INTRO: Galatians 3 has been a history lesson through the Old Testament. One of the more complicated chapters of Paul’s writings, it’s been a difficult hike, but like many hard journeys, there is a rewarding view at the end. We have climbed the mountain peaks of Abraham and Moses and have seen that the pinnacle of Jesus Christ stands taller than both. Now, we take in the view by closing with some simple, beautiful truths that summarize what this means for our identity in Christ.
There is an identity crisis in our country. I believe that our racial problems are a result of an unbiblical view of our identity. This passage has long been used to rebuke a racist and bigoted view of the gospel. That is what the conclusion of chapter 3 brings us to as the climax of all these powerful doctrinal truths converging. Here’s what this means for the body of Christ and here’s what this does to racial boundaries and economic differences and bigoted attitudes – all those things are equalized in Christ.
I. Faith in Christ affects our pedigree. (26)
– The first blessing that gets mentioned is the affect that faith in Christ has on our family status. Once you believe in Jesus Christ, you are forever a son of God. Now the Greek word used here for sons is one that speaks of being a full and legitimate son of God, with all of the son-ship benefits of being in the family.
But we must carefully observe what Paul does not say. He’s been building this case for awhile now. He does not say that you are sons of God by
circumcision. He does not say that you are sons of God by works. He does not say that you are sons of God by keeping the Law. He does not say that you are sons of God by religious traditions or by following denominational rules. You are sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
– Under the law, only Jews were the children of God, and Gentiles were sinners (see 2:15). But now Gentile Christians are sons of God through faith in Christ. This must have been a shocking declaration for a Jew to hear.
– Popular concepts you hear about today are the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man. Now this is very important doctrine that gets clarified here. God is not your Heavenly Father unless you have personally placed all of your faith in Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. You cannot be a legitimate child of God until you come to faith in Jesus Christ. All people are created by God, but not all people are children of God. All people become children of God the same way, by placing faith in the finished work of Christ.
– Our most important distinction is who we are as a child of God and our identity in Christ.
– Illus: There’s an old episode of Andy Griffith where Andy and Barney go to a hotel in Raleigh and as Barney was signing in at the hotel desk, he put “Barney Fife, MD.” The clerk said, “Oh, excuse me, Dr. Fife,” as he handed him the key. Barney looked at him and asked, “Dr.?” to which the clerk responded that he had signed it “Barney Fife, MD.” Even Andy wondered, “MD?” and Barney says, “Yeah, stands for Mayberry Deputy.”
– That was an important designation to Barney. You and I have our important designations to our identity. Pastor, lawyer, teacher, mom, dad, banker, Marine, nurse, engineer, student, technician, etc. My most important title is not whether we are Jew or Gentile, in labor or in management, man or woman, rich or poor, but that I am a child of God!
II. Faith in Christ affects our position. (27)
– There are two things here that we need to understand: baptism and a putting on of new clothes.
– Let me explain why baptism here is not talking about water baptism. It certainly cannot be saying that water baptism is the thing or the ceremony that places you in Christ because that would destroy everything Paul has been saying up to this point about the importance of faith in Jesus Christ. This text is about a baptism that in the mind of God actually clothes us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The only baptism that can do that is Spirit baptism. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:13 (a terrific companion for this verse) “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
– So water baptism is a picture of the actual immersion of the Spirit into our lives. Water baptism symbolizes a break with my past and my old life and that I am committed to a new life in Christ. Water baptism pictures Spirit baptism.
– One of the things that the Holy Spirit does the moment you believe on Jesus Christ is that He baptizes you into Jesus Christ with a real baptism, not a ritual baptism, that actually puts you into the family of God and so identifies you with Jesus Christ that you are linked to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; and from that moment you are forever clothed with the righteousness of
Jesus Christ and God sees you that way from that moment.
– Notice the imagery here. Paul speaks of putting on Christ like a garment. In Roman culture, kids wore a garment that had a red border that classified them as children. He is still in a state of immaturity so look out! When a child assumed the rights of adulthood, he exchanged his kid clothes for an adult toga in a ceremony called togavarillas. This child is adult now, with all the rights privileges pertaining to them. In Bible culture, when you matured from childhood to adulthood, you literally put on a change of clothes.
– The previous verse really talks about being adopted into the family of God by faith. If Karen and I were to adopt a child into our family and that child was no longer an orphan but now he is a Powell – that’s wonderful, but that’s not where the story ends, that’s the where the story gets good! There will be new and amazing aspects of that relationship to learn about and explore every day. He gets new clothes, a new room, access to all we have! That’s why we can never be satisfied with an “I-prayed-a-prayer-however-many-years-ago” kind of Christianity. This verse says we are baptized into Christ and we have put on Christ. What this means for our identity in Christ is that we need to move from childhood to adulthood and enjoy the privileges.
