Galatians 3:15-25

What is a Covenant?

Defining “Covenant”

• A Covenant is a declaration by the Sovereign regarding a unilateral promise to his people.

o A Covenant is NOT a Contract or a Treaty (negotiated between two “equal” parties.)

Quote: “The Covenants form the unifying thread of God’s saving action through Scripture.” - Unknown Source

The 6 Key Covenants God made with Israel 

1. The Adamic Covenant – Re: Sin – Curses and Provision  (See: Genesis 3:15-19).

2. The Noahic Covenant – Never flood the earth again (See: Genesis 3:15-19)

3. The Abrahamic Covenant – Salvation is for ALL peoples (See: Genesis 12:2-3)

4. The Mosaic Covenant – The Law  (See: Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

5. The Davidic Covenant – The Promise of a Messiah  (See: 2 Samuel 7:11b-13; Luke 1:22-23)

6. The New Covenant – Eternal forgiveness and life through Messiah (See: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:14-22)

Galatians 3:15-25

Law vs. Covenant (v. 15-18)

** Understanding the Relationship between the Law and Covenant is like comparing...

• works vs. grace

• obligation vs. promise

• “salary” vs. inheritance

• contract vs. gift

  Point: You cannot set aside the Covenants as they are not bound by Law. Only God can change the Covenant.

  
  

  The Purpose of the Law (v. 19-25)

  ** The Law...

  ...does NOT

  • set aside or negate the Covenant (v. 17)

  • contradict the Promise (v. 21a)

  • impart life (v. 21b)

    ...does

  • teach about sin (v. 19a, 22) – See: 1 Timothy 1:8-11

  • point to Jesus (v. 19 – the “promise referred”)

  • hold us “prisoners” until faith is revealed (v. 23) – See: Romans 6:15-23

  • ULTIMATELY: lead us to Christ (v. 24 – “lead us” = Gk: “pedagogue” = trainer of boys)

    – See: 2 Timothy 3:14-15

    Essential Teachings:

1. The Jews were not born again through the Law but were brought up by the Law.

2. The Law does not give life, but regulates it to teach us about righteousness until faith is activated.

3. Once faith is activated through grace, the Law becomes antiquated, moot... it cannot increase righteousness since it could never impart righteousness.

   
   
   

   
   

Faith Fellowship Boca · Galatians 3:15-25

Galatians 3:1-14

Galatians 3:1-14 

Attention Grabber – “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”

– Galatians 3:1

“Bewitching” (Gk: baskaino) – to beguile, enchant, mesmerize with evil intent 

** Bewitching Agents:

• News Media

• Social Media

• Celebrities

• Satan

• Our “Flesh”

The Result:  Foolishness = literally: not thinking

• = figuratively: stupid, intellectually lazy, unwilling to engage the mind

Practices for Staying Unbewitched in a Bewitching Culture

Practice 1 - Choose faithful sources.

Galatians 3:1b-2 – “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard?”

“Clearly Portrayed” = Placarded, publicly exhibited

Point: Trusting any other source before or contrary to the Bible is dangerous and unwise.

Practice 2 – Practice zero tolerance deviation.

Galatians 3:3 – “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”

Point: The Salvation Process begins and ends with Grace, not works.

C. S. Lewis – “An open mind, in questions that are not ultimate, is useful. But an open mind about ultimate foundations either of Theoretical or Practical Reason is idiocy. If a man’s mind is open on these things, let his mouth at least be shut.”

Practice 3 – Follow faithful examples.

Galatians 3:6-7 – “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.”

Note 1: Abraham preceded Moses (and, therefore, the Law) by 430 years! ...yet...Abraham was saved.

Note 2: Abraham was saved before he was circumcised.

Genesis 17:24 – “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised.”

Galatians 3:8 – “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

Point: The best role models point us to grace.

Practice 4 – Remember Facts...reject opinion.

John R. W. Stott – “The law requires works of human achievement; the gospel requires faith in Christ’s achievement. The law makes demands and bids us obey; the gospel brings promises and bids us believe.”

** Here are the essential “facts” Paul wants noted:

v. 1b – Jesus crucified in the crux of our salvation

v. 9 – Faith activates God’s blessings.

vs. 10 – Law = Cursing; Faith = blessing

v. 11 – “The righteous will live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

Helpful Questions to Discern Fact from Opinion:

1. To what degree do I find this new teaching present and illustrated in Scripture?

2. Does this new teaching emphasize faith instead of works for salvation?

3. Does the life of this new teacher consistently model, not only what he/she teaches, but

   what Christ taught?

