I don't like to say the bible is difficult, with the help of the Holy Spirit God's children are well equipped to understand our Father's word. However, Gal 3 is quite a dense passage. With that thought we come to the final section.
Before and after - before faith came and after faith came. In v. 23 by 'faith' Paul means something like 'Christ upon whom we can depend to fulfil the law and remove its curse'. Only after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus was it possible for us to have faith in Christ and so be set free from the law. 'Faith' describes the possibility of life with Christ apart from the law.
To lead us to Christ - now in v. 24 Paul teaches a second use of the law. The law fulfils the function of a particular household slave, the one who took the family children to school. He wasn't the teacher, just the supervisor of the journey to school. So the law, once we realise that we can't obey it and that it won't make us right with God, leads us to Christ as the only one who has obeyed it and the only one who can make us right with God. Once we have been led to Christ the work of the slave (the law) is over, we are set free from the slave to learn from our new master Christ.
All sons of God - I passionately believe that v. 26 is not only for males, it is for females also. However, it is one of the few verses where it is important to retain the male term 'son'. Paul is moving to the climax of this chapter, namely, that in Christ we all become co-heirs. In the ancient world only the male child could inherit, so Paul is saying that in Christ we all become those who will inherit from our Father. (We do not all become male, but we do all enter into the rights of inheritance).
All - is such an important word. The many and various ways we humans have of dividing ourselves from one another become meaningless in Christ. As many as were baptised, as many as are clothed anew in Christ, as many as now belong by faith to Christ, so many are All. All these are one new people, one new humanity in Christ.
This remarkable unity in Christ for all people is the good news of the gospel. You are all one in Christ Jesus.
Heirs according to promise - promise has been a key theme of this chapter. We become co-heirs not by law, not by right, not by obedience, but by faith in Christ.
Since unity in Christ is the good news, what should we do to promote unity with other Christians?
How should Christian view the law and make use of the law in the light of what Paul teaches us here?
Showing posts with label Gal 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gal 3. Show all posts
Friday, 26 February 2010
Gal 3:15-18 + 19-22
Gal 3:15-18
Paul offers a good example for all teachers/preachers. Take an example from a situation known to those you are teaching to illustrate the point you are hoping to make clear. Clarity is vital in teaching and good examples which answer the question, 'What is this like?' help make things clear. Let's see how Paul's example works.
v. 15 - self-evidently true, the point of entering a covenant, or contract, is that once it is signed it cannot be set aside or amended.
v. 16 - begin at the beginning, the promise comes first. To some Paul's point may seem like nit-picking, but these things are important. It would have been just as easy for God to make his promise to Abraham and his offsprings, as to make the promise to Abraham and his offspring. God doesn't make mistakes, what he says is what he means. Notice Paul says the offspring is Christ. In this context Christ, or Messiah, functions as a technical term that would have been recognised from the OT as designating the promised King in God's Kingdom. In itself this is not a point that would have been challenged by first Century Jews. To identify the Christ as Jesus of Nazareth would have been, and still is for many.
Paul's point here, however, is not to identify the Christ, but to clarify that the promises were made to Abraham and to the Christ.
v. 17 - the law, given at Mt Sinai, was added after the promise. On the principle of v. 15 the law added later does not set aside or amend the promise.
v. 18 - draws an obvious conclusion. The promise was of an inheritance, the law is not about this and cannot be about this.
Paul here shows us that the promises of God are made to, or about the Christ and through the promise, the Christ an inheritance is given to Abraham and his children. The law, whatever its function, is not involved here.
What difference does it make for us that God gives us 'the inheritance' by promise and not by law? How should we live while we await the receipt of 'the inheritance'?
Gal 3:19-22
I'm sure you're asking, 'What then is the point of the law?' Paul anticipates this question and presents here one of the answers.
I think v. 19 means that because the law exists we know more clearly what transgressions are. Transgressions are breaking the law, crossing the boundary, before the law is promulgated we don't know where the boundary is. But once the law is declared when we break it we are rightly condemned as law breakers.
