Galatians 3A. There is a short ditty that helps us remember the purpose of each part of the Bible. The Old Testament is Christ promised

Transcription

1 Galatians 3A There is a shrt ditty that helps us remember the purpse f each part f the Bible This memry aid helps us recgnize the purpse in each majr sectin f the Bible The Old Testament is Christ prmised The Gspels are Christ revealed The bk f Acts if Christ preached The letters are Christ explained The bk f Revelatin is Christ anticipated The epistles were given s that we might fully appreciate the meaning and significance f Christ s wrk f redemptin Naturally, that means when we turn t the letters f the NT, we re ging t find dctrine In fact, virtually all the dctrines f ur faith cmes ut f the letters f the NT Knwing that, we must give pririty t understanding and appreciate dctrine Dctrine is an examinatin f spiritual truth And understanding dctrine requires thinking sberly and deeply We cme t a study f dctrine t learn why the Lrd has dne what He has dne We re learning the truth abut sin, abut hliness, abut man and abut Gd And t appreciate what is yet t happen Ultimately, we learn dctrine fr much the same reasn that we were taught chemistry r bilgy in schl 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Galatians 3A 2 f 19 We learned thse subjects s that we culd make sense f the way things are I didn t need t understand bilgy r chemistry t appreciate and enjy nature But as I learned mre abut thse subjects, I culd better appreciate what I saw by understanding it at a deeper level Furthermre, thrugh my knwledge I culd live and wrk in greater harmny than was pssible withut that knwledge By learning abut elements and the reactins f certain chemicals, I culd avid tragic accidents By learning hw the bdy wrks I culd make better chices fr my health and wellbeing Similarly, I dn t have t study dctrine t knw Gd and enjy Him I am saved by my faith befre I knw even the first thing f dctrine But if I take time t study dctrine in Scripture, I gain the benefits f that learning I can enjy Gd even mre fully thrugh a better understanding I can learn hw t please Him better, hw t avid ptentially dangerus chices and decisins and I can resist false teaching better S studying dctrine is abslutely essential t prper spiritual develpment as a Christian Chapter 3 f Galatians is 100%, full strength Christian dctrine Paul is teaching (he might say re-teaching) the churches in Galatia n the cre dctrines f the faith The dctrines Paul tuches upn in the next three chapters are: Sterilgy, the dctrine f salvatin Israellgy, the dctrine f Israel Ecclesilgy, the dctrine f the Church He addresses these dctrines in a chiastic structure 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Galatians 3A 3 f 19 A chiasm is literary structure in which a series f pints are develped in a certain rder The rder f the thughts prceeds t a pint, then the rder is reversed and the thught cmpleted in ppsite rder S if an argument has three pints, a chiastic prcessin f thse pints wuld be 1, 2, 3, 3, 2,1 In chapters 3-5, Paul address the dctrines f sterilgy, Israellgy and ecclesilgy in a chiastic rder, lsely speaking He begins with a discussin f sterilgy Then he prceeds t a prper view f Israel and the Law Finally he shws the meaning fr the church Finally, he ll lk at all three again in reverse rder Gal. 3:1 Yu flish Galatians, wh has bewitched yu, befre whse eyes Jesus Christ was publicly prtrayed as crucified? Gal. 3:2 This is the nly thing I want t find ut frm yu: did yu receive the Spirit by the wrks f the Law, r by hearing with faith? Gal. 3:3 Are yu s flish? Having begun by the Spirit, are yu nw being perfected by the flesh? Gal. 3:4 Did yu suffer s many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? Gal. 3:5 S then, des He wh prvides yu with the Spirit and wrks miracles amng yu, d it by the wrks f the Law, r by hearing with faith? Paul pens with five rhetrical questins that set up his teaching Each questin has an bvius answer And thse answers drive the reader t natural cnclusins that cunter the false teaching f the Judaizers There is n way t answer these questins hnestly withut cntradicting the tenets f the false teachers First Paul asks wh bewitched yu, h flish Galatians? The wrld flish can als be translated stupid This is a hard wrd in scripture, equivalent t an insult 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Galatians 3A 4 f 19 Hw is it that Paul can say this withut sinning? In shrt, Paul is speaking hnestly with regard t their thinking n this matter They are acting flish, like a persn wh has never learned basic things Paul asks are yu acting this way because smene bewitched yu? The Greek