Galatians Chapter 3 Study Guide
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 1-3
“How Stupid Can We Sometimes Be?”
[10-25-20]
Review: “If The Law Could Save Us Then Jesus Died For Nothing!”
Galatians 2:17-21) [KJV] (NLT) But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not!
Check out our Galatians Chapter 2 Study Guide here
18) (TLB) Rather, we are sinners if we start rebuilding the old systems I have been destroying of trying to be saved by keeping Jewish laws,
NOTE: Peter, and the others who followed his example, sought justification with God through coming to Christ. The very fact that they understood their need for salvation was a confession that they were sinners, just like the Gentile sinners.
NOTE: As Jews they understood, through the Law, that they were sinners; so they left the Law, as a means to save them, and came to Jesus to be justified. Now if they’re still sinners does that make the Christ Who justified them a party of their sin? Of course not! That could never be!
NOTE: If we, as Jews, [or, you and I as Gentiles] leave grace and turn again to Law, then the very Law we turn to will once again show us that we are Lawbreakers. There is no justification in any system that teaches if we keep the rules then we are right with God; because we humans are incapable of keeping the rules all of the time.
19) (GNB) So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead — killed by the Law itself — in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on his cross,
QUESTION: What is Paul talking about in verse 19?
Romans 7:3-4) [KJV] So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
4) Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
NOTE: In Paul’s analogy there is a sense in which we were married to the Law, being therefore bound to keep all of its commandments. Unable to do so, we died in our sins, killed by the very Law we were married to. Our death separated us from the demands of the Law; so we were free to marry another; that other is the risen Son of God!
NOTE: When you put your faith in Christ the Holy Spirit baptized you, that is totally immersed you into the body of Christ [1 Cor. 12:13]; and that union with Christ was retro-active. That means that when Christ died on the cross we died with Him, or in Him! We died to the Law when He died for the sins we committed that broke that Law. Since we died to the Law we became free from the demands of the Law; and we were free to marry, that is, become one with Jesus!
20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
NOTE: We haven’t just, in our identification of being “in Christ,” died with Him; we have also resurrected with Him! So, even as this is true of Jesus, He died, yet He lives: so it is true of us, in Christ we died, yet in Christ we live!
NOTE: We now live our lives by putting our faith in Christ, and then walking out that faith! Abraham was justified by faith, by believing what God told him; we, too, are justified by faith, by believing what He tells us!
21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
(NLT) I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.
QUESTION: There was approximately 1473 years between Moses giving the Jews the Law and the resurrection of Christ. How many people got saved in those 1473 years?
ANSWER: Absolutely no one! The Law doesn’t justify anyone; it accuses us all of sin!
NOTE: If the Law had been able to save anyone then Jesus would not have had to die!
This Week’s Lesson: “How Stupid Can We Sometimes Be?”
Galatians 3:1-3) [KJV] O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
(CEV) You stupid Galatians! ——– Has someone now put an evil spell on you?
(MSG) You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened,
QUESTION: What’s Paul saying here, in simple English?
(NLT) For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross.
ANSWER: Paul is reminding them of how clearly he had presented to them, when he was with them in the province of Galatia, the teaching about what the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ meant to them in a practical way.
QUESTION: What happened?
ANSWER: Their understanding of this doctrine had been perverted by other teachers.
2) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
QUESTION: What’s Paul’s point in vs. 2-3?
ANSWER: You don’t get saved one way and then grow spiritually another!
LET’S COMPARE VS. 2 &3 OF THE ABOVE PASSAGE:
by the works of the law = by the flesh
by the hearing of faith = in the Spirit
QUESTION: What is Paul teaching you and me here?
ANSWER: We became Christians by hearing the Gospel message and believing it!
NOTE: That’s the same way we are to walk out our Christian faith, by believing what God says about us! Abraham was justified by faith [Rom.4:3, 9]; and the just live by faith [Rom. 1:16-17].
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 4-9
“Are You A Child of Abraham?”
[11-1-20]
Review: “How Stupid Can We Sometimes Be?”
Galatians 3:1-9) [KJV] O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
(CEV) You stupid Galatians! ——– Has someone now put an evil spell on you?
