We Can't Do Enough: Galatians 5:1-15 NLT

This is our third week walking through Galatians together. Paul starts this chapter off with a reminder of some great news:

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law." (Galatians 5:1)

And then he goes on to say this:

" Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace." (Galatians 5:2-4)

Okay, so this isn't something we actually struggle with in our time. There are very few people who believe circumcision equals "right with God." But we can plug in almost anything else here and it would be the same. "If I just read my Bible enough," "If I go to church enough," "If I serve others enough," "If I pray for enough minutes in the day..." No! None of it! It's all great stuff, but you don't need it to be made right with God. There is nothing, nada, zero things that we can do as imperfect humans to make ourselves right with God! And that's why Paul is reiterating all of this over and over again. We need Jesus for that!

Now don't get me wrong, you should be reading your Bible and talking to God; church is an important way to fellowship with other believers and serving others is awesome. But none of it, by itself, will ever make you good enough for God. Again, only Jesus's gift- accepted by you- can do that. Paul says this well in these verses:

"But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love." (Galatians 5:5-6)

"Faith expressing itself in love!" That would make a great t-shirt, don't you think? ;) Seriously though, from here, Paul offers up a warning:

"You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you." (Galatians 5:7-10)

Be careful that you don't imply to new believers or to those who don't yet believe that they must fix themselves before God will want a relationship with them. It's not true. Remember that in Romans 8:38-39, Paul tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from God's love. He loves us period. End of sentence. We can never make ourselves good enough. Again, only Jesus!

"Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves." (Galatians 5:11-12)

Salvation is defined as "being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc." We are saved and protected from harm though the cross of Christ.

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another." (Galatians 5:13-15)

Yesterday my kids got to practice using their freedom to "serve one another in love." You see, there is a fight that happens every time we get in the van without Shaun. Andrew sits up front with me (sometimes he's driving, sometimes not). This means that someone is always alone in the back and there are tears. Well, yesterday I got tired of the fight. And so I told them that they'd be practicing loving one another. And they did. Throughout the rest of the day, they made one another lunch, jumped on the trampoline, climbed trees, played games, said kind words- all to compete with each other to be loving. Haha. How nice would the world be if we all did this each and every day? If we went out of our way to be kind and to offer up extravagant love (see Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG) for one another?

I pray that today will be another good day and not one of "biting and devouring one another" as Paul describes it above. ;)

Making it Happen: Galatians 4:21-31 NLT

Today's section of Galatians actually refers back to a story in Genesis. Let's read through the verses in Galatians 4:21-31 together:

"Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

'Be glad, barren woman,

you who never bore a child;

shout for joy and cry aloud,

you who were never in labor;

because more are the children of the desolate woman

than of her who has a husband.'

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.' 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman."

I know it's a lot of reading, but it'd be great to look at the story to which Paul is referencing in Genesis. You can find it in Genesis 16 (that's the story about Hagar and Abraham having a son) and again in Genesis 21 (that's when Sarah actually conceives). A lot happens in between, of course, and is also worth reading.

If you're not up for that much reading this morning, here's the basic facts of the story. Abraham and Sarah got married. They went through a lot together but never got pregnant. Both grew old. Abraham received a promise from God that he would multiply Abraham's descendants so that there were more than the stars in the sky. But he still had no son. And so, Sarah convinced him to sleep with her servant, Hagar, in order to force the miracle to happen. Hagar became pregnant. She and Sarah fought. Eventually Sarah did become pregnant and, one thing lead to another, Hagar left with her son. God saw the two crying as they hid and promised her that he'd make him into a great nation as well.

Here's what I feel like God wants me to share from today's reading (rather than a verse by verse analysis of the passage):

We do this all of the time. We get a promise from God (we think) and then we try to force it to happen in our own time. But our time isn't God's time. If you truly believe that God has made a promise to you, wait on him! He will follow through on what he said. God doesn't break promises!

But how can you know if what you think is a promise from God is truly from God and not just all in your head?

Here are some things you should do to check on the validity of what you're hearing:

1. Read your Bible. Is there anything in there that would go against what you're hearing? For example, God isn't going to promise to give you a new person to love while you're married. That's adultery and it's not okay, according to the Bible. He isn't going to make a promise that goes against his own word. It doesn't work.

2. Do a lot of praying. Continue to talk to God about it. Is it a new job opportunity? Talk to God. An adoption overseas? Talk to God.

3. Check with trusted friends. Do they have any valid concerns? Do they think you sound loony? Ask them to pray with you for the next several days (weeks, whatever seems appropriate) for clarity on the issue.

4. Read your Bible Again! The best way that God speaks to us is through his word. Talk to God and ask for clarity in the words you are reading.

5. Take a step if all seems okay so far. I read a quote from Mother Theresa today that went like this: "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust." Most of the time, God doesn't lay out his entire plan in one pretty little picture for us. He wants us to take simple steps in his plan. Stormie Omartian wrote a book years ago called "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On." In that book, she goes on to explain this very thing. God doesn't give us all of the steps he wants us to take. He gives them to us one at a time. Maybe that's all we can handle. But it definitely forces us to just trust in his plan if we can't truly see where we are going. We have to follow the One who is guiding us.

As you take each step on God's path for you, continue to follow the above steps. It's easy to think that you know where you're headed and get off the path. Keep checking in with God. Is this what he wants you to do?

Let me give an example from my own life. I was a homeschooling mom for several years of my life. Slowly, one at a time, my kids have gone off to public school starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest who will start for the first time this fall. I prayed and prayed about this. I've been reading my Bible and talking to trusted friends and family members about it. My biggest question: what am I supposed to do when they are all in school? I didn't get a clear answer on that one. I moved forward anyway and enrolled the youngest in school.

At this point, I still don't entirely know what the school year will hold. I know I need to be fully present here in my summer with my husband and kids. I also know that I will be given many chances to overfill my time. I have to take the time to check in with God for each one so that I know I'm not just filling time.

Now I know that this post wasn't entirely what Paul had in mind when he shared this story in Galatians 4 so many years ago. This is really about being children of God and a part of God's promise. It's about pushing aside the law and embracing our roll as the children of the free woman. But like I said above, we have to allow God to lead us where he wants us to go and this is what I felt led to share. Take a few minutes and talk to God. Ask him to reveal what next steps he wants you taking. Where is he leading you?

Be Strong: Galatians 4:8-20 NLT

"Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years." (Galatians 4:8-10)

There are lots of things going on in these three verses. Let me list out all of Paul's concerns so that we can look at them and then look at his response.

1. slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist

2. God knows them but maybe they don't quite know God

3. they are reverting back to their old ways

4. They are trying to earn favor with God

Remember that this is a letter written by Paul to the Galatians. Letters didn't just zip from one place to another by airplane or truck in those days. It took a long time for news and letters to travel from one place to another. This letter is going over and over some of the same things because Paul wants to be absolutely certain that they get it. And so he is reiterating some of the things he's discussed in previous chapters in different ways so that they fully understand. And his response after he lists these things out?

"I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws." (Galatians 4:11-12a)

I feel for Paul in those first sentences in this section. How many times have we gone through something tough with a friend, a family member, a child and thought that what we were doing was making a difference only to see that they weren't getting what we were saying at all? That's Paul's fear here too. Had he worked long and hard with the Galatians to introduce them to the freedom of Jesus's gift only to lose them after he left? That would be heart-breaking! This isn't some simple little issue like teaching a kid to use the potty, helping a friend to balance their budget, or getting a family member set up in a new apartment. This is life-changing, eternity-dependent stuff! It's vital that they understand what he's taught them. Their eternities depend on it. And Paul loves these people; he cares what happens to them. He needs them to understand that it's not what they do, it's not the law that saves them. It's Jesus, dying on the cross for them!

"You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:12b-16)

Paul goes on to remind the Galatians of their time together, of how they embraced him and accepted him into their throng. I love how thoroughly Paul loves this group. He is willing to do whatever it takes to bring them back into the circle of Jesus. Can you imagine if we all did the same? Can you imagine if we dropped all of the judgment, the rules, the mistreatment, the "I'm better than you" stuff and really reached out to every single person in our lives and showed them this kind of fierce love and care for their eternities? I'd imagine that the world would be at least a little bit different. Maybe we should take down our walls and try things Paul's way, follow his example and embrace others fully.

"Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you." (Galatians 4:17-18)

Paul's letter shifts slightly here. This is such a great reminder and a good way of measuring intentions. Who among you is loving you as often as they possibly can? And, alternatively, who is just trying to butter you up and pull you away from right thinking? These are the questions that Paul is posing to the Galatians but they apply today too. When Paul wrote this, Bibles weren't just waiting in every drawer in every hotel room. You couldn't stop by the Book Store and grab one or hit up your Play Store (App Store for the iPhone people) and download a copy. But today? We can check what's being said to us against what God says in the Bible. So if you aren't sure about something someone is trying to preach to you/say to you/convince you about- look it up. Figure out if they are right or leading you wrong.

"Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you." (Galatians 4:19-20)

When you care about your friends, family members, co-workers, kids, anyone- and they're making bad choices, it totally feels the way Paul is describing it in verse 19! Have you felt the sadness of someone you love choosing a way that doesn't align with Jesus? Because I have. And the only thing we can do for them beyond what Paul is describing here is the most important thing we can do- pray for them daily.

As we wrap up today's all-over-the-place devotional (seriously, I felt totally ADD today with this one), take a minute and really pray for someone in your life who isn't choosing to follow Jesus. Pray that you'll have an opportunity to share Him with them, that they will see Jesus in their life somewhere in someone or something, and don't forget to thank Jesus for what he's done for you.  

Children of God: Galatians 3:23-4:7 NLT

" Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian." (Galatians 2:23-25)

Most everyone has seen one of those movies where the star is the US President's kid and all they want to do is go somewhere-anywhere- without a million armed guards. The guards are always big and burly guys with big shadows, big guns, and big (often dumb) personalities. And so we spend a good portion of the movie watching this kid perform Houdini-like acts to escape the guards that are with him (or her in some of the movies) to be with the movie's token love interest who is just an average kid. You know, like the rest of the world, and therefore obviously the envy of the President's kid.

Well, in Old Testament times, the Mosaic Law was like those guards that are always with the President's kid in the movies. It's there, all the time, to protect God's chosen people. And if they're being honest, sometimes that law meant to protect was overwhelming and maybe even a little bit overbearing. I mean, there were hundreds of laws that the Jewish people had to follow all of the time by the time Jesus appeared on the scene. It was "Us VS Them" for hundreds of years. And then this happened:

"For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you." (Galatians 3:26-29)

Like a breath of fresh air, Jesus came and knocked out all of the guards. They were no longer allowed to lean in too close and breath down the necks of their charge. They were no longer casting long shadows over the people they protected and giving off an air of danger. There wasn't the worry of when "the other shoe would drop." There was only freedom. Freedom to just be people. Jew and Gentile was no longer important because now we are ALL simply and beautifully children of God.

At this point in Galatians, Paul moves on to a new example. This point is obviously an important one and he doesn't want anyone to miss it. Let's read:

"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

"But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.' Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4: 1-7)

Paul's second example reminds me of Cinderella. Go with me on this one. It's not exactly right, but I think we can make it close. So when Cinderella was little, she and her dad were happy. They experienced a sad loss when Cinderella's mother died, but they still had each other. They were still happy. But then her dad dies and the property- though one she has grown up on and owned by default because of her father all of her life- goes to her stepmother. Because, you know, her dad didn't want to be alone forever. So now his child is under the guardianship of the stepmother who treats her like a slave. Are you seeing the parallel yet or is it just me?

In the time that Cinderella is set, she would have had few choices in her life. She couldn't just go out on her own and expect to live a good life. Leaving would have likely lead to her eventual death for one reason or another. So she had no choice but to live as a slave in her own house.

But that brings us to verse 4 "when the right time came." In our example, it's the ball at the palace. The time had finally arrived for Cinderella to be free rather than a slave. Her Prince- in this example, quite literally a prince who was subject to the law since he needed a wife to be king- came and set her free when he slipped that shoe on her foot (remember the part of verse 3:27 where we are called to put on Christ like putting on new clothes? See, this example is gold, haha).

When Cinderella becomes Mrs. Prince Charming (because apparently I either don't know the name of the prince or my brain will only bring to mind the Disney version of this fairy tale), she joins him as heir to the throne just as we do with God when we accept Jesus's perfect gift. He walks us right up to God's throne. He covers our sin and makes us good enough in a way that we could never, in a million years, do by ourselves. Now that's what I call a happily ever after!

