A Study On Galatians – Chapter 3

Faith Overcomes Works of the Law

Welcome back and thank you for joining in our study on the book of Galatians. In this post and podcast we will study chapter 3 and gain a clear understanding on why Paul is emphatically stressing the importance of followers of Jesus Christ not falling under the curse of the Mosaic Law.

I believe this study will bring much revelation knowledge to those who have questions about the law and who have ears to hear what the Spirit of Yahweh is saying to the churches. We know that the word of God is living and like a two-edge sword that divides the soul and spirit. The study on the book of Galatians at this time is a result of the Holy Spirit waking me up early one morning in the first week of May 2024 and saying, “Study the book of Galatians. It is pertinent for this hour.”

Recap of Chapters 1 and 2:

Two take a-ways from Chapter 1: (click on link to read)

1) Paul was taught the gospel of peace by Jesus Christ and God who raised Jesus from the dead through the Holy Spirit.  He was ordained by only Jesus to go to the Gentile nations, to go before kings, and the house of Israel, everything he learned from Jesus aligned with all the other apostles and disciples teachings of the gospel that they had received from Jesus Christ himself and those who had received through their word. Man did not teach Paul, nor did man ordain Paul to his ministry. 

2) Paul was compelled to share his testimony for a reason. We should be wise to how there are many today who have perverted and want to pervert the true gospel of Jesus Christ. They prey on those who are not skilled in the word of righteousness and can easily be swayed by every wind of doctrine. We must always remember how crafty the adversary is. He comes as an angel of light. Today, we can find many of these on You Tube in addition to the box church. We also see many are being exposed. Be wise!

Two take a-ways from Chapter 2: (click on link to read)

1) Paul starts revealing to his fellow brethren the trickery of false brethren who come in by stealth to spy out the freedom the followers of Jesus have through their faith in Him and that their mission is to bring the people back into bondage. Again, we must be wise to those who distort the true gospel of Jesus.

2) We see that even someone as highly esteemed as Peter was not above being thrown off course and had to be corrected. He was called out for his hypocrisy and not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, when it came to segregation between the people of God.  His hypocrisy caused others to follow. Peter had to be ever so careful to remain in the spirit and not let his soul get in the way, because Satan had asked for him so as to sift him like wheat (Luke 22:31).  The same is applicable to those today who are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must remain led by the Spirit of God and not by our soulish flesh. If we don’t get our soul in check and under the dominion of the spirit, there is consequences. Thank God that we have a mediator praying for us and His name is Jesus.

Chapter 3 – The Rebuke

O’ foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? (Galatians 3:1) NASB

The severity of this question is such that Paul looked at this as witchcraft or a spell being placed on the believers. A spiritual adjustment and awakening was much needed then and the same is needed today. Multitudes have been lulled into a hypnotic (mind control) or spell of sorts to put them in a stupor about what the true gospel of Jesus Christ is. There are too many denominations professing to be sharing the full gospel of Jesus Christ but do not. This is unacceptable and we must not only pray for these people to wake up and have the veil removed from their eyes, but also share the word of God with them so they can see it for themselves. Too many churches have turned to some form of works or another, and as we continue reading we will see the truth. 

The Galatians had experienced the love, power, and compassion of Jesus Christ poured out upon them through the Holy Spirit in Paul and Barnabas. They had received the good news of salvation and understood the sole reason Jesus Christ came to earth as a man, yet fully God, and why He was crucified on a cross, then raised three days later. They knew He did all this because the sins of mankind were too many for them to enter the kingdom of Heaven and obtain their eternal inheritance. The Mosaic law was no longer valid to those who obtained the faith. It wasn’t working for the people of Israel as they could not even keep it. The apostles knew this and did not expect anyone to abide by it.

Again, Jesus took the sins of mankind upon Himself so that whoever would believe in Him and confess their sins, would be forgiven through their faith in Him and by His grace and have eternal life. Do we fully understand this today? His promise is the same today as it was yesterday and will be forever more. Rituals, oral traditions of man leading to bondage, idol worship, heavy burdens placed on believers were not the way to the kingdom of God.

Paul asks in his letter:

This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2) 

Paul Continues:

3Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

5Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Wow! Folks, this is quite the rebuke. The word ‘Foolish’ here means ‘without understanding’. But take a close look at what they had experienced first hand, i.e., the power, the love, miracles, suffering for their faith (being mocked, ridiculed, outcast), all because suddenly they truly got to experience true love, a peace and joy through the Spirit of the living God, who had set them free from the previous bondage they were in. 

Consider the following:
When we have lived our life and conducted ourselves in a certain way for many years, whether that be self love, worship of false gods (sun, moon, stars, Molech, Chemosh, Zeus, Neptune, Buddha, ancestors, animals, man, self, etc.) and we did abominable things in an attempt to gain some sort of love, peace, joy or acceptance; or, if we rejected the idea of God altogether and tried to numb the pain from childhood traumas through temporal fulfillment (drugs, sex, alcohol, yoga etc.) which left us walking in bitterness, anger, jealousy, etc., and then we have this encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who brings us His love, His peace, His joy, and washes away the uncleanness, we do suffer the ridicule and mockery, because those who knew us in our old self can’t understand the peace and joy we now have. There is a reason scripture says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” The Devil can’t stand anyone to have that kind of love, so the spiritual warfare begins and sadly it often operates through others including those we love. Paul is reminding the churches of Galatia of their sufferings and how far they had come and to not let those sufferings be in vain. 

As we continue reading starting at verse 11, we are going to see a shift from the law of Moses to the promise made to Abraham and what the difference is.

First, let’s look at what the Prophet Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 53:1-6 regarding the Messiah who was to come, and had already come…even before the foundation of the world.

1Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:1-6)

Please take time to read all of Isaiah 53 for the full reason of Jesus’s suffering and then you’ll better understand why we, too, will suffer persecution for walking in faith in Him. The Spirit of God poured through Isaiah and he spoke to the Israelites because iniquity had already set in. In Isaiah Chapter 28, you can read of God speaking six woes upon those He had called to Himself (who would worship Him) and the promise of salvation (only through Christ Jesus) if they would turn from their wicked ways. God also spoke through His prophet Ezekiel (and others) giving a strong rebuke:

But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die. (Ezekiel 18:24)

This is our friendly reminder that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. We must pay attention and understand the difference between the law of Moses and the promise to Abraham.

Galatians 3:5-9 – 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Secondly, if we consider Abraham’s faith, we can see the enormity of this message. Abraham (Abram) lived in Ur, the land of the Chaldees. While we do not know his heritage, it is believed by scholars that he was either a Amorite or Aramean who lived among the Chaldeans, who had come to Ur in around 1000 BC. Scripture says he was a descendant of Shem (one of five sons). I lean more to him being Amorite. What matters is that God spoke to him and told him, whether audibly, by a dream or vision, we do not know, but told him clearly to get out of his country, from his family, and from his father’s house, and to go to another land. Abram was told that through him, God would make a great nation and would bless him and make his name great. He took his wife and nephew who he was raising with him, their possessions, and those who worked for him, and in obedience did as God told him. This was faith! This was faith with works. It was a huge move and act of trust in God. As a result of Abraham’s obedience, God considered him righteous. Was life easy? No. Was he put to the test? Oh Yeah. Did he get ahead of God in helping him fulfill God’s promise for a son? Yes. Did he have hard times and times of fear? Yes. Did God still fulfill His promise? Absolutely! Because God is faithful and true to His word.

Genesis 12:1-3 1Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The promise was made to Abraham that through his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Isaac was the son of promise whom the promised Seed would come through 42 generations later.

Genesis 26:1-5 – 1There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

2Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Note that the promise was not made to Moses that all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  Moses was five generations from Isaac – who begat Jacob, who begat Levi, who begat Kohath, who begat Amran, who begat Moses. God chose Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery and he was given a set of ten commandments (give charge or give order to) and principles (statutes/ordinances – something prescribed) (aka the law) to help the Israelites who had been held in slavery for hundreds of years to re-acclimate them from the oppression of Egyptian worship of many gods, back to serving the One True God. The law given to Moses in no way could justify one’s salvation nor was it meant to; and it is shown that even the Israelites in the days of Moses could not uphold the principles given to them, let alone the generations that followed. They were put in place to test the Hebrew people’s allegiance to Yahweh. Their transgressions continued and many became cursed as a result of falling back into bondage, but in God’s infinite mercy to fulfill the promise He made to Himself and to Abraham, the One who could bring salvation would soon arrive. 

Exodus 19:1-6 – 1In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. 

3and Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant for the children of Israel spoken to Moses on Mount Sinai that outlined the laws Israel was required to obey. (IF they would indeed obey…) It was not a conditional covenant given to Moses for the Gentile nations. 

The distinctions between the two covenants are: The promise to Abraham is a binding “I Will Make, I will bless” and to Moses a conditional “If You Will.” The promise to Abraham was for both Israel and the Gentile nations.

Paul is reiterating this point in his letter:

The Law Brings a Curse

Galatians 3:10-29 – 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Changeless Promise

15Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Purpose of the Law

19What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

21Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Sons and Heirs

26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I encourage you to take time to self reflect and see where you may have fallen prey to false brethren who have been sent in to distort and pervert the true gospel of Jesus Christ with another doctrine. We were awakened to this in 2004 when we had false brethren sneak into our midst and try to persuade us to follow them. We separated from them and sure enough, others tried again in 2009, but with all praise and glory to the Father, we knew the word much better and the Holy Spirit immediately began speaking to us, just as He does today when they try to sneak in. Beloved, the New Testament tells us that if we do any of the law we must live by the whole law. Yikes! Can you perform the whole Law perfectly? Heavens No! It is impossible to be justified by works to obtain salvation, and it is impossible to glorify God by the justification of faith without our works being led by the Spirit of the living God. 

How this applies to us today is if anyone tells us we must do a specific work in order to obtain salvation, especially involving returning to Judaism in any form, performing rituals, ceremonies, sacrificing animals/humans, wearing amulets, praying to Saints, tithing in order to become blessed or rich, false promises of many wives after death, sexual immorality, etc. is a deceiver and you will want to repent and ask God to break that curse. The only way to know if they are false is to know the word of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth so that you can test the spirits behind these deceptions.  We need the Spirit of Truth! I will add that many have fallen prey unknowingly due to how they were raised to believe and follow. This is an example of having to break a generational curse that has come down the bloodline.

Galatians 3:26-29 – 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We’ll close here and thank you for continuing the study on Galatians. Join me next time as we study Chapter 4.

Chapter 4

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