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Galatians

December 2001
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Letter of Galatians ........................................................................ 5
GALATIANS: A STUDY and TEACHING OUTLINE.................................................. 8
I. Defending the Gospel of Grace (1:1 – 2:21)........................................................... 9
A. Introduction (1:1 – 10) ....................................................................................... 9
B. The Gospel of Grace is Given by Divine Revelation (1:11 - 24) ..................... 10
C. The Gospel of Grace is Approved By Jerusalem Leadership (2:1-10) ........... 12
D. The Gospel of Grace is Vindicated by Rebuking Peter (2: 11 – 21) .............. 12
II. Explaining the Gospel of Grace (3:1 – 4:31) ....................................................... 16
A. The Holy Spirit is Given by Faith, Not by Works (3:1 – 5) ............................... 16
B. Abraham Was Justified by Faith, Not by Works (3: 6 – 9) ............................... 18
C. The Messiah Redeems Us From the Curse of the Law (3: 10 – 14) .............. 19
D. The Relationship Between the Promise and the Law (3: 15 – 29) .................. 21
1. The Law Cannot Change the Promise (Gal. 3:15-18) .................................. 21
2. The Law Is Not Greater Than the Promise (3: 19 – 20) .............................. 23
3. The Law is Not Contrary to the Promise (3:21 – 26) .................................... 24
4. The Law Cannot Do What the Promise Can Do (Gal. 3: 27 – 29) ................ 26
E. Growing and Maturing – Receiving Blessings by Faith, Not by the Law (4: 1 –
20) (Explaining the Adoption, Regression and Affection of the Galatians) .......... 27
1. He Explains Their Adoption (4: 1 – 7) [See Appendix B for a definition of
“adoption”] ......................................................................................................... 28
2. He Laments Their Regression (4: 8 – 11) .................................................... 31
3. He Seeks After Their Affection (4: 12 – 20).................................................. 32
F. Law and Grace Cannot Co-Exist (4: 21 – 31).................................................. 33
III. Applying the Gospel of Grace (5:1 – 6: 18) ........................................................ 40
A. Position of Freedom: Stand Firm (5: 1 –12 ) ................................................... 40
B. Practice of Freedom: Love One Another (5: 13 – 15)...................................... 46
C. Power for Freedom: Walk in the Spirit [Live by the Leading of the Spirit] (5:16 –
26) ........................................................................................................................ 48
1. Conflict Between the Spirit and the Old Nature (5: 16 – 18)......................... 48
2. Works of the Old Nature (5: 19 – 21) ........................................................... 48
3. Fruit of the Spirit (5: 22 – 26)........................................................................ 51
D. Performance in Freedom: Do Good to All (6:1 – 10)....................................... 53
1. Bear One Another’s Burdens (6: 1 – 5) ........................................................ 53
2. Do Not Be Weary While Doing Good (6: 6 –10) ........................................... 56
 E. Conclusion (6:11 – 18) .................................................................................... 58
1. Motives of the Circumcised (6:11 – 13)........................................................ 58
2. Motives of the Apostle Paul (6: 14 – 18) ...................................................... 60
APPENDIX A – STUDY QUESTIONS...................................................................... 63
APPENDIX B – DEFINITIONS ................................................................................. 65
APPENDIX C - MAP OF GALATIA........................................................................... 68
APPENDIX D - CIRCUMCISION.............................................................................. 69
APPENDIX E – GRACE VERSUS THE LAW .......................................................... 72
APPENDIX F – HAGAR AND SARAH: A CONTRAST IN WOMEN......................... 73
 GALATIANS
- THE GOSPEL OF GRACE -

In the whole Bible, there is probably no more passionate, comprehensive, yet

concise statement of the truth of the gospel than the letter to the Galatians. Salvation
is through faith in Jesus the Messiah alone. No work can earn salvation. This letter
has transformed the lives of many—from the people who first received it, to
multitudes of people today.

Galatians is God’s strongest word against legalism. The old nature loves to do things
religious—celebrate holy days, practice rituals, attempt to do good works for God.
Many religious systems today mix law and grace and present a confused way of
salvation that is actually a way of slavery (Gal. 2:4, 4:9 and 5:1). Keeping the
Sabbath, dietary laws, an earthly priesthood, holy days, obeying rules—all of these
are swept away in Galatians and replaced by the glorious freedom the believer has
through faith in the Messiah!

In general, people want to earn their salvation by works that can easily be identified.
In this letter, the writer reveals the arrogance of such thinking. It amounts to a
desertion of the truth of the gospel and a turning away from God (1:6). We can stand
justified before God only through faith in Jesus the Messiah; nothing else will save
us. Throughout Christian history, people have “added on” various requirements to
the gospel message, almost always with an appeal to Scripture. Inevitably the result
is a twisting and distorting of the faith. This does great damage to believers.

In first-century Galatia, the challenge came from Judaizers [Jewish teachers who
insisted that belief in Jesus was not enough for salvation. One must also keep the
Law of Moses, they said.] In a way, one can understand their point of view. For
centuries, Jews had held to the Law as the righteous path to favor with God (see
Deuteronomy 6:1–9 and 30:15–20….compare with Mark 12:28–34 and Luke 10:25–
28). The Judaizers perceived Jesus as perhaps building on the Law of Moses, but
not replacing it. Many of these false teachers [Judaizers] were former Pharisees and
Sadducees.

However, their teaching greatly troubled the young believers in Galatia who had
responded to the message of Jesus (Acts 13:13–14:26). If what the Judaizers said
was true, what they had believed was wrong and the Messiah alone did not really
save a person. Did they need to do something more than simply believe and trust the
Messiah? Should they work?

Not surprisingly, the writer of this letter was outraged. He was furious with the
deceptive claims of the Judaizers and zealous to defend the integrity of the gospel.
So he composed the letter that we call Galatians. If Galatians emphasizes anything,
it is that Jesus alone is sufficient for salvation—nothing more and nothing less.
Centuries later, during the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century,
Martin Luther (a German who was a leader in the Reformation) called Galatians the
great document of freedom for the believer. Again, it was emphasized that our
salvation is based on the grace of the Messiah, not on people’s good deeds or
efforts or anything else.

Still, every generation is marked by a tendency to classify believers according to

their outward observances. Some are considered better and more spiritual, while
others are considered less spiritual. In nearly every case, the problems of the church
result from adding things on to the simple, pure gospel of the Messiah. But when
believers hold to Jesus alone, then their faith and the church will grow. That’s the
message of Galatians. Not Jesus plus works, but the Messiah only! He, by His
grace alone, can save the sinner.

Now, by way of introduction, let’s begin to examine the book and consider the
author, probable date and place of writing, the historical setting of the letter and the
purpose for which it was written.

Introduction to the Letter of Galatians

Author

No letter in the New Testament has better claim to come from Paul than does
Galatians. The epistle bears his name (1:1), tells his story (1:11–2:14), and
expounds the truth that occupied his life—justification by faith in Jesus the Messiah
(2:16). Most likely, this was Paul’s first letter written to the churches.

Date and Place of Writing

On their first missionary journey (about AD 46–48), Paul and Barnabas evangelized
the Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13–14). Paul
revisited the area on his second and third missionary journeys.

Galatia is usually understood by most Bible scholars to be southern Galatia, an area

that includes Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch [see Appendix C (map of
Galatia) and Acts 14:21]. This is modern-day Turkey. These were congregations
planted by Paul and Barnabas on that first missionary journey. The letter could have
been written as early as AD 48.To determine the date, the possible role of the
Jerusalem council (see Acts 15) in the controversies addressed in Galatians must
also be considered. If Galatians was written after the Jerusalem council had made its
decisions, Paul most likely would have centered his argument on those decisions, or
at least made a reference to them. Since he did not, Galatians probably dates about
AD 48.

This means it is one of the earliest New Testament books to be written, and may
very well be the first New Testament book written. If this is true, it means that
Galatians was the first of Paul’s epistles, proving that the Gospel of the grace of God
was just as clearly presented by Paul at the start of his ministry as at the close.
[No evidence exists to show that Paul visited the region of Galatia in north central
Asia Minor. Although Acts 16:6 and 18:23 are sometimes thought to refer to this
more remote northern region, the context of these passages seems to point to
southern Galatia (Acts 13–14)].

Historical Setting

Ancient Gaul was peopled by warlike tribes that migrated across Europe into Asia
Minor several centuries before the Christian era. They founded a nation called
“Galatia” which means “the country of the Gauls.” In 64 BC, the Roman general
Pompey defeated the king of Pontus, Mithradates VI, and established a foothold for
Rome in the region. When the last Galatian king, Amyntas, died in 25 BC, the
Romans inherited the kingdom. Caesar Augustus then created the Roman province
of Galatia, making Ancyra (modern day Ankara, Turkey) the capital and annexing a
number of districts to the south and west, including Pisidia, Isauria, Phrygia, and
Lycaonia.

When the Romans made Galatia a part of one of their larger provinces, they called
the entire area “Galatia.” In other words, when you spoke about “Galatia” back in
Paul’s day, you had to specify whether you meant the smaller nation of Galatia, or
the larger Roman province. Galatians is the only letter Paul specifically addressed to
a group of churches. Thus, Galatia was not a city, but rather a nation or province as
we noted above. It was in the region known as central Asia Minor. Again, this is
modern-day Turkey. Most likely, the apostle Paul sent this letter to churches in the
province of Galatia, an area that included the towns of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and
Derbe (also see “Date and Place of Writing”).

Galatia was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the west by Asia, on the south
by Pamphylia and Cilicia, and on the north by Bithynia and Pontus (see Map,
Appendix C). The northern part of the region was settled in the third century BC and
derived its name, Galatia, from the Gauls who settled there as we have noted in the
above paragraph.

Purpose

After Paul had evangelized the churches of Galatia, he received disturbing news that
they were falling away from the gospel he had taught them (1:6). Certain religious
teachers had visited Galatia after Paul’s departure and had persuaded the believers
there that the gospel presented by Paul was insufficient for salvation (1:7). In
addition to faith in Jesus the Messiah, they insisted that a person must be
circumcised according to the law of Moses (5:12) and must keep the Sabbath and
other Jewish holy days (4:10), including the Jewish ceremonial law (5:3).

These “troublers” (1:7), as Paul calls them, may have had some “Gnostic” [a 1st
century false teaching that “knowledge” was the way to salvation] ideas (4:3, 9) in
their teachings. These teachers are sometimes referred to as “JUDAIZERS,” since they
taught that both faith and works—belief in Jesus and obedience to the Law—are
necessary for salvation. [Please see Appendix B – “Definitions”]

We call these people “Judaizers,” since their aim was to entice Gentile believers into
the Jewish system. They taught that a person was saved by faith and by keeping the
Law and that the believer was sanctified and enabled to live a holy life in the same
manner. These teachers had visited the Gentile churches in Galatia and were
upsetting the people (Gal. 1:6-9; 3:1; 4:8-11; 5:7-9; 5:12; 6:12-13). They wanted the
believers to follow the Jewish laws and customs of religious holidays, circumcision,
etc. This was the “other Gospel” that Paul condemned in Gal. 1:6-9. The only Gospel
that God approves and blesses is the Gospel of His grace, justification by faith in
Jesus alone. We are not saved by making promises to God but by believing His
promises.

These legalistic people in the church taught that certain Old Testament laws were
still binding upon the believers. They thought that God’s promises extended only to
Jews and that Gentiles must be circumcised before they could fully experience
salvation. The Judaizers did not deny that faith in Jesus was necessary, but insisted
that it was inadequate. They taught that a person must add to faith the observance of
the Law. The Judaizers feared that a believer outside the law will lead an immoral
life since his conduct is no longer restrained by the law.

This teaching was in direct contradiction to Paul’s insistence that salvation was by
grace through faith, so the Judaizers sought to discredit his teachings by challenging
his authority. They charged that he was not a genuine apostle and that he was
inferior to Peter and James. Also, they argued that he was compromising the gospel
and making it easier for Gentiles by removing its valid legal demands. Paul strongly
reacted to the evil propaganda of the Judaizers by asserting his apostolic authority
and explaining the gospel of grace through faith. This letter from God’s heart through
the hand of the apostle Paul is very important to our understanding of the true gospel
of grace. We are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus – nothing else is
necessary! His grace is SUFFICIENT!

It will benefit you to review some of the Book of Acts, especially Acts 15. You will
recall that the message of the kingdom was presented by Peter and the rest of the
Twelve in the first chapters of Acts, offering Jesus to the Jews. Their answer was to
stone Stephen (Acts 7). It was then that the message was taken to the Samaritans
(Acts 8) and to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11). Between these two events, Paul was
saved (Acts 9). God especially revealed to Paul that He was doing a new thing and
that the prophecy message of the kingdom had been replaced (temporarily) by the
mystery of the church. However, the masses of believers (some of whom continued
to be faithful to the Jewish religion) did not realize that this wonderful new program of
grace, for both Jew and Gentile, had come onto the scene.

As we begin now to study this letter we shall keep in mind that the theme of the letter
is “grace.” There are several other important key words to look for, such as “Gospel,”
“faith,” “justified,” “promise,” “freedom” and “law.”
 GALATIANS: A STUDY and TEACHING OUTLINE

THE GOSPEL OF GRACE

I. Defending the Gospel of Grace - 1:1–2:21

A. Introduction - 1:1–10
B. The Gospel of Grace Is Given by Divine Revelation - 1:11–24
C. The Gospel of Grace Is Approved by Jerusalem Leadership - 2:1–10
D. The Gospel of Grace Is Vindicated by Rebuking Peter - 2:11–21

II. Explaining the Gospel of Grace - 3:1–4:31

A. The Holy Spirit Is Given by Faith, Not by Works - 3:1–5

B. Abraham Was Justified by Faith, Not by Works - 3:6–9
C. The Messiah Redeems Us From the Curse of the Law - 3:10– 14

D. The Relationship Between the Promise and the Law - 3: 15 - 29

1. The Law Cannot Change the Promise – 3:15 - 18
2. The Law Is not Greater than the Promise – 3: 19 - 20
3. The Law Is not Contrary to the Promise – 3: 21 - 26
4. The Law Cannot Do What the Promise Can Do – 3: 27 – 29

E. Growing and Maturing - Receiving Blessings by Faith, Not by the Law - 4:1–20
1. He Explains Their Adoption - 4:1 - 7
2. He Laments Their Regression – 4:8 – 11
3. He Seeks After Their Affection – 4: 12 – 20

F. Law and Grace Cannot Co-exist - 4:21–31

III. Applying the Gospel of Grace - 5:1–6:18

A. Position of Freedom: Stand Firm - 5:1–12

B. Practice of Freedom: Love One Another - 5:13–15

C. Power for Freedom: Walk in the Spirit [Live by the Leading of the Spirit] - 5:16–26
1. Conflict between the Spirit and the Old Nature - 5:16–18
2. Works of the Old Nature - 5:19–21
3. Fruit of the Spirit - 5:22–26

D. Performance in Freedom: Do Good to All - 6:1–10

1. Bear One Another’s Burdens - 6:1–5
2. Do Not Be Weary While Doing Good - 6:6–10

E. Conclusion - 6:11–18
1. Motives of the Circumcised - 6:11–13
2. Motives of the Apostle Paul - 6: 14-18
 I. Defending the Gospel of Grace (1:1 – 2:21)

A. Introduction (1:1 – 10)

The Judaizers had been attacking Paul’s authority as an apostle (see “Purpose”,
page 3). They were telling the Galatians that Paul’s apostleship and message were
not trustworthy because he lacked official endorsement from Jerusalem. “We have
our approval from Peter!” they might say, as though the approval of men is proof that
a preacher is sent of God. Paul begins his letter by saying that his message and
ministry came directly from Jesus the Messiah. (Note Paul’s uses of negatives in
verses 1 and 12 – these are strong words.) He immediately spells out the Gospel
that he preached.

Paul’s Gospel was centered in the Messiah —His death, burial, and resurrection—
and not in Moses or the Law. It was a Gospel of grace that brought peace. It was a
Gospel of freedom: “to rescue or deliver us” (verse 4). The Judaizers were bringing
the churches into slavery through the Law (see 2:4, 3:13 and 4:9). The death of the
Messiah has delivered us from this present evil age and has given us a new standing
in freedom. No wonder Paul adds, “To whom be glory for ever and ever!” (verse 5)

Deliverance from “this present evil age”(see verse 4) is assured through the
atonement of Jesus. This is accomplished in the present in the sense that the
Messiah gives victory over the powers of satan now. Ultimate deliverance in the
future awaits either death or the going to heaven of the saints at the time of Jesus’
return.

May we never be confused as to the content and intent of the Gospel. The Gospel is
not “follow Jesus and imitate His life” but “receive Jesus by faith and allow Him to set
you free.” Then you can walk in His grace. There is no place in the Gospel for a
salvation that is attained by keeping the Law.

The significance of what Paul says here can be seen from the contrast between the
two words translated “different” and “another” in verses 6 and 7. In verse 6, Paul
says that he is amazed that the Galatians had embraced “a different” (Greek -
“heteros”) gospel. In reality, what they had embraced is not just “another” gospel
(verse 7). “Heteros” means “another of a different kind,” which is exactly as many
Bibles have translated “heteros.” The Greek word “allos” in verse 7 indicates
another of the same kind.

Thus, Paul says that the Galatian drift toward a “different gospel” is not merely a
small variation, but in reality the acceptance of a view that is a totally different
teaching. Since salvation is by grace alone, their emphasis on the works of the Law
was a distinct and erroneous doctrine. Verse 8 tells the seriousness with which Paul
views these tendencies. He says that if anyone, even an angel from heaven,
proclaims any other form of gospel other than that which he had preached, “let him
be accursed.” The word “accursed” (anathema, Greek) means “set aside for
destruction.”
Two things surprised Paul: (1) that so soon after experiencing the blessing of
salvation (3:1-5) they were turning away to another message and (2) that they would
“desert” him (Paul) who had suffered to bring Jesus to them. The Greek word for
“desert” (verse 6) is present tense - literally “removing.” They were then in the
process of turning from simple grace to a mixture of law and grace. In 5:4 Paul says,
“You are fallen from [out of] grace.” This did not imply they had lost their salvation,
but rather that they had moved themselves out of the sphere of grace into the sphere
of the Law. Grace means I depend on God to meet my needs; through the Law I try
to handle matters by myself, in my own strength.

The apostle speaks forcefully in condemning any other gospel, regardless of whom
the preacher might be—even an angel! Keep in mind that there are many “gospels”
(messages of good news), but only one Gospel of the grace of God as Paul
preached it. Abraham believed “the gospel” (3:8), the “good news” that through his
descendants all the nations would be blessed. In every age, men have been saved
by believing whatever promise God revealed to them. Noah believed God’s Word
about a flood and the ark; Abraham believed God’s Word about his promised
descendants; today we believe God’s Word about His Son’s death and resurrection.

Since the days of Paul and the revelation of justification by faith, there is no other
Gospel.

