Galatians 3:1-9

Galatians 3:1-9“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? 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? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 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. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

The Galatians were in danger of turning to the newest and latest teacher. One of the hardest things of Christian living is keeping it up day after day. In the beginning it’s new and exciting. After awhile sometimes it may get tedious. One of the greatest acts the Holy Spirit does for us is teaching us to persist.

Paul reminds the Galatians that when they received the Holy Spirit they received it by believing the gospel, not obeying the law. Most of the Galatians were not Jews and wouldn’t have even known the law. Paul points them to a man who embodied faith. Abraham.

This was the man God promised that in him all families of the earth would be blessed. Abraham pleased God. And it wasn’t because he obeyed the laws. Remember this was over 400 years before the laws! It was by taking God at His Word, trusting Him completely and abandoning all earthly things.

The Jews relied on the promise of this blessing. They were physical descendents of Abraham. But, Paul changes all that. He says the real descendent of Abraham is any person who makes the same declaration of faith as Abraham did. Therefore Christians are spiritual descendents of Abraham.



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