Faith Arrives Through the Cross

It may surprise you to learn that a hundred years ago, Canadian income taxes applied only to the rich as a temporary response to the crisis of the First World War. But they remained after the war ended, gradually becoming more complicated and expanding until everyone had to pay them. What once seemed like a reasonable response to an emergency can now feel oppressive and burdensome.

The world often makes simple things far more complicated in the effort to improve them. In the process, the core meaning can get lost. Early Christians struggled with the same problem. After hearing the gospel, some began adding layers of rules and rituals that slowly replaced their faith. Paul bluntly calls them fools (Galatians 3:1–5) because they had missed the point of Jesus’s death and resurrection.

The problem with relying on rules and rituals is that all the pressure falls on you. If you want to be good or successful, you must live perfectly. There is nothing wrong with striving to live morally, build a career, or pursue education. But when those things become the measure of your worth, everything collapses with the smallest mistake (Galatians 2:19–20). Rules and rituals also do nothing to strengthen your relationship with God. He answers prayers because of faith, not because we say the right words (Galatians 3:10–13).

Jesus died and rose again to free us from that burden. By following His example, we can leave it behind. Crucify the worldly sins, standards, and expectations that try to define you. You may still participate in many of them, but they no longer determine your value.

This is the power of the cross and resurrection. We no longer have to create our own worth or rescue ourselves from sin. Through faith in Jesus, we begin to leave our brokenness behind and to grow the fruits of the Spirit.

Watch the full sermon here.