Galatians 6:13-18 - Final Words

We come now to the end of the epistle and Paul is taking his final shots at the Judaizers. Let’s look at some of the things he has had to say about them throughout the letter.

In chapter 1 he damns them to hell (1:8-9).
In chapter 2 he condemns them as false brothers (2:4-5).
He points out that their teaching nullifies the gospel (2:21).
In chapter 4 he points out that they are dishonest and their motives are nefarious (4:17).
In chapter 5 he says that they are severed from Christ (5:4).
Later in that chapter he wishes they would emasculate themselves (5:12).

Now he is going to take a couple more shots at them. Then, he will point us toward the only thing worth boasting about in this world.

The cross was so offensive (and is still offensive to this day) that the Judaizers had devised a neat way to obtain righteousness and salvation without it--by keeping the Law. But if we could get to heaven through the Law then why did Christ die? Even in our day nothing offends the sensibilities of “good” religious people more than penal substitutionary atonement. Yet without it there would be no salvation. And if the cross is our salvation, then how could we ever deny it? That is what these Judaizers have done, and they have done so, says Paul, to avoid persecution.

Paul has embraced the cross and so should we, for it is our only boast, our only hope. Below you will find the link to the audio from the last of our verse by verse studies in Galatians. I hope you will take the time to listen to it. God bless you.

Click here: Galatians 6:13-18 - Final Words



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Galatians 6:6-13 - Sowing and Reaping

God is fundamentally just, and although we do not always see that justice meted out in this lifetime, we do often see the principle in action. We reap what we sow. Now what Paul is encouraging the Galatians to do is to invest in the kingdom of Christ, to invest in the gospel, to invest in eternity, to invest in the world to come. And that is the world to which we truly belong, is it not? Is it not true that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world? That our citizenship is in heaven?

Jesus said:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.--Matthew 6:19-21

This is kingdom wisdom. This is how we live out our kingdom citizenship in this present age. And what Jesus says is absolutely true (of course)--where we put our treasure is where our heart is. So Paul is just echoing and amplifying Jesus.

Below you will find a link to the audio recording of a bible study we recently did on this text near the end of Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and be encouraged to live out your faith in every day live. May the word of God take root in your heart and produce much good fruit. Just click the link below.



Click here: Galatians 6:6-13 - Sowing and Reaping



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Galatians 6:1-8 - The Law of Christ

Having proved that we are justified through faith alone by Christ alone the question becomes “How then should we live?”

Or, to put it another way, since Paul has stated unequivocally that the believer is no longer under law, but under grace, how does Paul answer the charge of antinomianism? Hasn't he just given all believers a license to sin? And if the law is not our focus, what is the principle guideline of our Christian life?

And Paul has answered by pointing out that the law points us to Christ who is all-sufficient for believers. Through faith in him, walking by the Spirit, Christ-focused, we produce the fruit of the Spirit within us against which there is no law. All of that was in chapter five.

Remember we pointed out from Jesus’ correction of the Pharisees in Mark 7 how Jesus announced the end and fulfillment of the ceremonial law in him, and at the same time re-affirmed the moral aspects of the law. God’s moral precepts are unchanging because they are derived from God’s moral character which is itself unchanging. But the ceremonial aspects of the law were temporary serving a specific people, place, and time in redemptive history. So we are now living in that phase of redemptive history known as the Messianic age, or the age of the Spirit. He has been poured out on all flesh (meaning all kinds of people, not just Jews) and all those who (not just Jews) call upon him (worship him in spirit and truth) will be saved.

In the previous chapter Paul taught us to ‘walk by the Spirit’ and promised that in doing so we would not fulfill the desires of the flesh, but rather we would produce the fruit of the Spirit. But what happens when someone falls? What happens when someone is ensnared in the traps of the devil? What happens when someone goes astray, does not walk by the Spirit, does gratify the desires of the flesh? That's where Paul begins in chapter 6.

Below you will find a link to the audio from the Bible study we did on this passage. We covered the first 8 verses of chapter 6 and discovered the Law of Christ. Take a listen to find out more and I hope you are blessed.


Click here: Galatians 6:1-8 - The Law of Christ


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Galatians 5:24-26 - Crucified Flesh

In our bible studies in the book of Galatians we have been occupied with the fruit of the Spirit for several weeks now. We have been reminded that our focus in this life is Christ, that when we are attentive to the means of grace we are walking by the Spirit, that when we thus walk this fruit is produced in us. 

