Notes on
Galatians-3
The True Gospel
Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
Paul tells us the key to living in the tree of life: understanding the message of Jesus Christ.
vv. 2-3 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. 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 Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
v. 3 NIV After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
God is telling us that even as we like to boast and compare ourselves with others in physical things, we also like to boast and compare with spiritual things.
God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
The bad news is that our lives are messed up because we have all sinned.
One of the reasons that sin is so seductive is that sin gives pleasure at the beginning of the sin; but at the end, it brings in destruction and death.
Hebrews 11:25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Severe relationship problems, divorce or separation, financial difficulties, HIV or other sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, relapse in drug and alcohol recovery, diminished creativity or work productivity, suicidal thoughts or attempts, overwhelming fear, shame, despair or guilt.
Definition of sin: anything that God knows is going to bring terrible, negative, devastating, life changing consequences into your life; things that hurt us, destroy us, or make the quality of our life go down.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Isaiah 59:2 your sins have separated you from your God. They have caused him to turn his face away from you.
All the religions of the world deal with sin from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil-they give you a system of dos and don’ts.
God did something different: He sent Jesus to step into the courtroom of your life and pay the bill for your sin and for my sin.
Hell is the place where you can pay for your own sins if you want to, but your sins have already been paid for by Jesus.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Galatians 3:10 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.”
Because we can’t keep doing everything perfectly, our own actions put us under a curse.
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
Galatians 3:19 What, then, was the purpose of the law?
Galatians 3:19, 22 It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins… the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin.
All systems of dos and don’ts leave us so unfulfilled that it makes us go looking somewhere else for a solution, and that solution is Jesus.
Galatians 3:24-25 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.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Version Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Christianity is not learned behavior; it is a transformation on the inside; a miracle.
Galatians 3:24 NLT The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
Christianity does not tell you to do right; it makes you right.
Our goal as a church is not to train you to live with good behavior; our goal is to lead you into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ!
Galatians 3:25-28 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
