Gracious Father, we are incredibly grateful that our eternal hope along with our on-going sanctification is dependent upon Christ alone. When you called us out of darkness into a relationship with Christ, we brought nothing to the bargaining table. Justification and sanctification are an unmerited gift.
We confess, after depending upon Christ alone, we are apt to be duped into resorting to fleshly effort to attempt to live holy lives. It is our futile effort to abstain from doing things you prohibit or attempt to do things you prescribe. This powerless fleshly effort turns us away from Christ and results in frustration, doubt, guilt, and eventual hopelessness in our lives. If we lead out of fleshly legalism, we point people away from Christ and create bondage and brokenness in their lives.
Your word teaches that through the law we died to the law so that we might live for God.
Father don’t let us be foolish. We know Jesus was crucified, died, and rose from the dead to defeat sin and death. It was through him alone that we were justified, adopted, and are now being sanctified.
Lord Jesus, we ponder our motivations that lead us to think we can add anything of a fleshly nature to the finished work of Christ. It seems that sometimes this pathway is unfortunately traveled by us when we fall into the trap of thinking after initially trusting Christ by grace alone for justification, we, not knowing any better, resort to self-effort for our sanctification. At other times, we confess we fall into other prideful traps. Holy Spirit, convict us if our motivation is an attempt to appease or please you out of prideful arrogance believing we have some spiritual goodness to add to the work of the cross. Convict us if our motivation is driven by a belief that we must pay penitence by demonstrating some form of self-abasing actions to add to Christ’s work. Lord Jesus, to rely upon you alone is to confess absolute depravity and to give up complete control. If pride or control is our ill-conceived motivation, convict us and bestow upon us humility and dependence for not only justification, but our sanctification.
These and other motivations are the work of our flesh. We confess we find it easy to abandon our utter dependence in Christ and foolishly choose to buy back into a religious mindset.
Oh Father! Protect us from straying into these futile waters. Remind us that when we add anything to grace, we destroy the message and freedom of the gospel. Keep us centered on Christ and the resurrection power which is in no way, no form, or fashion a religion. It is a relationship: a relationship with you Father through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is what we were created for. This is what we long for. This is what was lost because of sin. This is what Christ died to restore: Intimate, empowering, life-giving relationship with our mighty Creator through faith in Christ alone for his glory.
In Christ,
Blessings!
Galatians 2:19
19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
Galatians 3:1-3
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?