The Antidote to Perfection
The Galatians were living the life… The Christian life! But the Judaizers came and told them that being saved by grace was not the end. Once you had accepted Jesus as your saviour, you had to follow the law of circumcision and of Moses to remain in good standing with God. When we say it out loud like that, it seems absurd! But is it? That’s very much what many churches today preach. “If your faith was stronger, you’d be well.” And of course, we all feel compelled to work for God in some way or another. In today’s scripture, Paul continues to make a resolute argument for Justification and Sanctification through Christ alone. It's such an important message in today’s world, so enjoy it!
Scripture
Galatians 3:6-14 - ESV (6) just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (7) Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. (8) 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.” (9) So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (10) For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (11) Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” (12) But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” (13) 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”— (14) so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Bible Study Questions
Abraham’s example
Last week, Paul was calling the Galatians out for following a false doctrine and that it was folly on their part because they already have the gift, why try to act like you know more? Today, Paul makes a brilliant pivot and refers to Abraham as proof for the fact that you can’t be saved by the law, rather faith alone. Why do you think he does this?
Galatians 3:6 ESV just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Genesis 15:6 ESV And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
The faith that made Abraham right with God
Even to this day, Abraham is lauded by the Jews as the “father of the faith” and the father of their ancestors. He is respected and revered for his righteousness. And yet, he lived before the law even came into existence! Profound! How was Abraham righteous?
Galatians 3:6 ESV just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Genesis 15:5-6 ESV And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (6) And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
How can we be Abraham’s sons?
Paul says that those of us who are of faith will be counted as sons of Abraham. What does it mean to be a son of Abraham, and what do we have to do to become a son of Abraham?
Galatians 3:7 ESV Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
Colossians 1:12-13 ESV Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Abraham preaches the Gospel!
In verse 8, Paul says that Abraham preached the Gospel! How can this be, Abraham lived approximately 1,500 years before Christ?
Galatians 3:8 ESV 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.”
Genesis 22:10-12 ESV Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. (11) But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (12) He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.
Perfection leads to destruction
In verse 10, Paul pivots again, to bolster his argument from another angle. He says that going down the road of work means that we have to work perfectly. Why is this a problem? To who’s standards of perfection do we have to keep, if we want to work for our sanctification?
Galatians 3:10 ESV For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Isaiah 64:6 ESV We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Romans 7:18-25 ESV 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
The antidote to perfectionism
Paul closes his argument by saying that it is only through Jesus Christ that we are saved and stay saved. In this particular verse, Paul refers to the curse that Jesus endured. When you read this scripture what new light does it bring to mind on the work of Christ?
Gal 3:13 ESV 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”—
Deuteronomy 21:23 ESV his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.
The blessing we share with Abraham
In his closing, Paul tells us we share in the blessings of Abraham. In light of what we learnt today, what are those blessings?
Galatians 3:13-14 ESV 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”— (14) so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Revelation 20:6 ESV Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
James 4:7 ESV Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Ephesians 4:8-10 ESV Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)