<![CDATA[Faith is the Evidence

<![CDATA[Faith is the Evidence - Bible Studies]]>Fri, 08 May 2026 07:07:08 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Romans Session 4 - The Bad News 2 And By Faith Alone]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2020 02:15:58 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/romans-session-4-the-bad-news-2-and-by-faith-alone

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now in a detailed study of Paul's epistle to the church in Rome. These are the notes for Session 4.

Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles, his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct detestable theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

In this Session we finish our discussion the bad news that Paul delivers to the Romans that necessitated the God provided solution of Christ's sacrifice for mankind's sin.

Having shown God as a righteous and justified judge, now Paul shows the God of love, who reaches out with open arms to sinful people in the hope that they will come to Him and be saved. Righteousness and justification making a person right with God comes only by faith in response to His grace, never by works.

Click below to read my notes. For an audio recording of the entire Session click on the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

Last week we were still talking about the bad news that Paul was delivering to the Romans that the reason that God had to send His Son Jesus to rescue mankind is because of the wretchedness of the human heart.

Everyone—Gentiles and Jews, indeed all of humankind—stands guilty before a holy God. Human nature is corrupt. Human thoughts and actions are vile. Human motives are impure. We are without excuse.

Paul Defends God's Judgment

Romans 3:1‭-‬8 NKJV What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

He did believe the Jews to be in a special position in regard to God. Which is what they believed themselves. The difference was that Paul believed that their special position was one of special responsibility; the Jew believed it to be one of special privilege.

The oracles of God. God entrusted the Jews with commandments, not privileges. Here it means The Ten Commandments. Even with those advantages some Jews didn’t obey the covenant. They did not remain loyal to God. But God always does everything that he promises to do.

Romans 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

Verses 5-6 If people did not sin, they might not appreciate God’s goodness. So people might argue that even their evil deeds give honour to God. And they might argue that God is not fair to punish people for such deeds. This idea may seem clever, but it is wrong. People who say such things are foolish. They are speaking as if God is a mere man. But God is perfect. He is never unfair. Paul was sorry even to mention such an idea. If God is true to his nature, he must judge human sin. ‘The judge of the entire world shall do what is right’.

Abraham asked God that same question when he was bargaining, he thought with God about the destruction of Sodom

Genesis 18:25 NKJV Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Romans 3:7‭-‬8 NKJV For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

Paul emphasized that God’s promises are certain. God’s words are always true, even if every person tells lies.

Verses 7-8 Someone might argue like this. God ought to be grateful when people tell lies. Such lies show how truthful God is. The result is that his glory becomes even greater. So it would not be fair for God to describe these people as guilty. In fact, Paul’s enemies actually said that Paul taught such ideas. So Paul explained to the Christians in Rome that this report was untrue. Paul had many such enemies. But Paul did not need to prove what he was teaching. God knew the truth about Paul’s work. And that fact was enough to satisfy Paul (2 Corinthians 11:30-31)

All Have Sinned

Romans 3:9‭-‬20 NKJV What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:9 NKJV What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

Remember that Paul said in verses 1&2 that Jews had advantages.

Romans 3:1‭-‬2 NKJV What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.

Now he said that they were not better than Gentiles. They did not realise that God’s judgement was on them too. God would not show his kindness to one group of people more than to another. Everybody was ‘Under the power of sin’. Sin was like a master who had complete control over his slave. Everybody – both Jews and Gentiles – is like a slave because of the power of sin.

We talked about that in a sermon series that I did earlier this year.

People can become slaves to sin without: realizing it. Sin can manifest itself in attitudes, actions, or ambitions. Sin not only enslaves; it also separates people from God, and other people. Jesus is the only one who can deliver a person from slavery to sin. All of us need pardon from past guilt and deliverance from the power and practice of evil.

One of the scriptures from that sermon series was from

Romans 6:16 NKJV Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

In verses 10 to 18 Paul uses Old Testament scripture to show how wicked people can be. He put the verses together in a way that Jewish teachers called ‘a string of precious stones’. He wanted to emphasise that sin controls everybody Jew and Gentile.

Verses 10-12

Romans 3:10‭-‬12 NKJV As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

are from Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Psalm 14:1-3.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 NKJV For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

Psalms 14:1‭-‬3 NKJV The fool has said in his heart, “ There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

These verses explain the nature of sin. Sin is the result of actions against God. Nobody tries to discover what God is like. Nobody cares about what God wants. Everyone has turned away from the right way to live. And that is why people sin.

Verses 13-14

Romans 3:13‭-‬14 NKJV “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

These verses describe the sins of speech. In other words, these verses show how people sin by their words. Such sins are the result when people use the throat, mouth, tongue and lips in the wrong way.

Paul uses Psalms 5:9; 10:7 and 140:3.

Psalms 5:9 NKJV For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; Their throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue.

Psalms 10:7 NKJV His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

Psalms 140:3 NKJV They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

People tell lies. Their words are like poison that can destroy other people’s happiness and character. In his letter, James also compared the tongue with something poisonous.

James 3:8‭-‬10 NKJV But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Verses 15-17

Romans 3:15‭-‬17 NKJV “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.”

Evil actions are often the result of evil words.

James 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Isaiah 59:7‭-‬8 NKJV Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Verse 18

Romans 3:18 NKJV “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This is the same thought that Paul had back in Paul repeats his verse 11.

Romans 3:11 NKJVThere is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

All sin is against God.

Psalm 36:1-4 speaks about a man who has no fear of God.

Psalms 36:1‭-‬4 NKJV An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

All sin comes from people’s lack of honour for God who created them.

Romans 3:19‭-‬20 NKJV Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Some Jews might have thought that these verses were only about wicked Gentiles. Gentiles did not have the law. But Paul explains that the law cannot make people righteous. We learned that in Galatians

The purpose of the law was to show the meaning of sin to people.

Galatians 3:24 NKJV Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The law reveals humanity’s utter sinfulness, inability to save themselves, and desperate need of a Savior—it was never intended to be the way of salvation.

The law proves that everyone is guilty. So the Jews could not become righteous by means of their Jewish ceremonies. And they had many such ceremonies, for example circumcision, the Sabbath, and the food laws. And nobody can become righteous by means of their own good works. Everybody has sinned. And sin controls everybody’s life.

The final verdict, then, is that unredeemed humankind has no defense whatsoever and is guilty of all charges.

Salvation And Redemption Is By Faith Alone Romans 3:21-4:25

Having shown God as judge and executioner, as it were, he next shows the God of love, who reaches out with open arms to sinful people in the hope that they will come to Him and be saved.

After conclusively proving the universal sinfulness of humanity and their desperate need for righteousness (1:18–3:20), Paul shifts gears and demonstrates that God alone can provide that righteousness.

To illustrate this truth, Paul devotes the entire fourth chapter to Abraham. This godly Old Testament saint is a shining example of the central biblical truth that a person can become right with God only by faith in response to His grace, never by works.

God’s Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21‭-‬26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21‭-‬22 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Verses 21-22 When Paul said “but now” he’s contrasting humanity’s depravity and inability to please God and God’s ability to fix the problem. The new age that had come with Jesus. The law and the prophets are the two main parts of the Jewish Old Testament. The Law and the prophets was centuries before Jesus was born. The Law was given directly by God to Moses and the prophets were led by the Holy Spirit.

I Peter 1:10‭-‬11 NKJV Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

The Holy Spirit showed them what Jesus would do and Jesus’ death is the only way for people to become righteous. This was God’s plan. And everyone who receives Jesus into their lives recives God’s gift of righteousness.

This gift of righteousness comes by faith. It is impossible for anyone to earn righteousness. But God offers it as a free gift to everyone who trusts him.

The greatest problem that mankind has is sin.

Romans 3:23‭-‬24 NKJV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Verses 23-24 Sin is the greatest problem that people have. Sin affects everyone, from every nation. It is a terrible problem, because sin ruins the relationship between people and God. Because of sin, people have lost their right to enter heaven. Sin is the reason why people suffer in this world. Sin controls the lives of everyone. It even controls the lives of the best people.

From the beginning of time people have tried to free themselves from the power of sin. But all their efforts have failed.

Good works cannot free anyone from the power of sin. Moral behaviour cannot free anyone from sin’s power. Even religion cannot succeed. People may be very sincere when they do such things. And it is better to be a good person than a bad person. But these methods still cannot make a person righteous. They cannot make a person perfect. And God’s standards are perfect. So even the best person’s efforts are hopeless.

But the wonderful news is that God himself is willing to free us from the power of sin. People have worked so hard to become righteous, and they have all failed. But God offers *righteousness as a free gift.

Nobody deserves this righteousness. But Jesus died in order to suffer the punishment for sin. People simply need to trust him. They should confess their sins to God. And they should invite him into their lives. Then God will forgive them. In other words, he will make them righteous. Nobody could earn righteousness. But it is God’s free and generous gift. And he offers it to everyone, from every nation.

Romans 3:25‭-‬26 NKJV whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Verses 25-26 Let’s first look at a definition of Propitiation; appeasement or satisfaction; Christ’s death satisfied the offended holiness of God.

Also when Paul said that in His forbearance God had passed over the sins of man he meant that this was a temporary withholding of judgment.

Now let’s look at these two verses.

Paul uses three descriptions to explain what God has done by means of Jesus.

1. In a court, a judge will free a person if he is not guilty. God is the judge of the whole world. All people are guilty in front of him. But Jesus showed how much God loves us. God forgives those people who trust in Jesus. They have become righteous because of faith in Christ. Faith is not a kind of work. It is to trust God because of what he has done by Jesus.

2. Someone could pay to free a slave. People are in the power of sin, as slaves were in the power of their masters. Jesus paid the price to set us free. He frees us from sin. So we can live as God wants. Jesus did this at the cost of his life. In other words, he died so that we can be free from sin.

3. People used to offer animals as sacrifices when they asked God to forgive their sins. The law told them to do this. But even at that time, people knew that the death of an animal was not sufficient to pay for their sin. (See Psalm 51:17; Micah 6:6-8.).

Psalms 51:17 NKJV The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Micah 6:6‭-‬8 NKJV With what shall I come before the Lord , And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

So sincere people realised that they needed to have a humble attitude. And they knew that they needed to trust God. They knew that God would provide the perfect sacrifice. And this happened when Jesus died.

Hebrews 10:11‭-‬12 NKJV And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

God gave himself by means of Jesus to make people righteous. One translation says, “Jesus achieved this by the gift of his life” In the original language Greek, the translation is ‘the gift of his blood’. A person cannot live without blood. And one of the purposes of blood in the body is to remove anything impure (not pure). So Jesus gave his life and he makes us free from our sins. God shows by means of Jesus that he is a perfect judge. He punishes sin. But he himself suffered that punishment. So he is a perfect Saviour.

Isaiah 45:21 NKJV Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord ? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul said that by means of *Christ, God was ‘making the world at peace with himself’

2 Corinthians 5:18 NCV (New Century Version) All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him.

Boasting Excluded

Romans 3:27‭-‬31 NKJV Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 3:27‭-‬28 NKJV Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Verses 27-28 Nobody can boast. Nobody deserves to be righteous. Nobody earns peace with God by means of that person’s own good actions. A person becomes righteous only when he accepts God’s gift by means of Jesus. Paul said that he would be proud of only one thing. Jesus had died on the cross for him

Galatians 6:14 NKJV But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Romans 3:29‭-‬31 NKJV Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Verses 29-30 Faith is the same for everyone. There is only one God.

Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

There is not one God for the Jews and another God for Gentiles there is no separate God. So since there is only one God the way of righteousness and justification is the same for everybody and that is by the same way of faith. ‘Without *faith, it is impossible to please God’ (Hebrews 11:6).

This does not mean that the Law has no value.

Romans 3:31 NKJV Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Verse 31 The law still has value. Paul imagines someone who would oppose him about faith. That person would say that Paul was telling people not to obey the law. But Paul was not saying that. Actually, Paul was teaching people that the law was very important. In fact, the law teaches us that we need faith. And we can only obey the law by means of faith. We talked extensively about that in our study of Galatians.

The law was our tutor or guardian.

The law is how God wants people to live. He wants people to show love and kindness. He wants people to be fair. He wants people to have a humble attitude and to respect him. The rules in the Old Testament exist in order to teach people about this. But these rules are less important than the law itself. Faith does not make the law weaker. Faith makes it possible for people to love God with their whole heart. Faith teaches people to live as God wants them to live. So faith makes the law stronger.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Romans Session 3 - The Bad News Cont'd]]>Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:34:37 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/romans-session-3-the-bad-news-contd

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now in a detailed study of Paul's epistle to the church in Rome. These are the notes for Session 3.

Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles, his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct detestable theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

In this Session we continue discussing the bad news that Paul delivers to the Romans that necessitated the God provided solution of Christ's sacrifice for mankind's sin.

Paul expounds on the wretchedness of the human heart, and the divine wrath that is God's response to it. Paul was determined that they understand the reality of being under God’s wrath before he offered them the way of escape from it. For Paul, fear of eternal condemnation was the first motivation he offered for coming to Christ, This bad news is the necessary first part of the good news called the Gospel.

Click below to read my notes. For an audio recording of the entire Session click on the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

Today we are going to continue talking about the bad news that Paul was delivering to the Romans that the reason that God had to send His Son Jesus to rescue mankind is because of the wretchedness of the human heart.

Paul was determined that we understand the reality of being under God’s wrath before he offered them the way of escape from it. A person cannot appreciate the wonder of God’s grace until he or she knows about the perfect demands of God’s law, and that person cannot appreciate the fullness of God’s love until he or she knows something about the fierceness of God’s anger against his or her sinful failure to perfectly obey that law. The person cannot appreciate God’s forgiveness until he or she knows about the eternal consequences of the sins that require a penalty and need forgiving.

