Grace in Galatians (Part 84): The Prison of Performance-Based Religion
Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.
Key scriptures for this year:
(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)
"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."
(Galatians 5:4 TPT)
"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"
(Romans 6:14 ERV)
"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."
(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)
"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."
Scripture we will study today:
(Galatians 3:12 NIV)
“The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, ‘The person who does these things will live by them.'”
(Galatians 3:12 MSG)
“Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: ‘The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.'”
(Romans 10:5 TPT)
“Moses wrote about the righteousness that comes by law, ‘The one who obeys these things must always live by them.'”
(1 Timothy 1:9 TPT)
“We know that the moral code of the law is not intended for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreverent…”
Setting the Stage:
Yesterday, we saw that Law and faith are opposite systems. Today, I want to focus on a phrase that might have slipped by you: “will live BY them.” That little word “by” reveals a massive truth about bondage and freedom.
When Paul says those who do the Law must “live BY them,” he’s not just talking about following rules. He’s talking about what becomes your SOURCE, your SUSTENANCE, your SYSTEM for life. Whatever you live BY becomes what you live FOR, and ultimately what you live UNDER!
Think about it: We say someone lives “by the sword” when violence defines them. We say someone lives “by their wits” when their intellect is their key resource. Paul is revealing that when you live “by” the Law, the Law becomes your master, not your helper! You become a prison to it.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Whatever You Live BY Becomes Your Source Of Life!
When Paul says you must “live BY” the Law, he’s describing total dependence. The Law becomes how you process your daily decisions and actions. You literally cannot live without it!
How this applies to you:
— When Law is your source, your spiritual life rises and falls with your performance! Good day of law-keeping? You feel great! Bad day? You feel dead inside. Your spiritual vitals are tied to your behavior, not your Savior!
— The Law becomes your daily bread instead of Jesus! Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” but law-keepers feast on rules instead. They’re more concerned with complying with the rules on a daily basis than they are with relying on heaven and supernatural power.
— Living BY faith means Christ becomes your source! When you live by faith, Jesus is your oxygen, your sustenance, your everything. Your spiritual life is sustained by HIS life, not your performance. His strength becomes your strength!
— Here’s the key: What feeds you ultimately controls you because it impacts every aspect of your life! If rules feed your sense of righteousness, rules control you. If grace feeds your spirit, grace controls you. You become a slave to whatever sustains you!
— The Law is spiritual junk food, because there is no nourishment in it for your soul! You can force yourself to comply with rules all day, but that is not going to restore your soul. However, spending just a few minutes meditating on the goodness of God (despite your performance) and embracing God’s grace, satisfies your soul!
— Your source determines your power! Those living BY Law are resigned to living as mere humans because they only rely on human power, ability, and strength. Those who live BY faith are capable of tapping into God’s grace, and they experience the supernatural. Why would you limit yourself to human performance when God is living INSIDE OF YOU and He offers you His power, by grace?
2. The Law Makes You Its Prisoner, Not Its Partner!
Paul says you must “live BY them,” not “live WITH them.” This isn’t partnership; it’s imprisonment. The Law doesn’t work alongside you; it rules over you!
How this applies to you:
— Living by the Law requires a commitment to it. You can’t serve the Law part-time. It demands all of you, all the time. Miss one requirement and the whole system crashes. In this way, the Law demands total control!
— Living BY the Law means you’re married to it! Romans 7 says we were married to the Law until death freed us. Now we’re married to Christ! You can’t be married to both.
— The Law holds you hostage to your worst day! Under grace, God remembers your righteousness in Christ. Under the Law, one failure defines you. The Law has a perfect memory for your imperfections!
— You become what you measure yourself by! If you measure yourself by rules kept, you become a rule-keeper. If you measure yourself by Christ’s righteousness, you become righteous! Your measurement determines your identity!
— Religious people will call you “lawless” for living by grace. Let them talk! You’re not lawless; you’re law-free!
— Galatians 3:23 says we were held prisoners by the Law. Jesus didn’t come to make you a better prisoner; He came to set you free!
3. The Law Locks You In The Natural; Faith Launches You Into The Supernatural!
When Paul says, “The person who does these things will live by them,” he’s describing a closed system that entails human effort producing human results. Faith operates under an open heaven!
How this applies to you:
— The Law limits you to what’s humanly possible; faith connects you to what’s divinely possible! Under the Law, you can only go as far as your strength takes you. Under faith, you can go as far as God’s strength takes you!
— Law-keeping is natural; faith-living is supernatural! Anyone can follow rules. Atheists, agnostics, and people from other religions can follow the rules. But only faith taps into the supernatural. This is why Jesus said, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17, 18 NKJV)
— The Law makes you earth-conscious; faith makes you heaven-conscious! The Law focuses on your performance down here. Faith focuses on Christ’s position up there. You become what you behold: earthly or heavenly!
— Under the Law, you live BY your circumstances; under faith, you live ABOVE them! The Law says, “This is your reality, deal with it.” Faith says, “God’s Word is your reality, live from it!“
— Natural minds understand Law; only spiritual hearts understand grace! That’s why religious people fight grace so hard. It doesn’t compute in their natural thinking. Grace requires revelation, not just information!
4. Living BY Grace Means Living FROM Victory, Not FOR Victory!
Paul contrasts living “by” the Law with living by faith and grace. When you live #TheGraceLife, everything changes; your source, your strength, and your security all flow from Christ’s finished work!
How this applies to you:
— Living BY grace means you live FROM acceptance, not FOR it! You wake up accepted, approved, and adored by the Father. I keep repeating this point because God wants you to receive it. If you are Born-Again, settle in your heart that God loves and accepts you. You don’t work to earn His love; you work because you already have it!
— Grace makes you God-dependent, not self-dependent! Under the Law, everything depends on you. Under grace, everything depends on Jesus! His performance becomes your performance. His victory becomes your victory! His power becomes your power!
— When you live BY grace, bad days don’t disqualify you! Your worst day doesn’t change your identity. Your failures don’t alter your position. Why? Because your standing is based on Christ’s perfection, not your performance! Grace keeps you stable when life gets unstable!
— Living #TheGraceLife means abundance is your starting point! 2 Corinthians 9:8 says God will make you overflow with EVERY form of grace! You don’t work toward abundance; you work FROM abundance. You’re not trying to be blessed; you’re tapping into the blessing you already have!
— Grace gives you supernatural rest in natural chaos! While Law-livers are stressing, grace-livers are resting. Living #TheGraceLife is liberating.
— Living BY grace means celebrating what Christ DID, not mourning what you DIDN’T DO! So, this means that every day is a victory lap, not a guilt trip. Every morning is a fresh start, not a failure review. Grace makes you thanksgiving-focused, not failure-focused!
I just described #TheGraceLife, and I believe it is how God wants us to live.
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that Christ is my source, not the Law!
I refuse to be imprisoned by rules when You’ve made me free!
Grace is my daily bread!
I break free from the Law’s prison and embrace Your liberty!
I live ABOVE my circumstances, not BY them!
I live BY grace, which means I live FROM victory, not FOR it!
I wake up accepted, approved, and adored by You!
Your grace gives me supernatural rest in natural chaos!
I am Living the Grace Life and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
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