In this the law functions to restrain wickedness. We now know within which boundaries good living, right living occurs. If we remain within the boundaries of the law then wickedness is held in check, which is a good thing for all society.
In vv. 21-22 Paul addresses another objection. The law and the promises are not set against one another. The law was never able to give life (the inheritance) to humanity, because of our human weakness and inability not to sin (break the law). The law serves good purposes in the plans of God, one of which is to restrain wickedness, the promise offers life through faith in the Christ.
Paul offers a good example for all teachers/preachers. Take an example from a situation known to those you are teaching to illustrate the point you are hoping to make clear. Clarity is vital in teaching and good examples which answer the question, 'What is this like?' help make things clear. Let's see how Paul's example works.
v. 15 - self-evidently true, the point of entering a covenant, or contract, is that once it is signed it cannot be set aside or amended.
v. 16 - begin at the beginning, the promise comes first. To some Paul's point may seem like nit-picking, but these things are important. It would have been just as easy for God to make his promise to Abraham and his offsprings, as to make the promise to Abraham and his offspring. God doesn't make mistakes, what he says is what he means. Notice Paul says the offspring is Christ. In this context Christ, or Messiah, functions as a technical term that would have been recognised from the OT as designating the promised King in God's Kingdom. In itself this is not a point that would have been challenged by first Century Jews. To identify the Christ as Jesus of Nazareth would have been, and still is for many.
Paul's point here, however, is not to identify the Christ, but to clarify that the promises were made to Abraham and to the Christ.
v. 17 - the law, given at Mt Sinai, was added after the promise. On the principle of v. 15 the law added later does not set aside or amend the promise.
v. 18 - draws an obvious conclusion. The promise was of an inheritance, the law is not about this and cannot be about this.
Paul here shows us that the promises of God are made to, or about the Christ and through the promise, the Christ an inheritance is given to Abraham and his children. The law, whatever its function, is not involved here.
What difference does it make for us that God gives us 'the inheritance' by promise and not by law? How should we live while we await the receipt of 'the inheritance'?
Gal 3:19-22
I'm sure you're asking, 'What then is the point of the law?' Paul anticipates this question and presents here one of the answers.
I think v. 19 means that because the law exists we know more clearly what transgressions are. Transgressions are breaking the law, crossing the boundary, before the law is promulgated we don't know where the boundary is. But once the law is declared when we break it we are rightly condemned as law breakers.
In this the law functions to restrain wickedness. We now know within which boundaries good living, right living occurs. If we remain within the boundaries of the law then wickedness is held in check, which is a good thing for all society.
In vv. 21-22 Paul addresses another objection. The law and the promises are not set against one another. The law was never able to give life (the inheritance) to humanity, because of our human weakness and inability not to sin (break the law). The law serves good purposes in the plans of God, one of which is to restrain wickedness, the promise offers life through faith in the Christ.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Gal 3:10-14
In this paragraph Paul writes of the curse that attends law-breaking. Most famously Deut 28 records blessings for obedience (14 verses) and curses for disobedience (54 verses). It is all very well to claim that the gospel announces freedom from the law and the demands of the law, but we have all been disobedient to the law, what happens about the curse that follows from disobedience?
v. 10 - here Paul sets out the problem very briefly and clearly.
v. 11 - summarises much of Paul's arguments so far, the law does not make us right with God, not only because no one has fully obeyed the law, but more importantly those who are right with God (righteous) have been made righteous by faith (in Christ) not by self fulfilment of the law.
v. 12 - the contrast between the law and faith is explained in terms of work. Obedience to the law is a work, something which we do. The nature of faith is that it is a gift of God, God gives us faith and his Spirit enlivens this faith within us to our blessing.
