Galatians
Salvation by
grace! Justification by faith! Sanctification by faith!
GALATIANS 3
The
Doctrinal Defense of Justification by Faith
From Experience – 3:1-5
From Abraham – 3:6-9
From the negative effect of the
Law –
Verses
1-5 – Five questions from their very own experience
Question 1: Who has bewitched you? “foolish” =
senseless or unthinking “bewitched” =
‘to delude’ or ‘cast a spell on’
Question 2: How did you receive the Holy Spirit?
□
By the works of the Law? □ By
hearing with faith?
Question 3: How is God sanctifying you?
□
Perfected by the flesh? □ Perfected
by the Spirit?
Question 4: Have your sufferings
been useless?
□
Suffered because of Law? □ Suffered because of faith?
Question 5: What is the basis of
God’s present work among you?
□
By the works of the Law? □ By hearing with faith?
Verses
6-9 – Justification as seen in the life of Abraham
“Abraham believed” - “It was reckoned to him as righteousness”
Reckoned = An ancient
bookkeeping term that meant ‘to put to one’s account’.
God imputed righteousness to Abraham on the basis of
faith!
Faith always looks to or relies on the
merits of its object.
God does not give men faith; He
expects faith as a response to His message of grace.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
by the word of Christ.” Romans
10:17
Physical
descendency from Abraham does not insure or bring
with it spiritual descendency.
Personal
faith is necessary for spiritual identity with God in every age.
The
heathen Gentiles were and are justified precisely as was the
patriarch Abraham.
Conclusion:
It is not the essence of
Abraham’s circumcision that makes a Gentile a spiritual son, but the essence of
his faith! The Abrahamic blessing is
through
the faith-rest principle, not the works-merit principle.
Verses 10-14 – The
negative effect of Law on human experience!
Not only is it vain to seek justification by
works, it is self-defeating, for failure to live up to the demands of law-works
incurs a
curse!
If we are going to live by the Law then we
must keep
“…every man who receives circumcision… is
under obligation to keep the whole Law.”
Galatians 5:3
“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet
stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:19
Law ≠ Faith
- Since there are none who
perfectly perform in accord with the law, there are none that are justified by
it.
Redeemed = delivered by the payment of a purchase
price.
Three verbs:
1. To buy in the market place.
2. To buy out of the market place.
3. To loose or set free by paying a ransom.
Christ:
-bought us out of the slave
market of sin
-will not resale us
-set us free from sin’s bondage
-paid the price sin demanded –
death
The purpose of redemption:
1. The blessing of Abraham – justification by
faith!
2. Regeneration – the Spirit received through
faith!
Paul proves from the Old Testament scriptures that
justification by faith is an Old Testament doctrine.
He quotes six different Old Testament passages to show
that his argument rests firmly on the authority of God’s written record.