Lessons From Galatians – Lesson 3
The churches that were started on the 1st missionary journey were attacked by wolves in sheep’s clothing. They were now listening to the wrong type of teacher.
So Paul started the letter by establishing what type of teacher they should be listening to. 1) He should be called by God. 2) He preaches the only gospel that there is. 3) He is not out to please men.
Gal 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Anyone who’s goal is to please men should not be the servant of Christ.
And Paul then spends some time giving examples of how he is not out to please men. Paul did not seek the approval of any man after he was called by God. He did not seek out the Apostles, Paul just set out to please God and started preaching.
And when other men of God, even other Apostles were wrong, Paul did not care about pleasing them. Paul stood up to them for the truth’s sake and for his Lord.
It was critical for their sakes to stop listening to the wrong type of teacher and go back to listening to God’s type of teacher and so Paul spent some time establishing that.
Paul then starts dealing with the errors that they had been listening to with this statement in Gal 2:16.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
And then says in verse 21.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
If there was any law that could have saved us from sin; if there was any law that could pay that sin debt; if there was any law that could have imputed Christ’s righteousness to us, then God would have made that law.
Jesus prayed in the Garden before He went to the cross asking if there was any other way. Of course He already knew that there was not. The reason He prayed that and had it recorded in scripture was to illustrate to us that there was no other way.
If the law saves, then there would have been no reason for Jesus to suffer on the cross. If righteousness can be imputed to us from the law then Christ died for nothing.
If you have even the smallest glimpse of who Jesus is and of His infinite worth, then the thought of putting the precious Son of God thru the horror of the cross is a horrific thought.
Yes I said horrific. The sinless pure loving almighty creator, the Holy one, literally taking our sin, our filthy sin upon Him and bearing that on the cross to pay our penalty. To put Him thru that for nothing because the law can save would be a horrific thing.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The false teachers had gotten the Galatians to move their thinking from the wonderful love of God that nailed Jesus on the tree. And Jesus fully paying for our sin. They moved their thinking from the freedom from the law that we have in Christ.
They moved from salvation thru faith to the horror that Christ died in vain because the law saves. This is the point that Paul is making.
Hopefully you are starting to see the horrible damage that false teachers can cause. These people gave up on grace and rejoicing because Tit_3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
And they have lost their purpose that Jesus gave before He ascended. You cannot fulfil the great commission and be teaching works. You cannot be getting precious stones it will all be wood, hay, and stubble burned up at the judgment seat.
They have given up the teaching of Jesus. Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
They have thrown that rest away and put the burden back upon themselves and works of the law. Once saved you cannot lose it. But you can throw away the assurance that you have of your salvation and you can throw away the peace with God about your salvation and you can get messed up and upset the Lord and grieve the Holy Spirit.
You can get totally confused and burden yourself with works for no reason. What these false teachers had done to these believers is horrific.
And now some harsh language about this.
Gal 3:1 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?
O foolish Galatians. Listening to the false teachers and accepting their wicked teaching is foolish. They gave up so much. They gave up truth and pleasing God because some men show up with some kind of credentials.
It is just plain foolish. Paul says who hath bewitched you. Bewitched here means fascinated; charmed. And not led into any small error. Paul says that ye should not obey the truth.
False teachers will use charm and charisma and any other tool to get you to turn from obeying the truth of God’s word.
Paul now asks them to give an answer. He asks how do we received the Holy Spirit by the law or by faith?
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
The answer of course is by faith. The Holy Spirit only comes and indwells a believer when they get saved by faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross.
No one was every indwelt by the Holy Spirit thru doing works of the law. It never happened and will never happen. The Galatians know this. It happened to them. They got saved and they received the Holy Spirit by faith and not by works.
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
It is incredibly foolish to have received the spirit by faith but now think you are made perfect by works.
Gal 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
Gal 3:5 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?
This is more evidence of the early date of the letter. The temporary sign gifts are still in effect and they are in use in the churches in Galatia. Any letter written after Paul is in prison in Rome does not mention the temporary sign gifts in this way.
The temporary sign gifts were mostly phased out by the time Paul is writing letters in prison in Rome.
The timing of this letter that fits best is Paul wrote it after Peter visited Antioch and before Paul went on the 2nd missionary journey. Paul wrote this letter and gave them some time to digest it. And then if you remember what Paul said to Barnabas.
