Children of Abraham

Introduction

Before we stopped gathering here in our building, I started going through the book of Galatians on Wednesday nights. Tonight, we are going to return to Galatians for a continuance of our thoughts from this past Sunday. We finished chapter one the last time we were in Galatians and we are looking at the first nine verses of Chapter 3 tonight.

Before we open up to chapter three, let me summarize chapter 2 and remind you of what we looked at this past Sunday.

In chapter 2, we see Paul defending his apostleship by detailing his interactions with the apostles. He even included his rebuke of Peter. Chapter 2 is closed by the following:

Galatians 2:19–21 CSB

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Do you remember the sermon a couple of weeks ago where we looked at the fact that true Christians have died to sin and are now alive to God. We are reminded in verse 21 that righteousness does not come through the law. For if we could be justified through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

As we saw this past Sunday, we are saved by faith. Abraham was used as an example in that He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:5 CSB

He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Let’s take a look now at the first nine verses of Galatians 3.

Galatians 3:1–9 CSB

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? 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? 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— just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness? 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.

Pray

A believer corrects error

Let me remind you that this is a letter and the chapters and verses were not included in scripture until much later. We must understand verse 1 as a continuation of the last verse of chapter 2.

Galatians 2:21–3:1 CSB

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

The apostle Paul was both correcting an error and encouraging the Galatians to correct their error.

Error makes a person “foolish”

The word foolish means misunderstanding, thoughtless, and unthinking.

The Galatians were listening to false teaching and were passively accepting it. They were lazily sitting and soaking up the false teachings of the Judiazers. They were not applying their minds to see if what they were being taught was true or not. They were foolish, acting like senseless people who were incapable of thinking.

Error deceives a person.

Paul’s question of “Who cast a spell on you?” could also be translated as “Who has deceived you?” or “Who has mislead you?”

Their teaching sounded reasonable and logical.

A man must keep the ritual of religion

A man must do good works to be good

A man must keep with the law in order to be acceptable to God

This all sounded reasonable and logical, especially to a person who was not thinking and comparing this teaching to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Error leads a believer away from Christ.

Following false teaching, whether through ignorance or willful disobedience leads us away from experiencing true fellowship with the Lord. The enemy is a liar and is a master counterfeiter. First and foremost, the enemy wants to keep people from being saved. If he cannot accomplish that, he will then work to deceive the believer.

Since being in error can have such repercussions on us, we must be quick to recognize and correct error. The best way to know a conterfeit is to constantly work to know the authentic better. We can do that with help from the Lord because:

A believer receives the Holy Spirit by Faith.

Paul is asking a rhetorical question in verse 2.

Galatians 3:2 CSB

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?

No one earns the Holy Spirit. We can not work for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the down payment of our inheritance.

Ephesians 1:14 CSB

The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit is given to those who believe God. We receive Him by our faith and because of our faith in Jesus.

We can not even earn more of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13 CSB

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

We can ask for more of Him, but we can not earn Him. The Holy Spirit is not a possession to be bought. He is God in us. We must realize that our lack of faith and our sinfulness grieve the Holy Spirit and therefore hinders our enjoyment of Him and His presence.

A believer grows by the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 CSB

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

The Holy Spirit teaches the believer, helps the believer grow in the faith and to grow by faith. Yes, we have to read, study, and pray, but reading, studying, and praying are worthless without the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit lives in every believer. He is there to work within the believer and to help him or her grow and mature in Christ.

As we continue through Galatians, we see the emphasis must be on the spiritual and not on the physical. We must realize as believers that the spiritual life that is granted to us through faith is what is forever. This physical life is temporary. We must grow in and through the Holy Spirit. After Salvation, we must be preparing for eternity and getting as many people to go with us.

A believer experiences God through faith.

Galatians 3:4–5 CSB

Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 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—

We experience God through our faith and not through our works nor by the law. We cannot and do not earn God’s favor by works. He gives it to us by grace through faith. We must be like Abraham and simply believe God.

The Galatians experienced many miracles, but those miracles were not due to the Galatians, they were due to God moving. The Galatians believed God for what they needed and He provided.

A believer is a spiritual descendant of Abraham through faith.

Galatians 3:7–9 CSB

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.

We are Abraham’s spiritual descendants through faith. He was declared righteous because he believed God and we are declared righteous in the same way.

Do you believe God?

or are you adding something to your belief? Are you working tirelessly to win His approval, or are you simply resting in faith?

If you are not resting in faith alone, then it is possible that you have no faith at all.

Abraham proved his faith by obeying God. We prove our faith in the same way.

When the Holy Spirit speaks, then we obey.

It is my prayer that we will be a people that believes God, trusts Him completely, and obeys Him no matter the cost.

Pray