Paul saw the world divided into two classes of people. He saw the Jews with their Law direct from God and written down so that all could read it. He saw the other nations, without this written law, but nonetheless with a God-implanted knowledge of right and wrong within their hearts. Neither could claim exemption from the judgment of God. The Jew could not claim exemption on the ground that he had a special place in God's plan. The Gentile could not claim exemption on the ground that he had never received the written Law. The Jew would be judged as one who had known the Law; the Gentile as one who had a God-given conscience. God will judge a man according to what he knows and has the chance to know.

Everyone—Gentiles and Jews, indeed all of humankind—stands guilty before a holy God. Human nature is corrupt. Human thoughts and actions are vile. Human motives are impure. We are without excuse. By the time Paul is finished with his divine indictment, every mouth has been shut. We realize that we are incapable of saving ourselves.

For Paul, fear of eternal condemnation was the first motivation he offered for coming to Christ, This bad news is the necessary first part of the good news called the Gospel.

The Jews Are As Guilty As The Gentiles

Romans 2:17‭-‬20 NKJV Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.

Verses 17-20 When Gentiles became Christians, often they hardly knew anything about God. So they wanted people to teach them about the Bible. And there were many Jewish Christians who were pleased to teach them. Because these teachers were Jewish, they knew much about God’s law. For centuries, their families had followed the law. So these teachers felt well able to teach the Gentile Christians.

But there was a problem :

Romans 2:21‭-‬24 NKJV You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

Verses 21-23 There was a problem with many of these Jewish teachers in the churches. Paul often had to warn the churches about teachers who were not sincere.

I Timothy 1:3‭-‬7 NKJV As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Paul urged Timothy to provide sound teaching to combat the false teachings of some in the church. In Timothy's case Paul was probably talking about Gnostic teachings. The Gnostics saw all things in terms of two contrasting principles. On the one side was good, which was associated with the spiritual and the immaterial. On the other side was evil, which was associated with the material universe. God Himself was perfectly good, spiritual, and totally disassociated from the material. He would not pollute Himself by any such contact! The material universe was an accident or, at worst, the error of the last of a long series of supernatural beings—intermediaries—ranked between God and matter. To God, the pure Spirit, the world was alien and despicable.God become man? God take on human flesh? Never! Christ must be a lower intermediary or an "appearance"—a shadow of God cast on a screen. But God in human flesh? Unthinkable!

This is probably not what Paul is talking about here because he is talking about Jewish teaching but the point is that Paul always wanted the church to be aware of false or insincere teaching.

II Corinthians 11:12‭-‬14 NKJV But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

And in his farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus:

Acts 20:28‭-‬31 NKJV Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

Some people were only teaching because they wanted to earn money. Peter addressed that in one of his letters to the church:

II Peter 2:1‭-‬3 NKJV But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness g reed) they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

They seemed to have great knowledge of the Bible. But they themselves did not know God properly.

I Timothy 1:3‭-‬7 NKJV As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

They thought that they could teach the Gentile Christians about God.

These teachers may not have actually been guilty of the specifec deeds that Paul mentions but Paul is emphasising their wrong attitudes, not necessarily their acts. For example, they were teaching that it is wrong to steal. But they themselves only cared about money.

I Timothy 6:6‭-‬10 NKJV Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

And they did not even care whether they obtained that money in an honest way.

Titus 1:10‭-‬11 NKJV For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.

When Paul talks about robbing temples in

Romans 2:22 NKJV ...do you rob temples?

He's saying that These Jewish teachers said that they hated idols. But they had the same attitudes as people who robbed
temples.

Robbing temples was a well known crime then. People used to give expensive gifts to the temples of false gods. And these gifts included images of the temple’s own god. Sometimes a person might steal an image for himself or herself. They wanted to keep that image, so they could worship that god at home.

Paul was saying that in public, these teachers were telling people how to serve God. But in private, these same teachers did not even care about God.

It's sort of like what he wrote in his letter to Titus.

Titus 1:16 NKJV They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Paul says that because of this hypocrisy "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

When he said as it is written at the end of verse 24 he may have been referring to:

Isaiah 52:5 NKJV Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord , “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the Lord , “And My name is blasphemed continually every day.

Ezekiel 36:22 NKJV “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God : “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

Because of their disobedience God had allowed Israel's enemies to defeat them. So the nations wondered whether God had any power to protect his people. God says that the nations insulted him.

Paul could see that the same things were happening again in the churches. There were these Jewish leaders and teachers who were not sincere. The results would be terrible. And people everywhere would insult God when they saw their.

Circumcision Means Nothing

Romans 2:25‭-‬29 NKJV For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

To a Jew a passage like this must have come as a shattering experience. He was certain that God regarded him with special favour, simply and solely because of his national descent from Abraham and because he bore the badge of circumcision in his flesh. But Paul introduces an idea to which he will return again and again. Jewishness, he insists, is not a matter of race at all; it has nothing to do with circumcision. It is a matter of conduct.

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

If that is so, many a so-called Jew who is a pure descendant of Abraham and who bears the mark of circumcision in his body, is no Jew at all; and equally many a Gentile who never heard of Abraham and who would never dream of being circumcised, is a Jew in the real sense of the term. To a Jew this would sound the wildest heresy and leave him angry and aghast.

Verse 25 Circumcision was the sign that God gave to Abraham. It showed the covenant between God and his nation. Because of the covenant relationship, the Jews needed to obey God’s law. Paul reminded the church in Galatia about this. ‘Everyone who receives circumcision must obey the whole law’

Galatians 5:1‭-‬3 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

The Jewish teachers said that Gentile Christians needed to receive circumcision. The teachers said that this was God’s law. But really, they were not sincere. Their real aim was to control people by means of the laws and traditions of religion.

Galatians 4:17 NKJV They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.

Galatians 5:1‭-‬2 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

But this is the opposite of the real Christian message. The Bible says that we must trust Christ alone. Our own efforts cannot save us from the punishment for our sins.

Romans 2:26‭-‬27 NKJV Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?

Verses 26-27 Nobody ever had a good relationship with God because of circumcision. The act of circumcision does not free a person from sin. People who are not circumcised can serve God loyally. And many people who are circumcised refuse to obey God. The important question is whether a person obeys God.

Romans 2:28‭-‬29 NKJV For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Verses 28-29 The prophets taught that real circumcision was not something physical. It meant a pure (sincere) heart. Moses told the Israelites to ‘circumcise their hearts’.

Deuteronomy 10:16 NKJV Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.

Jeremiah used the same words.

Jeremiah 4:4 NKJV Circumcise yourselves to the Lord , And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.”
The Holy Spirit changes people’s lives. He gives them power to live in the right manner. The law cannot do this.

A ‘real Jew’ is anyone who obeys God. That person does not need to belong to the natural families of the Jewish people. And that person’s body does not need to be circumcised. But that person’s heart must be circumcised. And so that person receives the benefit of the promises that God gave to Abraham.

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The bottom line is that God's promises are not to people of a certain race and to people who bear a certain mark on their bodies. They are to people who live a certain kind of life irrespective of their race. To be a real Jew is not a matter of pedigree but of character; and often the man who is not racially a Jew may be a better Jew than the man who is.

Paul Defends God's Judgment

Romans 3:1‭-‬8 NKJV What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

When we look at this passage we see that there are in it certain basic thoughts of Paul in regard to the Jews.

(i) He did believed the Jews to be in a special position in regard to God. Which is what they believed themselves. The difference was that Paul believed that their special position was one of special responsibility; the Jew believed it to be one of special privilege.

What did Paul say that the Jew had been specially entrusted with? The oracles of God.
What does he mean by that?

The word he uses is logia, the regular word in the Greek Old Testament for a special statement or pronouncement of God.

Here it means The Ten Commandments. God entrusted the Jews with commandments, not privileges.

Exodus 19:3‭-‬6 NKJV And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Leviticus 19:1‭-‬2 NKJV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Leviticus 22:31‭-‬33 NKJV “Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord . You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord .”

He said to them, "You are a special people; therefore you must live a special life." He did not say, "You are a special people; therefore you can do what you like." He did say, "You are a special people; therefore you must do what I like."

Romans 3:1 NIV What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?

Verse 1 Paul imagines that a Jew is protesting about Paul’s thoughts. If Paul’s thoughts were correct, then circumcision seemed unnecessary.

Romans 3:2 NIV Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.

Verse 2 Paul was actually proud that he was a Jew. So he answered his own question by saying that there were many advantages. He spoke first about the honour that God had given to the Jews. He had trusted the Jews with all his messages.

Deuteronomy 4:8 NKJV And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

God wanted to use the Jews in order to benefit the whole world. Remember what he told Abraham when He told him to leave his country and his people?

Genesis 12:1‭-‬3 NKJV Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God wanted the Jews to show the rest of the world what God is like. Later in his letter Paul mentioned some other advantages of being a Jew.

Romans 9:3‭-‬5 NKJV For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

We’ll talk about that when we get to chapter 9.

Even with those advantages some Jews didn’t obey the covenant.

Romans 3:3‭-‬4 NKJV For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

They did not remain loyal to God. But God always does everything that he promises to do. Paul emphasized that God’s promises are certain. God’s words are always true, even if every person tells lies. Paul refers to two passages from the Book of Psalms in this verse 4.

Psalm 116:11 says, ‘All men tell lies.’

Psalms 116:11 NKJV I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

And in Psalm 51:4, David became aware of his sin. So he prayed to God, ‘You are right when you speak. You are right when you judge.’

Psalms 51:4 NKJV Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Romans Session 2 - The Bad News]]>Thu, 17 Sep 2020 02:15:00 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/romans-session-2-the-bad-news

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now in a detailed study of Paul's epistle to the church in Rome. These are the notes for Session 2.

Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles, his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct detestable theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

Last week in Session 1 talked about the beginning of Paul's letter in verses 1-17. Paul started by announcing good news that a righteous God is able to make sinners righteous through faith. The good news that he brought is that in Christ sin can be forgiven, selfishness can be overcome, guilt can be removed, anxiety can be alleviated, and people can, indeed, have hope and eternal glory.

In this Session we start talking about the bad news. Paul expounds on the wretchedness of the human heart, and the divine wrath that is God's response to it. Paul was determined that they understand the reality of being under God’s wrath before he offered them the way of escape from it. For Paul, fear of eternal condemnation was the first motivation he offered for coming to Christ, This bad news is the necessary first part of the good news called the Gospel.

Click below to read my notes. For an audio recording of the entire Session click on the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

Last week when we read and talked about the beginning of Paul's letter in verses 1-17. Paul started by announcing good news that a righteous God is able to make sinners righteous through faith.

The good news that he brought is that in Christ sin can be forgiven, selfishness can be overcome, guilt can be removed, anxiety can be alleviated, and people can, indeed, have hope and eternal glory.

Romans 1:1‭-‬6‭, ‬16‭-‬17 NKJV Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

For the rest of this chapter all the way to chapter 3 Paul now brings the bad news.

Paul expounds on the wretchedness of the human heart, and the divine wrath that is God's response to it.

Paul was determined that they understand the reality of being under God’s wrath before he offered them the way of escape from it. This approach makes both logical and theological sense. A person cannot appreciate the wonder of God’s grace until he or she knows about the perfect demands of God’s law, and that person cannot appreciate the fullness of God’s love until he or she knows something about the fierceness of God’s anger against his or her sinful failure to perfectly obey that law. The person cannot appreciate God’s forgiveness until he or she knows about the eternal consequences of the sins that require a penalty and need forgiving.

Everyone—Gentiles and Jews, indeed all of humankind—stands guilty before a holy God. Human nature is corrupt. Human thoughts and actions are vile. Human motives are impure. We are without excuse. By the time Paul is finished with his divine indictment, every mouth has been shut. We realize that we are incapable of saving ourselves.

For Paul, fear of eternal condemnation was the first motivation he offered for coming to Christ, This bad news is the necessary first part of the good news called the Gospel.

People Are Guilty

Romans 1:18‭-‬25 NKJV For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Romans 1:26‭-‬32 NKJV For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

wrath of God (v. 18)—not a capricious, impulsive, arbitrary outburst of anger, but the settled determined response of a holy God against sin

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
Romans 1:19 NKJV

manifest in them (v. 19)—God has implanted evidence of His existence in the heart of every person

1:21-32: In these verses we can identify repeated reference to (1) knowledge of God, (2) rejection of that knowledge, and (3) the results of that rejection.

1:21 their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened

1:22 they became fools

1:24 desire in their hearts for sexual impurity, self-degradation

1:26 sinful lusts, abandonment of natural relations, homosexual perversions

1:28 depraved minds

1:29 filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity

1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful

1:30 invent ways of doing evil

1:30 disobedient to parents

1:31 senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless

1:32 continue to do the things that deserve death, and approve of those who do them.

God's Righteousness Judgment

Romans 2:1‭-‬11 NKJV Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.

In this passage Paul is directly addressing the Jews. The connection of thought is this. In the previous passage Paul had painted a grim and terrible picture of the heathen world, a world which was under the condemnation of God. With every word of that condemnation the Jew would have thoroughly agreed. But he never for a moment dreamed that he was under the same condemnation. The Jewa thought that they had a privileged position. God might be the judge of the heathen, but he was the special protector of the Jews. However as Paul is pointing out forcibly to the Jew he is just as much a sinner as the Gentile is and that when the Jew is condemning the Gentile he is condemning himself. He will be judged, not on his racial heritage, but by the kind of life that he lives.

