Author: Charlie Garrett

Sunday, 20 March 2016

Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Galatians 3:7

What a knock-out punch for heretics who say that we have to observe the Law of Moses! The Galatians had fallen victim to the Hebrew Roots Movement 2000 years ago and Paul shows them the folly of this. The words here clearly indicate that, whether Jew or Gentile, one cannot trace their ancestry back to Abraham unless they live by faith, not deeds of the law.

Paul will continue to explain this and defend it, but his words here alone show the stupidity of reinserting the law as a means of being justified before God. Abraham precedes the law. Abraham’s faith was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore, the law had no bearing on his justification. God was pleased with him because he trusted the word of the Lord.

Because of this example, Paul says, “Therefore.” In theology as in mathematics, one plus one equals two. By diverting from the logic which Paul presents, the math is faulty. But when taken in the proper biblical context we can “know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” If Abraham is Scripture’s example for this doctrine, and if the law came after this example, then the law cannot be a part of it. In fact, it is opposed to it.

Paul will rigorously describe and defend what he means here, and he will also exactingly detail what the purpose of the law is. When he is done with his epistle, it will be shown that the faith of Abraham is to be the faith of the follower of Christ. It is one which says, “I trust God’s word with all my heart, and I don’t need anything else added to it for me to stand justified in His presence.”

Life application: Both in Jesus’ time and in ours, the very people who claim their ancestry descends from Abraham are the same people who have failed to see what Scripture teaches about him. They are indeed impressed with their own attempts at earning righteousness, but they ignore the righteousness of God in Christ. Let us not follow such a perverse path. Have faith in Christ and in Him alone.

Lord God, You were pleased with Abraham long before he was circumcised. You declared him righteous by mere faith in Your promises. He believed Your word and He was accepted by You. Now, we who believe Your word concerning Christ are those who are pleasing to You. Grant us the faith of Abraham, not relying on the flesh, but on the Spirit who gave us Your word and who tells us of Jesus. He did the work; help us to accept that. In this, You will be pleased. Amen.

Saturday, 19 March 2016

…just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Galatians 3:6

In the previous verse, Paul asked a question of the Galatians. Now in verse 6, and because of the obvious nature of a proper response, he skips the answer entirely. Instead, he simply moves into an illustration of the answer. The illustration is not from the time of the law, but rather from before the giving of the law. Further, it involves the great man of faith to the Hebrew people, Father Abraham.

And so, in his illustration, he begins with “…just as Abraham.” If one were to pull out any example of faith in God and in His promises, Abraham is the logical person to choose. The record of his life demonstrates a reliance on the Lord at a time when such reliance was unknown to the ancient world. Because of this, the example Paul gives will show that a precedent had been set which preempts righteousness coming through the law. Instead, “Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'”

As the law was still hundreds of years later in history, then this demonstrates that righteousness is not something granted by the law. If he was granted righteousness apart from the law, then it shows that this is the standard and proper way for people to be saved in this manner at any and all points in history.

Paul’s quoting of this passage from Genesis is that of the Greek translation of it. It is the same quote that he made, and with the same intent, as in Romans 4:3; that of the timing of God’s declaration of righteousness. Not only was Genesis 15:6 prior to the giving of the law, but it also came several chapters and many years before the sign of circumcision.

Circumcision was mandated in Genesis 17 when Abraham was 99 years old and when Ishmael was 13. However, Genesis 15 was prior to the conception and birth of Ishmael. Therefore, the declaration of righteousness was at least 14 years earlier, possibly more. Further, Abraham’s offering of Isaac in Genesis 22, and which is noted in James 2, came many long years after that.

Because Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness prior to either of these acts, as well as prior to the giving of the law, then none of these could have had any bearing at all upon his declaration of righteousness.

As a side note, this verse completely and entirely demonstrates that the doctrine of regeneration held to by Calvinists is wrong. Faith, which comes from within the man, results in justification. A man is not “regenerated” first in order to believe, as if God were injecting him with something externally in order for the act to occur. Further, to demonstrate that “faith” is not a “work,” we can contemplate the following argument –

1) Deeds of the law, or works, do not lead to justification (as noted in Romans 3:28).

