I live by the Grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
(Galatians 2:21)
Apostle Paul was a wise man. He was outwardly very splendid - he studied in Tarsus, he was a Roman Citizen, and was considered the Jew of all Jews - before his conversion, Paul was a Jew that knew the Law so well. He kept these laws and rituals so well; we could call him the Pharisee of all Pharisees.
Yet what is it that he realised through all these. It is that thorough the Law no one could be declared righteous, but that through the law we become slaves to the law.
He realised that through the law, we could start to put the rituals of our faith above the basis of it.
What was Paul like before his conversion? He was the great persecuter of Christianity, even though he was outwardly so splendid and kept the laws, this did not make him great.
But this great change occured in his life. He learned the inward beauty also. He learnt that righteousness could come only through Faith. He realised the Grace of God - the God that sent his only Son to die for us on the Cross and the God that loves us.
After his conversion, Paul lived the life of endlessly giving for the Gospel, for the sake of preaching, for the Love of God. He opened up a door to Mission work across the world and through him many came to know Christ as the Church was established in Gentile lands.
Yet through none of these works, he did not consider himself righteous; he continued to encourage and exhort the Churches he had set up - writing 14 letters out of the 27 books of the New Testament.
Paul never considered his life his own, but rather considered himself dead, so that he might live for God. His life was a beautiful life of emptying and loving, because he was always thankful of the work that God carrying out through him.
How was Paul able to live such a life? How can we live such a life?
Living by Grace is living by Faith. Reading this passage in Galatians, Let us pray to set up this amazing Faith of Apostle Paul and carry out beautiful works like him. Lets pray to seek God's power in the things we do, and lets pray to live by Grace.