It is like two different operating systems, works xp or faith 7, they may look as though they do the same thing(s) but they don't, and they don't function in the same way.
v. 13 - returning to the curse of the law, Paul claims that the object of faith - Christ - redeems us from the curse of the law. In his crucifixion Christ fell under the curse of the law, the reference is to Deut 21:23, one verse which stands for all the curses of the law falling upon Christ upon the cross. The key to v. 13 is the two small words 'for us'. Christ did not deserve to have the curse of the law fall upon him, he had no sin in himself. This is substitution, Christ takes our place under the curse, a place we deserve but are set free from because Christ has filled it. The curse has been borne and is fulfilled, "Payment God cannot twice demand, once at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again at mine." (Toplady).
v. 14 - and so Abraham appears again!
'so that ...' refers back to 'Christ redeemed us' (v. 13), giving the sense 'Christ has redeemed us so that ...' How would you finish this sentence? If you don't finish it the way Paul does your thinking is not yet fully in line with Paul's and the NT. So that introduces a purpose clause, the purpose of Christ's redemption of us is to bring the blessing promised to Abraham to the Gentiles!!
That all humanity were under the curse of disobedience has prevented the promised blessing being given. But now Christ has redeemed us, the curse is removed, and the blessing is freely given.
The Spirit is now poured out upon God's people through faith.
Christ removes the curse, not by force but by enduring the penalty of the curse.
To those who exercise faith in Christ and his curse removal the blessing of the promised Spirit is given.
To God be the glory.
v. 10 - here Paul sets out the problem very briefly and clearly.
v. 11 - summarises much of Paul's arguments so far, the law does not make us right with God, not only because no one has fully obeyed the law, but more importantly those who are right with God (righteous) have been made righteous by faith (in Christ) not by self fulfilment of the law.
v. 12 - the contrast between the law and faith is explained in terms of work. Obedience to the law is a work, something which we do. The nature of faith is that it is a gift of God, God gives us faith and his Spirit enlivens this faith within us to our blessing.
It is like two different operating systems, works xp or faith 7, they may look as though they do the same thing(s) but they don't, and they don't function in the same way.
v. 13 - returning to the curse of the law, Paul claims that the object of faith - Christ - redeems us from the curse of the law. In his crucifixion Christ fell under the curse of the law, the reference is to Deut 21:23, one verse which stands for all the curses of the law falling upon Christ upon the cross. The key to v. 13 is the two small words 'for us'. Christ did not deserve to have the curse of the law fall upon him, he had no sin in himself. This is substitution, Christ takes our place under the curse, a place we deserve but are set free from because Christ has filled it. The curse has been borne and is fulfilled, "Payment God cannot twice demand, once at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again at mine." (Toplady).
v. 14 - and so Abraham appears again!
'so that ...' refers back to 'Christ redeemed us' (v. 13), giving the sense 'Christ has redeemed us so that ...' How would you finish this sentence? If you don't finish it the way Paul does your thinking is not yet fully in line with Paul's and the NT. So that introduces a purpose clause, the purpose of Christ's redemption of us is to bring the blessing promised to Abraham to the Gentiles!!
That all humanity were under the curse of disobedience has prevented the promised blessing being given. But now Christ has redeemed us, the curse is removed, and the blessing is freely given.
The Spirit is now poured out upon God's people through faith.
Christ removes the curse, not by force but by enduring the penalty of the curse.
To those who exercise faith in Christ and his curse removal the blessing of the promised Spirit is given.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Gal 3:7-9
Like an unexpected guest at a party, Abraham seems to turn up in the New Testament in places where you dont really expect to find him. We will see this again in the next paragraph, but the point is worth making twice, when the NT seems to head off in an unexpected direction it's not the NT that's wrong! Our thinking about the gospel is often muddled and when we are surprised it is a good chance for us to have our thinking straightened out a bit.
