July 29, 2025

ARE YOU MIXING GRACE WITH LAW?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.”

Galatians 2:17-18 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

Paul is continuing his rebuke of Peter, reminding him (and us) of the true foundation of the gospel: we are made right with God through faith in Christ alone—not by keeping the law.

In context, Peter had pulled away from eating with Gentile believers to please a group of Jewish Christians who still insisted on obeying the Mosaic Law. Paul calls this hypocrisy and addresses the deeper theological danger: mixing grace with law.

Some Jewish believers (often called Judaizers) were teaching that salvation comes from faith in Jesus plus obedience to the law. Paul is warning: if we say we need both Jesus and the law to be saved, then we’re denying the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross.

Paul pushes back against the argument that removing the law will encourage sin. In verse 17, he says, essentially: “If people say we’re sinning because we abandoned the law and trusted in Christ instead, are they accusing Christ of leading us into sin? Of course not!” The problem isn’t with Christ—it’s with going back to the law after being set free by grace.

If I rebuild what I once tore down (i.e., returning to the law as a means of righteousness), then I make myself a transgressor. The sin isn’t in trusting grace—the sin is in going back to a system that never saved you in the first place.

Application: Then and Now

This wasn’t just a first-century issue—it’s still a modern struggle. Human nature craves control. We want lists, rules, and systems we can measure ourselves (and others) by. But grace dismantles that.

Grace removes judgment from our hands and places righteousness in God’s. Not based on my list or your standards but based on faith in Christ alone.

The result? I stop playing the judge.

I stop measuring people by appearances, performance, or traditions.

Instead, I see others as deeply loved by God, trusting Him to do the work of righteousness in their lives—just as He’s doing in mine.

Personal Reflection

Your responsibility is to put your faith in the grace of God for your own salvation—and then let that grace flow through you into the way you live, think, and relate to others.

It is not law that transforms us—but grace.

It is not rules that purify the heart—but the Spirit of God working through faith.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, help me to understand Your grace more fully. Let me receive it deeply in my life—and just as freely, give it to others. Help me trust in Your transforming power instead of relying on my performance or judgment. Amen.

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