True Life Jesus died in our place, taking on Himself the curse of our sin.

Session 3 True Life Jesus died in our place, taking on Himself the curse of our sin. GALATIANS 3:1-14 Sometimes one person s missteps can cause others to be punished. A sibling may receive punishment for something a brother or sister did. Team members may have run additional sprints because some teammates chose to loaf during practice. Others experienced the consequences though they were not at fault. What would make watching someone receive punishment because of your mistakes so difficult? How can knowing that someone else will be impacted by your actions serve as motivation? 28 Suggested Use Week of September 16

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT GALATIANS 3:1-18 Paul wrote Galatians because the churches there had begun to accept a different gospel that was not good news at all (Gal. 1:7). He even called out Peter, who had refused to eat with the Gentiles because of pressure from some Jewish believers (2:11). He emphasized that everyone Jew and Gentile is justified not by works but by faith in Jesus Christ (2:16). Paul had been a Pharisee of Pharisees, meticulously keeping the law and persecuting those who converted to Christ. He would drag followers of Jesus to prison (Acts 8:3). He had done everything in his power to be justified by the law, but none of it seemed to work. He still was not at peace with God despite his strivings and efforts. If anyone could have been saved by his pursuit of the law, Paul was that person. Yet, salvation came to him in an entirely unexpected way. The same Jesus whom Paul had persecuted appeared to him on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3-5). With pride in himself and his efforts destroyed, Paul realized that only by humble faith could he be saved (9:17). This man who had tried so hard to be justified by works of the law was the perfect one to take the gospel to the Gentiles, but in doing so he would also draw the ire of those who could not grasp the idea that they were justified by faith rather than by works of the law. Throughout Paul s time in Galatia, he battled Jewish legalists who rejected the gospel of salvation by grace through faith. In Iconium, they wanted to stone him (Acts 14:5). In Lystra, Jews from Iconium came and incited the crowds against Paul and Barnabas (14:19). It is not a stretch to think that when Paul left that region, this element in Galatia pressured the Gentiles into embracing a different gospel. As you read Galatians 3:1-14, pay attention to how Jesus fulfilled God s promises to Abraham. How does this passage help us understand God s redemptive plan? Session 3 : True Life 29

EXPLORE THE TEXT THE SPIRIT CONFIRMS IT (GAL. 3:1-5) 1 You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard VERSE 1 In the previous verses (Gal. 2:15-21), Paul identified the problem of abandoning the message of salvation by faith. Now he goes on the offensive. He called the Galatians foolish. This was the word used for those who were capable of thinking yet failed to do so. Earlier Paul had called them brothers (1:11), and later he would call them his children (4:19). Here he highlighted their foolish abandonment of the gospel. The Judaizers had spun a tale of circumcision and religious observance as necessary elements of salvation, and Paul was astonished the Galatians had followed them and believed the death of Christ was insufficient. Jesus was publicly portrayed as crucified, which was a matter of public record. How could they have so quickly abandoned Paul s teaching? VERSES 2-5 Paul asked a series of questions that would remind his readers that salvation was through faith alone. The first of those questions demanded that the Galatians look back at their initial experience of salvation. He asked them at what point did they receive the Spirit. The Galatians did not receive the Spirit by doing works of the law but by believing the gospel Paul preached to them. Having reminded them that they began their Christian experience by the Holy Spirit through faith, Paul told them in verse 3 that the Holy Spirit was sufficient for sanctification or completing the work of salvation in the believer. Keeping the law is not the sign of spiritual maturity in the life of a believer. Rather, the influence of the Spirit in one s life is the sign of maturity. 30 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

What are the dangers of trusting in our own efforts for sanctification? If people are saved by faith, what pressures might cause them to start trusting in works after their salvation? The question Paul asked in verse 4 has two possible interpretations. The Greek word translated experience can mean experience in a general sense or to suffering. If it refers to suffering, then the question would be whether the Galatians had suffered for the gospel, only to return to salvation by works. If so, their suffering would have been in vain. If it is translated in a more general sense of experience, the question would be why they had abandoned faith after receiving so many experiences and blessings through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Some translations favor the former (KJV, ESV), while other translations favor the latter (CSB, NIV). Paul expressed hope that their suffering or experience with the Spirit was not in vain. He hoped that they would come to their senses. The apostle did not believe the situation was hopeless for the Galatians. The question asked in verse 5 covers both salvation and sanctification. God gave them the Spirit at salvation and continued to work miracles among them. They had tasted the Lord by believing the gospel, and God had continued to work among them by caring for them and growing them in their faith. Doing the works of the law was not the reason that God saved them or sanctified them. It was about faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Through this series of questions, Paul challenged the Galatians to look at their initial salvation experience and their continuing walk of sanctification. God saved them and sanctified them as they believed in Jesus. Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit confirmed God justifies a person by faith rather than works. To what scriptural evidence could a person point as proof that he or she has received God s forgiveness? What is the basis of assurance of salvation? Session 3 : True Life 31

