Grace & Faith

Galatians 3:1 CSB

You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

INTRO—

Great duos…

Batman & Robin

Kirk & Spock

Lilo & Stitch

PB & J

Bacon & Eggs

Milk & Cookies

Brooks & Dunn

Simon & Garfunkel

Hall & Oats

[[Shawn Spenstar & Gus TT Showbiz]]

GRACE & FAITH… Galatians 3!

Having set the stage of the importance and preeminence of GRACE, Paul now challenges the Galatian brothers and sisters…

[[especially confronting the false gospel challenges which were ensnaring them.]]

FAITH LIFE [Galatians 3.1-9]

[[CREDITS]] (Our faith is credited as righteousness)

QUESTION: Life in Christ—life as a Christ-follower—Is it faith or factory? Listen to what Paul writes:

Galatians 3:1–2 “You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?”

The clear-cut conclusion for Paul is that the Christian life is a FAITH LIFE—from start to finish:

Galatians 3:3–4 “Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing?”

Galatians 3:5 “So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard—”

How Abraham lived highlights the preeminence of FAITH:

Galatians 3:6 “just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?”

Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

Galatians 3:7–9 “You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons. Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. Consequently, those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.” [Abe’s life foreshadowed the kind of life which is pleasing to God.]

**FAITH (Belief, Trust) in God—through his word (promises)—gets us CREDITS as righteousness.

LAW CURSE [Galatians 3.10-18]

[[CURSES]] (Law highlights curses)

To challenge the importance of FAITH LIFE — especially with a LAW LIFE — is a fools errand! Why??? Because it is weighed down with CURSES! [Paul appears to be using the OT to counter and undermine the teaching of the bewitching Judaizers.]

Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.”

Galatians 3:11 “Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.”

Galatians 3:12 “But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.”

Galatians 3:13–14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Galatians 3:15–17 “Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise.” [U=v 17]

Galatians 3:18 “For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise.”

GOD… “has graciously given” = God’s gift (of grace) is a past completed action with ongoing impact!

AAANNNDD — I’d take a promise over a curse any day!

FROM WARD TO FREE [Galatians 3.19-26]

[[CARETAKER]] (Guardian of a ward [of the state])

SOOOO, why was the Law ever given anyway?? What’s the purpose??

Galatians 3:19 “Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.”

[[It’s like an interjection—and an important one—between two instances of Grace & Faith importance (Abraham & Jesus).]]

Detailed Explanation:

Galatians 3:20–23 “Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one. Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.”

The reason for the Law (in a nutshell):

Galatians 3:24–26 “The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.”

The Law = our guardian, CARETAKER, instructor (pedagogue), ‘student-guider’

**The interjection of the Law—between the promise to Abraham and his righteous trust of God regarding that promise…and the gracious gift of Jesus’ perfect, sinless life at Calvary—is to prove that we are truly sinful and truly inept and truly helpless to please God in any way whatsoever…if it were not for his AMAZING GRACE!

CONCL—

Of ANY duos,

Grace & Faith…

BOTH are necessary. No gift is any good—to us—if we don’t truly believe it IS for US!

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

…& having begun our relationship with God in this way, we…

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Galatians 3:18 “For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise.”

INVITATION:

Salvation

Walking by Faith

Galatians 3:26 CSB

for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.