B. The Gospel of Grace is Given by Divine Revelation (1:11 - 24)

In this passage of Scripture Paul tells how he had seen the risen Lord (Acts 9) and
received his commission and message directly from Him. This experience qualified
him to be an apostle. [See the note below about the word “apostle.”] Paul was never
meant to be the twelfth apostle to replace Judas (Acts 1:16-26). For one thing, Paul
could not have met the qualifications; also God deliberately kept Paul separated from
the Twelve so no one could accuse Paul of borrowing his message. Nobody could
accuse Paul of inventing his message, because he had been a persecutor of the
church, not a friend. His life was radically changed after he met Jesus on the
Damascus road. The only way to explain such a remarkable transformation is to
accept the fact that Paul met the Messiah.
Again let it be said that God never meant for Paul to belong to the Twelve. Their
ministry was primarily to the Jews and was related to the kingdom; Paul’s ministry
was to the Gentiles and was related to the mystery of the church, the one body. The
Twelve received their call from the Messiah on earth because their message
presented the hope of Israel. Paul received his call from heaven, because his
message presented the “heavenly calling” of the church in Jesus. There were twelve
apostles, associated with the twelve tribes. Paul was one man (and a Jew with
Gentile citizenship) representing the one body in the Messiah.
Paul did not confer with men after he received his calling. Had he met immediately
with the Twelve, people could have said that he borrowed his message and received
his authority from them. Instead, God sent Paul to Arabia for a time of meditation and
investigation. Someone has said, “Paul went to Arabia with the Law and the prophets
and came out with the letters to the Romans and Galatians!” Like Moses and Elijah
before him, Paul went to the desert to wrestle with God’s plan for his life. Then he
went back to Damascus where he had first witnessed for Jesus.
The believers there were actually afraid of Paul and were it not for Barnabas, Paul
would never have been accepted. This fact in itself proved that Paul had never
asked the Jerusalem church for approval. After this visit, he went to Syria (Antioch).
His ministry there is recorded in Acts 11:22-30 but he was personally unknown to the
believers in Judea. However, the churches there heard the wonderful news of Paul’s
conversion and glorified God.
Note: James, the Lord’s brother. See also Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3. This
James is not the disciple James who is frequently coupled with Peter and John in the
Gospels. Herod murdered that James in the church’s earliest days (Acts 12:2).
James, the Lord’s brother, at first did not believe in Jesus (John 7:5) but later was
converted, perhaps as a result of seeing the risen Lord (1 Corinthians 15:7).

Note: “Apostle”
Paul was counted among a group of early church leaders known as “apostles” (2
Corinthians 11:5). Each apostle was chosen by Jesus and given authority to carry
out certain tasks, especially the task of making disciples of “all the nations” (Matthew
28:19).

The word apostle means “messenger.” The term was first used of the twelve
disciples whom Jesus sent out, two by two, into Galilee to expand His ministry of
preaching and healing (Mark 3:14; 6:30). These same disciples, with the exception of
Judas Iscariot, were recommissioned as apostles after Jesus’ resurrection to be His
witnesses throughout the world (Acts 1:8). After Jesus’ ascension, the group brought
their number to twelve again by choosing Matthias (Acts 1:23–26).

However, the term apostle came to apply to others besides the Twelve. It included
people like Paul who had seen the risen Lord and were specially commissioned by
Him (1 Cor.15: 10). James, the Lord’s brother, was counted as an apostle (see Gal.
1:19). And when Paul wrote that Jesus was seen not only by James but also by “all
the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:7), he seemed to be describing a wider group than
the Twelve to whom Jesus appeared earlier.

The authority committed to the apostles by Jesus was unique and foundational (see I
Corinthians 12: 28 and Ephesians 4:11). The apostles could install elders or other
leaders and teachers in the churches, and they could authorize believers to assume
special responsibilities.

In this first chapter, Paul proved that his Gospel and appointment as an apostle
came directly from the Messiah, independent of the Twelve. His readers would
naturally ask, “Then what was Paul’s relationship to the Twelve and the Jerusalem
church?” He answers that question as we move into the second chapter.
C. The Gospel of Grace is Approved By Jerusalem Leadership (2:1-10)
Fourteen years after Paul’s visit to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-29), he was back in the
“holy city” to attend a council on the problem of law and grace (Acts 15). Paul went to
this conference “by revelation”; that is, Jesus personally directed him to go, just as
He had personally given him the Gospel years before (1:11-12). Paul had been
ministering among the Gentiles. He and Barnabas had seen many Gentiles saved
and many local churches established. Now, the Gentile ministry was being discussed
by the church leaders. [Read Acts 15 for the account of this important conference.]
Some have suggested that there were four different meetings involved: (1) a public
meeting, at which Paul recounted what God had done among the Gentiles (Acts
15:4); (2) Paul’s private meeting with the leaders (Gal. 2:2); (3) the public debate of
Acts 15:5 and Gal. 2:3-5 and (4) the council session at which the matter was finally
settled (Acts 15:6 – 29).

Paul met with the leaders privately, but not because he was afraid his message was
wrong. He knew his message was the right one because it had come from Jesus.
Rather, he met with them privately to keep out the “spies” (2:4) and to avoid any
open disagreements that would only add fuel to the fire.
Titus was with Paul, and, being a Gentile, was uncircumcised. According to the
Judaizers, Titus was not even saved (Acts 15:1)! But the church leaders did not
compel Titus to be circumcised; so, Paul concludes, this proves that circumcision
has nothing to do with salvation. There were false brethren there, people who
wanted to rob the believers of the glorious freedom they have in Jesus. This party
must have argued for Titus’ circumcision, but Paul won the argument. The group was
divided: some were for legalism, some were for freedom, some were for a
compromise between the two. The church today is still divided, with some teaching
salvation by grace alone and others insisting on mixing law and grace. The minority
held to Paul’s Gospel of the grace of God, which is sufficient for salvation.
The conclusion of the matter was that the church leaders agreed that Paul’s
message and ministry were of God, and that he should minister to the Gentiles while
Peter and the Twelve ministered to the Jews. In verse 8, Paul is careful to point out
that the same Spirit who worked in Paul worked in Peter as well. Both had the same
message and the same Spirit but were responsible for different spheres of ministry.
The council added no other special obligations concerning Paul’s message (verse 6),
and endorsed it as well. Paul had preserved the “truth of the Gospel” (2:5) from the
lies of the enemy.

D. The Gospel of Grace is Vindicated by Rebuking Peter (2: 11 – 21)

This passage of Scripture concerns Paul telling the story of the time when Peter
came to Antioch and Paul opposed him directly to his face. He did this because
Peter was committing sin. First of all, the confrontation between the two great
leaders of the early church clearly shows us that:
 • Peter held no position of authority over all the churches or, for that matter, over
any one church.

• There is a difference between the clearly inspired writings of an apostle, such

as 1 and 2 Peter, in which there is no error, and the personal actions of an
apostle, which are not divinely inspired.

• Good men may disagree in the church and yet, under the Spirit of God, work
through to a solution.

• Church leaders who sin publicly should be disciplined publicly.

Paul was right to refuse to be loaded down with special obligations from these men
(verse 6). Even the best leaders can make mistakes, and Paul mentions Barnabas
and Peter as examples of this. After the Jerusalem conference, Peter had visited the
Gentile church at Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were still ministering (Acts
15:35). In Acts 10, God had clearly revealed to Peter that no foods or peoples were
unclean, but the apostle fell back into legalism just the same. When he first came to
Antioch, Peter mingled with the Gentiles and ate with them. However, after some
visitors came from Jerusalem, he withdrew himself and began to act in a hypocritical
way. Even Barnabas fell into the trap (verse 13) and this amazed his missionary
companion, Paul. Very simply, the reason they acted this way was fear of other
people (verse 12). Proverbs 29:25 says:
• “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is
kept safe.”
Peter and Barnabas were not walking uprightly. What we believe determines how
we behave! Because Peter and Barnabas were confused about spiritual truth, they
were unable to walk a straight line. The “truth of the Gospel” is not only something
for us to defend (verse 5), but it is also something for us to practice (verse 14). In
verses 14-21 we have a summary of the rebuke Paul gave to Peter. Probably Paul
said more than this, but the following words may summarize the matter very well:
“You are a Jew,” said Paul to Peter, “but you used to live like the Gentiles, with no
barriers between you and other believers. Now you want the Gentiles to live like
Jews, doing what you did not even do yourself. Why are you behaving in such a
way?”
The “we” in verses 15-17 refers, of course, to the Jews. “We Jews have had special
privileges and may not be guilty of Gentile sins; but we are saved the same way they
are!” We would expect Paul to say, “They must be saved the way we are,” but he
reverses the order. Salvation did not mean that Gentiles had to become like Jews,
but that the Jews had to go to the level of the condemned Gentiles! “We are
justified—given a right standing before God—by faith in Jesus the Messiah,” argues
Paul. “The works of the law will never justify a man. Was any Jew ever saved by
keeping the law? Of course not!”
In verses 17-18, Paul showed Peter the foolishness of going back to the Law. “You
say you have been saved by faith in the Messiah. Well, if you go back to the Law,
you are confessing that you are still a sinner needing to be saved and that Jesus did
not save you. In fact, you are saying that your faith in the Messiah made you a sinner
again, and that makes Jesus the minister of sin!”
Paul is explaining to Peter (and to all of us) that to turn back to the Law denies the
work of Jesus on the cross. “You preached the Word to the Gentiles yourself,” Paul
went on, referring to Acts 10, “but now you have changed your mind. You preached
salvation by faith; now you preach salvation by law. You are building up the very
things you once tore down, which makes you a sinner.” [In other words, Paul showed
Peter the inconsistency of his actions and his beliefs.]
Paul continued by saying something like this: “The Law is not a way of life, Peter; it is
a way of death. The Law kills us (verse 19) that the Gospel might raise us up again.
A believer is not someone who is trying to obey an outward law. A believer is one
who has the living Messiah within. By faith, I am united to the Messiah forever. When
He died, I died; when He arose, I arose with Him. He lives out His life through me as
I walk by faith—this is the life of a believer! It is not a set of rules and regulations. To
go back to the Law is to frustrate (make empty) the grace of God! If the Law is God’s
way of salvation, then the Lord Jesus died in vain!”
In neither the letter to Galatians nor in the Book of Acts do we read exactly how
Peter responded to Paul’s rebuke, but we know that this rebuke accomplished its
purpose. In fact, one of the last admonitions Peter wrote was that believers should
read Paul’s letters to find God’s truth about this present age (2 Peter 3:16-18).
Certainly, Peter and Paul loved each other. Peter most likely knew immediately that
his brother Paul was right and he needed to repent of his actions.

These last seven verses of chapter two are vital to the message of Galatians. They
are central verses in the theme “The Gospel of Grace” and thus we must seek to
examine these particular verses very carefully. Let’s look at some of the main points.
[Again, these verses are central in Galatians. Paul’s point is that everyone
(circumcised Jew as well as uncircumcised Gentile) is placed in a right relationship
with God through faith in Jesus the Messiah alone. The Greek words translated
“righteousness,” “righteous,” “justify,” and “justification” are all from the same root
and have related meanings (see Appendix B – Definitions).]
• In the Old Testament, God ruled and judged with perfect justice (1 Samuel
26:23). He spoke His verdict of innocence or guilt. To “justify” is to declare to be
right (Deuteronomy 25:1). But if no one living is righteous before God (Psalm
143:2), how can there be hope of that verdict (Job 9:2)? As God is the Judge,
whose verdict is final and just, so He also is the Savior who can provide
deliverance from His own judgment (Jonah 2:9).
• God’s righteousness was revealed, not only as His requirement, but also as His
gift (Isaiah 45:24, 25; 54:14–17). That gift came at last through the Messiah
(Isaiah 53:8; Jeremiah 23:5, 6; 33:14–16). Paul proclaimed the fulfillment of the
Old Testament promise (Romans 3:21–26). Faith receives the gift of the
Messiah’s righteousness as well as forgiveness through His atonement. As Paul
clearly says in verses 15 and 16 we are justified by faith in the Messiah, not by
keeping the law.
• Paul had been referring to “keeping the law” (verses 15 and 16). That
distinguished Jews from Gentiles because the Jews believed that by observing
 (doing) certain things such as circumcision, dietary restrictions, and Sabbath-
keeping, etc., they would be justified before the Lord God. But Paul says “no.” His
phrase exactly reads “by keeping the law no one will be justified.” For a moment,
let’s look closer at this very important statement.
• “no one will be justified.” [A near quotation of Psalm 143:2] No one can keep
the law fully, so legal observances [such as circumcision] cannot establish a right
relationship with God. Something other than the law is needed for that, and God
has provided it in the gift of the Messiah’s righteousness and the blood of His
atonement. Faith does not earn God’s acceptance; it accepts Jesus’ merit before
God (Philippians 3:9). Romans 3:28 says;
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”
• In verse 18 the word “destroyed” means the tearing down of an edifice or a
building (Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6; Romans 14:20). Paul may be
thinking of Peter’s mistaken attempt to rebuild the wall between Jew and Gentile
that was torn down by the gospel (Ephesians 2:14). To rebuild the wall of the law
is to bring in again the condemnation of the law. The lawbreaker is not the one
who turns from the law to Jesus for justification - he is the one who turns back
again from Jesus to the law.
• In verse 19 Paul says that he died to the law. And then, at the end of verse 19,
Paul says that he was crucified with Jesus. For he was united to Jesus who died
in his place (3:13; Romans 4:25; 5:6). So too, he was raised with Jesus and now
lives in relation to God (Col. 2:12; 3:1). Death to the law does not violate the law,
for Jesus perfectly met the law’s demands. It is therefore “through the law” that
believers are released from the bondage and condemnation of the law. The law
itself is not sinful; its purpose is to convince individuals of their personal spiritual
deadness in sin outside of faith in Jesus (see Romans 7:7–13).

• Verse 20 speaks of the believer’s union with Jesus. This means that He
represented us in His death and resurrection. But it means more, for it is a living
union. Jesus is present with the believer; by the Spirit the Lord lives in inward
fellowship with His own. Paul does not mean that the individuality of a person is
suppressed or absorbed; he lives “in the flesh” by “faith.” The union is a spiritual
relationship of the utmost intimacy. And since the believer has been freed from
the law and sin, the old sinful life no longer asserts itself as it formerly did.
• Paul and every believer were crucified with Christ in order to die to sin, the law,
and “this present evil age” (1:4). While we as believers actually physically live in
our bodies, Jesus also lives within us spiritually. Jesus’ resurrection power
through the Spirit is worked out through the believer who (see Romans (6:4–11)
chooses to live by faith in the Son of God.

• Finally, as Paul closes this section of the letter, he says that “If righteousness
could be gained through [keeping] the law, “ then God’s gracious act of
sending the Messiah to die on the Cross to pay for sin was unnecessary and
useless (see Romans 3:4–26). The point is very clear indeed. We are justified by
faith alone in the Messiah, nothing more and nothing less.
 Now Paul moves into chapter three with more strong words for the Galatian
believers. He now begins to explain to the people the fuller and more complete
meaning of this wonderful gift from the Lord Jesus – “The Gospel of Grace.”

II. Explaining the Gospel of Grace (3:1 – 4:31)

A. The Holy Spirit is Given by Faith, Not by Works (3:1 – 5)

In chapters 3 and 4 Paul explains the relationship between law and grace. In these
two very important chapters, three words are repeated frequently. These three words
are faith, law and promise. With carefully chosen words and stories Paul is seeking
to prove that salvation is by grace, through faith, apart from the works of the Law.

The key to this section (verses 1 – 5) is in the words in verse 4 which can be
translated “experienced.” [“with all the things you started with…”] Paul asks, “Have
you experienced so many things in vain (needlessly)?” The argument from
experience was a wise one with which to begin, because Paul had been with them
when they had trusted the Messiah. Of course, to argue from experience can be
dangerous, because experiences can be counterfeited and they can be
misunderstood. Subjective experience must be balanced with objective evidence,
because experiences can change, but truth never changes. Paul balances the
subjective experience of the Galatian believers with the objective teaching of the
unchanging Word of God.

It was “Jesus and Him crucified” that Paul had preached in Galatia, and with such
effectiveness that the people could almost see Jesus crucified for them on the cross.
In verse 1 the words “clearly portrayed” translate a Greek word that means “publicly
portrayed, or announced on a poster.” Just as we put important information on a
poster and display it in a public place, so Paul openly presented the Messiah to the
Galatians, with great emphasis on His death for sinners on the cross. They heard
this truth, believed it, and obeyed it. As a result, they were born into the family of
God.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned many times in this letter and plays an important part in
Paul’s explanation and application of the Gospel of the grace of God. The only real
evidence of conversion is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer
(see Romans 8:9). Paul asks an important question: did they receive the Spirit by
faith in the Word of God, or by doing the works of the Law? Of course, there could be
but one answer: the Spirit came into their lives because they trusted Jesus the
Messiah.

It is important that we understand the work of the Spirit in salvation and in our daily
living. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost sinner and reveals the Messiah to him (John
16:7-11). The sinner can resist the Spirit (Acts 7:51) or yield to the Spirit and trust
Jesus. When the sinner believes in Jesus, he is then born of the Spirit (John 3:1-8)
and receives new life. He is also baptized by the Spirit so that he becomes a part
of the spiritual body of the Messiah (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). The believer is at that
very moment of salvation sealed by the Spirit [“being declared God’s own
possession”](Ephesians 1:13-14). This is the guarantee that he will share one day in
the glory of Jesus.

Since the Holy Spirit does so much for the believer, this means that the believer has
a responsibility to the Holy Spirit, who lives within his body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The believer should begin to [walk] live by the leading of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25)
by reading the Word, praying, and obeying God’s will. If he sins against God, then he
is offending the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Or, if he sins (Romans 14:23 and James
4:17) by not responding to the Spirit’s leading, he “puts the brakes on the Spirit”
[quench] (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

This does not mean that the Holy Spirit will leave him, because Jesus has promised
that the Spirit abides forever (John 14:16). But it does mean that the Spirit will not
give him the joy and power that he needs for his daily believing lifestyle. Believers
should keep being satisfied in the Spirit [filled] (Ephesians 5:18-21), which simply
means “controlled by the Spirit.” This is a continuous experience, like drinking
water from a fresh stream (John 7:37-39).

So, in their conversion experience, the believers in Galatia had received the Spirit by
faith and not by the works of the Law. This leads Paul to another question: “If you did
not begin with the Law, why do you now want to try to attain your goal by the law? If
you began with the Spirit, can you go on to maturity without the Spirit, depending on
your own strength?” Here, “your own strength” (verse 3) has reference to our
“human effort.”
Since we were saved through the Spirit and not by human effort, then it is
reasonable that we should continue that way. In other words, we continue by faith
through the Spirit, not by observing the law. Nothing needs to be added. When the
child of God is born into God’s family, he has all that he needs spiritually. Nothing
needs to be added! All that is necessary is that the child has food, exercise, and
cleansing so that he might grow into maturity. Would it not be strange if parents had
to take their child to the doctor at one month of age to receive ears, at two months of
age to receive toes, at three months of age to receive eyes, etc. What is true in the
physical realm is also true in the spiritual realm.

You have begun in the Spirit, writes Paul. Nothing need be added! Live under the
leadership of the Spirit and you will grow in the Lord.

When the Galatians first heard the Word of God with its promises of forgiveness and
help and eternal life, they put their faith in the Messiah and His grace. They believed
that His death and resurrection was sufficient for their salvation and their future. This
is the way that they began. Then they began to drift back toward the law. They
started to think that the believing life begins by faith in the power of the Spirit, but is
completed by human effort. Paul says that this is foolish. They were falling into the
trap that catches many of us today – thinking that we are justified by faith, but the
process of sanctification is by works. NO! The Spirit came by faith in the promises of
God and He keeps on working in our lives by the same way – through our faith in
God. ALWAYS, what He accomplishes in us is through faith.

The same Holy Spirit who comes into the believer at the time of conversion
continues to work in him and through him so that the whole body of Jesus is built up
(see Ephesians 4:16; Colossians 2:19). The Father continues to supply the Spirit in
power and blessing, and this is done by faith and not by the works of the Law.

B. Abraham Was Justified by Faith, Not by Works (3: 6 – 9)

Paul begins by quoting Genesis 15:6 to show that God’s righteousness was placed
into Abraham’s account only because he believed God’s promise. The word
“credited” (accounted) in Galatians 3:6 and in Genesis 15:6 is also used in Romans
4:11 and 4: 22-24. The Greek word means “to put into one’s account.” When the
sinner trusts the Messiah, God’s righteousness is put into his account. More than
this, the believer’s sins are no longer put to his account (see Romans 4:1-8). This
means that the record is always clean before God and therefore the believer can
never be brought into judgment for his sins.