wrd bewitched nly appears here in the NT It means t be placed under a spell S in effect, Paul is saying, Are yu acting s stupidly because smene cast a spell upn yu? His pint is that this is the nly way he can imagine they wuld have cme t their present state f cnfusin cncerning Christ and the Gspel Because they were taught prperly befre Paul left twn He says at the end f v.1 that Jesus Christ was prtrayed as crucified befre their eyes I dn t particularly like this English translatin f the riginal text The Greek wrds literally say befre yur eyes Jesus Christ was described frm befre all time as crucified Paul is reminding the church that their wn eyes saw the truth f Jesus written in scripture declaring He was the Messiah Wh died fr sins These new believers had received prper instructin frm scripture They saw fr themselves the basis f their salvatin, which is Jesus crucified as scripture testifies The Paul asks the secnd questin: hw did they receive the Spirit? Was the arrival f the Spirit in their hearts a matter f Law r faith? Clearly, the answer is bvius again As they heard the Gspel message Paul preached, that message was united with faith in their hearts And at the mment f faith, they received the Hly Spirit 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Galatians 3A 5 f 19 The Spirit didn t cme as a result f keeping the Law f Mses Clearly, the church in Galatia hadn t been living under the Law f Mses Mre than likely, they had n knwledge f the Law whatsever S bviusly, the Spirit s arrival in their hearts had nthing t d with fllwing the Law f Mses Why is Paul fcused n the arrival f the Spirit? Because the baptism f the Hly Spirit is the mment f salvatin In Rmans, Paul says that the definitin f a Christian is ne wh has the Hly Spirit Rm. 8:14 Fr all wh are being led by the Spirit f Gd, these are sns f Gd. S Paul is asking the Galatians, hw did yu receive eternal life? By faith r by wrks f law? And the answer is by faith Then Paul asks his third questin, which is itself predicated n the answer t the secnd questin Paul asks if this church is s flish (stupid) that they nw believe they can be perfected by Law having been saved by faith Obviusly, Paul is assuming they knew the right answer t the earlier questin The church received the Spirit by faith, that is they were saved by their faith and nt by wrks f Law S then Paul asks why they are switching hrses in midstream? If faith was sufficient by itself t bring them t Christ, then why wuld they flishly believe that returning t life under the Law was necessary t perfect them? The wrd fr perfect is epitele, which means t bring smething t cmpletin Gd began the wrk f salvatin in them by faith 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Galatians 3A 6 f 19 S Paul asks if the rigin f their salvatin is by faith, why d they feel the need t bring it t cmpletin thrugh wrks? Our sanctificatin - ur being made hly - was begun by the Spirit and will be finished by the Spirit Gd brings it t cmpletin n the basis f ur faith in His prmises Phil. 1:6 Fr I am cnfident f this very thing, that He wh began a gd wrk in yu will perfect it until the day f Christ Jesus. Paul s furth questin directs their attentin t what they experienced as believers The churches in Galatia saw immediate and intense persecutin as a result f their cnversin t Christianity In Acts 14 we have the recrd f Barnabas and Paul preaching in Galatia As they prepare t leave and g hme t Antich, we read Acts 14:21 After they had preached the gspel t that city and had made many disciples, they returned t Lystra and t Icnium and t Antich, Acts 14:22 strengthening the suls f the disciples, encuraging them t cntinue in the faith, and saying, Thrugh many tribulatins we must enter the kingdm f Gd. Paul was encuraging the disciples t withstand the tribulatins they were experiencing He reassured them that suffering was a natural cnsequence f faith - it was a privilege t suffer fr Christ S nw Paul asks what did yu suffering mean if yu were nt actually saved at the time? Remember, the Judaizers were teaching that the churches in Galatia were nt actually believers because they hadn t yet be circumcised r fllwed the Law S if this teaching was t be believed, Paul asks why were being persecuted? Was it in vain, fr n benefit? If persecutin is the mark f the believer, then hw d they explain the enemy attacking them? 