The Present Reality of Justification, Jerry Bridges

Then Bridges focused again on Galatians 2:20, particularly on the words "the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Bridges says "faith in the Son of God" means Paul is speaking of justification, and not sanctification. Paul never uses the phrase in another sense, he argued. So, given that justification is a point-in-time, past event, how does Paul speak of an ongoing life-dynamic?

The answer, Bridges says, is the most important thing he will say this evening. For Paul, justification was not only a past even that he could look back to, but also a present event having an impact on every day of his life. We have a tendency to base our ongoing relationship with God on our performance. We are saved by grace, but then we try to change the rules of the game, and live by performance. Every day, Paul looked outside of himself to Jesus Christ's shed blood and righteousness. As Romans 5:1 says, having been justified, we have peace with God, now.

We must work at turning away from ourselves and relying entirely on Jesus Christ. If we do not, we will default into a performance-based relationship. We must be proactive, we must preach the Gospel to ourselves every day.

I have to add my amen. Most Christians I know are still basing their ongoing relationship with God on their performance, they still do not understand the grace of God and are relying on themselves instead of Christ. They will deny this and even get angry at you for suggesting it. They don't preach the gospel to themselves because they don't really know what it is.