Down-to-Earth Spirituality: Live By Faith (Gal. 3:1-14)                                                             2008.07.13    Pastor Richard Yu  

The Apostle Paul teaches that being spiritual is being influenced and shaped by the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. To live spiritually is to live a life in, and by, the Holy Spirit; furthermore, living the life in the Spirit means living out Christ-likeness as loving servanthood in the community in the power of the Spirit.

Paul’s primary concern for the believers in the churches in Galatia is not how they begin the new life in Christ but rather how to maintain such life. Paul recognizes that, in the course of living out the life in Christ, if the believer adds the works of the law to faith in Christ Jesus, he finally puts his confidence in the observance of the law rather than in the saving works of Christ. This is made clear by his rhetorical question: “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (3:3).

With his emphasis on the use of phrases “believe, by believing, by faith” (vv. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14), and “by observing the law, by human efforts, do” (vv. 2, 3, 5, 10, 13), Paul sets up a sharp contrast between the life in Christ by faith or by the works of the law (v. 12). Furthermore, Paul clearly present the crucial role the Holy Spirit plays in all this (vv. 2, 3, 5, 14) – in not only bringing about the new life to the believers because of their faith, but also empowering them to continue in this new life by faith alone.

By nature man tends to be legalistic; he thinks as long as he follows certain rules or codes and lives a moral life he’ll be okay and be acceptable to God. With this kind of tendency how might believers live by faith in their day-to-day lives? Let me offer a few thoughts on this:

For one, we need to be very careful to avoid the inclination or the temptation to equate spirituality with a certain standard; or to measure spirituality by certain man-made rules. We need to be very careful guarding against using proof texts or taking a legalistic approach that turns biblical principles into rigid rules.  Not that rules are inherently wrong, nor believers are entirely free of any duties and obligations; but as soon as you think you’ve pinned down what life in the Spirit is all about; as soon as you think you’ve obtained the secret to life in the Spirit; as soon as certain rules or qualities become labels by which to judge others’ action, you’re perhaps setting yourself up for another fall.

Two, to live by faith is to allow ourselves to be conformed to the likeness of Christ by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2). It is to actively participate in God’s on-going restoration of this fallen world by the works of the Holy Spirit. It is to look at Jesus, to fix our eyes upon Jesus – the object of our faith. When we see that Jesus embraced lepers, that’s a reason and motivation for us to embrace and help the outcasts of the society. When we see Jesus embraced Samaritans, that’s a reason and motivation for us to accept people of different ethnicities or colors or cultures.

Three, to live by faith is a way of thinking – that is, thinking biblically in everything as the mind is infused with the Word and guided by the activity of the Holy Spirit.  This is similar to what Pastor Eddie has been saying in the last couple of weeks: “think good and excellent things;” “fill your mind with good and godly thoughts.” The out-working of this is a natural mind disposition toward spiritual dimension of things and events; a natural tendency to consider the spiritual implications, or consequences of a choice, or an action – even in the midst of mundane daily activities.

Four, don’t be too quick to identify biblical spirituality with certain phenomenon, or self-proclaimed “revival,” or manifestation of the power of the Spirit.

Finally, another perspective of living by faith is believing in the present work of God just as fresh, as current as what God has been doing in the time of the Bible. It is believing that since we have received the promised Holy Spirit of God, we now live in the renewed presence of God, which means that while we look to the future final consummation of the Kingdom of God, we now already live in the Kingdom of God. God’s presence is real and active by the presence and works of His Spirit.