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“For it is by the Spirit and through faith that we hope to attain that righteousness which we eagerly await. If we are in union with Christ Jesus, circumcision makes no difference at all, nor does the lack of it; the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:5–6)

Part of the 'magic' of the Christian faith is that God's Kingdom is both yet-to-come (or 'not-yet') but also 'now'. We get to live the dream! Or at least, we get a down payment on it. But sometimes, well meaning Christians will talk about the 'now' of the Kingdom in the language of living out Kingdom values, fighting for the cause of justice, and sharing the good news. All good things but if we're not careful and do them in our own strength, they can just become more law. (It's amazing how insidious legalism can be.)

Faith, hope and love are vital themes for Paul. In 1Cor 13 Paul tells us that they are the greatest gifts of the Spirit. The focus of our faith is Christ. The expression of faith is an expectent hope for the coming Kingdom, and a life of love. But where does this hope and love come from? Well, having our eyes fixed on Jesus is part of the answer - a big part - but it's more than that.

In this verse, Paul tells us that the hope of righteousness (which is the hope of the Kingdom of God, eternal life, etc.), and the expression of love come by the Spirit through faith. In a few verses he'll talk about the fruit of the Spirit being love and so on.

The Christian life is not only a life of believing the right things and trusting the right person, it's a life fueled by the life of God Himself, through the Spirit. In fact, in Eph 1.14, the Holy Spirit is called, "The down payment of our inheritance..." The presence of the Spirit is a little foretaste of heaven on earth. He's the 'now' of the Kingdom that makes us hungry for the 'you won't believe how much better it gets!' of the 'not-yet'.

All of which is to say, if you want more hope, more love, more faith, more Kingdom, more Jesus... seek the Holy Spirit!