Epistles of Paul 21

Previous studies of the Book of Galatians, we saw how false brethren, as if we read that in Galatians chapter 2 verse 4, this occurred because false brethren secretly brought in, who came by stealth to spy out our liberty. So there is this false brethren perverting the Gospel of Christ. We can see that in Galatians chapter 1 verse 7, which says at the end, would trouble you and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ. And basically they were saying that unless you obey the ritual ceremonial laws, you cannot be saved. Very similar to what they said in Acts 15 verse 1, when there was the Jerusalem conference. So if we just quickly look at Acts 15 verse 1, it says, certain men came down from Judea and told to brethren, unless you circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And then you read in verse 5 that some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, so these were people that believed, believed in Christ, rose up saying it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them, this is the Gentiles, to keep the law of Moses. So this Acts 15 conference, as we know, was in 49 AD, and then about three years later, the debate continues around the time that Galatians was written, about 52 AD, so about three years later. And so this main theme behind the book of Galatians is that we're not justified by works of law, but by faith, by the faith that we have and the faith of Jesus. It's actually an act of faith. So if we read in Romans chapter 3 verse 20, Romans chapter 3 verse 20, Romans chapter 3 verse 20, we see, therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh shall or will be justified in his sight, in that sight, it was no flesh will be made right with God in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. So God's law tells us what sin is, is the knowledge of sin.

And so the law tells us how to live, because God's law is a law of love. And when we break it, when we break away from God's love, that is sin. And we all have much to be desired to get to that degree of love that God wants us to be like he is. We do fail often, but we have to persevere and keep trying. If we read at Romans chapter 2 verse 13 says, for not the errors of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. So once we have been forgiven, we have to now be doers of the law, not just errors, so that we may be justified at the end of the race. So obeying any law does not pay for previous infractions of that law. In other words, obeying a law does not pay for the penalty of the law. We have to pay a fine, or that fine has to be paid for us. So obeying the law does not make us right before God. In Romans 3 verse 28 it says, therefore we conclude that a man is made right with God by faith, apart from the deeds of the law. So there is faith in our side that we believe that the sacrifice of Christ is enough for us and therefore the sacrifice of Christ has paid for our sins. And therefore that is an act of absolute gift from God, a faithfulness from God, an act of faith from Christ and from God. And therefore we are justified by faith. We have to believe that that sacrifice is good enough to save us, to justify us and ultimately to save us if we persevere. And once we have been forgiven, if we strive and persevere, trying to overcome and become more like Him. And then in verse 31 of Romans 3 it says, do we then make the law void through faith, or do we make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. We really establish the law. So then yeah in Romans it continues, what then shall we say that Abram our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abram was justified by works of flesh, he has something to boast about. But not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abram believed God. When God told him leave the country and go to this land, he trusted God and he went in complete trust and belief. And it was accounted, was credited, was put into his, let's call it bank account, was credited, was accounted to him for righteousness.

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. In other words, him that works, the wages are basically the wages from his work. But to him who does not work, but believes on him, we believe on God and Christ and what they have done for us, who justifies them godly, they make us just. So he says, we believe on him who justifies them godly. It is God's actions that did, that they did to justify us. Therefore, his faith, his trust is accounted for righteousness. So his faith is account. But just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. So yeah, we have, it is God through Jesus Christ's sacrifice that pays for our sins, that redeems, that buys us back and we gotta believe, we gotta trust that his sacrifice is enough to pay for our sins. And then he said, verse 7, blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, our poor sins are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. We cannot pay for our past sins. It is an act of faith, an act of faith, both from us and from God, from us that we believe there is sacrifice and sufficient and act of faith from God that he did this. They went through this. They trusted one another. They had absolute trust in one another. They went through it. They did it. They fulfilled it in the hope and faith that we repent and we change. And so we know in James chapter 2 verse 17 that faith without works is dead. And so we believe in him. We have to now back it up with obedience. That's why it says in Romans chapter 2, Romans chapter 2 verse 13, it says, for not the years of the Lord are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the Lord will be justified. Ultimately, after we've been repented and been forgiven now, in other words, we've been cleared out of jail. We've been, our sins have been paid for. We are now free, but that is not free to continue sinning. We have to now be doers of the of the Lord. It says the doers of the law will be justified. So in Galatians chapter 2 verse 17, we read, but if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are also found sinners. Now that we have been justified by Christ, we've now accepted Christ's sacrifice, we've repented Christ has forgiven us. If we now are found sinners, if we continue sinning, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Is Christ therefore a minister that says, well, therefore you can go on sinning? Certainly not. Certainly not. For if I build again those things which are destroyed, I make myself a transgracer. What did I destroy? I destroyed the old man. At baptism, we made a commitment to bury that old man. That old man is buried. And now, as a new man coming out of the water grave, we're going to be a new man, a new person. That's why it says, put off the old man and put on the new man. And so, if I build again those things which are destroyed, in other words, if I'm building again that old man, I make myself a transgracer. I'm a sinner. And the salary of the wages of sin is death. And so, basically, what do we have? Is that both unnecessary? The law is there to teach us how to live God's way of love and God's grace to forgive us freely.

