Grace in Galatians (Part 97): How to Take the PRESSURE OFF Your Christian Life
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 3:18 TPT)
“For if our inheritance of the promises of God depends upon the keeping of the Law, it wouldn’t be the result of God’s promise to us. But God surely did give it to Abraham and to us through the promise!”
Supporting scriptures:
(Romans 4:13-16 TPT)
“For God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be the heir of the world, wasn’t based upon his obedience to the Law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if the inheritance were based upon keeping the Law, then faith would mean nothing, and God’s promise would be nullified. For the Law produces wrath, but where there is no Law, there cannot be a violation of the Law. That’s why God’s promise depends upon faith—so that it can be experienced as a gracious gift. And now God guarantees his promises to all the descendants of Abraham.”
(Romans 8:17 TPT)
“And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.”
(Ephesians 1:11 TPT)
“Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.”
(Romans 11:6 ERV)
“And if he chose them by grace, then it is not what they did that made them his people. If they could be made his people by what they did, his gift of grace would not really be a gift.”
Setting the Stage:
We’ve been unpacking Galatians 3:17 for several messages now, establishing that the Law came 430 years AFTER God’s promise to Abraham. We’ve learned that the promise-covenant cannot be cancelled, no new conditions can be added, and living under the promise eliminates the pressure to perform. But now Paul takes it one step FURTHER with verse 18, and this is CRITICAL! Pay attention!
Paul is making a legal argument here about INHERITANCE. He’s saying you can’t have it both ways! Either the inheritance comes by keeping the Law, OR it comes by God’s promise. It’s one or the other, but it CANNOT be both! Here’s the main truth: God gave the inheritance to Abraham and his descendants by PROMISE, not by the Law!
This means EVERYTHING you receive from God comes by PROMISE (grace), not by PERFORMANCE (Law)! Your blessing, your provision, your favor, your healing, your protection, your peace, your joy: ALL OF IT comes by promise! You don’t EARN your inheritance; you RECEIVE your inheritance!
Think about how inheritance works in the natural. When your parents leave you an inheritance, you don’t WORK for it; you RECEIVE it based on your relationship! You’re an heir because you’re a CHILD, not because you EARNED it! The same is true spiritually! You’re an heir of God’s promises because you’re IN CHRIST, not because you kept the Law perfectly!
This revelation completely transforms how you approach God and how you receive from Him! If inheritance came by Law-keeping, then promise means NOTHING! But if inheritance comes by promise (and it DOES), then your FAITH receives what God’s GRACE provides!
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Your Inheritance is Based on Relationship, Not Performance.
You are an heir of God because of WHO YOU ARE in Christ, not because of WHAT YOU DO for Christ! This is fundamental! Inheritance is about IDENTITY, not ACTIVITY! You receive based on POSITION, not PRODUCTION!
How this applies to you:
— You’re an heir because you’re IN CHRIST, not because you’re PERFECT in performance! The moment you were Born-Again, you became a child of God. And if you’re a child, you’re an heir! Romans 8:17 says if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ!
— This means your access to God’s promises is not based on how well you kept the rules yesterday; it’s based on your relationship with Jesus! Your inheritance was secured the moment you entered God’s family. Your position as an heir is not up for debate; it’s ESTABLISHED as far as God is concerned!
— Religious people want to make inheritance CONDITIONAL: “If you do this… If you live right… If you pray enough… If you give enough… THEN you’ll be blessed.” But Paul is saying NO! Inheritance doesn’t work that way! Natural inheritances are not distributed based on who worked the hardest. They are based on relationships. Paul’s point is that if our inheritance were tied to our ability to keep the Law, then it wouldn’t be grace-based. It would be performance-based. But it is grace-based, because it is tied to the fact that God gave a PROMISE! Not tied to anyone’s PERFORMANCE.
— Think about a child in a wealthy family. That child doesn’t wake up wondering if they’re still an heir! They don’t have to EARN their place at the table; they BELONG at the table because they’re FAMILY! The same is true for you in God’s Kingdom!
