You Foolish Galatians!

Galatians 3:1-29

Key Verse: 3:1

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

Today’s passage relates to problems that arose after Paul’s first missionary Journey, as we studied previously in Acts 15.  After, Paul left the mission field Galatian believers were deceived by false doctrine.  Men belonging to what was at that time called the circumcision group.  These men said that, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses you cannot be saved (Acts 15:4).”  So Paul wrote this letter to encourage them to go back to the gospel he preached, based on absolute faith in the wisdom and power of Jesus’ cross. 

First, “Who Has Bewitched You?” (1-5)

Look at verse 1.  “You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?  Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”  How did the Galatians become foolish?  Were they just unintelligent?  Actually, it had nothing to do with brain power.  It had everything to do with spiritual power.  Notice the word “bewitched”.  This word is kind of spooky.  It sounds like they were given a magic potion or put under an evil spell.  But what Paul was talking about was their confusion about the message of salvation.  Basically they received the message that: Circumcision = Salvation.  Or more precisely: Jesus + Circumcision + the Law = Salvation.  This complicated the message of salvation.  But at the same time it gave the Galatians a feeling of security that they could do something to save themselves.  This appealed to their pride.  So they foolishly adopted this message.  Unfortunately, they did so at the cost of denying the message of the cross.  Paul reminded them, “…before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”  Here the message is simple: Jesus = salvation.  And by Jesus, Paul not only meant who Jesus is but also what Jesus had done.  Instead of looking at what they could do to save themselves, they needed to look up to Jesus on the cross—the only solution for man’s sin problem.  Then God would also empower them to obey Jesus’ commands, such as the world mission command.      

Look at verses 2-4.  “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?  Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?”  Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”

When the Galatians believed they received the Holy Spirit.  They began a new life by the Spirit.  As a result, they tapped into the power of God and were able to do things that they had not be able to do before.  Most notably, they were empowered to suffer for their faith.  This was the clearest evidence that they were changed.  And when they remained faithful in the face of sufferings they experienced one miracle after another.  What a strong start to their life of faith!  But what happed when they tried to live a new life by observing the law?  Instead of relying on the Spirit, they started relying on human efforts.  

Now I don’t claim to know much about how the Spirit works.  But I would like to share my experience as a messenger.  I had a lot of anxiety over my obligation as a messenger.  The more I tried to write the message, the more anxious I became.  In this way, I became totally ineffective in my message preparation.  But when I woke up Saturday morning all my anxiety was suddenly gone.  Someone must have prayed.  Then, Friday night, instead of going to be stressed out about message preparation, I went to bed meditating on one Word of God from the passage: “…before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”  Then, the Word of God and Holy Spirit worked in me even while I slept.  I learned that the way to receive the Holy Spirit is to struggle to hear and believe the Word of God.  Then after receiving the Holy Spirit, we must work with the Spirit, rather than relying on our own efforts.  This applies not only to message writing, but to whatever we do, whether studying for a degree, playing a musical instrument, working at a job, being a spouse, a parent, or whatever.  The Spirit makes us effective in every way.  We can even effectively suffer for our faith.  To rely on human efforts is foolish.    

Second, “Consider Abraham” (6-9)

Look at verses 6-7.  “Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.  Here Paul asks the Galatians to consider Abraham.  Abraham is the first of the patriarchs whose lives are recorded in the book of Genesis.  The Bible recognizes him as the father of faith.  When Abraham was 75 years old God called him to begin a life of faith, saying, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you:  "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." At that time, Abraham believed and left.  Over the next 25 years the Lord God shepherded over Abraham through one type of training after another—all with one purpose: to learn faith.  Once the Lord God took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.”  The number of stars was impossible to count.  God said “so shall your offspring be.”   As Paul quotes: “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Abraham did not earn righteousness.  When he believed God, righteousness from God was credited to his heavenly bank account.      

Last year a number of young believers participated in the summer growth program here at the Bible center.  Through studying Genesis they learned the lifestyle of faith, beginning with the example of Abraham, the father of faith.  Since then they have been growing up in faith through one training after another.  They are setting good examples of what it means to be children of Abraham.  

By saying “Consider Abraham”, Paul implied that the Galatians did not think about the Word of God as much as they should have.  When Paul seriously considered the life of Abraham recorded in the Bible, he received deep revelation from God.  He realized that God’s promise to Abraham, “All nations will blessed through you”, revealed how God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and that God even announced the gospel in advance to Abraham.  Like Paul, each of us is encouraged to think deeply about what the Bible says, until we receive personal revelation from God.  One of the best ways is to not only study God’s word, but also to write a testimony on what we learned.  Without deeply receiving God’s Word on a consistent basis, we are always in danger of being fooled.    

Third, Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse (10-14)

Let’s read verses 10-12.  “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."  Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."  The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."  