However, remember, that sin had to be paid, and it was paid by Jesus Christ's death and blood. But, he forgives us freely. But he paid for it. He redeemed us with his sacrifice. And so, both are a gift from God. God gives us the way of life, the way of the tree of life, the way of love, and God gives us his forgiveness. And both demonstrates God's grace, which is both the law and forgiveness by Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Now, another thing God gave us is free moral agency, the freedom of choice. We must believe, trust, have faith that only by God's grace, through Jesus Christ, we will be saved. Yes, we justified now, we forgiven, but now we have to persevere, overcoming, putting on the new man until the end.

So, we are now justified, and finally, consequently, as a final outcome, we will be saved. And this is not by works of the law. So, this is an important point. To obey God's laws is not legalism. To obey God's laws is not legalism, because God's laws are love.

But trying to be justified by obeying, trying to be made right with God by human effort, or put it in other words, by acts of penance, that is legalism. So, trying to be justified by obeying is legalism. In Psalm 111 verse 10, Psalm 111 verse 10, it reads, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You see, God's respect for God, for God, and for what he says, and for what he tells us, and what does he tell us? To keep his Ten Commandments, his law. And that's the law of love. And that respect for God, that fear, and do what he tells us to do is the beginning of wisdom. And a good understanding of all those that do his commandments is praising you forever. So, the fear, the respect for God's law, which is an act of grace, gives us wisdom. But now continue reading in the next verse, which is actually Psalm 112 verse 1. Praise the Lord, blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in his commandments. Why is he blessed? Remember, God's law is a blessing. God's law is a gift from God. Why? Because he gives us blessings if we obey it. But he gives us punishments if we disobey it. Then it says in verse 6 of Psalm 112, he that was talking about, he that fears the Lord, and who delights greatly in his commandments, surely he will never be shaken. The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings. And look at verse 10. The wicked will see it and be grieved.

And think about it. This is actually pointing to right at the end when the wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire, and they will be grieved. They will see the others that have made it, and it will be grieved. And he will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish. It will be burned, melt away, gone. So the law is a blessing, but for those that disobey, is a curse. Now, going back in Galatians chapter 2 verse 19, it says, For I through the law died to the law. How did I die? I died in the act of baptism. In the act of baptism, I literally made a commitment to die. When I say I, we all made a commitment to die. In other words, for the old man to die. So I, through the law, in other words, through because of me understanding this, through the law, I died to the law. I died that I might live to God. So now I have to live a new life.

The old man is dead, and we now go be a new man. Verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. How? My old man has been crucified, has been stopped living, and has been put in the grave. It is no longer I will live my old man, but Christ lives in me. Through this new man, because we received God's Holy Spirit, Christ is in me. We have been begotten as a new person. We are now living a new person. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who lived and gave himself for me. So because of faith, the faith that Christ had in dying for us, in trust that he had, that all this would happen and it would bear the right fruits. And likewise, my faith that I trust and believe in him. So it's all about faith. Of the Son of God and in the Son of God, but of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So I trust in him because he loved me and gave himself for me. And he did that because he never doubted that he would be resurrected. And that's why he gave his eternal life.

