Grace is Better than Law. (500)

Nathan joins Keith to share some ideas on her passage of the day. We returned to our look at the book of Galatians, and how Paul presented the benefits of grace over works.

Before we get started, here are some questions that we hope to address:

• our grace and salvation really free? Isn’t there something required of us to attain it?
• How do we deal with our struggles with ongoing sin?

We will also point out how Christ has redeemed us. He redeemed you from sin through His death on the cross, and given you forgiveness and new life.

The context
previously, Paul has confronted the Jewish legalists who infiltrated the Galatian church. They had assaulted the pure and simple gospel of justification by faith.
After establishing his apostolic credentials, Paul made his case for justification by faith alone. He emphasized that there is no middle ground between law (works) and promise (grace).

Some key words and concepts to be aware of in this passage:

• Redeemed:
  this is not just a matter of purchasing a product, the Greek word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slaves or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s substitutionary death for sin, satisfied God’s justice and exhausted His wrath toward His elect.

• Promises to Abraham:
  These are the promises found in the Abrahamic covenant. They did not become void when Abraham died or when the law came. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God’s faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man’s faithfulness.

To Abraham, God said, “I will.” Through Moses He said, “Thou shalt.” In other words, the promise set forth a religion dependent on God. The law set forth a religion dependent on man.

In contrasting the covenants of promise and of law, Paul first shows the superiority of the one and then the inferiority of the other.

Now let’s dig into the text, with some remarks.

10 For as many as are of the works of the Law…
This refers to those attempting to earn salvation by keeping the law.

When Paul states: “are under a curse.”

He is quoting from Deuteronomy 27:26. The point is that failure to perfectly keep the law brings divine judgment and condemnation;
all it takes is one violation of the law to deserve the curse of God.

James 2:10.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
NASB

Paul begins verse 11 with the phrase: “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident.”
To be justified is to be made righteous before God.
Paul continues verse 11: “for, THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Paul’s earlier Old Testament quote showed that justification does not come from keeping the law.

Deuteronomy 27:26
‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’
And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Some support that justification is by faith alone can be found in the Old Testament prophets as well.

Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.

Paul points out that faith and works are mutually exclusive by his remark in verse 12: “However, the Law is not of faith.”

Leviticus 18:5 also proves the point.

‘So, you shall keep My statutes and My judgments,
by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.

In verse 13 we find the substitutionary atonement of Christ. By bearing God’s wrath for believers’ sins on the cross, Christ took upon Himself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law. Even the manner of Christ’s death is critical for this atonement. God had demanded the dishonorable way to die is a requirement for his redemption plan.

For it is written: the common New Testament way (used sixty-one times) of introducing Old Testament quotes. (From John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of Galatians.)

Verse 14 contains a very important point to Gentile believers: “in order that in Christ

blessing of Abraham: faith in God’s promise of salvation
why was it so important? “So that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Why is it important that we receive the Holy Spirit from God the Father? He enriches our lives.

Isaiah 32:15;
Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a fertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.

Ezekiel 37:14;
“I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life,
and I will place you on your own land.
Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.'”

These Old Testament promises may have been a mystery, but Jesus clarified it for his disciples.

John 14:16, 26
16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever;
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,
He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Paul began his conclusion by comparing God’s promises to man-made promises made to one another.

First of all, he used the term Brethren: This term of endearment reveals Paul’s compassionate love for the Galatians, which they may have begun to question in light of his stern rebuke (v. 1, 3).

Paul brought up the topic of a Man’s covenant: Even human covenants, once confirmed, are considered irrevocable and unchangeable. . That being the case, how much more unbreakable is a covenant made by an unchanging God

Paul addresses who God’s covenant was with in Galatians 5:16.

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.

the quote is from Genesis 12:7. The singular form of the Hebrew word, like its English and Greek counterparts, can be used in a collective sense, that is, to refer to a group.

Paul’s point is that in some Old Testament passages “seed” refers to the greatest of Abrahams descendants, Jesus Christ.

Paul then refers to the time that has passed between the giving of Abraham’s grace, to the time the law was given at the exit from Egypt.

430 years: from Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (Exodus 12:40) to the giving of the law at Sinai (1445 BC); the law actually came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham (2090 BC; Genesis 12:4; Genesis 21:5; Genesis 25:26; Genesis 47:9), but the promise was repeated to Isaac(Genesis 26:24) and later to Jacob(1928 BC; Genesis 28:15); the last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in Genesis 46:2-4 (1875 BC) Just before he went to Egypt—430 years before the Mosaic Law was given. (Quoted from John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of Galatians.)

At any rate, regardless of the passage of time the covenant with Abraham has never become invalid.

Once God ratified, or confirmed the covenant, it had lasting authority so that nothing and no one could annul it.

Another point to notice is that The Abrahamic covenant was unilateral. That means God made the promise to Himself.

It means that the covenant is eternal. It provided for everlasting blessing.

This covenant of grace is also irrevocable. It will never cease.

It’s also unconditional. It depends only on God, not man), God made a covenant promise to himself with Abraham to benefit from it

but its complete fulfillment awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.

God made the promise with himself, but gave the benefits to that promise to Abraham in the form of a covenant.

Galatians 5:18
For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;
but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:57 — 39.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | Podchaser | RSS | More