Galatians Chapter 3

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

1. What is spirit and how do we receive the Spirit?

We live in an artificial temporary creation. E = MC2; Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity tells us that there is a direct relationship between matter (stuff) and energy. In effect God just took energy and converted it into stuff. Our bodies are part of that stuff, protons and electrons in a certain arrangement. All stuff is temporary and eventually will pass away. The universe as we know it is winding down and left on its own will suffer heat death. All this will pass away. Spirit is eternal and will not pass away. Spirit is real.

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”John 4:24 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Gen 1:26 (ESV)

God created us with a spiritual component, a spiritual component that was given the ability to connect with the Spirit of God and have spiritual relationship with him.

Adams was made with a healthy active spirit, but his spirit died on the day he rebelled against God and chose to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This is why Jesus said we have to be born again. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (ESV)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 (ESV)

No where—not even in the Old Testament—did anyone ever receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the Law. He is received by the hearing of faith. The Galatians never received the Spirit by the Law. The Holy Spirit is evidence of conversion. Scripture tells us, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom. 8:9). “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”(Eph. 1:13). JVM

Peter’s in the book of Acts verifies that all believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17).

4  Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

2. Why does Paul bring Abraham into this discussion?

Abraham believed God—This is quoted from Genesis 15:6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Paul restates this in,Romans 4:3-5 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Abraham, while even uncircumcised, believed in God, and his faith was reckoned to him for justification; and Abraham is called the father of the faithful, or, of believers. If, then, he was justified without the deeds of the law, he was justified by faith; and if he was justified by faith, long before the law was given then the law is not necessary to salvation. ACC

Paul is making the point that Abraham, who the Jews considered to be their father, was brought into relationship with God through his faith, before he was circumcised, and hundreds of years before the Mosaic Law, then why would they now think that they were justified before God by obeying the Mosaic Law.

And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham   Matt 3:9 (ESV)

3. So who are the sons of Abraham?

The Judaizers, in emphasizing the Mosaic Law, appealed to Moses frequently. Paul took them back farther in their history to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation.

Abraham is the father of God’s people not because he is the biological ancestor of the Jews but because he has a family of spiritual children who follow in his footsteps by believing as he did. God promised Abraham that he would bring life from his dead body. Thus Abraham is a living OT prophecy of the gospel: he was not an Israelite but a pagan, and God justified him by faith.

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall 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 hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

4. How is the Law a curse?

Any system of regulations only comes into effect when I fail to keep them. The speed laws on the freeway only become relevant when the CHP notices I am speeding. Driving the speed limit for years and I still don’t get a letter of commendation from the CHP

5. What is significant about “The righteous shall live by faith.”?

This is a quote from the OT prophet Habakkuk

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

This great principle–”the just shall live by faith”–was the Scripture that so inflamed the soul of Martin Luther that it became the watchword of the Reformation. It occurs first here in the small prophecy of Habakkuk, but is then quoted three times in the New Testament. The term “just,” of course, means “justified” or “righteous.” God says a person is enabled to live righteously by his faith.

6. How was Jesus cursed by God?

21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21 (ESV)

God the Father, using the principle of imputation, treated Christ as if He were a sinner though He was not, and had Him die as a substitute to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him. On the cross, He did not become a sinner (as some suggest), but remained as holy as ever. He was treated as if He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who would ever believe, though He committed none. The wrath of God was exhausted on Him and the just requirement of God’s law met for those for whom He died. MSBN

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.18For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

7. What is a covenant?

In the general sense, a covenantis simply a binding agreement or compact between two or more parties; in legal terms, it is a formal sealed agreement or contract.

The Abrahamic Covenant, found in Genesis 15, granted the Israelites a promised land in the Land of Israel. In this covenant, God promises (see Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-18;15:1-21; 17:1-22):

1. To make from Abraham a great nation and to multiply his seed exceedingly and to make him a father of great many nations.

2. To bless Abraham and make him great.

3. To make Abraham a blessing to all the families of the earth.

4. To bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him.

5. To give Abraham and his seed forever all the land which he could see.

6. To give him a sign of the covenant (circumcision).

8. How does the Abrahamic covenant point to grace apart from works?

This covenant was an unconditional declaration by God of what he planned for Abraham and his offspring. Part of this covenant was not just a covenant based on bloodlines but on the faith that Abraham, a former pagan idol worshipper had exhibited in this life; that faith being in Yahweh. Paul is pointing out that offspring a singular word is what is operative here. Christ is the seed, not seeds. Those who are in Christ are included as the seed of Abraham not just seeds as all children of Abraham. Many who claimed to be sons of Abraham were not his spiritual sons, because they boasted in their fleshly inheritance to Abraham.

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 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 no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

8.Why then the law?

The question then arises: If the law has no impact on God’s plan rooted in his promise, why was the law ever given?

Because of transgressions:

(1) “to provide a sacrificial system to deal temporarily with transgressions,”

(2) “to teachpeople more clearly what God requires and thereby to restrain transgressions,”

(3) “to showthat transgressions violated an explicit written law,”

(4) “to revealpeople’s sinfulness and need for a savior” (cf. Rom. 3:20: “through the law comes knowledge of sin”).

All four senses are theologically true, but the last is probably uppermost in Paul’s mind. ESV

9. Is the law contrary to the promises of God?

The law is certainly not contraryto the promises of God: Paul regards the law as “holy and righteous and good” So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7:12 (ESV)

But because of human sinfulness, the law was never able to give life. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. Romans 8:3 (ESV)

10. Who is the intermediary?

In the Old Testament, Moses was the intermediary.

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off  and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die  Ex 20:18-19 (ESV)

Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. Ex 24:3 (ESV)

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— Deut. 18:15 (ESV)

Now Jesus Christ is our intermediary.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.  1 Tim 2:5 (ESV)

11. So what work must I do to be saved and what kinds of people can receive the gift of salvation.

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29 (ESV)

Male female, slave free, Jew Greek, God chooses and offers the free gift of salvation to people from every people group and class of people.

·           

          ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes

·         MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes                     

·         NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes. 

·         JVM ….J Vernon McGee,

·         ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary

·         BN …..Barnes Notes

·         WBC……   Wycliffe Bible Commentary

·         CN ……Constables Notes 

·         IC……….Ironside Commentary

·         NET………Net Bible Study Notes.

·         JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset Brown Commentary

·         VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies

·         CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark

·         BDB…………..Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)

·         Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT

·         Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.

·         NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.

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