(MSG) You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened,
QUESTION: What’s Paul saying here, in simple English?
(NLT) For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross.
ANSWER: Paul is reminding them of how clearly he had presented to them, when he was with them in the province of Galatia, the teaching about what the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ meant to them in a practical way.
QUESTION: What happened?
ANSWER: Their understanding of this doctrine had been perverted by other teachers.
2) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
QUESTION: What’s Paul’s point in vs. 2-3?
ANSWER: You don’t get saved one way and then grow spiritually another!
LET’S COMPARE VS. 2 &3 OF THE ABOVE PASSAGE:
by the works of the law = by the flesh
by the hearing of faith = in the Spirit
QUESTION: What is Paul teaching you and me here?
ANSWER: We became Christians by hearing the Gospel message and believing it!
NOTE: That’s the same way we are to walk out our Christian faith, by believing what God says about us! Abraham was justified by faith [Rom.4:3, 9]; and the just live by faith [Rom. 1:16-17].
This Week’s Lesson: “Are You A Child of Abraham?”
Galatians 3:4-9) [KJV] Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
“When the Galatians first trusted in Christ, they exposed themselves to bitter persecution, perhaps partly at the hands of Jewish zealots who hated the gospel of grace. Was all that suffering in vain? In going back to the law were they not saying that the persecutors were right after all? If indeed it was in vain. Paul expresses continued hope that they will return to the gospel for which they once suffered” [BBC].
QUESTION: What’s the Apostle doing here?
ANSWER: He’s reminding his readers that they had, in no doubt, experienced persecution for their acceptance of the Gospel. Why would they be willing to suffer for the Gospel if they weren’t willing to tenaciously hold on to the truth of the Gospel?
5) He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(NLT) I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
(ERV) Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? Does God work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.
QUESTION: Who is the “he” that Paul is referring to here?
ANSWER: Commentators aren’t certain if Paul is referring to himself, when he shared the Gospel with them, or if he’s referring to someone who is currently working among them; but some believe Paul is referring to God in this verse.
QUESTION: Is it important that we know who the “he” refers to?
ANSWER: No! Paul’s point here is that everything God does for us, rather it’s saving us or working miracles among us, He does in response to our faith in Him, not in response to our trying to keep the Law of Moses!
6) Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
QUESTION: What is Paul teaching us here?
ANSWER: Paul also pointed out Abraham’s faith to the believers in Rome [Rom. 4:1-14]; he wants us to understand that God, like the good parent He is, wants His children to trust Him! God looks for faith in His children!
7) Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
QUESTION: What’s this verse telling us?
ANSWER: Paul is teaching us here that we non-Jews are just as much the children of Abraham as the Jews are; they’re his children by physical birth; we’re Abraham’s children because we walk in the faith of Abraham.
8) And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
QUESTION: What’s the amazing truth of this verse?
ANSWER: When God told Abraham that “all nations” would be blessed through him [Gen. 18:18] He was foretelling the Gospel dispensation!
**NOTE: I want you to soak that in! When God said that to Abraham somewhere around 3800 years ago HE HAD YOU IN MIND!! That shouldn’t surprise you though; because “there has never been a moment when you haven’t crossed His mind” [words from a Southern Gospel Song]!!
Rom. 4:20-24) [KJV] He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23) Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
NOTE: God inspires Moses to write the Book of Genesis; and He reveals to the Law Giver that He counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness!! And Moses might not have known this, but when God did that he had you and me in mind, literally!!
9) So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
(GNB) Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.
QUESTION: What is Paul teaching us here?
ANSWER: We walk in God’s blessings by doing what Abraham did; we need to walk out our lives by faith; we need to, just like Abraham did, believe what God says about us in His Word!
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 10-14
“Do You Really Want To Live Under A Curse?”
[11-8-20]
Review: Are You A Child of Abraham?”
Galatians 3:4-9) [KJV] Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
NOTE: Paul is reminding his readers that they had, in no doubt, experienced persecution for their acceptance of the Gospel. Why would they be willing to suffer for the Gospel if they weren’t willing to tenaciously hold on to the truth of the Gospel?