ABRAHAM BELIEVED IT (GAL. 3:6-9) 6 just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness? 7 You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham s sons. 8 Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. 9 Consequently those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith. VERSES 6-7 Paul argued that if people were justified by keeping the law, then where did that leave people like Abraham who had no law? Or where did it leave the Gentiles who had no cultural background of the law? According to Genesis 15:6, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. God declared this prior to Abraham s circumcision (Gen. 17:24) and prior to giving the law to Moses. Righteousness means right standing with God. Abraham was not made right with God by his works but by his faith. Like Abraham, we are made right with God not by doing works but by believing God. The specific message that we believe is that Christ was the substitute and atonement for our sin. Paul declared that those who have faith are Abraham s sons. This argument of Paul hit at the heart of the discussion in the early church. Did Gentiles need to convert to Judaism in order to become followers of Christ? Did God require this for them to experience salvation? True children of Abraham were not those who were born into Jewish families or converted to Judaism. Rather, they were those who believed God and were justified by faith and not the law. Why do some people consider themselves Christians because they are born into a Christian family? How do Paul s words here instruct them? VERSES 8-9 Salvation by grace through faith was neither an afterthought of God nor God s plan B. Even before the law was given or Abraham was circumcised, God had declared in the Scriptures that He would 32 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

justify the Gentiles by faith. Before even one sacrificial animal was slain on the altar of burnt offering or one drop of blood was dripped on the Mercy Seat, God already declared that He would open a new way of belief to the Gentiles by faith. In doing so, Paul declared that the Scriptures proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham. Abraham believed the gospel before it was ever enacted. Paul explained that the gospel was inherent in God s promise in Genesis 12:3 that all the nations will be blessed through you. When God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation, he did not do so because Abraham was better or had earned this honor. He did so to be a blessing to all the other nations. The ultimate expression of that blessing was that Jesus came through the lineage of Abraham. Paul concluded his argument with the word consequently. This was the summation of all the questions he asked in the previous verses and the illustration of Abraham. In verse 9, Paul declared that those who have faith experience the same blessing as Abraham who had faith. The gospel was in the heart of God from the beginning. Abraham believed in the Christ who was to come, while the Gentiles of the New Testament believed in the Christ who had already come. From creation to the return of Christ, the way of salvation has always been through faith in Christ, whether believing forward or backward. KEY DOCTRINE: Salvation There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (Eph. 2:8). THE CURSE DEMANDS IT (GAL. 3:10-14) 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. 14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. Session 3 : True Life 33

VERSE 10 Paul taught justification by faith because the Spirit confirmed it and Abraham had believed it. But he also taught that the curse demanded it. Paul stated that all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. The law could not justify the believer; if one tried to keep the law it would only condemn him. Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 to explain, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. Not a single person had kept all of the law at all times, so certainly all were placed under the curse of the law. Curse and wrath were similar ideas in Paul s teaching. They both referred to God s reaction to human sin. Those who tried to keep the law were condemned by the very law they tried to keep because they could not keep it all. This necessitated a work of grace for salvation rather than human effort or achievement. BIBLE SKILL: Observe when and for what purpose a New Testament passage includes an Old Testament quotation. In Galatians 3:11 Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4. Read the passage Paul quoted in its Old Testament context. Begin a search for answers to these questions: What differs about the contexts of the Old Testament and New Testament passages? In what ways are the contexts similar? How does the Old Testament passage assist you to understand better Paul s point? VERSE 11 In addition to Abraham, Paul also pointed to the prophets to make his point that salvation comes through faith. He quoted Habakkuk 2:4, the righteous will live by faith. Not only were the Judaizers wrong in their message to the Galatians, they would have been wrong if they lived in the time of the prophets. The prophets were quick to criticize religious observance that was devoid of faith. The purpose of the law was to show people their need for faith. Faith in the finished work of Christ is the only thing that can enable a person to measure up to God s holy standards. 34 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

VERSE 12 Paul quoted Leviticus 18:5 to show the impossibility of being saved by the law. He said, the one who does these things will live by them. Certainly it is impossible for one to keep the law completely. However, some see in this verse a veiled reference to Christ, who would keep the law at every point. Others will live by Him. Without Jesus perfect obedience of the law, what happened at the cross would have had no saving power. Though we cannot keep the whole law, Jesus did, and He took the punishment for our disobedience. VERSE 13 If everyone falls short of the law and comes under its curse, then how can that curse be reversed? Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. The term redeemed meant to set someone free from slavery or debt. Jesus paid the penalty of the curse. Jesus redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us. He was the way God would pour out the just punishment of sin on sinners and still allow them to go free. Jesus took the curse of sin upon Himself, as it says in Deuteronomy 21:23, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. Jesus was born under the law but He did not transgress it and did not deserve its penalty. Instead, He went to the cross as our substitute and sacrifice and took the full brunt of God s punishment for our sin. VERSE 14 Paul listed two purposes for which Christ redeemed humanity. First, so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus. Again, God did not choose Abraham because of his works. Rather, through Abraham s faith, God brought a tremendous blessing to the Gentiles. Second, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. God desired to place His Spirit within the believer. Instead of a person trying to keep the law by human effort, Christians can now rely on the Spirit of God who dwells within them to show them how to live and to give them the power to do so. What does trusting in Jesus produce in a person s life? Session 3 : True Life 35

IN MY CONTEXT The transforming presence and work of the Holy Spirit in believers serves as evidence for justification by faith and the inability of human effort to save. Only people who come to God in faith are justified. Trusting in the law and our own goodness brings judgment. Trusting in Jesus brings redemption. What are some of the evidences of the Holy Spirit s presence in your life as a result of faith in Jesus Christ? How can your Bible study group engage people who are trusting in things other than the grace of God and teach them about justification by faith? Do you know someone who believes a person can earn entrance into heaven? What insights from this passage can help you explain the truth to that person? Prayer Needs 36 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide