July 5, 2009
Morning Service

Galatians 3:15-29

 

Review:

1.      The Apostle Paul is combating the false teachings of the Judizers, those teaching you had to keep the law of Moses in order to be saved.

2.      The Galatian Christians, were being swayed by these people, to believe what they were teaching.

LISTEN TO THE APOSTLE;    Read vs 1-14.

 

Let’s begin with verse 15.

 

Gal 3:15-29  Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 

• Paul is using an illustration of every day occurrence, that of a contract between men.  Once it has been ratified no one can change it.  

(16)  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 

• Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
• That was the promise.  But notice.
• Abraham received this promise because he had been obedient to the Word of God.  God told him to take his only son, and offer him as a sacrifice, and Abraham obeyed the voice of God.  Then he received this promise.
• James showed us how this happened when we studied his letter.
• But God is letting us know today that the Seed of Abraham is Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, and that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through Him.
• Because Abraham obeyed God.

(17)   And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 

• Now 430 years later the law is introduced by Moses.  This is after the children of Israel have spent 400 years in bondage, in Egypt.  They had been living under the Egyptian laws, and God wanted them to have His laws.
• But just because Moses gives these laws, it doesn’t mean that the promise was done away with.

(18)   For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 

• God made this promise to Abraham, and the coming of the law did not take it away.

(19)  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.  (20)  Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 

• Wherefore then serveth the law?  Let’s clear something up here.  Paul said in the Roman letter that the law was Holy, and the Commandment Holy, Just, and Good.
• *****Let’s look just a moment at Romans 7, for some clarification of this.

 

Rom 7:4-14  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 

• What type of fruit?  The breaking of the law, which is sin?  God forbid.  After being born again, and in the Body of Christ we are to bring forth the fruit of Galatians 5:22-23.

(5)  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.  (6)  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. 

• Delivered from the law, being dead!  Our baptism is a d.b.r. for us.  The receiving of the Spirit of God gives us the ability to keep the laws that pertain to us.  He, the Holy Spirit, gives us the want to, be pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

(7)  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 

• Now notice;  the law is how you know when you sin.  Sin means to miss the mark.  The mark is the law in which you are expected to answer too.  For sin is the transgression of the law. 1Jn.3.
• Christians laws are contained in the N.T., and this teaches us to be under the laws of the land in which we live.
• And originally the laws of our land came from the Bible.  IN GOD WE TRUST.

(8)  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 

• You see, there is no sin without the law.  So when Paul said, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions.”  He was referring to the children of Israel doing things that were unpleasing to God, so God gave them the law to show them His expectations.

(9)  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.  (10)  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.  (11)  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.  (12)  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.  (13)  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.  (14)  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

• When Paul says he is carnal, sold under sin, he is referring to his position before accepting Jesus as Lord.  The Spirit of God that you have received when receiving the Gospel message removes the carnality in your life, IF YOU LET HIM. 
• Again, it is our choice.  He will help you remove all the carnality out of your life if you want it gone, and replace it with the fruits of the Spirit.  Gal. 5:22-23.

 

Back to Galatians: 

(21)  Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 

• Which means you can’t obtain eternal life by trying to keep the law.  Happiness, and good life is awaiting someone in this life that is willing to strive to keep God’s laws that he gave to the Israelites, but to obtain eternal life, you must accept Jesus Christ as your savior.

(22)  But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 

• Paul said in the Roman letter, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  And that’s why we need a savior.

(23)  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

• The law provided for them to roll their sins forward each year by the sacrifices that they were to make.  This gave them a good conscience before God.

(24)  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  (25)  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

• This certainly doesn’t mean that you forget all the things that your schoolmaster taught you.  There are a lot of good teachings in the law, but we must rightly divide the Word, so as we are not governed by the things of the law that Jesus fulfilled, such as the sacrifices, the holy days, the new moons, and the Sabbath days.  Thou shalt not kill, is still active today, as are many other good sound teachings.

(26)  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  (27)  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  (28)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (29)  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

• Vs. 27, remember this scripture.  It is very clear how we get into Christ, the body of Christ, the church, etc.  We are baptized into Christ.  This is where all the blessings of God are, IN CHRIST. 
• You don’t pray your way there, you are not voted there, grandma, and grandpa can’t get you there, YOU ARE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST, WHICH FULFILLS THE PROMISE OF “WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”

 

MAY GOD ADD HIS BLESSINGS ON HIS WORD.