Galatians 3

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-12

  • Verses 1-4. Clearly, Jesus was crucified in order to free us from a performance-based salvation, and to save us instead by our faith in Him.

    • We are saved by faith, we receive the Spirit by faith, and we experience miracles by faith. Knowing this, why would we turn away from faith?

    • Remember that you continue and grow in Christ the same way that you are saved by Him (Colossians 2:6)--by faith! Keep your focus on Christ. 

      • Don't drift away from faith by placing your confidence in your own ability. Keep your confidence in Christ and His death/resurrection!

  • Verses 5-9. Even Abraham, in the Old Testament, was saved by his faith (Genesis 15:6), and God told him that by the same faith we would also be saved (Genesis 12:3)!

    • Salvation by faith has always been in the Bible (Habakkuk 2:4), so never begin to think otherwise.

  • Verses 10-12. The law of Moses was never meant to save anyone.

    • Verse 10. We could never and will never be saved by doing the works of Moses' law. Why? Unless you obeyed every commandment in the law, you were cursed!

  • Verse 11. So, even the Old Testament tells us that people are saved by faith(Habakkuk 2:4).

  • Verse 12. You can't be a person of faith and keep the law of Moses, because the law of Moses cancels faith, saying that you are only saved by the law if you keep all its commandments (and this is impossible to do!).

 

Verses 13-14

  • Because of our disobedience, we were cursed. Christ took upon Himself the curse of the law—the death penalty—that we deserved, in being crucified, so that we could be saved by trusting in Him. 

 

Verses 15-18

  • God promised to Abraham, 430 years before the law of Moses came, that salvation would be given through faith in Christ—the “Seed”. So, when the law came, it did not cancel what God already said about salvation through faith, nor did God add a condition to salvation. God would not contradict Himself like this.

  • Therefore, the law was not given to be another means of salvation, to add conditions to salvation, nor to replace salvation by faith. The law serves a different purpose.

Verses 19-25

  • The purpose of Moses' law was not to save anyone, but to point us to the Christ—who is the true means of salvation.

    • Verse 19. The law was given, first, to restrain the people from too much sin long enough for Christ to come into the world.

    • Verse 22-23. The law was given to teach us all that we're guilty, so that we seek salvation, outside of the law, in Christ.

  • Once we're saved by faith in Christ, we don't need the law, as it has already served its purpose for us.

  • Use the law (the Ten Commandments especially) to convict unbelievers of their sin, so that they see their need for Christ (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

    • Point out the commandments to people—God's standard of morality—and this will show them that they are guilty before God. This will make them want Christ more.

 

Verses 26-29

  • In Christ, we all have the same opportunity for salvation, and we are all one people—united by our common faith. God does not favor Jews over Gentiles, or men over women.

    • This verse does not mean that there are no differences in role or nature between men and women, for example. Men and women still have different roles in life. It simply means that we are all equally children of God (verse 26).