Reflections
It is an amazing contradiction that most professing Christians rightly proclaim that we are saved, “by grace through faith,” but then many put much of their Christian life AS a saved person under law. This is what the Galatians did. Paul answered, “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3) Note that the issue here is NOT their salvation. It is their means of living the Christian life. They were living by law, and not by faith from out of Christ.
One subtle way Christians err on this matter is to try to earn a reward from God – either for now or the eternal ages. But under grace there are no rewards or punishments based on works. All is freely given in Christ. Thus, I am either believing or not believing; I am abiding in Christ by faith, or I am not. And if I am believing, my reward is Christ Himself – making me a joint-heir with Him; HE IS MY LIFE. And if Christ is my life, what further reward can God give me? What could I earn to add to Christ?
God has freely given us all things in His Son. (Rom. 8:32) If we would grasp this it would transform our entire Christian life over to the Truth.