The Jewish people were very proud of their relationship with Abraham. However,
they thought that this relationship guaranteed them eternal salvation. John the
Baptist warned them that their physical descent did not guarantee spiritual life
(Matthew 3:9). Jesus made a clear distinction between “Abraham’s descendants”
physically and “Abraham’s children” spiritually (John 8:33-47). Some people today
still think that salvation is inherited. They think that because mother and father were
believers, the children are automatically saved. But this is not true. It has been said,
“God has no grandchildren.”

Paul’s quotation of Moses (Genesis 12:3) proves that, from the very beginning of
Abraham’s relationship with God, the blessing of salvation was promised to all the
nations of the world. God preached the “Good News” to Abraham centuries ago, and
Paul brought the same Good News to the Galatians: sinners are justified through
faith and not by keeping the Law. The logic here is clear: if God promised to save the
Gentiles by faith, then the Judaizers are wrong in wanting to take the Gentile
believers back into Law. The true “children of Abraham” are not the Jews by physical
birth, but Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Jesus the Messiah. All those who
are “of faith” (believers) are blessed along with “believing Abraham.”

When you read God’s great covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, you discover
that many different blessings were promised—some personal, some national and
political, and some universal and spiritual. Certainly God did make Abraham’s name
great. He is revered not only by Jews, but also by Christians, Muslims and many
others. God did multiply his descendants, and God did bless those who blessed
Abraham. He also judged those who cursed his descendants – peoples such as
Egypt, Babylon and Rome. But the greatest blessings that God sent through
Abraham and the Jewish nation have to do with our eternal salvation. Jesus the
Messiah is that promised “‘Seed,” through whom all the nations have been blessed
(Gal. 3:16). [In the original Greek, the word for “descendant” is “seed.”]
C. The Messiah Redeems Us From the Curse of the Law (3: 10 – 14)

The apostle Paul begins this section of Scripture by saying that salvation could never
come by obedience to the Law because the Law brings a curse, not a blessing. Here
Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26 which says:
• “Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them
out.”
Law demands obedience, and this means obedience in all things. The Law is not like
a “religious bazaar” where people can pick and choose only what they want (James
2:10-11). Paul then quotes the prophet Habakkuk who said, “The righteous will live
by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). This statement is so important that the Holy Spirit
inspired three New Testament books to explain it. These three are:
• Romans explains “the righteous” and tells how the sinner can be justified before
God (see Romans 1:17).
• Galatians explains how the righteous “will live”
• Hebrews discusses “by faith” (see Hebrews 10:38). Nobody could ever live “by
Law” because the Law kills and shows the sinner that he is guilty before God
(Romans 3:20 and 7:7-11).

But someone might argue that it takes faith even to obey the Law. Concerning this,
Paul quotes Leviticus to prove that it is doing the Law, not believing it, that God
requires (Leviticus 18:5). Law says, “Do and live!” but grace says, “Believe and live!”
Paul’s own experience (Philippians 3:1-10), as well as the history of Israel (Romans
10:1-10), proves that works of righteousness can never save the sinner. Only by faith
in God are we saved.

The Judaizers wanted to seduce the Galatians into a religion of “works,” while Paul
wanted them to enjoy a relationship of love and life by faith in the Messiah. For the
believer to abandon faith and grace for Law and works is to lose everything exciting
that he or she can experience in his or her daily fellowship with the Lord. The Law
cannot justify the sinner (Gal. 2:16) nor can it give him the gift of righteousness (Gal.
2:21). The Law cannot give the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2) nor can it guarantee that
spiritual inheritance that belongs to God’s children (Gal. 3:18). The Law cannot give
life (Gal. 3:21), and the Law cannot give liberty (Gal. 4:8-10). Why, then, look to the
Law for life and salvation?

Now, two verses (verses 13 and 14) beautifully summarize all that Paul has been
saying in this section. Does the Law put sinners under a curse? Then the Messiah
has redeemed us from that curse! Do you want the blessing of Abraham? It comes
through Jesus the Messiah! Do you want the gift of the Spirit, but you are a Gentile?
This gift is given through Jesus even to the Gentiles! All that you need is in the
Messiah! There is no reason to go back to Moses.

Paul quotes Deuteronomy again:

“Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (Deuteronomy 21:23).
The Jews did not crucify criminals. They would stone them to death. But in cases of
shameful violation of the Law, the body was hung on a tree and exposed for all to
see. This was a great humiliation, because the Jewish people were careful in their
treatment of a dead body. After the body had been exposed for a time, it was taken
down and buried (see Joshua 8:29, 10:26 and 2 Samuel 4:12).

Of course, Paul’s reference to a “tree” relates to the cross on which Jesus died (see
Acts 5:30 and 1 Peter 2:24). He was not stoned and then His dead body exposed,
but rather He was nailed alive to a tree and left there to die. But by dying on the
cross (the tree), Jesus bore the curse of the Law for us, so that now the believer is
no longer under the Law and its awful curse. “The blessing of Abraham,” (which is
justification by faith and the gift of the Spirit) is now ours through faith in Jesus the
Messiah. By faith alone, simply trusting in God and His grace, we are redeemed from
the curse of the Law.

The phrase “saved from a curse” (English - “redeemed”) in Galatians 3:13 means to
purchase a slave for the purpose of setting him free. It is possible to purchase a
slave and keep him as a slave, but this is not what the Messiah did. By shedding His
blood on the cross, He purchased us that we might be set free. The Judaizers
wanted to lead the believers back into slavery, but Jesus died to set them free.
Salvation is not exchanging one form of slavery for another. Salvation is being set
free from the slavery of sin and the Law into the freedom of God’s grace through
Jesus the Messiah.

This raises an interesting question: how could these Judaizers ever convince the
Galatian believers that the way of Law was better than the way of grace? Why would
any believer deliberately want to choose slavery instead of freedom? Perhaps part of
the answer is found in the words “to cast a spell” that Paul uses in Galatians 3:1.
These words mean also “to fascinate.” What is there about legalism that can so
fascinate the believer that he will turn from grace to Law?

For one thing, legalism appeals to the old or sinful nature. The old nature loves to be
“religious”—to obey laws, to observe holy occasions, even to fast (see Gal. 4:10).
Certainly there is nothing wrong with obedience, fasting or solemn times of spiritual
worship, IF the Holy Spirit does the motivating and the empowering. The old nature
loves to boast about its religious achievements—how many prayers were offered, or
how many gifts were given or how long one fasted, etc. (see Luke 18:9-14 and
Philippians 3:1-10)

Another characteristic of religious legalism that fascinates people is the appeal to the
senses. Instead of worshiping God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), the legalist
invents his own system that satisfies his senses. He cannot walk by faith, so he has
to walk by sight and hearing and tasting and smelling and feeling. To be sure, true
Spirit-led worship does not deny the five senses. We see other believers; we sing
and hear the hymns; we taste and feel the elements of the Lord’s Supper. But these
external things are but windows through which faith sees the eternal. They are not
ends in themselves.
The person who depends on religion can measure himself and compare himself with
others. This is another fascination to legalism. But the true believer measures
himself only with Jesus, not other believers (see also Gal. 6:4). There is no room for
pride in the spiritual walk of the believer who lives by grace but the legalistic person
constantly boasts about his religious achievements and his converts (Gal. 6:13-14).

Yes, there is a fascination to the Law, but it is only bait that leads to a trap. And once
the believer takes the bait, he finds himself in slavery. It is much better to take God
at His Word and rest on His grace. We were saved “by grace, through faith” and we
must live “by grace, through faith.” This is the way to blessing. The other way is the
way to bondage and slavery.

As Paul wrote to the Galatian believers about their situation with these “Judaizers,”
the fact that he quoted six times from the Old Testament raised a serious problem.
That is, if salvation does not involve the Law, then why was the Law given in the first
place? First, let us say that our faith is a logical faith and can be defended and
understood on rational grounds. While there are divine mysteries in the faith that no
man can fully explain, there are also divine reasons that any sincere person can
understand. Paul was trained as a Jewish rabbi and was fully equipped to argue his
case. So he now began to teach the Galatians about the:

D. The Relationship Between the Promise and the Law (3: 15 – 29)

In the following verses (verses 15 – 29), Paul makes four statements that help us
understand the relationship between the “promise” and the “law” and the purpose of
the original giving of the Law. The first of these four statements is made in verses 15
– 18. Let’s study this first statement, which is as follows:

1. The Law Cannot Change the Promise (Gal. 3:15-18)

Some form of the word “promise” is used four times in these verses, referring to
God’s promise to Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed
(Genesis 12:1-3). This promise involved being justified by faith and having all the
blessings of salvation (Gal. 3:6-9). It is obvious that the promise to Abraham (and,
through Jesus, to us today), given about 2000 BC, preceded by several centuries the
Law of Moses (about 1450 BC). The Judaizers implied that the giving of the Law
changed that original covenant of promise. Paul argues that it did not. To begin with,
once two parties conclude an agreement, a third party cannot come along years later
and change that agreement. The only persons who can change an original
agreement are the persons who made it. To add anything to it or take anything from
it would be illegal.

If this is true among sinful men, how much more does it apply to the holy God? Note
that Abraham did not make a covenant with God. Rather, God made a covenant
with Abraham! God did not lay down any conditions for Abraham to meet. In fact,
when the covenant was ratified Abraham was asleep (see Genesis 15)! It was a
covenant of grace. God made promises to Abraham but Abraham did not make
promises to God.

Then Paul reveals another wonderful truth: God made this promise, not only to
Abraham, but also to the Messiah. The Word says in verse 16 that “the promises
were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant.” Then at the conclusion of verse
16 Paul identifies the “Descendant.” The Bible says:
• “And to your Descendant, meaning one person, who is the Messiah.”

The Bible concept of “the descendant” goes back to Genesis 3:15, after the Fall of
man. God said that there will be a conflict in the world between satan’s descendants
(children of the devil, see John 8:33-44) and the woman’s descendants (God’s
children, and, ultimately, God’s Son). The Scriptures show this conflict: Cain versus
Abel (see 1 John 3:10-12); Israel versus the nations; John the Baptist and Jesus
versus the Pharisees (Matthew 3:7-9; 23:29-33); the true believer versus the
counterfeit believer (see the Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). Satan’s
goal in the Old Testament was to keep the Descendant (the Messiah Jesus) from
being born into the world, for satan knew that God’s Son would one day crush his
head.

God made this covenant of promise with Abraham through the Messiah so that the
only two parties who can make any changes are God the Father and God the Son.
Moses cannot alter this covenant. He cannot change it. He can add nothing to it. He
can take nothing away from it. The Judaizers wanted to add to God’s grace and take
away from God’s promises. They had no right to do this since they were not parties
in the original covenant.

The 430 years of Galatians 3:17 has puzzled many Bible students. From Abraham’s
call (Genesis 12) to Jacob’s arrival in Egypt (Genesis 46) is 215 years. This may be
computed as follows:

• Abraham was 75 years old when God called him and 100 when Isaac was born
(Genesis 12:4 and 21:5). This gives us 25 years.
• Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born (Genesis 25:26).
• Jacob was 130 years old when he arrived in Egypt (Genesis 47:9).
• Thus, 25 + 60 + 130 = 215 years.
• But Moses tells us that Israel sojourned in Egypt 430 years (Exodus 12:40), so
the total number of years from Abraham’s call to the giving of the Law is 645
years, not 430. The length of the stay in Egypt is recorded also in Genesis 15:13
and Acts 7:6, where the round figure of 400 years is used.

Several solutions have been offered to this puzzle, but perhaps the most satisfying is
this: Paul is counting from the time Jacob went into Egypt, when God appeared to
him and reaffirmed the covenant (Genesis 46:1-4). The 430 years is the time from
God’s confirmation (or, actually His re-confirmation) of His promise to Jacob until the
giving of the Law at Sinai.

Regardless of this question, the basic argument is clear: a law given centuries later
cannot change a covenant made by other parties. But suppose the later revelation,
such as the Law of Moses, was greater and more glorious than the earlier? What
then? Let’s look at Paul’s second statement which follows in the next two verses.
2. The Law Is Not Greater Than the Promise (3: 19 – 20)

The account of the giving of the Law is impressive (Exodus 19). There was thunder
and lightning, and the people were trembling with fear. Even Moses was trembling
with fear (Hebrews 12:21). It was a dramatic and impressive event in comparison
with the giving of the covenant to Abraham (Genesis 15). But Paul points out that the
Law is inferior to the Covenant of Promise in two ways.
• The Law was temporary (verse 19a)

“It was added . . . until the Descendant to whom the promise referred had come.”

Now it is obvious that a temporary law cannot be greater than a permanent

covenant. When you read God’s covenant with Abraham, you find no “if” in His
words. Nothing was conditional. All was of grace. But the blessings of the Law were
dependent on the meeting of certain conditions. Furthermore, the Law had an ending
point: “until the Descendant [the Messiah] had come.” With the death and
resurrection of Jesus, the Law was done away and now its righteous demands are
fulfilled in us through the Spirit (Romans 7:4 and 8:1-4).
• The Law required a mediator (verses 19b-20)

When God gave the Law to Israel, He did it by means of angels and through the
mediation of Moses. Israel “received the Law by the disposition of angels” (Acts
7:53). This means that the nation received the Law third-hand: from God to angels to
Moses. But when God made His covenant with Abraham, He did it personally,
without a mediator. God was revealing to Abraham all that He would do for him and
his descendants. A mediator stands between two parties and helps them to agree.
But there was no need for a mediator in Abraham’s case since God was entering into
a covenant with him, not Abraham with God. “God is one” (Gal. 3:20), therefore there
was no need for a mediator.

The Judaizers were impressed by things such as the glory, thunder, lightning,
angels, and other externals. But Paul looked beyond these things to the “essential
things.” The Law was temporary and required a mediator. The covenant of promise
was permanent and no mediator was required. There could be but one conclusion:
the covenant was greater than the Law. This led Paul to his third statement
concerning the relationship between the promise and the Law. This third statement is
as follows:
 3. The Law is Not Contrary to the Promise (3:21 – 26)

Probably people were asking questions such as….

• “Is the Law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God?” (verse 21)

They were probably wondering if God was contradicting Himself? Does His right
hand not know what His left hand is doing? As he replies to this question, Paul
reveals his deep insight into the ways and purposes of God. He does not say that the
Law is “contrary” to the promise, but rather that it “cooperates” with the promise in
fulfilling the purposes of God. While law and grace seem to be contrary to one
another, if you go deep enough, you will discover that they actually “complement”
one another. Why, then, was the Law given?

First of all, as we see in verse 21, it was not given to provide life. The Law regulated
the life of the Jewish people but it did not provide spiritual life for them. If life and
righteousness could have come through the Law, then Jesus would have never died
on the cross. But He did die. Therefore, the Law could never give the sinner life and
righteousness. It was “worship of the Law” that led Israel into a self-righteous religion
of works, the result of which was the rejection of the Messiah (also see Romans 9:30
– 10:13). Though the Law did not give spiritual life, it did two things that Paul
explained to the Galatian believers. Let’s now carefully study these two principal
functions of the Law:

First, Paul writes in verse 19 and 22 that:

• The Law was given to reveal sin (verses 19a and 22).

It is here that we see the way that Law and grace cooperate in bringing the lost
sinner to Jesus. Law shows the sinner his guilt, and grace shows him the
forgiveness he can have in the Messiah. The Law is “holy, righteous and good”
(Romans 7:12), but we are unholy, unrighteousness and bad. The Law does not
make us sinners; it reveals to us that we already are sinners (see Romans 3:20).
The Law is a mirror that helps us see our “dirty faces” (James 1:22-25)—but you do
not wash your face with the mirror! It is grace that provides the cleansing through the
blood of Jesus (see 1 John 1:7).

There is a lawful use of the Law, and there is an unlawful use (1Timothy 1:8-11). The
lawful use is to reveal sin and cause men to see their need of a Savior. The unlawful
use is to try to achieve salvation by the keeping of the Law. When people claim that
they are saved when they “keep the Ten Commandments,” they are revealing their
ignorance of the true meaning of the Law. The Law “declares that the whole world is
a prisoner of sin” (Gal. 3:22), Jews and Gentiles alike. But since all are under sin,
then all may be saved by grace! God does not have two ways of salvation. He has
only one way —the way of faith in Jesus the Messiah.
Second, Paul writes in verses 23 – 26 the other principal function of the Law:

• The Law was given to prepare the way for the Messiah (verses 23-26).
Here Paul uses an illustration that was familiar to all his readers—the “coach” (or
guardian) of a child. In many Roman and Greek households, well-educated slaves
took the children to and from school and watched over them during the day.
Sometimes they would teach the children, sometimes they would protect and
prohibit, and sometimes they would even discipline. This is what Paul means by a
“coach” [tutor or “schoolmaster”] (Gal. 3:24). This is not like the modern idea of a
coach or school- teacher. The original Greek gives the word “pedagogue,” which
literally means “a child conductor.”

By using this illustration, Paul is saying several things about the Jews and their Law.
First, he is saying that the Jews were not born through the Law, but rather were
brought up by the Law. They were nurtured by the Law. The slave was not the
child’s father. Rather, he was the child’s guardian and disciplinarian. So, the Law did
not give life to Israel. But it regulated life. The Judaizers taught that the Law was
necessary for life and righteousness, and Paul’s argument shows their error.

But the next thing Paul says is even more important: “The work of the guardian was
preparation for the maturity of the child.” Once the child came of age, he or she no
longer needed the guardian. So the Law was a preparation for the nation of Israel
until the coming of the promised Descendant, Jesus the Messiah. The ultimate goal
in God’s plan was His sending of Jesus. But “before this faith [Jesus] came, we were
held prisoners by the Law, locked up until faith should be revealed” (Gal. 3:23).

The Law separated Israel from the Gentile nations (Ephesians 2:12-18). It governed
every aspect of their lives. During the centuries of Jewish history, the Law was
preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. The demands of the Law
reminded the people that they needed a Savior. The types and symbols in the Law
were pictures of the coming Messiah (see Luke 24:27).

A good example of this purpose of the Law is in the account of the rich young ruler
(Matt. 19:16 - 22). This young man had everything anybody could desire, but he was
not satisfied. He had tried to keep the commandments all his life, but still something
was missing. But these commandments brought him to the Messiah! This is one of
the purposes of the Law, to create in lost sinners a sense of guilt and need. The sad
thing is that the young man was not honest as he looked into the mirror of the Law,
for the last commandment (“You shall not covet”) escaped him. He went away
without eternal life.

The Law has performed its purpose: the Savior has come and the “coach” is no
longer needed. It is tragic that the nation of Israel did not recognize their Messiah
when He appeared. God finally had to destroy the temple and scatter the nation, so
that today it is impossible for a devoted Jew to practice the faith of his fathers. He
has no altar, no priesthood, no sacrifice, no temple, no king (Hosea 3:4). All of these
have been fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah, so that any man—Jew or Gentile—who
trusts Jesus becomes a child of God. The Law cannot change the promise, and the
Law is not greater than the promise. But the Law is not contrary to the promise: they
work together to bring sinners to the Savior.
Now, Paul makes the fourth and final statement concerning the relationship between
the promise and the Law:

4. The Law Cannot Do What the Promise Can Do (Gal. 3: 27 – 29)

With the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the nation of Israel moved out of childhood
into adulthood. The long period of preparation was over. While there was a certain
amount of glory to the Law, there was a greater glory in the gracious salvation of
God as found in Jesus. The Law could reveal sin and, to a certain extent, control
behavior, but the Law could not do for the sinner what the Messiah can do.

To begin with, the Law could never justify the guilty sinner. “I will not acquit the
guilty,” said the Lord (Exodus 23:7). However, Paul states that God “justifies the
wicked” (Romans 4:5). King Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, reminded God
to condemn the wicked and justify the righteous (1 Kings 8:32). This was a proper
request in light of the holiness of God. The trouble is, nobody was righteous! It is
only through faith in Jesus that the sinner is justified—declared righteous—before
God.

Furthermore, the Law could never give a person a oneness with God. It separated
man from God. There was a fence around the tabernacle and a veil between the holy
place and the holy of holies. But through faith in Jesus we are baptized “into the
Messiah” (Gal. 3:27). This baptism of the Spirit identifies the believer with the
Messiah and makes him part of His body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Water baptism is
an outward picture of this inner work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10:44-48).

