"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Galatians 2:21

SMACK! I hope that last phrase (which is where the title of this blog came from) just hit you in the face like a ton of bricks! If...then Christ died for no purpose. What a horrible thought! If Christ died for no purpose, then we lose EVERYTHING. We would have no hope! If Christ's death was in vain, then it would mean that God was not infinitely wise or omnipotent (all-powerful); quite the opposite! It would mean that God was foolish, stupid, unwise, weak, powerless. Worse yet, it would mean that he was either not at all infinite, which is one of his most Godly qualities, and therefore would be stripped of one of the essential things that makes him God, or we would be forced to accept the aforementioned qualities as being infinite, meaning that he would be infinitely foolish, infinitelystupid, infinitely unwise, infinitely weak, and infinitely powerless.And why would anyone want to serve a "God" like that; there'd be no reason to have a capital "G", and he'd hardly be worthy of a lowercase one ("god").

Furthermore, if Christ died for no purpose, then we wouldn't even be able to serve this poor excuse for a god, for he couldn't truly save us from our depravity (predisposition and proclivity to sin). We would be in an utterly hopeless situation. Christ's death would not have purchased for us righteousness, sanctification, wisdom, peace, love, joy, faith; it would not have deterred the wrath of God from his children; and the substitution that Jesus was (meaning that he died in yourmy place, for us, not because he deserved it) trying to provide would have not even done right probably.

But praise be to God!!! For our God is infinitely WISE, infinitely BEYOND REASON, infinitely POWERFUL, infinitely STRONG, infinitely MIGHTY, infinitely OMNIPOTENT, infinitely ALL-KNOWING, infinitely CONFIDENT IN HIS PLAN AND PURPOSE. Our God is Sovereign above all. And our Christ is Supreme above all. There is not so much as an inch of this universe over which the risen Christ does not say "MINE!" There is no other. He is the only God worthy of a capital "G." And, thanks be to God, Christ died with infinite PURPOSE.

And, therefore, we should, with all of our might, all of our resources, all of our puny, human efforts, run from anything that could be considered "justification...through the law." Run from any man-made, church-decreed law! If it is not in the Bible, if it tries to be supplemental to Christ's God-pleasing sacrifice, then don't give it a second thought, throw it out, and run back to the cross at which, as we looked at yesterday (here), God "has granted to us all things pertaining life and godliness." Don't nullify God's grace. Embrace it. Cherish it. Love Him. And love Him for it.

May this grace, and the peace of Christ be with all of us. Amen.