CHAPTER 3

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey
the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you?

"Bewitched," (ebaskanen Gk), meaning to mislead by pretence.
Suppose there was a drill sargent with a platoon.
As they halted at the mess hall, he said, "Form a single line by squad,
enter, eat and return."
Then the squad leaders said, "HUH?"
The drill sargent was serious, but misleading in his command.

Now, suppose a Christian, always in the "eyes" of Jesus, were to
LISTEN to someone leading him/her to not "obey the truth."
THIS is the point Paul is making.

We HAVE the truth - the Bible.
It is truth without exception!
We must STUDY the Bible in order to know when someone is
trying to MISLEAD!

2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works
of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

The Holy Spirit of God comes INTO the believer at the point when
he/she surrenders to Christ as Lord.
The realization of sin causes man to desire and repent, then trust
Jesus for salvation. (See Rom. 6:23, Rom. 10:9-10, Eph. 1:13, Rom. 10:17)

Upon receiving God's Holy Spirit, the first gift He gives is the gift
of FAITH. It is the ability to cling to Jesus for the remainder of this
earthly life. And that gift, will work in ALL circumstances.

One cannot gain the Spirit of God by "works!"
Works are a RESULT of receiving His Holy Spirit!

3
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh?

Earlier, in Galatians 2:16, Paul said, "....a man is not justified by the
works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ...."

When Paul first preached the Gospel of Jesus to them, God's Holy
Spirit:
CONVICTED them of sin;
CONVINCED them that ONLY Jesus can save;
CALLED them to repent and COMMIT their lives to Christ.
THAT's how a person gets saved.

It is a personal determination, and a public declaration!

After having surerndered to Christ, receiving the Spirit of God, HOW
can a person believe that ONLY the works of the law will save?
ANY person who is genuinely saved will STRIVE to live a godly
life! (Philippians 2:13)

4
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? it it be yet in vain.

ANYONE who has genuinely surrendered to Christ, has "suffered"
because of it.
Jesus said in John 15:20, "...The servant is not greater than his Lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you..."

Sometimes Christians are:
DEFAMED by gossip because of their past;
LEFT by former friends because the Christian is no longer the
same in moral convictions;
even PERSECUTED because of trying to live by moral standards.

In today's world, some Christians are even put to death because they
are preaching or teaching salvation comes ONLY by surrender to
Jesus as Lord!

Those sufferings should make us aware that salvation is a GIFT of
God, and NOT by the "works of the law."

Paul says, "...if it be yet in vain."
A genuinely saved Christian may stray, but conviction by the
Holy Spirit will bring him/her back to the principles of faith in Christ.

5
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles
among you, doeth He it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?

The gift of God's Holy Spirit is not based on the Mosaic law.
It is based SOLELY on surrender to Christ as Lord of our life!

Neither Paul, nor ANY man can give the gift of God's Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is not given by the Mosaic law, nor by man; but by
HIMSELF Who convicts of sin and calls to repentance!

6
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for
righteousness.

In Genesis 15:6, the Bible says, "And he (Abraham) BELIEVED in
the LORD, and He (God) counted it to him (Abraham) for
righteousness.
Later in that chapter, we read that God commanded Abraham to
cut animals in pieces and place them to make a COVENANT with
God.
Abraham did as God said, and even fought off the carnivorous birds.
But he became tired, and fell asleep in a deep trance.

THEN, God came and SPOKE to Abraham through the trance.
And, since Abraham was in the trance, God made the covenant
with HIMSELF for Abraham's benefit!!

The point here is that God makes a covenant with Himself to
justify a repentant sinner, and CONTINUE to save that sinner!
This proves what the prophet Jonah said, "...Salvation is of the
LORD!" (Jonah 2:9)

Let me introduce a statement Paul makes in Ephesians 2:8-9.
"For BY grace are ye saved, THROUGH faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the GIFT of God. NOT of works lest any man
should boast!"

By His GRACE, God calls to the sinner and says to turn around;
STOP going YOUR way, and go MY WAY!
When the sinner confesses Jesus as LORD of his/her life, then
God grants the gift of His Holy Spirit.
THEN, the same Spirit which has CALLED to the sinner, SEALS
the repentant sinner and gives the gift of FAITH.
THAT faith is the ability to BELIEVE, TRUST, and CONTINUE in
keeping Jesus as LORD of his/her life.

May I REPEAT: "Salvation is OF the LORD!"
If God didn't first CALL us, then CONVICT us, we would never
realize the depths of our sin and COMMIT to Him as LORD!