According to God’s law we all had to be cursed, because we all failed to do what the law requires.  Of course, some of us are big sinners; like me or Shepherd Terry, while others are on the other end of the spectrum; like Shepherd James Hopeman.  The rest of you probably fall somewhere in between.  But it’s not like there are varying levels of curse depending on how much each person has broken God’s law.  One is either cursed or not cursed.  And, under the law we are all cursed and cursed absolutely, even for just one small act of disobedience.                  

Let’s read verses 13-14.  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Here Paul quoted Deuteronomy 21:23.  The point is clear.  When we were hopelessly under God’s curse, Christ redeemed us by becoming a curse for us.  Jesus was hung naked on a cross between two criminals.  He was laughed at, mocked and insulted.  He died alone in utter shame and humiliation.  The curse Jesus bore on the cross for our sins was too much for anyone to bare.  But Jesus did it so that God’s curse would not fall on us, but on him.   

Recently I’ve been reading the book: The Murders Among Us, the memoirs of Simon Wiesenthal.  After the Second World War the atrocities against the Jews were so horrific that most people in Germany and Austria didn’t want to think about it.  However, one person, Simon Wiesenthal spent the rest of his life meticulously sorting out those responsible and bringing them to justice, not out of revenge, but because he felt that the memory of the senseless murders of 6 million Jews—including 1 million children was too valuable to be forgotten.  Despite his work, there are still some, who against all evidence say that it never happened.                 

Jesus’ death on the cross was so horrible, so terrible that we might not want to think about it.  This is especially true since we are responsible because of our sins.  But the message of Jesus’ death is too valuable to ignore.  Instead, may we come squarely, face to face with the cross and have all of our burdens of sin taken away.  Then God is going to bless us to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, the Promise and the Law (15-18)

Let’s read verses 15-18.  “Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life.  Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.  The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.  The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.  What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.  For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.”

Paul was aware that doctrinal issues concerning the law and God’s covenant promises were no easy to understand.  So he took an example from everyday life.  To paraphrase, he said that no one could set aside a previously made promise because of a newly established law.  An example of a human covenant today is promise made by BP to pay claims for damages caused by the Deep Water Horizon Incident in the Gulf of Mexico.  Thus far, BP has processed more than 45,500 claims for a grand total of $144 million dollars.  But what if BP were to file bankruptcy tomorrow?  Does that mean that they would no longer be obligated to pay anymore claims?  No, because they already made an agreement to pay the claims.      

God made his promise to Abraham 450 years before giving the law to Moses.  The Law does not set aside the promise, because the promise was made first.  BP eventually might try to break their promise, but God will never break his.  God’s promise is by grace.  It is not dependant on performance, such as observing the law.  It is dependant on God.                       

Fifth, the Purpose of the Law (19-25)  

Let’s read verses 19-25.  “What, then, was the purpose of the law?  It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.  The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.  A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.  Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God?  Absolutely not!  For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.  But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.  Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” 

The purpose of the law was to lead us to Christ.  Although the whole world was under the power of sin, there was no law that could impart life.  So God sent Jesus to impart life through faith in Him.  In the meantime, the law worked to police sinful behaviors, and to help each person to recognize their sinful condition before God.  Without being aware of our sinful condition, we cannot recognize our need for Christ.      

Many Christians start out strong, relying on faith and the Holy Spirit.  But as time goes by they end up relying more and more on their own efforts.  One brother received a lot of grace.  By God’s grace, he was strengthened to wake up early and attend the daily bread meetings.  However, recently he shared in his testimony, that when he looked around and saw that many shepherd leaders and missionaries don’t attend, he became a little proud.  Then he was already in danger of relying on his own efforts and performance and going back under the law.  

Many times I have become proud and ended up relying on my own efforts and performance with out even knowing it.  When I began a masters program, I stopped eating the daily bread words-except for every once in a while.  I quickly became a very foolish person.  By God’s mercy I made it thought the program, but there were times when I suffered so much anxiety that I couldn’t even study effectively.  I was like a man who was trying to visit Mexico City from LAX by boarding a plane headed for Anchorage, Alaska.  In order to get going back in the right direction I figuratively had to get off the plane in Alaska, and board the next flight back to LA, followed by a flight to Mexico City.  Thankfully, through preparing this message, God helped me to repent my foolishness to rely on myself and make a decision to restore daily bread with a absolute attitude to think seriously about the word of God.

In conclusion, Paul helped brothers and sisters in Galatia to overcome their foolishness to be deceived by false doctrine and come back to the truth of salvation through the cross of Christ.  Daily may we each of us rely consider what God has done for us through Jesus Christ as revealed in God’s word.  Then God will empower us to live a faithful and victorious life, and obey Jesus’ commands, especially the command to make disciples of all nations.  One word: Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

PAGE  

PAGE  1