“Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
Galatians 2:16 (NLT)
Paul makes it clear: what’s on the inside matters far more than what’s on the outside. If we obsess over visible sins—either in ourselves or others—but fail to put our faith in Jesus, we miss the very heart of the gospel. Even Peter fell into this trap of worrying more about appearances than faith.
Our actions can never save us. The law exposes our weakness, but only Christ brings righteousness. That’s why faith is essential—it roots us in a grace we cannot earn. When we focus on the heart, Christ reshapes us from the inside out. Then what people see on the outside begins to look more like Him.
But when we chase outward performance while neglecting the inner life, we become hollow—strong on the surface, but weak at the core. That’s why Paul insists that faith, not law-keeping, is the foundation of a life with God.
In a culture full of noise and pressure to measure up, the gospel cuts through: we are made right with God by faith in Jesus alone. That truth may feel counterintuitive, but it becomes truer every day we walk with Him.