It is not self-effort, but Spirit-dependence through which God works in our lives. To walk by the Spirit is to walk by faith. We need the gospel and the message of Christ over and over and over, because it is that which produces faith in us and, consequently, fruit in us as well.

So our lives should be Christ-focused not law-focused. When they are such the Holy Spirit will bring us into conformity to God’s law, making us more like Christ. By the way, the Bible, understood properly, is all about Christ. To be much about Christ, then, is to be much about the word of God, the Bible. We need more and more and more of his word in us each day. It is the word of God which transforms us into the image of Christ, producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. 

Now in this study we took a look at verses 24-26 of chapter 5, with a focus on verse 24 and what it means to crucify the flesh.

What does Paul mean by this? How do we do this? Does this have anything to do with the death of Christ? We give answers to these questions and more in this Bible study. The audio is linked below. I hope you will take the time to listen and gain a greater understanding of this work God is doing in us and what role we play in that work. God bless.



Click here to listen: Galatians 5:24-26 - Crucified Flesh



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Galatians 5:23 - Gentleness, Self-control

In this lesson we looked at two more virtues listed under the heading ‘fruit of the Spirit'--the last two. But before delving into them we took the time to remind ourselves of these key points about the fruit of the Spirit:

(1) These are kingdom virtues and eschatological in nature. Remember, we do not belong to this world. We are being prepared for the next. All of these virtues are grounded in the hope of the future glory and will never be perfected until then. In that world, these will be the character of everyone.

(2) These are a striking description of the character of Christ who excelled in and exemplified all of these virtues.

(3) These are all supernatural virtues produced by the Spirit in us when we ‘walk by the Spirit.’ While there may be something like these achieved by the natural man apart from Christ, these all go above and beyond what our sinful nature can produce by itself. When unbelievers display something like these virtues we may be assured that what we see on display is corrupt and inferior. What Paul outlines here are graces produced in believers only, and only by the Spirit of God.

In this Bible study we looked at gentleness and self-control. We discussed what they meant from a biblical context and how they would manifest themselves in our lives. I hope you will take the time to listen and grow in your faith and in your knowledge of Scripture. And I hope that you will learn to walk by the Spirit so that these virtues will manifest themselves in your life. Just click the link below to listen. God bless.

Click here: Galatians 5:23 - Gentleness, Self-control



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Galatians 5:22 - Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness

Three weeks ago we started into Paul’s enumeration of the fruit of the Spirit. So far we've covered love, joy, peace, and patience. We've discovered that these are supernatural virtues produced by the Holy Spirit in us when we are walking by the Spirit. This is God’s gracious work of making us into the image of Christ and preparing us for the kingdom in its fullness. They are eschatological in nature and epitomized by Jesus in his earthly life. In this lesson we covered three more.

The first of these is kindness. As applied to God it expresses his gracious attitude and actions toward sinners. Love, as we have already seen, is the greatest of the gifts and the king of the virtues. Kindness is an expression of that love. Those who are kind treat others in the same way as God has treated them. And that is the key. Those who have been the recipients of great grace should be dispensers of great grace. If you think about it, kindness is just an expression of the Golden Rule.

The second virtue we look at in this lesson is goodness. In the New Testament this word is used as something more than merely the quality of being just or righteous. It connotes generosity. It is the quality of doing good things, benevolent thing, to others. It is the virtue of treating others well.

Faithfulness (pistis in the Greek) is a word which is sometimes translated faith but not in this context. In this context fidelity or faithfulness is most likely what is intended. It connotes loyalty and dependability. It is epitomized by Jesus Christ who, as a faithful high priest, made propitiation for the sins of the people. 

You will find the audio to this lesson at the link below. Just click and listen or download for later. I pray it will be a blessing to you.

Click here: Galatians 5:22 - Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness


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Galatians 5:22 - Peace and Patience

When Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, as opposed to the works of the flesh (our sinful nature), he lists nine virtues, nine things the Spirit of God will produce in believers who are walking 'by the Spirit.' These nine virtues are all attributes of God as well and are modeled by Jesus Christ himself. Because the Holy Spirit is making us into the image of Christ he begins to produce these virtues in us. These are kingdom virtues.

