The Gift of Life
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 3:12 and 2 Corinthians 3:4–6
Series: Comments on Galatians
My boast is in Christ alone. I do not magnify myself being a Lutheran, nor in being called a pastor, nor especially, in any religious works I might do. Were all these things stripped of me, I would still be a sinner in need of God’s grace. With all these things intact, I am still a sinner. Religious deeds would not change that fact, nor would being a Lutheran pastor. I still need Christ who is not apprehended by denomination, call, or good works.
Christ is the Father’s gift to me, a gift apprehended through faith alone. Without faith in Christ, I am dead. The law makes this certain because I cannot keep the law that would bring me life. Thus, the law that would give me life, delivers a death blow. Again, I am left with faith, faith in a gift. As soon as I depend upon anything other than God’s gift, nothing but death awaits me. So, I must daily divest myself of the law’s baggage, relying upon God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is life in him alone. This is God’s gift to those who believe.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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