Galatians 5:5
5 For [gar] we [hemeis] through the Spirit [pneuma]
wait for [apekdechomai] the hope [elpis] of righteousness [dikaiosune] by [ek] faith [pistis]. KJV-Interlinear
5 For we through the Spirit, by
faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. NASB
The word for we, identifies a specific group or
category of people.
The phrase, through the spirit, identifies that
category of people as believers in Christ.
This excludes all unbelievers, until such time any given unbeliever finally
believes in Christ. Then, of course that
person would be included with all believers in Christ.
Wait, means patience and with confidence and
assurance.
And we wait for the hope, which is the confident
expectation.
The hope of righteousness, refers to the final and
ultimate act of salvation, when we are actually in heaven with God.
And all true and legitimate believers in Christ, demonstrate
this patience and confidence by means of faith, never by any form of works.
Salvation is a gift. No person can earn or even deserve salvation or
even a spiritual life. These things are
the gift of God.
We merely have to demonstrate a genuine desire of
wanting to know God and to have a relationship with Him, and then follow up on
that desire with a real and active pursuit of that knowledge by means of His
defined learning and growth process.
All pretenses are out. All of our personal efforts that are outside
of Gods authorized design for learning and growth, are out. Rejecting Gods mandated daily study of the
scriptures, becomes your failure in life.
But for those who are obedient to Gods mandates and
methods, then faith is the key to how God operates, for faith relies totally on
God and on Gods promises, someone whom we have never seen, and things we have
only read about. And yet, they are more
real than anything and everything that exists in this tangible world.
