Galatians 5:5 - Homiletics

The blessed prospects involved in the true doctrine of grace.

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." This passage is not to be understood as saying merely that believers have no other hope of justification but by faith in Christ, or that believers wait for the hope of being justified by faith. The righteousness was, in fact, already theirs, and therefore not an object of hope at all. The apostle means that we are enabled by faith, in the power of the Spirit, to wait for the hope that is lodged in the heart of the righteousness that "is of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

I. THE CENTRAL POINT IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS TO WHICH FAITH AND HOPE ALIKE CLING . They have, in fact, no fulcrum, or point of support, apart from this righteousness, which is itself independent of all our graces, and therefore in no way affected by our varying frames or feelings. The Judaistic heart would cling to a righteousness by works, because it seemed to think it could understand a bargain between God and man, but it saw no absolute security in mere grace. Yet "it is of faith, that it might be of grace; to the end the promise may be sure" ( Romans 4:16 ).

II. CONSIDER THE HOPE THAT IS WRAPPED UP IN THIS RIGHTEOUSNESS . We "wait for the hope of righteousness;" that is, not the hope of being righteous or attaining righteousness, but the hope that belongs to the righteousness already described. In possession of this righteousness, what may you not hope for? All the blessings of the new and better covenant which Christ sealed with his precious blood; all things necessary to our present well-being and our future blessedness.

III. FAITH ENABLES US TO WAIT FOR THIS HOPE . It is itself" the substance of things hoped for." The hope leans upon the faith, Hope is the eldest-born daughter of faith ( Romans 5:1-3 ). Apart from faith there can be no hope. The necessity of faith is evident. The believer finds that when he becomes righteous by faith he becomes a stranger and a pilgrim on earth, his path through the wilderness one of tears and toils and conflict, and he is disappointed to find that difficulties with the world arise from the moment his difficulties with God are ended. It is a great perplexity. He forgets, however, that he has to walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is not fruition. It is not heaven. It is, after all, "but the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

IV. CONSIDER HOW THE SPIRIT ENABLES US TO WAIT FOR THE HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH .

1 . He strengthens faith. As it was the Spirit who first imparted faith, in the act of regeneration, so it is the Spirit who sustains it in exercise through all the stages of Christian destiny.

2 . He gives a glorious view of the hopes wrapped up in the righteousness.

3 . He acts upon our power of waiting as being the Spirit of prayer ( Romans 8:26 ).