Sign In
Store
The law was our guardian until Christ came. Galatians 3:24
D.L. MOODY
Doctrines are like a street that leads me to God, just as a city street might lead me to a friend’s house for dinner. Doctrine shows me the right path, but if I remain on the street, my hunger will never be satisfied. Feeding on doctrines alone is like trying to live on dry husks; doctrine points the way, but it is not the end of the journey. Lean indeed must be the soul which will not partake of the Bread sent down from heaven.
ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, doctrine is intended to lead us to Christ. In today’s text, Paul emphasized that the law was not an end in itself, but rather points us to Christ. One day, William Randolph Hearst who loved paintings, insisted on having a certain work of art. His employees were asked to search for it and he would pay whatever the price might be. After several weeks he was told, “We have found what you want, and you don’t have to pay a single dime for it.” He was surprised. They said, “We found it in your own warehouse.”
We have the riches of Christ already in our possession. In Galatians, Paul keeps underscoring that we are not justified by the works of the law but by faith. Throughout the book, he keeps clarifying that the law was only a path, it was not the end of the journey. We are to walk in grace. We take strides against the devil in grace. We receive joy and hope through the grace given to us in Christ. To put it simply: The grace that saves us is the grace that keeps us.
So, again and again, we run to the only Person who is able to save us amid our need—Jesus Christ. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Our “warehouse” is filled with the riches of Christ.
PRAYER
Father, help me to enter the grace given to me in Christ; teach me to claim the riches I already have in Him.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read James 2:10. Why is it that no one can be saved through the law?What is the role of grace in the Christian life? What is the role of Grace in your life?