The Jews always considered themselves in a specially privileged position with God. "God," they said, "loves Israel alone of all the nations of the earth." "God will judge the Gentiles with one measure and the Jews with another." "All Israelites will have part in the world to come."

The Jew believed that everyone was destined for judgment except himself. It would not be any special goodness which kept him immune from the wrath of God, but simply the fact that he was a Jew.

This passage describes God’s indictment of all hypocrites, regardless of race or religion, culture or creed. In Sunday's sermon I said that a hypocrite is a person who looks like a Christian and talks like a Christian but whose conduct is inconsistent. A person who believes in God but lives as if He doesn’t exist.

Both Jews and Gentiles are included in this discussion, but the Gentile often appears in a better light than the Jew.

Verse five points out the fact that the wrath of God increases in degree over time.

Romans 2:5 NKJV But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

If He waits to punish, and a man doesn't make some correction, then he has added to the cause of wrath. It is very important that we realize that God has a reason for His delay.

II Peter 3:8‭-‬9 NKJV But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

We also find out what the hypocrite faces, and that is certain judgment. When the judgment of God comes we can be sure that it will be righteous judgment. This judgment will be according to His works. On the surface these verses may seem to be teaching that salvation is by works, and that eternal life can be earned by doing good things. However, based on other Scripture we know this is not true.

Galatians 3:10‭-‬14 NKJV For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has 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”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We must bear in mind that this passage has to do with the basis of God’s judgment. Throughout the Bible we find that judgment is according to our works, while salvation is by faith. Paul is not discussing how a person is saved, but how he will be judged: “according to his deeds” (v. 6).

The reasons for a person’s behavior (vv. 7-8).

Romans 2:7-8 NKJV eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,

2. The results of a person’s behavior (vv. 9-10).

Romans 2:9‭-‬10 NKJV tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The expression “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” highlights the fact that the more we know, the more responsibility we have.

Romans 2:17‭-‬20 NKJV Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.

The hypocrite’s portion will be worse than the heathen’s, for the simple reason that his opportunities have been so much greater.

Romans 2:12‭-‬16 NKJV For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them ) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

In this passage Paul turns to the Gentiles. He has dealt with the Jews and with their claims to special privilege. But one advantage the Jew did have, and that was the Law. A Gentile might well retaliate by saying, "It is only right that God should condemn the Jews, who had the Law and who ought to have known better; but we will surely escape judgment because we had no opportunity to know the Law and did not know any better." In answer Paul lays down two great principles.

(i) A man will be judged by what he had the opportunity to know. If he knew the Law, he will be judged as one who knew the Law. If he did not know the Law, he will be judged as one who did not know the Law. God is fair. And here is the answer to those who ask what is to happen to the people who lived in the world before Jesus came and who had no opportunity to hear the Christian message. A man will be judged by his fidelity to the highest that it was possible for him to know.

(ii) Paul goes on to say that even those who did not know the written Law had an unwritten law within their hearts. We would call it the instinctive knowledge of right and wrong. The Stoic Greek philosophers said that in the universe there were certain laws operative which a man broke at his peril--the laws of health, the moral laws which govern life and living.

It is Paul's argument that in the very nature of man there is an instinctive knowledge of what he ought to do. The Greeks would have agreed with that. Aristotle said: "The cultivated and free-minded man will so behave as being a law to himself".

Paul saw the world divided into two classes of people. He saw the Jews with their Law given to them direct from God and written down so that all could read it. He saw the other nations, without this written law, but nonetheless with a God-implanted knowledge of right and wrong within their hearts. Neither could claim exemption from the judgment of God. The Jew could not claim exemption on the ground that he had a special place in God's plan. The Gentile could not claim exemption on the ground that he had never received the written Law. The Jew would be judged as one who had known the Law; the Gentile as one who had a God-given conscience. God will judge a man according to what he knows and has the chance to know.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Romans - Session 1 Introduction And The Good News]]>Thu, 10 Sep 2020 04:43:11 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/romans-session-1-introduction-and-the-good-news

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now in a detailed study of Paul's epistle to the church in Rome. These are the notes for Session 1.

Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles, his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct detestable theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

This epistle’s name comes from its original recipients: the members of the church in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire.

There is no dispute that the Apostle Paul wrote this epistle or letter to the members of the church in Rome. A couple of things about Paul that we know from scripture. He was Jewish, and was a decident of Jacob’s son Benjamin so he was from the tribe of Benjamin as he says in Philippians 3:5. Paul was also a Roman citizen.

A person could become a Roman citizen by either birth or buying the privilege. Paul's birth in a Jewish family occurred in the city of Tarsus within the Roman province of Cilicia, which is in what is today Turkey. Although a Jew, his birth in the city grants him citizenship. This is due to Tarsus' designation as a "free city" by Rome.

He spent much of his early life in Jerusalem as a student of the celebrated rabbi Gamaliel

Acts 22:3 NKJV (“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

Like his father before him, Paul was a Pharisee

Acts 22:3 NKJV “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

Acts 23:6 NKJV But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

The Pharisees was the strictest Jewish sect

Philippians 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

We all know about Paul’s miraculous conversion on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians in that city. That’s in Acts chapter 9. Most scholars believe that was about A.D. 33-34. ter his conversion Paul started preaching right away but there was a plot to kill him so he escaped and went to Arabia for three years

Acts 9:23‭-‬25 NKJV Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

During that time, he received much of his doctrine as direct revelation from the Lord. We talked about that in our study of Galatians.

Galatians 1:11‭-‬12 NKJV But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:17‭-‬18 NKJV nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.

More than any other individual, Paul was responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He made three missionary journeys through much of theMediterranean world, tirelessly preaching the gospel that he had once sought to destroy.

Paul wrote Romans from Corinth, and we know that because of things he references in the letter for example Cenchrea which was Corinth’s port

Romans 16:1 NKJV I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

He also mentioned some people in addition to Phoebe, Gaius and Erastus, who were associated to Corinth.

I Corinthians 1:14‭-‬15 NKJV I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

Romans 16:23 NKJV Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.

The apostle wrote the letter toward the close of his third missionary journey (most likely in A.D. 56), as he prepared to leave for Palestine with an offering for the poor believers in the Jerusalem church.

Romans 15:25 NKJV But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.

Phoebe was given the great responsibility of delivering this letter to the Roman believers.

Romans 16:1‭-‬2 NKJV I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Background And Setting

Rome was the capital and most important city of the Roman Empire. It was founded in753 B.C. but is not mentioned in Scripture until New Testament times. Rome is located along the banks of the Tiber River, about fifteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. In Paul’s day, the city had a population of over one million people, many of whom were slaves. Rome boasted magnificent buildings, such as the Emperor’s palace, the Circus Maximus, and the Forum, but its beauty was marred by the slums in which somany lived. According to tradition Paul was martyred outside Rome on the Ostian Way during Nero’s reign (A.D. 54–68).

Some of those converted on the Day of Pentecost probably founded the church in Rome.

Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles (for example, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians), his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct aberrant theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.

Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. The letter also introduced him to a church where he was personally unknown but hoped to visit.

Historical and Theological Themes

Since Romans is primarily a work of doctrine, it contains little historical material. However, Paul does use such familiar Old Testament figures as Abraham, David , Adam, Sarah, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, and Pharaoh as illustrations. He also recounts some of Israel’s history, in chapters 9–11. Chapter 16 provides insightful glimpses into the nature and character of the first century church and its members.

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith inChrist alone. Chapters 1–11 present the theological truths of that doctrine, while chapters 12–16 detail its practical outworking in the lives of individual believers and the life of the whole church. Some specific theological topics include principles of spiritual leadership; God’s wrath against sinful humankind: principles of divine judgment; the universality of sin there's an exposition and defense of justification by faith alone; the security of salvation; the transference of Adam’s sin to all mankind; sanctification; sovereign election; God’s plan for Israel; spiritual gifts and practical godliness: the believer’s responsibility to human government; and principles of Christian liberty.

Interpretive Challenges

As the preeminent doctrinal work in the New Testament, Romans naturally contains a number of difficult passages. Paul’s discussion of the perpetuation of Adam’s sin is one of the deepest, most profound theological passages in all of Scripture. The nature of humanity’s union with Adam and how Adam’s sin was transferred to the human race has always been the subject of intense debate. Bible students also disagree on whether 7:7–25, where Paul is struggling with the sin created by trying to obey the law.

Romans 7:21‭-‬25 NKJV I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

describes Paul’s experience as a believer or unbeliever or is a literary device and not intended to be autobiographical at all. The closely related doctrines of election and the sovereignty of God have confused many believers. Others question whether chapters 9–11 teach that God has a future plan for the nation of Israel. Some have ignored Paul's teaching on the believer’s obedience to human government in the name of Christian activism, while others have used it to defend slavish obedience to totalitarian regimes.

So you see there’s a lot in this book and we’re going to have some fun.

The Good News

1) What’s the worst news you’ve received in the last year?

2) What’s the best news you’ve heard in the last year?

Paul starts his letter with some very good news, and we’ll find out what that good news is when we get into chapter 1.

Background of the Passage

Newspapers, news magazines, and television news shows contain constant reminders that most news is bad and seems to be getting worse. What happens on a national and worldwide scale, however, is simply the magnification of what is occurring on an individual level. As personal problems, animosities, and fears increase, so do their counterparts in society at large.

There is a terrifying power that grips human beings at the very core of their being and left unchecked, it pushes them to self-destruction in one form or another. That power is sin, and that is always bad news.

The little bit of good news is often a brief break from the bad. And sometimes what appears to be good is really counterfeit.

The essence of Paul’s letter to the Romans, however, is that there is for real good news that is truly good. Paul, who was an apostle and a minister of the gospel which is good news. The good news that he brought is that in Christ sin can be forgiven, selfishness can be overcome, guilt can be removed, anxiety can be alleviated, and people can, indeed, have hope and eternal glory.

You could actually sum up the entire sixteen chapters of Romans in the first seven verses.

Romans 1:1‭-‬7 NKJV Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was so excited by his message of good news that he couldn't wait to introduce his readers to the gist of what he had to say.

We already read the first seven so let’s now read

Romans 1:8‭-‬17 NKJV First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

bondservant (v.1)—the Greek word for servant or slave, but given a Hebrew sense here by Paul to imply willing service for a beloved, respected master so Paul was a willing servant. He was also an apostle —Literally, “one who is sent;” this title was given to Christ’s original twelve disciple, then, after Judas’ betrayal and suicide to Matthaias

Acts 1:20‭-‬26 NKJV “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’ “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

An apostle was someone who had actually seen and been instructed by Christ and Paul had been.

Acts 22:12‭-‬14 NKJV “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.

Galatians 1:11‭-‬12 NKJV But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

   —Paul had been set apart (that is, specially selected) by God for his ministry to the Gentiles.

Galatians 2:7‭-‬8 NKJV But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),

Romans 1:1‭-‬4 NKJV Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

The word declared meant literally, “to distinguish, or mark off,” this is the Greek word from which the English word “horizon” comes; as the horizon marks clearly the boundary between earth and sky, the resurrection marks Christ as the Son of God come in the flesh.

Romans 1:5 NKJV Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

Obedience to the faith means true saving faith which always produces obedience and submission to the Lordship of Christ.

Three Types of Faith

A.   Intellectual Faith (Natural Faith)—Believing something is true without proof or commitment. For example, a person can intellectually believe Jesus was a real person who performed miracles but not accept the fact that He was God in Man.

B.   Faith in God— Believing in God’s existence and His abilities. A person with this kind of faith possesses a confident conviction that God will fulfill what He has promised.

C.   Saving Faith—Believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a living person, for the forgiveness of sin and trusting Him because He provides eternal life with God. It isn’t enough to simply believe in the actions of Jesus Christ or the abilities of God. True saving faith is more than that; it is a personal relationship with the Savior.

Having a saving faith is key because it determines our eternal destiny. Many people are deceived. They think because they go to church, are baptized, and tithe regularly, they are saved. They know Jesus intellectually, but they don’t have a relationship with Him.

Romans 1:9 NKJV For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

When Paul said serve with my spirit, the word translated serve can also be translated worship.

It brings to mind what Jesus told the woman at the well

John 4:23‭-‬24 NKJV But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 1:11‭-‬12 NKJV For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Spiritual gift the Greek word for “gift” is charisma and means a gift of grace, a divine enablement.

We did a study on spiritual gifts and what did we say was the purpose of spiritual gifts?

The purpose of the spiritual gifts is to edify (build up), exhort (encourage), and comfort the church.

Ephesians 4:11‭-‬16 NKJV And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Romans 1:14 NKJV I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

Paul believed that he was under obligation to fulfill his ministry because of God’s calling and the Gentiles’

Romans 1:16 NKJV For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The gospel or good news that salvation comes by faith it is that in Christ sin can be forgiven, selfishness can be overcome, guilt can be removed, anxiety can be alleviated, and people can, indeed, have hope and eternal glory.

Understanding the Text

What does this passage reveal about the promise of the Good News

Romans 1:2‭-‬4 NIV the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Verses 8–15 provide interesting insights into Paul’s character and motives, as well as the kind of behavior that should mark all true spiritual leaders. What admirable qualities do you see in these verses?

Summing Up …

“Some people object to terms such as salvation and being saved, claiming that the ideas they convey are out of date and meaningless to contemporary men and women. But salvation is God’s term, and there is no better one to describe what He offers fallen humankind through the sacrifice of His Son. Through Christ, alone, people can be saved from sin, from Satan, from judgment, from wrath, and from spiritual death.

