Lesson 15 July 9, 2002

Review:

Summary of 3:3

1. The Galatian believers had been influenced by the message of the legalists, with their law performance living to the extent that they were abandoning their position of grace, (where they started) and were seeking to advance in their spiritual life by observing the law, therefore by works.

2. What they failed to apply is the fact that the Holy Spirit is both the agent in salvation and in living the Christian life, growing and advancing in time.

3. No one is able under natural and human power that is the energy of the flesh (sin nature dominating the life) to advance to the intended goal and objective of the Christian life.

4. The works of the flesh, our own righteousness, as far as God is concerned are dead works. Heb 6:1

5. The means of justification is by faith and the means of growth in Christ is by faith, both then the working of Holy Spirit therefore by Grace.

3:4 Was your early advance for nothing? What's Paul's point?

Look Galatians, you suffered many things due to your living out your faith when you believed in Christ, responding to the gospel I taught while there. Were these sufferings, all the things that you experienced to no purpose?

Summary 3:4 What do we know?

1. The believers within the churches of Galatia underwent extensive persecution for their faith (as did the Thessalonian believers). Acts 14:1-7

2. Initially they did not succumb to the persecution and suffering.

3. After a time they did fall prey to the smooth talking Judaizers.

4. Paul is reminding them that their abandonment of grace for legalism in effect brands their former position in grace as being in error therefore the early suffering was of no purpose.

5. Prin: to be persecuted because of your faith, because of your grace orientation and application of doctrine in life, that suffering is undeserved suffering.

3:5 Fifth question: What is the basis of God's present work among you?

- Who is the He?

- provides you with the Spirit evpicorhge,w to supply abundantly, over and above what is thought to be necessary;

- and works miracles among you

Does the provision of the Holy Spirit and His impact in your life, Is it a reality on the basis of works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Summary 3:5 What's the conclusion that they should have come to?

1. Jesus Christ is the Supplier of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7

2. The head of the body fully supplies us with all that we need to advance spiritually Col. 2:19.

3. Their spiritual provision was by means of hearing a message of faith.

4. The answer is devastating to any effort by the legalists to put a thinking believer under the law as a dynamic for living the Christian life or in an attempt to please God.

5. The conclusion we should come to is that we have responsibility not to the law or any law system but to the belief in the objective message of God's provision through the Word.

6. The basic question here then, Is spirituality on the basis of works or faith?

7. True spirituality leads to works, but works never lead to true spirituality.

8. All 5 of these questions Paul intends as stimulators of thinking, to jolt the unthinking Galatians out of their delusion, their fascination with the Judaizers message.

3:6 The example of Abraham; Theological argument against legalism.

Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Paul is saying to the Galatian believers, okay lets examine how Abraham was justified before God. We will find that it was no different than you were. Faith not rituals/works.

Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD pisteu,w believed

Key word in Gen. 15:6 is the Hebrew word for believed !m;a'

So Abraham believed God, YHWH, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS

WAS RECKONED logi,zomai to credited to one's account; to impute or attribute to;

Summary 3:6

1. Paul makes an appeal to the example of Abraham and his salvation.

2. Abraham actually came from a pagan background, his father was an idol worshipper in Ur of the Chaldees. Joshua 24:1-2

3. Paul cites Genesis 15:6 to demonstrate convincingly to the Galatians that even Abraham was justified by faith and not by works.

4. How was it that this Father of the Jewish people was actually justified? He believed that God was able to perform what He promised.

5. This occurred long before Abraham was circumcised Gen. 17:24

6. What Paul is trying to get the Galatians to realize, or ask themselves, On what basis then could the Judaizers insist that you be circumcised for salvation when look even Abraham was saved, justified by faith.

7. Key is that justification is on the basis of faith, faith is non-meritorious since all the merit is in the object of faith.

8. In fact faith is the only grace way, since it is non meritorious. Rom 4:16

9. Faith in Christ is man's faith directed toward the only saving object, Jesus Christ's work on the Cross. That is what God has provided.

10. The righteousness spoken of here that is credited to Abraham or imputed to him is absolute, it is God's righteousness based therefore on His character.