August 28, 2025 | Be God's Family
Faith Alone
Scripture: Galatians 2:15-16 (NIV)
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Devotional
Growing up, my father was an Indiana State Police Commander, and he impressed upon me the importance of following the law. God forbid a policeman’s daughter would ever get caught doing something they shouldn’t! I was expected to toe the line – and I did! So, I can relate to those Jewish believers in Galatia who had been taught all their lives the importance of following the law. But now, this man named Paul was saying that the ONLY thing necessary for salvation is faith in Jesus. They were probably thinking “Yahweh forbid we should abandon the Torah! Following the law will not save us? What? That can’t be right!” This would have been difficult for them to accept.
Paul was arguing for sola fide – a Latin phrase meaning “justification by faith alone”. It’s a central belief of most Protestant denominations. No one can earn their way to heaven by obeying the law and following the rules. Faith is truly the only requirement for salvation – we should not add anything to it.
But the Galatians were also hearing from the Judaizers. They held that Gentile believers MUST be required to follow Jewish law to achieve salvation. In their view, Paul’s teaching of justification by faith alone would lead to chaos and disorder. The laws under debate were primarily Biblical laws that were important to Jewish identity – circumcision, dietary laws and sabbath observance. For instance, it was forbidden for Jews to share meals with Gentiles because Gentiles didn’t follow Jewish dietary laws. When Peter first came to the area, he participated in these shared meals. But after being criticized by followers of James, Peter relented and refused to take part. Paul chastised Peter claiming that he had not upheld the truth of the Gospel. So, there was the debate.
Paul is not saying that we should ignore the law completely. In his letter to the Romans he states, “the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good” (Romans 7:12). The law is a tool we can use to align ourselves with biblical standards of behavior. It helps us to discern right from wrong. It guards us from sin. Doesn’t it seem that human beings function better when there are laws or rules in place? We like structure. We like guidelines. It’s sometimes easier for us to live by rules than by faith which is intangible. But Paul is saying that, even though the law is important, it’s not the way to salvation or justification. “The law cannot save us, but it can guide us to live as God requires.” (Life Application Study Bible)
How are you more focused on rules than simply sola fide?
Poem
Faith Above Law
Psalm 121
The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121: 7-8
It is the Lord who saves you
Who keeps you from all harm
It is your faith which keeps you
Full nestled in His arms
True, Law can give you guidance
True, Law can light your way
But faith alone in Christ alone
Brings each one to the day
When we delight in true life
When we live in the light
When we do fully know true love
And in the Lord delight
So bind God’s word within you
And meditate on truth
But realize it is by faith
Christ’s love your soul will soothe
Then glory to the Father
And glory to the Son
And glory to the Spirit true
Our God, the three in one