]]><![CDATA[Galatians Session 9 - A Grace Filled Life]]>Thu, 03 Sep 2020 02:09:43 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galatians-session-9-a-grace-filled-life

These are the notes to the ninth and final Session of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians.

The end of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches carries the same weight of seriousness and urgency as the rest of it. Both the beginning and end commend readers to God’s grace and express Paul’s deep concern for their spiritual welfare. of those to whom he was writing. But Paul took no time for the personal amenities found inmost of his other letters.

He gives some brief f instructions about restoring a sinning brother. Then a little about the spiritual law of sowing and reaping, and he contrasted those who would glory in the flesh with those who glory only in the cross.

To hear an audio recording of the session click the YouTube link at the end of the notes

THE CONTEXT

The end of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches carries the same weight of seriousness and urgency as the rest of it. Both the beginning and end commend readers to God’s grace and express Paul’s deep concern for the spiritual welfare of those to whom he was writing.

Galatians 1:3 NKJV Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 6:18 NKJV Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

But Paul took no time for the personal amenities found in most of his other letters. At the end of most of his other letters he is sending personal greetings or mentioning specific people.

Romans 16:21‭-‬24 NKJV Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you. I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

I Corinthians 16:19‭-‬20 NKJV The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Colossians 4:7‭-‬15 NKJV Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

He gives some brief f instructions about restoring a sinning brother. Then a little about the spiritual law of sowing and reaping, and he contrasted those who would glory in the flesh with those who glory only in the cross.

Except for the very end when he gives a benediction saying grace be with you he is blasting the Judaizers, whose heretical activities prompted the letter in the first place.

They were teaching the spurious, human-made gospel of salvation by works and of living under the government of law, in complete contradiction to the divine gospel of salvation by grace and living by the Spirit that Paul had preached when he ministered in Galatia.

Paul condemned their motives for teaching their legalistic perversion of the gospel, declaring that they were motivated by religious pride, by cowardice, and by hypocrisy.

He, on the other hand, gloried in the cross because it was this sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that was the source of his and every believer’s righteousness and acceptance before God. Only the cross is able to bring an end to man’s hopeless frustration in pursuing God through works.

So Let’s Read

Galatians 6:1‭-‬18 NKJV Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Galatians 6:1‭-‬18 NCV Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too. By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is important when he really is not, he is only fooling himself. Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must be responsible for himself. Anyone who is learning the teaching of God should share all the good things he has with his teacher. Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. People harvest only what they plant. If they plant to satisfy their sinful selves, their sinful selves will bring them ruin. But if they plant to please the Spirit, they will receive eternal life from the Spirit. We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers. See what large letters I use to write this myself. Some people are trying to force you to be circumcised so the Jews will accept them. They are afraid they will be attacked if they follow only the cross of Christ. Those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so they can brag about what they forced you to do. I hope I will never brag about things like that. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging. Through the cross of Jesus my world was crucified, and I died to the world. It is not important if a man is circumcised or uncircumcised. The important thing is being the new people God has made. Peace and mercy to those who follow this rule—and to all of God’s people. So do not give me any more trouble. I have scars on my body that show I belong to Christ Jesus. My brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Before we break it down let’s look at some keys to what we just read.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Reaping and Sowing:

In its literal, physical sense, that rudimentary law of agriculture—you reap what you sow—is self-evident. Absolutely universal, it applies equally to every farmer and gardener in every time and place—to the young and the old, the experienced and inexperienced, the wise and the foolish, the saved and the unsaved. This law operates the same no matter who plants the seeds. It is as impartial, predictable, and immutable as the law of gravity.

The same thing is true in the spiritual and moral world. God’s Word is clear.

Hosea 8:1‭-‬7 NKJV“ Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord , Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law. Israel will cry to Me, ‘My God, we know You!’ Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. “They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves— That they might be cut off. Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them— How long until they attain to innocence? For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. “They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.

Hosea 10:12 NKJV Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord , Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

The Cross:

Paul gloried in the cross because Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the source of his and every believer’s righteousness and acceptance before God—bringing an end to the hopeless frustration of pursuing God through works.

God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”
                  (2 Cor. 5:21).

Christians honor and praise the cross because Christ’s sacrifice provided redemption and eternal life, making the cross the supreme symbol of the gospel.

Galatians 6:1‭-‬5 NKJV Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

To be overtaken in any trespass literally means to be “caught,” That may imply the person was actually seen committing the sin, or that he was caught by the sin itself you. If that happens and you see it then it is your obligation as a brother of sister to restore which means to mend or repair them. Now not everybody, and I mean every Christian is to do this restoration. It is only those who are spiritual or those believers who are walking in the Spirit, filled with the spirit doing that restoration with the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

love (v. 22)—One of several Greek words for love, agape, refers to the love of choice, not an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but the respect, devotion, and affection that lead to willing, self-sacrificial service.

joy (v. 22)—a happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well-being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself or herself and the Lord; it is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe. Joy is a gift fromGod, and as such, believers are not to manufacture it but to delight in the blessing they already possess.

peace (v. 22)—the inner calm that results from confidence in one’s saving relationship with Christ. The verb form denotes binding together and is reflected in the expression “having it all together”; like joy, peace is not related to one’s circumstances

longsuffering (v. 22)—the patience to endure injuries inflicted by others and the willingness to accept irritating or painful situations.

kindness (v. 22)—tender concern for others, reflected in a desire to treat others gently,just as the Lord treats all believers

goodness (v. 22)—moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness

faithfulness (v. 22)—loyalty and trustworthiness

gentleness (v. 23)—Better translated “meekness,” this is a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, while having no desire for revenge or retribution.
In the New Testament, it is used to describe three attitudes:
submission to the will of God

self-control (v. 23)—This refers to restraining passions and appetites.

The basic process of restoration is outlined in

Matthew 18:15‭-‬20 NKJV “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Bear one another’s burdens “Burdens” are extra heavy loads, which here represent difficulties or problems people have trouble dealing with. We are to be with them to help them through their difficulties, and in so doing we are obeying the law of Christ which is

Matthew 22:36‭-‬37‭, ‬39‭-‬40 NKJV “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The law of love which fulfills the entire law

3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.


To examine yourself is literally “to approve something after testing it”; believers first must be sure their lives are right with God before giving spiritual help to others.

Believers should rejoice or boast in the Lord only for what God has done in him or her (see 2 Cor. 10:12–18), not for what he or she supposedly has accomplished compared to other believers.

We talked about boasting only in the Lord on the sermon on Sunday

II Corinthians 10:12‭-‬18 NKJV For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment. But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord .” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.


5 For each one shall bear his own load.


All of us have to bear our own load. This is not a contradiction to what it says in verse 2 when Paul said that we are to bear one another’s burdens. This load or burden refers to our individual routine obligations and personal ministry calling. Remember we all have spiritual gifts. God requires faithfulness in meeting those responsibilities.

Be Generous And Do Good

Galatians 6:6‭-‬10 NKJV Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him teaches.

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Here Paul when he says “sows to his flesh” it means pandering to the flesh’s evil desires. The counterfeit stuff we talked about Sunday; “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.

1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

The word corruption in verse 8 is from the Greek word for degeneration, as in decaying food; sin always corrupts and, when left unchecked, always makes a person progressively worse in character.

Romans 6:23a NKJV For the wages of sin is death

On the other hand the person who sows to the Spirit or walks by the Holy Spirit reaps or receives everlasting life.
This expression describes not only a life that endures forever but, is also the highest quality of living that one can experience.

Ephesians 1:3‭, ‬18 NKJV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

John 10:7‭-‬10 NKJV Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Because we know this we shouldn’t grow weary because we will in do season reap everlasting life and that abundant life Jesus was talking about. We just have to be patient and wait.

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Psalms 25:3 NKJV Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We should take advantage of every opportunity to do good works. The Greek word for opportunity is kairos and it refers to a distinct, fixed time period, rather than occasional moments. Paul's point is that our entire lives provide the unique privilege to serve others in Christ’s name.

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

All this God did by His love, grace, and mercy. While it involved their faith, it did not involve any works whereby one could boast.
The end result is that they have been created in Christ to walk in good works, as God planned beforehand.
These good works are the result of the seed of the fruit of the Spirit sowed in you at salvation.

We should do good for everybody and our love for fellow Christians is one of the primary tests of our love for God.

We have talked about this in our sermons from 1 John. Remember the two tests that prove that we have fellowship with God. The first test is obeying His commands and the second is that of loving each other.

1 John 2:9 NIV Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
Glory Only In The Cross

Galatians 6:11‭-‬15 NKJV See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!

—This can be interpreted in two ways: (1) Paul’s poor eyesight forced him to use large letters or (2) instead of the normal cursive style of writing used by professional scribes, Paul used the large, block letters (frequently employed in public notices) to emphasize the letter’s content rather than its form.
He was indicating that he had written this letter himself. This letter was not dictated as were some of his others.

II Thessalonians 3:17 NKJV The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.

This letter was so important that he needed to write it all himself.

Now he voices his frustration about the Judaizers.


12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

The Judaizers were motivated by religious pride and wanted to impress others with their external piety. They were more concerned about their personal safety than correct doctrine. By adhering more to the Mosaic Law than to the gospel of Jesus, they hoped to avoid social and financial ostracism from other Jews and maintain their protected status as Jews within the Roman Empire.

13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

They worked to win Gentile converts to the law so they could brag about their effective proselytizing.

But not Paul

14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

We talked about where and in whom our boasting should be earlier today and last Sunday.

The Greek word for “boast” is a basic expression of praise, unlike the English word, which necessarily includes the aspect of pride. Paul glories and rejoices in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The world system with its counterfeits is spiritually dead to believers.

The old system and covenant of works and law has been overtaken by a new covenant based faith so that those who believe on the author of the new covenant, Jesus become new creatures.

II Corinthians 5:16‭-‬17 NKJV Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Blessing And Plea

Galatians 6:16‭-‬18 NKJV And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

The new rule Paul here is talking about is salvation by grace through faith and not works.

Romans 5:1‭-‬2 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As a result we have peace

Romans 8:6 NKJV For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The Israel of God includes all those who are both physical those born Jewish and spiritual descendants, those us saved by faith of Abraham.

17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Paul says now do not give me any more trouble. I have scars on my body that show I belong to Christ Jesus.

18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

The most important pursuit for all Christians, individually and corporately, is holiness. The first mission of the church is to honor and glorify God, and He can be honored and glorified by His children only as they grow to be like Him in character. Although evangelism is the cutting edge of the church’s ministry, holiness is the only foundation on which effective evangelism or any other ministry can be built. The supreme priority of the church is holiness, purity of inward life. God can accomplish whatever He desires through a believer or a church that is holy, but He can do little through one that is not.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Galations Session 8 - Called To Freedom]]>Thu, 27 Aug 2020 02:50:46 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galations-session-8-called-to-freedom

These are the notes to Session 8 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians.

After defending his apostleship and his message of justification by faith, Paul next applied that doctrine to practical Christian living, emphasizing that right doctrine should result in right living. His contention is that sanctification should result from justification. The life of genuine faith is more than belief in divine truth; it is also the bearing of divine fruit.

The freedom for which Christ sets us free is the freedom to live a life of righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To hear an audio recording of the session click the YouTube link at the end of the notes

THE CONTEXT

After defending his apostleship and his message of justification by faith, Paul next applied that doctrine to practical Christian living, emphasizing that right doctrine should result in right living. His contention is that sanctification should result from justification. The life of genuine faith is more than belief in divine truth; it is also the bearing of divine fruit.

The freedom for which Christ sets us free is the freedom to live a life of righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s standard of holiness has not changed. As Jesus makes clear in the Sermon on the Mount, it requires not simply outward performance but inner perfection.

The sermon’s theme is found in 5:17-20.

Matthew 5:17‭-‬20 NKJV “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus did not come to end or to abolish the law. He came to fulfill it and establish true righteousness. The system of the scribes and Pharisees promoted a legalistic self-righteousness, but those who would enter the kingdom of heaven must have a righteousness that exceeds that. They tried to gain it by an outward bending to man made rules and regulations, but true righteousness is a matter of a changed inner life which cannot be lived out on human abilities alone. This is demonstrated by the character qualities Jesus describes that develop in those who are truly righteousness – Being poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, being a peacemaker and rejoicing in the midst of unjust persecution

True righteousness will also demonstrate itself is striving to live to a higher internal standard and not just an outward legal one.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount exposes self-righteousness and makes a clear division between it and the true righteousness needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Righteousness cannot be earned based on what you do and what you refrain from doing, for man absolutely cannot meet God’s standards on his own. He must become a humble follower of Jesus Christ who places his trust in God, not himself. This is the result of the new birth that Jesus’ talked to Nicodemus about. True righteousness comes from the heart and out of love for God seeks to do whatever pleases Him.
This sermon also reveals that man can live a blessed life only when his character is changed and he lives according to God’s design. The life lived in obedience to God is the life that is pleasing to God.

Through His Holy Spirit, believers have the ability to live internal lives of righteousness.

The final two chapters of Galatians are a portrait of the Spirit-filled life, of the believer’implementing the life of faith under the control and in the energy of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit-filled life thereby becomes in itself a powerful testimony to the power of justification by faith.