5) (ERV) Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? Does God work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.
NOTE: Paul’s point here is that everything God does for us, rather it’s saving us or working miracles among us, He does in response to our faith in Him, not in response to our trying to keep the Law of Moses!
6) Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
NOTE: Paul also pointed out Abraham’s faith to the believers in Rome [Rom. 4:1-14]; he wants us to understand that God, like the good parent He is, wants His children to trust Him! God looks for faith in His children!
7) Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
NOTE: Paul is teaching us here that we non-Jews are just as much the children of Abraham as the Jews are; they’re his children by physical birth; we’re Abraham’s children because we walk in the faith of Abraham.
8) And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
**NOTE: I want you to soak that in! When God said that to Abraham somewhere around 3800 years ago HE HAD YOU IN MIND!! That shouldn’t surprise you though; because “there has never been a moment when you haven’t crossed His mind” [words from a Southern Gospel Song]!!
Rom. 4:23-24) [KJV] Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
9) (GNB) Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.
NOTE: We walk in God’s blessings by doing what Abraham did; we need to walk out our lives by faith; we need to, just like Abraham did, believe what God says about us in His Word!
This Week’s Lesson: “Do You Really Want To Live Under A Curse?”
Galatians 3:10-14) [KJV] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
(TLB) Yes, and those who depend on the Jewish laws to save them are under God’s curse, for the Scriptures point out very clearly, “Cursed is everyone who at any time breaks a single one of these laws that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
QUESTION: True? If we’re trying to please God by keeping the Law then we’re under a curse?
ANSWER: True! The Law demands that we always keep all of its commandments; but we can’t; so that places us under the curse the Law pronounces on those who disobey it!
11) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
(ERV) So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law. The Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God by faith will live forever.”
QUESTION: If I keep enough of God’s rules most of the time will I become right with God?
ANSWER: Absolutely not! To be saved by the Law would require you to perfectly keep it!!
12) And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
(TLB) How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says that a man is saved by obeying every law of God, without one slip.
QUESTION: Do you really want to take the matter of salvation into your own hands?
ANSWER: If you live under the Law of Moses you are not allowed to slip up one single time; and still be “saved”!
QUESTION: What does “the law is not of faith” mean?
ANSWER: You can’t be saved by faith, and at the same time live under the Law of Moses! Living under the Law means that you cease to be in a right relationship with God the very first time you sin; living by faith means you believe that the death of Christ at Calvary, on your behalf, forever pays your bill before God! You will never again be in debt to God! Jesus paid your debt in full!
NOTE: You put your faith in God; He forever extends His grace to you! Faith and the Law are diametrically opposed to one another.
YOU KNOW: “Love and marriage; you can’t have one without the other!” Faith and Law; you can’t have one WITH the other! You either trust God’s grace to save you or you try to earn God’s favor for the rest of your life! That attempt at salvation is under a curse from God [vs. 10]!!
13) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
(ERV) The law says we are under a curse for not always obeying it. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, “Anyone who is hung on a tree is under a curse.”
QUESTION: When was Jesus ever “hung on a tree”?
ANSWER: Paul states the obvious: wooden crosses are made from trees!
Deut. 21:22-23) [KJV] And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
23) His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
“But a careful consideration of the passage in Deuteronomy will show that the curse there spoken of applied not to the mere impalement of the malefactor, but to the violation of the Law, for which he had previously been put to death” [Cambridge].
QUESTION: What are we learning here?
ANSWER: In certain cases someone who broke the Law would be put to death; then his dead body would be hung on a tree for all to see! The idea is that what he did put him under a curse of God; and his lifted up dead body spoke to others not to do the same thing.
NOTE: It seems to be simply that if some Israelite committed a sin that had a death penalty as its punishment, in some cases those who killed him would hang him up on a pole for others to see. It would then be a testimony to others that God cursed that conduct!
PAUL’S POINT: Those living under the Law will live under that curse of the Law that requires the sinner to die! Jesus assumed our guilt, faced the wrath of God involved with that curse, and paid our penalty in full! His dying on a wooden cross testifies to what Paul is teaching here!
14) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
QUESTION: What’s the purpose of all of this?
ANSWER: We are being steered away from the Law, with its curse, so that we can enjoy the “blessing of Abraham” when we place our faith in Jesus as our Savior!!
QUESTION: What’s the bottom line here?
ANSWER: We can relate to God through the curse of the Law; or we can relate to God through the faith of Abraham! It’s only through living by faith that results in the Holy Spirit living inside of us!!
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 15-20
“A Blessed Contract!”
[11-15-20]
Review: Do You Really Want To Live Under A Curse?”
Galatians 3:10-14) [KJV] (TLB) Yes, and those who depend on the Jewish laws to save them are under God’s curse, for the Scriptures point out very clearly, “Cursed is everyone who at any time breaks a single one of these laws that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
NOTE: The Law demands that we always keep all of its commandments; but we can’t; so that places us under the curse the Law pronounces on those who disobey it!
11) (ERV) So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law. The Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God by faith will live forever.”
QUESTION: If I keep enough of God’s rules most of the time will I become right with God?
ANSWER: Absolutely not! To be saved by the Law would require you to perfectly keeping it!!
12) (TLB) How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says that a man is saved by obeying every law of God, without one slip.
NOTE: You can’t be saved by faith, and at the same time live under the Law of Moses! Living under the Law means that you cease to be in a right relationship with God the very first time you sin; living by faith means you believe that the death of Christ at Calvary, on your behalf, forever pays your bill before God! You will never again be in debt to God! Jesus paid your debt in full! Faith and the Law are diametrically opposed to one another.
YOU KNOW: “Love and marriage; you can’t have one without the other!” Faith and Law; you can’t have one WITH the other! You either trust God’s grace to save you or you try to earn God’s favor for the rest of your life! That attempt at salvation is under a curse from God [vs. 10]!!
13) (ERV) The law says we are under a curse for not always obeying it. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, “Anyone who is hung on a tree is under a curse” [Deut. 21:22-23]!!
“But a careful consideration of the passage in Deuteronomy will show that the curse there spoken of applied not to the mere impalement of the malefactor, but to the violation of the Law, for which he had previously been put to death” [Cambridge].
PAUL’S POINT: Those living under the Law will live under that curse of the Law that requires the sinner to die! Jesus assumed our guilt, faced the wrath of God involved with that curse, and paid our penalty in full! His dying on a wooden cross testifies to what Paul is teaching here!
14) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
This Week’s Lesson: “A Blessed Contract!”
Galatians 3:15-20) [KJV] Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
(TLB) Dear brothers, even in everyday life a promise made by one man to another, if it is written down and signed, cannot be changed. He cannot decide afterward to do something else instead.
QUESTION: What are we learning here?
**ANSWER: Every one of us who have ever entered into a contractual agreement understands this basic principle: once the agreement is reached and signed then neither party can legally change what was agreed to! In other words, we can’t change the agreement into something we like better; because we have already agreed to those things that were written down.
16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
QUESTION: If you sign a contract to buy a house, a car, or a TV, are the terms of that contract binding?
ANSWER: Yes! Neither party can decide independently that they want to change the agreement. The agreement can only be changed if both parties agree; then that new agreement becomes an amendment to the original contract.
QUESTION: What does this have to do with Law and Grace?
ANSWER: God entered into covenant/contract with Abraham. That covenant was based on: 1) Abraham leaving his father’s house; 2) and God doing the rest! Abraham did what the covenant of promise required of him; it’s now up to God to do the rest. GOD HAS NO INTEREST IN AMENDING THIS COVENANT/CONTRACT!
18) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
QUESTION: What is this verse intended to teach us?
ANSWER: If our getting saved, which begins our journey of receiving everything God has promised us, depended on our keeping the Law flawlessly, then it no longer has anything to do with God fulfilling His promise!!
**NOTE: In that case we have God depending on our faithfulness instead of you and me depending on God’s faithfulness!! I like the way of faith better!! Our faithfulness is often found to be lacking; Whereas, God’s faithfulness always makes that thing that is promised a certainty!!
19) Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
(ERV) So what was the law for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. The law would continue until the special Descendant of Abraham came. This is the Descendant mentioned in the promise, which came directly from God. But the law was given through angels, and the angels used Moses as a mediator to give the law to the people.
QUESTION: What’s the Apostle doing here?
ANSWER: He’s showing us that the Law of Moses was given for a specific time period; that period of time was from Moses until the death of Christ!
20) Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
QUESTION: Was the Law intended to replace the covenant/contract?
ANSWER: No! The Law was intended to show us all that we are lost, and that we must depend on God’s promise to save us.
QUESTION: What is Paul showing us here?
ANSWER: He’s showing us that the Law is inferior to the Promise.
QUESTION: How is the Law inferior?
ANSWER: It was a covenant between God and man that required the faithfulness of both sides. It failed, in the area of bringing man into a right relationship with God, because man never kept its side of the covenant.
QUESTION: How else is the Law shown to be inferior?
ANSWER: The covenant of Law had a mediator between God and man, — Moses. There was no need for a mediator concerning the covenant of Promise because God is the only One required to be faithful.
QUESTION: Was the Law intended to replace the covenant/contract?
ANSWER: No! The Law was intended to show us all that we are lost, and that we must depend on God’s promise to save us.
**NOTE: In order for God to ensure Heaven to His followers He had to make an agreement with us that solely depended on His faithfulness!! That takes the outcome out of our hands and put in into His hands, His faithful hands!
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 21-24
“The Law Escorts Us To Christ!”
[11-22-20]
Review: “A Blessed Contract!”
Galatians 3:15-20) [KJV] (TLB) Dear brothers, even in everyday life a promise made by one man to another, if it is written down and signed, cannot be changed. He cannot decide afterward to do something else instead.
16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
NOTE: God entered into covenant/contract with Abraham. That covenant was based on: 1) Abraham leaving his father’s house; 2) and God doing the rest! Abraham did what the covenant of promise required of him; it’s now up to God to do the rest. GOD HAS NO INTEREST IN AMENDING THIS COVENANT/CONTRACT!
18) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
NOTE: If our getting saved, which begins our journey of receiving everything God has promised us, depended on our keeping the Law flawlessly, then it no longer has anything to do with God fulfilling His promise!!
**NOTE: In that case we have God depending on our faithfulness instead of you and me depending on God’s faithfulness!! God’s faithfulness always makes that thing that is promised a certainty!!
19) Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
NOTE: Paul is showing us that the Law of Moses was given for a specific time period; that period of time was from Moses until the death of Christ!
20) Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
NOTE: The Law was a covenant between God and man that required the faithfulness of both sides.
NOTE: The covenant of Law had a mediator between God and man, Moses. There was no need for a mediator concerning the covenant of Promise because God is the only One required to be faithful.
This Week’s Lesson: “The Law Escorts Us To Christ!”
Galatians 3:21-24) [KJV] Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
“Life had been forfeited by sin; life must be recovered by righteousness. The promise assured life to the believer through righteousness imputed; the law offered life as the reward of a perfect obedience. Had the conditions of the law been less strict, or had man been able to fulfill them, then righteousness (and life) had come to men from the law. Hence there is no antagonism between the two covenants. ‘To give life’ was the end of both. The law failed to do this; the promise succeeded. Man could not obey perfectly: he could believe, and so obtain life” [Cambridge].
(ERV) Does this mean that the law works against God’s promises? Of course not. The law was never God’s way of giving new life to people. If it were, then we could be made right with God by following the law.
(GNB) Does this mean that the Law is against God’s promises? No, not at all! For if human beings had received a law that could bring life, then everyone could be put right with God by obeying it.
(TLB) Well then, are God’s laws and God’s promises against each other? Of course not! If we could be saved by his laws, then God would not have had to given us a different way to get out of the grip of sin.
QUESTION: The Promise first, then the Law; does that mean that the Promise somehow failed?
ANSWER: NO! The problem was never the Promise. Anything that depends on God’s faithfulness alone must always succeed.
**NOTE: Way before the Law came faith caused Abraham to be declared “righteous” before God!
22) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
(CEV) But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God’s promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.
