Christ Church

Standing firm in true Christian freedom means rejecting every form of self-justification—whether through prideful entitlement or despairing unworthiness—and instead receiving the full benefits of Christ by faith. Paul warns that to rely on any part of the law obligates one to keep the whole law, cutting oneself off from grace. Justification cannot be earned; it must be received as a gift. Those who belong to Christ eagerly wait for ...

Galatians 4 shows that both legalism and idolatry are forms of spiritual slavery that reject the freedom found in Christ. Paul uses the image of a child-heir under a guardian to illustrate that, before faith, people are enslaved to “elementary principles”—whether the Jewish law or pagan gods. But when Christ came, he redeemed us, adopted us, and sent his Spirit into our hearts so that we cry “Abba, Father.” Christians are not slave...

God’s promise to Abraham was a gift of grace, not something earned through effort. When the law came centuries later, it didn’t cancel or replace that promise—it revealed just how much we need it. The law exposed our sin and humbled us, like a stern tutor preparing us for the arrival of Christ. But now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the law—we are adopted as God’s children through faith, fully loved and fully accepted...

Justification with God comes not by law-keeping or moral performance but by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Paul shows that all who rely on works are under a curse because no one perfectly keeps God's law. But God gave Abraham righteousness through faith before the law or circumcision, and that same blessing—peace with God and his abiding presence—is extended to Jew and Gentile alike. Christ redeems sinners from the curse by becoming ...

In Galatians 3:1–6, Paul confronts the Galatians for drifting from the gospel of grace, reminding them that they received the Spirit not by works but by “hearing with faith.” This sermon emphasizes that the Christian life—both its beginning and its continuation—is entirely dependent on God’s grace, received through faith. Good works are not the cause of salvation, but the result of it. Christians must resist the temptation to rely ...

This passage comes at the end of Paul’s bold defense of the gospel of grace—that we are justified by faith, not by works of the law. It’s an audacious claim, and it raises the question: if salvation is by grace, does it matter how we live? Paul’s answer is deeply personal and theologically rich. The Christian life begins with death: “I have been crucified with Christ.” The old self—the one that lived as its own reference point—has ...

Paul confronts Peter for acting in a way that misrepresents the gospel, reminding us that justification is by faith in Christ alone—not by works or law-keeping. When we misuse God’s law as a means of righteousness, we not only mislead others but also obscure the good news of grace. The law functions like a mirror, showing our need for Christ, while only Christ can make us righteous. Justification is a gift received, not earned or m...

Some troublemakers had infiltrated the churches in Galatia, and they were spreading a non-gospel — specifically, they said that if you wanted to be saved, you needed to obey the Law of Moses. Conversely, Paul had taught the true gospel: that salvation comes through Jesus’ obedience, not ours. To undermine his teaching, they attacked his credentials as an apostle and questioned the source of his gospel. Today, we need to know: can w...

Instead of opening this letter to the Galatian churches with a thanksgiving for them — as Paul normally does — he begins by stating that he is astonished that they are so quickly deserting Jesus. The Galatians didn’t think that they had deserted Jesus! But Paul labors for Christ formed in them through the book of Galatians by demonstrating that departing from true gospel doctrine is deserting Jesus himself. In these first handful o...

Jesus commissioned his apostles (sent ones) to bring his testimony to us — who who haven’t seen the Risen Jesus. Our faith does not come by sight, then, but by hearing. As we hear and receive Scripture’s testimony about who God is and what he’s done for us, we are receiving the very word of Christ, and thereby offered the gift of eternal life. Not by our righteousness, but by his grace; our mere faith is counted by him as righteous...

The first day of creation, God spoke light into the darkness. John 20 brings us to the first day of New Creation, when the Light of the World was brought forth from the darkness of death. And just as the first creation story culminates in Adam meeting his bride, so this New Creation story shows us Jesus and his Bride — the Church.

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