The Promise of the Spirit—Galatians 3:1–14

The Promise of the Spirit

February 12, 2012

Lesson: Galatians 3:1–14

Key Verse: Galatians 3:14

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Introduction

Paul speaks of “the blessing of Abraham,” that it “might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:14). We have the promise of the Spirit in Joel (2:28–29): “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” This is a spiritual blessing; which, therefore, the Gentiles will receive by the same Spirit; this same Spirit spoken of by Isaiah (44:3): “I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.” Christ, the Son of God, spoke of this blessing: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: by tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49); which was fulfilled at the day of Pentecost: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). It is this same Spirit who blesses the spiritual seed of Abraham, Jew and Gentile: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (Joel 2:32). Paul preaches Christ alone as the Savior: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:11–13).

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Foolish Saints—Galatians 3:1–5

“O foolish Galatians,” writes Paul to the congregations of Galatia. A ‘fool’ is one who is seen as being without intelligence; they are disordered in their mind. When they should be wise, they act as being fools. Paul began his epistle to these saints in Galatia with this benediction, which set their eyes upon Christ: “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil word, according to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:3–4). Did Christ die for nothing? He died for those who bore His name. “Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you.” To “obey the truth” reminds the saints that the Gospel has been presented, set forth before their eyes, that they may be ‘convinced’ of the truth: “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” We who have been convinced that it is by grace that we have been saved through faith, and not of our fleshly obedience to the law: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Paul continues to raise the question, “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain?” Is wisdom pushed aside that the flesh should be our guide? The saints were being persecuted. And they had stood firm. Should we turn to the ways of the flesh and make our deeds our strength against the ways of the wicked? Paul “tells them that they had begun in the Spirit, but now were seeking to be made perfect by the flesh; they had embraced the doctrine of the gospel, by means of which they had received the Spirit, and wherein only the true way of justification is revealed. And thus they had begun well; but now they were turning to the law, and expected to be advanced to higher degrees of perfection by adding the observance of it to faith in Christ, in order to their justification, which could end in nothing but their shame and disappointment” (Matthew Henry).

Paul asks the saints to look to those who are true ministers and not those whose end is to “bewitch (malign)” them: “He therefore that ministers to you in the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Paul “warns them that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in which they excelled, are the fruits of the gospel, of that gospel which had been preached among them by his own lips” (Calvin). Paul expressed the glory of the preaching of the Gospel in these words: “And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15). Those who minister to the saints as under-shepherds of Christ the Good Shepherd, must be faithful to the truth of the Gospel; true students of the heavenly truths as God has given them: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Discussion: What does it mean to obey the truth?

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Children of Abraham—Galatians 3:6–9

Paul continues to lead the saints in the truth that one is saved by faith alone: “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Abraham had received a vision whereby the Lord spoke to him, saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen. 15:1). Abraham understood that the blessings of the Lord came upon a generation that would continue on to the coming generations. Therefore he asked of the Lord, “Behold, to me thou has given no seed.” The Lord replied, “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” In the vision, the Lord led Abraham’s eyes to see the glory of His promise: “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” It is at this point that Abraham “believed in the Lord; and (the Lord) counted it to him for righteousness.” Paul understood the meaning of being counted “for righteousness,” writing by the Spirit: “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on (god) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:4–5). And, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (4:13).

Therefore, as the spiritual seed of Abraham, we are of those who believe and are counted as righteous: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Therefore we preach the same Gospel that was preached to and through Abraham: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Therefore, we see the glory of God’s congregation, which spans the generations of the Old and New Testament saints: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Eph. 4:4–7). To be called children of Abraham is to know the wonderful Gospel of grace: “That in the ages to come (God) might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:7–8).

Discussion: What does it mean to be called the children of Abraham?

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The Just Live by Faith—Galatians 3:10–14

Paul understands the disparity of being under the law or under faith: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.” The law demands man to act or to labor in obedience to that which is written; deeds of righteousness fulfilling all that the law demands. Scripture teaches us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God: to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:23–26). We therefore acknowledge that we are sinners, unable to fulfill the law’s demands; and we cannot show ourselves justified before the judgment seat of our Creator. Our redemption is not in our hands but in the heart of our Father in heaven, who alone can declare us as righteous in the Son who took our place before the judgment seat of God. He declared that “the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” In other words, if we were able to obey the law of God faithfully, we would be living by them, each one, without exception.

However, we are unable to live by the law, for the law condemns us as law-breakers. Therefore we need a Saviour who can stand in our stead and redeem us from our transgressions, from the curse of eternal punishment, by taking that punishment on our behalf: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Calvin gives us this understanding, that Christ “was the unspotted Lamb of God, full of blessing and of grace;” and that “he placed himself in our room, and thus became a sinner, and subject to the curse, not in himself indeed, but in us, yet in such a manner, that it became necessary for him to occupy our place.” Christ testified to the Pharisees: “When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me; that Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28–29). The Father continued to love the Son and was pleased with Him as He took upon Himself the curse of our disobedience and, therefore, our transgressions. Christ our Savior has freed us from the wrath of God, whereby we know the love of God. Therefore we preach Christ crucified and risen: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

The result of so great a salvation in Christ is “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” In Christ we are justified to come into the household of God; Justification being “an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone” (S.C. # 33). Let us therefore be faithful in the hearing and doing of the Word of God; to live by faith, convinced of the truth of the grace of God in Christ; to be ready to repent as the Spirit convinces us of our sin; and to be always thankful for the comfort and love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Discussion: What does it mean to live by faith?

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Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2012 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.