And look at now in chapter 3 verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? What is the truth here? That Jesus Christ died for our sins. Therefore, that we are justified by his sacrifice, not by our works, by his act of faith. And we are going to trust in that. We're going to believe that. So who has bewitched you? That you should not obey the truth? And what's the truth? That you're going to believe that Christ's sacrifice is good enough for us and that it's Christ's sacrifice that paid for our sins? That's the truth. Look at Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53.

Verse 5. Isaiah 53 verse 5. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we heed as it wear our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and our sicknesses and carried our sorrows. And look at it a bit further in verse 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment and who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living. Why? For the transgressions of my people he was stricken. Christ died for our sins. A great act of faith, of mercy, of love by Christ.

So let's re-emphasize the point in Galatians chapter 3 verse 2. It says, For this only I want to learn from you. In other words, I want to ask you a question. Paul is re-emphasizing the point. I want to ask you a question. Tell me this. Just tell me this. Did you receive God's early Spirit by works of law or by hearing of faith? Did you receive God's early Spirit because you have worked so hard and you are keeping the Sabbath, you're keeping the holy days, you're doing everything? Or do you receive God's early Spirit because you believed in Christ, you believed what he did for us, and he sacrificed, he sacrificed, you repented, you made a commitment, and in other words, by hearing this gospel of Christ. Is that how you receive God's early Spirit? Of course. Of course. And what's the story about what Christ did? Well, he humbled himself using the form of God. He did not consider robbery to be equal with God, but he humbled himself and became in the form of man, and he humbled himself in further and died in the cross for our sins. We read that in Philippians chapter 2 verse 6 through 8. And then, just before he died, during his prayer, which we read in John 17, after the the changing of the symbols at the Passover in John 17. So he was praying there before he was betrayed, and he knew he was going to be betrayed. But in John 17 verse 1 through 5 says, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you. Imagine you know that you're going to die, that they're going to murder you, they're going to betray you. And you say, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son. That is an act of absent trust and faith. And then he says, as you have given him authority, that's me, over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. You know, you the Father have given Christ authority over all flesh, that Christ should give eternal life to as many as you the Father have given to Christ.

And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ you have sent. So God, the Father, is the God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Yes, He's also God Being, but the God of Jesus Christ is the Father, He's the true God, the ultimate God. And so He says, I have glorified you on the earth, I have finished the work which you have given me to do. You gave me a job to do when I came to earth. You delegated me some responsibilities of this big plan, and this big plan has got different phases of steps to do, and this specific phase of coming to earth, being a human being and dying for us, He has completed.

He says, I finished the work which you gave me to do, and our Father glorified me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was. And this, what does this show us? This shows or reflects a great closeness between the Father and the Son. This shows an indivisible love and unity of purpose, a absolute mutual trust in one another.

It shows the faithfulness of God and the faithfulness of Christ, and the absolute example of faith towards one another, which we have to learn and to be like they are. That's why it says in verse 20, John 17 verse 20, I do not pray for these alone, in words, for these disciples, these apostles that they are with me, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

And so, we have to believe as well. We have to trust in what the apostles are saying, which basically came from Christ. That they may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you. That they may also have this indivisible love and unity of purpose and mutual trust. That they may be as faithful to one another as you and I are faithful to one another. And then we are one. That they may also be one in us.

That the world may believe that you sent me, and the glory which you gave me, I have given them. That they may be one, just as we are one. That they may have this unity of purpose, this indivisible love, this absolutely mutual trust and faithfulness towards one another. That's what we have to become. We have to become faithful as well. That's why it says, let you yes be yes and you know be no.

That's why we can trust in God, because his yes is yes and his no is no. We can trust Him because He is trustworthy, He is faithful. So it's an act of faith, from faith to faith, from God's faith to our faith, and our faith's got to grow from faith to faith. So I endow and you endow me, verse 23, that they may be perfect in one, in unity, and that the world may know that you have sent me and I have left them as you have loved me.

It's an absolute act of faith. Father, I desire that they also, whom you gave me, may be with me where I am. That they may behold my glory, which you have given me. In other words, I desire that they will be in the kingdom, and they'll be spirit beings like we will become when I am with you. Right? That's Christ's saying. Oh righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you sent me, and I have declared to them your name, and I'll declare it that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.

