Grace Alone

Opening

As Paul says...

Galatians 3:7–9 (ESV)

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

No hidden fees…no interest…no required duties or responsibilities...

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Why?

Because any strings attached…is not good news to humanity…because humanity cannot live up to its end of the bargain.

Closing

Paul knows that…that’s why he attacks this idea so prevalent in his day…it is has been prevalent in the church sense the church was born on that first Pentecost...

Its almost as if…unless we have something to ‘add’ or something to “do”…to be good with God…then we aren’t satisfied...

A popular thing for American’s to say is “Oh, I don’t want to take any handouts from the government” or “I pulled myself by my bootstraps…so that’s what you should do to.”

In other words…hard work…is how the achieve anything worthwhile in our lives and in this world...

Which is actually true…it does take hard work…to achieve anything worthwhile with your life and in this world…but...

That’s because we live in a fallen world…its is not the way it’s supposed to be…the hard work of our lives is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin…of wanting to be like God…to know what God knows…

Genesis 3:17–19 (ESV)

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Paul tries to make it very clear in the book of Galatians…when it comes to spiritual things…spiritual work…Jesus Christ…has done it all…