Understanding The Gospel And Freedom Series

E. Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

1. What would become a theological controversy for Christians in the 21st century was easily settled for those in the 1st century. When the Holy Spirit came into new territory and created a community of believers in that century, there were regularly spectacular results.

2. For the Galatians this happened when they became believers, not when they tried to keep the law. While not every believer began working miracles, of course, they could all easily observe what the message of the Apostle Paul was doing in the Christian community.

3. For the Galatians God has generously “supplied” his Spirit in response to their faith. The present tense of the participle in Greek implies, moreover, that this is a continuing activity.

II. The reality of Paul’s concern for the Galatians.

A. You must not confine yourselves by rules nor cramp your personality by regulations, laws or injunctions.

1. As long as we confine our Christian experience to “doing what is expected” according to the law or traditions we miss out on the great growth and freedom Christ intends for us.

2. Like the Pharisees one could congratulate themselves on their piety but they have missed out on genuine freedom in Christ.

3. It is evident that blessing in the Christian life comes just as the Christian life began—through faith, and not as the result of any human attainments.

4. If we fall into the trap of trying to base our Christianity on anything but faith in Christ we are turning our back on tremendous blessings.

B. You must walk in faith, in confidence and freedom and at peace with one another.

1. When our walk is different from this in essence we have turned our backs on Christ.

2. Joy and peace are a result of walking in the right relationship with Jesus Christ.

3. We must guard against the spiritedness of our walk with Christ becoming extinct.

C. You would do well to follow the example of Abraham.

1. Abraham, a believer, will be Paul’s prime exhibit that faith in Christ saves and works of law do not.

2. When God told him the incredible promise about future offspring, Abraham believed him! Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

3. Paul has divided mankind into two groups, depending on how they seek right standing with God. Some are “of works” and some are “of faith.” It was the “of faith” group that the Spirit blessed.

4. No longer could men count on their Jewish ancestry to save them; no longer could they rely on how well they kept the Jewish law. Now they must realize what was true from the beginning: the true sons of Abraham are those who inherit and practice his faith.

III. Understanding the two choices that the Galatians needed to decide between.

A. One can choose to walk in faith following the example of Abraham.

1. Scripture, as the word of God, is here personified “as an extension of the divine personality,” and thus it “foresaw” what God planned to do. God’s plan from the beginning was to justify Gentiles by faith. The plan was not an afterthought or a desperation measure taken after God’s dealings with Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses fell through.