ESGAL03 Galatians 3:1-25
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1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(NKJV)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul gets straight to it: How stupid you are! How have you missed the truth! Jesus was crucified for your freedom. Was this not made clear? How come I have to say again that no good work is good enough? Or is that you think that now you have come by faith that the rest of our lives are under the burden of the law? The law did not save you and it can’t help you now you are saved. You did trust Christ, right? That the price was paid for you, yes? You cannot please God by obeying the law. You can only please God by your continual trust in Him. The law revealed just how bad you are. The law is so absolutely good, so absolutely right to show you that you cannot achieve it because you have to obey it all.
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
In prior weeks we have looked at whether we can, through works, please God. We discovered that, in fact, we cannot please God at all if by doing good works we are trying to get into God’s good books. The Law of Moses was a good law; Paul didn’t dispute that. It was good, though, not to be able to save us but to make us aware of our transgressions (v19). By “transgressions” Paul means something a bit different from sin. We might sin in ignorance. To trangress is to go against the standards which they have accepted for themselves. The law revealed sin; it did not produce it. The law served to goad persons to see the depth of their impotence and sinfulness as they experienced not only their inability to keep the law, but their regular transgressions of it.[1] The law is good in that it is perfect but we have all been found condemned because no one has been able to keep the whole law. So we see that trying to keep the law is impossible.
In Galatians we have already looked at whether we can, through works, please God. We discovered that, in fact, we cannot please God at all if, by doing good works, we are trying to get into God’s good books.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The Law of Moses is a good law; Paul didn’t dispute that. However it is not able to save us but to is does make us aware of our transgressions. By “transgressions” Paul means something a bit different from sin. We might sin in ignorance. To transgress is to go against the standards which we have accepted for ourselves and gives us a sense of guilt. The law revealed sin. The law served to make people see the depth of their impotence and utter sinfulness as they experienced their inability to keep the law and just how often they are regular transgressors of it. The law is good in that it is perfect but we have all been found condemned because no one has been able to keep the whole law. It is impossible. We cannot save ourselves before we are saved or afterwards.
In prior weeks we have looked at whether we can, through works, please God. We discovered that, in fact, we cannot please God at all if by doing good works we are trying to get into God’s good books. The Law of Moses was a good law; Paul didn’t dispute that. It was good, though, not to be able to save us but to make us aware of our transgressions (v19). By “transgressions” Paul means something a bit different from sin. We might sin in ignorance. To trangress is to go against the standards which they have accepted for themselves. The law revealed sin; it did not produce it. The law served to goad persons to see the depth of their impotence and sinfulness as they experienced not only their inability to keep the law, but their regular transgressions of it.[1] The law is good in that it is perfect but we have all been found condemned because no one has been able to keep the whole law. So we see that trying to keep the law is impossible.
We are a proud people though. We like to do things to show that we have the ability. Never realising that it is not possible. We put rules and regulations in to keep but these do not help either for we are not able to keep even these.
Idiots! Paul says! Sounds a bit harsh but he is trying to shake them out of their dangerous and wrong thinking. Can you imagine me saying such things to you! Let me say it hasn’t even so much as crossed my mind to do so! But what sounds down through the ages is the message is still not getting through. Paul says; how is it you do not know what you believe? I thought you were taught well!
This chapter starts with Foolish Galatians – idiots! My, these are harsh things to say! How is it you don’t know what you believe? I thought I taught you well!
George Barna leads a Christian research group and discovered some things about Christian beliefs. In his research during 1996, 1997 and this year (2017), Barna discovered that many professing Christians believe that people are inherently good (75%), that our primary purpose is to enjoy life, and that our most important responsibility is to take care of our family. He found that:
81% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves. [God is the help for hopeless – and who can save themselves?]
72% believe that people are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible. [We are blessed to be a blessing]
70% believe it does not matter what faith you have [Jesus is the only way to God]
63% say that if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others they will earn a place in heaven. [We cannot never be good enough – all have fallen short of the glory of God]
57% believe that the Holy Spirit is not a living entity but a symbol of God’s presence and power.[He is an equal person of the Trinity]
42% say that Satan is not a living being but a symbol of evil. [He is as real as you or I]
48% believe that Jesus committed sins while on earth. [He was perfect otherwise he could not redeem us from under the law]
40% believe that after he was crucified, Jesus did not physically return to life.[Jesus rose physically after death – there is more than enough evidence to substantiate this – and this belief is part of the condition to be truly called Christian]
34% believe that there are some sins that even God cannot forgive. [There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven and that is unbelief that continues to death].
21% of those who claim to be born again go to Christian Fellowship
These percentages are dropping by between 2 and 4% every 10 years.
Remember, these percentages are so-called professing Christians who believe these things. It’s important that we get the message right about the Gospel. Plainly though they call themselves Christians, in belief at least 40% are not.
But, let me tell you now despite what others believe… if we have come to faith in Jesus then we are already accepted by God and nothing can improve that position. We are justified by faith, declared righteous by God, pronounced ‘not guilty’, we are already seated in heavenly places and are fully blessed. God dresses us in righteousness which, when we were under law, He demanded.
Scofield, C. I. (Ed.). (1917). The Scofield Reference Bible: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 1245). New York; London; Toronto; Melbourne; Bombay: Oxford University Press.
And having come to faith in Christ then we do good works because of our reciprocal love for God. That is, we love Him because He first loved us. We are now in a free relationship with God with nothing standing in the way. And when we go wrong, as surely we do, it is a simple thing though to come back to God and confess our sin and he is faithful and just to forgive us () and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We have been given power over sin and there is now no need for us to do so. Did you hear that? I’ll keep saying it on Sundays until we believe! We no longer HAVE to sin. We are overcomers. And if we are not living as overcomers it is because we forget that we do not have to sin. We have Christ living in us and we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us therefore we can live lives free of sin. The fact that we can and we don’t is representative of the battle that continues in us between the flesh and the spirit.
We have been given power over sin and there is now no need for us to do so. Did you hear that? We no longer HAVE to sin. We are overcomers. And if we are not living as overcomers it is because we forget that we do not have to sin. We have Christ living in us and we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us therefore we can live lives free of sin. The fact that we can and we don’t is representative of the battle that continues in us between the flesh and the spirit. And when we fail we can turn back to God in a moment. But why would we continue in sin when he has done so much for us? The most likely explanation is that we forget his goodness.
Is there something that can make this battle a little easier? Yes, there is. Don’t forget what God has done for you, you personally.
In Solomon is criticised because he heart has gone after other gods because of the women in his life:
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
(NKJV) [SLIDE]
Two things I want to point out from these verses:
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.[SLIDE]
David is praised for his heart was loyal to God - is this not a surprise seeing we know that he committed adultery and murdered his friend? How is this so? Because it is by faith we are saved.
9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Solomon had forgotten the two times God had appeared to him which is why he had all the things that he had.
You might think that this is incredible. If you have had such an amazing experience of God then you would never want to live for anything except God, right? But we underestimate the power of our hearts to change and be deceived. If he had regularly reviewed what God had done for him it would have more likely kept him on the straight and narrow. I think that the main reason why society is the way it is, is that they have forgotten God…and forgotten Him to such an extent that they no longer believe he exists…and if he does not exist then there is no restraint for evil for they do not believe that God is watching and that they have to give an account to him one day. They have forgotten the times God saved this nation from calamity especially in the Great Wars. It is not only society but the Church that has forgotten.
Now the Anglican Church declares what society wants trumps God’s Word so says the Bishop of York, John Sentamu, a supposed evangelical, two week ago. They have forgotten the great men of God of the past and those who gave their lives because of God’s Word: People like Bishop Latimer who was burned at the stake with Nicholas Ridley. He is quoted as having said to Ridley:
all because he forgot that God had appeared to him twice and given him all that he had. He simply forgot. This is incredibly amazing for you’d think that if you have had such an amazing experience of God then you would never want to live for anything except God…but we underestimate the power of our hearts to change and be deceived…if he had regularly reviewed what God had done for him it would have kept him on the straight and narrow…and if we do the same we will be continually be in awe of God. I think that the main reason why society is the way it is, is that they have forgotten God…and forgotten Him to such an extent that they no longer believe he exists…and if he does not exist then there is no restraint for evil for they do not believe that God is watching and that they have to give an account to him one day.
Bishop Latimer was burned at the stake with Nicholas Ridley. He is quoted as having said to Ridley:
Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.
The light has gone out in the Church of England. They spurned God and His Word and they are now spurned by God and the result…judgement is coming. If the Church forgets God why should society give Him heed?
We who forget what God has done in our lives are also without excuse because we know Him. In this passage Paul speaks of the miracles that are done because God is among us – not because of things we do but because of His Spirit at work in our lives – the Galatians knew about them – as do we.
What shall we do? Remember. Write down what God has done for you and look at them regularly to remind you of God’s faithfulness. Read biographies of the great brothers and sisters of the past and present. In doing so, our desire to love him more will grow and our expectancy of what He’ll do will also increase.
What miracles have we seen? Have we forgotten those times when God has worked in our lives? Have we still not written them down? Why not spend half hour or more remembering when we get home today and jotting down what he has done as continual reminders of God’s faithfulness to us. In doing so, our desire to love him more will grow.
