2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Galatians 3 is a very important chapter in the Bible, because it really outlines the differences between the Covenant of the Law (old covenant) and the Covenant of Grace (new covenant) in a very concise way. While it may not be easy reading, it is worth the trouble to examine it carefully so as to help us see just how incredibly blessed we are that we are, together with God and each other, participants in the Covenant of Grace. The messages that God leads me to write are His lessons and our time devoted to Him. If used to begin one’s day with eyes focused on God, they can also be a source of His time devoted to us. Now, that doesn’t mean He worships us-quite the other way around. However, it is our opportunity to see just how much of His heart is focused on His love for us and willingness to feed us spiritually. How could we not love a God as loving and awesome as our is?! He offers us spiritual manna. Today, we will look at what GA 3 has to say about the Law. Later, we will see what it has to say about faith and about the Spirit.
GA 3: 6 & 11 reveal that we are justified by faith, not by the Law. Remember that justified is defined as being deemed acceptable by the Lord and having righteousness imputed to one’s account. GA 3: 6, “Consider the experience of Abraham; as the Scripture [GN 15: 6; RO 4: 3] say, ‘He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’” GA 3: 11, “Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the Scriptures [RO 1: 17; HB 2: 4] say, ‘Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’” Paul would have made a wonderful lawyer, one who really understood the culture and needs of the Jewish people as well as Gentiles. You see, in Jewish culture the testimony of a minimum of two reliable witnesses must be given for something to be believed. Wisely, Paul held to this practice by making his points by quoting the writer of Genesis and the minor prophet, Habakkuk, in presenting his arguments. While the Galatians were Gentiles, this practice helped to make his points more powerful. These two verses from Galatians also helped to impart some understanding of the supernatural intervention necessary to bring about justification and the differences between the old and new covenants.
GA 3: 10, “Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the Scripture [DT 27:26] says, ‘Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God’s curse!’” This statement may seem hard to understand on first inspection, but it is clarified by what happened as Jews lived under the old covenant. As I have said before, human intermediaries in the form of the rabbis began putting their spin on God’s teachings in a book called the Talmud. These were rabbinical commentaries on the Law, stories written to teach it, and the addition of new laws to the original Ten Commandments. The bottom line is that when all was said and done, the Jews had 613 laws to obey all at the same time! Except for Christ, Who is perfect, not one single Jew could obey all 613. Thus, they were cursed. The new covenant lifted this curse, as Christ became the fulfillment of the Law [RO 10:4].
GA 3: 12, “The Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, as the Scripture [LV 18: 5] says, ‘Whoever does everything the Law requires will live.’” The Law does not ask men to believe or even to try to keep the commandments. It calls for strict, complete and perfect obedience as is clearly taught in Leviticus. This principle is contrary to faith. The Law says, “do and live,” whilst faith says, “believe and live.” Paul’s argument is that we are justified by living with faith. People living under the Law don’t live with faith. Therefore, those under the Law are not justified. Because no one could keep all the laws the Jews had, no one could benefit wholly by living in the Law.
Christ is the only remedy from the curse of the Law. GA 3: 13, “But by becoming a curse for us, Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the Scripture [DT 21: 23] says, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.’” Way back when Deuteronomy was written, none of the Jews has a clue Who Jesus Christ was. Deuteronomy was written by Moses and was largely completed by 1406 BC. There are citations [JN 1: 29-30;AC 2: 23; AC 4: 27-28; 1 COR 2: 7; COL 1: 15-20; 1 PET 1 : 2-21] which I hope you will review, which make it clear that God had the plan to make Christ the substitute sacrifice for our sin on the cross from before the Creation. However, that plan hadn’t been revealed yet at the time of the ancient Jews. Today’s traditional Jews have a veil before their eyes that God has placed there for His reasons, which prevent them from recognizing Who Jesus Christ really is, i.e. that He is their Messiah [RO 11: 25].
The theology in this third chapter of Galatians may be a treatise to help us understand better the great blessings we have as participants in the Covenant of Grace, but it is not just an academic exercise. These truths impact our individual lives every day of them. Because of Christ, our sins are forgiven for eternity. We no longer have to offer animal sacrifices or have believing males physically circumcised to please God. Each day, we can take comfort in knowing we are not cursed by God, because Christ’s Atonement took that curse away, as He fulfilled the Law. While we engage in spiritual warfare, we can know that God has equipped the faithful to be victorious in it, no matter how awful the pain of it may seem to us. God loves us passionately and profoundly. After all He sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross for us, never holding that sacrifice back.
PRAYER: O Lord, what great blessings You brought into our lives the day we came to faith in Your Son and You deemed us acceptable and righteous! You released us from the ritual and legalism of the old covenant, one which couldn’t bring us to salvation. Then, by our belief in Christ and willingness to repent of our past sin, You brought us to the path that leads to salvation, sanctification, and eventual glorification. You told us taking that path wouldn’t be easy, but You also equipped us to have the faith and courage to do it anyway. Our participation in the Covenant of Grace is engaging in obedience to You, faith-building lifestyles, taking responsibility to join You in the work of bringing others to faith, and being in a koininea relationship with You and each other. There are times when we will be persecuted or at best, forced to meet with bitter objections. Sometimes it will come from our own families and neighborhoods, just as Christ’s rejection in Nazareth [LK 4: 16-30] did. But You have also given us the hope of the resurrection and freedom from the curse that the Law brings. We dedicate ourselves to keeping our eyes focused on You through study of Your word, prayer, our congregations, and our circumstances. We pledge not to lose touch with Your greater goals for us when we are suffering from the enemy’s attempts to challenge our faith. We humbly confess our sins, come to Your altar with profound thanksgiving and joyous praise for Your leadership in our lives. We rely on You and want You to know that we trust and obey Your commands. Our love for You is real and personal. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to complete discussing what GA 3 has to say about the Law and then move on to what it has to say about faith. Believe that God has encased us all in a warm blanket of love and protection. He is there for us, because He loves us. We owe Him the same open-hearted love in return. Our Abba is the best Parent and Friend we will ever have. We are never alone or abandoned. Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn