Galatians 3 - The Only Solution to the World's Problems is Jesus!
Faith or Works of the Law
3 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.”
Paul continues to hammer on the Galatians for going back to the Law, after he had preached only Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Paul then continues by asking them how they received the Holy Spirit. For Paul the only way one can live a Christian life, as we will see in Galatians 5, is by the Spirit. After beginning with the power of the Holy Spirit, they are now returning to trying to live in the flesh. I.e. Being good enough through will power.
Paul then makes a very important point. Paul says that even Abraham was justified by faith. You see being justified by faith is not just a New Testament thing. Though Abraham did not know Jesus, he believed in God's promises and moved his whole family trusting God's promises. Abraham exhibited faith in what God had revealed to him. His faith looked forward to the faith we have been given in Christ.
"This deception was cultivated by Satan to set our Christian life off-track. If he cannot stop us from being saved by faith, then he will attempt to hinder our blessing and growth and maturity by faith." - Guzik
This quotation from Genesis 15:6 is one of the clearest expressions in the Bible of the truth of salvation by grace, through faith alone. It is the gospel in the Old Testament, quoted four times in the New Testament (Romans 4:3, Romans 4:9-10, Romans 4:22 and here in Galatians 3:6). - Guzik
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.
Along the same lines Paul says the faith of the Galatians originated from Abraham. When Abraham believed God by faith, it was a foreshadowing of the faith that would be given to the Gentiles. When God told Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him, he was referring to the Gentiles who would come to faith through St. Paul's preaching.
Once again we see how critical the connection between the Old and New Testament. God knew when He called Abraham, and He believed in faith, that all of these Galatians would be blessed through him. In this sense we are all children of Abraham.
Ironically Abraham is the central figure in the world's three major religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But only Christians believe in the promise of Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.
This was a strong rebuke to the Jewish Christians who tried to bring Gentile Christians under the law. They believed they were superior because they descended from Abraham and observed the law. Paul said that the most important link to Abraham was not the link of genetics and not the link of works, but it is the link of faith. - Guzik
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.
Paul then quotes another Old Testament verse in the prophets when he says, "The righteous shall live by faith." Habbakuk 2:4
Paul says that those who live by the Law are under a curse. What does this mean?
When Paul said that as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, he didn’t mean that the law was bad or the Word of God is wrong. He simply meant that God never intended the law to be the way we find our approval before Him. He knew we could never keep the law, and so God instituted the system of atoning sacrifice along with the law. And the entire sacrificial system looked forward to what Jesus would accomplish on the cross for us. - Guzik
Cursed is a word that sounds strange in our ears. Yet in the Bible, the idea of being cursed is important, and frightening – because it means being cursed by God. Not only cursed by our own bad choices, not only cursed by this wicked world, not only cursed by the Devil – but especially cursed by God. He is the one Person you don’t want to be cursed by. - Guzik
The Law and the Promise
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.
We see the historical nature of the bible. Paul says the Law was given 430 years after God made his covenant with Abraham. The Mosaic Law did not negate the covenant God made with Abraham, which was based on God's promise. There were blessings and curses in the covenant God made with Moses. If the Israelites obeyed the Law they would be blessed, but when they didn't there would be consequences. The Mosaic covenant is IF/THEN. The covenant God made with Abraham based on trust in the One who made the promise.
"If the inheritance offered to Abraham was on the basis of law, it might not be permanent – because it would depend, at least in part, on Abraham’s keeping of the law. But since the inheritance was offered on the basis of promise, God’s promise, it stands sure." - Guzik
“Judaizers might quote Moses; Paul will quote Abraham. Let them quote law; he will quote promise. If they appeal to the centuries of tradition and the proud history of the law of Moses, he will appeal to the grander ‘covenant with Abraham’, older by centuries still.” (Cole)
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.
So what was the purpose of the Law? One of the main purposes of the Law was to curtail the sin of the Israelites. Sin has consequences and God wanted to spare His children the consequences, which would automatically come if they disobeyed it. The Law had its purpose, but it was powerless to change a human heart. If anything the Law could only reveal the need for another type of righteousness that would come through Christ.
Our futility in keeping the law out of sheer will power should give us more gratitude to what Jesus did for us on the cross. By faith we trust that Jesus fulfilled what we could never fulfill by keeping the Law unswervingly. Jesus then becomes our righteousness.
So as the Law was meant to prepare us for the work of the Messiah, it was given till the Seed (Jesus) should come. It isn’t that the Law of Moses is revoked when Jesus came (Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law, not destroy it in Matthew 5:17). Instead, the Law of Moses is no longer our ground of approaching God. - Guzik
Children of God
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.
Paul calls the law our guardian before Christ. What did he mean by this?
The word for "guardian" could be also translated "under guard". The word "custody" does not mean "confinement" like being locked up in prison.
The idea behind confined is imprisonment; the idea behind under guard is protective custody. There is a sense in which we were imprisoned by our own sin under the law; but there is also another sense in which it guarded us in protective custody. - Guzik
Galatians 3:28 is a very important verse. Jesus is the great equalizer. As Paul says it breaks down the barrier of race, economic status, and gender. Interesting isn't it that three of the greatest problems in our culture relates to these three areas.
There is neither Jew or Gentile. Much of the problem in the Middle East is related to this. Arab Muslims and Christians would be considered Gentile. So you might say "In Christ there is no Arab or Jew." This is why the only true solution to the centuries long warring in the Middle East is Jesus!
Neither slave or free. We might translate this the rich and the poor. In Jesus' economy there should be no difference before the rich and the poor, the management or the workers. Those have more than enough should help those who have less than enough.
Male or female. We have all kinds of issues related to gender today. The feminist movement has sought to bring power back to women in some healthy ways, and in some unhealthy ways. I.e. Manhaters Many men have not used their authority to serve their wives but to Lord it over them. I.e. Abusers. Of course there are examples of these things on both sides of the equation. It is only through Jesus that we can be one, just like a man and woman are one in marriage only through Christ.
One in Christ. The bottom line is that as our eyes are focused on Christ, we serve Him alone. Whatever station in life we find ourselves in we serve him. If we are given a position of authority, we are ultimately accountable to God with how we use it. If we are given riches, we will give an account for what we did with it.
We will never find union in a political party, or a form of government, or economy, but only in Jesus Christ! Do you believe in this!
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