The Bottom Line – “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

- Galatians 3:14

Galatians 2:1-21

Conflict in the Church

Galatians 2:1-21

“To triumph fully, evil needs two victories, not one. The first victory happens when an evil deed is perpetrated; the second victory, when evil is returned.”

- Miroslav Volf (Croatian Theologian)

I. Conflict with Fake Christians – Galatians 2:1-5

Key Verse (2:5) – “We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.”

Principle: Do not give one inch to those who would destroy the church. ... “We did not give in to them for a moment...”

Application: Attack the policy not the person. ... “so that the truth of the Gospel...”

II. Conflict with the Majority – Galatians 2:6-10

Principle: Every faithful believer is equally important in God’s plan.

v. 8 – “For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.”

Application: Find common ground.

v. 10 – “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

III. Conflict with the Leader – Galatians 2:11-15

Principle: Leaders are accountable, too.

v. 11 – “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.”

Application: Treat everyone equally.

v. 16b – “So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

IV. Conflict with False Teachings – Galatians 2:17-21

Principle: Protect the integrity of the Gospel at all cost.

v. 18 – “If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker.”

Application: Maintain a no compromise approach.

v. 21 – “I do not set aside the grace of God...”

Conclusion: Finally...for whom do you live?

v. 20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The Difference? – the Love and Sacrifice of Christ overwhelm me.

                    *********************************

A Quick Word about “Justification”

** Justification, simply put, means that God declares a sinner right with himself.

• It is an act of God whereby he declares a sinner right with him because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

• Justification does not excuse our sin, ignore our sin, or endorse our sin. Rather, our sin is fully punished, Christ having taken our penalty for us. He was our substitute (see: 1 Peter 3:18).

  o Because the wrath of God is satisfied in Christ (see: Isaiah 53:4–6), we are free from condemnation (see: Romans 8:1), and God remains both “fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (see: Romans 3:26, NLT).

• Justification is NOT a process...it gives an immediate change of status with God for the recipient

• Justification changes the status of the sinner (i.e.: from condemned and cursed to beloved and

  saved), not the content of the sinner’s heart.

• Justification comes apart from the Law and is realized through faith in Jesus Christ, alone (see:

  Romans 3:21-26)

• In justification, God “imputes” the right standing of Jesus Christ onto the sinner (see: 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Faith Fellowship Boca · Galatians 2:1-21

Galatians 1:11-24

Paul’s Calling

Galatians 1:11-24

“Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavors, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is God.”

- Pastor Tim Keller

I. Paul’s Calling is to Preach the Gospel – Galatians 1:11-12

** Denial of 3 Possible Sources of the Gospel

 Comes not from “man” 

o Point: Paul didn’t invent this Gospel - Not according to “man”

o Point: Paul received this Gospel from Jesus himself - Not taught by “man”

o Point: The Gospel is not something humans are doing...it’s of God. 

 Point: Paul’s source is God himself...through revelation

Either on the road to Damascus – see Acts 26:12-18

Or during his time to Arabia – See Galatians 1:17-18

William Barclay – “God sends every individual into the world with a part to play in his purpose.

II. Paul’s Calling and his “Credentials” – Galatians 1:13-14

Oswald Chambers - “The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him. The one aim of the call of God is the satisfaction of God, not a call to do something for Him.”

** Before Jesus, Paul confused his Calling with his Credentials.

• Paul’s Jewish credentials are impeccable (see also Acts 22:2-5; Philippians 3:3-6)

o Persecutor of the church - See Acts 22:4-5

o Climbing the ranks of the Pharisees more quickly than his peers – see: Acts 22:3 o “Zealous” = radical in fulfilling and enforcing the Law

Point: Paul’s had been a fanatic in defending the Law.

 III. Paul’s Calling began a New Obedience – Galatians (1:15-17)

Truth: A Calling from Jesus always begins with an Encounter with Jesus. Note: 

God knew his plan for Paul and set him apart “from birth”...

...this “pre-natal calling” confirms what the Psalmist says in Psalm 139:13-16 –

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

IV. Paul’s Calling Transforms his Reputation – Galatians 1:18-24

The Result (see: vs. 23-24): “They only heard the report: ‘The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.”

