GALATIANS 3: Faith and Promise

As I was reading my Bible this morning I was blown away by Galatians 3. We are about to enter a new series called Four Cups at Vertical Chapel this weekend. In this series we are going to discuss the four promises that God gives to us in Exodus 6:6-7. We are people of PROMISE and I am so thankful of that.  In Galatians 3 Paul describes the difference between the Law and the Promise of God.  I wanted to just share what God spoke to me this morning through His Word in preparation of our new series.

Chapter 3:

Galatia was not a city but a region or a county as we know it. God was moving and working in a powerful way in this area because of Paul’s powerful gospel message.  But as soon as Paul left others... legalistic people came in and were saying Paul’s message was great but you really needed to have some rules and regulations especially CIRCUMSICION! Cults always add... “Believe in Jesus Christ AND...” Cults believe in the AND more than the finished work of Jesus.

V1: By Faith or by Work of the Law?

·      Who has put this spell on you? Why are you no longer embracing the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus.

·      Then Paul asks them six, self reflecting questions...

V2:

·      I love this question... Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were born again because you followed the Law of the Old Testament perfectly... because you were so wonderful? NO! We received it through FAITH ALONE. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

·      When we became a Christian the Holy Spirit came in me.  But has the Holy Spirit COME UPON me?  Like it did for the disciples in Acts 1:8.  Paul asks this same question to those in Ephesus in Acts 19:2.

V3:

·      Paul basically said that we began as Christians solely because of the Faith given to us by the Spirit to receive the Gospel of Jesus... why go backwards and not try to live it our in our flesh and continually earn this grace given... IT IS FOOLISH!

V4:

·      Paul is reminding them of the persecution and the ridicule they received when they received the grace of Jesus.  And now he is saying you when through all of that... why go back on that grace now? It makes no sense!

V5:

·      Paul is referencing himself.  He is saying I minister to you in the Spirit and perform miracles right here in front of you.  DO you think I do it because of how well I obey the Law or by the grace given to me??? GOD’S GRACE!

V6:

·      Paul quotes Genesis 15:6.  Abraham was viewed as the Father of the Jewish nation.  And so Paul uses his story to really break off the chains to Judaism. Abraham wasn’t doing something to impress God he just simply believed... and because of his simply faith God called him righteous!

V7:

·      Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, if you have faith then we are linked to Abraham who is the father of faith.

V8-9:

·      Through Abraham God said, “ALL NATIONS” would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).  Not just the Jews.  So because of Abraham’s faith God did a mighty work through his faith.

V10: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

·      Why is the Law a curse as it says in Deuteronomy 27:26?  Because if you’re going to keep the Law and try to earn God’s love and favor that we you have to do it all... perfectly... The same is true with the Ten Commandments. Jesus helps us understand the weight of this in Matthew 5.

V11:

·      These very words are first seen in Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” We are to look to the Lord instead of our circumstances.

·      Want to be happy, fruitful, excited and set free? The just shall LIVE - really LIVE - by FAITH!

·      This same thought is talked about in Romans 1:17 where Paul talks about justification and also in Hebrews 11.

·      Martin Luther worked so hard to get close to the Lord.  He crawled on his knees, beat his body, fasted and nothing worked... But then he realized that Christianity isn’t do, do, do... it is simply DONE! Jesus did it all! We have to get ride of the burden of being SPIRITUAL!

·      What about faith without works is dead as James 2:20 says?  This is true... but TRUE FAITH will automatically bring about lots of good works! Those with TRUE FAITH understand the “GET TO” instead of the “HAVE TO”!

V12:

·      The Law says, You must do it and keep on doing it, perfectly! (Leviticus 18:5).  But faith says, He did it, therefore it is done! (John 19:30)

V13-14:

·      Jesus paid the ultimate price for us so that we could receive the PROMISE of the Spirit. His death brings us all the power and blessings of the Holy Ghost. Not by out works... not by what we do... but by FAITH IN WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY!

·      Jesus became the curse of the Law for us! Look at this prophecy of Jesus from Deuteronomy 21:23. “23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.” This verse can also speak of another man who hung on a tree... Judas Iscariot.

V15: The Law and the Promise

·      Paul uses and example that everyone in that day would have understood.  Once two people signed their names on a contract nothing could be added to it.  It was sealed and finished.

V16:

·      In most people’s mind whenever we refer to Abraham’s seed we think of the Jewish nation. But Paul argues that this PROMISE from God to Abraham was not for seeds plural but to ONE SEED.... JESUS. The promise from God to bless the world isn’t through the Jewish people but through Jesus Christ alone.

V17-18:

·      God made a promise, a covenant with Abraham that through His (God’s) Seed (Jesus) that everyone who wanted would be blessed. 430 years after this covenant with given to Abraham the Law was given.  But the Law cannot take away the promise of blessing given to Abraham.

·      Paul is about to explain the next big argument for most... That since we are IN Christ the blessing that comes to us cannot be given because we keep the Law or nullified because of our inability to keep it.

·      THE LAW IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT AS IT RELATES TO THE BLESSING OF GOD!

V19-20:

·      People ask... if our walk with the Lord is simply upon believing what God said, receiving His promise and resting solely on that then why was the Law given at all?

·      Because of sin the Law was given until Jesus Christ -  the Lamb of God who could take away the sin of the world came on the scene.

·      On Mount Sinai Angels delivered the stone tablets to Moses and Moses brought it down to the people.  So the Law was not directly communicated from God. However the PROMISE was given directly without mediators. God Himself delivered the promise to Abraham.

V21:

·      The Law doesn’t contradict the Promise of God... it simply gives and alternative to the Promise. The Law offers mankind a choice. We can either simply receive the grace of God through Jesus or strive to perfectly keep every aspect of the Law.  THAT IS OUR ONLY CHOICE! The problem is... the Law cannot be kept perfectly.  Only Jesus who is God could do it.

V22:

·      No one can be made right with God through the Law because it cannot be kept perfectly. All the Law does it put a big flashing arrow over our head blinking SINNER! That is why it was given... to remind us and tell us that we need a Savior!

·      GRACE CAME FIRST. The promise came first. THANK YOU!

·      Romans 3:10-11 reminds us, “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

V23:

·      We were in trouble because we were supposed to keep every part of the Law perfectly without fail... but we couldn’t do it. We were cut off from the faith that would later be revealed in Jesus.

V24:

·      The Law is our teacher until Jesus came.  That was it’s purpose.

·      The blood shed of Jesus on the Cross was so powerful that is blotted out every violation that everyone written against us! Colossians 2:14, “14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

V25:

·      The Law was a teacher with a red pen marking up our lives with every single mistake we made.  But as soon as Christ came into our lives the Law is no longer to be a part of our lives and all the red pen marks are erased forever so that we appear perfect and blameless before God (as if we kept the Law perfectly). Because of Jesus we get a 100 A+ grade!!! When really we got an F! The Law is a pass / fail test and if you miss one question you get an F!

·      WOW!

V26-27:

·      When we became a believer, we put on Christ and we were placed in Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:17, “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” When God looks at me He see’s Jesus. How is this even possible!!! So why would we ever return to the rules and regulations of performing and trying to earn the Good News of Jesus???

V28:

·      The Law sets up barriers between people.  The Law divides and separates those who try to follow it and those who don’t. But once we put on Christ these walls crumble and there is not separation! The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We are all equal sinner saved by grace through Jesus!

V29:

·      If we are in Christ, we are not of Moses, not of the Law, not of performance.  We are of Abraham, of faith, of promise!

·      WE ARE A PEOPLE OF PROMISE!