The first one listed is love and we discussed this love in our first bible study from this verse. The second is joy and it was covered in the second of our bible studies on this topic. This third study covers the next two virtues--peace and patience.

Once we begin to understand that Jesus came to usher in a new age culminating in a new heavens and a new earth, then we begin to see what God is doing in us now. He is preparing us for that new creation. That is why believers are called a new creation in Christ. And because we are being prepared for a new world, we must be renewed through the Spirit of God day by day being made into the image of Jesus who is the firstborn of that new creation. This work of being made into the image of Christ is called sanctification. When we walk by the Spirit, God produces this fruit in us.

There is much more to peace and patience than you probably realize. These terms are loaded with meaning in their biblical usage. I invite you to listen to the audio of this bible study where we discuss these two virtues, these fruits of the Spirit. You will find a link to the audio below. Just click and stream, or download it for later listening. Either way, it is our hope that in doing so you will grow in grace and these fruits of the Spirit will be manifest in your life. God bless.


Click here: Galatians 5:22 - Peace and Patience


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Galatians 5:22 - Joy

In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul lists for us nine virtues that he calls the fruit of the Spirit. While the list is not exhaustive, it does inform us of what a Spirit-led life looks like. When we walk by the Spirit this is what is evidenced in our lives. In our last lesson from Galatians we looked at the first virtue which was love. Love is at the top of the list for a reason for it is the king of the virtues and the greatest of the spiritual gifts. In this lesson we take a look at the next one which is joy.

The joy Paul speaks of means more than earthly, human happiness. In fact, this is a joy that the natural person, apart from grace, can never experience. As are all these virtues. They are the fruit of the Spirit or what the Spirit is working in us as a part of our new nature. They are not natural, self-generated virtues. While the world may know something like these, it cannot be emphasized enough that the virtues enumerated here transcend their natural counterparts.

In his letters Paul makes clear that our joy is found in the Lord. It comes from him and it is sourced in him. This is why the natural person cannot possess it, for he does not know God in whose presence there is fullness of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

This joy is connected with and stems from faith, and comes from God alone. Like justification, it comes to us from God--through Christ--by faith, and it is tied to the hope that comes from faith.

More, all of these fruit of the Spirit are eschatological in nature. They stem from the Spirit in us who is sanctifying us and working in us an eternal weight of glory. And they are all kingdom virtues, rooted and grounded in the kingdom of Christ. That we will be translated to that world is evidenced, even guaranteed by our possession of the Spirit now, the same Spirit who is producing this fruit in us. Joy comes naturally (or, rather, supernaturally) from the Holy Spirit.

Below you will find the audio recording of the lesson we had on Joy. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and that it will be a blessing to you. Just click the link below. God bless you.


Click here: Galatians 5:22 - Joy


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Galatians 5:22 - Love

The fruit of the Spirit is Paul's contrast to the works of the flesh--the product of our sinful nature. Our sin produces one group of things in us, but the Holy Spirit is working to produce a contrary set of attitudes and behaviors. Make no mistake: this is God's work in us. We cannot produce these things ourselves, nor is Paul here setting forward a new set of laws to replace the ones handed down through Moses. Rather, Paul is saying that this is what the Spirit does in us as a result of God's grace. To one degree or another, as the Spirit works within us, these are the things that will manifest themselves through that gracious work, and more so as we are attentive to the means of grace. What we are doing in our Wednesday night bible studies now is looking at these virtues, this fruit of the Spirit. The first one we come across is love.

You might be surprised to find out how much the New Testament, and especially Paul, has to say about love and how it is to be manifested in our Christian lives. But in this lesson we took the time to look at it. I hope you will, too.

And, of course, the supreme example of this virtue for us is Jesus Christ who through his actions taught us the true meaning and the true value of love. Truly, we love him (and each other) because he first loved us.

Below you will find the audio to this bible study and I hope you will give it a listen. Love is the foremost fruit of the Spirit and the greatest of the gifts. May it be manifested in you as you grow in grace.