Let’s get started;

Galatians 5:1‭-‬15 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Galatians 5:1‭-‬15 MSG Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment. As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then—it would be so watered-down it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. Why don’t these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves! It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Circumcision:

Most Jews in New Testament times firmly believed that circumcision not only set them apart from all other men as God’s chosen people but also made them acceptable to God. Because these beliefs were strongly held in Judaism, Jewish converts in the early church carried many of them over into Christianity. Circumcision and following the law of Moses became such divisive issues that the apostles and elders called a special council in Jerusalem to settle the matter. They unanimously decided, and expressed in a letter sent to all the churches, that obedience to Mosaic ritual, including circumcision, was not necessary for salvation (see Acts 15:19–29).

We talked about the Jerusalem Council a few times. The letter written after the Council is in Acts 15:19-29

Acts 15:23‭-‬29 NKJV They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “ You must be circumcised and keep the law” —to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

Paul objected to the notion that circumcision had some spiritual benefit or merit with God and was a prerequisite or necessary component of salvation.

Circumcision had meaning in Israel when it was a physical symbol of a cleansed heart (see Jer. 9:24–26) and served as a reminder ofGod’s covenant of salvation promise (Gen. 17:9–10).

Jeremiah 9:24‭-‬26 NKJV But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord , exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord . “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord , “that I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.”

Genesis 17:9‭-‬10 NKJV And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

A person who trusts in circumcision, or in any other ceremony or work, nullifies the work of Christ on his behalf. He places himself under the law, and a person under the law must obey it with absolute perfection, which is humanly impossible. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6).

Let’s Break It Down

Galatians 5:1‭-‬6 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. —The atoning sacrifice of Christ cannot benefit anyone who trusts in law and ceremony for salvation.

3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. —God’s standard is perfect righteousness, and thus a failure to keep only one part of the law falls short of the standard.

James 2:8‭-‬10 NKJV If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. —The Greek word for “estranged” means “to be separated” or “to be severed.”

The word for “fallen” means “to lose one’s grasp on something.” Paul’s clear meaning is that any attempt to be justified by the law is to reject salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Those once exposed to the gracious truth of the gospel who then turn their backs on Christ and seek to be justified by the law are separated from Christ and lose all prospects of God’s gracious salvation. Their desertion of Christand the gospel proves that their faith was never genuine.

Hebrews 6:4‭-‬6 NKJV For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. —Christians already possess the imputed righteousness of Christ, but they still await the completed and perfected righteousness that is yet to come at glorification.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.—Nothing done or not done in the flesh, even religious ceremony, makes any difference in one’s relationship to God. What is external is immaterial and worthless, unless it reflects genuine internal righteousness.—Saving faith proves its genuine character by works of love; the one who lives by faith is internally motivated by love for God and Christ, which supernaturally issues forth in reverent worship, genuine obedience, and self-sacrificing love for others.

Remember the two tests proving fellowship and relationship with God from Sunday’s sermon. a habitual obedience to God through the keeping of his commands; and second, a habitual loving of others, which becomes the natural outflow of our obedience to God.

Love Fulfills The Law

Galatians 5:7‭-‬15 NKJV You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? —Paul compares the Galatians’ life of faith with a race. They had a good beginning—they had received the gospel message by faith and had begun to live their Christian lives by faith as well. They had obeyed the truth which was a reference to believers’ true way of living, including both their response to the true gospel in salvation and their consequent response to obey the Word of God in sanctification. The legalistic influence of the Judaizers prevented the unsaved from responding in faith to the gospel of grace and true believers from living by faith.

Paul wrote more about salvation and sanctification being a matter of obedience.

Romans 1:5 NKJV Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

Romans 6:16‭-‬18 NKJV Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 16:25‭-‬27 NKJV Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

8 This persuasion or salvation by works does not come from Him who calls you. -- God does not promote legalism; any doctrine that claimsHis gracious work is insufficient to save is false.

9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.— was a common saying regarding the influence of yeast in dough. Leaven is often used in Scripture to indicate sin because of its permeating power.

10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.—Paul expresses encouraging assurance that the Lord will be faithful to keep His own from falling into gross heresy; they will persevere and be preserved.

Jude 1:24‭-‬25 NKJV Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. —All false teachers will incur strict and devastating eternal condemnation.

11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
—Apparently the Judaizers had falsely claimed that Paul agreed with their teaching; he makes the point, however, that if he was preaching circumcision is necessary for salvation, why were the Judaizers persecuting him instead of supporting him?

Paul was preaching that salvation is by faith an not works and he was saying that is what is creating opposition between him and the Judiziers

Romans 9:33 NKJV As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! —Better translated “mutilate themselves,” the Greek word was often used for castration, such as in the cult of Cybele, whose priests were self-made eunuchs. Paul's ironic point is that since the Judaizers were so insistent on circumcision as a means of pleasing God, they should go to the extreme of religious devotion and mutilate themselves.
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. —The Greek word for “opportunity” was often used to refer to a central base of military operations. In the context, “flesh” refers to the sinful inclinations of fallen humanity; the freedom Christians have is not a base from whichthey can sin freely and without consequence.—Christian freedom is not for selfish fulfillment but for serving others.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”—The ethics of the former Old Testament law are the same as those of the NewTestament gospel.

When a Christian genuinely loves others, he or she fulfills all the moral requirements of the former Mosaic Law.

15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! —The imagery is of wild animals savagely attacking and killing each other is a graphic picture of what happens in the spiritual realm when believers do not love and serve each other.

GOING DEEPER

Paul addresses the issue of Christian liberty in many areas of life.

Romans 14:1‭-‬15 NKJV Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “ As I live, says the Lord , Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Someone has pictured legalism and libertinism as two parallel streams that run between earth and heaven. The stream of legalism is clear, sparkling, and pure; but its waters run so deep and furiously that no one can enter it without being drowned or smashed on the rocks of its harsh demands. The stream of libertinism, by contrast, is relatively quiet and still, and crossing it seems easy and attractive. But its waters are contaminated with poisons and pollutants that to try to cross it is also certain death.

Both streams are uncrossable and deadly, one because of impossible moral and spiritual demands, the other because of moral and spiritual filth. But spanning those two deadly streams is the bridge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only passage from earth to heaven. The two streams lead to death because they are man’s ways. The gospel leads to life because it is God’s way.

Walking In The Spirit Galatians

THE CONTEXT

The final two chapters of Galatians provide a practical guidebook to how the gracious gospel should make a difference in a Christian’s everyday life. Just as Jesus Christ is the primary Person behind justification, the Holy Spirit is the primary Person behind sanctification—becoming holy. Believers can no more sanctify themselves than they can save themselves in the first place.

In its most profound yet simple definition, the faithful Christian life is lived under the direction and by the power of the Spirit. That is the theme of 5:16–25, which tells believers to “walk by the Spirit” and to be “led by the Spirit.” In short, Paul's argument is that the Holy Spirit makes the life of faith work. Were it not for the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, the life of faith would be no more spiritually productive or acceptable to God than the life of law.

Galatians 5:16‭-‬26 NKJV I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:16‭-‬23‭, ‬23‭-‬26 MSGMy counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Walk in the Spirit: All believers have the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, as their personal source of power for living to please God. The form of the Greek verb translated “walk” indicates continuing action, or a habitual lifestyle. Walking also implies progress; as a believer submits to the Spirit’s control responding in obedience to the simple commands of Scripture—he or she grows in his or her spiritual life. The Holy Spirit produces fruit, which consists of nine characteristics or attitudes that are linked with each other and are commanded of believers throughout the New Testament.

Let’s unpack

Galatians 5:16‭-‬18 NKJV I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.—This is not simply the physical body. It includes the mind, will, and emotions, which are all subject to sin, and refers, in general to our lives before salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. —The flesh opposes the work of the Spirit and leads the believer toward sinful behavior that he or she would not otherwise be compelled to do.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. These two things are mutually exclusive so that your pick. Either you live by the power of the Holy Spirit, which results in righteous behavior and spiritual attitudes, or you live by the law, which can only produce unrighteous behavior and attitudes. Which we are going to talk about next.

Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,lewdness,—These sins characterize all unredeemed humankind, though not every person manifests all these sins nor exhibits them to the same degree. Paul’s list, which is not exhaustive, encompasses three areas of human life: sex, religion, and human relationships.

—The flesh manifests itself in obvious and certain ways.

fornication —The Greek word is porneia, from which the English word “pornography” comes. It refers to all illicit sexual activity, including (but not limited to) adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and prostitution.

lewdness (v. 19)—The word originally referred to any excessive behavior or lack of restraint, but eventually became associated with sexual excess and indulgence.

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

We know what idolatry is and that’s putting anything before God. Then there is sorcery —This Greek word, from which our English word “pharmacy” comes, originally referred to medicines in general but eventually only to mood- and mind-altering drugs,as well as the occult, witchcraft, and magic. Many pagan religious practices require the use of these drugs to aid in the communication with deities.

contentions . . . heresies —Many of these sins manifested in the area of human relationships have to do with some form of anger: “Hatred” results in “contentions” (strife); “jealousies” (hateful resentment) result in “outbursts of wrath” (sudden, unrestrained expression of hostility); the next four (envy, murders, drunkenness, and revelries represent animosity between individuals and groups.



21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. -- drunkenness, revelries is probably a specific reference to the orgies that characterized pagan, idolatrous worship; generally, it refers to all rowdy, boisterous, and crude behavior.

When Paul says used the word practice in his warning the Greek verb that he used was one that described continual, habitual action.

Although believers undoubtedly can commit these sins, those people whose basic character is summed up in the uninterrupted and unrepentant practice of them cannot belong to God.

That’s what he meant when he said they would not inherit the kingdom of God —The unregenerate are barred from entering the spiritual kingdom of redeemed people over whom Christ now rules, and they will be excluded from His millennial kingdom and the eternal state of blessing that follows it.

Galatians 5:22‭-‬26 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,faithfulness,


love (v. 22)—One of several Greek words for love, agape, refers to the love of choice, not an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but the respect, devotion, and affection that lead to willing, self-sacrificial service.

joy (v. 22)—a happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well-being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself or herself and the Lord; it is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe. Joy is a gift fromGod, and as such, believers are not to manufacture it but to delight in the blessing they already possess.

peace (v. 22)—the inner calm that results from confidence in one’s saving relationship with Christ. The verb form denotes binding together and is reflected in the expression “having it all together”; like joy, peace is not related to one’s circumstances

longsuffering (v. 22)—the patience to endure injuries inflicted by others and the willingness to accept irritating or painful situations.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Colossians 3:12-13 (NKJV)12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

kindness (v. 22)—tender concern for others, reflected in a desire to treat others gently,just as the Lord treats all believers

Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

goodness (v. 22)—moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness

faithfulness (v. 22)—loyalty and trustworthiness (

23 gentleness, self-control.

gentleness (v. 23)—Better translated “meekness,” this is a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, while having no desire for revenge or retribution.
In the New Testament, it is used to describe three attitudes:
submission to the will of God

Colossians 3:12 (NKJV)12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

teachability

James 1:21 (NKJV)21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

and consideration of others

Ephesians 4:2 (NKJV)2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

self-control (v. 23)—This refers to restraining passions and appetites.

    Against such there is no law.—When a Christian walks by the Spirit and manifests His fruit, he or she needs no external law to produce the attitudes and behavior that please God.

Romans 8:3-5 (NKJV)3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Paul is not talking about Christ’s crucifixion.

Paul states that the flesh has been executed, yet the spiritual battle still rages in the believer (Rom. 7:14–25).

Paul’s use looks back to the cross of Christ, where the death of the flesh and its power to reign over believers was actually accomplished (Rom. 6:1–11). Christians must wait until their glorification before they are finally rid of their unredeemed humanness (Rom. 8:23), yet by walking in the Spirit they can please God in this world.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

GOING DEEPER

For more insight about what it means to walk in the Spirit, read Ephesians 5:1–16.

Ephesians 5:1-16 (NKJV)1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Because believers have new life in Jesus Christ, they should also have a new way of life. The Spirit never fails to produce some fruit in a believer’s life, but the Lord desires “much fruit” (John 15:8). As an unredeemed person, possessing only a fallen, sinful nature will inevitably manifest that nature in “the deeds of the flesh” (v 19), so a believer, possessing a redeemed new nature will inevitably manifest that new nature in the fruit of the Spirit. But it is always possible for the believer to bear and manifest more fruit if he is receptive to the Spirit. The Spirit’s provision of fruit might be compared to a man standing on a ladder in an orchard, picking the fruit and dropping it into a basket held by a helper below. No matter how much fruit is picked and dropped, the helper will not receive any unless he is standing under the ladder with his basket ready.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Galatians Session 7 - Christ In You]]>Sun, 23 Aug 2020 03:09:38 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galatians-session-7-christ-in-you

These are the notes to Session 7 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Galatians in a letter written to the churches, he founded, in the Galatian (Asia Minor modern Turkey) cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.  Paul wrote Galatians to counter false teachers who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith.

Until this point, Paul’s approach has been confrontational and impersonal. He has been writing like a scholar or debater, marshaling every possible argument and illustration to get his message across. He has taken the stance of a determined lawyer in court or a learned theologian in the classroom, giving a dispassionate and irrefutable presentation.

In this session Paul's approach dramatically changes. He did not so much preach or teach as simply pour out his heart in personal exhortation. He wrote, in effect, “I care about you more than I can say. I love you dearly just as you have loved me dearly. Please listen to what I’m saying, because it’s so vitally essential.”

To hear an audio recording of the session click the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

THE CONTEXT

Until this point, Paul’s approach has been confrontational and impersonal. He has been writing like a scholar or debater, marshaling every possible argument and illustration to get his message across. He has taken the stance of a determined lawyer in court or a learned theologian in the classroom, giving a dispassionate and irrefutable presentation.

