Galatians | 3:1-14

May 5

About this series:

Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a heartfelt defence of the gospel of God's grace; a fervent appeal to keep the gospel front-and-centre and to not allow anything to detract from it.

In this letter Paul sounds exasperated at some points - for example, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all” (1:6) and, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” (3:1), which The Message renders as, “You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a spell on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.”

Paul’s frustration and anger stem from a passionate concern that the churches he planted return to a full confidence that it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that a person is justified by God and is included in God’s family. Nothing else is required. The message he preached to the Galatians, and which they had believed, is not so much a departure from their Jewish heritage, as the fulfilment of it. Thus, in this letter we have a window into life in early Christianity and especially some of the challenges the churches faced from false teachers as the church grew from its Jewish roots.

So in this series we’re going to get a big view of what the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has achieved for mankind. And some very practical help on how we can stay true to Jesus, trusting him alone to put us in a right relationship with God, to keep us in that right relationship and to qualify us for membership among God’s people. ‘The central message of Galatians is that the freeness of God’s grace and love is not only the gateway but also the pathway of the Christian life’ (Dane Ortlund).

About this talk:

Paul follows his explanation of the implications of the gospel in 2:15-21 with an exasperated, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” He then asks a series of six questions, all of which call them to think rationally about what has led to the blessings they’ve received from God. In essence, v 2, “did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?”

The translation “bewitched” is well chosen, given that the Greek word means to cast an evil spell on someone. As has been clear in the letter already, Paul is not merely concerned that they are drifting slightly away from the authentic gospel, but that false teachers are leading them into error which is actually a devilish work. Hence, The Message reads, “You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a spell on you?”

As elsewhere in the New Testament (Romans 4:3,9&22; James 2:23), Paul appeals to the example of Abraham to make the case that the Galatians should not be relying for righteousness on anything other than faith.

They would all agree that Abraham is their ‘father’ in the faith and so the quotation from Genesis 15:6 is a powerful argument: “Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” In other words, before circumcision was required, before the law was given, what truly mattered was faith, not works. “Abraham was made right with God on the basis of faith, not works of the law; and so are you, as I taught you when I was with you.”

That statement about Abraham is not simply one example of faith, but the pattern of faith. To Jews who were proud of their heritage and prided themselves on being “children of Abraham,” Paul declares, v 7, “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Not those who obey the law, not those who have been circumcised, not those who are Jews by birth, but “those who have faith.” It is, “those who rely on faith [who] are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (v 9).

And so the blessings of faith (to live in God’s kingdom, among his people, under his blessing, enjoying a right standing with him) have come equally to Gentiles who put their hope solely in Jesus as well as to Jews who put their hope solely in Jesus. This is where God’s promise and plan was heading all along: “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (v 8).

Paul also introduces the Holy Spirit here, and their experience of him - “did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (v 2), “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (v 3) and “does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (v 5; see Acts 14:3-10 for Luke’s account of some examples of these miracles). In each case Paul is making the point that their experience of the Spirit’s activity among them has been solely on the basis of faith, just as their justification was solely on the basis of faith. So why would you now add the world of the law to your faith in order to receive God’s blessings?!

We might be tempted to ridicule the Galatians for their error. Yet we might easily be in a similar danger ourselves. For example:

When we doubt God’s love for us on the basis of our behaviour or perceived performance.

When we equate spiritual disciplines with God’s blessing. Jerry Bridges writes, ‘A friend of mine who ministers on a university campus told of a student who was exceptionally diligent in his [daily devotions]. My friend asked the student why he was so rigid in his practice and the young man responded, “So that nothing bad will happen to me.”’

When we develop formulaic expectations for how / when the Holy Spirit will be active among us.

Vs 10 - 14 then proceed to compound the case against those who rely on the law - they are under a curse because it is simply impossible for a human being to do everything it says. Breaking just one part of God’s holy law renders a person guilty and therefore under the judgement of it: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” But, by faith in Christ, we have been released from that curse - because Jesus fully satisfied God’s holy Law and because he took the punishment (the curse) due to us for not having done so. Again, the central role of faith in receiving all this is emphasised - “the righteous will live by faith” (v 11) and “by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (v 14).