Click here: Galatians 5:22 - Love


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Galatians 5:19-21 - The Works of the Flesh

We are in the practical part of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Paul spent the first two chapters defending his authority as an apostle and thereby defending the gospel he had preached to them. In chapters 3 and 4 he argued theologically, appealing to the Old Testament scriptures, for his view of the gospel. Now, in these last two chapters he is making practical application of the gospel position he has championed. Knowing that we are justified, made right with God, by faith alone without the works of the law, how now shall we live?

In other words, if we are not to live our Christian lives by submitting to the law of Moses, then how are we to live them? Do we have then a license to sin? Of course not. Paul's alternative to walking according to the Law is to walk by the Spirit, to press into Christ through the gospel, to be attentive to the means of grace. But when we are not walking by the Spirit it will be evident. That's because the works of the flesh, the outworking of our inward, sinful nature, will be manifest.

What are the 'works of the flesh'? Paul enumerates them--well, not all of them, but it's quite an extensive list. Then he makes a clear and sobering statement that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What does that mean for us? This passage serves to establish that when Paul says that we are no longer under Moses, no longer under the law, that he is definitely not teaching that sin no longer matters. He is not guilty of antinomianism. As for our alternative to Moses as Christians, Paul is getting to that. But for this lesson we will focus in on the works of the flesh.

Below is a link to the audio of this informal bible study. To listen, just click and stream. I hope you will be blessed as God opens your understanding of his word and works his grace in you.



Click here: Galatians 5:19-21 - The Works of the Flesh



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Galatians 5:16-18 - Walk By the Spirit

It could be said that verse 16 is an apt description of what Christian living is about, or Paul's instructions on how to live the Christian life. In that sense it is one of the most practical verses we will ever read. But in order to understand the practicality of it, we must understand the theology behind it.

(16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

This is Paul's response to those of his enemies who say that if he tells Gentiles they are free from the law and no longer under it then he is giving them a license to indulge their sinful natures. Well, what is your alternative, Paul? If we are no longer under Moses, how then do we live the Christian life? Under what principles? With what guidance?

Remember verses 13 and 14?

(13) For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (14) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Paul says we are called not to law, but to love, for love is the fulfilling of the law. Love in this sense is seen as an action word, not just an emotion. Love is measured by what we do, not by what we say. So we are free, but not free to indulge our sinful nature. We are free from the bondage and curse of the law to love God and neighbor. As opposed to serving the law, we serve one another. But in what power and by what guidance do we do this?

Below is the audio recording of the Bible study I taught from this passage. Just click the link below to stream it and listen to it. I pray it will be a blessing.



Click here: Galatians 5:16-18 - Walk By the Spirit



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Galatians 5:7-15 - Love Fulfills the Law

In Galatians 5 verse 7 Paul says to the recipients of his letter: "You were running well." He uses an athletic metaphor. You were running your race well. This is not the only place where Paul compares the Christian life to a race in which we are runners. He also does so in Philippians 3. There's also the passage in Hebrews 12 which is parallel.

So, if our Christian life is a race, how do we run? There are two things that stand out in each of these passages. We are to run:

(1) Focused on Christ (faith)

(2) Pressing toward our glorious future (hope)

The Christian life is not about the law. Its focus is not the law. Its focus is Christ. It is about faith in Christ, both in what he did and what he has promised to do. We do not live the Moses life, we live the Messianic life. And that life is manifested in love.

'but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”'--Galatians 5:13b-14

What made the law a bondage to us, at least in part, was that it ran contrary to our nature. What Christ has done for us, or what the Spirit of God has done in us through Christ is to change our heart, give us a new nature. Whereas once our hearts were at enmity against God, now we love God, and of course that love is manifested in love for our neighbor. So rather than serve the law, we serve each other.

We discuss this in more detail, along with a few other things, in our bible study from this passage. The audio from that study is below. Just click the link and it will open up a page in SoundCloud where you can stream that audio in MP3 format. Keep in mind that these are not sermons, but informal bible studies where questions are sometimes asked and discussion sometimes takes place. God bless.

Click here: Galatians 5:7-15 - Love Fulfills the Law



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Galatians 5:1-9 - Stand Firm, Stand Free

To set up Galatians chapter five let's get the context. Paul has just concluded his theological argument against his opponents. Now in these final two chapters he will apply that correct theology, as well as answer this important question--if we are justified by faith without the law, how then are we to live our Christian lives?

