Galatians 3:1-14 Lesson 362

Galatians 3:1-14
Lesson 362

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Faith versus the Mosaic Law.
How did Abraham find salvation (3:6-9)?

Paul defends the Gospel.
This is the second of three major topics in Galatians. It runs through verse 5:1 (lesson 365).

An angel stays Abraham's hand.
By Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669).

Who was -

Abraham -
Abraham was the founder of Judaism, the father of all Jews (Romans 4:11-16; Galatians 3:7), the spiritual forefather of Christians (Galatians 3:29), a man of faith (Galatians 3:9; Hebrews 11:8-9), and a "friend" of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). He was also called the "Father of a multitude," "exalted Father," and Abram (Genesis 15:1; 17:4-5). Born in Ur (present-day Iraq), Abraham is perhaps the greatest Old Testament personality. His story is part of almost every eastern religion, including Islam, where he is considered the father of all Arab peoples through his son Ishmael. A man of tremendous faith, Abraham left his home and family because God asked him to (Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:2-4). Then, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test. Not knowing why, but having faith in God's reasoning, Abraham set off to Mount Moriah,* a hill near Jerusalem, to obey (Genesis 22:1-10). However, God sent an angel to save the boy (Genesis 22:11-13) from Abraham's hand. Because he had faith, God promised Abraham that his descendants (Jews) would be a great and populous people (Genesis 17:2-7; 22:16-18; 26:4; 24), and to bless all Gentiles through him (Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-21; 18:18; 22:18; 28:14; Exodus 32:13). This is called the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham's deeds sometimes disappointed God, but he never lost his righteousness because it is never deeds that earn righteousness; it is faith (Genesis 15:6). Abraham died at 175 (Genesis 25:7) and was buried alongside his wife Sarah in a cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:9; 25:7-10) on the western slope of Mt. Hebron. Centuries later, a Christian church was built over the cave. Subsequently, the church was converted into an Islamic Mosque. Jesus' roots go back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-16), proving that His lineage dates back to the beginning of the Jewish nation. You can read more about Abraham in Genesis 11:26-25:34.

* Some Bible scholars believe Mount Moriah is the same hill where Jesus was sacrificed centuries later. However, many Jews disagree. They believe that the Temple's sacrificial altar in Jerusalem was built over the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son.

Study Tip:

The more we know about the Mosaic Law and the Old Covenant, the more we understand the New Testament.
Always click on the links to the Old Testament passages.
They help us piece together God's plan.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Galatians

The King James Bible

Galatians 3:1-14
Follow the law or have faith

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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 one that hangeth on a tree:

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

Margin notes:

"Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (3:2) - "Did you receive the Spirit of God by following the Mosaic Law or because you have faith (in God)?" Salvation doesn't come through the Mosaic Law. Faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (3:3) - "Are you foolish? After receiving the Holy Spirit (through faith), now you want to depend on the Law and your human efforts for salvation." Paul repeats this in Galatians 4:9.

"Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain" (3:4) - "Have you gone through so much for nothing."  "Was it for nothing?"

"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?" (3:5) - "He who taught you about the Holy Spirit and performed miracles for you, was it the work of the Law or faith?" The apostles performed miracles (click here). The Judaizers could not.

"And it was accounted to him for righteousness." (3:6) - Paraphrased from Genesis 15:6, where Abraham was saved because of his faith and trust in God.  See also Romans 4:3 and James 2:23.

"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." (3:7) - Anyone (Jew or Gentile) who has faith in God is a child of Abraham and is therefore blessed.

"Foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith." (3:8) - "Predicting that God would save Gentiles through faith." God pardons anyone who has faith (Genesis 18:18; 22:18; Jeremiah 4:2).  God's promise to Abraham included everyone (Jew and Gentile) in His plan of salvation.

"In thee shall all nations be blessed." (3:8) - In Genesis 12:3, written 1400 years before the birth of Christ, God promised Abraham that the world would find salvation through one of his descendants. That descendant was Jesus. See Matthew 1:1-17 for Jesus' family tree.

"They which be of faith are blessed." (3:9) - It is faith that blesses and saves us, not the Mosaic Law or our "works" here on earth.

"As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." (3:10) - "All who seek salvation through the Law are cursed."

"Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (3:10) - This is a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 27:26. If Jews violated just one of the Mosaic Laws, they were condemned. The Mosaic Law could not lead people to salvation. It merely showed how sinful we are and that we needed a Savior.

"No man is justified by the law." (3:11) - No one can earn salvation by trying to obey the Mosaic Law or by doing good deeds.  If we put our faith in ourselves, we are doomed to eternal death. It is through our faith in Christ that we find salvation. It is that simple.

"The just shall live by faith." (3:11) - We find eternal life through faith, not by the law (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38).

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law." (3:13) - With his death on the cross, Jesus freed us from the Mosaic Law and secured our salvation.

"Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." (3:13) - From Deuteronomy 21:23.

New Living Translation

Galatians 3:1-14
The Law and Faith in Christ

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.

2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.

3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

6 In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."

7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you."

9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law."

11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life."

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. How were we saved from the "curse" of the law? (3:13)

Have questions? We'll do our best to answer them.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Humanity was saved from the "curse" of the Mosaic Law when Christ died on the cross. Before Jesus' sacrifice, we were slaves to sin. The Mosaic Law showed us how far short we have come to God's standards (Romans 3:20), but it cannot save us.  Jesus did that when he paid the penalty for our sins.

We cannot save ourselves by being good or trying to follow the Mosaic Law.  We are mistaken if we think we can earn our way into heaven. We cannot keep all the commandments all the time, no matter how hard we try. The Mosaic Law shows us how far short we have come (Romans 3:20). It shows us we need a savior!




Application thought for the day:

Make it a daily point to thank God for sending His Son to die on the cross.
Without Jesus' sacrifice, our salvation would not be possible.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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