The phrase “supplied abundantly with the qualities of the Messiah” (Gal. 3:27) refers
to an actual change of garments. The believer has now laid aside the dirty garments
of sin (Isaiah 64:6) and by faith has received the robes of righteousness in Jesus (see
Colossians 3:8-15). But to the Galatians, this idea of “changing clothes” would have
an additional meaning. When the Roman child came of age, he took off the childhood
garments and put on the “toga” (white robe) of the adult citizen. The believer in Jesus
is not just a “child of God”; he is also a “son of God.” Now, the believer has an adult
status before God—so why go back into the childhood of the Law?

“All one in the Messiah Jesus” (3: 28) —what a tremendous claim! The Law created
differences and distinctions, not only between individuals and nations, but also
between various kinds of foods and animals. Jesus came, not to divide, but to unite.
This must have been glorious news for the Galatian believers, for in their society
slaves were considered to be only pieces of property and women were kept confined
and were not respected. Even the Gentiles were constantly sneered at by the Jews.

The Pharisee would pray each morning, “I thank You, God, that I am a Jew, not a
Gentile; a man, not a woman, and a freeman, not a slave.” Yet all these distinctions
are removed “in the Messiah.” This does not mean that our race, political status or
sex is changed at conversion. However, it does mean that these things are of no
value (or handicap) when it comes to our spiritual relationship to God through Jesus.
The Law perpetuated these distinctions, but God in His grace has declared all men
to be on the same level that He might have mercy on all men (Romans 11:25-32).

Finally, the Law could never make us heirs of God (Gal. 3:29). God made the
promise to “Abraham’s Descendant” (singular, Gal. 3:16), and that Descendant is
Jesus. If we are “in the Messiah” by faith, then we too are “Abraham’s descendants”
- spiritually speaking. This means we are heirs of the spiritual blessings God
promised to Abraham. This means that believers today are enriched spiritually
because of God’s promise to Abraham.

This third chapter of Galatians is valuable to us as we read the Old Testament

Scriptures. It shows us that the spiritual lessons of the Old Testament are not for the
Jews only but also have application to believers today (see Romans 15:4 and 1
Corinthians 10:11-12). We can summarize by saying that:

• In the Old Testament we have preparation for Jesus

• In the Gospels we have the presentation of Jesus
• In the Acts through Revelation, we have the appropriation (taking Him unto
ourselves) of Jesus

Your life as a believer ought to take on new wonder and meaning as you realize all
that you have in Jesus the Messiah. And all of this is by grace—not by Law! You are
an adult son or daughter in God’s family, an heir/heiress of God. Are you drawing on
your inheritance? This will be Paul’s theme as we continue into the fourth chapter.

E. Growing and Maturing – Receiving Blessings by Faith, Not by the Law (4: 1
– 20) (Explaining the Adoption, Regression and Affection of the Galatians)

One of the tragedies of legalism is that it gives the appearance of spiritual maturity
when, in reality, it leads the believer back into a position of greater immaturity. The
Galatian believers, like most believers, wanted to grow and go forward for Jesus.
However, their method to do this was not good. Their experience is similar to many
believers today who get involved in various legalistic movements, hoping to become
stronger believers. Their motives may be right, but their methods are wrong.

This is the truth Paul is trying to get across to his beloved brothers in Galatia. The
Judaizers had fooled them into thinking that the Law would make them better
believers. Their old sinful nature felt an attraction for the Law because the Law
enabled them to do things and measure external results. As they looked at their
achievements, they felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. They thought they
were growing in maturity, when actually they were regressing (becoming less mature
and farther away from the heart of God).

Paul speaks of three subjects [adoption, regression and affection] in this section of
chapter 4 (verses 1 – 20) as he seeks to convince the Galatians that they do not
need legalism in order to live the believing life. They have all they need in Jesus the
Messiah. First of all….
1. He Explains Their Adoption (4: 1 – 7) [See Appendix B for a
definition of “adoption”]

One of the blessings of the born again believer is adoption (Gal. 4:5 and Ephesians
1:5). We do not enter God’s family by adoption, the way a homeless child would
enter a loving family in our own society. The only way to get into God’s family is by
regeneration, being “born again” (John 3:3).

The New Testament word for “adoption” means “to place as an adult son.” It has to
do with our position in the family of God: we are not little children but adult sons with
all of the privileges of being a son. It is unfortunate that many translations of the New
Testament do not make a distinction between “children” of God and “sons” of God.
Let us take a moment to explain this more fully.

We are the children of God by faith in the Messiah, born into God’s family. But every
child of God is automatically placed into the family as a “son,” and as a son he has
all the legal rights and privileges of a son. When a sinner trusts Jesus and is saved,
as far as his spiritual condition is concerned, he is a “spiritual baby” who needs to
grow (1 Peter 2:2-3). However, as far as his “position” is concerned, he is an adult
son who can draw on the Father’s wealth and who can exercise all the wonderful
privileges of being a son.

We enter God’s family by regeneration, but we enjoy God’s family by adoption. The
believer does not have to wait to begin enjoying the spiritual riches he has in the
Messiah. Verse 7 says:
“So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made
you also an heir.“

Now let’s examine the Word’s discussion about adoption. We are reminded of three
facts.
• Before we were believers - we were children in slavery (verses 1-3)

No matter how wealthy a father may be, his infant son or small child cannot really
enjoy that wealth. In the Roman world, the children of wealthy people were cared for
by slaves. No matter who his father was, the child was still a child, under the
supervision of a servant. In fact, the child himself was not much different from the
servant who guarded him. The servant was commanded by the master of the house,
and the child was commanded by the servant.

This was the spiritual condition of the Jews under the age of the Law. The Law, you
remember, was the “guardian” that disciplined the nation and prepared the people for
the coming of Jesus (Gal. 3:23-25). So, when the Judaizers led the Galatians back
into legalism, they were leading them not only into religious slavery, but also back
into moral and spiritual infancy and immaturity.
Paul states that the Jews were, like little children, in slavery to “the basic principles of
the world.” [Or to false and worldly teachings.] This word “principles” means the
ABC’s. For some 1500 years, Israel had been in the early stages of their schooling,
like small children who were learning their “spiritual ABCs,” so that they would be
ready when the Messiah would come. Then they would get the full revelation, for
Jesus the Messiah is “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 22:13). He is the full
revelation of God to man. He is God’s last Word (Hebrews 1:1-3).
• God redeemed us from our slavery (verses 4-5).

The expression the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4) refers to that time when the world
was providentially ready for the birth of the Savior, the Messiah. It means that the
time had fully come. Historians tell us that the Roman world was in great
expectation, waiting for a Deliverer, at the time when Jesus was born. The old
religions were lifeless and dying; the old philosophies were empty and powerless to
change men’s lives. Strange new mystery religions were invading the empire.
Spiritual hunger was everywhere. God was preparing the world for the arrival of His
Son.

From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself helped prepare the world
for the birth of the Savior. Roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with
Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the
peace. Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests, Latin and Greek were
known across the empire. Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem was not an accident, rather it
was an “appointment.” Jesus came in “the fullness of the time.” (It is worth noting
that He will come again when the time is ready.)

Paul is careful to point out the dual nature of Jesus the Messiah (Gal. 4:4). He is
both God and man. As God, Jesus “came from the Father” (John 16:28), but as man,
He “came into the world through a woman.” The ancient promise said that the
Redeemer would be of “the woman’s descendant [or offspring]” (Genesis 3:15).
Jesus fulfilled that promise (see Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:18-25). The New
Testament calls Jesus both the “Son of Man” [Ruler] and the “Son of God.” (There
are many Scriptures referring to these two titles – for example see Matthew 8:29 and
11:19.)

• Now we are not only believers, but we are sons and heirs (verses 6-7).

Once again, the entire Trinity is involved in our spiritual experience. God the Father
sent the Son to die for us, and God the Son sent His Spirit to live in us. The contrast
here in these verses is not just between immature children and adult sons, but
between servants and sons. Like the Prodigal Son of Luke 15:11 - 32, the Galatians
wanted their Father to accept them as servants. They did not realize that they really
were sons! The contrasts are easy to see. For example:

First, the son has the same nature as the father, but the servant does not. When we
trust Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. This means we “share in God’s
righteous nature” (2 Peter 1:4). The Law could never give a person God’s nature
within. All it could do was reveal to the person his desperate need for God’s nature.
Thus, when the believer goes back into Law, he is denying the very divine nature
within and he is giving the old nature an opportunity to go to work.

Second, the son has a father while the servant has a master. No servant could ever
say “Father” to his master. When the sinner trusts the Messiah as his Savior and
Lord, he receives the Holy Spirit within, and the Spirit tells him that he is a child of
the Father (Romans 8:15-16). It is natural for a baby to cry, but not for a baby to talk
to his father. When the Spirit enters the heart, He says, “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). In
response, the believer cries, “Abba, Father!” The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word
that has the meaning of “papa” or “daddy.” This shows the closeness of the child to
the Father. No servant has this kind of closeness with his master.

Third, the son obeys out of love, while the servant obeys out of fear. The Spirit
works in the heart of the believer to increase his love for God. “The fruit of the Spirit
is love” (Gal. 5:22). “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom He has given us ” (Romans 5:5). The Judaizers told the Galatians that they
would become better believers by submitting to the Law, but the Law can never
produce obedience. Only love can produce true obedience. “If you love Me, you will
obey what I command ” (John 14:15).

Fourth, the son is rich, while the servant is poor. We are both “sons and heirs.” And
since we are adopted—placed as adult sons in the family—we may begin drawing on
our inheritance right now. God has made available to us the riches of His grace
(Ephesians 1:7 and 2:7), the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19), the riches of His
goodness (Romans 2:4) and the riches of His wisdom (Romans11:33)—and all of
the riches of God are found in the Messiah (Colossians 1:19 and 2:3).

Fifth, the son has a future while the servant does not have a future. While many
kind masters did provide for their slaves in old age, it was not required of them.
However, the father always provides for the son (2 Corinthians 12:14).

Technically, our adoption is not yet final, because we are awaiting the return of
Jesus and the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). Some Bible scholars think
that this like a “second stage” in our adoption corresponding to the Roman practice
when a man adopted someone outside his family to be his son. First there was a
private ceremony at which the son was purchased. Then there was a public
ceremony at which the adoption was declared openly before the officials.

We believers, just like the early Galatian believers, have experienced the first stage.
We have been purchased by Jesus and the Spirit lives within us. Now, we are
awaiting the second stage - the public “ceremony” at the return of Jesus when “we
shall be like Him” (1 John 3:1-3). We are “sons and heirs,” and the best part of our
inheritance is yet to come (see 1 Peter 1:1-5). May God be praised!

Now, as we begin to examine the next portion of Scripture, verses 8 – 11, we find
that the apostle Paul is saddened and very concerned over the Galatians wanting to
turn back to the law. In these four short verses, we see that Paul laments what must
have seemed to him as a terrible situation.

2. He Laments Their Regression (4: 8 – 11)

What really happened when the Galatians turned from grace to Law? To begin with,
they abandoned their freedom for slavery. When they were ignorant sinners, they
had served their false gods and had experienced the tragedy of such pagan slavery.
But then they had trusted Jesus and had been delivered from superstition and
slavery. Now they were abandoning their freedom in the Messiah and going back
into slavery. They were “dropping out” of the “higher” school of grace and enrolling in
the “baby school” of Law! They were destroying all the good work the Lord had done
in them through Paul’s ministry.

The phrase “weak and miserable principles” tells us the extent of their regression.
They were giving up the power of the Gospel for the weakness of the Law. They
were giving up the wealth of the Gospel for the poverty of the Law. Of course, the
Law could reveal man’s weakness and spiritual poverty, but it only pointed to the
Messiah – it could not save. No wonder Paul weeps over these believers, as he sees
them abandon freedom for slavery, giving up power for weakness, and giving up
spiritual blessings for poverty. But exactly how were they doing this? For the answer,
simply look at verse 10. They were regressing by observing the Old Testament
system of religion with its special observations of “special days and months and
seasons and years.”

Does this mean that it is wrong for believers to set aside one day a year to
remember the birth of the Messiah? Or that a special observance of the coming of
the Spirit at Pentecost, or the blessing of the harvest in autumn, is a sin?

No, this is not necessarily a sin. However, if we observe special days like slaves,
hoping to gain some spiritual merit or blessings because we observe these days,
then we are sinning. But if in the observance of a special day, we can express our
freedom in Jesus and let the Spirit bless us and enrich us with His grace, then the
observance can be a spiritual blessing.

The New Testament makes it clear that we believers are not to make “laws”
concerning religious observances for each other (Romans 14:4-13). We are not to
praise the man who celebrates the day, nor should we condemn the man who does
not celebrate. But if a man thinks he is saving his soul, or automatically growing in
grace, because of a religious observance, then he is guilty of legalism.

Our evangelical churches have many different kinds of observances, and it is wrong
for us to go beyond the Word of God in comparing, criticizing or condemning. But all
of us must beware that a legalistic spirit that serves the old nature leads to pride and
makes the outward event a substitute for the inward experience. We must always be
careful as we walk in the grace of the Lord and give others their freedom in Jesus,
just as He has given us freedom.
 3. He Seeks After Their Affection (4: 12 – 20)

Paul was a wonderful spiritual father. He knew how to balance rebuke with love. Now
he turns from “rebuking” to “loving” as he reminds the Galatians believers of their
love for him and his love for them. At one point they were willing to sacrifice anything
for Paul, so great was their love. But now he had become their enemy. The
Judaizers had come in and stolen their hearts.

In verses 13 and 14, when Paul speaks about his illness, he was not specific. Bible
scholars are not sure exactly what he may be talking about. When Paul had
originally visited them, he was suffering from some kind of physical affliction or
disease. If, as we noted on page 2 that Paul wrote this letter to the churches of
South Galatia, then he is referring to his first missionary journey, recorded in Acts
13-14. Apparently Paul had not intended to visit these cities, but was forced to do so
because of some bodily illness. We can only guess as to what this was.

Some have suggested malaria. Some have said that it was an affliction of the eyes
(see verse 15). Whatever it was, it must have made Paul somewhat repulsive in
appearance, because he commends the Galatians for the way they received him in
spite of the way he looked. To them, he was an angel of God. It is a wonderful thing
when people accept God’s servants, not because of their outward appearance, but
because they represent the Lord and bring His message.

Now Paul asks them: “What has happened to that love? What has happened to the
blessedness—the happiness—you experienced when you heard the Gospel and
trusted the Messiah?” Of course, Paul knew what had happened: the Judaizers had
come in and stolen their hearts.

One of the marks of a false teacher is that he tries to attract other men’s converts to
himself, and not simply to the truth of the Word or to the person of Jesus. It was not
the Judaizers who originally came to Galatia and led them to Jesus. It was Paul. Like
those who are in cults today, these false teachers were not winning lost sinners to
the Lord, but were stealing converts from those who were truly serving Jesus. Paul
had proved to be their loving friend. He had “become as they were” by identifying
himself with them (verse 12). Now they were turning away from Paul and following
false shepherds.

Paul told them the truth, but the Judaizers told them lies. Paul sought to glorify
Jesus, but the Judaizers glorified themselves and their converts. Verse 17 clearly
states:

“Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to
alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them” (Gal. 4:17).

A true servant of God does not “use people” to build himself up or his work. Rather,
he ministers in love to help people know Jesus better and glorify Him. Beware of that
religious worker who wants your exclusive allegiance because he says that he is the
“only one who is right.” He will use you as long as he can and then drop you for
somebody else—and your fall will be a painful one. The task of the spiritual leader is
to get people to love and follow Jesus, not to promote himself and his ministry.

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs
27:6)

Paul had proved his love to the Galatians by telling them the truth. But they would
not accept it. They were enjoying the “kisses” of the Judaizers, not realizing that
these “kisses” were leading them into slavery and sorrow. The Messiah Jesus had
made them sons and heirs, but they were rapidly becoming slaves and beggars.

They had not lost the experience of salvation—they were still believers. However,
they were losing the enjoyment of their salvation and finding satisfaction in their
works instead. It is sad to say, but they did not seem to realize what they were
losing. They actually thought they were becoming better believers by substituting
Law for grace, and the religious deeds of the old nature for the fruit of the Spirit.

For a moment, think about your life right now. Is it moving forward into freedom or
backward into slavery? Think carefully before you answer. At this point, we come to
a very important passage in the letter. Now Paul begins to tell the story of Hagar and
Sarah (from Genesis) to illustrate some of the points he has been making. Let’s
study these verses. [See also Appendix F]

F. Law and Grace Cannot Co-Exist (4: 21 – 31)

As we have studied we have seen that the Galatian believers were falling back into
legalism and a “second childhood” experience. Paul longed to see the Messiah
formed in them, just as we parents long to see our children mature in the will of God.

Since the Judaizers appealed to the Law, Paul (a trained and well-educated Jewish
rabbi) uses the Law to prove that believers are not under the Law. He takes the
familiar story of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Hagar and Sarah (Genesis 16-21) and
draws from it basic truths about the believer’s relationship to the Law of Moses.
[These five persons were important in God’s plan of law and grace.]

These events of course actually happened, but Paul uses them as an allegory, which
is a story that has a deeper meaning behind it. In an allegory, persons and actions
represent hidden meanings, so that the story can be read on two levels: the literal
and the symbolic.

Paul’s use of Genesis in this section does not give us the freedom to find “hidden
meanings” in all the events of the Old Testament. If we take that approach to the
Bible, we can make it mean almost anything we please. This is the way many false
teachings arise. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to discern the hidden meaning of this
Genesis story. But we must always interpret the Old Testament in the light of the
New Testament, and where the New Testament allows, we may search for hidden
meanings. Otherwise, we accept the plain text of Scripture and do not try to
“spiritualize” everything.

First, let’s try to get all of the historical facts concerning these five persons
mentioned above.

• The Historical Facts from Genesis concerning Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael,

Hagar and Sarah

Perhaps the easiest way to grasp the historical account is to trace briefly Abraham’s
experiences as is recorded in Genesis 12 through 21. Using his age as our guide,
we will trace the events on which Paul is basing his argument for the freedom of the
believer.

Age 75 —Abraham is called by God to go to Canaan. God promises him many

descendants (Genesis 12:1-9). Both Abraham and his wife Sarah wanted children,
but Sarah was barren. God was waiting until both of them were “as good as dead”
before He would perform the miracle of sending them a son (Romans 4:16-25).

Age 85 —The promised son has not yet arrived and Sarah becomes impatient. She
suggests that Abraham marry Hagar [Sarah’s maid], and try to have a son by her.
This act was legal in that society, but it was not in the will of God. Abraham took her
suggestion and married Hagar (Genesis 16:1-3).

Age 86 —Hagar gets pregnant and Sarah becomes jealous. Things are so difficult in
the home that Sarah throws Hagar out. But the Lord intervenes and sends Hagar
back. He promises to take care of her and her son. When Abraham is 86, the son is
born. He is called Ishmael (Genesis 16:4-16).

Age 99 —God speaks to Abraham and promises again that he will have a son by
Sarah. God said to call him Isaac. Later, God appears again and reaffirms the
promise to Sarah as well (Genesis 17-18).

Age 100 —The son is born (Genesis 21:1-7). They name him Isaac which means
“laughter” as God had commanded. But the arrival of Isaac created problems in the
home. Ishmael now had a rival. For fourteen years, Ishmael has been his father’s
only son and was very dear to his heart. Now, how will Ishmael respond to the
presence of a rival?

Age 103 — It was customary for the Jews to wean their children at about the age of
three, and to make a great occasion of it. At this big feast, Ishmael starts to mock
Isaac (Genesis 21:8- 10) and to create trouble in the home. There seems to be only
one solution to the problem. Hagar and her son Ishmael have to leave the home.
With a broken heart, Abraham sends his son away, because this is what the Lord
tells him to do (Genesis 21:9-14).

At first glance, this story appears to be nothing more than the story of a family
problem, but beneath the surface are meanings that carry tremendous spiritual
power. Abraham, the two wives, and the two sons represent spiritual realities. And
by studying their relationships we learn some important lessons. What kind of
spiritual truths does Paul explain to the Galatians through this story?

• The Spiritual Truths from this Story of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Hagar and
Sarah

Paul begins with the two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Gal. 4:22-23), and explains that
they illustrate our two births: the physical birth that makes us sinners and the spiritual
birth that makes us the children of God. As you think about this, and read Genesis
21:1-12, you may see some wonderful spiritual truths about salvation. Look at the
chart below comparing the two covenants represented (see verse 24):

The Old Covenant The New Covenant

Law Grace
Hagar the slave Sarah the free woman
Ishmael, conceived after Isaac, conceived
the old nature miraculously
Earthly Jerusalem in Heavenly Jerusalem,
slavery which is free

As a picture of the believer, consider these truths about Isaac:

• He was born by God’s power.

In fact, God deliberately waited twenty-five years before He granted Abraham and
Sarah their son. Isaac was “born by the power of the Spirit” (Gal. 4:29). Of course,
the believer is “born of the Spirit” (John 3:1-7). Isaac came into the world through
Abraham who represents faith (Gal. 3:9) and Sarah whose name represents grace.
Thus Isaac was born “by grace . . . through faith” as is true of every born again
believer (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• He brought joy.

His name means “laughter” and Isaac certainly brought joy to his aged parents.
Salvation is an experience of joy, not only to the believer himself, but also to those
around him.
• He grew and was weaned (Genesis 21:8).

Salvation is the beginning, not the ending. After we are born, we must grow (1 Peter
2:2 and 2 Peter 3:18). Along with maturity comes weaning. We must “put childish
ways behind us” or “break the connection with childhood” (1 Corinthians 13:11). How
easy it is for us to hold onto the “toys” of our earlier believing days and fail to become
mature as the Lord desires. The child does not enjoy being weaned, but he can
never become a man until it happens (see Psalm 131).
• He was persecuted (Genesis 21:9).

Ishmael (born of the flesh) caused problems for Isaac, just as our old nature causes
problems for us (We shall discuss this in detail in chapter 5). Ishmael created no
problems in the home until Isaac was born. Our old nature creates no problems for
us until the new nature enters when we trust Jesus. In Abraham’s home we see the
same basic conflicts that we believers face today:

Hagar versus Sarah = Law versus grace

Ishmael versus Isaac = old nature versus Spirit

It is important to note that you cannot separate these four factors. The Judaizers
taught that Law made the believer more spiritual. However, Paul makes it clear that
the Law only releases the opposition of the old nature. Then a conflict within the
believer begins (see Romans 7:19). There was no Law strong enough either to
change or to control Ishmael, but Isaac never needed any Law. It has been said,
“The old nature knows no Law and the new nature needs no Law.”

Having explained the significance of the two sons, Paul now turns to an explanation
of the two wives, Sarah and Hagar. He is illustrating the contrasts between Law and
grace and is proving that the believer is not under law but is under the loving
freedom that comes through God’s grace. Notice the facts about Hagar that prove
that the Law no longer has power over the believer.

• Hagar was Abraham’s second wife.

God did not begin with Hagar; He began with Sarah.

As far as God’s dealings with men are concerned, God began with grace. In Eden,
God provided for Adam and Eve by grace. Even after they sinned, in His grace He
provided them with coats of skins for a covering (Genesis 3:21). He did not give
them laws to obey as a way of redemption. Instead, He gave them a gracious
promise to believe: the promise of a victorious Redeemer (Genesis 3:15).

In His relationship with Israel, God first operated on the basis of grace, not Law. His
covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) was all of grace. Abraham was in a deep sleep
when the covenant was established! When God delivered Israel from Egypt, it was
on the basis of grace and not Law, for the Law had not yet been given. Like Hagar,
Abraham’s second wife, the Law was “added” (Gal. 3:19). Hagar performed a
function temporarily and then moved off the scene, just as the Law performed a
special function and then was taken away (Gal. 3:24-25).
• Hagar was a slave.
Five times in this section she is called a “slave woman” (Gal. 4:22-23, 30-31). Sarah
was a “free woman” and therefore her position was one of freedom. But Hagar, even
though married to Abraham, was still a servant. Likewise, the Law was given as a
servant. Do you remember the question asked back in 3:19? “What, then, was the
purpose of the Law?” [Or, “What kind of service did the Law fulfill?”] It served like a
mirror to reveal men’s sins (Romans 3:20) and like a monitor to control men and
ultimately lead them to the Messiah (Gal. 3:23-25).

• Hagar was not meant to bear a child.

Abraham’s marriage to Hagar was out of the will of God. It was the result of Sarah’s
and Abraham’s unbelief and impatience. Hagar was trying to do what only Sarah
could do. But she failed. The Law cannot give life (Gal. 3:21), or righteousness (Gal.
2:21), or the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2), or a spiritual inheritance (Gal. 3:18). Isaac
was born as Abraham’s heir (Genesis 21:10), but Ishmael could not share in this
inheritance. The Judaizers were trying to make Hagar a mother again, while Paul
was in agony for his converts that they might become more like the Messiah. No
amount of religion or good works or good deeds can give the “dead sinner” new life.
Only Jesus can do that through the Gospel.

• Hagar gave birth to a slave.

Ishmael was “a wild man” (Genesis 16:12), and even though he was a slave, nobody
could control him. His mother could not control him. Like Ishmael, the old nature is at
war with God, and the Law cannot change it or control it. By nature, the Spirit and
the old nature are “in conflict with each other” (Gal. 5:17). No amount of religious
activity will change that. Whoever chooses Hagar (Law) for his “mother” will
experience slavery (Gal. 4:8-11, 22-25, 30-31 and 5:1). But whoever chooses Sarah
(grace) for his “mother” will enjoy freedom in Jesus. God wants His children to be
free (Gal. 5:1).

• Hagar was cast out.

It was Sarah who gave the order: “Get rid of that slave woman and her son”
(Genesis 21:10). God subsequently approved it (Genesis 21:12). Ishmael had been
in the home for at least seventeen years, but his stay was not to be permanent.
Eventually he had to be cast out. There was not room in the household for Hagar
and Ishmael with Sarah and Isaac - one pair had to go.

It is impossible for Law and grace, the old nature and the Spirit, to compromise and
stay together. God did not ask Hagar and Ishmael to make occasional visits to the
home. The break was permanent. The Judaizers in Paul’s day—and in our own
day—try to reconcile Sarah and Hagar, and they try to reconcile Isaac and Ishmael.
Such reconciliation is contrary to the Word of God. It is impossible to mix Law and
grace, or to mix faith and works. God’s gift of righteousness and man’s attempts to
earn righteousness do not mix together.
• Hagar was not married again.

God never gave the Law to any other nation or people, including His Church. For the
Judaizers to impose the Law on the Galatian believers was to oppose the very plan
of God. In Paul’s day, the nation of Israel was under slavery to the Law while the
church was enjoying freedom under the gracious rule of the “Jerusalem that is
above” [Or, the heavenly Jerusalem] (Gal. 4:26). The Judaizers wanted to put
together Mount Sinai and the heavenly Mount Zion (see Hebrews 12:22), but to do
this would be to deny what Jesus did on Mount Calvary (Gal. 2:21). Hagar is not to
be married again.

From the human point of view, it might seem cruel that God should command
Abraham to send away his own son Ishmael, whom he loved very much. But it was
the only solution to the problem, for “the wild man” could never live with the child of
promise. In a deeper sense, however, think of what it cost God when He gave His
Son to bear the curse of the Law to set us free. Abraham’s broken heart meant
Isaac’s freedom. God’s giving of His Son Jesus means our own freedom in the
Messiah.

Closing out this fourth chapter concerning the topic of the co-existence of Law and
grace, let’s look at some of the practical blessings which are ours – we who are the
“children of Promise” (4: 28).

• The Practical Blessings (4: 30 –31)

We believers, like Isaac, are the children of promise by grace. The covenant of
grace, pictured by Sarah, is our “spiritual mother.” The Law and the old nature
(Hagar and Ishmael) want to persecute us and bring us into slavery. How are we to
solve this problem? We can try to do one of three things.
1) We can try to change them.

This will fail, for we cannot change either the Law or the old nature. “Flesh gives birth
to flesh,” [Or, “From the body comes the body”] (John 3:6). It will always be flesh.
God did not try to change Ishmael and Hagar, by force or by education. Neither can
you or I change the old nature and the Law.
2) We can try to compromise with them.

This did not work in Abraham’s home and neither will it work in our lives. The
Galatians were trying to make such a compromise, but it was only leading them
deeper into slavery. False teachers today tell us, “Don’t abandon Jesus. Simply
move into a deeper spiritual life by practicing the Law along with your faith in Jesus.
Invite Hagar and Ishmael back home again.” But this is a path back into slavery.

“How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you
wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” (Gal. 4:9)
 3) We can cast them out.

This is what we are supposed to do. First, Paul applies this to the nation of Israel
(4:25 – 27). Then he applies it to the individual believer. The nation of Israel had
been in slavery under the Law, but this was temporary, preparing them for the
coming of the Messiah. Now that Jesus had come, the Law had to leave. Jesus, like
Isaac, was a Child of Promise, born by the miraculous power of God. Once He had
come and died for the people, the Law had to go.

Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1, applying his words to Sarah who was barren before the
birth of Isaac. He also applied it to the church (Gal. 4: 27). Note the following
contrasts:

Israel The Church

Earthly Jerusalem Heavenly Jerusalem

Slavery Freedom

Barren Legalism Fruitful Grace

Sarah had been barren, and she tried to become fruitful by having Abraham marry
Hagar. This failed and brought only trouble. The Law cannot give life or fruitfulness –
legalism is barren of any fruit. For the early church to go back into slavery would
mean barrenness as well as disobedience to the Word of God. But because it held
fast to grace, the church spread across the world in fruitfulness.

Individual churches and believers can make the same mistake the Galatians were
making. Legalism is a major problem among believers today. Remember that
legalism does not mean the setting of spiritual standards – rather it means
worshipping these standards and thinking that we are spiritual because we obey
them. It also means judging other believers on the basis of these standards. The
Pharisees had high standards yet they crucified Jesus.

The old nature loves legalism, because it gives the old nature a chance to “look
good.” The “Judaizers” probably were attractive people. They had credentials from
religious authorities (see 2 Corinthians 3:1). They had high standards and were
careful in what they ate and drank. They were effective in making converts and liked
to advertise their accomplishments (Gal. 4: 17 – 18, 6:12 –14).

They had rules and standards to cover every area of life. This made it easy for their
followers to know who was “spiritual” and who was not. But they were leading the
people into slavery and defeat, not into freedom and victory – and some of the
people did not know the difference!

In the last two chapters of this great letter on the Gospel of Grace, Paul points out
the greatest tragedy of legalism – it gives opportunity for the old nature to work. The
old nature cannot be controlled by Law. But, thank God, the believer is set free from
the curse of the Law and the control of the Law.
 “Get rid of the slave woman and her son” (4:30) is the command to each one of us.
It may pain us greatly, as it did Abraham, but it must be done. To try to mix Law and
grace is to try to do the impossible. It makes for a frustrated, barren life for the
believer. But to live by grace through faith gives us a free and fulfilling life as a
believer.

What is the secret? The HOLY SPIRIT. Now in the closing two chapters, which are
very practical, Paul shares more about the Holy Spirit and His work in our hearts.
Now we shall begin to speak about the practical applications of the Gospel of Grace.

III. Applying the Gospel of Grace (5:1 – 6: 18)

A. Position of Freedom: Stand Firm (5: 1 –12 )

In these first twelve verses of chapter five Paul is telling the Galatian believers to
stand firm in the freedom that the Messiah has given them. They must stand firm and
hold tightly to this wonderful freedom in Jesus and not be burdened again by the
yoke of slavery. These powerful words of verse 1 ring throughout the entire letter.

The Judaizers were afraid of the doctrine of grace that Paul was teaching. “It is
dangerous!” they thought. “It replaces the Law with license. Why, if we do away with
our rules and abandon our high standards, the churches will fall apart.” This was
indeed the thinking of the Judaizers.

These first-century people were not the only ones afraid to depend on God’s grace.
Legalists in our churches today warn that we dare not teach people about the
freedom that we have in Jesus or else it will lead to “religious chaos.” These people
misunderstood Paul’s teaching about grace, and it was to correct such a
misunderstanding that Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians and especially these
last two chapters (Gal. 5-6).

Paul turns now to application, from the doctrinal to the practical. The believer who
lives by faith is not going to become a rebel. Quite the contrary, he is going to
experience the inner discipline of God that is far better than the outer discipline of
man-made rules. No man could become a rebel who depends on God’s grace, yields
to God’s Spirit, lives for others and seeks to glorify God. The legalistic person
however is the one who eventually rebels, because he is living in slavery and
depending on the old nature. He is living for himself and seeking the praise of men
and not the glory of God.

Paul’s doctrine of freedom in the Messiah (through the grace of God) is not the
dangerous doctrine. It is legalism that is the dangerous doctrine, because legalism
attempts to do the impossible. Legalism attempts to change the old nature and make
it obey the Laws of God. Legalism succeeds for a short time, and then the old nature
begins to rebel. The believer who depends on the power of the Spirit is not denying
the Law of God, or rebelling against it. Rather, that Law is being fulfilled in him
through the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4). It is easy to see the sequence of thought in these
closing chapters:

• I am set free by Jesus. I am no longer in slavery to the Law (Gal. 5:1-12).

• But I need something—“Someone”—to control my life from within. That
“Someone” is the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:13-26).
• Through the Spirit’s love, I now have a desire to live for others, not only for myself
(Gal. 6:1-10).
• This life of freedom is so wonderful, I want to live it to the glory of God. He is the
One making it possible (Gal. 6:11-18).

Now, contrast this with the experience of the person who chooses to live under Law.
He chooses to live under the discipline of some “religious leader.” For example, he
may say:

• If I obey these rules, I will become a more spiritual person. I am a great

admirer of this religious leader, so I now submit myself to his system.
• I believe I have the strength to obey and improve myself. I do what I am told,
and measure up to the standards set for me.
• I’m making progress. I don’t do some of the things I used to do. Other people
compliment me on my obedience and discipline. I can see that I am better
than others in my fellowship. How wonderful to be so spiritual!
• If only others were like me! God is certainly fortunate that I am His. I have a
desire to share this with others so they can be as I am. Our group is growing
and we have a fine reputation. Too bad other groups are not as spiritual as
we are!

No matter how you look at it, legalism is a dangerous enemy. When you abandon
grace for law, you always lose. In this first section (Gal. 5:1-12), Paul explains what
the believer loses when he turns from God’s grace to man-made rules and
regulations. He loses basically these three things:

• His freedom (verse1)

• His spiritual wealth in the Messiah (verses 2 – 6 )
• His spiritual direction (verses 7 – 12)

Let’s look at each of these three losses individually. First, Paul talks about our loss
of freedom.

Already Paul has used two comparisons to show his readers what the Law is like:
1) a schoolmaster or guardian or trainer or a coach (Gal. 3:24 and 4:2)
2) a slave woman (Gal. 4:22 - 31)
Now he compares the Law to a yoke of slavery. You will recall that Peter used this
same image at the famous Conference in Jerusalem (see Acts 15:10). The image of
the yoke is not difficult to understand. It usually represents slavery or control by
someone else over your life. It may also represent willing service and submission to
someone else. When God delivered Israel from Egyptian servitude, it was the
breaking of a yoke (Leviticus 26:13). The farmer uses the yoke to control and guide
his oxen, because they would not willingly serve if they were free.

When the believers in Galatia trusted the Messiah, they lost the yoke of slavery to
sin and put on the yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). The yoke of religion is hard
and the burdens heavy but the yoke of Jesus is “easy” and His burden is “light.” That
word “easy” in the Greek means “kind, gracious.” The yoke of Jesus frees us to fulfill
His will but the yoke of the Law enslaves us. The unsaved person wears a yoke of
sin (Lamentations 1:14) and the legalistic person wears a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1).
But the believer who depends on God’s grace wears the liberating yoke of Jesus.

It is Jesus who has made us free from the slavery to the Law. He freed us from the
curse of the Law by dying for us on the tree (Gal. 3:13). The believer is no longer
under Law but he is under grace (Romans 6:14). This does not mean that we are
outlaws and rebels. It simply means that we no longer need the “external” pressure
of the Law to keep us in God’s will because we have the “internal” leading of the
Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:1-4). Jesus died to set us free, NOT to make us
slaves. To go back to Law is to become entangled again in a lot of “do’s and don’ts”
and to abandon spiritual adulthood for a “second childhood.”

There are many people who are very insecure with freedom. They would rather be
under the rule of some leader than to make their own decisions freely. There are
some believers who are frightened by the freedom they have in God’s grace. As a
result of this fear, they seek out a fellowship that is legalistic and dictatorial. In this
way they can let others make their decisions for them.

This is comparable to an adult climbing back into the baby bed. However, the way of
freedom is the way of fulfillment in the Messiah. No wonder Paul issues that
ultimatum: “Do not let yourselves be burdened again by a [Or, “Do not dress yourself
again in the..”] yoke of slavery.” Therefore, stand for freedom!

Second, Paul talks about our loss of spiritual wealth in the Messiah.

This loss of spiritual wealth is Paul’s theme in verses 2 – 6. As we have just seen,
Paul admonishes us to stand firm in our freedom in Jesus. If we step back into
legalism, we risk getting into slavery to the Law again. How well the Jews of Paul’s
day knew what slavery to the law meant (Acts 15:10). Now, these false teachers
were saying that one must be circumcised in order to be saved (see verses 2 and 3).

Circumcision was the seal of the old covenant. So Paul was warning the Galatians
that to turn back to the old covenant would rob them of the blessings that the
Messiah had purchased for them. Jesus cannot “profit” the sinner who rejects grace
and trusts law. Jesus cannot “profit” the saint who seeks to live by law instead of
grace. Thus, if we turn back to the Law, we really lose our spiritual wealth in Jesus.

This passage actually is speaking of more than circumcision. “Circumcision” in

verses 2 and 3 really stands for the entire Mosaic law. People who put themselves
under the Law become debtors to the whole system. But Paul says that whether or
not you are circumcised, it makes no difference to the Lord. What really matters is
your FAITH working through LOVE! Paul later made a similar statement to the
Corinthian believers when he said:
“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is
what counts.”(1 Corinthians 7: 19) [For more concerning “Circumcision” please see
Appendix D.]
“Fallen away from grace” [Or, “You have quit the way of God’s grace] (verse 4) does
not mean “fallen away from salvation.” Paul is not writing to people who have “lost
their salvation.” [This is not possible. Once we are born again, we never are lost
again.] Paul is writing to saints who have moved out of the sphere of grace into the
burdensome sphere of law. Watchman Nee (Chinese believer of the early to mid
1900’s) says, “Law means I must do something for God, but grace means that God
does something for me.”
How wonderful it is for the believer to enjoy the freedom of grace! This means
moving out of the slavery described in Romans 7 into the glorious freedom described
in Romans 8! Paul describes the true walk of the believer in verses 5 and 6. In
summary, these verses tell us that:
• Our faith works through the Spirit
• We receive the righteousness for which we hope by faith
• To be either circumcised or uncircumcised has no particular value
• The true thing of value is faith expressing itself through love

Thus the true value, the true wealth, comes through faith in God and His grace. By
turning back to the Law, we lose all of our spiritual wealth. But the believer who lives
by grace will profit much!

Third, Paul talks about our loss of spiritual direction.

This loss of spiritual direction is Paul’s theme in verses 7 – 12.