He has referred to the Old Testament to teach the Galatians the basic truth of the gospel that he had taught them many times before: Salvation is by God’s grace through faith alone. He has used both his own experience and that of the Galatians to reinforce his teaching. But for the most part, he has sounded detached, seeming to be more concerned about principles than people.

The apostle’s approach changed dramatically in 4:12, moving from the purely doctrinal to the more personal. In fact, verses 12–20 are Paul’s strongest words of personal affection in any of his letters. He did not so much preach or teach as simply pour out his heart in personal exhortation. He wrote, in effect, “I care about you more than I can say. I love you dearly just as you have loved me dearly. Please listen to what I’m saying, because it’s so vitally essential.”

Galatians 4:12‭-‬20 NKJV Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

Galatians 4:12‭-‬20 MSG My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were very sensitive and kind then. You did not come down on me personally. You were well aware that the reason I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you. And don’t you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God—as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you? What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your very eyes to me—that is how deeply you cared! And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth? I can’t believe it. Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God’s grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important. It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can’t you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you? Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ’s life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you. Then I wouldn’t be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out of sheer frustration.

Galatians 4:12‭-‬16 NKJV Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

(v. 12)—Paul had been a proud, self-righteous Pharisee, trusting in his own righteousness to save him. But when he came to Christ, he abandoned all efforts to save himself, trusting wholly in God’s grace. He urged the Galatians to follow his example and avoid the legalism of the Judaizers.

Philippians 3:3‭-‬9 NKJV For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Though the Jews had persecuted him during his first trip to Galatia, the Galatian believers had not harmed Paul. Instead, they had enthusiastically received him when he preached the gospel to them, so he asked how they could reject him now.

Remember, Paul founded the churches in the southern Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

Acts 14:19‭-‬20 NKJV Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

(v. 13)—Some think the illness to which Paul was referring, in verse 13 was malaria. That could explain why Paul and Barnabas apparently did not preach at Perga, a city in Pamphylia (see Acts 13:13–14). The cooler and healthier weather in Galatia and especially at Pisidian Antioch (3,600 feet above sea level), where Paul went when he left Perga, would have brought some relief to the fever caused by malaria. Although malaria is a serious, debilitating disease, its attacks are not continuous; Paul could have ministered between bouts.

14)—The Galatians had welcomed Paul in spite of his illness, which in no way had been a barrier to his credibility or acceptance.

(v. 15)— The plucked out your own eyes comment may be a figure of speech or an indication that Paul's illness had somehow affected his eyes.

There’s a comment in 6:11 that may indicate that he had some vision problems.

Galatians 6:11 NKJV See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!

In either case, it reflects the great love the Galatians had initially expressed for the apostle.


(v. 15)— Also indicates that the Galatians had been blessed. “Blessing” can also be translated “happiness” or “satisfaction.” Paul points out that the Galatians had been happy and content with his preaching, so he wondered why they had turned against him.

(v. 16)—The Galatians had become so confused that, despite their previous affection for Paul, some had come to regard him as their enemy. The apostle reminds them that he had not harmed them but merely had told them the truth—a truth that had once brought them great joy.

Galatians 4:17‭-‬20 NKJV They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

(v. 17)—the they were the Judaizers. The Judaizers appeared to have a genuine interest in the Galatians, but their true motive was to exclude the Galatians from God’s gracious salvation and win recognition for themselves.

(v. 18)—Paul encouraged the Galatians to have the same zeal for the true gospel of grace that they had had when he was with them.

Paul used the same phrase that I talked about Sunday “My little children”. This is the only time that we know of that Paul used this affectionate phrase, which John uses a lot in 1 John.

He said that he wished that he was there to say all things in person because he was at his wits end. That’s what he meant when he said that “I have doubts about you”

GOING DEEPER

The Pharisees and scribes were known for their legalism and rigid adherence to the law, like the Judaizers Paul talks about in Galatians. Read Matthew 23:1–28 to see what Jesus said about their hearts.

Matthew 23:1‭-‬28 NKJV Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. “ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. ’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it. ’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

The seeds of Christlikeness are planted at the moment of conversion.

Colossians 2:8‭-‬10 NKJV Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Peter adds that believers have been granted “all things that pertain unto life and godliness”

II Peter 1:2‭-‬4 NKJV Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

If you are a Christian, the life of God dwells in your soul, and with it all that you need for heaven. The principle of eternal life is already in you, meaning you have claim to heaven as a present possession.

John 5:24 NKJV “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

You are a new person. Whereas you were once enslaved to sin, you have now become a slave of righteousness.

Romans 6:18 NKJV And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Instead of receiving the wages of sin, which is death, you have received God’s gift of eternal life.

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

And eternal life means abundant life.

John 10:7‭-‬10 NKJV Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

It is like an artesian well of spiritual power within us, satisfying and enabling us to live the life to which God calls us.

John 7:38 NKJV He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

As Paul writes, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Children Of Promise

Galatians 4:21‭-‬5:1 NKJV Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.” Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 4:21‭-‬5:1 MSG Tell me now, you who have become so enamored with the law: Have you paid close attention to that law? Abraham, remember, had two sons: one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. The son of the slave woman was born by human connivance; the son of the free woman was born by God’s promise. This illustrates the very thing we are dealing with now. The two births represent two ways of being in relationship with God. One is from Mount Sinai in Arabia. It corresponds with what is now going on in Jerusalem—a slave life, producing slaves as offspring. This is the way of Hagar. In contrast to that, there is an invisible Jerusalem, a free Jerusalem, and she is our mother—this is the way of Sarah. Remember what Isaiah wrote: Rejoice, barren woman who bears no children, shout and cry out, woman who has no birth pangs, Because the children of the barren woman now surpass the children of the chosen woman. Isn’t it clear, friends, that you, like Isaac, are children of promise? In the days of Hagar and Sarah, the child who came from faithless connivance (Ishmael) harassed the child who came—empowered by the Spirit—from the faithful promise (Isaac). Isn’t it clear that the harassment you are now experiencing from the Jerusalem heretics follows that old pattern? There is a Scripture that tells us what to do: “Expel the slave mother with her son, for the slave son will not inherit with the free son.” Isn’t that conclusive? We are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

THE CONTEXT

In this portion of Galatians, Paul—continuing to contrast grace and law, faith and works—employed an Old Testament story as an analogy or illustration of what he had been teaching. Specifically he compared the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac.

Many years after God first promised a son to Abraham, Sarah had not yet conceived. Abraham was old and he feared that, according to the custom of the day, his chief servant, Eliezer of Damascus, would be his only heir. He cried out to God in despair, and the Lord reaffirmed His original promise, saying, “This one shall not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body, shall be your heir”.

Genesis 15:1‭-‬4 NKJV After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God , what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

But when, after several more years, Sarah still was barren, she induced Abraham to father a child by her female slave, Hagar.

The birth of Hagar’s son, Ishmael, was “according to the flesh,” not because it was physical but because the scheme was motivated by purely selfish desires and fulfilled by purely human means. The birth of Isaac, however, was “through the promise.” His conception was supernatural, in the sense that God miraculously enabled Abraham andSarah to produce a child after she was far past normal childbearing age and had been barren all her life. When Isaac was born, his father was 100 and his mother was 90.

The conception of Ishmael represents humanity’s way, the way of the flesh, whereas that of Isaac represents God’s way, the way of promise. The first is analogous to the way of religious self-effort and works righteousness. The one is the way of legalism; the other is the way of grace. Ishmael symbolizes those who have had only natural birth and who trust in their own works. Isaac symbolizes those who also had spiritual birth because they have trusted in the work of Jesus Christ.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

Old and New Covenants: The word “covenant” is from the Greek word diathēkē, a general term for a binding agreement, sometimes translated “testament.” A covenant always involves two or more specific parties, although the terms may be stipulated and fulfilled by only one. The Old Testament consistently uses the term to refer to God’s covenants with His people—covenants that God alone initiated and established and that sometimes were conditional and sometimes not. Through Moses, God gave the “old covenant” of law at Mount Sinai and required His chosen people, the Jews, to keep all the commands He gave in conjunction with that covenant. The “new covenant”
was made through Jesus’s death and resurrection and is a covenant of salvation by faith and grace. Paul uses the two mothers, their two sons, and the two locations as a further illustration of two covenants. Hagar, Ishmael, and Mount Sinai (earthlyJerusalem) represent the covenant of law; Sarah, Isaac, and heavenly Jerusalem represent the covenant of promise.

Unpack

Galatians 4:21‭-‬27 NKJV Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.”

The two sons were Ishmael, son of Sarah’s Egyptian maid Hagar (Gen 16:1-16), and Isaac, Sarah's Son (Gen. 21:1–7). Ishmael was the son of the slave and Isaac the son of the lady of the house. Ishmael was born of the flesh meaning a normal human birth, although Abraham was still an old man but we have heard of old men being able to impregnate younger women so that’s not a supernatural occurrence.

Ishmael’s birth was motivated by Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith in God's promise and fulfilled by sinful human means.
God miraculously enabled Abraham and Sarah to have Isaac when Sarah was well past child bearing age and had been barren her entire life.

Paul used the two births symbolically for two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar.

By using the two births symbolically Paul was using a story that conveyed a meaning beyond the literal sense of the words. In this passage, Paul uses historical people and places from the Old Testament to illustrate spiritual truth. This is not an allegory. An allegory is a fictional story where real truth is the secret, mysterious, hidden meaning. The story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac is actual history and has no secret or hidden meaning. Paul uses it only as an illustration to support his contrast between law and grace.

Mount Sinai is an appropriate symbol for the old covenant, since it was at Mount Sinai that Moses received the law (Exod. 19).

Hagar, since she was Sarah’s slave is a fitting illustration of those under bondage to the law.

Galatians 3:23 NKJV But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

Hagar was actually associated with Mount Sinai through her son Ishmael, whose descendants settled in that region.

The law was given at Sinai and received its highest expression in the temple worship at Jerusalem. The Jewish people were still in bondage to the law.

Then Paul says that the Jerusalem above is free. He’s referring to heaven.

Hebrews 12:18‭, ‬22 NKJVFor you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

Those who are citizens of heaven are free from the Mosaic Law, works, bondage, and trying endlessly and futilely to pleaseGod by the flesh the mother believers are children of the heavenly Jerusalem, in contrast to the slavery of Hagar’s children, believers in Christ are free.

27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.”

Paul quotes from Isaiah 54:1 and applies it to his symbolism. Isaiah was prophesying about Israel's future after her captivity to Babylon. She would once again thrive and grow, as a formerly barren woman who now begins to have many children.

Paul connects this prophesy to his symbolism about Abraham's wife Sarah. She waited and waited and finally gave birth to a free son of her own, just as God had promised. In a similar way, when the time was just right, God sent Christ to earth as a man to provide a way for those under the law to be truly free.

As we two weeks ago and again last week;

Galatians 3:23‭-‬29 NKJV But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4:28‭-‬5:1 NKJV Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Ishmael mocked Isaac at the feast celebrating Isaac’s weaning.

Genesis 21:8‭-‬9 NKJV So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.

We don't really know how old Isaac was most believe that he was somewhere between two and five. Ishmael was probably about at least a teen. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 and some think that Ishmael was born when Abraham was in his mid to late 80s.

Genesis 21:9‭-‬12 NKJV So Sarah told Abraham to send Hagar and her son away so that there would be no question as to who would be Abraham's heir.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

The promise was made to Abraham who believed God and was counted as righteous and we are heirs through the child of promise Isaac:

Genesis 26:1‭-‬5 NKJV There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

   Stand fast (5:1)—Stay where you are, Paul asserts, because of the benefit of being free from law and the flesh as a way of salvation and the benefit of the fullness of blessing by grace.

Being free is being delivered free from the curse that the law pronounces on the sinner who has been striving unsuccessfully to achieve his own righteousness but who has now embraced Christ and the salvation granted to him by grace

Don't entangled again, “to be burdened by,” “to be oppressed by,” or “to be subject to,” a yoke of bondage.

"Yoke” refers to the apparatus used to control a domesticated animal. The Jewsreferred to the “yoke of the law” as good, the essence of true religion. Paul argued that for those who pursued it as a way of salvation, the law was a yoke of slavery.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Galatians 4:21–5:1 is an extended series of contrasts between the way of law and the way of grace, the way of works and the way of faith, the way of man and the way ofGod. Following that same pattern, we also explicitly or implicitly see the contrastsof Hagar/Sarah, Ishmael/Isaac, children of Satan/children of God, commandments/promise, wrath/mercy, bondage/freedom, old covenant/ new covenant, Sinai/Zion, present Jerusalem/Jerusalem above, fleshly/spiritual, rejection/inheritance, and lostness/salvation. Throughout this letter, and indeed throughout all of Scripture, such contrasts reflect and demonstrate the contrast of the ages: the way of Satan and the way of God. But in God’s ultimate and unchangeable plan, Satan and his way will be destroyed, and only the way of God will remain, forever and ever. Vacillating between the two is unacceptable.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Galatians Session 5 - The Law And The Promise]]>Thu, 13 Aug 2020 01:08:15 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galatians-session-5-the-law-and-the-promise

These are the notes to Session 5 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Galatians in a letter written to the churches, he founded, in the Galatian (Asia Minor modern Turkey) cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.  Paul wrote Galatians to counter false teachers who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith.

In this session Paul  made his case for justification by faith alone using a revered Old Testament person (Abraham) and assorted Old Testament passages. Paul anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his use of Abraham to prove the doctrine of justification by faith: that the giving of the law at Sinai occurred after Abraham and brought about a change and a better method of salvation. The apostle dismissed that argument by showing the superiority of the Abrahamic covenant and the inferiority of the law.

