SEEING THE UNSEEN
Richard Harris
Today’s Scripture: “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Galatians 5:5, ESV
Theme: Have faith, empowered by the Spirit, as you wait.
REDEMPTION
My mother collected S&H Green Stamps. With every purchase at participating retail outlets, she would receive a certain number of stamps for every dollar spent. She would meticulously paste those stamps into a book that could be taken to a redemption center. That center had shelves upon shelves of lovely material items to choose from. The more stamps were gathered, the higher the compensation and redemptive value. Mom always made sure she shopped at the places that gave away those precious stamps. She was dedicated to the rules of the process.
A month after mom’s passing, I was cleaning out her house and found a box full of those unredeemed books. She spent years accumulating good intentions, but never redeemed them towards improving her material life. I guess she realized they would be no advantage to her in this earthly lifetime.
What is seen is temporary. My mother, however, was building an unseen relationship with the One who would redeem her entire eternity. Mom wasn’t earning any material justification from those stamps, and she knew that. She was - however - a truly Redeemed Christian in every sense under the New Covenant. As she grew older and wiser, she found her justification beyond those green stamps through Jesus. Those material things were just reminders of the human things that take away from our ultimate glory. When she met her Savior, mom’s good life was her true redemption.
FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
Our Holy Bible impacts us in many ways. It shows us God’s plan towards our personal growth … a growth in Christian maturity (Ephesians 4:14-16)
From The Bible, today’s Scripture brings us these words of personal growth: Faith, Hope, and Righteousness. Faith appears over 336 times in The Bible. Faith is seeing what is unseen. Hope is mentioned more than 130 times. Hope is the product of desiring a future situation, and one cannot have Hope without Faith.
Add similar words, such as wishes, trust, and expectations, and the Good News is prevalent. Faith is seeing the unseen. With Faith, we Hope for Righteousness. Righteousness is biblically mentioned over 540 times. Charity is the principle of Hope, in the form of love, along with Agape and compassion; mentioned over 328 times. There is such a powerful impact on our spiritual lives when we apply the positive, redemptive, and the sanctifying teachings of our Holy Bible.
FREEDOM IN CHRIST
The verses preceding Galatians 5:5, our Scripture for today, help bring perspective to Paul’s statement. Jesus died to set us free from sin and from that long list of the Old Covenant’s cumbersome laws and regulations. Christ set us free from trying to earn justification. We should never again be burdened by the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). Paul warns about being drawn back into the old ways.
Paul then discusses the law of circumcision as the former way to be right before God. Again, since Jesus is the only way to salvation, the old way will be of no advantage to you (Galatians 5:2). He clarifies: “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4, NIV). Paul is not discussing or threatening alienation; he is only saying that we need to have a relationship with Jesus.
In Galatians 5:5, Paul is saying that we cannot produce our own righteousness through this life … the completion is when we meet Him. The righteousness comes, not of our good behavior, but of our faith, empowered by the Spirit, in Jesus Christ. Verse 6 makes this clear: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (ESV). We are works in progress, depending on Jesus to perfect us.
Make It Personal: As Paul was saying in his letter to the churches of Galatia, depending upon earning justification will not set them free. Jesus Christ had already set them free. He cautioned about being sucked back into the Old Covenant ways of redemptive rules and regulations. By paying indulgences, one cannot buy salvation (Ephesians 2:89). The free gift of salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord is the only way to eternal life. Paul was merely stressing the need to have a loving, genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter what we try to do, we will never produce our own righteousness. We are a work in progress until we see our Lord face-to-face.
Pray: Lord, as our Redeemer, Your mercy and grace help us to boldly enter Your divine heavenly kingdom. You have given us guidelines, not for our salvation, but to bless our lives and help us enjoy the benefits of this God-given life. You have given us the path to righteousness so that we may reach eternal perfection through the free gift of Your Son. Faith is the foundation of belief, shaped by our experiences. We willingly accept Your terms, Lord. May we never again be burdened by a yoke of slavery, as we find ultimate Redemption through Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His Name I pray. Amen
Read: Matthew 22:14; Romans 6:23; Colossians 1:12-14
Weekly Memory Verse: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1, ESV