God's Promises: Galatians 3:15-22 NLT

Paul is preaching even more freedom in Jesus Christ today as we take a look at Galatians 3:15-22 today. Let's take a look at a few verses:

"Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say 'to his children,' as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says 'to his child'—and that, of course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise." (Galatians 3:15-18)

In these verses, Paul is analyzing words. I love words. They are one of my favorite things, so the fact that Paul is taking the time to do this is pretty cool to me. Basically in these verses, he is talking about some misunderstood wording in the old testament. Apparently, much of the Jewish world believed that God made his promise of blessing to Abraham and all of his children (some texts read "seed" here) when in reality it only says "Abraham and his child." Paul is pointing to that child and saying it is actually God's one and only son, Jesus. That means it is not the people of Israel. He is saying, "hey, you don't have to be a member of the Jewish community for God to love you. He loves you anyway, just where you are."

This is good news for all of us. No matter who we are- white, black, brown, red, yellow, (aw, it's Jesus Loves Me!) gay, straight, happy, sad, fun, boring, perfectionist, tattoo-covered, pizza loving, pizza hating (because, for real, the important things here ;) ), mom, dad, single, married, kid, adult, bike rider, motorcycle lover or hater, Christian, Muslim, or Jew- God loves us. Not only that, he wants a relationship with us so much that he sent his SON to DIE for US.

I don't know anyone on Earth who would do that. In fact, Paul wrote these words in Romans 5:7- "Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good." So even hundreds of years ago, when everything was very different than it is now, it wasn't a common thing to be willing to die for someone else.

Let's get back into Galatians 3 with verse 19-20:

"Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham."

Remember that when Paul is speaking of "the law" that he is referring only to Mosaic Law. He is not talking about laws of the country like following the rules and regulations laid out by our government. This is not permission to disobey and break laws in your country of residence. So get that out of your head now. ;)

In reading about the Israelite people throughout the Old Testament, we get to see a ton of great, inspiring stories but we also see so many screw ups. David, the man after God's own heart, was an adulterer and had a man killed to cover up the fact that he got the guy's wife pregnant. Tamar seduced her father-in-law disguised as a prostitute in order to get pregnant by him after his first two sons died without giving her any children (there is SO MUCH MORE to that story but I don't want to make this post about that so look at Genesis 38 if you want the full story). Abraham lied- more than once. His wife, Sarah? She laughed at God's promise to give her a child in her old age (I might have too, honestly. Yikes).

They say that "hindsight is twenty-twenty." It's easy for us to look back at all that happened over the course of hundreds of years with the Israelite people and see that keeping the law, following the rules wasn't enough to bridge the gap between sinful people and a perfect God. That's why Paul says this at the end of this section of his letter to the Galatians:

"Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ." (Galatians 3:21-22)

So many people are under the impression that being a Christian means a boring, rule following life. It's not true. We are free because of our choice to love God, to accept the promise he's made through his son Jesus Christ! And I wouldn't want it any other way. Today, I am so thankful to God for all he has done for me. I know, thanks to the Israelite people's stories in the Old Testament, that I can't do anything on my own to be made right with God. I need Jesus and I can't imagine life without him.

"Love others as well as you love yourself." - Matthew 22:39

On Sunday night, the LGBT community of America was hit hard when a terrorist attacked and killed 50 people in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. More were injured. Others will carry the haunting images of that night in their mind's eye for the rest of their lives. The bulk of America has come forward in support of those injured or murdered in this heinous crime. They support the families and friends that said good-bye much too soon.

A large number of those supporters are also members of the Christian community. Chick-Fil-A, a Christian company, handed out free drinks and sandwiches to blood donors in one location on a Sunday- the day they are always closed for the sabbath. Others are donating blood, posting supportive memes and prayers, and more. But the response from the bulk of the LGBT community? "We don't believe you." As a Christian, this makes me sad because they are right to doubt the sincerity. We walk around all high and mighty like we are perfection when every single one of us KNOWS we are not. There was only one perfect man who ever walked this earth. His name was-and still is- Jesus Christ and our (general) treatment of the LGBT community would have him shaking his head and wondering aloud where he went wrong if he were here in the flesh among us today.

Do you know where Jesus would be right now if he were on Earth in his human body for all to see? He'd be helping the LGBT community dig themselves out of this awful sadness. He would be there loving them and comforting them. He would be sharing words from the Father with them, embracing them, allowing their sadness to happen because this is a sad, sad thing. He would walk through it with them, never leaving them alone to bear it in solitude. Because Jesus knows what God would say. "Love others as well as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39 MSG)." If we're being honest, we know we aren't doing this for many groups who believe differently than we do. It's easy to love someone who agrees with us. The challenge is loving someone else in spite of our differences.