This is, in essence, what the letter from James is about: faith and works are in tandem, however faith comes first. As a result of our faith we then do good works…it is a response, just as for Abraham who believed God when he said that he would have a child and therefore Abraham was justified before God. When he was asked to sacrifice the son he had been given he was fully prepared to act upon his faith…faith in the word that through his son he would have a progeny…and fully believed that if he did sacrifice his son somehow God would raise him from the dead. His faith and his works worked in tandem.
Now being justified by faith we know that the law cannot make us right…but we do right because we are now inhabited by the Spirit of Jesus. Being justified – or declared righteous leads to an outworking of that in our lives…it leads to right living. We now keep the law known as the law of the Spirit which no longer ensnares us but we live by faith seeking to do God’s will for us. We now do right because we are made righteous. We now do justice because we are made just. In being made we do.
In being justified we become three different things:
In being justified we become Sons of God. This isn’t a sexist statement. Sonship in biblical times — and to some extent even today in some cultures — confers a higher status of gift or inheritance.
Property was given to men rather than women and sons received much greater benefits than other relatives. In the Roman world sonship also brought with it direct access to the father and all his resources. Paul was writing to both men and women in this letter. Paul is confirming the elevated status of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
In being justified we become One in Christ –
A common prayer said by many Jewish men each morning was, “Lord, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.”
The classless idea of earthly status having no importance in heaven is emphasised by Paul’s choice of three polar opposite groups. Jews/Gentiles, Slaves/Fee, Women/Men.
a. Jews were thought to be God’s chosen people, so they felt superior to the Gentiles whom they referred to as dogs. For Gentiles to be equated with Jews in God’s kingdom was a shocking statement.
b. Slaves did not enjoy the benefits of freedom on earth, yet in Christ they are just as free as everyone else.
c. The biggest jolt probably came next, when Paul declared equality between men and women in the Kingdom of God. In other words, God considers men and women as different, but equally loved and respected by him. If God considers men and women to be one in Christ, how can men continue to relegate women to the status of mere property? Paul is often criticised for comments that seem sexist today, but if you really look at what he was saying, Paul was more controversial than anyone before him and that in the Roman Empire.
In being justified we become Descendants of Abraham – The promise that the Jews believed was theirs alone, was actually offered to the whole world when God made his covenant with Abram in (1-3):
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
We are all on the road to ultimate salvation: We have been saved and we are being saved and will be saved. We have been made righteous and we are being made right. We have been made holy and we are being made holy. This is a long road and there are many pitfalls along the way. We are to guard our hearts because what we desire has a habit of being chased after. If our hearts are after money or sex or possessions then we are steering our hearts towards the things of this world which are temporary however if our hearts are after God we will seek to remember what He has done, we will respond to Him in love and desire to do what He wants and in doing so He will fulfil the desires of our hearts.
We don’t get it right every time because we are being made perfect. We are on the road to what we already are in Christ – and if we are alive this evening then we haven’t made it yet.
Finally, I want you to be assured of God’s love for you no matter how bad you think you are.
There is a story of a pastor who visited an elderly woman who was dying at home. She was sure that God no longer loved her because of the sins she had committed in her life; things that she thought were too terrible for even God to forgive. This is quite a common thing. The pastor told her about God’s grace and mercy and Christ’s atonement for our sins but the woman was still not convinced.
He happened to glance across the room and noticed a picture on her mantle-piece of a young woman. He asked her who the person in the picture was and the woman said it was her daughter.
The pastor asked if she loved her daughter, and the woman replied, “Yes, I love her more than anything.”
The pastor then asked, “Suppose your daughter did something really, really bad. Would you stop loving her because of it?” “Of course not,” the woman replied. “No matter what she might have done, I would always love her! Nothing could ever change that.”
“Well,” the priest said, “God has a picture of you on his mantle-piece.”
The shed blood of Jesus is all the proof we need that His love is sufficient to deal with all that we were and are and will be. Trust Him and not yourself.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Mangum, D., & Brown, D. R. (2012). Galatians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Galatians) (electronic ed., Vol. 46). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Scofield, C. I. (Ed.). (1917). The Scofield Reference Bible: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments. New York; London; Toronto; Melbourne; Bombay: Oxford University Press.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 13:36 06 August 2017.
COMMUNION
COMMUNION
Jesus Christ has been clearly portrayed to you as crucified is what we read in . The meaning of this is that Jesus is shown on the cross on every placard, every poster, ever Facebook post, every billboard. It is almost gruesome in appearance and that is absolutely necessary. Our sin is gruesome before God and it took a gruesome act to deal with it. You cannot miss that the good news is that Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died - this is what is being proclaimed - why? For it was the only way for us to gain our freedom.