(GW) But Scripture states that the whole world is controlled by the power of sin. Therefore, a promise based on faith in Jesus Christ could be given to those who believe.
QUESTION: What’s Paul showing the purpose of the Law to be?
ANSWER: The purpose of the Law was to clearly define what sin was so that all could be convinced that they were sinners. Once convinced, they would come to know that their only hope of salvation is to receive the free gift of God’s grace.
23) But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
23) (NLT) Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.
24) (AMP) So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.
QUESTION: Besides Jesus, no man has ever kept the Law. What was the penalty of Law for sin?
ANSWER: Death!
QUESTION: Then how did the Law “protect” Jewish people?
ANSWER: The Jews were constantly breaking the commands of God, but when they were faithfully, to the best of their abilities, following God, the priests ministered the sacrifices that God commanded, and their sins were “covered.” They still weren’t fit for Heaven because the penalty for their sins hadn’t been paid in full, but God provided them with a temporary haven until Christ paid fully for their sins.
***NOTE: The sacrificial system of the Law pointed to the coming Lamb of God Who would truly pay for their sins.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THIS AREA OF SCRIPTURE FROM MARTIN LUTHER:
“God never said to Abraham: ‘In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast kept the Law.’ When Abraham was still uncircumcised and without the Law or any law, indeed, when he was still an idol worshiper, God said to him: ‘Get thee out of thy country, etc.; I am thy shield, etc.; In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ These are unconditional promises which God freely made to Abraham without respect to works.
This is aimed especially at the Jews who think that the promises of God are impeded by their sins. Paul says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promises because of our sins, or hastens His promises because of any merit on our part.’ God’s promises are not influenced by our attitudes. They rest in His goodness and mercy.
Just because the Law increases sin, it does not therefore obstruct the promises of God. The Law confirms the promises, in that it prepares a person to look for the fulfillment of the promises of God in Christ.
The proverb has it that Hunger is the best cook. The Law makes afflicted consciences hungry for Christ. Christ tastes good to them. Hungry hearts appreciate Christ. Thirsty souls are what Christ wants. He invites them: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Christ’s benefits are so precious that He will dispense them only to those who need them and really desire them” [Luther].
Galatians Chapter 3, Verses 25-29
“You Are All the Children of God!”
[1-3-21]
Review: “The Law Escorts Us To Christ!”
Galatians 3:21-24) [KJV] Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
THIS IS SO GOOD: “Life had been forfeited by sin; life must be recovered by righteousness. The promise assured life to the believer through righteousness imputed; the law offered life as the reward of a perfect obedience. Had the conditions of the law been less strict, or had man been able to fulfill them, then righteousness (and life) had come to men from the law. Hence there is no antagonism between the two covenants. ‘To give life’ was the end of both. The law failed to do this; the promise succeeded. Man could not obey perfectly: he could believe, and so obtain life” [Cambridge].
***NOTE: The problem was never the Promise. Anything that depends on God’s faithfulness alone must always succeed.
**NOTE: Way before the Law came faith caused Abraham to be declared “righteous” before God!
22) (GW) But Scripture states that the whole world is controlled by the power of sin. Therefore, a promise based on faith in Jesus Christ could be given to those who believe.
NOTE: The purpose of the Law was to clearly define what sin was so that all could be convinced that they were sinners. Once convinced, they would come to know that their only hope of salvation is to receive the free gift of God’s grace.
23) But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24) (NIV) So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
NOTE: Besides Jesus, no man has ever kept the Law. What was the penalty of Law for sin? Death!
NOTE: The Jews were constantly breaking the commands of God, but when they were faithfully, to the best of their abilities, following God, the priests ministered the sacrifices that God commanded, and their sins were “covered.” They still weren’t fit for Heaven because the penalty for their sins hadn’t been paid in full, but God provided them with a temporary haven until Christ paid fully for their sins.
***NOTE: The sacrificial system of the Law pointed to the coming Lamb of God Who would truly pay for their sins.
[Martin Luther]: “God never said to Abraham: ‘In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast kept the Law.’ When Abraham was still uncircumcised and without the Law or any law, indeed, when he was still an idol worshiper, God said to him: ‘Get thee out of thy country, etc.; I am thy shield, etc.; In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ These are unconditional promises which God freely made to Abraham without respect to works.