Galatians 3:10‭-‬18 NKJV For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has 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”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

In the scripture that we read it says that we have been redeemed. The Greek word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s, justice, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death.

Romans 3:21‭-‬26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The only adequate payment to redeem sinners from sin’s slavery and its deserved punishment was “in Christ Jesus”

I Timothy 2:5‭-‬6 NKJV For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

I Peter 1:17‭-‬19 NKJV And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

That ransome price or redemption was paid to God to satisfy His justice.

Another key to this text is the promises to Abraham: These are the promises found in the Abrahamic covenant;

(Gen. 12:3, 7; 13:15–16; 15:5, 18; 17:8; 22:16–18; 26:3–4; 28:13–14).

Because these promises were made both to Abraham and to his descendants, they did not become void when Abraham died or when the law came. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God’s faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man’s faithfulness. To Abraham, God said, “I will.” Through MosesHe said, “Thou shalt.”

The promise (Abrahamic covenant) set forth a religion dependent on God.

The law set forth a religion dependent on man.

The promise centers on God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s initiative, God’s sovereignty, God’s blessings.

The law centers on man’s duty, man’s work, man’s responsibility, man’s behavior, man’s obedience.

The promise, being grounded in grace, requires only sincere faith.

The law, being grounded in works, demands perfect obedience.

In his letter Paul contrasts the covenants of promise and of law, Paul first shows the superiority of the one and then the inferiority of the other.

Now Let’s Breakdown What We Read.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”


Those attempting to earn salvation by keeping the law are under the curse quoted from Deuteronomy 27:26 to show that failure to perfectly keep the law brings divine judgment and condemnation; one violation of the law deserves the curse of God. No one can keep all the commands of the law—not even strict Pharisees like Saul of Tarsus.

Paul’s Old Testament quote showed that justification does not come from keeping the law the he quotes from Habakkuk 2:4

Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
which shows that that justification is by faith alone.

The law is not of faith. Justification by faith and justification by keeping the law are mutually exclusive.

Leviticus 18:4‭-‬5 NKJV You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord .

13 Christ has 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 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

By bearing God’s wrath for believers’ sins on the cross, Christ took uponHimself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law.

Last week we talked about the blessing of Abraham in which he was declared righteous because of faith of belief in God and His promises.

Genesis 15:1‭-‬6 NKJV After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God , what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.

Even human covenants, once confirmed, are considered irrevocable and unchangeable; how much more a covenant made by an unchanging God.

James 1:17 NKJV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,”as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

The quote is from

Genesis 12:7 NKJV Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord , who had appeared to him.

Now before you get excited, the singular form of the Hebrew word, like its English and Greek counterparts, can be used in a collective sense, that is, to refer to a group. Paul’s point is that in some Old Testament passages (for example,

Genesis 3:15 NKJV And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Genesis 22:18 NKJV In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Paul indicates that “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ.

17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Four hundred and thirty years from Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (see to the giving of the law at Sinai (1445 BC); the law actually came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham (2090 BC), but the promise was repeated to Isaac

Genesis 26:24 NKJV And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

and later to Jacob (1928 BC)

Genesis 28:13‭-‬15 NKJV And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

The last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in 1875 BC just before he went to Egypt—430 years before the Mosaic Law was given.

Genesis 46:2‭-‬4 NKJV Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.” So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”


Once God ratified the covenant officially, it had lasting authority so that nothing and no one could annul it. The Abrahamic covenant was unilateral (God made the promise to Himself), eternal (it provided for everlasting blessing), irrevocable (it will never cease), and unconditional (in that it depended on God, not man), but it's complete fulfillment awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Whether before or after Christ came to earth, salvation has always been provided only through the perfect offering of Christ on the cross. Believers who lived before the cross and never knew any specifics about Jesus were nevertheless forgiven and made right with God by faith in anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice, whereas believers who live after the cross are saved by looking back to it. When Christ shed His blood, it covered sins on both sides of the cross. The old covenant goes back to the cross; the new covenant comes from it. On the one hand faith pointed forward, whereas on the other it points back.

Purpose Of The Law

Context

Paul knew his readers would reason: “Well, if the law can’t save us, why did God give the law in the first place? What’s its purpose? And if the law has been set aside, are we free of any and all moral restraints?”

If salvation has always been by faith and never by works, and if Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant of promise to Abraham, what purpose did the Law have? Paul gives a direct and sobering answer: The purpose of the law was to demonstrate to man his total sinfulness, his inability to please God by his own works, and his need for mercy and grace. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary).

What Paul gives is a clear and concise explanation of the purpose of the law. Without the law, people are incapable of seeing their depravity and need for forgiveness. When the law is obscured, grace appears less amazing than it actually is.

This section (3:19–29) ends on a wonderfully encouraging note. It speaks of the freedom that believers enjoy, the sonship they have, the unity they have been granted, and the inheritance that is theirs—not because they are able to keep God’s laws but because of the grace of God that comes through faith in Christ.

Galatians 3:19‭-‬29 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

The Law: In the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, God directly established a unique law code to direct His people in their worship, in their relationship to Him, and in their social relationships with one another.

Israel was not the only nation to have a law code. Such collections were common among the countries of the ancient world. The biblical law code, or the Mosaic Law, differed from other ancient Near Eastern law codes in several ways. Biblical law was different, first of all, in its origin. Through out the ancient world, the laws of most nations were believed to originate with the gods, but they were considered intensely personal and subjective in the way they were applied. Meaning these law codes were based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes or opinions.

By contrast, the biblical concept asserted that law comes from God, from His nature, and is holy, righteous, and good. Furthermore, at the outset of God’s ruling over Israel at Sinai, God the great King gave His laws. These laws were binding on His people, and He upheld them. Furthermore, His laws were universal and an expression of His love for His people.

Exodus 19:5‭-‬6 NKJV Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Now let's break down what we read in Galatians 3:19-29

Galatians 3:19‭-‬20 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

What was the purpose of the law? Paul’s answer is that the law reveals humanity’s utter sinfulness, inability to save themselves, and desperate need of a Savior—it was never intended to be the way of salvation.


The Bible teaches that angels were involved in the giving of the law but does not explain the precise role they played.

Hebrews 2:2 NKJV For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,

Paul’s point about a mediator is apparently to point out that a “mediator” is required when more than one party is involved, but God alone ratified the covenant with Abraham.

Hebrews 6:13‭-‬14 NKJV For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

Galatians 3:21‭-‬25 NKJV Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

When he said that the law was certainly not against the promises of God he Paul uses the strongest Greek negative similar to what he said in

Galatians 2:17 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

He used this comment to remove the idea that the law and the promise are at opposite purposes. Since God gave them both and does not work against Himself, law and promise work in harmony; the law reveals humans’ sinfulness and need for the salvation freely offered in the promise. If the law could have provided righteousness and eternal life, there would be no gracious promise.

The Greek verb translated “confined”, in verse 2w, means “to enclose on all sides.” The picture here is that all humankind as hopelessly trapped in sin, like a school of fish caught in a net; and that all people are sinners.

Isaiah 53:6 NKJV All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 3:21‭-‬26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Paul personifies the law as a jailer of guilty, condemned sinners, on death row awaiting God’s judgment.

Only saving faith unlocks the door of the prison where the law keeps men and women bound. Faith in Christ alone releases people from bondage to law, whether the Mosaic Law or the law written on the hearts of Gentiles.

When Paul says that the law was a tutor he used the Greek word that denotes a slave who had the duty of taking care of a child until adulthood. The “tutor” would escort the children to and from school and watch over their behavior at home. Tutors were often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to yearn for the day when they would be free from their tutor’s custody. The law, our tutor, was escorting us to Christ by showing us our sins.

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

While God is the Father of all people in a general sense because He created them, only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are God’s true spiritual children; unbelievers are the children of Satan

I John 3:10‭-‬12 NKJV In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

John 8:37‭-‬44 NKJV “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The baptisim Paul is talking about is not water baptism, which cannot save. Paul used the word “baptized” as a metaphor of a person being “placed into” Christ by the spiritual miracle of union with Him in His death and resurrection.

Galatians 2:17‭-‬21 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh 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 in vain.”

Paul was emphasizing the fact that we have been united with Christ through salvation; positionally before God, we have put on Christ, His death, resurrection, and righteousness; practically,
we need to “put on Christ” before people in our personal conduct.

Romans 13:14 NKJV But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Paul reminds us that all those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with each other. This does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions amongChristians, but it affirms that those distinctions do not imply spiritual inequality before God; nor is this spiritual equality incompatible with the God-ordained roles in the church, society, and at home. Jesus Christ, though fully equal with the Father, assumed a submissive role during His incarnation

Philippians 2:5‭-‬8 NKJV Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

The covenant of law is long past, but the moral demands of the law have not diminished, having neither begun nor ended with the Mosaic covenant. That is why preaching the moral, ethical standards of the law today is still imperative in driving men to Christ.

Unless men realize they are living in violation of God’s law and therefore stand underHis divine judgment, they will see no reason to be saved. Grace is meaningless to a person who feels no inadequacy or need of help. He sees no purpose in being saved if he does not realize he is lost. He sees no need of forgiveness by God if he does not know he has offended God. He sees no need to seek God’s mercy if he is unaware he is under God’s wrath. The purpose of the law was, and is, to drive men to despair over their sins and to a desire to receive the salvation that God’s sovereign grace offers to those who believe.

John Stott has written: “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt, and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ,” Instead of the futility of trying to keep the impossible demands of the law, Paul urges believers to “put on Christ” (Gal.

For homework you can read what Jesus said about the law in

Matthew 5:17‭-‬48 NKJV “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

]]><![CDATA[Galatians Session 6 - Children Of God And Joint Heirs With Christ]]>Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:14:00 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galatians-session-6-children-of-god-and-joint-heirs-with-christ

These are the notes to Session 6 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Galatians in a letter written to the churches, he founded, in the Galatian (Asia Minor modern Turkey) cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Paul wrote Galatians to counter false teachers who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith.

In this session Paul compares the position and privileges of a child to those of a servant, with the figures of child and servant representing life under the law and the figures of adult and son representing life in Christ.

To hear an audio recording of the session click the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

During the time Paul was writing to the Galatians, the people of God were wrestling with many of the same issues we deal with today. Social, racial and economic tensions wreaked havoc on people from disadvantaged parts of society. Entire groups of the population faced relentless discrimination based on race and continually struggled for equality. Financial disparity created social struggles, leading to politicians vying for popular approval with seeming vacuous promises. Society was a mess. Sound familiar? Historian and philosopher Friedrich Engels observed, “All history has been a history of class struggles between dominated classes at various stages of development.”

The life and teachings of Jesus flies in the face of virtually every cultural and historical conflict. The message of salvation and the gospel is not in favor of one people group or sector of society. 1 Timothy 2:4 reminds us that God, “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

In the passage that I just read, we encounter a truth that rocked the world in the time of the early church and has continued to shape the response of Christians to the gospel for the millennia since. “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” (Galatians 3:28). Imagine how controversial that would have sounded in a civilization under foreign occupation. This was a society that openly endorsed slavery and viewed women as lesser humans and unworthy of citizenship. In many aspects, the phrase, “You all are one in Christ Jesus,” is as radical now as it was two thousand years ago. As you read through the passage for today, meditate on what it means that in Christ we are all one. How would it change our world, our neighborhood and our homes if we truly lived this truth?

Reflect:

How would it change our world, our neighborhood and our homes if we truly lived out the truth that we are all one “in Christ Jesus?”

THE CONTEXT

Continuing his basic argument that salvation is not gained by human merit but solely by God’s sovereign grace through faith, Paul further developed the analogy of a child becoming an adult.

Galatians 3:23‭-‬26 NKJV But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

In the text we are going to read today Paul compares the position and privileges of a child to those of a servant, with the figures of child and servant representing life under the law and the figures of adult and son representing life in Christ. Both Paul’s Jewish and Gentile readers readily understood this imagery, since the Jews, Greeks, and Romans all had a ceremony to celebrate a person’s coming of age.

For Jews it’s a Bar mitzvah for boys and a bat mitzvah for girls. For a boy it’s 13 and for a girl it’s 12. After those rituals the children are responsible for their own actions. There were similar ceremonies for Romans and Greeks.

While salvation is the free gift of God, it brings with it serious responsibility. God requires believers to live holy lives because they are children of a holy God.

I Peter 1:13‭-‬16 NKJV Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Leviticus 11:44 NKJV For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

This obligation to the unchanging moral and spiritual principles that forever reflect the nature of God, however, does not include the rituals and ceremonies unique to Israel under Mosaic Law, as the Judaizers falsely claimed.

The central truths of what we are going to read today are that life under law is meant by God to be preparation for His children, and that trust in His grace brings realization of that relationship.

We don't have to obey the law completely to be saved we want to be obedient because God saved in spite of ourselves and our sinful nature.

Some Keys To What We Just Read

Adoption: In using the figure of adoption, Paul explains the believer’s intimate and permanent relationship to God as a beloved child. Adoption is the action by which a husband and wife decide to take a boy or girl who isn't their physical offspring into their family as their own child. My sister is adopted. Adoption is full of the ideas of love, grace, compassion, and intimate relationship. An adopted child has all the rights and privileges of a member of the family.

Before salvation people are by nature children of the devil,

John 8:42‭-‬44 NKJV Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The only way they can become God’s children is by spiritual adoption and a new birth by the Spirit.

