|
"To testify the gospel of the grace of God" TrustingTheLordGrace 101 Bible Studies |
|
Galatians Chapter 3, Part 1
Galatians 3 Verse 1-7The issue Paul is addressing in the book of Galations is the same issue which has plagued Christianity over the centuries. It is the failure to see the distinction between Peter’s ministry, the gospel of the Kingdom, and Paul’s ministry, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, or in other words, “Paul’s gospel.”
In Chapter one we learned that the Galations were being “soon removed” from him that called you into his grace unto ANOTHER GOSPEL. We saw that the OTHER GOSPEL is not a false gospel. Remember we talked about the meaning of the two different words in Galations chapter one, verse six and seven for ANOTHER. Those words, in the Greek, are HETEROS which means “different kind” and ALLOS which means “the same kind”
In other words “another gospel of a different kind which is not another of the same kind.” We also said that if you are not inclined to study Greek, that it is not necessary to the understanding of the passage, because three times in Galations one, verse eight and nine, Paul uses the phrase unto you:
Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
So the key phrase in the passage is, don’t listen to anyone who preaches any other gospel UNTO YOU than the gospel WE PREACHED unto you. He says “even if it’s an angel from heaven.” Now for those who insist that there is only one gospel in the bible, I would challenge them to read Revelation 14 and compare it with 1 Corinthians chapter fifteen and see if they honestly can say that “all gospels are the same gospel.”
No angels from heaven are preaching any gospel today. Today the body of Christ is teaching something to angels, not the other way around. But look at Revelation:
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
I don’t know of anybody who can honestly say that they believe that the bible means what it says, as it says it, where it says it, and say that the GOSPEL preached by that angel in the book of Revelation is the SAME gospel as THIS:
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Things that are different are not the same and we are told in 2 Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Paul identifies the word of truth in the passage as the “gospel of YOUR salvation, in Ephesians 1:13. The gospel of YOUR salvation is not the SAME as the gospel of other people’s salvation at other times in your bible.
Now Paul says that he marvels that the Galations are so soon removed from him that called you, it is God who calls you, into his grace unto ANOTHER GOSPEL.
Religion teaches that this means a FALSE GOSPEL. In other words, religion will say that there is only one gospel, it’s all the same gospel, Genesis to Revelation, and that this OTHER gospel is the false gospel that the cults preach. You need to know that that is one of the biggest blunders in the religious system today. It is the result of the blinded minds of fundamental religious leaders around the world. There is NO SUCH TERM in the bible as FALSE GOSPEL. It is just simply not in there. The bible does say that there are “false Christs, false brethren, false apostles, false teachers, false prophets and false witnesses.” But nowhere in the bible is to be found the term, FALSE GOSPEL.
Now religious cults DO preach a false gospel. Paul was not referring to cults, like the Gnostics. He wasn’t referring to the Stoics and Epicurians at Athens, or any of the other false religions that existed at the time. When he referred to them, he called them “too superstitious,” as in Acts 17 at Athens, and he referred to their message as PHILOSOPY:
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Philosophy is the love of human wisdom. That’s all that the religious cults can know. For example, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jim Jones, David Korech, on and on, they preach human wisdom, they preach philosophy mixed with some religious knowledge taken from the bible.
They can’t understand the things of God. Lost men can’t know the things of God, of the Spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned:
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
People who belong to religious cults, or who follow cult leaders and cult teachings are unsaved. They need to understand the truth of the Gospel of Christ, trust the Lord for salvation and THEN come unto the knowledge of the truth through bible study. But Paul didn’t have religious cults or a FALSE GOSPEL in mind when he wrote the book of Galations. It wasn’t the cults of his day who were to blame for removing the Galation believers from the grace of Christ unto ANOTHER GOSPEL, a gospel of a different kind. The ones who were to blame were the Judaizers from the nation of Israel, from the church at Jerusalem, with their gospel of the Kingdom.
It is a DIFFERENT gospel but not a FALSE gospel. The “gospel of the circumcison,” preached by Peter and the twelve, is a very real and a very valid gospel, but it is a DIFFERENT gospel. It is not the same gospel Paul preached, as in Chapter two:
Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
This Kingdom gospel is not a false gospel. It is a very legitimate gospel and it existed and the people involved in the kingdom gospel were very much alive and well in Paul’s day, during the time period of the book of Acts. The Kingdom gospel was preached by John the Baptist, by the Lord Jesus Christ, himself, and by the 12 apostles both BEFORE AND AFTER the death of Christ. The Kingdom gospel was the ONLY gospel being preached during the early years, during the early part of the book of Acts. Their GREAT COMMISSION was to go into all the world and teach ALL NATIONS and Peter’s preaching was designed to prepare the nation of Israel to be a “kingdom of priests and an holy nation” and do just that.
