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Living by Law vs.

Relying on Faith

Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

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Gen 15:6 – Abraham Believed God…

Romans 4

v2-5 Works leaves no room for Grace

– it earns it’s wages

Faith alone is what Justified Abraham

v9-10 Righteousness reckoned when Abraham was

uncircumcised

v19-22 “considered his own body as good as dead” (i.e.

crucified the flesh)

Believed God could do what his own flesh could not

achieve – the exact opposite to the idea of salvation

by works

v23-24 Written for our sakes as well

– a universal law of justification

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True Sons of Abraham

Matt 3:9 …do not suppose that you can say to yourselves,

'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you,

that God is able from these stones to raise up

children to Abraham.

John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our

father."

Rom 4:12, 16 and the father of circumcision to those who not only

are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the

steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he

had while uncircumcised.

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Two Ways of Life

Gal 3:11 (Hab 2:4) Gal 3:12 (Lev 18:5)

“The righteous man “He who does them

(i.e. a law-doing man)

shall live by shall live by

Faith” them (the works of the

law)”

Focus is on TRUSTING Focus is on DOING

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“Do ALL of them” Deut 27:26 'Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law

by doing them.'

Deut 28:58-59 "If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law

which are written in this book… the LORD will bring

extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even

severe and lasting plagues, miserable and chronic sicknesses.

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon

the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers

nor we have been able to bear?

Gal 5:3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision,

that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

James 2:10-11 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one

point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not

commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if

you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have

become a transgressor of the law.

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UNDER the Law

3:10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are UNDER a

curse;

3:22 But the Scripture has shut up all men UNDER sin…

3:23 we were kept in custody UNDER the law,

3:25 we are no longer UNDER a tutor.

4:2 but he is UNDER guardians and managers

4:3 held in bondage UNDER the elemental things of the world.

4:4 born UNDER the Law,

4:5 redeem those who were UNDER the Law,

4:21 you who want to be UNDER law,

5:18 If you are led by the Spirit, you are not UNDER the Law.

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The Law is not of Faith

Deut 32:20 …they (Israel) are a perverse generation, sons in

whom is no faithfulness.

Exod 4:1-9, 31 Signs Moses gave to make them believe

Exod 14:31 Israel believes at crossing of Red Sea

Exod 19:9 God comes in a cloud so that they would believe –

instead they ask God not to appear again!

Num 12:7 Moses is unique in being faithful

Num 14:11 People do not believe

Num 20:12 Even Moses and Aaron do not believe

Deut 1:32 Despite all of God’s miracles, they did not believe

Deut 7:9 God is a faithful God

Deut 9:23 Did not believe God in incident of the 12 spies

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Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having

become a curse for us-- for it is written, "Cursed is

everyone who hangs on a tree"

Deut 21:22-23 And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death,

and he is put to death,

and you hang him on a tree,

his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree,

but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who

is hanged is accursed of God),

so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your

God gives you as an inheritance.

1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by

the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed“

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Gal 3:15-18 – Summary v15-16 Premises

1) Even human covenants/testaments cannot be altered

2) God Made a promise to Abraham

3) It concerned ONE SEED (see also v20, 28)

V17-18 Conclusions

1) Law came 430 years after the promises – cannot disannul

the covenant

(Jews were teaching law was an essential addendum or

improvement)

2) Covenant granted (related to the word for “Grace”)

3) Not a bilateral covenant – it was ONE way (Gen 15:12-21)

4) Covenant = Promise = Inheritance

This is not a legal contract – it was a one way Gift of Grace

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ONE Seed

John 10:16 And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring

them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become

one flock with one shepherd.

John 17 …that they may be one, even as we are one. (3 times)

Rom 12:5

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually

members one of another.

1Co 12:12-13

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and

all the members of the body, though they are many, are one

body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized

into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or

free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

(See also 10:17 “one body” implies “one bread” (or table))

Eph 4:4-6

One body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one

hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one

God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Col 3:15

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed

you were called in one body; and be thankful.

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Law does not “invalidate” Covenant

Only other occurrences of the word for “invalidate”/“disannul”:

Matt 15:5-6 But you say, 'Whoever shall say to his father or mother,

"Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been

given to God, he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And

thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your

tradition.

Mark 7:11-13 But you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, anything

of mine you might have been helped by is Corban (that is to

say, given to God, you no longer permit him to do anything for

his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by

your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many

things such as that."

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400 or 430 years in Egypt?

Gen 15:13 And God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your

descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where

they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.

Exod 12:40 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four

hundred and thirty years.

Age

75 Gen 12:3 Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he

departed from Haran.