Since then we are free and have been made free by Christ's perfect obedience to the law and substitutionary death and life-imparting resurrection, then . . .

(1) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Christ set us free to be free, not to be slaves. So don't return to your slavery. Don't go back to pretending you have to keep that law to earn God's favor when God's favor has already been poured out upon you through Christ.

Here we see in Paul both the indicative and the imperative.

The indicative is that we have been set free from the law by Christ. The imperative is that we should stand firm in that freedom and not go back and enslave ourselves to it again.

(2) Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 

This is me. Paul. An apostle. Listen to me. I am telling you. Don't think that keeping the law can be accomplished by some token compliance with this or that requirement. If you are going to embrace the law, you're embracing it all. And you are rejecting Christ in the process.

Understand that what Christ did was to fulfill the law for us--in our place--as our representative head, our substitute. To go back to the law thinking you have to do it yourself is to reject that representation.

As commentator F. F. Bruce said: "Christ will provide unlimited help to those who place their undivided trust in him, but no help at all to those who bypass his saving work and think to become acceptable to God by circumcision or other legal observances."

In this Bible study we covered the first nine verses of Galatians 5 and began to see how our Christian lives are to be lived--what Paul means when he says we are to stand firm in our freedom and liberty in Christ. You will find the audio to this bible study linked below. Just click the link to listen. God bless.

Click here: Galatians 5:1-9 - Stand Firm, Stand Free


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Galatians 4:21-31 - Sarah and Hagar

Now we arrive at the end of chapter four and Paul is concluding his theological argument against the false teaching of his opponents--an argument which he began at the beginning of chapter three. He ends his argument with an allegory from the book of Genesis, something which is not Paul's usual method. In fact, this passage is unique in all of the Pauline writings. He takes the story of Abraham and Sarah and Hagar and Ismael and Isaac and tells us it is an allegory.

Understand that Paul is not advocating for a strict allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament. Paul has already demonstrated that he approaches that text primarily looking for what could be called in Latin the sensus literalis--looking for the plain meaning. In following Paul's example we try to interpret the Bible the way any and all literature should be interpreted--primarily using what is called the grammatical/historical method. We consider things like genre, historical setting, use of language in a given time, place, and culture. We search for the author and the audience, place them in their historical setting, and look for the intended meaning. Then we take it and apply it to ourselves. What Paul does here does not negate or undermine that at all. 

But what he does demonstrates that there is more than one layer to inspired Scripture. There is a big picture to the Bible. Although it was written by many different authors over many years there is a cohesive unity to it all. We understand this to be so because we believe it was all superintended by the same Holy Spirit. You see, the Scripture is very human, but it is also divine. And Paul everywhere affirms and assumes this dynamic.

So we're not surprised to see him looking at this story as a whole and finding in it a sort of typology. In the Bible study linked below I have much more to say about both this and what Paul is trying to teach us through this allegorization he makes of the Genesis passage. There is wonderful theology here, including teaching on the nature of the Church, its relation to Jerusalem, and a beautiful comparison of Isaac to Jesus to us. I hope you will take a few moments and listen. Just click the link below. God bless.



Click here: Galatians 4:21-31 - Sarah and Hagar



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Galatians 4:8-20 - No Turning Back

We are winding down to an end of Paul's theological arguments against his opponents in Galatians 3 & 4. Once again he makes an appeal to their experience, this time on a very personal level. He reminds them of the personal relationship he previously had with them and how they received him when he first came to them preaching the gospel. And he shows deep concern for them because he views their turning to the law to be tantamount to returning to their pagan roots and religion. It is interesting how Paul equates these two things in this passage and interesting how similar his appeal and arguments to the book of Hebrews where the same appeal is being made to believing Jews not to go back to the Mosaic covenant.

In this section of chapter four we also have a very controversial, but I hope charitable, discussion about the ramifications of some of what Paul says to the modern use by many Protestants and evangelicals of a liturgical calendar. More importantly there is discussion about what it means to know Christ, or to be known of Christ.

The audio of this study went 45 minutes, but there was a lot of discussion. I hope you will forgive the disjointedness of much of it, though, and still be able to profit from the lesson taught, in spite of the length and the sometimes rambling nature of the conversation. God bless.