– The law had sentenced us all to be slaves, but Christ makes it possible for all to be sons! We saw from the previous verses that not only did the law make us slaves but the law was our schoolmaster. That is likening it to a nanny or a tutor who raises a child to adulthood. We no longer need somebody watching over our shoulder all the time slapping our wrists and saying, “Thou shalt not.” We have now put on the garments of Christ and spiritual adulthood in Him.
– There is only one way to be cleansed and clothed with Jesus Christ and that is
for the Holy Spirit to do a positional work of cleansing and clothing for you and that will only occur when you believe on Jesus Christ.
III. Faith in Christ affects our prejudice. (28-29)
– Now, the real practical aspect of this...if our pedigree has changed and our position has changed, then our prejudice needs to change.
– All of us have an equality of sinfulness; but when we believe on Jesus Christ we all have an equality of righteousness. Any person, any sinner may have an equal status in Christ. Regardless of a person’s sin, skin color, gender, race, handicap, past, religion, occupation, or denomination, any and all who believe on Jesus Christ are new in the family of God.
– Faith in Jesus Christ brings about a new non-discriminatory status that no social group can ever give. The Law created differences and distinctions, not only between individuals and nations, but also between various kinds of foods and animals. Jesus Christ came, not to divide, but to unite. This unifying status comes the moment you believe on Jesus Christ.
– All one in Christ Jesus - what a tremendous claim! This must have been glorious news for the Galatian Christians, for in their society, slaves were considered to be only pieces of property; women were kept confined and disrespected; and Gentiles were constantly sneered at by the Jews.
– Pharisees and many Jewish males greeting each day by praying, "I thank Thee, God, that I am a Jew, not a Gentile; a man, not a woman; and a freeman, and not a slave." Yet a these distinctions are removed "in Christ." In a bold move, Paul was deliberately contradicting each phrase of the prayer. Paul takes each of these categories and shows them to be equal in Jesus.
– The Jew who believes is saved. The Greek who believes is saved. The slave who believes is saved. The free man who believes is saved. The man who believes is saved. The woman who believes is saved. The white person who believes is saved. The black person who believes is saved.
– “It's not the elevation of place, nor the pride of race, nor the beauty of face, but the calling of grace which makes the man.” (FE Marsh)
– The most effective antidote to racism is the gospel. The most practical way we can fight racism is by obedience to the Great Commission and taking the gospel to all people. I believe that heaven will be very colorful! The Bible has answers for social issues that have plagued our country for years.
– Closing with practical application: The idea that all colors, all types, all races, and all ethic varieties matter is something that the Bible teaches and the gospel celebrates. Racism is wrong and reprehensible and should be rebuked in our country, our churches, and our individual lives. There is only one race – it's called the human race. Acts 17:24-26 says we all have the same blood.
– The resurgence of racially-charged events in 2020 did not take God by surprise. This has been brought back to the top shelf because of recent events. They are simply a repeat of issues that have existed for about 6000 years, and especially for the last 2000 years in the church age.
– What happened in recent events of police brutality is wrong, but it is equally wrong to paint all law enforcement personal with the same broad brush. Some of the finest people in this country and some of the finest people in our church are police and law enforcement. Every profession has bad apples, including mine. We should be more focused on the purification of a profession, not the eradication of a profession. I personally would like to defund the media before we defund the police.
– The Bible also presents an accurate picture that man by nature and by choice rebels against the idea of one race and chooses to have hatred and racism in his heart toward those of another race. We see it in the Bible, we see it in history, we see it in society, and we see it in the church.
– The church is not exempt. The prejudice and racism you see in the New Testament is from among God's people. It is modeled by the Jewish nation who was tasked with sharing the truth of the Messiah with all people but chose rather to look at Gentile people like dogs. When they pass through their cities, they shake off the dust of their feet because those people are beneath them. Racial jokes were not invented in the last two centuries, no, they told those jokes years ago. There are all kinds of racial enmity in the Bible.
– Even Paul was born with certain way of thinking ingrained in him since birth. Paul was born with prejudice. Peter acted with prejudice in Galatians 2. Two of the most prejudiced people in all of the Bible became champions of the gospel – Paul and Peter.
– The spread of the gospel demanded that the racism issue be addressed. There is nothing more sad than to think that the gospel is okay for some people but not okay for others. When you practice racial prejudice, you hinder and harm the gospel. We inhibit the spread of the gospel when we have racism and hatred for other ethnic groups in our hearts.
– The racism and off-color jokes have got to end. Dad, what you talk about is what your son believes. Grandpa, the jokes you tell, that's the opinion your grandchildren form. Church, what we practice and believe and what we do for this community - all people in this community – reveals our understanding of the gospel and our vision for all people to know about Jesus and be welcome in our church.
– We are called to be one body where there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female. It's not an option to be separate and do church with segregation. A church should be a reflection of the demographic around it. Are we? It should be. A troubled world needs to see the model of unity in the church. In Christ, there are no racial lines.
