Galatians 2:15-16

Justified by Faith

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

As a caregiver for my precious and beautiful bride, Eulanda, I enjoyed spending as much time together with her as possible. But as time went on, so did cancer that was destroying her body. She, who was so vibrant and full of life, who ran and finished the Honolulu Marathon, who was loved by family, friends, and students she taught, was suffering from so much pain. I truly prayed that my Lord would heal her and take me; allowing me to suffer the pain instead of her. Towards the end, all I wanted to do was to let my Eulanda know how much she is loved by God and by me. As she slept, I would hold her hand, brush her hair, and gently stroke the side of her cheek as I whispered to her, “Eulanda, I love you!” Late at night when she was alert, I would sing the children’s hymn that she loved so much, Jesus Loves Me. I remember one special night, Eulanda was alert and we were able to have a short conversation. I just finished singing Jesus Loves Me to her and she was slightly lifting her hands in praise to her God. I asked her a very important question. I asked, “Eulanda, are you going to heaven?” She answered me with a precious smile on her face that I will never forget. She said, “Yes, I am going to Jesus because I believe.” That was it. That was what she wanted to tell me and then she went back to sleep. My bride passed from this life and entered into the presence of Jesus Christ, her Lord God, and Savior on April 15, 2020, at 3:52 pm, Hawaii Standard Time. Eulanda is now resting in Him because she believed. She did not have to be baptized, although, in an act of obedience to her Savior, she was. She did not have to be a member of a church and go to worship services, Bible Studies, and attend Sunday School; nevertheless, it was Eulanda’s joy to love the things that Christ loved, which is His church! She did not have to keep a record of all the good works she did to ensure she will be with Jesus in eternity; for I know she was so loving and it surprised me how eager she was to help others who cannot help themselves. All Eulanda had to do, was to believe in Him. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Eulanda was a Gentile by birth. She was born in Masupe, La Union, in the Philippines on December 18, 1952. She was a sinner and she came to realize through the Word of God, that she deserved the wrath of God because of her rebellion and unbelief in the Almighty Creator God. Her sin needed to be punished and destroyed! But God…God the Father who loved her before the foundation of the world, chose, elected, and predestined Eulanda for eternal life with Him. Jesus Christ became Eulanda’s perfect substitute and paid Eulanda’s sin debt for her. And the Holy Spirit gave Eulanda that new birth from above, the free gift of eternal life through faith. Eulanda became a child of God.

When Eulanda’s mother died of cancer at the age of 30 years old, she left five very young children behind, Eulanda was the eldest daughter at 8 years old. In their culture, she was the one who stepped in to cook for the family, cleaned the house, and do the laundry. Years later, Eulanda always was in torment because she did not understand by she was the only sibling who was adopted by a family in Hawaii in 1963. But, when she came to Christ as her only hope for eternal life, Eulanda was taught under that faithful ministry of a well-known Baptist minister, what the true meaning of God’s election was in salvation. God chose Eulanda for eternal life and gave her the precious gift of having faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who was all God and all man, became the perfect sacrifice to take and pay for Eulanda’s sinful debt that she could not pay. And if that was not enough, Christ gave her all His righteousness. So now when God the Father sees Eulanda, He sees her in the righteousness of Christ. Eulanda now has eternal life with God because she believed. So simple! So true! All we have to do is believe.

In today’s Scripture passage, the Apostle Paul says we who believe are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Justification is the legal term that declares us righteous as if we are standing in the legal courtroom on that final judgment day. Eulanda will be standing before the Lord, but because of her belief in Jesus Christ, God sees Eulanda as being righteous. If God would ask Eulanda, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?” Eulanda would answer, “I know I do not deserve this great reward, but all I can say is, ‘I believe that you sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for me.'” Eulanda’s sin debt was paid in full by the blood atonement of Jesus Christ: a life for a life!

For you and I, believing in Jesus Christ is all we need in order to be justified before God. We are not justified by our works of the law. We could be law-abiding and good and decent people. However, no works of the law of God, or any acts of goodness on our part, can justify us before God. Therefore, in application to what the Apostle Paul said in today’s Scripture passage in Galatians 2:14-15, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved forever. You, like my precious wife, Eulanda, will not have to fear as your present earthly life comes to an end, because you will be spending eternity with Jesus Christ, where there will be no more suffering or pain. Praise You, Lord Jesus my God!

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Most holy and beautiful Lord Jesus, thank You for saving Eulanda as your precious child. Thank You for giving us a wonderful life as husband and wife for all these years. Thank You for saving me too by Your precious blood in payment for my sins. Thank You, O Holy Spirit, for convicting me of sin and teaching me to be more like Jesus Christ every day as I read and study Your Word. Lord God, help me be faithful in taking this gospel message to my children and others in this world who do not know You as their Savior. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!

Christian Hymn, Jesus Loves Me by Anna B. Warner, 1860; v. 2-3 by David R. McGuire; ref. by William B. Bradbury, 1862: