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Galatians: Part 2 - Ch. 3



Faith


As Paul moves on throughout his letter to the Galatians, we see that chapter 3 focuses on one particular idea: faith. Paul moves on from discussing his own validity and the failures of Peter to where he now discusses what the lives of believers should look like and what fruit faith should produce in our lives. As Got Questions brilliantly puts it, “Paul contrasts living by faith with dying to the law: “through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God' (verse 19). This truth is further expounded in Galatians 3:3, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”. The implied answer is “no!” It is by faith, apart from the law, that one is presently being perfected.” Just as we will see throughout this chapter, Paul is making it clear to the Galatians that living by faith doesn’t just mean believing in Christ, it means that the gospel of Jesus is the very foundation of who you are that it changes everything about you. This is why Paul talks about this idea for a good while in his letter, and it’s also why we should consider this today. How well do we do at living by faith? Are our actions impacted by the power of the gospel? Do we seek to glorify God in all that we do because of all that Christ has done for us? Do we see the Holy Spirit using us for our Lord’s honor in our day-to-day lives? As we study this chapter in Galatians, I hope you see that God isn’t just talking to the church in Galatia, but He is speaking to you as well. Let’s dive in and see what our Lord has to teach us about how our lives should look as we live by faith each day. 


Living By Faith


To start, Paul indeed confronts the Galatians about their incorrect way of living in a very bold way. Paul starts off this chapter by calling the Galatians foolish and then moves on to remind them that they are cursed if they continue to think that they are justified through the works of the Law. Galatians 3:6-9 communicates this perfectly when Paul states, “Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 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.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” Those who are of the faith are sons of Abraham. What does this mean? It means that we who believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior will also be credited with righteousness for believing in God, just as Abraham was. What does being credited with righteousness mean? It means that all of our sin has been placed on Christ and dealt with on the cross, and the perfect and righteous life that He lived is now credited to us. This is why we are indeed blessed with Abraham. The blessing that Abraham received is the same blessing that believers today can partake in as well. That blessing, of course, is the blessing that God has given us His righteousness so that we may achieve salvation, since there is no possible way that we could ever achieve it on our own. This is why the righteous are to live by faith, because there is no other way to live! If we don’t live by faith in Christ, then we can’t be considered righteous, because it is only by the sacrifice of Christ that we can even be considered righteous in the first place. This is why being righteous and living by faith go hand in hand. We cannot live by faith in Christ and not have His righteousness credited to us, and we cannot have His righteousness credited to us if we do not live by faith in Christ. 


The Promise of Faith


Furthermore, Paul goes beyond describing what living by faith is and takes it a step further by showing the Galatians what promises lie ahead for those who live by faith. One particular promise is discussed here by Paul, and it is the promised coming of Christ. Why is this important to understand? Because the Galatians believed that they were saved by the Law and Christ. Paul, however, is making it clear that God promised we are saved by Christ and Christ alone. We don’t need to wait for something else to come after Christ, and we totally justified by anything that came before Him. Christ is who we have always needed if we ever wanted to inherit salvation. Look at how Paul says this in Galatians 3:16-18 “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as one would in referring to many, but rather as in referring to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 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.” Paul is very clear here. The seed that we have been promised is Christ. We weren’t promised coming seeds, we were promised a coming seed. 

This means that Christ and Christ alone has been our Lord’s plan from the beginning to lead His people to everlasting life in salvation with God forever. What do we make of the Law then? Paul tells us in the rest of this chapter that the Law was meant to point us to Christ by revealing to us how badly we all need a savior. Every tool that God may use is not a tool of salvation, it is a tool meant to point us to salvation. In other words, everything that God uses is not meant to purchase our salvation; rather, they are meant to point us to Christ, the only one who has purchased our salvation. The Law was indeed used by God, but it cannot save us. The prophets were indeed used by God, but they cannot save us. The angels were mighty instruments of our Lord, but they cannot save us. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can wash away our sin and credit us with His righteousness so that we may be saved for eternity. I hope and pray that as you digest this chapter, you will see how living by faith in Christ will lead you to a better life that can glorify Him each and every day. 






Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/


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