John 3:3‭, ‬6‭-‬8 NKJV Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

God confirms the believer’s eternal relation to Him as His child, testifying that we are each led, given access to God, and granted inner assurance by His own Holy Spirit.

Heirs:

God has provided an incomprehensible wealth of riches for those who love His Son. The treasures He has prepared are infinite.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44). The apostle

Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah when he says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor. 2:9). The good news is, if we love the Son of God, we inherit all the riches of the Father. If we believe in Christ, we have treasure beyond imagination.

Unpack Galatians 4:1-11

Galatians 4:1‭-‬7 NKJV Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

child (v. 1)—The Greek word refers to a child too young to talk; a minor, spiritually and intellectually immature and not ready for the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. A child at that age and maturity level, especially a child of a person with some means (remember Paul is using this as an analogy between was law and grace), had a guardian usually a slave, entrusted with the care of under-age boys, and a “steward” who managed property for the boys until they came of age. They also had a tutor who we talked about last week,

Galatians 3:24 NKJV Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The “tutor” would escort the children to and from school and watch over their behavior at home. Tutors were often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to yearn for the day when they would be free from their tutor’s custody. The law, our tutor, was escorting us to Christ by showing us our sins.

Between the guardian, steward and tutor they had almost complete charge of the child—so that, for all practical purposes, a child under their care did not differ much from a slave.

Paul had said before faith in Christ we were kept under guard by the law with the law being our tutor.

Galatians 3:23‭-‬26 NKJV But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

So we were like children.

In verse three

Galatians 4:3 NKJV Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

He says that we were in bondage to the elements of the world.
“Elements” is from a Greek word meaning “rank,” and it is best to see it here as a reference to the basic elements and rituals of human religion. Paul sees both Jewish and Gentile religions as elemental because they are merely human, never rising to the level of the divine.

Both Jewish religion and Gentile religion centered on human-made systems of works; they were filled with laws and ceremonies to be performed so as to achieve divine acceptance. Paul saw this as immature, like behaviors of children under bondage to a guardian.

But, God when the time was right when the exact religious, cultural, and political conditions, demanded by His perfect plan were in place, Jesus came into the world.

It was like a father setting the coming out ceremony when his child came of age and was released from the guardians, stewards, and tutors.

God sent His Son at the perfect time in order to bring all those who believe out from under bondage to the law

John 17:20‭-‬25 NKJV “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.

That the Father sent Jesus into the world implies Jesus’s preexistence as the eternal second member of the Trinity. The fact that Jesus was born of a woman emphasizes Jesus’s full humanity, not merely His virgin birth.

Jesus had to be fully God for His sacrifice to be of the infinite worth needed to atone for sin, but He also had to be fully man so He could take upon Himself the penalty of sin as the substitute for human beings.

Like all human beings, Jesus was obligated to obey God’s law. Unlike anyone else, however, He perfectly obeyed that law.

I John 3:4‭-‬5 NKJV Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

His sinlessness made Him the unblemished perfect sacrifice for sins, He “fulfilled all righteousness” because He perfectly obeyed God in everything. That perfect righteousness is what is imputed to those who believe in Him.

So Jesus was able to redeem or buy the freedom of those under the law, those children under the authority of guardians, stewards and tutors, those guilty sinners who were under the demands and curse of the law, and in need of a savior.

Galatians 3:13‭-‬14 NKJV Christ has 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”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Because of our faith we are heirs of Abraham and sons of God,

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Back to

Galatians 4:6 NKJV And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Abba is an Aramaic term of endearment, used by young children to speak to their fathers; the equivalent of the word “Daddy”

It is the Holy Spirit’s work to confirm to believers their adoption as God’s children. Assurance of salvation is a gracious work of the Holy Spirit and does not come from any human source.

Ephesians 1:13‭-‬14 NKJV In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Galatians 4:8‭-‬11 NKJV But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Before coming to saving faith in Christ, no unsaved person knows God. When Paul says that “you served those which by nature are not gods”, he was referring to the Greco-Roman pantheon of nonexistent deities. These were the gods that the Galatians had imagined they worshiped before their conversion.

But that had changed and now they were actually known by God because they were heirs of the promise to Abraham, and children of God because of their faith.

What we have to remember is that God really chose us first.

John 6:44 NKJV No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 15:16 NKJV You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

and we love Him only because He first loved us

I John 4:17‭-‬19 NKJV Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.

Paul's question, in verse 9, was, knowing all this how is it now possible that they return to those elementary things which we talked about earlier

Galatians 4:9 NKJV But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

We said earlier that those elementary things were Jewish religion and Gentile religion centered on human-made systems of works; they were filled with laws and ceremonies to be performed so as to achieve divine acceptance.

Those things included days and months and seasons and years.
The rituals, ceremonies, and festivals of the Jewish religious calendar that God had given to Israel. These things were never required for the church; Paul warns the Galatians, as he did the Colossians, remember our study, in that book when Paul warned them that all they needed was Christ and Him alone. Paul warned them against legalistically observing them as if they were required by God or could earn favor with Him.

Also take a look at what Paul says about the legalism around clean and unclean food in

Romans 14:1‭-‬8‭, ‬14‭-‬18 NKJV Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Paul was afraid that his effort in establishing and building the Galatian churches might prove to be futile if they fell back into legalism.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Because believers are God’s children, they are then “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”

Romans 8:16‭-‬17 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

What an incomprehensible truth: that by giving ourselves to Jesus Christ in faith, God gives us everything His Son possesses! The gracious gift of sonship is free, but it brings serious obligation. Great blessing carries great responsibility.

Luke 12:48 NKJV But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Bible Study Audio

]]><![CDATA[Galations Session 4 - The Law And Christ]]>Sat, 01 Aug 2020 20:03:48 GMThttps://www.faiththeevidence.com/bible-studies/galations-session-4-the-law-and-christ

These are the notes to Session 4 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Galatians in a letter written to the churches, he founded, in the Galatian (Asia Minor modern Turkey) cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Paul wrote Galatians to counter false teachers who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith.

In this session Paul reminds the Galatians that a believer’s experience with the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, and with God the Father is incontrovertible evidence of having been graciously made acceptable to God through personal faith in the perfect and complete work of Christ, apart from any works of the Law. Paul uses Abraham as proof that salvation has never come any other way than by grace through faith. Even the Old Testament teaches justification by faith.

To hear an audio recording of the session click the YouTube link at the end of the notes.

Paul went to great lengths to help the early Christians stay faithful and not lose sight of all that Christ had done for them.

In the passage, we are going to look at today Paul reminds the Galatians that a believer’s experience with the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, and with God the Father is incontrovertible evidence of having been graciously made acceptable to God through personal faith inthe perfect and complete work of Christ, apart from any human supplement. Paul uses Abraham as proof that salvation has never come any other way than by grace through faith. Even the Old Testament teaches justification by faith.

The Galatians although they had received the gospel as taught by Paul, that salvation was by faith, Now these believers were drifting and had accepted an inferior and impotent substitute based on the old Mosaic rituals and ceremonial standards that the new covenant in Christ had made invalid.

The defecting believers had not lost their salvation, but they had lost the joy and freedom of it and had returned, deceived, to the uncertainty and bondage of a self-imposed legalism. They were still in Christ and right with God positionally, but they were not practically living in conformity to the truth by which they had been made righteous. Having substituted a form of religion, they had no power or joy for the fullness of life in Christ that they once enjoyed.

Galatians 3:1‭-‬9 NKJV O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

To be declared righteous includes pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, as well as the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer’s account, which provides for righteousness man needs to be accepted by God. God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ’s righteousness. God imputes a believer’s sin to Christ’s account in His sacrificial death. The sinner receives this gift of God’s grace by faith alone. It is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner—wholly apart from human merit or work.

Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man

John 8:37‭-‬39 NKJV “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

and because it clearly showed that Judaism with its works-based righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jews’ patriarchal ancestors.

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?


Paul called them foolish not for lack of intelligence. Paul expressed his shock, surprise, and outrage at the Galatians’
defection by pointing out that “Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified.” The Greek word for portrayed describes the posting of official notices in public places.
Paul’s preaching had publicly displayed the true gospel of Jesus Christ before theGalatians. The crucifixion of Christ was a one-time historical fact with continuing results into eternity. Christ’s sacrificial death provides eternal payment for believers’ sins and does not need to be supplemented by any human works.

Hebrews 7:23‭-‬25 NKJV Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

So he asked them;

2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—

The answer to Paul’s rhetorical question is obvious; the Galatians had received the Spirit when they were saved, not through keeping the law,

Romans 8:9 NKJV But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

I John 3:24 NKJV Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

but through saving faith granted when hearing the gospel.

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Paul appealed to the Galatians’ own salvation to refute the Judaizers’ false teaching that keeping the law is necessary for salvation.

Incredulous at how easily the Galatians had been duped, Paul asked a second rhetorical question, again rebuking them for their foolishness.



3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

The notion that sinful, weak, fallen human nature could improve on the saving work of the Holy Spirit was ludicrous to Paul.

Then another question;

4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

The Greek word for suffered 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. They had received all the blessings of salvation from God, Christ, and the HolySpirit as it say in

Ephesians 1:3 NKJV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Based on the answers to his previous questions Paul asks another;

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Since he’s refuting the teaching of the Judizers Paul then uses there hero Abraham to prove his point that salvation is by faith and not the Law or works.

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Paul is quoting from

Genesis 15:6 NKJV And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

So Paul is saying that believing Jews and Gentiles are the true spiritual children of Abraham because they follow his example of faith.

Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 4:9‭-‬22 NKJV Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

Because Scripture is God’s Word, when it speaks, God speaks, Paul says that the “good news” to Abraham was the news of salvation to all the nations and Abraham believed God and was declared righteous.

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:3 NKJV

Genesis 18:18 NKJV since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Paul is saying that salvation has always been by faith.

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Whether Jew or Gentile; the Old Testament predicted that Gentiles would receive the blessings of justification by faith, as did Abraham; those blessings are poured out on all because of Christ, not obedience to the Law.

John 1:14‭-‬17 NKJV And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
II Peter 1:2‭-‬4 NKJV Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Paul expounds more on Abraham’s saving faith. Read Romans 4:1–25.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

The validity of good works in God’s sight depends on whose power they are done in and for whose glory. When they are done in the power of His Spirit and for His glory, they are beautiful and acceptable to Him. When they are done in the power of the flesh and for the sake of personal recognition or merit, they are rejected by Him. Legalism is separated from true obedience by attitude. The one is a rotten smell in God’s nostrils, whereas the other is a sweet savor.

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Some believers fall prey to formalism, substituting external ceremonies and rites for the internal reality of personal growth in the Lord. Others fall into legalistic systems of dos and don’ts, proudly hoping to improve their standing before God by doing or not doing certain things. Still others look for a “second blessing”—a spiritual secret to unlock some higher plane of spiritual reality, hoping to receive more of God than they imagine was granted to them at conversion.

To which of these errors are you most prone, and why?

What commonly accepted rules have many Christians tried to make part of the gospel?

How is this similar to what the Judaizers were doing among the Galatian believers?

Do you know someone who—like the Galatians—is being told that faith alone won’t justify them? How can you help them today break free from the bondage of trying to earn God’s approval through human effort?

The Law Brings A Curse

We’ve seen how Paul has refuted the Jewish legalists who infiltrated the churches. Paul saw this as nothing less than a devilish assault on the pure and simple gospel of justification by faith. After establishing his apostolic credentials, Paul made his case for justification by faith alone using a revered Old Testament person (Abraham) and assorted Old Testament passages.


Paul anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his use of Abraham to prove the doctrine of justification by faith: that the giving of the law at Sinai occurred afterAbraham and brought about a change and a better method of salvation.

Paul argues that the Abrahamic covenant is superior to the law.
Paul emphasizes that there is no middle ground between law (works) and promise (grace); the two principles are mutually exclusive.

Romans 4:13‭-‬15 NKJV For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

If you are an heir it means you have an inheritance and an inheritance is not worked for it is a gift. Abraham’s righteousness was a gift because he believed God he didn’t work for it and and as we have seen in our study we are heirs of Abraham which we have received in inheritance, in this case righteousness through the promise to Abraham that his seed would be blessed.

Galatians 3:10‭-‬18 NKJV For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has 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”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

KEYS TO THE TEXT

In the scripture that we read it says that we have been redeemed. The Greek word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s, justice, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death.

Romans 3:21‭-‬26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The only adequate payment to redeem sinners from sin’sslavery and its deserved punishment was “in Christ Jesus”

I Timothy 2:5‭-‬6 NKJV For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

I Peter 1:17‭-‬19 NKJV And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

That ransome price or redemption was paid to God to satisfy His justice.


Another key to this text is the promises to Abraham: These are the promises found in the Abrahamic covenant;

(Gen. 12:3, 7; 13:15–16; 15:5, 18; 17:8; 22:16–18; 26:3–4; 28:13–14).

Because these promises were made both to Abraham and to his descendants, they did not become void when Abraham died or when the law came. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God’s faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man’s faithfulness. To Abraham, God said, “I will.” Through MosesHe said, “Thou shalt.”

The promise (Abrahamic covenant) set forth a religion dependent on God.

The law set forth a religion dependent on man.

The promise centers on God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s initiative, God’s sovereignty, God’s blessings.

The law centers on man’s duty, man’s work, man’s responsibility, man’s behavior, man’s obedience.

The promise, being grounded in grace, requires only sincere faith.

The law, being grounded in works, demands perfect obedience.
In contrasting the covenants of promise and of law, Paul first shows the superiority of the one and then the inferiority of the other.

Bible Study Audio

]]>