Paul was fond of athletic illustrations and used them often in his letters. His readers
were familiar with the Olympic games as well as other Greek athletic contests that
always included foot races. It is important to note that Paul never uses the image of
the race to tell people how to be saved. He is always talking to believers about “how
to live the believers life.” A contestant in the Greek games had to be a citizen before
he could compete. We become citizens of heaven through faith in Jesus. Then the
Lord puts us on our course and we run to win the prize (see Philippians 3:12-21). We
do not run to be saved. We run simply because we are already saved and want to
fulfill God’s will in our lives (Acts 20:24). The Galatians had run well up to that point.
Now they were being hindered in their walk as believers.

“You were running a good race” (verse 7). When Paul first came to them, they
received him as “an angel of God” (Gal. 4:14). They accepted the Word, trusted the
Lord Jesus and received the Holy Spirit. They had a deep joy that was evident to all.
They were willing to make any sacrifice to help Paul (Gal. 4:15). But now, Paul
seemed to be their enemy. What had happened?

A literal translation of Galatians 5:7 gives us the answer:

“You were running well. Who cut in on you [Or, “Who put the barrier in your way?”]
so that you stopped obeying the truth?” In the races, each runner was to stay in his
assigned lane, but some runners would “cut in” on their competitors to try to get them
off course. This is just what the Judaizers had done to the Galatian believers. They
“cut in on them” and forced them to change direction and go on a “spiritual detour.”
Or, saying it in a different way, they “put barriers in their way.” It was not God who
did this. He had called them to run faithfully in His grace and obey His truth.

Then, beginning with verse 9, Paul changes the figure of speech from athletics to
cooking. In verse 9 he introduces the idea of yeast (leaven). [See footnote to verse 9
in the Kazakh Bible] In the Old Testament, yeast is generally pictured as a symbol of
evil. During Passover, for example, no yeast was allowed in the house (Exodus
12:15-19 and 13:7). Worshipers were not permitted to mingle yeast with their
sacrifices (Exodus 34:25), although there were some exceptions to this rule. Jesus
used yeast as a picture of sin when He warned against the “yeast of the Pharisees”
(Matthew 16:6-12). Paul also used yeast as a symbol of sin in the church at Corinth
(1 Corinthians 5).

Therefore, we might ask the very simple question - How did all of these false and
legalistic teachings get into the Galatian churches? The answer may be - Just the
way yeast gets into good flour! The false doctrine was planted as a little bit of yeast
in the church, but then it grew and infected the whole body. The Galatians had run
well up to that point but now they were being hindered in their walk as believers. The
yeast was growing in the church! Yeast is small, but if left alone it grows and
permeates the whole batch. The false doctrine of the Judaizers was introduced to
the Galatian churches in a small way, but, before long, the sin grew (just like the
yeast) and eventually took over.

The spirit of legalism does not suddenly overpower a church. Like yeast, it is
introduced secretly, it grows, and before long poisons the whole assembly. In most
cases, the motives that encourage legalism are good (For instance - “We want to
have a more spiritual church”), but the methods are not scriptural.

It is not wrong to have standards in a church, but we should never think that the
standards will make anybody spiritual, or that the keeping of the standards is an
evidence of spirituality. How easy it is for the yeast to grow. Before long, we become
proud (“puffed up”) of our spirituality. “You are proud” is the way Paul states it in 1
Corinthians 5:2. That is exactly what yeast does: it “puffs up.” And then we become
critical of everyone else’s lack of spirituality. This, of course, only feeds the old
nature and grieves the Spirit, but we think we are glorifying God.

Every believer has the responsibility to watch for the beginnings of legalism - that
first bit of yeast that infects the fellowship and eventually grows into a serious
problem. No wonder Paul is so earnest as he denounces the false teachers. He
basically says in verses 11 and 12:

“I am suffering persecution because I preach the Cross, but these false teachers are
popular celebrities because they preach a religion that pampers the old nature and
feeds the ego. Do they want to circumcise you? I wish that they themselves were cut
off!”
Paul then points to himself and reminds them of how he had suffered to preach the
Gospel. His enemies were probably lying about him and saying that he actually did
preach “circumcision” (that is, obedience to the entire Old Testament law). But, Paul
argues, if that were true, the Jews would never have persecuted me!

Since the death and resurrection of the Messiah, there is no spiritual value to
circumcision. It is only a physical operation. Paul wished that the false teachers
would operate on themselves —“castrate themselves”—so that they could not
produce any more “children of slavery.”

The believer who lives in the sphere of God’s grace is free, rich, and running in the
lane that leads to reward, victory and fulfillment. The believer who abandons grace
for Law is a slave, a poor man and a runner on a detour. In short, he loses very
much. And the only way to become a winner is to “purge out the yeast,” the false
doctrine that mixes Law and grace, and then yield to the Spirit of God.

God’s grace is sufficient for every demand of life. For instance, consider these
things:
• We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10)
• We serve by grace (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)
• Grace enables us to endure suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9)
• Grace strengthens us so that we can be victorious soldiers (2 Timothy 2:1)
• God is the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10)
• We can come to the throne of grace and find grace to help in every need
(Hebrews 4:16)
• The Bible is “the Word of His grace” (Acts 20:32)
• The Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29) reveals to us how rich we are in Jesus
• “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another”
(John 1:16)
Note: “The offense of the cross” [Or, “The offense of the Messiah’s sacrifice on the
cross”] in verse 11 means the stumbling block of the cross to the Jews (see also 1
Corinthians 1:23-25).
As Paul closes this section (verses 1 – 12) about standing firm in our position of
freedom, he then continues in verses 13 – 15 by speaking of our practice of freedom
– we are to love one another.

B. Practice of Freedom: Love One Another (5: 13 – 15)

A Bible scholar once said that man needs one great freedom – He needs to be free
from himself and the tyranny of his sinful nature. The legalistic teachers in Galatia
thought they had the answer to the problem through their laws and threats, but Paul
explained that no amount of legislation can change man’s basic sinful nature. It is not
law on the outside, but rather love on the inside that makes the difference. We need
another power within, and that power comes from the Holy Spirit of God.

There are many references to the Holy Spirit in Galatians. When we believe on the
Messiah, the Spirit comes to live within us (Gal. 3:2). We are “born by the power of
the Spirit” as was Isaac (Gal. 4:29). It is the Holy Spirit in the heart who gives
assurance of salvation (Gal. 4:6). It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live for the
Lord Jesus and glorify Him. The Holy Spirit is not simply a “divine influence.” He is a
divine Person, just as are the Father and the Son. What God the Father planned for
you, and God the Son purchased for you on the cross, God the Spirit personally
applies to your life as you yield to Him.

Now, beginning with 5:13, Paul begins to explain the ministries of the Holy Spirit that
enable the believer to enjoy his freedom in the Messiah. First, Paul teaches us that
the Spirit enables us to fulfill the law of love (Gal. 5:13-15).

We have tendencies to go to extremes. For instance, one believer interprets

“freedom” as “license” and thinks he can do whatever he wants to do. Another
believer, seeing this error, goes to an opposite extreme and imposes Law on
everybody. Somewhere between “license” on the one hand and “legalism” on the
other hand is true freedom in Jesus.

So, Paul begins by explaining our calling: we are called to freedom (verse 13). The
believer is a free man. He is free from the guilt of sin because he has experienced
God’s forgiveness. He is free from the penalty of sin because the Messiah died for
him on the cross. And he is, through the Spirit, free from the power of sin in his daily
life. He is also free from the Law with its demands and threats. Jesus bore the curse
of the Law and ended its tyranny once and for all. We are “called to freedom”
because we are “called by the grace of the Messiah” (Gal. 1:6). Grace and freedom
go together.
Having explained our calling, Paul then cautions us. He says; “Do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” This, of course, is the fear of all people who do
not understand the true meaning of the grace of God. “If you do away with rules and
regulations,” they say, “you will create chaos and anarchy.”

Of course, that danger is real. It is real, not because God’s grace fails, but because
men fail of the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15). If there is a “true grace of God” (1
Peter 5:12), then there is also a false grace of God. And there are false teachers
who “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 4). So, Paul’s
caution is valid. Our freedom as believers is not a license to sin but rather an
opportunity to serve. This leads to a commandment: “Serve one another in love”
(Gal. 5:13). The key word, of course, is love.

If we were mathematicians, the formula would look something like this:

freedom + love = service to others
freedom - love = license (slavery to sin)
The amazing thing about love is that it takes the place of all the laws God ever gave.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” solves every problem in human relations (see
Romans.13:8-14). If you love people (because you love Jesus), you will not steal
from them, lie about them, envy them, or try in any way to hurt them. Love in the
heart is God’s substitute for laws and threats.

Children know they will be spanked if they disobey. But as they grew older, they
discover that obedience brings rewards. They learn to obey not only to escape pain
but to gain pleasure. They do not have to be threatened or bribed. They develop a
built-in discipline of love that regulates their lives, and they would not deliberately
hurt themselves, their parents, or other people. Love replaces law.

On a much higher level, the Holy Spirit Who is within us gives us the love that we
need (Romans 5:5, Gal. 5:6 and 5:22). Apparently the Galatian believers were
lacking in this kind of love because they were “biting and devouring each other” [Or,
“eating and destroying each other”] (verse 15). They were in danger of destroying
one another! The picture here is of wild animals attacking each other. This in itself is
proof that law cannot force people to get along with each other.

No matter how many rules or standards a church may adopt, they are no guarantee
of spirituality. Unless the Holy Spirit of God is permitted to fill hearts with His love,
there will be selfishness and competition. Both extremes in the Galatian churches —
the “legalists” and the “libertines”—were actually destroying the fellowship.

As the Holy Spirit works, He uses many different tools such as the Word of God,
prayer, worship and the fellowship of believers in order to build us up in Jesus. The
believer who spends time daily in the Word and prayer, and who yields to the Spirit’s
working, is going to enjoy freedom and will help build up the church. [Read 2
Corinthians 3 for Paul’s explanation of the difference between a spiritual ministry of
grace and a carnal ministry of Law.]
Finally, as we have said, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to fulfill the law of love.
Now Paul begins to explain the power that we believers have – the power for
freedom. The power to “walk” in the Spirit.

C. Power for Freedom: Walk in the Spirit [Live by the Leading of the Spirit]
(5:16 – 26)

1. Conflict Between the Spirit and the Old Nature (5: 16 – 18)

Paul’s basic thought in these three verses is that the Spirit helps us or enables us to
overcome the old nature. Just as Isaac and Ishmael were unable to get along, so the
Spirit and the old nature are at war with each other. The human body itself is not
sinful. If the Holy Spirit controls the body, then we walk in the Spirit. However, if the
old nature controls the body, then we walk in the lusts (desires) of the old nature.
The Spirit and the old nature have different appetites, and this is what creates the
conflict.

Note that the believer cannot simply overcome the old nature by the strength of his
will. Our old nature is always looking for something unclean on which to feed. Our
new nature is always yearning for that which is clean and holy. No wonder a struggle
goes on within the life of the believer! It is this very problem that Paul discusses in
Romans. There, the Bible says:
“I do not know what I am doing. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I
do. . . . For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—
this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15 and 19).

Paul is not denying that there is victory. He is simply pointing out that we cannot win
this victory in our own strength and by our own will. The solution is not to pit our will
against the old nature, but to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit.

This 18th verse literally means, “But if you are willingly led by the Spirit, then you are
not under the Law.” The Holy Spirit writes God’s Law on our hearts (Hebrews 10:14-
17 and 2 Corinthians 3:3) so that we desire to obey Him in love. “I desire to do Your
will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). Being “‘led of the Spirit” is
the opposite of yielding to the desires of the old nature.

2. Works of the Old Nature (5: 19 – 21)

Paul now lists some of the ugly “works of the old nature” [Or, “signs of the actions
born from the sinful nature”] (You will find similar lists in Mark 7:20-23, Romans 1:29-
32, 1 Timothy 1:9-10 and 2 Timothy 3:2-5.) The old nature is able to manufacture sin
but it can never produce the righteousness of God. The prophet Jeremiah clearly
wrote to this problem:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9)

Let us now look at some brief definitions of these sins listed in verses 19 – 21.

• Sexual immorality, which includes two categories of sin:

Adultery - illicit sex between married people
Fornication - generally refers to the same sin among unmarried people
• Uncleanness means just that - a filthiness of heart and mind that makes the
person defiled. The unclean person sees “dirt” in everything (see Titus 1:15).
• Lasciviousness – debauchery; speaks of a sexual appetite that knows no shame.
These sins were rampant in the Roman Empire.
• Drunkenness and orgies - need no explanation.
• Idolatry - putting things ahead of God and people. We are to worship God, love
people, and use things, but too often we use people, love self, and worship
things, leaving God out of the picture completely. Jesus tells us that whatever we
worship, we serve (Matthew 4:10). The believer who devotes more of himself to
his car, house, or the food he eats than he does to serving Jesus may be in
danger of idolatry (Colossians 3:5)

• The word “witchcraft” is from the Greek word “pharmakeia,” which means “the
use of drugs.” Magicians in Paul’s day often used drugs to bring about their evil
effects. Of course, sorcery is forbidden in the Bible as are all activities of the
occult (Deuteronomy 18:9-22).
• Hatred – malice; the attitude of mind that defies and challenges others
• Variance - strife, the outworking of enmity
• Emulations - means jealousies or rivalries.
• Wrath - means outbursts of anger
• Strife – this is the idea of “self-seeking, selfish ambition,” that creates divisions in
the church.
• Seditions – causing divisions
• Heresies – causing factions or cliques. These are the result of church leaders
promoting themselves and insisting that the people follow them, not the Lord.
(The word “heresy” in the Greek means “to make a choice.”).
• Envyings - suggests the carrying of grudges, the deep desire for what another
has (see Proverbs 14:30).
• Murders - need no explanation

The person who practices these sins shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul is not
talking about an act of sin, but a habit of sin. There is a false assurance of salvation
that is not based on the Word of God. The fact that the believer is not under Law, but
under grace, is no excuse for sin (Romans 6:15). If anything, it is an encouragement
to live in obedience to the Lord.
But how does the believer handle the old nature when it is capable of producing such
horrible sins? The Law cannot change or control the old (sinful) nature. But you will
notice that Paul makes a rather astounding statement in verse 24 when he says that,
if we belong to the Messiah, then….

We have crucified the sinful nature! Paul explained in Romans 6 that the believer
is identified with the Messiah in His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus not only
died for me, but I died with Jesus. Jesus died for me to remove the penalty of my
sin, but I died with Him to break the power of sin.

Paul has mentioned this already in Galatians (see 2:19-20), and he will mention it
again (6:14). He does not tell us to crucify ourselves, because this is impossible.
(Crucifixion is one death a man cannot inflict on himself.) He tells us that the old
nature has already been crucified. It is our responsibility to believe this and act upon
that fact. (Paul calls this “reckoning” or “counting, making an account of” in Romans
6. The same truth is presented in Colossians 3:5).
Now, let’s write some Biblical truths concerning the sinful nature:
• You and I are not debtors to the sinful nature, but to the Spirit (Romans 8:12-14).
We must accept what God says about the old nature and not try to make it
something that it is not.
• We must “not think about how to gratify [satisfy] the desires of the sinful nature”
(Romans 13:14) by feeding it the things that it enjoys.
• In the sinful nature lives no good thing (Romans 7:18).
• We should put no confidence in it (Philippians 3:3). The sinful nature is not
subject to God’s Law (Romans 8:7).
• The sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
• Only through the Holy Spirit can we “put to death” the deeds that the sinful nature
would do through our body (Romans 8:13). The Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of
life (Romans 8:2 and Gal. 5:25), He is the One who helps us to reckon ourselves
“dead to sin.”

So far, we have discussed the fact that the Spirit of God enables us to fulfill the Law.
He also enables us to overcome the old nature. He has a third ministry as well,
which is as follows:

The Holy Spirit enables us to produce fruit (Gal. 5:22-23 and 25-26).

It is one thing to overcome the old nature and not do evil things, but it is quite
different to do good things. The legalist might be able to boast that he is not guilty of
adultery or murder (Matthew 5:21-32), but can anyone see the beautiful graces of
the Spirit of Jesus in his life? In our walk with the Lord there must be positive
qualities as well. We must produce “fruit” that glorifies God and blesses people.
 3. Fruit of the Spirit (5: 22 – 26)

First, note that the contrast between “works” and “fruit” is important. A machine in a
factory “works,” and turns out a product, but it could never manufacture fruit. Fruit
must grow out of life, and, in the case of the believer, it is the life of the Spirit (Gal.
5:25). When you think of “works” you think of effort and labor. But when you think of
“fruit” you think of beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life. The sinful nature produces
“acts that lead to death” (Hebrews 9:14), but the Spirit produces living fruit.

And this fruit has in it the seed for still more fruit (Genesis 1:11). Love begets more
love! Joy helps to produce more joy! Jesus is concerned that we produce “fruit . . .
more fruit . . . much fruit” (John 15:2, 5). This is the way we glorify Him. The sinful
nature cannot produce fruit. Only the new nature can do that.

The New Testament speaks of several different kinds of “fruit.” These are as follows:
• People won to the Lord (Romans 1:13)
• Holy living (Romans 6:22)
• Gifts brought to God (Romans 15:26-28)
• Good works (Colossians 1:10)
• Praise (Hebrews 13:15)
The “fruit of the Spirit” listed here in Galatians 5: 22 – 23 concerns the “character” of
the believer. It is important that we distinguish between the gift of the Spirit, which is
salvation (Acts 2:38 and 11:17), [and the various gifts of the Spirit, which have to do
with service], from the “fruit of the Spirit.” These fruits relate to our character as a
believer. Building a solid character as believers must take precedence over
displaying special abilities.

The specific kind of character that God wants in our lives is seen in the nine fruits of
the Spirit. Paul begins with love because all of the other fruit is really an outgrowth of
love. Compare these eight qualities with the characteristics of love given to the
Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). The Greek word for love is agape, which
means divine love. (The Greek word eros, meaning “sensual love,” is never used in
the New Testament.) This divine love is God’s gift to us (Romans 5:5), and we must
cultivate it and pray that it will increase (Philippians 1:9).

When a person lives in the sphere of love, then he experiences joy—that inward
peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. Love and joy
together produce peace, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding”
[“exceeds all human wisdom”] (Philippians 4:7). These first three qualities express
the Godward aspect of the believer’s life.

The next three express the manward aspect of the believer’s life. The next (# 4) is
patience. This is courageous endurance without quitting. The next (# 5) is kindness
which really needs no further explanation. The next fruit listed by Paul (# 6) is
goodness. Someone has described goodness as being love in action. For an
interesting Scripture concerning goodness, please refer to Acts 10:38. The believer
who is patient will not avenge himself or wish difficulties on those who oppose him.
He will be kind and good, even with the most offensive people, and he will sow
kindness and goodness although others may sow evil. Human nature can never act
this way. Only the Holy Spirit can.

The final three qualities are selfward. The next fruit (# 7) mentioned by Paul is
faithfulness. This is when the believer is dependable and can be trusted. Then
comes gentleness (# 8) which is really a sign of strength, not weakness as the world
teaches. Moses (Numbers 12:3) and Jesus (Matthew 11: 29) are the highest Biblical
examples of this fruit. Gentleness is power/strength under control. The gentle
believer does not try to use his authority toward others for his own satisfaction. Just
as wisdom is the correct use of knowledge, so gentleness is the correct use of
authority and power. The last fruit listed (# 9) is self-control. Paul preached to Felix
and Drusilla about this particular fruit (Acts 24:25).

It may be possible for the sinful nature to mimic or try to “counterfeit” some of the
fruit of the Spirit, but it can never truly produce the fruit of the Spirit. One major
difference is this: when the Spirit produces fruit, God gets the glory and the believer
is not conscious of his “spirituality.” However, when the sinful nature is at work, the
person is very proud of himself and is extremely pleased when others give him
compliments. The work of the Spirit makes us more like Jesus for His glory, not for
the praise of men.
The cultivation of the fruit is also important. Paul warns that there must be a right
atmosphere before the fruit will grow (Gal. 5:25-26). Fruit cannot grow in every
climate. Fruit grows in a climate blessed with an abundance of the Spirit and the
Word. “Live by [the leadership of] the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) means “keep in step with the
Spirit,” not running ahead or lagging behind. This involves the Word, prayer, worship,
praise, and fellowship with God’s people. It also means “pulling out the weeds” so
that the seed of the Word can take root and bear fruit. The Judaizers were anxious
for praise and glory for themselves. This led to competition and division. Fruit can
never grow in that kind of an atmosphere.

