Galatians: Justification Through Faith
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Galatians: Justification through Faith
Galatians: Justification through Faith
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 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— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 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.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
It is the history of the church to add to the gospel of Christ
In the Time of Luther and Calvin you had indulgences- The sales of release from temporal punishment for sin through the payment of money ot the Roman Catholic Church
In the Time of Augustine- The doctrine of Grace battled that of the church and Pelagianism:
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Pelagianism
Pelagianism taught that people are capable of avoiding sin and choosing to live righteous lives even apart from God’s grace. Pelagius rejected the ideas of original sin and predestination. He believed that people were not inherently sinful and that they were able to live holy lives in accordance with God’s will and merit salvation by good works.
In the Time of John Bunyan the 1660- 70’s While the English Parliament fought with the Crown (King Charles) over religious freedom: John Bunyan was thrown in prison for preaching without state approval- There was a mandate that required the acceptance of the Book of Common Prayer and Episcopal ordination-
This resulted in 2000 Pastors Puritan Pastors forced out of their churches.
And there is more that continues to happen
in Africa while i was there I found out the major religion in Malawi was Catholicism mixed with voodoo/witch craft
With Witch doctors tormenting people.
It still happens today in churches
The praying to the saints
New Revelation that come out of the NAR movement
And the attack on the deity of Christ
Paul Begins with “Oh Foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”
Foolish- Paul is addressing their unwillingness to use their mental faculties in order to understand
Paul here uses the language of pagan magic to characterize the activity of the false teachers and the affect it had on the Galatian believers.
He is saying “who has deceived you?”
“Who has made you stay from truth?”
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
It is illogical for believers to seek a fuller Christian life through observance of the law or by any other means
whether it is the latest “movement of the spirit”
if it doesn’t match the word of God then we must ask ourselves “Who has bewitched us?”
the gospel is the only means of Salvation-
Faith: the total dependance on God and His Gospel produces our Righteousness
We can’t add to the perfect work of Christ and we can’t take away from it
God’s work begins with the Spirit and continues by the Spirit
Verse 2-
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
It is the Spirit of God that is at work in the life of the believer to produce Furit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And it is by God giving us His Spirit that we are
now adopted in and have received the spirit of Sonship and Cry out “Abba Father”
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 3
Receive the Spirit refers to the new covenant work of the Holy Spirit that comes after saving faith, at the beginning of the Christian life, to sanctify and to empower the believer in life and various kinds of ministry. Paul knew this experience was so real for the Galatians that they would remember it.
Christ is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets-
He lived a perfect sinless life, and Died the death that we deserved
The prophet Isaiah 53
“Surely he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.”
“He was pierced of our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.”
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Christ is the fulfillment- everything was pointed to Christ
Paul asks 4 question of the Galatian Belivers
How did you receive the Holy Spirit?
Paul isn’t questioning their salvation rather he is challenging them to consider whether they were saved and received the Spirit by faith or on the basis of works
Faith produces works in our life
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Faith affects everything about us
the way we live
the fruit that is produced
How will you be sanctified?
Paul is asking the believers if the Christian life begins with Faith, how can Christian maturity come through works?
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
The means of Justification and Sanctification are the same- There was no provision for the Holy Spirit ;to do a work of sanctification under the law
Did you suffer in vain?
In Acts 14:21-22 Paul and Barnabas warned the Galatian converts they would suffer as Christians
Here Paul is writing the believers to remind them and us today that if we turn from grace to works, or anythings other than Grace, we brand our former position in error and we suffered much for nothing.
it is all in vain- the works we have done out of faith- become useless and have no value
When we turn from the gospel or add to it we are saying “The work of Christ isn’t sufficient!”
On What basis did God preform miracles?
the Galatians being gentiles didn’t know the law when Paul ministered there
Paul’s message was one of justification by faith- and God performed miracles among them.
Abraham is the example to all
the Judaizers claimed they had the Old Testament on their side, especially looking to Moses as their teacher
Paul goes centuries father back and points to Abraham to show that Justification comes through Believing in God’s word and the Gospel message
We bring nothing to the table because we are saved by Grace
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 3
3:6–9 The Gospel in the OT (1): Abraham. Paul issues a second direct appeal to the Galatians: it is not just their own experience of receiving the gospel by faith that should teach them that salvation is not by the law but by grace. Rather, the OT example of Abraham also teaches that it is through genuine faith, not the law, that one is counted righteous
Think of the Life of Abraham- God promised Abraham that he would bring life from his dead body
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Thus Abraham is a living Old Testament Prophecy of the gospel to us: he was not an Israelite but was a pagan worshiping pagan god’s when God called him,
And God justified him by faith
That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.