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Galatians 3A 7 f 19 A huse divided against itself cannt stand Finally, Paul s last questin is a summatin f all the issues Paul has raised s far When we see Gd s wrk in this church, the giving f the Spirit and the wrking f miracles, hw d we explain it? Did Gd accmplish these wrks because the church was wrking under the Law? Or did He respnd t the faith f the church at the prclamatin f His wrd? The answer t this questin is as bvius as the earlier questins, s let s review them all Wh cast a spell n the Galatians t lead them away frm the testimny f Jesus crucified in agreement with the scriptures? The Judaizers Hw did the church receive the Spirit, receive salvatin and becme children f Gd? By faith having heard the Gspel preached by Paul If their sanctificatin began in faith by the Spirit, then hw shuld they expect the rest f their walk with the Lrd t prceed? In faith by the Spirit Did they experience persecutin fr Christ in vain, as if they hadn t yet been saved withut circumcisin? N, they rightly suffered having believed Has Gd chsen t demnstrate His desire t wrk in yur life thrugh faith r thrugh wrks? He has manifested Himself thrugh faith These questins and their unavidable answers deal a devastating blw t the Judaizers arguments Thse false teachers called fr wrks f Law t assure salvatin, but Paul prves their arguments can t hld water 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Galatians 3A 8 f 19 And nw he mves frward t make his argument against the Judaizers First, Paul sets straight the dctrine f salvatin by grace thrugh faith Next, he ll lk at the dctrine f Israel, which includes the purpse f the Law Then finally, he will address the prper understanding f the Church in Gd s ecnmy Gal. 3:6 Even s Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Gal. 3:7 Therefre, be sure that it is thse wh are f faith wh are sns f Abraham. Paul pens his teaching n salvatin with even s which means just as, r accrding t This is a transitin intended t alert the reader that Paul is launching int teaching mde He reminds the church that frm the beginning Gd wrked thrugh faith t bring righteusness Even befre the Law was given, befre even circumcisin was cmmanded, the Lrd declared Abraham righteus Abraham believed a wrd f prmise Gd spke And as a result f that faith, Gd declared Abraham righteus When Gd declares anything, it becmes true in the mment it s spken It may require many years befre the truth f it cmes t pass fr men, but it is n less real and true even as we wait Gd is nt cnstrained by time Which is why Jesus says the heavens and earth may pass away, but Gd s wrd will never pass away The wrd f Gd is as eternal as Gd Himself S if Abraham was declared righteus in this mment in Genesis 15, then righteusness simply cannt be a matter f law r circumcisin 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Galatians 3A 9 f 19 Fr we knw that Gd is perfectly just Therefre, if ne man can be declared righteus withut thse things, then they are unnecessary fr any man S Paul cncludes in v.6 that thse wh are f faith are sns f Abraham In these verses Paul raises the next majr area f dctrine he wants t address, that is an issue f Israelgy Abraham is the father f the natin f Israel He received a prmise frm Gd and a cvenant That prmise and cvenant eventually brught the natin f Israel int existence And frm that natin came the wrd f Gd and the Messiah But the Judaizers had taken Abraham s imprtance and distrted it They claimed that nly thse wh were Abraham s children wuld be included in the prmises f Gd Galatians culdn t be blessed, r receive an inheritance r enter the kingdm unless they were part f the family that received thse prmises, that is t becme Jewish S nw Paul mves t discuss Abraham s imprtance and the cnnect between Abraham and the Gentile believer Thse wh are f faith, that is thse wh have received the prmises f Gd in Christ Jesus, are cunted as Abraham s sns But in what sense are we Abraham s sn (and daughters)? There are tw mistakes we culd make dctrinally in interpreting Paul s statement here On the ne hand we culd assume that Paul means we must in sme sense literally becme Jewish This was the cnclusin the Judaizers had reached On the ther hand, we might g in the ther directin and claim that belief erases all distinctin between Israel and Gentiles 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Galatians 3A 10 f 19 This is the mistake f the mdern replacement thelgy mvement Paul will eventually cme back t settling this questin in the letter But first, he uses the next sectin t give a prper perspective n the Jewish natin, the law and the prmises spken t Abraham Gal. 3:8 The Scripture, freseeing that Gd wuld justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gspel befrehand t Abraham, saying, ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU. Gal. 3:9 S then thse wh are f faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. Paul says that Gd always intended t bring