Daily Walk Through the New Testament

December 19

Read Galatians 1:18-2:21

It is possible for any believer, even someone as strong and faithful as Peter was, to fall prey to undercutting the gospel. Paul had to correct his fellow apostle because Peter had fallen back into the pressure of religion and keeping the law. By God’s grace, Peter responded to this correction and returned to living out the true gospel, salvation by faith in Jesus alone — not the law.
We, too, can live by faith in other things, even religious things. Though disciplines like reading the Scriptures, praying, serving, and sharing our story of grace are all godly practices, they alone cannot justify us before God — only Jesus can. We should use every spiritual practice at our disposal, but we must be careful not to trust in those practices as an end in themselves. They are a vehicle that moves us toward our true goal — building our faith in the Faithful One. Keep the growth of your faith relationship with Jesus your goal.