Gen 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went

down to Egypt to sojourn there…

100 Gen 21:5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his

son Isaac was born to him.

105? Gen 21:8-9 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham

made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom

she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

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Why the Law then?

1) To uncover sin and incite it into action

v19 It was added because of transgressions

v22 The Scripture has shut up all men under sin

(see also Rom 5:20; 7:7-12)

2) To show law, legalism and human effort is not a means to life

v21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be!

For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then

righteousness would indeed have been based on law.

3) To point to Christ as the solution

v22 But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise

by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

v24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ,

that we may be justified by faith.

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Gal 3:19 – Giving of the Law

1) “it was added” It was not first

2) “because of

transgressions”

Associated with sin, not righteousness

a) As a result of transgressions

b) To make aware of transgressions

c) To multiply transgressions

3) “through

angels”

A degree of separation from God

4) “by a mediator” i.e. Moses: Another degree of separation

5) “Until the seed

should come”

It was temporary

Jews in 1st century said law was eternal:

Wis 18:4 “imperishable light of the law”

Josephus “wealth and cities may fail, Jewish law is

immortal”

Philo “law changeless as long as sun, moon

and stars exist”

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Added as a result of transgressions

Incident Result

Worship of Golden Calf (Exod 32) Levites replace firstborn as priests

(Exod 32:26; Num 3:40-41)

Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire

(Lev 10:1-2)

Laws against drunkenness for Priests in

Tabernacle duties. (Lev 9:11-13)

Man picks up sticks (Num 15:32-

34)

Tassels on corners of garments

commanded (Num 15:38-41)

Almost 15,000 die in Korah’s

rebellion (Num 16)

Red Heifer law given for purification of

those unclean by touching dead bodies

(Num 19)

Abraham attempts to fulfill promise

by works and power of flesh

(Gen 16:1-4)

Law of circumcision given – teaches

cutting off of the flesh (Gen 17:10-14)

Ultimate irony – A law that taught the

flesh is powerless became a source of

pride in that very flesh

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Added to show us we are sinners Rom 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are

under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world

may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no

flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law

Rom 4:15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is

there violation.

Rom 5:20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but

where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Rom 7:5-13 …sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law…I would not have

come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known

about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin,

taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting

of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead…when the

commandment came, sin became alive, and I died; and this

commandment…proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking

opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it

killed me….sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting

my death through that which is good, that through the

commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

1Cor 15:56 The power of sin is the law

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God is ONE – The Implications Deut 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall

love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your might.

Mal 2:10 "Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do

we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the

covenant of our fathers?

John 17 And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent…that they may be one, just as We

are one;

Rom 3:29-30 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes,

of Gentiles also, since indeed God (who will justify the circumcised by

faith and the uncircumcised through faith) is one.

1Tim 2:1-7 I urge that entreaties, prayers, petitions, thanksgivings, be made on

behalf of all men…this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our

Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the

knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a

ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. And for this I was

appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not

lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

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Eternal Life – By Law or Faith?

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Gal 3:22-23 – Under Sin and Law

v22 “But the Scripture has shut up all

men under sin…

…that the promise by faith in

Jesus Christ might be given to

those who believe.

v23 But before faith came, we were

kept in custody under the law…

…being shut up to the faith which

was later to be revealed.

“shut up” = enclosed in a trap

“in custody” = guarded, as if by

a prison warder

v22 Jew and Gentile all shown to

be sinners

v23 Jews also we supervised by

the Law

References to “faith in Jesus

Christ” in Galatians better

translated as “the faithfulness of

Jesus Christ” (see NET Bible)

Thus “the faith” in v23 is a

reference to Jesus Christ .

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Gal 3:24-25 – Schoolmaster?

“So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we

might be justified by faith. But now that faith (i.e. Christ) has

come, we are no longer under a custodian” (RSV)

“to lead us” or “ to bring us” is a translator interpretation not in the Greek

text.

“School Master” or “Tutor” also not a good translation.

“paidagogos”

• A slave in a rich household

• Administered discipline of boys aged 7-17

• Responsible to take them to and from school

• Not a teacher!

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The “Faithfulness of Christ” The Result The Means Our Belief

Rom 3:22 the righteousness

of God

which is by the

faithfulness of

Jesus Christ:

unto all and upon all

them that believe

Gal 3:22 that the promise By the

faithfulness of

Jesus Christ

might be given to

them that believe.

Phil 3:9 not having mine own

righteousness,

which is of the law,

but that

which is through

the faithfulness

of Christ,

the righteousness

which is of God by

faith:

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man

is not justified by

the works of the law,

but by the

faithfulness of

Jesus Christ,

even we have

believed in Jesus

Christ,