Pastors In The House: Please:

  Hi Kunle,

 I'm not a pastor but I'll try. Here is the NLT version of that scripture (Gal 2:16) which is written in modern english and is more like a paraphrase of the KJV:

"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.

 Hope that helps.

 Yes my brother and that is one the most beautiful things about faith & God's grace - we can do nothing to earn it and we can do nothing to keep it! it is given to us freely and we receive it by faith and this faith is "not even of ourselves" but grows as Christ works in our hearts.

  Our sins (committed in the past and to be committed in the future) will never be held against us - it was always impossible for us to keep the Law because of our sinful nature. The purpose of the Law was to show us how sinful we are and point us to Christ - beyond that it has little meaning or application for us christians today. Christ then gave a new system for justification based solely on faith - not on good works or empty works of 'righteousness'. Which is why we are so blessed to be living in these times of grace.

  So yes you're right on, we "wouldnt be judge based on the law" but instead justified based on our faith in Christ.

  its sister oh my brother lol and no you're def no "taking up my time" . . . infact I find Nairaland most useful and profitable when I can discuss with people like you 

  So how can we be sure we have true faith in Christ? The 3 things you listed are definitely at the core of the faith.
 
-Relationship with God: Our relationship with God is most evident in the way we interact with the world. Does the way we live our lives show a hunger and thirst for the things of God? do we watch evil and immoral things without feeling guilt? do we dress appropriately? is our speech seasoned with salt and edifying to those who listen? do we "stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers"? do we rejoice at righteous acts? and burn at injustice?

-How we read the Scriptures: are we diligent and prudent and dedicated students of the bible? do we rightly divide the word and not hold back from speaking its truth even when it is unpopular? do we spend considerable time reading and reflecting? - this is one area I've been struggling in recently, finding the time to devote to digging into the word faithfully.

and finally

-The way we relate with people (and more specifically, christians):  Jesus said "they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another". Do we love, cherish and pray for our fellow christians? do we bear their burderns as though it were ours? do we give our time, finances, open up our homes for others? The other day I found out one of my neighbors was a christian, I was so thrilled and since then have been looking for opportunities to do something nice for them simply because they are christians.

In addition, I always refer to the book of 1 John as the "test your faith" book because it lists a series of questions and tests to use in determining if indeed we are of the faith. Hope this was useful, stay blessed my dear.

  uhm nah, I'm not presently in any choir. But I am a musician.