Psalm 119.1-8, Judges 14.1-20, Galatians 3.1-22 - Lectionary for 7/14/11

Today's readings are Psalm 119.1-8, Judges 14.1-20, and Galatians 3.1-22.

Yesterday we read about Peter succumbing to the very natural human desire to be bound by the Law rather than to follow the Gospel. Paul continues today to talk with the Galatians about that very same tendency. I think it's a tendency that is universal in the fallen human race. We all seem to want to work out our salvation on our own terms, being the mediator of the covenant we choose, doing what is right in our own eyes. We want to be the judge, jury, and executioner, and to prove ourselves right every time. This is not what God has appointed. He has appointed that salvation is by grace through faith and that we maintain that salvation by God's grace, not by our own works. The law which requires us to do works to be saved becomes a curse to all of us. We simply can't keep that law. But Christ's act of becoming a curse for us frees us from the curse of the Law.

Let us live by the Gospel rather than die by the Law.