7
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham.

AMAZING!!
The Jewish Nation does not contain ALL of Israel!!

But those who surrender to Christ are "graffed in" (Rom. 11:24).

Christians come to God just as Abraham....in BELIEF.
And Paul says in Rom. 11:26, "And so ALL Israel shall be saved;
as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the DELIVERER,..."

THAT "Deliverer" is God Himself, Who came in Person through
Jesus Christ! Jehovah God said in Zech. 6:12, "...Behold the man whose name is
The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall
build the temple of the LORD."

That "BRANCH" is Jesus Who came a "stem of Jesse" (Is. 11:1) and
was a descendent of David (Jer. 23:5).

Therefore, those who come repentantly and willingly to Jesus for
salvation become "children of Abraham" also!

8
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying,
In thee shall ALL nations be blessed.

In Genesis 12, when God first called Abram to leave his home country
and go where God would lead him, God said to Abram, "...in thee shall
ALL FAMILES of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:3)

That prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus said, "Come unto me, ALL YE
that labour and are heavy laden......" (Matt. 11:28)

God foresaw EVERYTHING!
He knew BEFORE creation what would happen.
And, God spoke prophecy throughout the Old Testament, that the
"Deliverer" would be Himself!

ANYBODY can receive salvation from the Lord!
NOBODY is too awful to be saved!!
ALL must come as did Abraham - in BELIEF of God!!

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, the just shall live by faith.

Abraham was "faithful" because he believed God and CONTINUED
to believe God all his life.
He did not have that power in himself. God GAVE him that power!

The "curse of the law" is that human beings are continual sinners, and
CANNOT KEEP the law to perfection!
BUT GOD!!!
HE came to produce salvation NOT of works, but through the gift of
FAITH!

Abraham lived by faith...trusting and clinging to God and His promises.
Habakukk 2:4 says, "....the just shall live by his FAITH."
That word in the Hebrew is "emuwnah" and means moral fidelity!
Man CANNOT live by moral fidelity unless God GIVES him the
ABILITY!! And even then, we FAIL (See Rom. 3:23)

But WHEN we fail, we can also REPENT and RETURN to living by
moral fidelity, trusting in Christ as our SAVIOR! (1John 1:9)

12 And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live
in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every man that hangeth on a tree.

What does he mean that "The law is not of faith?"
The law is DEMANDS, NOT faith!
"BUT" Paul says, "The man that DOETH them shall live IN them."
In other words it is FAITH in God that calls us to STRIVE living by
the applicable laws.
The law is our school teacher, but FAITH calls us to live by what Christ
has ACCOMPLISHED for us!

Jesus TOOK AWAY the "curse" of the law when He died on Calvary's
tree!!
He REDEEMED us, BOUGHT us out of the slavery to sin!
PRAISE GOD for His REDEEMING LOVE!!

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we migh receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.

Abraham, BEFORE the law was given, was JUSTIFIED before God
through his trust in God and his determined desire to live his life
in BELIEVING God!

Now, through Christ's sacrifice, we all have the opportunity to receive
the same salvation by God's amazing grace and the gift of faith!

15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's
covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth
thereto.

Suppose you and I enter into a contract.
You are to cut my yard each week for a fee of $50.
Can any OTHER person change that contract? NO!

Now, if you and God make a covenant for salvation; can any OTHER
person change that? NO!!

God does NOT have two or more ways to be saved!!
There is only ONE...that is surrender to His Lordship, receive faith, and
continue to serve Him in this life.
THAT's what Abraham did.
And THAT's what WE must do!!

Paul is leading to something here.
You and I have heard MANY people say, "There are MORE ways to God
than ONE!

HOW can a genuinely saved person believe THAT?
Because God has declared in Jesus, "I am the way, the truth and the
life: NO MAN cometh to the Father but by me!!"

If God, through my repentance and surrender to Jesus as Lord, makes
a covenant with me for salvation, NO ONE can change that.

This is the problem in the church at Galatia!
Someone was trying to deceive them into thinking there are OTHER
ways of salvation!

Jesus said, "...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the
same shall save it."

Only ONE way to be saved from the consequences of sin!
Only ONE way to inherit the eternal glory of God!
SURRENDER to Jesus as Lord.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of ONE, And to thy seed,
which is Christ.

Aren't you AMAZED at the internal and continual ACCURACY of the
Bible?
In six different places in Genesis, God promises Abraham and
"thy seed" the wonder of a land of plenty.
(See Gen. 12:7, 13:15, 17:7, 21:12, 26:3, & 28:13)

Note the word "seed" is SINGULAR!
And, Paul says that points to CHRIST!

AGAIN, Jesus is the ONLY way to receive the promises of God!

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

God's covenant with Abraham was confirmed 430 years before the
law was introduced by Moses!
It was a covenant of FAITH - not of WORKS!
The law was given to EXPOSE sin!
Christ came to REPEAL the "curse of the law."
That repeal is OFFERED to ANYONE!

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but
God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The context of God's statement to Abraham was that his "seed,"
would be the One Who OWNS all the universe!

The ONLY way for mankind to "inherit" that promise is to become
the determined follower of Christ.
That's because the promise was FIRST given BEFORE the law!

19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added beause of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was
made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

The law is STILL to point out our SIN - TRANSGRESSIONS!
But Jesus is the ONE that repeals the law FOR the believer.
He is the ONE and ONLY "Mediator" between God and man!
(See Hebrews 8:6)

But Jesus is IN God!!
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all CONTAINED in ONE!!
(See Deut. 6:4)

So, Jesus is the God Person who mediates the covenant of God
with man!
AGAIN ------- only ONE way -------JESUS!

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if
there had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness should have been by the law.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise
by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

The law puts man under the curse of condemnation because man
cannot continually KEEP the law.
Therefore, the law cannot give life!

The Scripture is very clear that ALL mankind are sinners!
(See Gen. 1:21, Ps. 14:3, Is. 53:6, and Ecc. 7:20)

So then, the "promise" of God for inheritance of His glory comes
ONLY "by faith of Jesus Christ."
And, that promise is given to "them that BELIEVE!"

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto
the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.

The word "faith" here symbolizes the Christian religion because
faith in Christ alone, is that which makes the Christian religion
distinct.

So, BEFORE Christ came, all man had was the "law," which
brought condemnation.
Therefore, the law is our "schoolmaster" to lead us from condemnation
to salvation in Christ Jesus.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Those who have believed, trusted in Jesus have GRADUATED!
They have come from condemnation to salvation by Him!

Christians are no longer under the tutorship of teachers.
They have the Bible to study, and their teacher is the Holy Spirit.
(See John 14:26)

27 For as many of you have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond or free, there
is neither male or female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Baptism is a symbol which represents dying to self, and being
raised by Christ to a new way of life.
And, those who have been baptized by surrender to Christ have
"put on Christ."
That means they have acclamated themselves, or clothed themselves
in the personal attributes of Christ.
((I remember one preacher telling me he baptized a man, and the
man's billfold was still in his pocket. The man said, "Oh My! We have
dunked my billfold." The pastor said, "That's ok, 'cause God wants
ALL of you, and your billfold is PART of you!"))

Baptism can be explained by IMMERSED.
One baptized into Christ has immersed himself INTO Christ.

Therefore, we all become "sons of God." (See John 1:12)

The manager and the worker appear the SAME to Jesus.
EACH is "washed," "sanctified," and "justified" in the Person of
Jesus Christ!

What a DIFFERENCE it would make in our world today if people
would observe and live by this!
There would be less prejudice if we had no distinction between
rank and file, and color or nationality!

Now some have made controversial statements about the part which
Paul says, "There is neither male nor female."

It is true that neither man nor woman are given more respect for
salvation.
It is NOT true that both may hold the same offices in family and church!

At the place of communion, or the place of the hope in heaven, or at
the foot of the cross, the woman is elevated to the same as the man.
However there are certain distinctions between the man and the
woman on this earth.
The man cannot bear children.
The woman cannot teach men.
(See 1Cor. 11:3, 1Cor. 14:34, Eph. 5:22, Col. 3:18, Titus 2:5 and
1Peter 3:1)

When we all get to heaven (what a beautiful song), there we'll be
different from what we are here.
All will be "sons of God" through Christ our Lord.

By the way, Jesus said there would be no marriages in heaven!
Matt. 22: 29-30, "Jesus answered and said, Ye do err, not
knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.

If one belongs to Jesus, he/she is immersed in the Messiah!
The circumcised and the uncircumcised believers are all IN CHRIST!

And, ALL, who belong to Jesus are "heirs according to the promise!"
This does NOT come by "the works of the law!"
It comes only by Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone
IN HIM!

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.
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