive by faith alone in HIS finished work alone.
This ties to Hebrews 4 where the writer speaks of entering into God's rest (that is to say the rest that God provides) and ceasing from our own efforts. If you do an in-depth study of this, you will recognize this truth is given in type in the story of the Israelites finally entering the Promised Land. Contrary to popular belief, the Promised Land is not heaven. The Promised Land in the Bible is described as having enemies in it and trials to undergo. The Bible is clear there will be none of that in Heaven. When we cease striving to keep the law that tells us what sin is and not to engage in it but instead cease striving and rest in Christ's finished and all sufficient work on the Cross, we enter into His rest here on earth and there find that His burden is indeed light and His yoke is indeed easy.
The doctrine of sinless perfection (to which I am certain we all aspire and long for) is, sadly, erroneous. It finds its roots in human thinking, our own longing, and a misunderstanding of scripture. We do sin, whether we plan to or not. As Paul describes his experience in Romans 7:14-25, it is the result of the conflict within us between the Spirit and our flesh. We may be strong in our spirit, but our flesh is weak. Yet Christ sets us free from this conflict by removing the Law which leads us to Him and replacing it with Himself as the fulfillment of the Law. As we see in Romans 8:1-13 ...
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1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
"5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
"9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
"12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
As you prayerfully study this important passage, do not miss verse 13. It is key. We do not put to death the misdeeds --the failings, the falling short of God's standards, in other words the sins-- of our body by our own efforts. It is done BY THE HOLY SPIRIT ... as we daily learn more of Him, and continually (though perhaps sometimes imperfectly) seek to obey Him. This is true growth in Christ; and is why the fruit of Christ-likeness in us is not referred to as our fruit, but as the fruit of the Spirit.
Anyway, I just wanted to step in to this discussion and correct any potential misunderstand on this topic. What Christ has wrought for us is wonderful beyond measure ... and, for many people, also beyond belief. We are raised to believe that in order to gain something we must do something. But that is the world's way, not God's. Sadly, some believers cannot accept that it just does not lie in them to do ANYTHING to gain a single thing from God. There is nothing we can do to please God. The entire Bible is testimony to the fact that we are not able, but He is. And I'm Christ we are made b not just acceptable but children, loved and promised everything we do not deserve ... everything that Christ has won. How awesome is that??? Glory to His Name!!!
