Galatians 3:1-14
What We Have By Faith
Galatians - How far into Judaism must I go to be saved?
1. Chapters 1-2 - A defense of the gospel
2. Chapters 3-4 - Understanding the Law
We are about to delve into a topic that is very deep. In short, let me
share with you what I believe the Bible teaches.
1. No one has ever been saved by the law. Salvation has always been by
faith in Jesus’ atonement
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it
is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2. While saints from all generations have been saved by faith, God has
sanctified different types of worship.
a. From the fall to Moses - Worship with sacrifices but no temple, no
law governing worship.
b. Moses to Christ - Worship with sacrifices at specific place, time,
reasons.
c. Christ to rapture - Worship without sacrifices but under the direction
of the church.
d. At some point - A form of temple worship with be reinstituted.
e. The problem is some were taking the mode of worshipping and making it
the means of salvation (tantamount to making attending church the
means of salvation).
I. \\#3:1\\ The Galatians Condition - Paul has already told the Galatians
that he marvelled \\#Gal 1:6\\ at how soon and how far they had gotten
off course. \\#Gal 1:9\\ Paul says these Galatians had "received" the
gospel and so, I gather, were saved but that did not stop them from
backsliding. Now, they were:
A. Foolish - Foolish is the opposite of wise.
1. Wise means to see things as God sees them.
2. Foolish must mean that we are seeing things different from God.
3. It is possible for Christians to be quit foolish and out of step
with God.
B. Bewitched - Charmed or controlled.
1. Faulty thinking has lead to faulty actions.
2. Christians must be careful of what they are exposed to for, like
anyone else, they can be influenced.
C. Disobedient
1. The ultimate truth is that they might be acting like they were
bewitched but they were just being disobedient.
2. Knowing the truth but being influenced from without, they had
made a choice against the Scriptures.
3. Christians are responsible for our actions!
D. Blind - Christ had been evidently set forth.
1. They had seen much evidence of salvation in their life.
2. Now, because of influence and wrong choices, they were far from
the place of power in their life.
II. \\#3:2-9\\ What we of the grace dispensation have over those of the law
dispensation (and those who would try to earn salvation by keeping the
law).
A. \\#Gal 3:2-4\\ The Holy Spirit
1. The saints worshipping under the law did not have the abiding
relationship with the Holy Spirit.
a. Old Testament saints had no comforter.
Laminations 1:1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is
she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among
the provinces, how is she become tributary!
2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her
lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously
with her, they are become her enemies.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
b. Old Testament saints had no Teacher.
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to
say.
c. Old Testament saints had no Power.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
d. Old Testament saints had no Seal.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption.
2. Not only were the Old Testament saints missing these gifts, so
were these Galatians before their conversion.
3. But after salvation, they had experienced them because by faith
that had walked in Him (the Holy Spirit).
B. \\#Gal 3:5, 8-9\\ Ministry and Miracles
1. No miracle was ever done, Old Testament or New, by the law.
They were all done by faith.
2. The only Old Testament saints who were granted a ministry by the
law were the Levites.
3. New Testament saints are granted both ministry and miracles as
our service and faith allows.
C. \\#Gal 3:6-7\\ Righteousness
1. Righteousness never came by the law. It has always come by
faith!
a. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him
for righteousness. \\#Rom 4:1-2\\
b. David also \\#Rom 4:6-8\\
c. Hebrews 11
2. The righteousness that the Old Testament saints had is different
in one aspect from our own.
a. They were looking ahead. We are looking behind.
b. Our sin debt is paid. Theirs, by time’ s measurements, was
not!
c. A temporary atonement for them was made on an earthly altar.
That atonement had to be constantly reapplied with the
meager blood of bulls and goats.
d. We have a heavenly altar adorned with the eternal blood of
Jesus. \\#Heb 9:6-9, 11-14\\
1. \\#Heb 9:6-8\\ The Holy Spirit was saying everything is
not finished yet.
2. \\#Heb 6:9\\ The OT blood sacrifices could not do the
job.
3. \\#Heb 6:11-14\\ What Christ did perfects.
e. The OT saints had a righteousness that was dependent upon what
Jesus would do. If Jesus had not died on the cross, they would
have lost everything! (That is the reason they stayed in
Paradise until the price for sin was paid. It is also the
reason that they were moved to heaven as soon as the price
was paid.)
III. \\#Gal 3:10\\ What they of the law dispensation had that we do not.
A. A curse! The emphasis on \\#10\\ should be on the word "all."
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all.
B. If you broke one aspect of the law, you were guilty of all!
Your walk with God was all or nothing!
C. \\#Gal 3:13\\ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law!
We are no longer under either the demand or the penalties of the
law. (We do still abide under the morality of the law.)
Several questions answered in this text:
1. Can a Christian backslide? YES. He can be influenced, disobedient, foolish,
and blind.
2. Can a Christian be saved and get confused about how they got saved?
Apparently so.
3. Can you be saved any other way than by trusting what God has provided? No.
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