Galatians
Chapter 3
Introduction:
Paul continues talking to the Galatians about obeying the Old Testament laws in particular the rule about circumcision.
We need to understand a few things about the laws in the Old Testament and the time of “grace” in the New Testament.
In other books of the Bible, Paul and others explain about this. I will take time to do so now.
Why do we not need to keep the Old Testament laws now days?
Once Jesus came and died on the cross He was the perfect “lamb”.
In the Old Testament the people killed a lamb in their place to pay for their sin.
In the Garden of Eden, God had told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the fruit of the one tree they would die.
They did die in body and in spirit. Their body would get older, and older and die. And their spirit died because the fellowship and friendship with God was “cut off” the minute they ate the fruit and disobeyed.
God could have killed them right away. He did not. He let them live—-though their bodies would get old and then die.
For the “death of their spirit” God said that someday he would send the “seed” of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent, Satan.
That “seed” of the woman, was Jesus.
Until the time of Jesus, the people were to take a perfect lamb, and kill it in place of them dying for their sin. The lamb paid the price of death for them.
God said if they did that, God would forgive their sin.
Some people did not kill a lamb for their sin, or bring it to God. And God did not forgive their sin. They died with their sin.
So when Jesus came, and died like a “lamb“ —–he was a perfect man dying for man.
Jesus took the place of men and paid the death price for them. Men did not have to pay the price for themselves any more.
The many laws of the Old Testament were to help the people walk in right ways.
The people had lived in a country of people that worshipped idols and did all kinds of bad sins.
God gave them laws/rules for them to know what was the right way to live.
When Jesus came and forgave a person’s sin that person became alive in spirit once again.
They learned how to walk with God. They received God’s spirit in them to give them new ways of thinking and understanding.
Jesus brought to their heart and mind love, gentleness, goodness, patience, self-control.
These things come when we walk obeying the Spirit of God.
The first of the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament is to love God with all your heart and soul. To love no other God.
In all the other 9 commandments we are to be kind and truthful with other people.
When we walk and obey the Spirit of God we will do all those things. We will love God first and with all our heart, and we will not love another god, and we will be kind and truthful with others.
Under the “grace” of Jesus and walking in the Spirit we keep the laws of God.
The laws about eating, and cleaning and such Jesus talked about some of them.
He said that the most important thing is not about cleaning the outside of the cup, or the hands it is about having a clean heart and a right spirit.
Peter was given a vision to eat all kinds of animals. God told him to go ahead and eat them. No longer did the people have to just eat certain kinds of animals.
Being pleasing to God is about the heart. It is believing and obeying Him.
God said that Abraham pleased God and that was before God gave the law about circumcision. Genesis 15: 6 Later God told Abraham to circumcise his son. Genesis 17: 10 Abraham pleased God because Abraham believed what God told him.
The 10 Commandments with Moses came 430 years later.
Believing and trusting God is the main thing.
And so we come to this letter to the Galatians. Jewish men who had
begun to believe in Jesus have gone out to preach.
The problem is they kept their old ideas of believing in the Jewish laws.
The disciples and Paul never told the Gentiles that they had to be circumcised or follow any of the Old Testament laws to be a believer or follower of Jesus.
They always told the people that Jesus’ death on the cross covered all our sins. We did not have to do anything more to be accepted by God just believe and trust.
After all if people had to do something to be forgiven then why did Jesus die?
We could not do it we kept doing sin. The Old Testament laws showed that the people could not keep those laws of rightness. They kept failing.
In ourselves we can not because sin in so much in us. Our spirits are bent to sin.
Like God said would happen our spirits are dead to do right and obey.
Until God’s Spirit by Jesus comes into us and gives us the power to live above sin.
So in this chapter Paul continues to explain to the Galatians why they do not have to keep the circumcision law.
Chapter 3
Vs. 1 Paul says to the people that it is like someone waved a magic wand over them and made their minds forget all that Paul had told them.
He said I know you understand well about how Jesus died on the cross and how believing and trusting in Jesus forgives your sins.
Paul said I want to ask you Did you do some kind of “work” or do obey some kind of “law” for you to receive the Holy Spirit?
No, you received the Holy Spirit because when you heard about Jesus and the Holy Spirit you believed what you heard.
So, why, now do you think you need to do something in the “flesh” to be acceptable to God?
Does God do miracles and do wonderful things because you follow the law of Moses? Or is it because you trust and believe that God will hear and answer your faith in Him?
Vs. 6 Abraham pleased God because he believed and it was counted to Abraham for righteousness.
Vs. 7 Those who are “of faith” are the children of Abraham.
Vs. 8 In Genesis 12:3 God told Abraham that all the world would be blessed because of him (Abraham).
The reason that is true is because Abraham became the “father” of a group of people that Jesus was born into. Jesus was the Savior of the world. The whole world has been blessed because Abraham had the faith to believe God.
Vs. 9 Those who have faith are blessed with Abraham.
Vs. 10 The law said that people who did not keep the law were “cursed”.
In the first place, people could not keep the law perfectly they always failed in something. They all brought a “lamb” to kill in their place for their sin.
Secondly, Habakkuk 2:4 says the “the just shall live by faith”. It was Abraham’s faith that pleased God and made him acceptable to God.
Vs. 12 If you want to find “life” and be acceptable to God by doing by obeying laws you must keep every one of them or you have failed. No one was able to keep every law perfectly they all failed in some thing.
Vs. 13 Jesus is the one who has saved us from this “curse” of the law. Jesus was perfect. He did everything perfect. He died being perfect. He died for us.
He took “the curse” and became “cursed” and “sin” for us when he died on the cross in our place. “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Deuteronomy 21:22, 23
Vs. 14 The blessings of Abraham is for the Gentiles, too—–through Jesus Christ.
That we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Vs. 16 God’s promise was to Abraham and his seed not seeds. To his “child” not “children”. The “child” would be Jesus Christ.
Just as God promised in the Garden of Eden to Adam that the “seed” of the woman would crush the serpent’s head.
Vs. 17 This promise was given to Abraham 430 years before Moses received the law at Mt. Sinai.
The law of Moses could not do away with this promise.
Vs. 18 If we could please God only by keeping “the law” then the promise made to Abraham was not true.
Abraham did not have Moses’ laws. He lived before them.
Vs. 19 Why were the laws needed? They were to show the people the way of rightness and show them how far from doing right they were living.
It was like a high jumping bar about 6 feet high. But man could only jump about 3 feet.
They never made it to 6 feet. They saw their sin and how far from God’s holy right ways they were.
These laws were there until Jesus who was Abraham’s “seed”.
The laws “ordained by angels” was given to Moses. Moses gave it to the people.
(This “ordained by angels” I do not understand. I read several Bible teachers words on it and still did not understand it. To me, when I read Exodus where Moses received the 10 Commandments—–it was he and God. So I do not know where the angels come in.)
But the point Paul is making is Moses was a mediator “one who stands between” God and the people.
But when God gave the promise to Abraham God talked Abraham in person.
Vs. 21 Were the “laws” the “promise”? NO. If “laws” could have given the people “life” then our “righteousness” would have been by keeping the law.
Vs. 22 God’s word tells us we are “prisoners to sin” we are “bound, tied-up” to sin.
Because of our bent to sin we could not hope to ever keep all the law.
So our only hope of “life” is through Christ to them who believe.
Vs. 23 Before Christ came and we understood faith in him we were under the law and tied-up to the law.
Vs. 24 The law was like a teacher that showed us what sin was and how far short we were coming to God’s right ways. But now that Christ has come we understand we can be made right with God through faith.
Vs. 25 Because “faith” has come we do not need the old laws.
Vs. 26. You are all the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Vs. 27 Those of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(Probably most of those people had been baptized. However, salvation is still by faith—we do not have to be “baptized” to have salvation. It is a good thing to be baptized ——-for our testimony to others.
Also, “baptized into Christ” may have been another way of Paul saying they were in Christ because they believed.)
Vs. 28 In Christ we are the same, equal. We are not Jew or Gentile. We are not male or female. We are not slave or free. We are all one in Christ.
Vs. 29 If you are in Christ then you are the children of Abraham (even if you are Gentile and have not been circumcised) because by faith we receive the promise made to Abraham.