2a) “Faith” is not something required within the context of the law. The law is of works and demands perfect obedience (Romans 3:19, 20 & Galatians 3:11).

2b) But by faith a person is justified and declared righteous (Romans 3:28, Galatians 3:24)

3) Therefore, because the law demands works, and faith is not a requirement under the law, then faith cannot be a work; it is something entirely different.

It is completely evident, fully supportable, and biblically correct to note from this one verse that, 1) belief is an act of the free will of man; 2) it is not placed in man through a nebulous process of being “regenerated to believe” by which he then believes; and that 3) this faith is in no way considered a work.

Therefore, the truth of Scripture indicates, from the first pages of Genesis, that man has been granted free will and that He must exercise that gift in faith. Further this faith must be properly directed and in line with the revealed light which God has provided.

Life application: Doctrine matters.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the great examples of people of faith which permeate the pages of the Bible. It seems that there is an example for every one of my failings. Whatever I face which is a challenge to my faith, there is some person who has faced the same thing and who prevailed over their struggle. You carefully, lovingly, and meticulously recorded their lives so that we can turn to such an account and be strengthened. Thank You for this marvelous and tender attention to our needs! Amen.

Friday, 18 March 2016

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— Galatians 3:5

Paul, speaking to the Galatians directly, asks a question which is tied to the same logic as his words spoken to Peter in verse 2:16. He then continued with the same thought to the Galatians starting in verse 3:2.

And so he begins with, “Therefore…” In essence, “Based on these things, it is time to make a logical deduction from what we already know.” In order to get them to think it through, he forms his words into a question, beginning with a known occurrence by saying, “He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you…” These words are a general repeat of what is stated in verse 3:2, in order that the answer to the question will be as plain and obvious as possible.

It was God who supplied the Spirit, and it is He who worked miracles among those in Galatia. To this, there should be no doubt in their mind. As this is so, Paul’s following words, framed as a question, demand an answer. “…does He do it by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Just as Peter was called out in the previous chapter for not thinking this issue through, the Galatians are now being called out as well. An answer is expected and it can only be the latter, “…by the hearing of faith.” The Galatians were Gentiles. They never had the law. They went directly from being pagans without God, to being saved believers who had received the Spirit and who had witnessed the miracles without having done a single deed according to the law.

As a side note, the word for “miracles” is dunamis. It can mean either miracles, such as healings, tongues, or other demonstrations of power; or it can mean a miraculous working within an individual, changing their life through the power of the Spirit. The latter is probably what Paul is thinking of. Though they may have demonstrated outward gifts of the Spirit as other early believers did, there was a greater change in the Galatians, wrought by the Spirit, and this had come about entirely apart from any works of the law. Their lives had been changed so much that they were willing to suffer for the name of Christ (as seen in verse 3:4).

Life application:  With the Bible recorded, we have its words which tell us that we are saved by grace through faith; we have its words which tell us that by deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified; and we have its words which tells us explicitly (and numerous times) that the law is finished, annulled, and set aside. Based on this, it must be that we are saved apart from the law. Further, reinserting the law, which was fulfilled in Christ, is to say to God, “I know better than You.” Don’t be that crazy! Stand on the finished work of Christ alone.

Heavenly Father, with each new sunrise comes the chance to realign my life and direct my steps according to Your wishes. Yesterday is gone and it is a new day with a new chance to be an obedient child of Yours. Instill in me now the desire to start this day rightly, and to continue walking in a proper manner with each step that I take. I pray this that You will be pleased with my conduct as I trust in You all along this path of Today. Amen.

Thursday, 17 March 2016

Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Galatians 3:4

There is no record in the book of Acts concerning the suffering that is mentioned here, but Paul’s words in this epistle form their own record and witness to it. He could not have written to the Galatians about their having suffered if they didn’t, in fact, suffer. And so it is obvious that some sort of ills had befallen them after their Christian conversion. The nature of this suffering can only be speculated upon, but several obvious possibilities are: 1) A loss of fellowship with family or friends; 2) A loss of employment; 3) Persecution by those who still held to whatever religion they had left behind; 4) Persecution from the Jews who detested the truth of the gospel found in Christ.

In these, or in any other ways, the Galatians had suffered directly from having received the gospel and then having turned away from their old ways of life. It should be noted that Paul ties his thought in with suffering and not in with their accomplishments. Their suffering was because of their faith in Christ, not because of their works. It is a connection to the constant theme of Paul in all of his writings; salvation by grace through faith. It is this by which they were granted the Spirit (as is noted in the previous two verses).

In a way of getting them to think this issue through, he asks them concerning this suffering, “Have you suffered so many things in vain?” He is asking them to think on the high cost they had already paid for calling on Christ. Was it simply a pointless moment in their existence? However, in hopes that they hadn’t completely turned away, he qualifies his thought with, “…if indeed it was in vain.” In other words, maybe their faith was still there but simply misdirected. The purpose of his letter is to determine the truth of the matter and then to redirect them if possible.

Life application: What have you given up for Christ? For some, the answer might be, “Not very much.” But for others, a great deal was given up in order to pursue this new life. By turning to the Law of Moses for a right standing with God, everything that was lost or which resulted in suffering for Christ was in vain. Does Christ’s cross have so little meaning to us that we would turn from it and to something that can never save?

There is never such a sweet moment as those which I spend close to You, O God. Many wonderful things come my way, but they are temporary and only satisfy me for a moment. But when I consider You, the excitement never ends, the anticipation of joy for all the ages to come, and the prospect of eternal life in Your presence is like a spring of cool water to my soul. I am so grateful to You for Christ in me, the hope of glory. Amen.

Wednesday, 16 March 2016

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

Paul uses the same word here as in verse 3:1 – foolish. The Galatians, without thinking through or even considering the stupidity of their actions, were willing to follow these heretical Judaizers onto Apostasy Avenue as they headed for Heretic Highway. His words are intended to cut them off and redirect them to Right Doctrine Drive. They needed clarity of thought, and they needed to rationally consider what their actions meant.

And so he questions them in an attempt to get them to think through what they were doing. “Having begun in the Spirit” shows that these Gentiles had NEVER been under the Law of Moses. They started out completely separate from the people of Israel and the covenant promises and expectations that were outlined for them. But then came the message of Christ.

When the gospel was preached to them, they didn’t suddenly get a crash course on how to observe the law, they were never circumcised, and they didn’t give up on their afternoon pork roast. Instead, they believed the message of Christ and they received the Spirit. If the Spirit was given by the Lord, then how could the Galatians think that by adding in the law (which Christ fulfilled) they could now be “made perfect by the flesh?” Adding in the law was not a step forward, but a step back.

Paul’s use of the word for “being made perfect” shows the stupidity of this choice. It is in the middle or passive voice and so it is more literally rendered, “…having begun in the spirit are ye coming to completion in the flesh?” (Vincent’s Word Studies). The words are filled with irony and they are intended to show the Galatians (and thus us!) the utterly absurd nature of expecting to be perfected based on the Law of Moses when it could never perfect anyone. Instead of arriving on Pleasing Parkway, they had been misdirected to Senseless Circle.

Not a single person in Israel’s history was able to meet its expectations. Because of this, Christ needed to come and fulfill it on our behalf. For a person to reinsert the law then means that Christ’s work means nothing to them. It is the ultimate slap in God’s face. Those who would do this have attempted to reverse the order of what God intended. This is seen from Paul’s hand in 1 Corinthians 15:46 –

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.”

Life application: It is the epitome of arrogance to assume that we can make ourselves more pleasing to God by observing aspects of the Law of Moses. Christ fulfilled it and so placing our faith in His work is the only thing that we can do in order to be pleasing to Him in this regard. Trust Christ, keep the observances and exhortations that you follow from the New Testament, and reject anyone who would tell you that it is right and proper to reinsert the Law of Moses, in part or in whole, in order to be in right standing with God.

Heavenly Father, by Your spoken word alone all things came forth. And by the power of Your word, all things continue to exist and are held together. In Your wisdom You created man and breathed life into him. As these things are so, then why should we not think that You are completely capable of keeping Your promises to us? Give us the fortitude to believe Your word and to stand on the truth that You are mighty to save and to keep on saving. How great You are, O God. Amen.