So there is an absolutely indivisible love and unity of purpose and mutual trust that is just what God is, and that's what we've got to become. So Jesus Christ paid for our sins due to his love towards us, due to the the Father's love towards us, because they both agreed on this plan, because of their unity of purpose, because of their faithfulness to their word and their commitment and what they decided to do. And that's why we read in Galatians chapter 2 verse 16, that he says, knowing that a man is not justified by works of law, but by faith, the faith of Christ.

Even we have believed in Christ, so now we are believing Christ because of this justification, because of the sacrifice that Christ and God did for us. Therefore, we've got to believe in that, that we might be justified by faith. And that's not by works of law. So this is a very important point. You know, we read in Hebrews 13 verse 5. Hebrews 13 verse 5.

He says, that you'll conduct me without covetness, the content with such things as you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never leave you or forsake you. We got to believe in what God and Christ are doing and saying, and they said they'll never leave or forsake us. Or forsake us.

Their sacrifice, the Father giving his Son for us and his Son dying for us, is enough for us to forgive us, is enough to pay for ourselves. If only we accept, we believe in that, and we repent. Then we need to commit. We need to commit. We need to count that cost, and we need to be baptized. As we read in Galatians 3 verse 2, it says that once we got baptized, then we'll receive God's Holy Spirit, and that's what it is. We'll then receive God's Holy Spirit, and therefore we'll begin a new life by the help of God's Holy Spirit. All right, so in Galatians 3 verse 3, the 3D, are you so foolish having been Gandhi's Spirit? Are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Being made perfect by the flesh?

Or is it by circumcision of the flesh? You see, these false Christians, false brethren, as it's called in Galatians chapter 2 verse 4, they were not directly contradicting the Gospel. They were not saying that they did not need Christ's sacrifice, but what they were saying, if we read this verse 3, is that you will become more perfect. By the flesh.

So, having begun in the Spirit, so having been repented, now you need to be made perfect. Being made perfect by the flesh, in other words, it's a greater degree of perfection, they're saying there. That could very well be what that means.

So he's asking, who's bewitched you? Or Galatians. Who has deceived you? As if you were hypnotized and being deceived by this. Because it was an additional stage of being perfected or additional perfection.

So, these people, which were of the Phariseical sect, as we read in Acts 15, they were saying that they were trying to influence Christians to live like they lived. In other words, they're trying to influence them to be more Jew-like, Jewish-like. They were trying to make the Gentiles more Jewish-like. And Paul is saying, hey, salvation is available for Jews and Gentiles. You don't have to, quote-unquote, change your nationality to be justified by Christ. And this we see even today, brethren. How? Well, some people in some circles, in their intent and in their zeal, to be more perfect. To be, as it says in verse 3, being made more perfect, made perfect. They feel that they need to appear more Jewish. Maybe wearing tassels, or maybe using sacred names, maybe using certain Jewish words, which in the end, they get stuck on what we would call tweaks, rather than on the trunk of the tree, and regrettably, causing divisions in the body of Christ, because they're trying to be more perfect by these things of the flesh. In Romans chapter 10, it says these people have zeal. People with these type of approaches, they zeal as people. So not saying they're not zealers, he says, brethren, my heart's desire and pray to God for Israel, and he's particularly talking about God, including those Jews that had those specific situations that he was referred to, is saying, for our bare witness, did I have a zeal for God? Oh yeah, they were very committed to God's way, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, which is imputed by faith, by trust, they seek to establish their own righteousness by physical additional works, and therefore they have not submitted to the righteousness of God. They have not just accepted and submitted that through righteousness is imputed when you trust in God and you trust in what they've done for us, what the Father and Christ has done for us because of their mutual unity and faith and trust, and we trust in God, and that is imputed upon us for righteousness. Look at Matthew chapter 6 verse 33. Matthew chapter 6 verse 33. Remember, we just finished reading in round chapter 10 verse 3 that they were trying to establish their own righteousness. And not submitting to the righteousness of God. Now look at Matthew chapter 6 verse 33. Matthew chapter 6 verse 33. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Not my righteousness, not seeking my own righteousness, but seek God's righteousness, which is imputed by faith. Seek the kingdom of God, strive, and His righteousness, which is love and trust in God's righteousness. We've got to seek that righteousness. We don't have it. We've got to seek. We've got to ask God for it.

In Philippians chapter 3 verse 9, let's look at Philippians chapter 3 verse 9.

