To put this verse in today’s vernacular, you can listen to 99 sermons on the amazing grace of God and the finished work of Christ and yet if the 100th sermon preached is a message on your performance and law keeping, the message of those 99 sermons is lost! Our flesh is turned on by the law. A lump of dough needs leaven to rise. The amount of leaven added in proportion to the dough is so little that it can go unnoticed. But the presence of leaven in that lump of dough is obvious after a while when the dough rises. Likewise, self righteousness can go totally unnoticed until it manifests itself in the form of condemnation. What usually starts off as a good work like praying or reading the Bible can turn into dead work if our mind is not renewed to this gospel of grace.
This was the problem with the Galatian church. Paul writes this verse in his letter to the Galatians. This church was started off on the foundation of Christ and His finished work. They were saved by the preaching of grace by Paul. When Paul left and let other preachers take over this church, they went from faith back to the works of the law. This letter from Paul contains some of his harshest rebukes in contrast to all of his other epistles. There is genuine concern in Paul’s anger. To stop trusting in the grace of God that gives freely and to trusting in one’s self efforts is to insult the finished work of Christ!
Why is this so important? You may say that you’re still saved whether you believed in grace or your self efforts. The truth is you’re still saved but living a defeated life! Because all that Christ died to give you freely becomes of no effect when you trust in your self effort! Most believers live below the quality life that Jesus intended for them because of condemnation. Every time you are conscious of your performance, condemnation creeps in like a little leaven. This little condemnation can translate into fear, stress and other physical ailments. What started off as a little leaven can ruin the whole lump! Whenever you believe Jesus to bless, you are not sure if He wants to heal you or prosper you. Instead of speaking in faith you speak doubt and unbelief!
Folks, we are saved by grace and we live by grace. His finished work is our finished work! Jesus has become our righteousness, our new identity! Keep yourself renewed to this truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ especially when you “want” to feel guilty or condemned. Of course, this is where it really matters – to know that you are STILL the righteousness of God in spite of that sin, that addiction, that weakness, that temper and you know what? The longer you believe your perfection in Christ, that perfection manifests in your life! Rest in His finished work and trust His grace, all is well!
Revelation of Grace Ministries 