“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. … Continue reading –>
For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— Galatians 4:24 NKJV What did Paul mean by Mount Sinai? Many believe he was referring to the Ten Commandments. Was he? Paul speaks favorably of the Ten Commandments in Ephesians 6, and I doubt he would … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Abraham’s faith in God’s promises counted him as righteous. The same gift of righteousness is available for us today who share Abraham’s faith. Lesson 5, July 29, 2017 1. Have a volunteer read Galatians 3:6-8. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. … Continue reading –>
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 … Continue reading –>
The memory text for this weeks’ lesson study instantly brings to mind Hymn 337 or 338, “Redeemed! How I Love to Proclaim It”. This theme continues in Thursday’s lesson study. We are redeemed by Christ. In Sunday’s lesson, it appears the Galatians have forgotten what Hymn 237, “In the cross of Christ I glory” says. … Continue reading –>
Old Testament faith. Was faith in the Old Testament different from faith in the New? Are you, a commandment-keeping follower of Christ, a works-oriented Christian? Or can commandment keeping be acts of faith? What makes the difference? Paul seems just a bit upset with Christians in Galatia and he told them they were under “the curse … Continue reading –>
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 … Continue reading –>
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 … Continue reading –>
If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15 NLT Jesus didn’t say, “if you want to go to heaven, obey my commandments.” He did not say, “if you don’t want to go to hell, obey my commandments.” Okay we already knew all that, but while studying Monday’s lesson about the works of the law, … Continue reading –>
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 … Continue reading –>
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 … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Justification by Faith Alone” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath … Continue reading –>
