Further Thought: “Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His … [Click to read more …]
(Gal. 3:9-14) Paul’s opponents were no doubt stunned by his bold words in Galatians 3:10. They certainly did not think themselves to be under a curse; if anything, they expected to be blessed for their obedience. Yet, Paul is unequivocal: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for … [Click to read more …]
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’ ” (Gal. 3:8, ESV). Paul writes that not only was the gospel preached to Abraham, but it was God who preached it; so, it must have been the true gospel. … [Click to read more …]
Why do you think Paul first appeals to Abraham as he looks to the Scriptures to validate his gospel message? (Gal. 3:6). Abraham was a central figure in Judaism. Not only was he the father of the Jewish race, but Jews in Paul’s time also looked to him as the prototype of what a true Jew … [Click to read more …]
So far, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul has defended his gospel of justification by faith by appealing to the agreement reached with the apostles in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:1-10) and to the personal experience of the Galatians themselves (Gal. 3:1-5). Beginning in Galatians 3:6, Paul now turns to the testimony of Scripture for the final and ultimate confirmation … [Click to read more …]
Read Galatians 3:1-5. Summarize below what Paul is saying to them. In what sense could we be in danger of falling into the same spiritual pitfall, of starting out right and then falling into legalism? Several modern translations have tried to capture the sense of Paul’s words in verse 1 about the “foolish” Galatians. The … [Click to read more …]
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 3:1-14, Rom. 1:2, Rom. 4:3, Gen. 15:6, Gen. 12:1-3, Lev. 17:11, 2 Cor. 5:21. Memory Text: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’ ” (Galatians 3:13, ESV). A little boy had made a little boat, all … [Click to read more …]
Further Thought: “The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point. The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has … [Click to read more …]
One of the main accusations against Paul was that his gospel of justification by faith alone encouraged people to sin see (Rom. 3:8, Rom. 6:1). No doubt the accusers reasoned that if people do not have to keep the law to be accepted by God, why should they be concerned with how they live? Luther, too, faced … [Click to read more …]
Paul makes it clear that faith absolutely is foundational to the Christian life. It is the means by which we lay hold of the promises we have in Christ. But what is faith exactly? What does it involve? What do the following texts teach us about the origin of faith? Gen. 15:5; John 3:14-16; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Gal. 5:6. Genuine … [Click to read more …]
