Galatians 3:5-6
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Tag: Performance or Faith
What is Paul saying here? He is answering this question: Does God bless me because of my performance or my belief in Him? Too many people, even believers, believe that their acceptance by God comes from "performance" and not "faith" in Christ. We live in a performance based society. We believe that those who perform the greatest should be rewarded the most. It is hard to avoid "performance anxiety" in our lives. We tend to even have a desire to perform. We were created to "do good works," so we do have this propensity to want to achieve. Yet, in the above verse and in this section of Galatians Paul is making the point that we are NOT accepted by God based upon our performance. There were some in the early church who you were teaching that you had to believe in Christ AND keep the Old Testament Laws. To dispel this, Paul gives the example of Abraham. Abraham was blessed by God. He was blessed by God, BEFORE, The Law was even given. Therefore, how could obedience to the Law bring blessing. God "supplies the Spirit" to us (which is our power source) not by "Performing" but by "believing". This is an odd thought in our human mind ... especially in a performance based society. How can simple "belief" bring blessing? Belief is "trust" in God's Word. It is when we completely Trust God via Faith that He brings blessing. The blessing is NOT like the world's rewards. God's Blessings are not piles of money and an easy life. God's Blessings are the power of the Spirit in our lives to endure the evilness of this world. Faith trumps performance!!!
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