Wandering Crusader #283 Whose Faith is This Anyway?

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:20-21

I have misquoted this passage for years. I believe I’m not alone in that mistake. My eyes and my ears led me to that conclusion. I’m not ashamed to admit this error. On the contrary, it serves to confirm why lifelong daily attention to the scriptures is essential to Christian growth. Making the correction is already beginning to transform my life.

The misquote comes in the middle of verse twenty where Paul says, “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God. For years I have read that and said the italicized words as “faith in the Son”. What’s the big deal, right? Well, that’s what I’m about to tell you.

I have faith in the Son of God. It has sustained me through many trials. I think most Christians will tell you the same thing. I will go so far as to say every person who calls themself a Christian must have faith in Christ. Personal faith and fidelity to the Son drive Christians to action. Therefore, having faith in the Son is good and right.

Nevertheless, we live far beneath our privilege if the only faith we have is our own. The faith of the Son is ours too. The faith of the Son never fails. It always accomplishes God’s will because it is one and the same. The faith of the Sons always seeks our best. Unfortunately, our best is not synonymous with what we want, and what we want is where we direct our faith.

To truly seek our best is to crucify ourselves to this present age, its fads, its trends, its culture, and the ideology of the worldly church. That is the faith of Christ, it is how He lived and how He wants us to live and move and have our being.

Maranatha