But when the Lord appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and gave Paul “that gospel that I preach,” then the Kingdom gospel became a DIFFERENT GOSPEL. It had to be set IN CONTRAST to Paul’s gospel, the GOSPEL OF CHRIST, and that’s what Paul did in Galations chapter one. But now in chapter three…notice that Paul begins the chapter by asking six questions. The idea is that the questions don’t really need an answer. The Galations, when they read Paul’s letter here, should know the answer. In other words, Paul is merely asking the questions to make them think:
Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
The word “bewitched” carries the idea of being maligned, or fascinated. They are being fascinated by a false representation.
Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
In other words, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. You receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith. How do you know you have the Spirit? Because you know that you believe the gospel, that Christ died for your sins and that he was raised again for your justification. In other words, you trusted Christ for you salvation. You are not trusting in your own good works.
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Galatians 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
Paul wrote to Timothy and said that all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That persecution comes primarily from religious people. These Galatiions are suffering the same persecution and it’s coming from very religious people. In this case from Judaizers who are “subverting their souls” as James wrote, in Acts 15, and they had no such commandment, no authority to do so.
Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Paul says in Romans that “through mighty signs and wonders…in all the places he has been to that he has fully preached the gospel of Christ. Paul had the signs of an apostle. The Jews require a sign and Paul had them. The Greeks seek wisdom and Paul had that too. He said we “speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,” in other words, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation given to Paul.
So Paul has asked questions that are designed to make the Galations think. The idea is that the answers to the questions should be evident to them. He says that Jesus Christ had been “evidently set forth” in other words declared to them by Paul’s preaching, crucified among you. It’s not that Paul painted pictures or even had charts and graphs and such but that his preaching was powerful to them and among them, and they had believed it.
I think it would be good to go back and just take Paul’s whole sermon in Acts thirteen, and read it in it’s entire context. But let’s keep in mind that while Luke writes, in the book of Acts, he records what Paul said, but he is not writing primarily to the church, the body of Christ. In other words, the doctrine to the body of Christ was not written by Luke in the book of Acts, it was written by Paul in Romans through Philemon. Nevertheless, Luke faithfully records Paul’s sermon. As we read it we can see who Paul is preaching to and exactly what he says to the Galations:
Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Notice that it’s the Sabbath day, and that they are in the synagogue.
Acts 13:15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
Acts 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
Now let’s just compare for a minute a distinction between what Paul says to those that fear God and something Peter had said earlier. When Paul says “ye that fear God,” it’s a reference to God-fearing Gentiles who are in the synagogue listening to Paul. But to compare, look at what Peter said and see if you can see a difference between what he said and what Paul said:
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Acts 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
What’s missing from what Paul said? What did Peter say that Paul didn’t say? WORKING RIGHTEOUSNESS. Paul didn’t say one word about working righteousness. Why? Because:
Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
In a blinding light, brighter than the noonday sun on the road to Damascus:
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
So what we have here is the first record, the first recorded sermon that Paul preached, and Paul says nothing at all about works of righteousness.
Acts 13:17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
This is a reference to Moses leading the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.
Acts 13:18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
Remember that Israel wandered in the desert for forty years. Actually they wandered until the whole generation of people who came out of Egypt had died. Those people were not allowed to enter the promised land, the land of Caanan. Why? Because of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Acts 13:19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
Acts 13:20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
Acts 13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Acts 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
So Paul gives them the historical account of the birth of Christ of the seed of David, according to prophecy. This is in one accord with what Paul says in the book of Romans:
Romans 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
So Paul continues with the prophetic record that these people he is preaching to, “men of Israel and ye that fear God,” in other words Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who are listening to him preach in the Synagogue on the Sabbath day.
Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance to Israel and so did Peter in Acts chapter two:
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
So the preaching of Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two is basically the same as the preaching of John the Baptist. Peter has new information in Acts chapter two, Christ has been raised from the dead, Peter says, to sit on David’s throne, but the gospel of the Kingdom, THE OTHER GOSPEL Paul is dealing with here in Galations, is basically the same.
Acts 13:25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
So the word of THIS salvation is sent to somebody. Who does Paul say it is SENT TO at that time? Children of the stock of Abraham and whosoever among you (listening to Paul in the synagogue of the Jews) feareth God.
Acts 13:27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
Acts 13:28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Acts 13:29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
Acts 13:30 But God raised him from the dead:
So far, what differences have we seen between Paul’s preaching and Peter’s preaching? Same Jesus, same cross, same resurrection from the dead. But let’s keep reading:
Acts 13:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
When Paul says they are his witnesses unto the people, it’s a reference to the 12 apostles who witnessed, they spoke in tongues on the Day of Pentecost and all those devout Jews out of every nation under heaven who were there heard the witness:
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Acts 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
In other words, they witnessed the name of Jesus, the son of David, the heir to the throne of David, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Acts 13:32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
Notice the promise made unto the fathers, as in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being the fathers:
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
In other words, Jesus Christ was begotten of God in resurrection, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, the firstborn from the dead….born again.