Philippians chapter 3 verse 9. It says, and be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, which is from, oh, I've done this and I've done that and I have done this very perfectly and I've done this very perfectly and whatever it is, and therefore I'm more righteous. Well, I'm not saying we disobey, but it says, which is from the law, but that which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, the righteousness which is from God. Remember Matthew 6 33? Seek the kingdom of God, first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

So, if we read that in the King James Version, it says, and be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the righteousness which is of God through the faith of Christ. And now if we read Ephesians chapter 2, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith. We say through faith and that not of yourselves. It's not my faith. Yes, it's through faith. But it's not just, I gotta believe. Yes, I gotta. It is the gift of God. That faith is the gift of God. We gotta believe that the faith of Christ is given to us, a gift of God. That's the sacrifice. That is that indivisible love and commitment and mutual trust that they did what they did for us. And therefore, because of this faith, we can be justified, we can be saved. We gotta trust in that to be imputed upon us as righteousness like Abram was. You see, it's a gift of God. Listen, not of works, lest anyone should boast, or not that I've done this or that, or not that I have more faith. Otherwise, we are boasting. So we gotta really understand that he's by faith, not of works. And because we trust God, we absolutely trust God. And God did this. God, the Father, and Christ, they had this mutual faithfulness and trust that we have to emulate. And so, what God has provided for us through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and that's the gift, what God has provided for us through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and we have to become like him, faithful, faithful. We have the same commitment, and therefore we have the same capability of when we say, yes, it's yes, and we say, no is no, be trustworthy, and therefore have trust in one another, because we're trustworthy. And going back to Galatians chapter 3 verse 4, have you suffered so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain? Are we doing those in vain? You know, what we suffered is in vain, the pains and the sufferings and the difficulties and challenges that we go through in our Christian life, and indeed we go through many. Many of you are suffering a lot.

Are we doing it in vain? If we're trying to gain salvation by works, it's in vain. Then we haven't learned a lesson.

We got a trust in God. It's nothing I've done, nothing that you've done. We're going to have absolute trust in God that is faithful. And therefore, we can have that justification, and that we, well, ultimately, if we persevere till the end, be saved.

Verse 5, therefore, He will supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you. Does He do it by works of law or by the hearing of faith?

So He that supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles in you, which is obviously God through Christ, right? Does He do it by works of law or by hearing of faith? Just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to Him for righteousness.

Abraham believed, trusted God. Why? Because God is faithful, is trustworthy. And because of that, because He trusted God, God respects what we trust Him. That is very important to God. But it teaches us the lesson that we are also going to be trustworthy. We're also going to be faithful. And that is imputed. That is imputed as justice by faith. And so, faith put Abraham in a state of being made right with God, his trust. And just like to Abraham, who believed in God, and therefore it was imputed to him and considered that he would be just, was just, in other words, he was justified by grace because he believed in God. And so it was not the righteousness of Abraham, it was the righteousness of God. And through Abraham's seed, which is Christ, all nations will be blessed. All, not just Jews, but Gentiles as well. All that believe, all that trust, as Abraham believed and trusted in God. All will be blessed with that justification. If we trust in God, and we go forward in that trust, and when we believe in God, we do what he says, and he tells us what to do. You know, what we obey. But we're not just defied by obedience, we're just defied because we trust in him, and because we trust in him, we're going to do what he says, and he tells us to do. Therefore, verse 7, know that only those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. Only those that are of faith are the sons of Abraham.

So, it's talking about those that are spiritual children of Abraham, that have the same inheritance. How? Through Christ, because through Christ, we can receive the Spirit of God, we can become sons of God, we can also be brothers in that family of God, and therefore become sons, sons of God, and sons the sentence of Abraham through that line, spiritually speaking.

Verse 8, in the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles, in all description, knew, prophesied that that would happen by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed. In you all the nations will be blessed through Christ, through the descendant.

So, we are before, and because Abraham believed and received the promises through that trust, we Gentiles, we all other people, Gentiles all know, we're also spiritual sons of Abraham by faith. And then, verse 9, so then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. So, those that are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. So, we are like they are. And so, that's where we're going to stop today, brethren. Appreciate your attention, and then we'll continue next week from verse 10.