September 13, 2024 – suggested reading: Galatians 2:1-16

“But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.” Galatians 2:4-10

What is the truth of the gospel? Martin Luther wrote, “Now the truth of the gospel is, that our righteousness comes by faith alone, without the works of the law.  The corruption, or the falsehood of the gospel is, that we are justified by faith, but not without the works of the law.” Phil Newton comments that “There are plenty who say they believe in being justified by faith, but they refuse to qualify that with “by faith alone”. To this we must stand firm as Lutherans — we need to look at other teachings and not flinch. I agree with Martin Luther, “For a true and steadfast faith must lay hold upon nothing, but Christ alone, and in the terrors of conscience it hath nothing else to lean upon, but this diamond Christ Jesus”.

Paul never budged from his position of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Paul says he absolutely did not yield to assaults on the integrity of the message that one is to believe in order to be saved. Our faith does not depend on our own understanding or right knowledge — it depends on Grace. And all our works are a response to this faith.

Pastor Dave