Romans 8:38-39 says this: "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God loves every single one of us right where we are in life with an unmatched, indescribable, fierce love. Period. Nothing added. He sent his son to die for us all; so no matter how anyone feels about choices being made by others in the world, God still loves them.

And he calls us to love them too in a most extravagant way in Ephesians 5:1-2: "Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that."

Our job here is to love others the way Jesus loves them. It's not our job to force changes. That's God's job. He can and will do a much better job working on each heart of each person in this world than I ever could or would do. John 13:35 says, " Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." We're to be known for our LOVE! And we aren't! We are judgmental, critical, uptight, hypocritical- the list goes on and on. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world changed how they saw us? If they heard "Christian" and immediately thought "love?" Let's start today, right now. Let's love on this devastated community for real. Let's stop jabbing fingers at them and scowling in their direction. Let's just love them for who they are: beloved children of God.  

No Good Works: Galatians 3:1-14 NLT

Throughout the first two chapters of Galatians, we have really been studying Paul's own autobiography. Now, in Galatians 3, we are getting to the meat of his letter to this group of people. Let's read.

"Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross." (Galatians 3:1)

Woah, Paul. Harsh much? Foolish? Evil spell? I'll tell you what, Paul didn't ever mince words. He said exactly what he thought, didn't he? And why wouldn't he? Remember what we read from the commentary yesterday. If Paul hadn't stepped boldly forward and done his level best to put an end to all of this "you can do enough good works to make yourself right with God" nonsense, we- as Christians- would be in trouble today. These Galatian Christians needed a quick reminder of what they'd been taught!

"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ." (Galatians 3:2-5)

Again, it's not what you do that saves you. Paul is beating this horse (a proverbial one, not a real one, so no PETA here please) hard. He needs the Galatians to get this one. Again. They'd already received the real message. Jesus died on the cross for them. He took their sins- our sins- upon himself and made us ALL right with God. And then he rose again and walked among us to give us HOPE. They don't need to do anything else to be right with God! Those who are walking among them telling them they need Jesus Plus are wrong. They don't need to add anything to the gift they've already been given.

" In the same way, 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith." (Galatians 3:6-9)

Paul is pulling out his primest (is that an actual word?) of examples here in talking about Abraham. That quote that he has in verse 6, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." That is from Genesis 15:6. It's a direct, old testament quote and any Jewish people reading or hearing this letter would have known it. They were regularly referred to as the "children of Abraham." This is another argument from Paul in favor of faith in God over good works.

In verse 8, Paul does something very interesting. He refers back to several other places in scripture (Genesis 12:3, 18:18, and 22:18) where God promises Abraham that "all nations will be blessed" through him. He pulls in the Gentiles (the non-Jewish people), the very people he is called to share Jesus with, into the mix and declares their ability to get right with God through their faith and acceptance of Jesus's gift.

"But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.' So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.' This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, 'It is through obeying the law that a person has life.'

" But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:10-14)

This section of the scripture in Galatians 3 is well explained in the Bible Gateway Commentary, "The Alternatives: The Curse and the Blessing." In verse 10, Paul is offering up two roads that can be taken. One is a road that leads to blessing while the other leads to curse. Remember that the Galatian Christians lived in the midst of Pagan Temples and Jewish Temples. They didn't belong in either place and were tempted by the Jewish way of life. Many believed that following Jewish laws was really the way to blessing in their lives. But Paul is writing this letter to remind them that it's not the law that will make them right with God, it's their faith in Jesus alone.

So in verse 10, he points out the road that leads to a cursed life and in verse 11, he points out the one that will lead to a blessed life. He references Habakkuk 2:4 here. "The Alternatives" commentary describes each verse as signposts along the roads of life and says it this way: "Since faith is the way to righteousness, law cannot be the way. So, Paul says, clearly no one is justified before God by the law. This signpost tells us that faith and law are not the same way, but two different ways."

It seems important to mention at this point that Paul is not saying that following the law is bad in and of itself. The issue is that so many Galatian Christians thought that they could become God's people by keeping the law. They were being convinced that following the law was the way to being made right before God even though Paul had already told them that it's their faith that will save them.

This section ends with Paul reiterating the way to a blessed life, the way to God: "Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:14) Isn't that a relief? We don't have to try to earn our place in heaven by being "good enough," which is something we can't do anyway. We are saved by Jesus alone.

* Bible Gateway Commentary "The Alternatives: The Curse and the Blessing" https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Gal/Alternatives-Curse-Blessing