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Galatians 3:4 – Joyful Suffering

Posted on October 10, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:4

⁴Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Truth to Learn

Suffering for having saving faith in Jesus Christ is honorable.

Behind the Words

Before getting into an explanation of this verse we need to look at one word. The word translated “suffered” is a form of the Greek word “paskō” from which we get our English word, passion. It means “to be affected by something from without, to be acted upon, to undergo an experience.” This word can be used to express a good experience or a painful one, although in the New Testament it is most often used as a reference to a painful experience. For example, the writer of Hebrews used this word when talking about the suffering of our Lord.

Hebrews 2:9 ⁹But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Now, the question we have to ask ourselves is whether Paul is referring to good experiences or painful experiences with his use of this word in the current verse. Although there is some disagreement among Biblical scholars regarding Paul’s intent with this word, I believe that he is referring to painful suffering.

Meaning Explained

The Galatians, like many Christians in the first century of the church, suffered persecution because of their adherence to faith in Christ and much of this persecution came at the hands of unbelieving Jews. In Acts chapter 14 we read about the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in the regions of Galatia (Iconium, Lystra, & Derbe) and how the Jews stirred up such persecution against the Gospel that they even stoned Paul.

Acts 14:19 ¹⁹Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

From the earliest days of the church it has been considered honorable to suffer for the cause of Christ as experienced by Peter and several other apostles who were imprisoned and beaten for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ:

Acts 5:41 ⁴¹So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Paul’s point to these Galatian Christians is that if they suffered so much at the hands of Jews because of their simple faith in the sacrificial death of Christ, then it was in vain if they now embrace the legalism of the Jews. If they had embraced these legalistic practices in the beginning then the Jews wouldn’t have persecuted them, but they also wouldn’t have been saved!

So What?

Are you suffering for your faith in Jesus Christ? If so, then rejoice that you have been counted worthy to suffer for Him. After all, He suffered even more for you!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:3 – Completely Saved

Posted on October 9, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:3

³Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Truth to Learn

Doing good deeds or obeying a set of rules does not complete your salvation. God has already taken care of that.

Behind the Words

The word in the current verse that is translated “being made perfect” is from the Greek word “epiteleisthe.” This is a compound word made up of “epi” used in this case as an intensifier and a form of “teleō” meaning “to finish” or “to complete.” Hence, this word carries the idea of completely finishing something so that there is no more left to be done.

Meaning Explained

Paul continues on with the thought that he introduced in the previous verse. And, he once again reminds the Christians of Galatia that their thinking in this regard is not very clear. In the previous verse his rhetorical question, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” should have caused them to recognize that they were saved by faith, not by anything which they did themselves.

Now he asks them, “If your salvation began by faith and was the work of the Holy Spirit, is it now made complete by works of your own doing?” In other words, does salvation which is initiated by the Holy Spirit have to be completed by human action?

Paul is not suggesting that salvation is a two-step process, faith plus works. On the contrary, he is pointing out that just such a notion is foolishness. God does not need our help to complete something that He started. That which the Spirit of God began with regard to salvation He also completed. Once and for all.

Works of our flesh, that is deeds or actions which we do with our body, do not add anything to the work of salvation which God accomplished by His Spirit. The moment you believed God’s truth you were saved and the work was completely done by the Holy Spirit. There’s nothing left to be done. You are as completely saved as you will ever be. Not partially saved, not temporarily saved, but completely saved.

So What?

Are you, like the Galatian Christians, still trying to complete something that God started?

Do you feel the need to do something to make your own salvation complete or secure?

Are you afraid you might do something that causes you to lose your salvation?

Is your church telling you that you have to become a member of their body or adhere to a set of rules that they have devised to be completely saved?

According to Paul, you don’t need to worry. God has already done it all!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:2 – Listen Up

Posted on October 5, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:2

²This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Truth to Learn

The Holy Spirit, who is our guarantee that we are eternally saved, is given to us because we believe not because we perform some deed or action.

Behind the Words

The word translated “works” is “ergon,” which is “an action or deed performed.” The word translated “hearing” is “akuon,” which here means “the sense of hearing” not “the act of hearing.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now gets to the heart of the matter with another of his rhetorical questions. He says that there is but one thing that he wants to learn from the Galatians. That is, there is only one question that he wants them to think about. And, though it’s rhetorical it is nonetheless a question which should cause any Christian to carefully think about the true source of their salvation in Christ Jesus. The question is: “Did you receive the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) from the works of the Law, or from of the hearing of faith?” In other words, “Was it by your works that you received the Spirit of God, or was it simply the result of being able to hear and believe the gospel message?”

Remember what Paul told the Ephesian Christians?

Ephesians 1:13, 14 ¹³In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Paul’s point to the Galatian Christians is that if they were saved by faith and sealed with the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation, and if the Holy Spirit is our guarantee (our earnest) that we will receive our inheritance as the children of God, then we have all that we need for salvation. And since that salvation is guaranteed to us no matter what we do (we have the guarantee of the Holy Spirit living in us), then there are no good works of the Law that can add anything to our position in Christ. Incidentally, this also means that there are no bad works that we can do that will cause us to lose this salvation either.

So, Paul’s point in the current verse is, “You did not earn your salvation by works of the Law but by simple faith. Therefore, you are saved by faith without any additional works of the Law.”

Ephesians 2:8 ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

And all the praise goes to God!

So What?

Are you listening to God, or are you too busy working to hear Him?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:1 – Trick or Truth

Posted on October 4, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:1

¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

Truth to Learn

As careful as we try to adhere strictly to the truth of God’s Word, our enemy has ways of leading us into paths of error.

Review

In the past few verses Paul has demonstrated to the Galatians how he interacted with Peter, Barnabas, and others when they appeared to leave the simple truth of salvation unto righteousness by faith alone. This was presented to them not only to show how strongly Paul felt about this doctrine but also to show the Galatian Christians that even the strongest of Christians can be fooled into thinking that we need to do something to justify or secure our salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “bewitched” is “ebaskanen” which means “to bewitch with the eye” or “to cast an evil eye.” People of the first century believed that great harm might result from the “evil eye.” What Paul is saying is that they have been tricked into believing something that isn’t true

Meaning Explained

Paul now turns his attention again to addressing the Galatians directly. He starts off this section with what on the surface appears to be an insult, “O foolish Galatians!” Clearly this is an admonition expressed in a manner to get their attention but it is not meant to insult nor to offend. It is said to get their attention focused on the truth at hand instead of the peripheral stuff going on. It is given in a manner similar to how Christ addressed a couple of His own disciples. On the day of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of them on the road out of Jerusalem heading toward the town of Emmaus. After talking with them and listening to their explanation of the events that had transpired that day he finally responded to them:

Luke 24:25 ²⁵Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”

Paul now asks, “Who has bewitched you?” He is clearly indicating to them that they have been tricked into believing the legalistic doctrines that were presented to them, through which they thought they could be made secure in their righteousness. He is using a play on words to show them that they have been tricked by the “evil eye” when the truth of Christ has been presented clearly to their eyes. And the Christ that has been portrayed to them is not a Christ of legalism but a suffering Christ who was crucified to pay the price for their righteousness.

So What?

Have you been tricked into believing you have to obey part or all of the Law of Moses or some private church doctrines in order to secure your salvation which was initially received by faith?

If so, pay close attention to the next few verses!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 2:21 – All and Nothing

Posted on September 27, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:21

I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

Truth to Learn

Salvation is all God’s work and none of ours.

Behind the Words

The word translated “set aside” is athetō, which is made up of a, meaning “not” and thetos which refers to something that has been placed in a certain location. Therefore, this word literally means “not placed” or, as we would say, “displaced.” Hence, it has the notion of something that has been cast aside, abolished, or thrown away.

The expression “in vain” comes from the Greek word, dōrean, which is a form of dōrea, meaning “as a gift,” “freely,” or “without value or purpose.” So, Paul is saying that if righteousness comes through obedience to the law then there was no value in Christ’s death on the cross.

Meaning Explained

Paul’s argument to Peter, Barnabas, and the other Jewish Christians is that we are made righteous, and kept righteous, by God’s grace, not by obeying the ordinances of the Law. But obviously, Peter and the others by their actions are still trying to uphold at least part of the Law. They are, in effect, throwing away the grace of God by trying to keep the ordinances of the Law after they have been saved.

Paul now strongly admonishes them that they should not get rid of God’s grace. After all, if our righteousness comes by obeying the Law and not by grace, then Christ died in vain. And His sacrificial death on the cross has no effect if we must also satisfy the Law after we have been saved.

In Ephesians 2:8-10a Paul said:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship

Our salvation is a gift of God, it is not earned. It is a work that He did, not us. If we earned (or completed) our salvation by fulfilling the Law (or obeying church rules and ordinances) then we would have something that we could boast about. As it is, we can’t boast about any part of our salvation because we didn’t earn it in any way at all! It is a gift, freely given by God!

Old habits are hard to break. Peter, Barnabus, and the other Jewish Christians who were caught-up in this legalistic practice were raised on the Law of Moses. Throughout most of their lives they were taught that they had to do these things in order to please God. Paul, too, had been brought up under the law, but he understood God’s grace as being all God’s work with nothing from man. That’s how this marvelous grace is: it’s all (all from God) and nothing (nothing from man).

Application

If you are saved and you are still trying to make yourself acceptable to God by obeying any set of rules, then you are declaring by your actions that God’s gift is not sufficient for you. And, by doing this, instead of showing God how worthy you are, you are trampling all over His gift.

Now, that’s something to think about!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 2:20 – Living by Faith

Posted on September 26, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Truth to Learn

He gave us His life through obedience, now we owe Him ours through faith.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that he died to the law. In the current verse he explains this idea a little further. Certainly Paul was not physically dead. He was still walking around. He was still breathing. He was still ministering for Christ. But, when any Christian comes to saving faith, he or she takes on the effects of Christ’s death on the cross and in that sense has died with Christ. The word translated “I have been crucified” is in the perfect tense. This means past action with an ongoing effect, the emphasis being not on the past action, but on the effect. So, even though we were crucified with Christ in the past, the effect is that we are continually and forever in a dead state (crucified) with Him.

It is our sin nature, which Paul calls our “old man,” that has been figuratively put to death. Paul expresses this same notion in Romans chapter 6.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, (Romans 6:3-8)

So, if we are figuratively dead, the Law has no power over us and we no longer have the right to say or do whatever we want. Instead, since we are made spiritually alive through Christ, we now owe what is left of our physical life and all of our spiritual life to Him. We now live “in Christ.” In other words, we live as united with Him and under His authority and we now must “walk by faith, not by sight.” That means we are totally committed to His direction for our lives and it means that we are completely submitted to his authority. So, we have been crucified with Christ and are dead to self because of it. And the life that we now live, by faith, is in the power and under the authority of Jesus Christ.

The law has no authority over us but Christ has supreme authority over us.

Application

Christ gave himself on the Cross to give you and me spiritual life and He now lives in us. It is only natural that we should now give the life we have to Him, for Him to use.

Who are you living for right now? Are you living to satisfy your own desires? That’s living to self, it doesn’t require an ounce of faith, and its easy. Or, are you living for Jesus Christ? That requires faith and it is very hard!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 2:19 – Free to Obey

Posted on September 25, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:19

For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

Truth to Learn

We are no longer subject to the law, we are free to obey God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “through” is the Greek word dia. Like its English equivalent this word can imply: 1-Motion through space, 2-Continuance through time, or 3-Cause or instrumentality. In the current verse it implies cause or instrumentality.

Meaning Explained

This is yet another verse that is difficult to understand and the meaning of which has been much debated. Again, there are two schools of thought. The first is that the expression “through the law” actually refers to the doctrines of Christianity. The word translated “law” is a form of “nomos” which is normally translated as “law” but can also express a school of doctrine. It is this sense in which Paul refers to the law of Christ in Galatians 6:2. Hence the meaning of this verse could be, “For through the doctrine of Christ I died to the Law of Moses that I might live to God.”

The other interpretation of this verse is that Paul is saying it was the Law of Moses that led him to understand the truth about Christ. In this sense, the Law of Moses was his tutor as he expresses later in Galatians 3:24:

But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:22-24)

This is the more natural interpretation of what Paul is saying here. That is, through the Law of Moses I was introduced to the liberating truth of faith in Jesus Christ. And, as a result of that faith I am now dead to the Law of Moses and alive through faith so that I might live to God in a manner that places me righteous in His eyes. Paul expressed this in a similar way in his letter to the Christians at Rome.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, … But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:4a, 6)

Either way we interpret this, it is clear that we are dead to the Law. Just as the Constitution and laws of our own land have no influence on the thoughts and behavior of someone who is physically dead, so the Law of Moses has no influence on us since we are dead to the Law and alive to Christ. Now, He is the only thing that should be influencing our thoughts and actions.

Application

Since we are dead to the law, it has no power over us and we are not, indeed cannot be, subject to its requirements. But we are now alive (spiritually) to God and must, therefore, be subject to Him. We are no longer forced to sin. Instead, we are free to obey God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 2:18 – Sinfulness or Submission?

Posted on September 21, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:18

For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

Truth to Learn

God is not pleased when we try to obey religious rules. He is pleased when we submit our will to Him.

Behind the Words

The word translated “demolish” is kataluō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down,” used here as an intensifier, and luō, meaning to let loose. It refers to unfastening something or taking it apart, hence “destroy.”

Meaning Explained

Paul continues on in his criticism of Peter, Barnabas, and others for their separation from the Gentiles. Paul has told the Galatian Christians about how Peter, having freely enjoyed the fellowship with Gentile believers, turned away from these Gentiles (out of fear of what his Jewish brethren would think of him) when Jewish Christians from Jerusalem came to Antioch. Paul very clearly calls this type of behavior hypocrisy. He told Peter, and Barnabas who had been drawn into the same hypocritical behavior by Peter’s actions, that if they had the freedom to behave as Gentiles then why would they insist that Gentiles now behave as Jews by observing circumcision and other practices of the Mosaic Law.

In the previous verse Paul introduced the notion of Christian liberty, the fact that we are justified by faith not works. And if we who are justified by faith, through the excuse of such liberty, return to the sinful practices of our former life we are being submissive to Christ. In other words, if we as Christians now return to obeying the Law in order to ensure our justification, then that very action causes us to be sinners.

“if I build again those things which I destroyed,” refers to the commandments of the Law. Paul told the Christians in Ephesus that this legalistic distinction between Jews and Gentiles has been done away with in Christianity and Christ has fully satisfied and abolished the need for the commandments of the Law which separated Jew and Gentile.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:13-16)

Since Christ has done away with the commandments contained in ordinances (the Law and any legalistic practices) we are actually being sinners when we try to satisfy these laws and ordinances now that we have been set free by Christ.

Application

As we said in the previous verse, this does not give us license to live as we please and sin as we please. Rather, it constrains us to be obedient to Christ because He has set us free.

Are you trying to satisfy the legal requirements of your church in order to secure your salvation? Or, are you trying to please your Lord and Savior?

You can’t do both!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 2:17 – Sin? Not!

Posted on September 20, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:17

But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

Truth to Learn

As Christians we are not free to live as we want, we are constrained to live as He wants us to.

