But now beginning with Paul's Gospel it's faith + Nothing. Most
people are with the question "Faith + Nothing?" Hey 95% of Christendom
doesn't hear that. And 98% of Christianity says, "It's Faith + something." But Paul says it's faith + nothing for salvation.
Now we're not talking about the Christian experience as we go on down
the road. Or the beginnings of our first estate into which God places us when first we are converted and receive redemption through the receipt of the Holy Spirit's first deposit. We're talking about salvation here, it's faith + nothing. If
it isn't then Christ died for nothing, and that's what Paul says, when
he said then He died in vain. What the true mystery is is that at the
time of conversion, when we first accept the fact that we've been born a
sinner. Then repented of the works of our flesh from our natural birth
to that moment, we become converted, saved or redeemed. When this is an action of
our acknowledging (usually with our mind first) that Jesus took upon Him
my nature as received from fallen Adam. At that moment God places me in
the first estate from which the nation of Israel was to have passed or
come out of but has not, that being under the Law of Moses. At that same
moment we receive the Holy Spirit which the nation of Israel never had
and it is He how begins the process of training and teaching us in the
ways of God to bring us to Christ, the day star, just as Israel had to the point of
crisis. This we've called the first blessing as we're given the gift of
the Holy Spirit as our helper and comforter while in the tutor or corral
of the first blessing. Now verse 2.
Galatians 3:2
"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit (The Holy Spirit, again the evidence of their conversion into redemption the fruit of Grace in their hearts) by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
Speaking of the hearing of faith, come back to Romans chapter 10 for a
moment because we've got to keep comparing scripture with scripture. Now
this is just simple little verse.
Romans 10:17
"So then faith (saving faith) cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Now
saving faith comes by works? No. By what? Hearing. Now there's no work
in hearing, and that's how trusting and believing faith comes. By Hearing! We contemplated it. We
recognize that Christ died for me and rose from the dead, and that's all
we need. And we believe it, and by believing it then we are receiving
the benefit and begin listening to the Word of God. Remember all
faith is is taking God at His Word. God said it and I believe it, by my
believing I receive its benefits and God recognizes it, and on the
basis of that He moves in and does everything that needs to be done.
That which only He can do as we take our hand from the plows handle and
trust Him to teach and to guide us through. Now that's simplification,
and many people can't buy salvation being that easy, but we can't help
that. The scriptures says, "That it's by faith and not the works of the
Law." And those who remain in the works of the Law are still under the
curse even though the Lord Christ took the curse to the cross and nailed
it there. The curse is anathema because their placing themselves above
God and His revealed Will. Now back to Galatians 3. In verse 3 it's the
same thing only in a little different wording. And why would God repeat
this? Repetition. Repetition is the mother of learning.
Galatians 3:3
"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, (the work of the Holy Spirit which generates salvation because of their faith) are ye now made perfect (or made right with God) by the flesh?" Or the letter of the Law which we've found out only kills. Now
what's the flesh a reference to? The Law. The Law was fleshly, it was
weak, it was beggarly it only dealt with the external or material world
throughout the priesthood of Aaron's sons of Levy. Let's look at that in
Romans chapter 7.
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