Daily Devotional for Wednesday, July 13

Justified by Faith—Not Law

Here’s a one-day challenge: keep the Ten Commandments perfectly for one day. No coveting, lying, stealing or lustful thoughts. Remember, Jesus said that lusting after a woman is equal to committing adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28). This does not even mention having no other gods or creating idols for yourself. I think you might be more guilty of breaking these than you will admit. Oh, and the Ten Commandments are just the introduction to the complete Law of God. As Paul tells us in his sermon at Antioch of Pisidia, “Ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). 

No one is justified by the Law (Romans 3:20), but the impossibility of being justified by the Law is remedied by being justified by faith in Jesus Christ (verses 22-24). I am baffled by people who still insist that one must do or be something to earn God’s salvation. How many times does God’s Word have to tell someone that it is impossible to earn salvation, that it is completely by His grace, His gift, based only on the merits of Jesus Christ? 

Why would anyone want to earn something that is given freely? My only answer is pride. Pride, which is the original sin, gets in the way of people accepting salvation freely. They want to earn it so they can take credit for it. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (verses 27, 28). 

Thought: We cannot earn salvation, but God gives it freely to those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Phillip Miller