Introduction: When I was young, there was a program on television
called “Bewitched.” In our study this week, Paul tells the Galatians
that they have been “bewitched.” We know the Galatians could not have
been watching too much television! Is Paul talking about demon
possession? I looked up Strong’s definition for the underlying Greek
word and it means “to fascinate (by false representations).” We
don’t want to be mislead about the gospel, so let’s plunge into our
study of the letter to the Galatians to find the truth!
- Bewitched
- Read Galatians 3:1. Why is knowledge of Jesus’ crucifixion
important to not being “bewitched?” (Read Galatians 2:21.
We finished last week’s study on this note – if we think
that we can be saved by our works, we scorn the death of
Jesus on our behalf. To scorn what Jesus has done for us
is a serious error.) - Read Galatians 3:2. How important is it to “receive the
Spirit?” (The way Paul writes this, it is the most
important proof that your Christian life is on the right
track. Paul reminds them that the Holy Spirit did not come
upon them through their observance of the law.) - Have you noticed the very thing that Paul is talking
about? Churches that seem centered on keeping the law
are dry as bones. They lack the Holy Spirit. On the
other hand, churches that are filled with those
rejoicing over their acceptance by faith seem filled
with the Spirit. Is this your observation? - Read Galatians 3:3-4. What have the Galatians suffered for
nothing? What is the suffering and what is the
nothing?(Changing your religious beliefs will bring
conflict with friends and family. Since every religion
except Christianity is based on works of some type, Paul
says that after suffering for your decision to change, you
now return to works. Thus, your change was for nothing.) - Read Galatians 3:5. What does Paul associate with having
the Holy Spirit in the church? (Miracles.) - If we lack miracles, and in my area of the world my
sense is that we lack “no one can dispute them”
miracles, does that mean that we lack the Holy
Spirit? (I believe my one granddaughter was
miraculously healed after she was born. But, I can
imagine how some could dispute that. My guess is that
you, too, have experience miracles, but that they are
not like the Matthew 12:22-23 variety – everyone is
astonished by them. The lack of this kind of miracle
in my area today troubles me.) - Would miracles result from keeping the law? (No! My
concern is that the reason for a lack of miracles is
that we are more focused on the law than on grace and
the Holy Spirit. There may be other reasons, for
example that we do not control God’s work, but this
is something to consider.) - Abraham
- Read Galatians 3:6. Is righteousness by faith an Old
Testament teaching? (Yes! Consider the sanctuary system.
You killed an animal and its blood atoned for your sins.
That is not salvation by works, that is salvation by the
death of an animal. Of course, we know that this pointed
forward to the death of Jesus.) - Let’s read the background for Paul’s statement about
Abraham. Read Genesis 15:4-6. What is Abraham believing?
(That he will have a son and numerous descendants.) - Why does that belief bring “righteousness?” Why not
say it brings “children?” (This shows that the real
issue is trusting God. Do we trust what God says and
what God has done and is going to do for us?) - Read Galatians 3:7-9. Why say that the gospel was
announced “in advance” to Abraham? Was not the gospel
(righteousness by faith) given from that time forward?
(This was in advance of the giving of the Ten Commandments
and the other laws proclaimed by Moses. The idea is that
whatever followed, the foundational teaching was
righteousness by faith.) - The Curse
- Read Galatians 3:10. Recently, I was considering how I
might share the gospel with someone who is dying, and is
somewhat hostile to religion. I’m sure this individual
thinks “I’m a pretty good person, I have no need of
anything else.” Is this an attitude that brings a curse?
(Yes. When a person says, “I’m good, and better than a lot
of others that I know,” they think their salvation turns
on their works. The problem with that approach is that
being better than most others is not good enough. You have
to be perfect, you have to “continue to do everything
written in the Book of the Law.”) - Read Galatians 3:11-12. Do you have a hard time coming to
grips with the idea that a person who is trying very hard
to keep the law could be cursed? This is a “good person.”
(Being in obedience to God’s will is a great thing. The
problem is relying on it for your salvation.) - How many people rely on their works for salvation and
are not really aware of it? (Notice that Paul says
about those keeping the law: “The man who does these
things will live by them.” This paints the picture
of a person who is obedient, and who believes this
brings an entitlement to God’s acceptance.) - Read Galatians 3:13. On Who did the penalty, the curse of
the law, rest? (On Jesus. He paid the penalty for our sin.
He became cursed to redeem us from the curse.) - If we rely on our works for our salvation, do we take
back the curse? (Yes!) - Lately, I’ve been struggling with a specific sin. There is
no doubt in my mind that God desires obedience in us, both
for our benefit and for His glory. The problem is that
when I fail, I think this adversely affects God’s
relationship with me. At the same time I believe this
violates Paul’s instruction that we must not “rely” on
observing the law. What do you think? - Would it be correct to believe that wherever we are
(you and I) in our walk towards righteousness, any
failure simply affects our life here, it does not
affect our relationship with God? - Read Romans 7:4-6. Here Paul tells us that we should
be living by the direction of the Holy Spirit. This
suggests that if we are “controlled” by the sinful
nature, we do, in fact, have a relationship problem
with the Holy Spirit. How would you summarize the
truth about struggles with sin? (Here is what I
think: the Holy Spirit living in us stands in the
place of the law in directing our actions. When we
struggle with sin, it is the Holy Spirit that is
working with us. What we cannot do is ignore the Holy
Spirit. During this struggle, we are still saved by
grace. The Holy Spirit’s work is to bring our lives
more into harmony with God’s will.) - Read Galatians 3:14. What is the “blessing given to
Abraham?” Many children? (Re-read Galatians 3:6. The
blessing spoken of here is being considered righteous.
This opportunity now extends to those of us who are not
Jewish.) - What is it that we receive by faith? (The promise of
the Holy Spirit.) - This puts an additional emphasis on the Holy
Spirit. I thought the goal was righteousness by
faith, rather than the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Why does Paul mention the gift of the Holy
Spirit as the result of our faith? (This brings
us back to Romans 7:6. The alternative to
keeping the Ten Commandments is not living in
whatever way you choose. The alternative is
“that we serve in the new way of the Spirit.”) - Friend, if you believe (as I did at one time), that
keeping the Ten Commandments is critical to salvation, can
you see how that sets you up to be cursed? Since you will
surely fail in your efforts to keep all of the law, you
will fall short of perfection, and thus fall short of
salvation. Jesus offers us something else. He offers us
the opportunity, through baptism, to participate both in
His death on our behalf for our sins, and His resurrection
to eternal life. He offers us the choice to live a life
led by the Holy Spirit. Will you accept, right now,
Jesus’ offer? - Next week: The Priority of the Promise.