Point: All of the evildoers could not change what God was doing.

Application: What can you learn about your calling?

** Martin Luther on a Christian’s Calling

“The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays – not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

The Takeaways from Paul’s Calling:

1. The Significance of your life is discovered in God’s calling.

2. The Impact of your life is in fulfilling God’s calling.

3. The Key to your calling is revealed only by Jesus.

   
    

Faith Fellowship Boca · Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:6-10

Galatians 1:6-10

The Rebuke Begins

The Purpose of the Law: to overcome sin practices until salvation came in Messiah.

See: Galatians 3:19; 2 Timothy 3:14-15

The Opposition: Judaizers

• In order for a Christian to truly be right with God, he/she must conform to the Mosaic Law. o Specifically, men must be circumcised.

• At the Jerusalem Council (see: Acts 15) a group of Judaizers opposed Paul and Barnabas. Paul made the case that, in Christ, there was no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile, for God had purified the hearts of the Gentiles by faith.

• Paul’s point: To add anything to the completed work that Christ did for salvation is to negate God’s grace.

  2 Contemporary Groups similar to Judaizers: 

  Hebrew Roots Movement and the Roman Catholic Church

• Hebrew Roots Movement –

  o Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.
  o Therefore, followers of Jesus should include the practices of the Law, as Jesus did.

• Roman Catholic –

o Catholics have always held that the sacraments are necessary for salvation.

o At the Council of Trent in the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church explicitly denied the idea of salvation by faith alone.

o Vatican II (1962-1965) – “For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help towards salvation, that the fulness of the means of salvation can be obtained.”

o Yet, the Bible is clear...we are not saved by the church or by our works but by God’s grace

– “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Galatians 1:6-7a – The Rebuke

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all.

• “Deserting” – verb tense indicates that the Galatians are in the middle of the process...the final outcome was still in question

Point: Paul’s amazement is that the Galatians are repeating a sin of the past.

Galatians 1:7b – The Charge

Galatians 1:7b – “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

2 Purposes of False Teaching:

1. Confusion in the body – “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion...”

“Confusion” = literally: to stir up or agitate (see: John 5:4)

figuratively: to disturb, distress or confuse (see: John 11:33; 1 Peter 3:13-15) 

 

2. Redefining the Gospel – “...and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” 

Point: Satan’s plan is to question everything of God...to create doubt or distress.

 Galatians 1:8-9 – The Condemnation

• “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”

Ways People Pervert the Gospel Today:

Weakening – calling historical events myths or contextualizing truths

Diluting – teaching half-truths and moral relativism instead of moral absolutes.

Misrepresenting – ascribing attributes to God and the Gospel that make it more acceptable.

Syncretism – blending the Gospel with other religious activities

Falsifying – flat out mis-teaching of the Bible...usually for personal gain.

Galatians 1:10 – The Motivation

** Paul’s Critics accused him of... 

1. ...watering down the Gospel.

a. By omitting the Law as a means of salvation. 

2. ...easy “believism”.

a. He did not include the Law as necessary for salvation. 

3. ...playing to the crowd to make salvation popular.

a. Paul was allegedly trying to please men and not God.

Point: You must choose: the gospel of grace Paul preached or the “gospel” of works preached by perverters.

Kirk McCormick · Galatians 1:6-10

Galatians: Introduction and 1:1-5

Introduction

Setting

1. The History of “Galatia"

• Founded by Celts - from British Islands – who invaded and conquered Greece in the early 3rd Century BC

• “Galatia” comes from the Latin, Gallo which is the equal to the Greek: Keltai (“Celts”)

  
  
  
  
  
  

2. Specifically, in 230BC, Attalus I, king of Pergamum, defeated the Celts, restricting them to a small area around modern day Ankarra (capital of Turkey)

3. In 189BC, Rome conquered the region.

4. By 25BC, “Galatia” expanded and referred to the region from modern day Lebanon, along the Mediterranean up to and including Turkey.

Authorship: Paul...no dispute at all! Date: Likely around 52AD

• Written sometime between the Council of Jerusalem (48-49AD) and Paul’s final visit to Jerusalem where he was arrested and taken to Rome (58AD).

