Bible Study Galatians 3: 1-14

 

Bible Study Galatians 3: 1-14

Our text:

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

3 O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you [e]suffer so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

6 Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, 7 so know that those who are of faith, those are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

10 For as many as are of the works of [l]the Law are under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; rather, “He who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might [t]come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 1: “O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”

Paul is not speaking of their intelligence, but to a lack of obedience to the gospel message. Paul expressed his shock, surprise, and outrage at the Galatians’ defection. Who was bewitching them? It was the Judaizers, the Jewish false teachers who were teaching the Galatian churches a work based righteousness. This was in direct opposition to the message of the substitutionary death and resurrection by our Lord Jesus Christ that paid for the sins of the elect. Paul pointed out that they were being misled by flattery and false promises that came from this false gospel message. The term suggests an appeal to the emotions and we see this today with prosperity and television preachers. They speak to your fleshly needs and wants. That is a message that is in direct opposition to the gospel. Christ’s sacrificial and substitutionary death provides eternal payment for believers’ sins, both past, present and future sins, and does not need to be supplemented by any human works. As I have said before, there is not one sin registered against me in Heaven. 

Verse 2: “This is the only thing I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

Paul begins asking a series of questions. This is the first one: “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Nowhere, not even in the Old Testament, did anyone ever receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the Law. He is received by hearing and acting on faith. The Galatians never received the Spirit by the Law, never. The Holy Spirit is evidence of conversion. Scripture tells us, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise”. I have found that man is desperate to demonstrate something to give them evidence of their conversion. This is mostly among the unsaved religionists. If someone has never experienced Holy Spirit conviction, they will create a fleshly substitute to appease their conscience. However, to those who have experienced Holy Spirit conviction, that person doesn’t need to manufacture a work based righteousness. They know they are saved and that it was all the work of God. Those that had a false conversion, e.g. accepting Jesus, a profession of faith, giving Jesus your heart, etc., will seek an emotional event to satisfy their fears that they are not saved. That was the attractiveness of the Judiazeers and Paul’s surprise that they could be easily distracted from the truth.

Verse 3: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

This is Paul’s second question. What Paul is asking is this: “If the Holy Spirit is the One who converted you, brought you to Christ, and now you are indwelt by the Spirit of God, are you going to turn back to the Law (which was given to control the flesh and did not work) and think you are going to live a better life. Prosperity preachers seek to satisfy your flesh, e.g. more money, bigger house, nicer car, a better career, etc., but Paul was just the opposite, He saw salvation as a supernatural act brought about by the Trinity set about before the beginning of the world. How possibly could man improve on that? He could not! Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9) and it is 100% of the Lord. All the sinner brings is his sin. Christ brings His righteousness. 

Verse 4: “Did you suffer so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing?”

This is Paul’s third question. The Greek word translated “suffer” has the basic meaning of “experienced,” and does not necessarily imply pain or hardship. Paul used it to describe the Galatians’ personal experience of salvation in Jesus Christ. He reminded them that they had paid a price for receiving the gospel. Was it all going to be in vain, without a purpose? Just because salvation is free through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, it does not mean that it will cost the believer something. The world hates Christ, it will hate you. Christ suffered physically and we may as well. The idea is that whatever we experience, it is worth it all to be saved and be a disciple of Christ. We live far better lives when we live them to the glory of God.

Verse 5: “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” 

It was clear that these people had experienced something in their lives when Paul had first visited them; but the Judaizers had come along and convinced them that their experience was not complete. They needed something else, and that “something else” was obedience to the Law of Moses. These false teachers had bewitched them and turned them into fools. We see the same today when people devalue the experience of salvation. We are told that believers need a second experience to have power over sin. Most refer to the second experience as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a false teaching. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is what places the believer in the body of Christ. It is not a second experience, but occurs at conversion. The believer has the power of the Holy Spirit operating in his or her life when they are born again. 

In summary, we have seen that justification by faith was the experience of the Galatians. That is why Paul asked them, “What is wrong with you?” He mentions the Holy Spirit three times in this section. He reminds the Galatians that they did not receive the Spirit by the Law or by works. The Holy Spirit is evident in a person’s life at conversion. It is important to see that the gospel is true irrespective of the personal experiences of the Galatians or anyone else. The gospel is objective, not subjective; it deals with what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary. Experience will corroborate the gospel, and that is what Paul is demonstrating in this section. The gospel is sufficient; experience confirms this.

Verse 6: “Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness,”

As he did in the book of Romans (4: 13), Paul, quoting Gen. 15:6, uses Abraham as proof that there has never been any other way of salvation in the Old Testament other than by grace through faith. Even the OOld Covenant teaches justification by faith. The Bible is 100% consistent with the message of salvation. It was never by works, only by grace through faith.

Verse 7: “so know that those who are of faith, those are sons of Abraham.”

God did this for Abraham before the Law was ever given. God did not make the covenant with him because of Abraham’s good works. He told Abraham, “I’ll do this for you if you believe Me.” Abraham said, “I believe You.” God wants your faith to rest on a solid foundation. That foundation is the Word of God. This is one reason that Satan seeks to destroy the Word of God. He started in the Garden of Eden, “Hath God said,” continued in the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and continues the same method with you today. Never allow anything to get between you and the Word of God.

Verse 8: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

The salvation of the Gentiles was not an accident or afterthought. It was God’s plan all along to save some from every nation. Salvation is for the world, not every individual, but some from every nation. If faith without works was sufficient for Abraham, why should we desire something different? And as the blessing was for his faith, not his works, why should we turn from faith to law-works? Why return to a theology that did not save? The important thing that Paul wants us to see in Abraham’s life is that he obeyed the voice of God. Faith leads to obedience. Abraham was willing to offer his son when God commanded it, and when God said stop, he stopped. He obeyed the voice of God. He demonstrated by his action that he had faith in God. Again he believed God and He counted it to him for righteousness. It is important to see that faith leads to works, as it did in the life of Abraham. God sees our hearts. He knows whether or not we have trusted Christ as Savior. But, do you know whether you are born again? Look in the mirror and ask, “Am I saved?” It is a question of whether you have faith. It does not come from your skills or natural inclinations, it is the result of a supernatural gift of faith from the Trinity. Have you received this gift? If you have not, be like Peter who was walking on the water and began to sink, “Lord, save me,” is the only prayer you will need if you have a repentant heart.

Verse 9: “So then those who are of faith are blessed with [a]Abraham, the believer.”

Whether Jew or Gentile, the Old Testament predicted that Gentiles would receive the blessings of justification by faith, as did Abraham and in the same way. Those blessings are poured out on all believers because of Christ and His meritorious work at Calvary. Never forget that the blessings you have received are the result of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Verse 10: “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Paul’s point is that no one can keep the law in its entirety. Salvation has never been about you earning it through your will or works (Romans 9: 16). The end of “freewillism” is seen in Romans 9: 16. Man is not saved through an exercise of his will or your running after righteousness. It was impossible to obey the Law of God completely, only Christ did that. Anyone who is trying to earn salvation is under a curse. Read Deuteronomy 28 for the blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience to the Law. Paul is driving the point home that salvation is by grace through faith. Why would the Galatians want to go back to the Law and be under a curse? The only path to blessings is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember this the next time someone tries to include works in the salvation equation.

Verse 11: “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The Old Testament taught that man was saved by faith, not works. The Bible does not say that anyone was saved by keeping the law. I have never read of anyone who was saved by keeping the Law of Moses. As you know, the heart of the Mosaic system was the sacrificial system. Moses rejoiced that God could extend mercy and grace to people even under the law, that is the reason his face shone as it did. In Habakkuk 2:4 it says that “… the just shall live by his faith.” The way of faith is the only way to Heaven and spiritual blessings in this life. Notice, I did not include material blessings. These are not promised in the Word to all. One of the many issues in charismatic theology is the belief that what God does for one, He will do for all. This is very unbiblical. Daniel was saved from the lion’s den, Joseph from the pit, Peter from prison, but Stephen was allowed to be stoned, as well as many others set forth in Hebrews 11: 36-38. Our lives are to be lived by faith. This means that every decision we make should be done in light of our faith. Our faith will work. Works follow faith, not faith follows works. Live a life today of walking in faith and putting the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of your life. 

Verse 12: “However, the Law is not of faith; rather, “He who does them shall live by them.”

This also is an important verse in that it clearly sets forth the principle that the Law is not faith. Faith and law are contrary principles for salvation and also for living. We are saved by faith but we walk out that faith syncretically. This means that our humanity is responsible to obey to our fullest ability with the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin, righteousness and judgment.  If you are going to live by the Law, then you cannot be saved by faith. You cannot combine them in salvation, but in sanctification. Sanctification means to be set apart or growing in Christlikeness. That takes effort on our parts. We don’t lay down and say, “Make me holy, Lord.” Because He won’t without your effort to be obedient. Sanctification is when we combine our desire and work to please Him under the power of the Holy Spirit residing within us. The point is, the Law is not faith.

Verse 13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”

Christ redeemed (means “bought back”) us from the penalty of sin. Our sins have been forgiven due to the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the elect’s behalf. The curse of Law has no impact on a believer. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s justice and exhausted His wrath toward His elect, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death. Christ suffered and took our deserved wrath from God. Christ took upon Himself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law.

Verse 14: “in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Under the Old Covenant, Israel had the Law for over fifteen hundred years and failed to live by its terms. At the Jerusalem Council  (Acts 15), Peter said in so many words, “We and our fathers were not able to keep the law. Why should we want to put the Gentiles under it? If we could not keep it, they wouldn't be able to keep it either.” Christ took our place so that we might receive what the Law could never do. We receive the spiritual blessings from the Law but not the curses.