SLIDES

The Letter to the Galatians

Part 11 (Galatians 3:6-14)

4. A Defense of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith

(Chapters 3&4)

Introduction

In ancient Rome, there was a tradition of adopting sons, where the adopted would then have all the rights of a biological son. (We will talk more about this when we get to chapter 4.) One notorious case involved a wealthy senator who adopted a runaway slave, granting him freedom and a new life. Here, the legal status was changed, not by the slave’s actions, but by the senator’s decision, reflecting how God adopts us into His family. Our justification is like this—it's not our works but the incredible grace of the Father that defines our identity.

In the same way, our justification before God is based not on our record of deeds but on His grace towards us, reflecting how we are seen through Christ because we are in Christ.

2. By the example of Abraham (3:6-9)

Paul demonstrated in verses 1-5, through the experiences of the Galatian believers that the doctrine of justification by faith was God’s way, not man’s way. Now he turns to the life of Abraham to also demonstrate that the doctrine of justification by faith is God’s way not man’s way.

Paul begins by quoting Genesis 12:3. “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  The context of the story of Abraham revolves around God’s promise of a son. God appeared to Abraham and told him in Genesis 15:1 that he was not to fear because God would protect him and that his reward for being faithful would be great. Abraham was thinking about that since he did not have a son, that he would leave his wealth to his personal servant Eliezer of Damascus. God immediately told him that Eliezer would not be his heir, but a natural born son would be. God then told him to go outside and gaze into the heavens and that his natural descendants would be many, as the stars in the heavens are many. After gazing into the sky, it was then that Abraham trusted God to give him a natural born son.  Moses wrote in Genesis 15:6 that Paul quoted in Galatians 3:6, “Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” The word believed means that Abraham trusted in what God said about him having a natural born son. The moment Abraham believed or trusted God, God placed declared righteousness into his account. Some translations use the word reckoned and some translations use the word credited. They mean the same thing. Declared righteousness was credited to Abraham’s account because of his faith.  Abraham received declared righteousness or justification 430 years before the Law was given. Abraham was justified by his faith in Genesis 15 and he also did receive circumcision, but that was not until chapter 17. Justification is not gained by works like circumcision or observing the Jewish High Holy Days but only through faith.

Verse 7, “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” Believes in Jesus are called (spiritual) sons of Abraham.  To be sure there are Christians who think that when a Gentiles trusts in Christ as their Savior, they become Jewish. Not so, remember that Abraham and Isaac were Gentiles and so was Jacob until God changed Jacob’s name to Israel in Genesis 32. Note that Paul did not call Gentile’s son of Jacob but sons of Abraham.

There are four distinct seeds or descendants of Abraham.

1.     His immediate family including Ishmael and Esau

2.     The physical descendants that make up the twelve tribes of Israel

3.     The spiritual descendants of Abraham, Jew or Gentile, because of their faith in Jesus

4.     Those who are the spiritual and physical descendants of Abraham

Let’s read Galatians 3:8.

“The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” 

Four thousand years ago it was prophesied that the Gentiles would be justified by faith.  In this verse Paul’s personifies the Scriptures to represent God.   Because God foreknew what he was going to do, he spoke these particular words to Abraham. Paul argues that God knew He would ultimately justify the Gentiles the same way He justified Abraham, a Gentile, that is, by faith.  So, Paul notes that because God knew that He was going to do this, He announced this beforehand to Abraham with the words, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” Abraham was justified by faith in Genesis 15 but wasn’t circumcised until chapter 17. Therefore, Paul demonstrates to the Judaizers and those followed them that Abraham was justified by faith not by observing the rite of circumcision which is a work.

Having used the example of Abraham, he now draws his summary conclusion in verse nine:

So then, they that are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. Those who are of works are cursed.

Therefore, God not only blessed Abraham by allowing him to be justified by faith, but also those who have had faith in Christ for the last 2000 years. 

Gentiles who take their stand on faith are blessed like Abraham was blessed. The key blessing of Abraham was salvation by grace through faith, apart from works.

There are people who think that they need to add works to their salvation as we saw today in the churches of Galatia 2000 years ago. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone does not seem to satisfy. People add the keeping of some of the laws of Moses to their salvation. Today there are demonstrations and people who believe that some works like baptism have to be adhered to for one to be saved.   Again, others throw what is commonly known as Lordship salvation into the mix. Especially within the messianic movement, elements like keeping Torah, adhering to Jewish customs, and observing biblical and traditional feasts tend to make favorite additions to salvation.

 There are subjects in Scripture like marriage and divorce, election and predestination that are difficult. How one is delivered from their sins to receive eternal life is not one of them.  Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum and others estimate that there are more than two hundred clear scripture references in the Bible about how to be saved. These passages consistently state that faith or belief is the sole condition for salvation. One clear example is John 1:12, which explains that those who receive Jesus by believing in His name become children of God. Another explicit reference is Acts 16:30-31, where the apostle directly answers the question "What must I do to be saved?" His answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved". These clear passages should be used to interpret any potentially problematic texts, rather than the other way around.

Romans 4

1  What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?

2  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

3  For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

4  Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

5  But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

6  just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7    “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN,

AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.

8    “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

9  Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

10  How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

11  and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

12  and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.