salvatin t Gentiles in due time And since Gd intended t save Gentiles, wh d nt have the Law, he devised a means that did nt depend n law He preached t Abraham that thrugh him all natin will be blessed The wrd f natins in Hebrew is gy, which simply means Gentiles S befre the Jewish natin had even been birthed, the Lrd declares that salvatin wuld be made available t Gentiles thrugh Abraham s family S hw was a Gentile t be blessed with salvatin thrugh Abraham s descendants if Gentiles dn t descended frm the man Abraham? Paul says Gentiles jin that blessing by faith By faith we are called Abraham s sns In Jewish thinking, the wrds sns can carry the sense f fllwer Just as the sns f Gd are fllwers f Gd S the sns f Abraham are the fllwers f Abraham As Jesus demnstrated t the Pharisees Jhn 8:39 They answered and said t Him, Abraham is ur father. Jesus said t them, If yu are Abraham s children, d the deeds f Abraham Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Galatians 3A 11 f 19 The Pharisees called themselves the sns f Abraham But Jesus pinted ut that if they are t be called sns f Abraham, then they shuld be fllwing Abraham s example S the Gentile becmes the sn r daughter f the Lrd in faith, because by that faith we becme His fllwer Paul will return t discussing this issue f Jewish and Gentile children Meanwhile, Paul cntinues t develp the dctrine f Israel by turning t the purpse f the Law Gal. 3:10 Fr as many as are f the wrks f the Law are under a curse; fr it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM. Gal. 3:11 Nw that n ne is justified by the Law befre Gd is evident; fr, THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. Gal. 3:12 Hwever, the Law is nt f faith; n the cntrary, HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM. The Judaizers had made fllwing the Law f Mses the centerpiece f their argument They taught that believers, whether Jew r Gentile, must live accrding t the Law t be saved But here Paul says that all wh rely n law fr their justificatin are under a curse The Law itself declares in Deut 21:23 that all wh d nt abide by all things written in the Law are cursed t hang n a tree (that is t die) James eches this truth when he teaches James 2:10 Fr whever keeps the whle law and yet stumbles in ne pint, he has becme guilty f all. Gd s law functins as an indivisible unit Keeping sme f the law while failing t keep thers gains us nthing, since Gd s Law is an all-r-nthing standard 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Galatians 3A 12 f 19 Scripture defines righteusness as a pint, nt a scale We see this clearly in an exchange between Jesus and a rich yung ruler Luke 18:19 And Jesus said t him, Why d yu call Me gd? N ne is gd except Gd alne. Only Gd is gd, Jesus says Men prefer t think that gd is a scale f degrees, but we have the wrng measuring stick Being gd means being 100% sinless Even ne sin makes us 100% bad by Gd s standard This is why scriptures says that the ne wishing t live accrding t Law must keep all f it r else be cursed by the penalties f the Law The penalty fr failing t keep the Law, accrding t the Law itself, was death Only thse wh keep everything written in the Law frm birth culd escape that penalty On the ther hand, scripture has always declared that righteusness was btainable nly by faith Abraham was ur example f a man declared righteus by faith, and the prphets made similar declaratins Habakkuk 2:4 declares that the righteus man shall live by faith The prphet teaches Hab. 2:4 Behld, as fr the prud ne, His sul is nt right within him; But the righteus will live by his faith. Faith in Gd s prmises is and always has been the ne and nly way t righteusness, which is the requirement t enter Gd s presence 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Galatians 3A 13 f 19 S in v.12, Paul cncludes that faith and law are always tw mutually exclusive means f seeking righteusness In ther wrds, there are nly tw ptins fr reaching Heaven, and ne is n ptin at all We can either earn entrance n ur wn merits living up t the standards f the Law, which is t be equal t Gd s gdness Which Jesus Himself said is impssible Or we can rely entirely n faith in Jesus Christ Paul says it s impssible t seek righteusness by Law and by faith at the same time They are mutually exclusive paths Either I trust in my wn ability t meet sme standard f perfrmance and demnstrate my righteusness by my actins Or I recgnize I can t meet Gd s standard, and s I trust in Gd s prmises instead f n my wn abilities I rely exclusively n His mercy trusting in His prvisin f Christ T summarize, Paul repeats that he wh practices the Law shall live by them Anther way t state this principle is t say thse wh place their trust fr salvatin in wrks f Law must be prepared t accept the result They must be prepared t live with what fllws And since every man has sin, and breaking even ne law leaves us shrt f righteusness required fr Heaven, then fllwing the Law leaves us empty handed Even ur chice t fllw law fr justificatin is prf in itself that we are nt resting in faith in Gd s prmises The Bible teaches that we cannt receive Gd s prmises in faith until we have first repented f dead wrks S thse wh seek t be justified by wrks f Law are giving evidence they have nt received Christ in faith 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Galatians 3A 14 f 19 Because the Law is n slutin t the prblem f sin, Paul turns back t Christ as ur slutin Gal. 3:13 Christ redeemed us frm the curse f the Law, having becme a curse fr us fr it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE Gal. 3:14 in rder that in Christ Jesus the blessing f Abraham might cme t the Gentiles, s that we wuld receive the prmise f the Spirit thrugh faith. Here we have the entire Gspel message and the central pint f the Bible Christ redeemed sinful men frm the curse The wrd redeemed means t pay a ransm, t free smene by means f a payment The Jesus purchased r ransmed frm the curse f the Law By hanging n the crss, a tree f srts, Jesus died in ur place S with the penalty f the Law satisfied, we have the pprtunity t be saved by faith rather than wrks Everyne wh stands in Gd s presence must pssess a righteusness equal t Gd s wn gdness The Law f Gd is the standard we must meet But wrking t keep that Law is a fruitless path S if we can t fulfill it, ur nly hpe is that smene fulfill it n ur behalf Paul says Jesus died t give us that way He makes pssible the blessing given t Abraham and als t the Gentiles Thse wh rest in Gd prmises by faith are blessed In cntrast t thse wh rest in wrks and are cursed by their sin It seems s clear that faith trumps wrks f Law, especially given the futility f wrking t earn perfectin S why did the churches in Galatia agree with the Judaizers? What argument did they make t cnvince the church t keep the Law? 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Galatians 3A 15 f 19 In shrt, it was histrical sequence The Judaizers had argued that since the giving f the Law t Mses came later in Gd s plan, it tk precedence It tk pririty ver the early revelatin t Abraham S while faith was gd enugh fr Abraham, nce the Law came t Israel at Sinai, it superseded the earlier revelatin This analysis was wrng and cmpletely misunderstd the purpse in the giving f the Law And if Paul is ging t defend salvatin by grace thrugh faith alne, then he needs t teach the prper perspective f the Law He is ging t teach mre dctrine, Ecclesilgy, the dctrine f the Church, and use examples frm human experience t shw the prper relatinship between Gd s prmises and the law Gal. 3:15 Brethren, I speak in terms f human relatins: even thugh it is nly a man s cvenant, yet when it has been ratified, n ne sets it aside r adds cnditins t it. Paul s argument begins with a human example f cvenants A cvenant is a special frm f relatinship, nce we dn t see tday utside f marriage It is a legally binding agreement similar t cntracts Cvenants had terms and bligatins like a cntract But cvenant s always differed in imprtant aspects as well, and Paul pints thse ut here First, Paul says that nce a cvenant is ratified, n ne sets it aside Paul s referring t a cvenant s mst enduring quality...it endures A cvenant is legally binding fr life There is n cancel buttn n a cvenant T break a cvenant meant paying with yur life S it was said that nly by death des a cvenant cme t an end 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Galatians 3A 16 f 19 This is why Jesus says t divrce and remarry is always adultery A marriage is a type f cvenant befre Gd, and therefre is an agreement that nly cmes t an end when a death ccurs Secndly, Paul says n new cnditins can be added t it It s nt a living agreement, like the US Cnstitutin It is frmed in a mment, accrding t certain terms, and thereafter it remains unchanged S every cvenant must cntinue until its terms cme t pass Nw these limitatins are true event fr a regular, everyday human cvenant, Paul says S why shuld we expect a cvenant set by the Lrd t be any less certain and unchangeable? Will nt Gd hnr His cvenants at least as well as men hnr their cvenants? Certainly, that s the cnclusin we shuld make, and that s the applicatin Paul begins t make starting in the next verse Gal. 3:16 Nw the prmises were spken t Abraham and t his seed. He des nt say, And t seeds, as referring t many, but rather t ne, And t yur seed, that is, Christ. The prmises