John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Acts 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Acts 13:35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
So far this is in one accord with Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost. What would this good news, these glad tidings, be called? It is the same information Paul refers to in Romans chapter one, verses one through four and he says it is the GOSPEL OF GOD. The difference in Paul’s preaching that we have noticed so far is NO WORKS of righteousness.
Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
Acts 13:37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Now here is a very important distinction between the preaching of Peter and the preaching of Paul. Remember that Paul preaches Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. There was something that God was SILENT about, something he kept secret. Now the Holy Ghost can reveal what he wishes, when he wishes and to whom he wishes. This information was NOT revealed to Peter in the book of Acts:
Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Now Paul is preaching to both Jews and Gentiles and he is preaching what? The remission of sins? No. The forgiveness of sins. What did Peter preach?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
On the day of Pentecost Peter preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. FOR…in other words, looking forward UNTO grace at the end, UNTO the Day of Atonement at the second coming of Christ.
Peter did preach to one group of Gentiles in the book of Acts. What did Peter preach to Gentiles? At the home of the Gentile, Roman Centuran in Acts chapter ten, Peter says:
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Notice Peter says that believers, according to the prophets SHALL RECEIVE the remission of sins, according to what the prophets had spoken about. The blotting out of Israel’s sins is IN THAT DAY, the Day of the cleansing of Israel, the Day of Atonement at the second coming of Christ. Now watch carefully what Paul says to the Galations:
Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
So Paul preaches total justification by faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone, apart from the law of Moses. As in Romans:
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
So Paul says, “you foolish Galations, who hath bewitched you?” Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? All that believe ARE JUSTIFED from ALL THINGS. Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh? In other words by your own fleshly, physical efforts. Have you suffered so many things in vain? Paul suffered in Galation. He was stoned by the Jews. Paul had told these Galations they would have “much tribulation,” in other words, much trouble. Have you suffered in vain? Was it all in vain?
Then he asks them, how does a man work miracles among you? Paul, or maybe even one of the Kingdom preachers, possibly, working miracles but still subverting their minds from the simplicity of Christ unto ANOTHER gospel. How does a man work miracles? By the works of the law or the hearing of faith? Remember Paul’s encounter with the impotent man?
Acts 14:8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
Acts 14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
In other words, this man had faith in what? In the God of Abraham.
Acts 14:10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Now these Galations had heard all of this and seen all of this and that is what all these questions are about in Chapter three. They really don’t need an answer. These Galations should know the answer. That was Paul’s whole point in asking them, to get the Galations to think. It seems like that today, people simply don’t think. And they certainly don’t think about things such as this:
2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
So when Paul’s gospel came along, when the Lord revealed it to him, then the Kingdom gospel Peter was preaching became ANOTHER GOSPEL. Not a false gospel, a real gospel, but ANOTHER GOSPEL….not the gospel Paul preached UNTO YOU.
Now Paul turns to the promises. During the book of Acts there was a time of promise. It had to do with people who were in the covenants of promise. At this time it was not about the Ephesians who were strangers from the covenants of promise. So Paul says:
Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Paul makes a reference to Genesis 15:
Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
So he talks about the faith of Abraham. Remember that in Genesis 17, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham:
Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
This is all before God gives Abraham the covenant of circumcison. So we have an uncircumcised Gentile named Abram. He believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. In other words all salvation, Genesis through Revelation, is BY FAITH. Not all salvation is by GRACE THROUGH FAITH. Only Paul preaches salvation by grace through faith.
Peter preaches faith on trial. James preaches faith on trial. John preaches faith on trial. The books of Hebrews through Revelation are written to a group of people whose faith is on trial. But Paul preaches grace alone.
Now Abraham is made a father of many nations, so Paul says:
Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Those God-fearing Gentiles, called Greeks in the bible, heard Paul preach a message of salvation by faith alone. And they are told that they which are of faith, faith in the God of Abraham, faith in Paul’s message, are the children of Abraham. He is talking in a spiritual sense, not physical. As he says in Romans:
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
So there was a promise and God made it sure. Paul preached to those people involved in the promise, to the Jew first and also to the Greek until he had fully preached the Gospel of Christ.
Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
Paul wrote the book of Romans in Acts chapter twenty, at the end of his ministry, just before he is arrested and becomes the “prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles” as in Ephesians 3:1. And he says:
Romans 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
So the gospel of Christ is Paul’s gospel. The gospel he preached to the Galatians. The gospel of the kingdom, called the gospel of the circumcision, was preached by Peter and the twelve and it’s called ANOTHER GOSPEL.
Back to Galatians List
Permissions:You may link to any PAGE and any file listed may be download. Do not link directly to downloads. Please do not copy files to other sites, since these files are often updated and visitors should have the latest version. Our thanks to 100% Pure Dave,, HTML Kit, , Mozilla Composer, NVU,, TidyGUI, and Design by IronSpider