1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian City - The World That Is | Page 7

even after you are converted by the gospel, your heartwill go back to operating
on the religious principle unless you deliberately,repeatedly set it to gospelmode. This then is the basic cause of our spiritualfailures, uncontrolled
emotions, conflict, lack of joy, and ministry ineffectiveness.
Challenge Point:
• Do you agree the “religion is the default mode of the human heart”? At
what specific times or in what circumstances has this been true of your own
heart?
• Look at the table from Monday and circle anything that is true of your own
heart. Is there anything you would like to change?

Wednesday
Galatians 3 v 1 – 14
Read the following extracts from John Calvin’s writings which help to
explain the connection between works and righteousness:
“We maintain that of whatever kind a man’s work may be, he is regarded as
righteous before God simply on the ground of gratuitous mercy; because God,
without any respect to works, freely adopts him in Christ, by imputing the
righteousness of Christ to him as if it were his own. This we call the
righteousness of faith, that is when a man, empty and drained of all confidence
in works, feels convinced that the only ground of his acceptance with God is a
righteousness which is wanting in himself, and is borrowed from Christ. The
point on which the world goes astray (for this error has prevailed in almost
every age), is in imagining that man, however, partially defective he may be,
still in some degree merits the favour of God by works… God reconciles us to
himself, from regard not to our works but to Christ alone, and by gratuitous
adoption makes us his own children instead of children of wrath. So long as
God regards our works, he finds no reason why he ought to love us. Wherefore
it is necessary that he should bury our sins, impute to us the obedience of
Christ which alone can stand his scrutiny, and adopt us as righteous through
his merits. This is the clear and uniform doctrine of Scripture, “witnessed,” as
Paul says, “by the law and the prophets” (Rom. 3:21), and so explained by the
gospel that a clearer law cannot be desired.”