— You’re not trying to qualify for your inheritance; you’re ENJOYING your inheritance! You’re not working to BECOME an heir; you already ARE an heir! This shift in understanding eliminates stressing and helps you to start resting!
— Every promise in the Bible is part of your inheritance! Healing is your inheritance. Peace is your inheritance. Provision is your inheritance. Joy is your inheritance. Purpose is your inheritance. It’s ALL yours because you’re IN CHRIST!
— So stop trying to EARN what you’ve already INHERITED! Stop performing to PROVE you deserve God’s blessing! You’re blessed because you’re HIS CHILD, not because you’re a perfect performer! Walk in the confidence of your position, and watch your inheritance manifest in your life!
— Rest in who you are, not in what you do. And here’s the crazy part. When you finally start resting in who you are and stop stressing over what you do, you are in a position to embrace God’s grace. Once you do that, the grace of God will empower you to work harder than you ever have in your life, but it won’t be you doing it; it will be God living through you!
2. Faith Receives What Grace Provided. This Is How Inheritance Works.
Paul teaches us that if our spiritual inheritance came by keeping the Law, then faith would be meaningless! But since inheritance comes by promise, FAITH is how you ACCESS what GRACE already provided! This is the key to receiving EVERYTHING from God!
How this applies to you:
— Paul said, “For if the inheritance were based upon keeping the Law, then faith would mean nothing.” He goes on to explain in Romans 4:16 that God’s promise depends on FAITH, so it can be experienced as a GRACIOUS GIFT! Faith doesn’t earn the inheritance; faith RECEIVES the inheritance! Grace provided it; faith accesses it! This is how the Kingdom functions!
— You’re not using faith to CONVINCE God to bless you; you’re using faith to RECEIVE what God already promised! There’s a massive difference! One is begging and pleading; the other is believing and receiving!
— Every time you declare God’s Word over your life, you’re not trying to MAKE something happen; you’re AGREEING with what God already said! You’re aligning your confession with God’s promise! That’s faith in action!
— This is why faith and works don’t mix when it comes to receiving from God! If you’re trying to earn it by works, you’ve rejected grace. But if you’re receiving it by faith, you’re honoring the promise-covenant God established!
— Faith says, “God, Your Word declares I’m blessed, and I receive that blessing by faith today!” Faith says, “It’s already done, and I’m walking in it!” Faith doesn’t beg; faith BELIEVES and RECEIVES!
— This is the revelation that sets you FREE! You don’t have to wonder if you did enough to qualify for God’s blessing. The question is: Do you BELIEVE what God PROMISED? If you do, then receive it by faith and walk in it!
— Your inheritance is waiting for you to ACCESS it by faith! Grace deposited it in your account; faith makes the withdrawal! So be bold in your faith! Declare the promises! Receive what belongs to you as a child of God!
— Some Christians think they are being humble when they fail to make a demand (in faith) on the promises of God. That is false humility. God only gave you one life, and this life comes with a divine assignment. You must be humble enough to fully embrace everything you need (the resources, relationships, insight, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, etc.) to fulfill that assignment. These things are available to you by grace, but the only way you will walk in the fullness of them is by faith!
3. Mixing Law and Promise Cancels the Inheritance.
You can’t have it both ways! Either you’re receiving by grace through faith, OR you’re earning by works through law-keeping. But you CANNOT mix the two!
How this applies to you:
— Romans 11:6 says, “And if he chose them by grace, then it is not what they did that made them his people. If they could be made his people by what they did, his gift of grace would not really be a gift.” This is very clear: if it’s by grace, it’s NOT by works! If you could earn it, then grace wouldn’t be grace! The two systems are mutually exclusive! You have to choose: are you living under law or under promise?
— The moment you say, “Yes, I’m saved by grace, BUT I have to keep these rules to stay blessed,” you’ve just CANCELLED the inheritance! Why? Because inheritances are not earned. So, your mindset is keeping you from freely receiving what God planned for you (by your faith and His grace), becuase you are insistent on earning what you receive. So, what you are looking for from God is payment for your good works, instead of an inheritance you can receive by faith. Most religious Christians don’t even realize what they are doing when they reject the simplicity of God’s grace and our faith.
— This is what the Galatian church was doing! They started in grace, but false teachers came in saying, “You need Jesus PLUS circumcision… Jesus PLUS law-keeping… Jesus PLUS rituals.” Paul is saying, “NO! It’s Jesus ALONE! Grace ALONE! Faith ALONE! Promise ALONE!”
— If your theology includes the word “BUT” after grace, you’ve MIXED systems! “We’re saved by grace, BUT we have to…” Stop right there! If you’re adding conditions to grace, you’ve negated grace! The promise is unconditional!
— If you try to live under both systems, you will eventually get EXHAUSTED! Many believers know they are saved by grace, but they’re trying to stay blessed by works. That doesn’t work! You can’t access promise-based inheritance through law-based performance!
— You have to settle this in your heart: am I receiving my inheritance by FAITH in God’s promise, or am I trying to earn it by KEEPING the law? You can’t do both! Choose grace! Choose promise! Choose faith! That’s the only way to receive what God provided!
— When you mix the law and the promise, you end up with CONFUSION and CONDEMNATION! But when you rest in God’s grace alone, you experience CLARITY and CONFIDENCE! You know you’re blessed because God promised to bless you, and His promises never fail!
4. God’s Faithfulness to His Promise Secures Your Inheritance.
Your inheritance doesn’t depend on your faithfulness; it depends on GOD’S faithfulness! He promised it, and He WILL perform it! This is the confidence you can live in every single day!
How this applies to you:
— Hebrews 9:15 says, “So Jesus is the One who has enacted a new covenant with a new relationship with God so that those who accept the invitation will receive the eternal inheritance he has promised to his heirs. For he died to release us from the guilt of the violations committed under the first covenant.” Did you catch that? Jesus mediates a NEW covenant for us. This means we are no longer under the old covenant. And He does this so we can receive the eternal inheritance that has been PROMISED to His HEIRS! Notice it says “promised“—not earned, not achieved, not merited, but PROMISED! God’s faithfulness to His Word secures your blessing!
— You don’t have to worry about whether you’re good enough to keep your inheritance! The question is: Is GOD faithful to His promise? And the answer is an emphatic YES! Your inheritance is as secure as God’s Word!
— Even when you mess up, the promise stands! Even when you fail, the inheritance remains! Why? Because it’s based on God’s faithfulness, not yours! He’s more committed to blessing you than you are to receiving it! Not only that, but God knew everything you would ever do (good and bad) BEFORE He gave you the promise. So, how could your performance cancel out what He promised, when he had foreknowledge of it before He promised it?
— When you realize that God wants to bless you and use you because He is good (not because you are), it gives you UNSHAKABLE confidence! You’re not living on edge, wondering if God will come through. You KNOW He will come through because He PROMISED! And God cannot lie! His Word is His bond!
— Every time doubt tries to creep in, remind yourself: “God gave this to me by PROMISE, and He will never go back on His Word!” Stand on the promise, and watch it manifest!
— This is why you can wake up every morning with EXPECTATION and JOY! Your inheritance is coming because God promised it!
— Enter this day, and every day, with confidence that your inheritance is SECURE! Not because you’re perfect, but because God is faithful!
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that my inheritance is based on relationship, not performance!
I am an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ because I’m IN HIM!
I’m not trying to earn what I’ve already inherited; I’m enjoying my inheritance!
My faith receives what Your grace has already provided!
My inheritance doesn’t depend on my faithfulness; it depends on YOUR faithfulness!
Grace deposited the blessing; faith makes the withdrawal!
I’m not begging for what’s mine; I’m boldly receiving what You promised!
I am Living the Grace Life, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
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