The Lifelong Art of Learning the Gospel

People are not justified and do not receive life and salvation because of anything they’ve done. Rather, the only reason they receive life and salvation is because of God’s grace through Christ. There is no other way.

Many Christians are tired of hearing this teaching over and over. They think they learned it all long ago. However, they barely understand how important it really is. If it continues to be taught as truth, the Christian church will remain united and pure—free from decay. This truth alone makes and sustains Christianity.

You might hear immature Christians brag about how well they know that we are justified through God’s grace and not because of anything we do to earn it. But if they go on to say that this truth is easy to put into practice, then have no doubt they don’t know what they’re talking about, and they probably never will.

We can never learn this truth completely or brag that we understand it fully. Learning this truth is an art. We will always remain students of it, and it will always be our teacher. The people who truly understand that they are justified by faith and put it into practice don’t brag that they have fully mastered it. Rather, they think of it as a pleasant taste or aroma that they are always pursuing. These people are astonished that they can’t comprehend it as fully as they would like. They hunger and thirst for it. They yearn for it more and more. They never get tired of hearing about this truth. Similarly, Paul admits in Philippians 3:12 that he has not yet reached this goal. In Matthew 5:6, Christ says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed.

Source: Quoted in Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional, p. 109.  James C. Galvin. Zondervan (2009).