Galatians: The Purity of the Gospel 3:21-29

Galatians 3:21–29 ESV

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Introduction:

In this cultural climate what we have stated is that the most important thing about a person is their skin color. What is most important is their gender, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation.

Martin Luther King

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Modern Identity polatics is a complete repudiation of King’s dream.

Kings dream was rooted in a Christian world view. Kings dream was an outworking of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Before someone could be right with God He had to become a son of Abraham.

The law wasn’t made to make us right.

Galatians 3:21 (ESV)

21 For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

The law was made to lead us to Christ.

(Guardian) παιδαγωγός - the paidagōgos is one who shows the way to a child. At a young age, the child was not allowed to go out alone but was entrusted to a guardian who went with him on his walks and took him to school keeping it away from possible accidents or dangers.

Libanius described the pedagogues as guardians of young teenage boys who warded off unsolicited homosexual advances their charges regularly encountered in the public baths.

Timothy George

“What Abraham glimpsed from a distance, we have seen up close; what he beheld in figures and types, we have received in fulfillment and reality.”

We become sons of God when by faith we trust in the Son of God.

Galatians 3:25–26 (ESV)

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

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

Matthew 27:54 (ESV)

54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

The basis for sonship with God is relationship with Christ.

“All” is key to this description.

Socal status, gender, genetics

divid humanity - It divides those who could enter for worship.

Key word = All

In a day of identity politics where the thing that matters most about a person is there gender, ethnicity, and sexuality.

In Christ there is absolute equity.

Galatians 3:27–29 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

The gospel means there are no second class citizens.

The gospel means that in Christ all barriers to God have been eliminated.