Click here: Galatians 4:8-20 - No Turning Back



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Galatians 4:1-7 - Adoption As Sons

In chapter 4 Paul continues his theological argument against the Judaizers by using a cultural analogy with which his readers would have been familiar. He is going to compare our position in Christ and in the Abrahamic covenant with Greco-Roman adoption. He takes his cue from the preceding verse:

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.--3:29

Heirs. That's key. We are heirs of the promises made to Abraham. Now taking that concept of our being the heirs of the promises made to Abraham he draws his comparison.

(1) I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

Now think about a rich son. He is in a royal household. He is the heir. But as long as he is still a child he is treated (especially by the guardian) no differently than is a slave--although legally he is, or will be, the owner of everything. He has no voice. He makes no decisions. He is made to obey, made to learn, by the guardian. He has to go to bed at a certain time. He has to get up at a certain time. He is not free.

(2) but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 

The day will come when he is set free, but it is not yet. This is where the people of God were before the coming of Christ. They were under Moses, under bondage. This is where we were before Christ, enslaved to the elementary principles of this world.

This is the Bible study I taught on a Wednesday night covering the first seven verses of Galatians 4. Below you will find a link to the audio of the entire lesson. Just click the link and a new window will open up where you can stream the audio on your pc or other device. Take a listen and see what you think. God bless.

Click here: Galatians 4:1-7 - Adoption As Sons



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Galatians 3:27-29 - Baptized Into Christ

Paul views the coming of Christ as the coming of a new era or the ushering in of the end of all things. But perhaps it would be better said that he views it as the ushering in of the new era. The old era of Adam and Moses is coming to a close and the age of the second Adam has come. To put it another way, the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

Remember how in Mark's gospel he represents the preaching of Jesus and the ministry of Jesus as an invasion of the Kingdom, or the King announcing his Kingdom? What Paul is saying here in Galatians fits that dynamic.

What he has been explaining throughout this chapter is that what we see in the Church is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. Jesus is that promised offspring through whom the nations of the world would be blessed. The Galatians believing and being brought into the kingdom is a part of the fulfillment of that promise.

The Law of Moses was not in contention to the promises made to Abraham. Nor did the Law of Moses fulfill the promises made to Abraham. Nor did the Law of Moses replace the promises made to Abraham. The Law of Moses served to help bring those promises made to Abraham about. The Law could never bring life, not because of any problem with the Law, but because of the problem with us. As we have previously discussed, the Mosaic covenant served a purpose within the Abrahamic covenant, but now that covenant is coming to fulfillment in Christ and Moses has served his purpose. The theological argument Paul makes with the Judaizers is one of covenant priority. Abraham trumps Moses. And Abraham is fulfilled in Christ and the Church.

In verse 27 Paul mentions baptism--the only time he does so in this letter. We examine that in this Bible study from four viewpoints. Then we conclude by considering the ramifications of this passage to our views of Israel and the Church. The Church is not a parenthesis in redemptive history. The Church is the fulfillment of redemptive history. The Church is not a separate program God is doing, distinct from his program with Israel and existing alongside it. The Church is what Israel has become since the coming of Christ. The Church has not replaced Israel any more than the frog replaced a tadpole. The Church is what Israel was always intended to become.

The audio to this bible study is linked below. I hope you will take the time to listen and think about these things. God bless.



Click here:  Galatians 3:27-29 - Baptized Into Christ



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Galatians 3:23-27 - The Role of the Law

How do we understand the Mosaic covenant and its relationship to the people of God in the New Testament? That's the thrust of this bible study from last Wednesday night where we covered Galatians 3:23-27.

To try to understand what Paul is saying here we went back and reviewed the covenant of grace in its various administrations beginning with the proto-evangelion in Genesis 3:15 and continuing through Jeremiah 31 and Christ at the cross. But how does Moses fit into that?

Part of the problem in Galatians that Paul has been working to solve is the seeming conflict between the Abrahamic unconditional covenant of grace and the Mosaic conditional covenant of law.

What Paul has done to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory things is to teach us the true purpose of the Mosaic covenant. According to Paul, the Mosaic covenant served a specific and limited purpose within the framework of the Abrahamic covenant. In other words, Moses served Abraham. This is what we talked about last week.