This is aimed especially at the Jews who think that the promises of God are impeded by their sins. Paul says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promises because of our sins, or hastens His promises because of any merit on our part.’ God’s promises are not influenced by our attitudes. They rest in His goodness and mercy.
Just because the Law increases sin, it does not therefore obstruct the promises of God. The Law confirms the promises, in that it prepares a person to look for the fulfillment of the promises of God in Christ.
The proverb has it that Hunger is the best cook. The Law makes afflicted consciences hungry for Christ. Christ tastes good to them. Hungry hearts appreciate Christ. Thirsty souls are what Christ wants. He invites them: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Christ’s benefits are so precious that He will dispense them only to those who need them and really desire them” [Luther].
This Week’s Lesson: “You Are All the Children of God!”
24) (NIV) So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25-29) [KJV] But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
(ERV) Now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law to be our guardian.
(GNB) Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.
“The law was our pedagogue unto Christ. The pedagogue is not the schoolmaster, but the servant who had the care of the children to lead them to and bring them back from school, and had the care of them out of school hours. Thus the law did not teach us the living, saving knowledge; but, by its rites and ceremonies, and especially by its sacrifices, it directed us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith [Clarke].
QUESTION: What’s the lesson being taught here?
ANSWER: The Law is not the instructor who teaches us how to be justified before God; it’s the servant of our Heavenly Father who guides us to the True Teacher, Jesus Christ, so that we can learn the lesson of grace that brings us into a right relationship with a Holy God!!
QUESTION: How does the Law accomplish that task?
ANSWER: The Law teaches the soul that longs for a relationship with God that we can’t become right with God through the Law, because we are always breaking the commandments of the Law. So that Law brings us to the reality of the fact that we are hopelessly lost, and in need of a Savior.
NOTE: Once we become aware of how lost we are, being that we are dead in our trespasses and sin, we long to come to Jesus, Who alone can save us and make us right with God!!
“If anybody objects to the Gospel and the sacraments on the ground that Christ has taken away our sins once and for always, you will know what to answer. You will answer: Indeed, Christ has taken away my sins. But my flesh, the world, and the devil interfere with my faith. The little light of faith in my heart does not shine all over me at once. It is a gradual diffusion. In the meanwhile I console myself with the thought that eventually my flesh will be made perfect in the resurrection” [Luther].
26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
QUESTION: Who is Paul talking to here?
ANSWER: He’s talking to those of whom he said, “I’m amazed at how quickly you abandoned the genuine Gospel for a fake Gospel” [Gal. 1:6-9]. He’s talking to those of whom he said, “Someone bewitched you and caused you to abandon the genuine teaching of the Gospel” [Gal. 3:1].
NOTE: These “children of God by faith in Christ” were tested by false doctrines; but they were still “all the children of God.”
27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:13) [KJV] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
QUESTION: What are the above two verses telling us?
ANSWER: When we place our faith in Christ Jesus the Holy Spirit immerses us into the body of Christ. Let’s call this the “baptism of salvation.”
NOTE: When God saves you; or when He begins His “good work” in you; He will finish that good work He started [Phil. 1:6; Heb. 12:2]. In other words, these believers who were being tempted by bad doctrine were still God’s children!
28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(ERV) Now, in Christ, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
QUESTION: What’s the Apostle doing here?
ANSWER: He’s reminding his readers that Christians are Christians! Their station in life has nothing to do with their standing with God!!
NOTE: Your station in life might not be one desired by others; but you are as important to God as Paul was, as Peter was, as Billy Graham was, as Martin Luther King, Jr. was.
29) And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(NLT) And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
NOTE: When we put our faith in Christ we became the spiritual descendents of Abraham; we are now heirs with him of the promises of God!!
For more study guides, go to our main Bible Study Guides page
Searching for a Bible-based church in Council Bluffs, Iowa? Walk of Grace Chapel provides weekly verse-by-verse Bible studies, worship services, and a caring community. Come visit us in Council Bluffs!