Paul mentins are thse made in the Abrahamic cvenant The terms f that prmise were given t Abraham persnally and his seed Paul is referring specifically t the mment in Genesis 22 when Gd spke t Abraham Gen. 22:16 and said, By Myself I have swrn, declares the LORD, because yu have dne this thing and have nt withheld yur sn, yur nly sn, Gen. 22:17 indeed I will greatly bless yu, and I will greatly multiply yur seed as the stars f the heavens and as the sand which is n the seashre; and yur seed shall pssess the gate f their enemies. Gen. 22:18 In yur seed all the natins f the earth shall be blessed, because yu have beyed My vice Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Galatians 3A 17 f 19 When the Lrd spke these wrds t Abraham, He used the singular frm f the wrd seed in Hebrew (zera) If Gd had simply meant that Abraham and his ffspring were t receive these things, then Gd wuld have used the plural frm f the wrd seed But Paul says Gd purpsely used the the singular frm f seed because He had a certain Persn in mind, that is Christ These prmises had Christ s arrival in mind, because Christ was the One t fulfill these prmises Nw earlier the Lrd had spken t Abraham abut this same cvenant and said Abraham s descendants wuld receive the blessings In thse earlier presentatins, Gd used a plural wrd fr descendants S the prmises d extend t Abraham s family in the sense f believing Jews But in chapter 22, Gd changed His language t use a singular versin f seed t shw His prmises revlve arund Jesus arrival This was Paul s pint The cvenant given t Abraham was given by a prmise, and that prmise was spken t Abraham and t Christ Until bth Abraham and Christ receive what Gd has prmised in the cvenant, then the cvenant cannt be set aside r changed Psa. 110:1 The LORD says t my Lrd: ı Sit at My right hand ı Until I make Yur enemies a ftstl fr Yur feet. Psa. 110:2 The LORD will stretch frth Yur strng scepter frm Zin, saying, ı Rule in the midst f Yur enemies. Psa. 110:3 Yur peple will vlunteer freely in the day f Yur pwer; In hly array, frm the wmb f the dawn, Yur yuth are t Yu as the dew. Psa. 110:4 The LORD has swrn and will nt change His mind, ı Yu are a priest frever ı Accrding t the rder f Melchizedek Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Galatians 3A 18 f 19 Until Christ is given all that the Lrd prmised fr Abraham and his Seed, the cvenant will remain in frce S then Paul makes the applicatin Gal. 3:17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came fur hundred and thirty years later, des nt invalidate a cvenant previusly ratified by Gd, s as t nullify the prmise. Gal. 3:18 Fr if the inheritance is based n law, it is n lnger based n a prmise; but Gd has granted it t Abraham by means f a prmise. The Law f Mses arrived 430 years after the Lrd spke the prmises f the cvenant t Abraham This later arrival f the Law was the reasn Judaizers claimed that the Law was a requirement fr the believer Their lgic was the Law must be a requirement if the Lrd added it after the prmises spken t Abraham But Paul argues such a cnclusin is impssible given the nature f cvenant Nthing that cmes after an existing cvenant can invalidates a cvenant already in effect Therefre, nthing can nullify the prmises Gd made t Abraham Abraham and Christ were ging t receive the things Gd prmised And thse prmises were n less sure because f the Law s arrival In v.18 Paul brings the argument t a clse We remember that ur salvatin, which include ur inheritance, cmes either by wrks f Law r by the means f Gd s prmise But as we established earlier, these tw things cannt bth be true at the same time Righteusness and the inheritance we receive in the Kingdm cannt be by bth a prmise and by wrks 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Galatians 3A 19 f 19 Either I give yu smething and it is a gift, r yu btain it by earning it fr yurself Smething cannt bth be earned and be a gift S in v.19 Paul says if we gain ur salvatin and with it ur inheritance by keeping the Law, then we cannt als say we gain it as a gift frm Gd We must say that the Law replaces the prmises f Gd But as Paul demnstrated, ur inheritance in the Kingdm was made available t Abraham and all wh fllw him by faith alne S which will it be? Wrking the Law r receiving a prmise? While the issue may be settled in ur hearts, and I hpe it is, still Paul knew this church needed t hear mre Maybe yu have the same questin the church did in Paul s day That questin is why the Law then? If salvatin didn t depend n the Law, why was it given t Israel? As Paul cntinued t teach Israellgy and mves int Ecclesilgy, we ll get ur answer next time 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.