ELNORA’S BIBLE STUDY WITH FRIENDS, Galatians 3, Saturday, April 19, 2025

 

        

Context for Chapter 3

In Galatians chapter 2, Paul declared that we can only be justified—'' made right with God''—by faith in Christ and not by following the law of Moses. In chapter 3, Paul offers three arguments for why that is true. He argues from the Galatians' own experience, from the Scriptures themselves, and from the legal standpoint of a covenant contract. Finally, Paul answers what the law is for if it cannot save us from our sin. In part, it reveals our sinfulness and convinces us of our need to be saved by faith in Christ. Chapter 4 will expand on what it means to be an ''heir,'' spiritually.  (https://www.bibleref.com/Galatians/3/Galatians-chapter-3.html)

The Law and Faith in Christ, Verses 1-14, TBD

1Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced[a] so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[b] 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[c] 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. 10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”[d] 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”[e] 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[g] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[h] Holy Spirit through faith.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

^{1. Why do you think Paul uses such strong language to describe the Galatians?}

^{2. Should we speak like this?}

^{3. Point of Application: In verse 1, Paul asked, "Who has cast an evil spell on you?' It was such a shock to him that they had been led astray to the point that it seemed as if they had been 'bewitched'. How can you avoid being led astray?} 

^{4. In verse 3, Paul says, "How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives, by the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own effort? What is he saying to the Galatians?} 

^{5. What do you think this scripture means when it says that righteousness was credited to Abraham?} 

^{6. When can we say God established this "salvation by faith" principle?}

^{7. The Jews took great pride in their ancestry. They believed they were special because they were children of Abraham. And they thought that they deserved God's favor, blessings, and even salvation because of their lineage. According to Galatians 3:7, who are the real children of Abraham?} 

^{8. Thought for Reflection: How has your faith in Christ changed your life? God called Abraham to obey Him by going to a new land. What have you had to give up? Is there something more God is calling you to do to follow Him?}

The Law and God's Promise, Verses 15-22, DESTINY

15 Dear brothers and sisters,[i] here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.[j] And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,[k]” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. 19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. 21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?[l] Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

^{SECTION QUESTIONS:} 

^{9. We have learned that God has given this covenant agreement to Abraham and all of his descendants from the beginning. So, why was the law of Moses required to avoid the curse of God? Deuteronomy 27:26 says, "Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by not carrying them out."}

^{10. Does the curse of God still exist today?}

God's Children Through Faith, Verses 23-29, TEANNIE

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 For you are all children[m] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.[n] 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile,[o] slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children[p] of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

SECTION QUESTIONS: 

11. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - what does this mean? 

12. Thought for Reflection: God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God’s Word will stand. His promises are sure. Between the promise to Abraham and the fulfillment at the time of Christ, around 2000 years passed. But God did not forget His promise. Now it has been almost 2000 years since Christ ascended into heaven, but all His promises are just as sure today as they were when He first made them. His second coming is just as certain now as it was then. Time and future events do not alter God’s plans. 

13.  Point of Application: We can therefore be confident and trust in God. We must never forget the promises He makes to us. Let’s not become complacent and ill-prepared for His second coming. We must remain focused and steadfast in His Word.

14. Can the Law be seen as the opposite of God's promises? (Why or Why not?)

15. Verses 28 and 29: How does reading these scriptures make you feel? 

16. Thought for Reflection: The verses here are very important. They teach us the truth that God values all people equally. We are all the same in God’s eyes. We are all the children of Abraham through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are all equal heirs or recipients of God’s promises. It does not matter if you are a descendant of the Jewish nation or not. You are an equal heir to the promises of God. The slave is as equal an heir as the free. Male or female, makes no difference in the eyes of God. Poor or rich, it does not matter. European or African, who cares? God does not. The genius or the mentally disabled have equal worth in the eyes of our God. 

17. Point of Application: We should not have prejudice or bias in our interactions with others. There is no room for racism of any kind in the church. There is no room for separatism. There is no room for slander or rejection. There is no room for strife. We are not better than others because we may have a more prominent role, and we are not worse than others just because our roles may be less recognized. The bottom line is, we should always be humble and treat others as more important than ourselves.

Confessions for Galatians, Chapter 3

 "Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ." (Galatians 3:1-2) 

Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus took the full punishment for my sins on the Cross. I am so thankful that my salvation is not based on the good things that I do to please You, but on the good work that Christ did on the Cross on my behalf. Keep me from trying to add to Christ's finished work on the Cross, but may I live my life in a manner that is pleasing to You, as I die to self and live for Christ.

"So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law." (Galatians 3:9-10) 

Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your love, You convicted me of sin, pursued me with Your love, saved me by grace through faith in Christ, and brought me into the family of God. Thank you that, like faithful Abraham, I am clothed with Your righteousness, by grace through faith. Heavenly Father, thank You that I am saved by grace through faith. Help me also to live by grace through faith and not by works of the Law carried out through my own merit. Help me to live as You intended man to live, in utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus, in the same way that He lived His life in utter dependence upon You. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

 "God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.[a] And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,[b]” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people." (Galatians 3:16,19)

Heavenly Father, thank You that in Christ, the promise given to Abraham has been realized, and that in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, young and old, male and female, bond and free, are blessed through Him, for He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Heavenly Father, thank You that Christ was placed under the sentence of death that the Law required on my account. And thank you that He also died unto sin so that I am released from the judicial sentence that the Law has passed on me. In Christ, I am dead to sin and dead to the Law, and in Him I have been raised into newness of life and clothed in His righteousness. To Him be all praise and glory, forever and ever, AMEN. 

“And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.[a]  There is no longer Jew or Gentile,[b] slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28)

Heavenly Father, thank You that all believers have been united together with Christ and identified with Him through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the moment we first believed. Thank You that He is our Comforter and Councillor Who has bestowed on us eternal blessings of grace. Thank You that as members of Christ's Body, we have the peace of God in our hearts, the life of Christ in our souls, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Heavenly Father, thank You that I am a member of Christ’s Body and accepted in Him. I have been redeemed and forgiven, and made a child of God, through time and into eternity. Thank You that we are all one in Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/3