ESTABLISHING OUR FAITH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

[Albert Finch]

Performance is a very hard taskmaster. In fact, under performance we can never do enough. For us to believe that God only loves us or approves of us because of what we DO for Him rather than WHOSE we are, is to actually demonstrate that what Christ did on the Cross is of no effect! In other words, we are believing that His death and the shedding of His Blood was not enough to place us in right-standing with God.

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing – if it really was for nothing? Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: 'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Galatians 3:1-6

RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD

We will never be righteous due to anything we do for God. Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ which covers us makes us righteous. This is why in Galatians 3:1, Paul was concerned that they seemed to have tossed aside the finished work of Christ and were back into the old belief system that involved the Law and performance. If they were truly doing this then they were negating what occurred on the Cross!

FOOLISH AND BEWICHED

Paul pointed out that the Galatians had become "foolish." He asked them if they received the Spirit by observing the law or believing what that had "heard." We remember how faith in God comes – by hearing and hearing the Word (Romans 10:17).
We "believe" because we "hear," and not because of what we do! What we do for God does not make us righteous, nor does it cause our faith to become established.
Our relationship with Him establishes our faith and our righteousness is only due to the fact that when Christ shed His Blood, we, therefore, became righteous.
Notice that Paul asked the Galatians who had "bewitched" them. This word means "cast a spell," (over them) or "fascinated" (them). Fascination and sensationalism are closely linked. All too often Christians like to be entertained.

When Jesus died on the Cross, He provided the fullness of sozo -- a Greek word meaning not only salvation, but also healing, deliverance, provision and all that Heaven offers! Yet, if our relationship with God is somewhat superficial (meaning we want the sensation without the relation (relationship), we fall short of receiving what we need from God because we really don't know how to believe for His best!

SELF-FOCUSED MENTALITIES

It is easy to become self-focused rather than God-focused -- we focus on what we need rather than the One Who shed His Blood to provide what is needed.

Matthew 6:33 says that we are to "...seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."
We are to seek FIRST God's Kingdom and "His" righteousness.
This means that we are not righteous without Him and that we are to seek His righteousness – this is clearly stating that we cannot be righteous due to our performance or religious works, but only righteous due to Christ's righteousness.
Secondly, when we do this "first," then "all" things are added to us. The term "all" in this passage refers to everything we need is already accomplished due to the finished work of Christ!
We need not perform any longer believing that this makes us a better person or that God will bless us because of what we do. No! It means whatever we need is already done – at the Cross!

To "plead the Blood" with faith of all that Christ did on our behalf will release the demonstration and power of God!

Noah, upon coming out of the ark after the Flood, made a sacrifice to God immediately upon stepping onto the land.
This is symbolic of our going to baptize our Promised Land (our DESTINY in Christ) by recalling what Jesus accomplished at the Cross In other words, when we recognize what Christ did and that we are righteous due to His Blood, it empowers us to take our Promised Land!

When we believe the "Glory of the Lord" is His finished work we can say -- "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Let us rise up and declare the power that is in the Blood! And, know that TODAY is our day that God will provide for our every need!

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