GALATIANS LESSON 5

     We will begin this lesson in 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?"

     Paul is not calling these Galatians a fool, but is saying that
their actions are foolish. Foolish means to give the appearance of a
fool. Paul reminds them that they have been blessed with the glorious
Truth. God thought enough of them that He sent Paul to them to open
their eyes to the Truth of God. Paul had taught Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. As we said before, Paul taught that Jesus fulfilled the
law. He became the substitute for our sin. The law was fulfilled and
all who believe live in the grace of God.

     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?"

     Look, with me, at the Scriptures which describe exactly what
happens to those who are believers. Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also
[trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise," Ephesians 1:14 "Which is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto
the praise of his glory." Paul is attempting to make them realize that
the law was of the flesh and true Christianity is of the Spirit. Why
would anyone who had known the Spirit of God go back to a fleshly
religion of ordinances?  The answer is so obvious in verse 2 above.
The Spirit comes through faith, and not works.

     Galatians 3:3 "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are
ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

     The Spirit that fell at Pentecost was jubilee, as well. It set
them free from the bondage of the law. It empowered them to minister.
What a foolish thing to even consider giving up the freedom of the
Spirit to go back into the bondage of the law. The flesh has nothing
to offer, but suffering. Hope comes through the Spirit. Hebrews 7:19
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God."

     Galatians 3:4 "Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it
be] yet in vain."

     It seems that the suffering, spoken of here, is the persecution
of the Christians by the Jews. It was not a popular thing to be a
Christian. Much ridicule came against them. Paul is saying, why did
you suffer all of that to turn back now?

     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 is reminding them, that his ministry was accompanied with
signs and wonders. There was no healing going on in the Jewesh
synagogue. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Jesus had
said, your faith has made you whole, when He healed them. Faithful
Abraham was accepted, because of his faith, not because of his works.
Faith is the key to receive anything from God. Acts 19:11 "And God
wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:"  Acts 19:12 "So that
from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and
the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of
them."  Paul's ministry was one of many miracles. The Jewish faith
brought no miracles. What proof did they need?

     Galatians 3:6 "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted
to him for righteousness."

     Romans 4:3 "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto him for righteousness."  We know that all
those who ever pleased God did so because they believed. Read the 11th
chapter of Hebrews, and you will see a long list of those who put
their faith in God. "Righteousness", means being in right standing
with God.  The Christians are righteous, because they are washed in
the blood of the Lamb {Jesus Christ}. They have placed their faith in
Jesus.

     Galatians 3:7 "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith,
the same are the children of Abraham."

     If we are truly the children of Abraham, then we must believe the
same thing he believed. The one thing that set Abraham aside from all
others, was that he believed God. The thing that should separate all
believers in Christ from the rest of the world, is that we believe
Christ. We are like Abraham in the fact that we have faith in God, and
faith that what He promised He will do.

     Galatians 3:8 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed."

     The physical house of Abraham is just one nation. The Hebrew
nation is the physical house of Abraham. They are the physical house
of Israel. All believers in Christ make up the spiritual house of
Israel and are the nations, plural, mentioned here as nations blessed
through Abraham. We are children of Abraham , because we have faith as
he had faith. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."  This seed of
Abraham is in the spirit realm. Jesus is the seed spoken of. The
justification of the heathen is in Jesus Christ, because they
believed.

     Galatians 3:9 "So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham."

     Faith pleases God. 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,"  Read the
4th chapter of Romans beginning with about the 15th verse to get the
full impact of this. In fact, it continues on in the 5th chapter as
well for a few verses. The fact is, if we believe as Abraham believed,
then the covenant promises made to Abraham are ours as well through
faith.

     Galatians 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them."

     The law was impossible to live up to. If you are under the law,
you would be cursed if you did not do every little thing the exact way
it was given. Even in the Old Testament, we find that to obey God was
better than sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD
[as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice,
[and] to hearken than the fat of rams."  God wanted our love and
loyalty from the beginning. He wanted us to have unwavering faith in
Him. Every time I read the law that was given Moses, I praise God for
the gift of grace through faith. There would be no way to remember all
of the sacrifices and ordinances, much less keep them.

     Galatians 3:11 "But that no man is justified by the law in the
sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

     There is no one who ever completely kept the law. It is an
impossibility. Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all."  The law condemns, grace sets us free. Romans
8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death."  Romans 5:21 "That as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."  The law brings death to
the law breaker. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ brings life
eternal.

     Galatians 3:12 "And the law is not of faith: but, The man that
doeth them shall live in them."

     The law is obligations and ordinances. Those who are under the
law must keep every single one of them.

     Galatians 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every
one that hangeth on a tree:"

     Jesus Christ is the redeemer of all who have faith in Him. He
became our substitute on the cross. He took the sin of the whole world
upon His body on the cross. The curse of the cross was the sin that we
each laid upon Him. The Father turned away at the moment that the sin
was placed upon the body of Jesus on the cross. This was the moment
Jesus said, Father why hast thou forsaken me?  God had not turned away
from the Spirit within the body, but had turned away from the sin upon
the body. God cannot look upon sin. Sin died on the cross for all who
will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Accept the salvation Jesus
offers you in the place of your sin.

     Galatians 3:14 "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith."

     In the next lesson, we will read that we are heirs with faithful
Abraham, if we believe. The following Scriptures tell of the promises
made to faithful Abraham. These are the promises to all believers in
Christ, as well. Genesis 12:2 "And I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing:" Genesis 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed."  Isaiah 44:3 "For I will pour water upon him that
is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon
thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:" Isaiah 44:4 "And they
shall spring up [as] among the grass, as willows by the water
courses." I Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him."

     We will continue this in the next lesson.




























                        Galatians 5 Questions

1.  Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 1.
2.  Is Paul calling them a fool? Explain.
3.  What had Paul taught them?
4.  Jesus became the _____________ for our sin.
5.  Received ye the Spirit by the _________ of the law, or by the
    ________ of faith?
6.  After you believe, you are sealed with what?
7.  What is the earnest of our inheritance?
8.  Why does Paul say, they are foolish in verse 3?
9.  The Spirit that fell at Pentecost was _________, as well.
10. With the Spirit there is ________.
11. With the law there is ___________.
12. What does the author believe is the suffering spoken of in verse
    4?
13. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 5?
14. Without ________, it is impossible to please God.
15. God wrought special miracles by the hands of ________.
16. When handkerchiefs and aprons were brought to the sick from Paul
    what happened?
17. What was counted unto Abraham as righteousness?
18. What message is in the 11th chapter of Hebrews?
19. Who are the children of Abraham?
20. What set Abraham aside from all others?
21. God would justify the heathen through ________.
22. Who make up the spiritual house of Israel?
23. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 29.
24. Quote Romans chapter 4 verse 16.
25. As many are as of the works of the law are under the __________.
26. The just shall live by _______.
27. All we like sheep have gone _______.
28. The law ________, grace sets us ________.
29. The law is _______________ and _________________.
30. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 13.
31. Who is Jesus Christ the Redeemer of?
32. What were some of the blessings Abraham was promised?