Act_15:36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
The reason the 2nd missionary journey was started was not to go out and start more churches. The reason was to visit the churches in Galatia from the 1st journey and see how they reacted to the letter of Galatians.
Of course God moved and after they checked on the Galatians God stirred Paul to keep going and then God gave the Macedonian call. And the purpose of the journey changed and it became the 2nd missionary journey.
God’s purpose was for more churches to be started on the 2nd journey and they were. This is evidence that God does not have to give His men advanced notice of what He is planning or advanced notice on how He will work.
We are to walk by faith and not by sight and let Him lead in His way and in His time.
A little side note there. Temporary sign gifts were still a major thing when Galatians was written.
Paul now brings up Abraham. Abraham lived before the law so Abraham could not do the works of the law.
Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Gal 3:8 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.
Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Here is the New Testament saying that when God told Abraham in thee shall all nations be blessed He was out of foreknowledge foreseeing how the heathen would be justified thru faith. God was preaching the gospel to Abraham.
He did not give all the details to Abraham but it is clear that what God told Abraham was pointing to the cross. And that it would be for all nations. And it is by faith and not works.
We are saved by faith just like Abraham was saved by faith. If that sounds familiar Paul will go into that again when he writes the book of Romans years later.
Paul is now going to go into how the law is actually a curse.
Gal 3:10 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.
The law demands perfect obedience in all things every time all the time. That is impossible for fallen man to do. Therefore cursed is every one that does not continue to do all the law all the time.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Gal 3:13 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:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Jesus came and redeemed us from the curse of the law. He took our penalty. Jesus was made a curse for us while He bore our sin in His own body.
And Paul brings up how Jesus going to the cross fulfilled the blessing that God gave Abraham those many of thousands of years before. And how this was done that we can receive the promise through faith.
Paul just keeps hammering it home.
This promise was given to Abraham 430 years before the law was given.
Gal 3:15 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.
Gal 3:16 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.
Gal 3:17 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.
Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
God has reasons for doing things on His timetable. Giving this promise of a seed singular, which is Jesus, 430 years before the law makes it by promise and not by law.
And since it predated the law, then the law cannot void this promise.
Some might then think why give the law then. Like we have seen so many times Paul anticipates that question and answers it.
Gal 3:19 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.
The law was given because of transgressions.
Gal 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Gal 3:21 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.
Man was lying and stealing and coveting and all of the rest of it and so the law was given to tell man that is sin and that they should stop transgressing.
The law was given to declare all men are sinners.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
And the law was given to be a schoolmaster to teach and to point us to Jesus.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
One of the things that the law taught is that we are sinners and it is impossible for us to keep the law. The law taught our great need for a Saviour.
And everyone who believes becomes a child of God.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 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.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Every time a person gets saved they are a fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham. You are blessed thru the seed singular of Abraham. Jesus had to come thru the line of Abraham.
Hebrews says.
Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
On the human side Jesus had to be a descendant of Abraham so He could fulfil the promise that was made to Abraham
And when we get saved we become adopted and are now a child of God and that means we have become an heir.
Gal 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
And we become an heir of God through Christ and not thru the law.
Paul is telling the Galatians. God has done so much for you. He has given you so much. You have actually received His Spirit in your hearts.
He has made you a son. You have been adopted. You are now an heir of God and have more waiting for you in Eternity than you can every imagine.
And it was all given to you thru faith. None of it was given to you thru the law. Zero.
Since all of that comes thru faith, why would you ever turn your back on that and go back to the law?
Foolish Galatians. What are you doing?
They have lost so much. They put themselves under bondage to the law and have dishonored their Lord and Savior.
They quit pleasing their savior and lost their purpose.
All because of some smooth talking false teachers with some kind of credentials.
What happened to the Galatians was horrible. It was a big issue. And breaking away from those false teachers is not going to be easy. They are going to have to stand up.
They will need boldness and conviction and determination and strength. They will need to be reminded of the truth. And so strongly and so convincingly that there is zero wiggle room left for the false teachers.
So Paul is going to keep pounding the truth of salvation by faith home in this letter.
And we learn another lesson here. The way to combat false teachers that have a foothold somewhere is with Bible truth. Hard, fast, continual, boldly and without apology.
Not with feelings or entertainment or charisma or nothing else.
The Bible is called the sword of the Lord for a reason.
See more lessons from Galatians