Behind the Words

The word translated “seek” is dzēteō, which means “to seek after,” “to look for,” or “to try to find.” It is expressed here as a participle, so it could be translated as “we are trying.”

Paul asks if Christ is a minister of sin. The word “minister” is translated from diakonos, which refers to “someone who is a servant” or “someone who waits on tables.” We can see from this that Paul is asking if Christ is serving sin.

His own response to this question is mē genoito. The word mē means “not” in a subjective sense and the word genoito (from ginomai, meaning “to come into being”) is expressed in the rare Optative mood indicating that the condition does not currently exist. As we put this all together we see that this expression means, “it is not so, and may it never even begin to be so.” In our modern vernacular we would say “There is no way!”

Meaning Explained

This verse is very difficult to understand and has been the subject of much debate over the years. One school of thought sees this as a Jewish objection as follows: If we are freed from the Law through faith in Christ then there is no rule of life (since we no longer have to follow the Law). Without the restraining effect of the Law, this produces a life of sin. Therefore Christ, who introduced this system through grace, must be regarded as the one who is serving up sin.

Although it is only a subtle distinction, I think it is more reasonable to see this as answering a direct objection to justification by faith. Throughout the life of the church people (especially legalizers) have objected to justification by faith alone, claiming that if saved Christians do not have to obey the Law then they are free to engage in a life of sinning at will without consequences. As a result, Christ appears to be enabling a Christian to sin freely without consequences.

Paul certainly does not teach that we now have the freedom to live as we want. As he will point out in the next few verses, we no longer are free to live in sin because we have been crucified with Christ and now owe our entire existence to Him. Therefore, we can no longer live as we wish, we cannot sin at will, rather we are constrained to let Christ live through us. That is, we are to subject our will to His in all areas of life. Since sin cannot abide in His presence, by being in Christ we are restrained from sinning, not free to sin as we want.

Application

We have to daily submit our will to Christ and commit to living our lives in a godly way, not because we have to in order to secure our salvation, but because we want to and we owe it to Him who gave Himself for us.

Are you grateful for what Christ has done for you eternally? If so, you should submit your will to Him and commit to following His example out of gratitude and respect.

That’s something to think about!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 2:16 – Justified by Faith

Posted on September 19, 2007 by admin

Galatians 2:16

knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Truth to Learn

We are not justified before God by doing any works or obeying any rules. We are justified only by God’s grace, through faith.

Behind the Words

The word translated “justified” is dikaioutai which is a verb form of the noun dikaios, meaning “righteousness.” Hence, dikaioutai (a passive form of the verb), literally means “to be made righteous.” The translators could have rendered the opening of this verse as, “knowing that a man is not made righteous by works of the law …’

Meaning Explained

The first part of this verse makes it clear that Paul recognized those to whom he was talking were truly Christians (even we have believed in Christ Jesus). And Paul points out that they all knew that Christians have righteousness before God not from what we do, but from what we believe.

Peter, Barnabas, and the other Christian Jews with them, according to Paul, were all made righteous before God because they believed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and that his death on the cross paid for their sins. And, just as God placed all our sins on Jesus while he was hanging on the cross, He also placed the righteousness of Christ on those of us who believe. Hence, we are made righteous by faith, not by works because, as Paul says here, “for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (made righteous).” Here’s how Paul said it in the book of Romans?

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:20-24)

It is only through the grace of God that we are declared righteous. He didn’t have to do this, but He chose to do it. There is no amount of works (acts, deeds, contrition, penance, sacrifice, or anything that we do no our own) that will make us righteous in God’s eyes. This applies equally to our lives after salvation as it did before salvation. We are righteous in God’s eyes ONLY because He declared us to be so.

Application

For those of you who have never accepted God’s gift of salvation, you can never do enough good works to merit righteousness in God’s eyes. Righteousness only comes from believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.

And for those of you who have accepted God’s free gift of salvation, you can never make yourself more righteous or acceptable to God by works of obedience!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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