• “Galatians” was written while Paul was in Corinth (~52AD), making it a “twin” with the letter to the church in Rome (aka: “Romans”)

Themes:

1. Freedom vs. License in Christ

   Freedom means the constraints of the Law are no longer paramount because our hearts are now constrained by a higher authority: Jesus.

2. Compromise: Obedience to the Gospel vs. Adding the Law (i.e.: Grace + Works = Salvation)

   Paul’s main point: Grace does not lead believers away from the Law into “nothing”, but into Christ.

3. “Blasphemy”: Embracing the full Gospel vs. Attributing a False Teaching to God

   Some were teaching an entirely “different Gospel” – which was not the Gospel at all. But they were teaching it as if it came from God though it contradicted

   
   

   The “Certainties” of Paul’s Authority

1. Paul is certain that God commissioned him to this ministry to the Gentiles.

Galatians 1:1 – “Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father...”

Note: Inherent in this certainty is another: Paul is certain that God had spoken to him.

2. Paul is certain that the Gospel is centered in Grace that leads to Peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:3 – “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...”

Philippians 3:4-6 – “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”

3. Paul is certain that Grace does what the Law cannot do: Rescue us from Sin!

Galatians 1:3-4 – “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age...”

The Point: Any other teaching is contrary to the Gospel!

Application Questions:

1. Will the church fight to defend God’s revealed Word? 

• Antidote: Expect resistance and persecution.

2. Will Christians fall into the traps of Compromise and/or Contradiction?

• Antidote: Live according to God’s revealed Word...nothing else! ... not philosophies, feelings, arguments or opinions

Kirk McCormick · Galatians - Introduction and 1:1-5

Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation

“The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.” 

Richard Sibbes

- 16th Century Anglican Theologian

Cry of Repentance (vs. 1-2)

 

Psalm 130: 1-2 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”

 

“Mercy” – the bridge that spans the Pit and God

 

·      Psalmist acknowledges he is asking for what he does NOT deserve – Mercy.

·      Yet he knows his God...who is rich in mercy.

 

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

 

“Repentance” = Activator of Mercy’s restoration

 

·      Psalmist admits he’s in the “depths”

o   “Out of the Depths” = the natural consequence (most common expression) that sin leads us

 

·      Usually associated with Death or a Grave Situation...

 

...sometimes caused by other people...

...sometimes the result of our sin.

 

Holman Commentary – “When confession of sin and repentance are real, they will not be mumbled in a casual, halfhearted manner. True repentance always has an element of brokenness, a feeling of guilt that must be cleansed. His cry for mercy is a confession of sin, seeking forgiveness from God.”

 

App: As we come to the Table tonight, we come because God is merciful... 

 

...not wanting to give us what we deserve...

 

...but willing to show us his grace.

 

Cry of Forgiveness (vs. 3-4)

 

Psalm 130: 3-4 “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”

 

Application: Too often we blame other people or things for our “depths”.

 

Genesis 3:12 – The man said, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

 

** Good News...God keeps no record of sin!

 

·      Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

·      Psalm 130:3 – the rhetorical “if” ... “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness.”

 

Cry of Anticipation (vs. 5-6)

 

Psalm 130: 5-6 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

 

“Wait” = connotes active anticipation.

 

Point: The assurance of forgiveness frees the Psalmist to actively seek the blessings of God.

 

App: Stuck in bondage? ...not feeling free?

 

...You are likely not fully assured of forgiveness!

 

Cry of Confidence (vs. 7-8)

 

Psalm 130: 7-8 – “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”

 

** “Waiting” has its fruit = Hope (i.e.: confidence)

 

** What is our Hope?   From the Heidelberg Catechism

 

Question 1: What is your only comfort in life and death?

 

Answer 1: That I am not my own, ¹but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, ² to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. ³ He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, ⁴ and has set me free from all the power of the devil. ⁵ He also preserves me in such a way ⁶ that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; ⁷ indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. ⁸ Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life ⁹ and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him. ¹⁰

 

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

2. Romans 14:7-9.

3. 1 Corinthians 3:23; Titus 2:14.

4. 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7; 2:2.

5. John 8:34-36; Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:8.

6. John 6:39, 40; 10:27-30; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 1:5.

7. Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18.

8. Romans 8:28.

9. Romans 8:15, 16; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

10. Romans 8:14.

Kirk McCormick · Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation