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.