February 26, 2026 |
Have you ever tried to earn something that was meant to be received as a gift? For many people, that’s how they see the Ten Commandments, or the “Ten Words” as they are called in Jewish tradition. They see them like a ladder to climb in order to reach God. But what if the commandments
October 8, 2017 | Galatians 3:15-25 |
That our freedom and salvation depend on God’s promise, not our performance is good news to those who know they are enslaved by sin and want to be set free, but it is challenging news to those who either feel they are already good enough or don’t agree with the Bible’s morality. Since they don’t recognize themselves as a sinner, they don’t feel any need for a Savior.
It is this tension between grace and law, promise and performance, that Paul addresses most clearly today. In chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul taught the Galatian churches that while God’s law had its purpose and place, salvation had always depended on God’s promise, not human performance. It is only by believing God’s promise that we are saved and set free.
February 21, 2014 |
“Why then the law?” (Galatians 3:19a ESV). “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8 ESV). Last week, we started a new sermon series through Paul’s first epistle to Timothy. We encountered a phrase in 1 Timothy 1:8 about the “lawful” use of the law. Apparently, the