There was never salvation in the law. There was never life in the law. The law condemned us and killed us. And according to Paul that was its purpose all along. In an ironic twist, then, the law becomes grace to us because it shows us our shortcomings, teaches us our true nature, and points us to Christ. And now that we are in Christ we are no longer under the law.

But does that mean we no longer have to obey God's moral precepts? Are the Ten Commandments antiquated and obsolete? We discuss all that, as well as the continuing role of the Law in the life of a believer, in this bible study. Below you will find a link to the audio recording of it. Just click the link, a new window will open on your browser and you will be able to listen to the Bible study from your computer or other device. God bless.


Click here: Galatians 3:23-27 - The Role of the Law


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Galatians 3:15-22 - Moses Serves Abraham

Paul is in the middle of his theological argument against the Judaizers, an argument which covers chapters 3 and 4 of Galatians. Here is what we have covered thus far in chapter 3:

First he argues from their experience (v. 1-5).
Then he argues from the Scripture showing how the Scripture backs up their experience (v. 6-18).

A. He first points out that Abraham was justified by faith alone. (v. 6-9)
B. Then he points out that the law brings a curse. (v. 10)
C. Next that the Scripture itself says we are justified by faith. (v. 11)
D. Then that law-keeping as a human effort is the opposite of faith. (v. 12)
E. Finally that the curse brought upon us by the law was taken by Jesus at the cross in order that he might give us the promise made to Abraham by faith. (v. 13-14)

Now, in the passage covered in this bible study, he switches gears just a little and makes an argument from everyday life, though he will still tie it in to Scripture.

Essentially his argument is this. The covenant promises made to Abraham were eternal and immutable. Something that happened 430 years later cannot change them. And those promises made to Abraham clearly stated that we are made righteous through faith. Nothing God did through Moses can possibly change that.

The covenant God made with Abraham was an unconditional covenant. That's why Paul uses the word "promises" interchangeably with "covenant." Those promises were not contingent on obedience. They were grace. They were and are for all those who believe. By contrast the covenant at Sinai was conditional and had a different purpose, as we shall see.

It has been pointed out that the promises made to Abraham are all God saying, "I will . . . " while the covenant at Mt. Sinai was all God saying, "You shall . . ."

This bible study was an important one because it helped establish the relationship between the covenant God made with Abraham and the covenant God made with the people through Moses and what that has to do with us in the New Testament. In other words it gives us the relation between law and grace. In doing so it puts a lot of things in order and in perspective as far as what we are to think about the relation of the Old Testament and the New. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and to think through these things. Beneath all this there is wonderful news. There is gospel.

To listen to the audio from this Wednesday night study just click the link below.

Click here: Galatians 3:15-22 - Moses Serves Abraham



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Galatians 3:10-14 - The Cursed Messiah

There is some evidence to suggest that when first century Christian preachers proclaimed the message of Christ they were met with the response "Jesus is accursed!" from their unbelieving Jewish antagonists. In fact, Paul seems to address this in 1 Corinthians 12:

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.--1 Corinthians 12:3

Was there truth in the accusation and why would anyone ever say it? To understand this we need to understand the Jewish mindset when it came to capital punishment and anyone who was hanged. In Deuteronomy it was famously stated this way:

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.--Deuteronomy 21:22-23

The idea that their Messiah could ever be hung on a tree was offensive to faithful Jews for this reason. Tell them about a potential Messiah and they might listen. Tell them about a Messiah hung on a tree and they wanted none of it. The very idea was ludicrous. Disgusting. Offensive. So when, for example, Paul preached "Christ crucified," this is what they heard: "Messiah hung on a tree," "Messiah accursed." No wonder Paul said that his message was a stumbling block to kinsmen. Paul knew about that stumbling block firsthand. He himself had railed against the idea until he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. It was then that he understood. Jesus was, indeed, cursed--cursed for us, cursed in our place. Or, as he puts it in Galatians 3:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.--Galatians 3:13-14

And this is the crux of his argument in this part of chapter three. The law brings a curse, not because of any flaw in the law, but because of the flaw in us. We sinned and brought upon ourselves the curse. Jesus redeemed us from that curse by being cursed for us.

This is the Bible study we did on this passage on Wednesday, March 8. I hope you will take the time to listen with us to what the word of God has to say. Just click the link below and be blessed.



Click here: Galatians 3:10-14 - The Cursed Messiah



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