We must remember that this fruit is produced to be eaten, not simply to be admired
and put on display. People around us are starving for love, joy, peace and all the
other fruit of the Spirit. When they find them in our lives, they know that we have
something they lack. We do not bear fruit for our own consumption. Instead, we bear
fruit that others might be fed and helped, and that the Messiah might be glorified.
The sinful nature may manufacture “results” that bring praise to us, but it cannot bear
fruit that brings glory to God. It takes patience, an atmosphere of the Spirit, walking
in the light, the seed of the Word of God and a sincere desire to honor Jesus.

In summary, the secret for bearing fruit is the Holy Spirit. He alone can give us that
grace that will enable us to fulfill the law of love, to overcome the sinful nature, and
to bear fruit. Will you yield to Him and let Him work? Now, let us proceed to the sixth
and final chapter in this letter we call “The Gospel of Grace.”
D. Performance in Freedom: Do Good to All (6:1 – 10)

1. Bear One Another’s Burdens (6: 1 – 5)

“One another” is one of the key phrases in the believer’s vocabulary. “Love one
another” is found at least a dozen times in the New Testament, along with “pray for
each other” (James 5:16), “build each other up ” and “encourage one another”(1
Thessalonians 5:11), honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10), “offer
hospitality to one another” (1 Peter 4:9), and many other similar commands.

In this section that we shall now study, Paul adds another phrase: “Carry each
other’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). The believer who is led by the Spirit thinks of other
people and how he can minister to them. In this section, Paul describes two
important ministries that we ought to share with one another.

• Bearing One Another’s Burdens

The legalist is not interested in bearing burdens. Instead, he adds to the burdens of
others (Acts 15:10). This was one of the sins of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day:

“They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are
not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:4). The legalistic person is
always harder on other people than he is on himself, but the believer led by the Spirit
demands more of himself than he does of others so that he might be able to help
others.

Paul presents a hypothetical case of a believer who is suddenly tripped up and falls
into sin. The word translated “caught” or “to do sin” has the idea of being surprised,
so it is not a case of deliberate disobedience. Why does Paul use this illustration?
Because nothing shows up the evil of legalism better than the way the legalistic
people treat those who have sinned. Call to mind the Pharisees who dragged a
woman taken in adultery before Jesus (John 8). Or call to mind that Jewish mob that
killed Paul because they “thought” he had defiled the temple by bringing in almost
Gentiles (Acts 21:27- 36).

Legalists do not need facts and proof – usually they need only suspicions and
rumors. Their self-righteous imaginations will do the rest. So, in these first five verses
of chapter 6, Paul is really contrasting the way the legalist would deal with the sinful
brother, and the way the spiritual man would deal with him. Let’s look at two
contrasting ways that the apostle Paul mentions:

First, the spiritual man would seek to “restore” [“strive to get him again on the correct
way”] the brother gently and in love, while the legalist would exploit the brother. The
word “restore” means “to mend, as a net, or to restore a broken bone.” The believer
who has sinned is like a broken bone in the body, and he needs to be restored. The
believer who is led by the Spirit and living in the freedom of grace will seek to help
the brother, for “the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22). “Serve one another in love”
(Gal. 5:13). When Jesus sought to be a physician to the sinful, He was severely
criticized by the Pharisees (Mark 2:13-17). So too, the spiritual believer today will be
criticized by the legalists.

Instead of trying to restore the brother who has sinned, the legalist will condemn him
and then try to make himself look good. This is what the Pharisee did in the Parable
of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14). “Love covers over a multitude of
sins” (1 Peter 4:8). The legalist rejoices when a brother falls, and often gives the
matter wide publicity, because then he can boast about his own goodness and how
much better his group is than the group to which the fallen brother belongs.

This is why Paul urges us, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying
each other.” (Gal. 5:26). The word “provoke” means “to make angry, or to challenge
to a contest, to compete with.” But the believer who lives by the Spirit is not trying to
compete with other believers or challenging them to become “as good as he is,” or
make others angry. However, the legalistic person loves competition and
comparison, and tries to make himself look good by making the other person look
bad.

Also, the spiritual man approaches the matter with a different attitude than the
legalist. He behaves in a spirit of gentleness and love, while the legalist has an
attitude of pride and condemnation. The legalist does not need to “consider himself”
because he pretends he could never commit such a sin. But the believer living by
grace realizes that no man is immune from falling.
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians
10:12)! The spiritual man has an attitude of humility because he realizes his own
weaknesses.

But there is a second contrast. The believer led by the Spirit of Jesus knows the
love of the Messiah in his own heart. “The law of the Messiah” is very simply to “Love
one another” (John 13:34 and 15:12). Paul has already discussed the “law of love”
(Gal. 5:13-15), and now he is applying it. How much we appreciate it when the
doctor uses tenderness as he sets a broken bone. And how much more should we
use “tender loving care” when we seek to restore a broken life.

It takes a great deal of love and courage for us to approach a brother who has
sinned and seek to help him. Jesus compares this to eye surgery (Matthew 7:1-5)—
and how many of us feel qualified for that?

Paul may be thinking about our Lord’s instructions on the steps for reconciliation
(Matthew 18:15-35) when your brother has sinned against you. These steps are
outlined by the Lord as follows:
• If your brother sins against you, go talk to him privately, not for the purpose of
winning an argument, but for the purpose of “finding your brother again”. (The
phrase “Won over” or “Find again” in Matthew 18:15 is the same word used in 1
Corinthians 9:19-22 to refer to winning the lost to Jesus.)
• If he hears you, then the matter is settled.
• If he will not agree, then ask one or two spiritual people to go with you.
• If he will still not settle the matter, then the whole church must be informed and
take steps of discipline.
• Jesus goes on to point out that the church must practice prayer (Matt. 18:19-20)
and forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-35), or discipline will not be effective.

The legalist, of course, has no time for this kind of spiritual work. When he hears that
his brother has sinned, instead of going to the brother, he shares the sad news with
others (“so you can pray more intelligently about it”) and then condemns the brother
for not being more spiritual.

Remember, the legalist makes himself look better by making his brother look worse.
Thus Paul gives his warnings here (Gal. 6:3-4). The Judaizers were guilty of
boasting about themselves, their achievements, and their converts (Gal. 6:12-14).
They usually did this by comparing themselves with others (see 2 Corinthians 10:11).
But such comparisons are sinful and deceptive. It is easy to find somebody worse off
than we are, so that our comparison makes us look better than we really are. Love
would lead us not to expose a brother’s failures or weaknesses, no matter how much
better it would make us look.

A man should “test his own actions” (Gal. 6:4) in the light of God’s will and not in the
shadows of somebody else’s achievements. Paul writes that:

“Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without
comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load” (Gal.
6:4-5).

Again we say that we must be careful that we are not making others look bad just to
make ourselves look good. And we should be able to rejoice in the achievements
and blessings of others just as if they were our own (Romans 12:10). After all, if one
member of the body is blessed, it blesses the whole body.

There is no contradiction between Galatians 6:2 (“Carry each other’s burdens”) and
Gal. 6:5, (“for each one should carry his own load”). Here, two different Greek words
for “burden” and “load” are used. In Galatians 6:2, it is a word meaning “a heavy
burden,” [or, “luggage/baggage”] while in Galatians 6:5 it describes “a soldier’s pack”
or some “lighter obligations.” Thus, we should help each other bear the heavy
burdens of life, but there are some personal responsibilities and obligations that each
man must bear for himself. “Each soldier must bear his own pack.” For instance, my
neighbor can help do some maintenance work in my children’s bedroom at my
apartment, but he cannot assume the responsibilities that only belong to me as my
children’s father. That is the difference. It is wrong for me to expect somebody else
to be the father in our family. That is a burden [or, “luggage”] that I alone can bear.
And of course joyfully bear!
Now Paul encourages the Galatian believers not to become weary, but to keep on
doing well.

2. Do Not Be Weary While Doing Good (6: 6 –10)

Just as “one another” is a key phrase for the believer, so is the word “fellowship”
(translated “share” in Gal. 6:6). From the very beginning of the church, sharing was
one of the marks of their experience (Acts 2:41-47). The Greek word is “koinonia.” It
simply means “to have in common,” and refers to our common fellowship in Jesus
(Gal. 2:9), our common salvation (Jude 3), and even our sharing in the sufferings of
Jesus (Phil. 3:10). But often in the New Testament, “koinonia” refers to the sharing of
material blessings with one another (Acts 2:42, 2 Corinthians 8:4 and Hebrews
13:16). It is this that Paul has in mind in these verses.

He begins with a principle in verse 6, urging us to share with one another. The
teacher of the Word shares spiritual treasures and those who are taught ought to
share material treasures. We must remember that what we do with material things is
an evidence of how we value spiritual things. “For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Because the Apostle Paul did not want money to become a stumbling block to the
unsaved, he earned his own living (see 1 Corinthians 9). But he often taught that the
spiritual leader in the church was to be supported by the gifts of the people.

Jesus said, “The worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7), and Paul echoes this
statement (1 Corinthians 9:11 and 14).
But we must realize the spiritual principle that lies behind all of this. God does not
command believers to give simply that pastors and teachers and missionaries
(Philippians 4:10-19) might have their material needs met, but that the givers might
get a greater blessing (Gal. 6:7-8). The basic principle of sowing and reaping is
found throughout the entire Bible. God has ordained that we reap what we sow. For
instance, the farmer who sows wheat can expect to reap wheat.

But God has also told us to be careful where we sow, and it is this principle that Paul
deals with here. He looks on our material possessions as seed, and he sees two
possible kinds of soil: the old nature and the Spirit. We can use our material goods to
promote the old nature, or to promote the things of the Spirit. But once we have
finished sowing, we cannot change the harvest. What we sow, we shall reap. Let’s
take material possessions, or money, as an example of sowing and reaping.

Money sown to the Spirit (such as sharing with those who teach the Word) will
produce life, and in that harvest there will be seed that can be planted again for
another harvest, and on into eternity. If every believer only looked upon his material
wealth as seed, and planted it properly, there would be no lack in the work of the
Lord. Sad to say, much seed is wasted and can never bring glory to God.
Basically, all that we do is either an investment in the old nature or the Spirit. We
shall reap whatever we sow and we shall reap in proportion to what we have sown.
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will
also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). The believer who walks in the Spirit and
“sows to please the Spirit” is going to reap a spiritual harvest. If his sowing has been
generous, the harvest will be bountiful, if not in this life, certainly in the life to come.

Paul’s enemies, the Judaizers, did not have this spiritual attitude toward giving and
receiving. Paul sacrificed and worked that he might not be a burden to the churches,
but the false teachers used the churches to promote their own schemes and make
money. This is also what happened in the Corinthian church, and Paul had to write
them: “In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or
takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face” (2
Corinthians 11:20).

In verse 9, Paul now gives us a promise - “at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.” Behind this promise is a danger and we must be careful. If we
get weary in the work of the Lord, then eventually we may give up and stop our
ministry.

Sometimes we give up and stop our ministries because of a lack of devotion to the
Lord. How easy it is for us to work for the Lord, but sometimes we permit the spiritual
motivation to die. Like the priests of Israel that Malachi addressed, we serve the Lord
but complain, “What a burden (Malachi 1:13)!

Sometimes we give up because of lack of prayer. Jesus told His disciples that they
“should always pray, and not give up” (Luke 18:1). Prayer is to the spiritual life what
breathing is to the physical life, and if you stop breathing, you will faint. It is also
possible to give up because of lack of nourishment.

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God” (Matthew 4:4). If we try to keep going without proper food and rest, we will
soon stop and give up. Spiritually, we must “wait (hope in) on the Lord” to get the
strength we need for each day (Isaiah 40:28-31).

But the promise Paul gives us says that “at the proper time we will reap a
harvest.” The seed that is planted does not bear fruit immediately. We must give the
seed time to take root and bear fruit. Each day we ought to sow the seed so that one
day we will be able to reap (Psalm 126:5-6). But we must remember that the Lord of
the harvest is in charge, and not the laborers.

Sharing blessings involves much more than teaching the Word and giving of our
material substance. It also involves doing good “unto all men” (Gal. 6:10). Most of
the people in the world return good for good and evil for evil (see Luke 6:32-35 and 1
Thessalonians 5:15). But the believer should return good for evil (Romans 12:18-21)
and to do this in a spirit of godly love. Actually, the believer’s good works are a
spiritual sacrifice that he gives to the Lord (Hebrews 13:16).
When we “do good to all men,” this is how we let our light shine and glorify our
Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). It is not only by words that we witness to the lost,
but also by our works. Often, our works pave the way for our verbal witness. We do
not ask “Does this person deserve my good works?” Did we deserve what God did
for us in Jesus? Nor should we be like the Jewish lawyer who tried to argue, “Who is
my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-37).

As we “do good to all men,” we must give priority to the “family of believers”[Or, “our
faithful brothers”]. This does not mean that the local church should become a club
with the members isolated from the world around them and doing nothing to help the
lost. Rather, it is a matter of balance.

Certainly the believers in Paul’s day would have greater needs than would the
outsiders, since many of the believers suffered for their faith (see Hebrews 10:32-
34). Furthermore, a man always cares for his own family before he cares for the
neighborhood (1 Timothy 5:8). Remember these words to the Thessalonian
believers:

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone
else, just as ours does for you” (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

With that word about sowing, reaping and doing good to all men, Paul now moves to
the last section of his letter, verse 11 – 18.

E. Conclusion (6:11 – 18)

1. Motives of the Circumcised (6:11 – 13)

It was Paul’s custom, after dictating a letter, to write his own farewell. His standard
farewell was, “The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you” (for example,
see 1 Thessalonians 5:28 and 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18). But here in this letter, Paul
takes the pen and writes the entire closing section with his own hand. “Look at the
large letters I write with my own hand!” (verse 11)

Why did Paul write this paragraph, and why did he use such large letters? It seems
that the Holy Spirit inspired him to add these closing words to give one more contrast
between the legalists and believers led by the Spirit, to show that the believer lives
for the glory of God, not the praise of man. And he wrote in large letters for
emphasis:

Some Bible students believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and
Gal. 4:14-15) was some kind of eye trouble. This would mean that he would have to
write in large letters so that he himself would be able to read what he had written.
Whether or not that is true, Paul is making it clear that he has something important to
write in conclusion. If he did have eye trouble, his willingness to write this closing
paragraph with his own hand would certainly appeal to the hearts of the readers.
He has shown them that the believer living under Law and the believer living under
grace are the exact opposite of each other. It is not just a matter of “different
doctrine,” but a matter of two different ways of life. They had to choose between
slavery or freedom (Gal. 5:1-12), the sinful nature or the Spirit (Gal. 5:13-26), and
living for self or living for others (Gal. 6:1-10).

Now Paul presents another contrast: living for the praise of men or the glory of God
(Gal. 6:11-18). He is concluding by speaking about the very motive for our
ministries. We know what we are doing, but do we know why we are doing it? A
good work must have a good motive. We will finish this study of Galatians by
examining the motives of the Judaizers and of Paul.

Remember that the legalists wanted to subject the Galatian believers to

circumcision, so Paul takes this up and relates it to the work of Jesus on the cross,
and also to his own ministry. In this paragraph Paul speaks of the motives of the
Galatian Judaizers and his own motives.

As Paul begins to speak of these legalistic persons, he says their main purpose was
not to win people to Jesus, or even to help the believers grow in grace. Their chief
purpose was to win more converts so they could brag about them. They wanted to
“make a good impression outwardly” (verse 12) even though they did no good
inwardly. Their work was not done for the good of the church or for the glory of God.
It was done for their own glory.
It is certainly not wrong to want to win people to the Messiah, or to see the work of
the Lord increase. But it is definitely wrong to want these blessings for the glory of
man. We must be careful not to “use people” to further our own selfish programs for
our own glorification.

Why did these people preach and practice circumcision? To escape persecution
(verse 12). Because Paul preached the grace of God and salvation by His grace, he
was persecuted (Gal. 5:11). The Judaizers tried to make the believers think that they
too were believers, and they tried to make the followers of the Mosaic Law think that
they too obeyed the Law. Consequently, they escaped being persecuted by the
believers because they identified with the cross of the Messiah. And, by their strong
emphasis on keeping the Law, they avoided persecution from the Jews in general.

To the first-century citizen, the cross was the lowest form of death and humiliation.
The proper Roman citizen would never even mention the cross in polite
conversation. It stood for rejection and shame. When Paul trusted Jesus, he
identified himself with the cross and took the consequences. To the Jew the cross
was a stumbling block, and to the Gentile it was foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).
The legalists, emphasizing circumcision rather than crucifixion, won many converts.
They were popular because they avoided the shame of the cross.

The word “compel” in verse 12 means strong persuasion and even force. While it
does not mean “to force against one’s will,” it is still a strong word. It indicates that
the Judaizers were great persuaders. They convinced the Galatian believers that
legalism was the way for them. Whenever Paul presented the Word, it was in truth
and sincerity. He used no tricks. [Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-5
to see how Paul presented the Word to his listeners.]

The legalistic people were very much like the Pharisees about whom Jesus said,
“They do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3). Of course, Paul is not
suggesting that the Judaizers should keep the Law, because keeping the Law is
neither possible nor necessary. Rather, he is condemning them for their dishonesty.
As he says this, he now begins to finish the letter as he speaks of his own motives.
2. Motives of the Apostle Paul (6: 14 – 18)
Paul keeps coming back to the theme of the cross. The Judaizers boasted in
circumcision and the Law, but Paul boasted in a crucified and risen Savior. He
gloried in the cross. He was not looking at the cross as a piece of wood, or as a
talisman of protection, but he was looking at the cross of Jesus. Why did he glory in
the cross?

Jesus the Messiah is mentioned at least 45 times in this letter. This is about one third
of all the verses. The person of Jesus captivated Paul’s heart and mind. Jesus
Himself made the cross seem glorious to Paul. After Paul met Jesus on the road to
Damascus, all his self-glory turned into mere “refuse.”

But the legalistic people of Galatia did not glory in the cross because they did not
glory in the Messiah. It was Moses (and themselves) who received the glory. To
Saul, the well-educated Jewish rabbi, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross was
nonsense. Yet this same Saul of Tarsus experienced the power of the cross and
became Paul the apostle. The cross ceased to be a stumbling block to him and
became instead the very cornerstone of his preaching: “Jesus the Messiah died for
our sins.”

For Paul, the cross meant freedom. In the death and resurrection of Jesus the power
of God is released to give believers deliverance and freedom and ultimate victory. It
is no longer we who live, but the Messiah lives in us and through us.

Through the Messiah’s death and resurrection, a new “people of God” came into
being. For centuries, the nation of Israel had been the people of God, and the Law
had been their way of life. All of this was preparation for the coming of Jesus (Gal.
4:1-7). Now that He had come and finished His great work of redemption, God had
set aside the nation of Israel and brought into the world a “new creation” and a new
nation, “the Israel of God.” This does not mean that God is finished with the nation of
Israel. Today, God is calling out from both Jews and Gentiles “a people for Himself”
(Acts 15:14), and in the Messiah there are no racial or national distinctions (Gal.
3:27-29).

One main purpose of the cross was to bring in this “new creation” (verse 15) - the
church, the body of Jesus. The “old creation” was headed by Adam and it ended in
failure. The new creation is headed by the Messiah and it is going to succeed [“new
creation” can also mean the new believer].
To the Roman believers, Paul explained the doctrine of the two Adams—Adam and
the Messiah (Romans 5:12-21). The first Adam disobeyed God and brought into the
world sin, death, and judgment. The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) obeyed God
and brought life, righteousness, and salvation. Adam committed one sin and plunged
all of creation into judgment. Jesus performed one act of obedience in His death on
the cross, and paid for all the sins of the world. Because of Adam’s sin, death reigns
in this world. Because of Jesus’ victory, we can “reign in life.” (Romans 5:17). In
other words, the believer belongs to a “new creation,” a spiritual creation, that knows
nothing of the defects and limitations of the “old creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The cross marked the beginning of a new nation, “the Israel of God” (verse 16). This
is one of many names for the church found in the New Testament. Later, Peter
identifies that nation as the family of God: “But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation…” (1 Peter 2:9). What a rebuke to the Judaizers. They
wanted to take the church back into Old Testament Law, when that Law could not
even be kept by the nation of Israel! That nation was set aside to make way for
God’s new people, the church!

Believers today may not be “Abraham’s children” in the flesh, but they are
“Abraham’s descendants” through faith in Jesus (Gal. 4:28-29). They have
experienced a circumcision of the heart that is far more effective than physical
circumcision (Romans 2:29, Philippians 3:3 and Colossians 2:11). For this reason,
neither circumcision nor the lack of it is of any consequence to God (verse 15 and
Gal. 5:6).

There was a time when Paul was proud of his mark of circumcision (Philippians 3:4-
6). But after he became a believer, the marks on his body were “the marks of Jesus.”
He now gloried in the scars he had received and in the suffering he had endured in
the service of Jesus the Messiah. These may have been the marks of his many
persecutions.

He suffered for Jesus’ sake (something the legalists never did), and he had on his
body the scars to prove it. When you read 2 Corinthians 11:18-33, you have no
difficulty understanding this claim of his, for in many ways and in many places Paul
suffered physically for the Messiah.

In Paul’s day, it was not unusual for the follower of some heathen god or goddess to
be branded with the mark of that idol. He was proud of his god and wanted others to
know it. In the same way, Paul was “branded” for Jesus the Messiah. These were
not temporary marks that could be removed, but they were permanent marks. It was
also the practice in that day to brand slaves, so that everyone would know who the
owner was. Paul was the slave of Jesus, and he wore His mark to prove it.

Believers today need to remember that it is the leader who has suffered for Jesus
who has something to offer. The Judaizers in Paul’s day knew nothing of suffering.
They may have been persecuted in some small way for belonging to a religious
group, but this was far different from “the fellowship of sharing in His [Jesus’]
sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). Beware of that religious leader who knows nothing of
battling against the world, the old nature, and the devil and who knows nothing of
suffering.

So, Paul comes to the end of his letter – The Gospel of Grace. He closes in verse 18
just the way he began in 1:3: With GRACE, not the Law. “THE GRACE OF OUR
LORD JESUS the Messiah be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
 APPENDIX A – STUDY QUESTIONS

• Introduction

1. Who were the “Judaizers?”

2. Who evangelized the Galatian cities?
3. What was the approximate date of this letter?
4. Ancient Galatia is in what modern country?
5. What is the theme of this letter?

• Chapter 1

1. What does Paul mean when he says they are embracing a “different”
gospel?
2. What qualified Paul to be an apostle?
3. The ministry of the Twelve was primarily to whom?
4. What does the word “apostle” mean?
5. Was James, the Lord’s brother, counted as an apostle?

• Chapter 2

1. Where in the New Testament do we read about the “Jerusalem

Conference?”
2. Why did Paul rebuke Peter?
3. In verses 17 and 18, what did Paul show Peter?
4. In verse 19, what does Paul say that he did?
5. What does verse 20 tell us?

• Chapter 3

1. What is the key word of verses 1 – 5?

2. Who are the “true children of Abraham?”
3. Who redeems us from the curse of the Law? What verse does Paul quote?
4. In verse 13, what does the word “redeem” mean?
5. To what does legalism appeal?
6. What are the 4 statements about the relationship between the promise and
the Law?

• Chapter 4

1. What is one of the tragedies of legalism?

2. What does the New Testament word for “adoption” mean?
3. Tell 5 differences between a “son” and a “servant.”
4. How old was Abraham when Ishmael was born? When Isaac was born?
5. What are at least 5 spiritual truths seen in the picture of Isaac the believer?
• Chapter 5

1. In the first 5 verses, what does Paul tell the Galatian believers to do?
2. When a person turns from grace to Law, what are 3 things Paul says that he
loses?
3. Tell at least 5 things for which God’s grace is sufficient?
4. Name the 5 different kinds of fruit mentioned in the New Testament?
5. Name the 9 fruit of the Spirit?

• Chapter 6

1. What phrase is found at least 12 times in the New Testament?

2. What does the word “restore” mean in verse 1?
3. Explain the difference between “burden” [“luggage/baggage”] and
“load” [“obligation”] in verses 2 and 5?
4. What is the promise of verse 9?
5. Why did the Judaizers still preach and practice circumcision?
6. What is the practical application of circumcision for believers in Jesus from a
Muslim background?
7. With what word does Paul begin and end this letter?
 APPENDIX B – DEFINITIONS

• Adoption - the act of taking voluntarily a child of other parents as one’s own child.
The act of God’s grace by which sinful people are brought into His redeemed
family. In the New Testament, the Greek word translated adoption literally meant
“placing as a son.” It is a legal term that expresses the process by which a man
brings another person into his family, giving him the status and privileges of a
biological son or daughter. Through Jesus believers have become God’s sons by
adoption. Every child of God was divinely given the Holy Spirit the moment he
was adopted by God. The believer is adopted a son, that is, a full-grown adult
son who does not need the law’s elementary instruction and guidance.

• Apostle – a special messenger of Jesus. A person to whom Jesus delegated

authority for certain tasks. The word “apostle” is used of those twelve disciples
whom Jesus sent out during His ministry in Galilee to expand His own ministry of
preaching and healing. It was on that occasion, evidently, that they were first
called “apostles” (Mark 3:14 and 6:30). The word “apostle” is sometimes used in
the New Testament in the general sense of a “messenger,” or of “one who is sent
out.” An apostle is one who is sent out with a message.

• Covenant – A relationship between two parties in which each party voluntarily

agrees to certain conditions of the relationship and gives his word to uphold it.
There are many mentions of “covenant” in the Bible. Basically, we speak of the
old and new covenants. Jesus’ sacrificial death served as the oath, or pledge,
that God made to us to seal this New Covenant under which believers live. One
enters into the New Covenant when he believes in Jesus. As the Book of
Hebrews declares, “The oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who
has been made perfect forever” (Hebrews 7:28). This is still God’s promise to any
person who turns to Him in repentance and faith.

• Curse - a prayer for injury, harm, or misfortune to befall someone. Noah, for
instance, pronounced a curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:25). Isaac pronounced a
curse on anyone who cursed Jacob (Genesis 27:29). Goliath, the Philistine giant
of Gath, “cursed David by his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43). In Bible times, a curse was
considered to be more than a wish that evil would befall one’s enemies. It was
believed to possess the power to bring about the evil the curser spoke. The
apostle Paul spoke of the law as a curse because it pronounces a curse upon
everyone “who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law”
(Gal. 3:10).

• Faith - a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His

will for one’s life. It includes the meaning of trust and loyalty to God.

• Freedom - the absence of slavery. The ability to do and go as one desires. In the
spiritual realm, Jesus explained that when people know the truth, the truth will set
them free (John 8:32). He Himself is the Truth (John 14:6). Jesus also declared
that if He, the Son of God, set persons free, they would be truly free (John 8:36).
 Sin enslaves but Jesus sets free. The apostle Paul pointed out that the law, when
not properly understood, also enslaves. A sense of compulsion to obey the law
binds and restricts one’s freedom. Jesus loosens the hold that the law has on
believers (Gal. 5:1, 13). Set free from sin, the believer can choose service for
God (Romans 6:22).

• Gospel - The joyous good news of salvation in Jesus the Messiah. The Greek
word translated as “gospel” means “a reward for bringing good news” or simply
“good news.” In Isaiah 40:9, the prophet proclaimed the “good tidings” that God
would rescue His people from captivity. In His famous sermon at the synagogue
in Nazareth, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1 to characterize the spirit of His ministry:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the
gospel [good news] to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

• Grace - favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one
who receives it and in spite of what that person deserves. Grace is one of the key
attributes of God. The Lord God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and
abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Therefore, grace is almost
always associated with mercy, love, compassion, and patience.

• Judaizer - a Jewish teacher who taught that belief in Jesus was not enough for
one’s salvation. They taught that one must also keep the Law of Moses.
[Salvation = Grace + Law]

• Justification – Jesus’ righteousness is “legally credited” to the believer. Although

the Lord Jesus has paid the price for our justification, it is through our faith that
He is received and His righteousness is experienced and enjoyed (Romans 3:25–
30). Faith is considered righteousness (Romans 4:3, 9), not as the work of
human beings (Romans 4:5), but as the gift and work of God (John 6:28–29,
Ephesians 2:8 and Philippians 1:29). The order of events in justification is grace,
faith, and works. In other words, by grace, through faith, resulting in works
(Ephesians 2:8–10).

• Law – God’s principles to govern our lives. The Law given to Israel is sometimes
spoken of as in three parts – the moral (Ten Commandments), the civil and the
ceremonial.

• Legalism – Fundamentally, it means worship (or religion) based on rules and

laws. The legalistic person obeys not only the Ten Commandments, but many
other rules and regulations that he will tell his followers that they must obey in
order to be spiritual, or perhaps even to be saved. The legalist is simply one who
follows the Law and is not trusting the grace of Jesus for salvation.

• Mediator - one who goes between two groups or persons to help them work out
their differences and come to agreement. A mediator usually is a neutral party, a
go-between, intermediary, or arbitrator. From the New Testament perspective,
there is ultimately only “one Mediator between God and man” (1 Timothy 2:5)—
Jesus the Messiah. He alone, being fully God, can represent God to man, and at
the same time, being fully man, can represent man to God. He alone can bring
complete reconciliation, because He alone can bring about complete payment for
our sin and satisfaction of God’s wrath. He alone can bring everlasting peace
 (Acts 15:11, 2 Corinthians 5:18 and Ephesians 1:7). A major theme of the Book
of Hebrews is that Jesus mediated a new and better covenant, an eternal
covenant (7:27–28, 9:15, 10:1, 2).

• Old or sinful nature - the earthly part of a person, representing lusts and desires
(Ephesians 2:3). The old nature is contrary to the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). One who is
controlled by the old nature cannot please God (Romans 8:8). Galatians 5:19-23
contrasts the works of the old nature with the fruit of the Spirit.

• Promise — a solemn pledge to perform or grant a specified thing. God did not
have to promise anything to sinful people. But the fact that almost all biblical
promises are those made by God to human beings indicates that His nature is
characterized chiefly by grace and faithfulness. As Paul pointed out (Gal. 3:15–
29), God’s faithfulness and grace are particularly evident in His promise to
Abraham. This promise was eventually fulfilled in the work of the Messiah.

• Righteousness - holy and upright living in accordance with God’s standard. The
word “righteousness” comes from a root word that means “straightness.” It refers
to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard. Righteousness is a moral
concept. God’s character is the definition and source of all righteousness
(Genesis 18:25, Deuteronomy 32:4 and Romans 9:14). Therefore, the
righteousness of human beings is defined in terms of God’s righteousness. The
cross of Jesus is a public demonstration of God’s righteousness. God accounts
or transfers the righteousness of the Messiah to those who trust in Him (Romans
4:3–22, Galatians 3:6 and Philippians 3:9). We do not become righteous because
of our inherent goodness. God sees us as righteous because of our identification
by faith with His Son.

• Scoolmaster or coach - Greek term means “custodian” or a person who attends

a child. In Greek households a faithful servant was given the responsibility of
taking care of a boy from childhood to puberty. The servant kept him from both
physical and moral evil, and went with him to his amusements and to school.
Paul used the word to say that the law functioned as a child-custodian. The law
acted as a “tutor,” as an outward check on desires, thus making the
consciousness of sin more acute. And since none of us is able to deal with sin by
ourselves, the law guides us to the Messiah, our only Rescuer and Savior.
APPENDIX C - MAP OF GALATIA
 APPENDIX D - CIRCUMCISION

CIRCUMCISION is the surgical removal of the foreskin of the male sex organ. This
action served as a sign of God’s covenant relation with His people. Circumcision was
widely practiced in the ancient world, including the Egyptian and Canaanite cultures.
Among these people the act was performed at the beginning of puberty, or about
twelve years of age, for hygienic reasons or as a sort of an initiation ceremony into
manhood.

In contrast, the Hebrew people performed circumcision on infants. This ritual had an
important ethical meaning to them. It signified their responsibility to serve as the holy
people whom God had called as His special servants in the midst of a pagan world.
Circumcision was peculiarly, though not only, a Jewish ritual. It was commanded by
God to Abraham (the father of the nation), as the token of the covenant, which
assured him and his descendants the promise of the Messiah (Genesis 17). It was
thus made a necessary condition of Jewish nationality.
Every male child was to be circumcised when eight days old (Leviticus 12:3). The
biblical notice of the ritual describes it as distinctively Jewish. Thus, in the New
Testament, the terms “the circumcision” and “the uncircumcision” are frequently used
as synonyms for the Jews and the Gentiles. The ritual has been found to prevail
extensively in both ancient and modern times. Though Mohammed did not command
circumcision in the Quran, he was circumcised himself, according to the custom of
his country. Now circumcision is as common among Islamic peoples as among the
Jews.
The process of restoring a circumcised person to his natural condition by a surgical
operation was sometimes undergone. Some of the Jews in the time of Antiochus
Epiphanes [Antiochus IV Epiphanes - a Syrian ruler whose desecration of the Jewish
temple triggered the revolt of the Maccabees in the 2nd century BC.], wishing to be
more like the heathen around them, “made themselves uncircumcised.”
Since he taught that now circumcision was “of the heart,” Paul said that it is not
required of believers. Paul cautions the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 7:18) about
making an issue out of circumcision.
Muslims who have become followers of Jesus at times have struggled with what to
do with the practice of circumcision. Some have advocated (or been told by other
believers who are not from a Muslim background) that they should no longer observe
circumcision, as this would be embracing legalism and be contrary to Paul’s
command to the Galatians not to be circumcised. This idea, however, is an
interpretation out of context.

The Galatians were Greek (Gentile) converts who never practiced circumcision. As
has been stated, for Gentile converts to embrace circumcision was to affirm the
keeping of the entire Jewish law. Yet, Paul’s overriding concern in sharing the
Gospel is found in his statement that a person should “keep living how (in the way)
he was called.” (see I Corinthians 7:17). Cultural practices that were not strictly
forbidden in scripture should be maintained, even embraced. Paul himself said he
sought to identify with all people so that they would follow the way of the Messiah (I
Corinthians 9:19-23).
Therefore, we see Paul’s consistency in action in reference to the controversy in
Acts 15 when Titus, a Greek convert was not compelled to be circumcised. Thus
Titus stayed in the condition by which he was born again in the Messiah.

In a similar way, however, when Paul met Timothy and invited him along on his
missionary journeys, the Bible says in Acts 16:3 that Paul “circumcised [Timothy]
because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew his father was a
Greek.” Paul had Timothy circumcised, not because Timothy had to keep the
Jewish law as a believer in Jesus, but because to not be circumcised would have
been a stumbling block to the Jews in the area. It would have been an offense to the
cultural standard. Fewer Jews would have listened to the gospel because Timothy
would not have been adhering to the cultural practices of his mother as a Jew. Thus,
how could Timothy preach about the God of Abraham to Jews in the region, as the
son of a Jewish woman, without being circumcised? Paul desired that Timothy
become a “slave of all men” so that he could lead others to the Messiah.

The application for Muslim-background believers in Jesus needs to be of a similar

nature. Most Muslims view circumcision as the entrance of the Muslim male into
manhood and as becoming a Muslim. Believers in Jesus who come from such
cultures have an obligation to stay within their culture by observing the practice of
circumcision as a way of identifying with their culture and staying in the condition in
which they are called to follow Jesus.

That said, however, it is important for believers and especially pastors and teachers
to give fresh meaning into the practice of circumcision by explaining the spiritual
significance of circumcision based on the new creation of Jesus (Gal. 6:15). What
God really desires is the circumcision of the inward heart (Romans 2:28-29 and
Philippians 3:3). For the believer in Jesus, the outward circumcision of the foreskin
can represent this. Muslim-background believers in Jesus who maintain the practice
of circumcision are actually showing their love for Jesus by becoming “a slave” to
their fellow Muslims so that they might more clearly show them the way of Jesus.

Listed below are some of the important Bible references to circumcision:

A. The Physical Ritual

Instituted by God Genesis 17:9–14

A seal of righteousness Romans 2:25–29

Performed on the eighth day Luke 1:59

Naming of a child Luke 1:59, 60

Allowed the right to Passover Exodus 12:48

Punishment for neglect Exodus 4:24, 25

 Neglected during wilderness Joshua 5:7

A sign of covenant relation Romans 4:11

B. Necessity of:
Asserted in Old Testament Genesis 17:9–14
Abolished by the Gospel Gal. 5:1–4 and Ephesians 2:11-15

Avails nothing Gal. 5:6 and Colossians 3:10, 11

Commanded by false teachers Acts 15:1

Said to be a yoke Acts 15:10

Cancelled by the apostles Acts 15:5–29 and 1 Cor. 7:18, 19

C. Spiritual Significance of:

Regeneration Deut. 10:16, 30:6 and Jeremiah 4:4

The true Jew (Believer) Romans 2:29

The Believer Philippians 3:3 and Colossians 2:11

 APPENDIX E – GRACE VERSUS THE LAW

The Galatian believers, under pressure from Jewish legalists, were considering
rejecting the gospel of grace and reverting back to dependence on the Mosaic Law
for salvation. Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians to outline the dramatic
differences between the two approaches to God.

Grace… Law…
• is based on faith (2:16) is based on works (2:16)
• justifies sinful men (2:16, 17) is incapable of resulting in
justification (2:16 and 3:11)

• begins and ends with Jesus (2:20) makes Jesus nothing (5:3)

• is the way of the Spirit (3:2, 3, 14) is the way of the old nature (3:3)

• is a “blessing” (3:14) is a “curse” (3:13)

• is God’s desired end for was intended to be only a means

His people (3:23-25) to an end (3:23-25)

• results in intimacy with Jesus (3:27) results in estrangement from

Jesus (5:4)

• makes one a son of God and keeps one a slave (4:7)

an heir of the Messiah (4:6, 7)

• brings freedom (5:1) results in slavery (5:1)

• depends on the power of depends on human effort (5:19 –21)

the Holy Spirit (5:16–18, 22, 23)

• is motivated by love (5:13, 14) is motivated by pride (6:3, 13, 14)

• centers on the cross of Jesus centered on circumcision (5:11;

(6:12–14) 6:12-15)
 APPENDIX F – HAGAR AND SARAH: A CONTRAST IN WOMEN

Hagar Sarah

Mother of Ishmael (Genesis 16:15) Mother of Isaac (Genesis 21:2, 3)

Slave woman (Gal. 4:22, 23) Free woman (Gal. 4:22, 23)

Covenant of the old nature (Gal. 4:23) Covenant of promise (Gal. 4:23)

Based on Law given on Mt. Sinai (Gal. 4:24) Based on New Covenant in Jesus
(Gal.4: 4 – 7)

Born according to the old nature Born by the Spirit (Gal. 4:29, 30)
(Gal. 4:29)

Under the Law (Gal. 4:21–23) Under grace (Gal. 3:13, 14)

Justification by works (Gal. 3:12–14) Justification by faith alone

(Gal. 3: 11)

The Jerusalem enslaved to legalism The heavenly Jerusalem of

(Gal. 4:25) the future for all believers
(Gal. 4:26)

Slaves in bondage (Gal. 4:24) Sons in freedom (Gal. 4:26)