Abraham was introduced in this chapter in v. 6, apparantly as an example of someone who was made right with God (justified) by faith not works.
v. 7 - to be a son of Abraham was a great boast of the Jewish peoples. Racially they are the children of Abraham and the Gentiles are not. However, theologically or in terms of salvation being the children of Abraham is not about race, but about faith. Those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ, portrayed as crucified, become the children of Abraham.
v. 8 - in this verse Paul asserts, without giving us chapter and verse references, that the Scriptures have foretold God's purposes to make the Gentiles right with him through faith. We are pointed to Gen 12:3, the great promise that in Abraham all the nation of the earth would be blessed. In this context the blessing refered to here can only be that of being made right with God by faith.
v. 9 - the same blessing promised to Abraham, and enjoyed by Abraham, is now offered to all, Jew and Gentile alike, is now enjoyed by all, Jew and Gentile alike. This fundamental distinction between the Jews and everyone else is destroyed by the gospel which reaches through and beyond such divisions.
Why is Abraham of such importance to Paul? What is faith in these verses?
Abraham was introduced in this chapter in v. 6, apparantly as an example of someone who was made right with God (justified) by faith not works.
v. 7 - to be a son of Abraham was a great boast of the Jewish peoples. Racially they are the children of Abraham and the Gentiles are not. However, theologically or in terms of salvation being the children of Abraham is not about race, but about faith. Those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ, portrayed as crucified, become the children of Abraham.
v. 8 - in this verse Paul asserts, without giving us chapter and verse references, that the Scriptures have foretold God's purposes to make the Gentiles right with him through faith. We are pointed to Gen 12:3, the great promise that in Abraham all the nation of the earth would be blessed. In this context the blessing refered to here can only be that of being made right with God by faith.
v. 9 - the same blessing promised to Abraham, and enjoyed by Abraham, is now offered to all, Jew and Gentile alike, is now enjoyed by all, Jew and Gentile alike. This fundamental distinction between the Jews and everyone else is destroyed by the gospel which reaches through and beyond such divisions.
Why is Abraham of such importance to Paul? What is faith in these verses?
Monday, 22 February 2010
Gal 3, 3:1-6
Galatians chapter 3
Galatians chapters 3 and 4 are very closely connected and together form a densely constructed passage of Scripture. These are some of the most important chapters in the New Testament and if we take them one piece at a time we can keep on the main road through these chapters.
Chapter 3 can be divided as follows:
3:1-6
3:7-9
3:10-14
3:15-18
3:19-22
3:23-29
3:1-6
Jesus Christ has been proclaimed to the Galatians as the crucified One, through whom alone the blessings of the gospel come to those who believe. In this short section Paul uses six powerful questions to help the Galatians realise the danger they have placed themselves in by moving away from Christ crucified.
Questions are very helpful when studying Scripture, what questions would you ask of this text? Questions are also helpful when talking with non-Christians about the gospel, what questions do you think would be helpful to ask others to help them think about Jesus?
In v. 2 Paul reminds the Galatian Christians that they have received the Spirit. When they heard the gospel and received it with faith in Christ they received God’s Spirit now powerfully living and working within them. They did not receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law.
It doesn’t matter much whether they viewed the works of the law as an appeal to God for acceptance or a badge to wear declaring their membership of the covenant community, either way they are of no benefit in receiving the Spirit. God’s gift of the Spirit is not earned by us through our hard work, nor through our belonging to a community. God the Father and the Son together send the God the Spirit to those who having been crucified with Christ now live together with Christ.
Verse 3 challenges our thinking about continuing our Christian lives. We rejoice that our Christian lives started with the Spirit bringing us to new life in Christ. Are we then to imagine that we continue being Christian through our own efforts? I hope when we read and write it as bluntly as this the point is clear! The life of the Spirit will involve suffering, v. 4, the kind of opposition Paul faced from the circumcision party, if nothing less. Paul appeals to his readers make your suffering worth while.
The repetition of the theme comes to vv. 5-6, Abraham heard God and believed the promise. He becomes the example of faith. He gains from God a righteousness that was not his own, could not have been earned or crafted by himself. But, as he commits himself in faith to the God who has spoken to him he receives righteousness from God.
What is it we hear that we place our faith in?
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