Galatians: Session 4 – You Are Not Cursed But Blessed

Notes:

You Are Not Cursed, But Blessed – Galatians 3:5-25    See Session Slides Here

The gospel had been clearly portrayed to the Galatians, yet they had been bewitched by legalists.

Gal. 3:5-9. In order to relate to God correctly we must understand covenants.

  • The Promise Covenant, which God made with Abraham, is the central, supreme covenant in the Bible. In it, redemption is offered to mankind. It’s the same as the Grace Covenant (Gal. 3:8).
  • Righteousness is imparted to believers in the same way as to Abraham – by faith.
  • So why was the Mosaic Covenant given? What is its relationship to the Promise Covenant?

1) The Covenant Of Promise Is Not Annulled Or Replaced By The Law, (Gal. 3:15-17)

  • Gal. 3:15. Once ratified, a covenant is not able to be modified or nullified.
  • God alone stood behind the Promise Covenant made with Abraham, (Heb.6:13-18). It is not conditional upon man’s efforts.
  • Gal. 3:16. Christ is the Seed God promised to Abraham.
  • Gal. 3:17. The Law came 430 years after God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Whatever its purpose, it did not annul the promise of righteousness by faith made to Abraham.

2) The Law Is Not Presented As An Alternative To Faith As A Means Of Salvation (Gal. 3:18)

  • Gal. 3:18. God did not save Abraham through the law, but through faith in the coming Seed. If Abraham is the prototype of believers, then faith in Christ is the way to salvation.
  • If righteousness could come through the Law then Jesus would not have died for us (Gal. 3:21).

3) The Purpose Of The Law Was To Support The Covenant Of Promise (Gal. 3:19-25)

  • Gal. 3:19a. If the law did not impart righteousness and does not sanctify, then why was it given?
  • It was given “because of transgressions,” e. Israel’s inclination to idolatry. The law was the only way they could be preserved as a distinct people who were called to keep alive the promise of the Coming Seed. They were “kept under guard by the law” (Gal. 3:23).
  • Gal. 3:21-22. The law is not the enemy of the Promise. It served and supported the Promise.
  • Gal. 3:23-25. In  Gal. 3:23, Paul uses the phrase, “before faith came” and in Gal. 3:25, “after faith has come”. What is faith? It is our response to that which God has initiated on our behalf. Faith must have an object in order for it to operate. The prime object of our faith is Christ.

4) The Law Tended Towards The Curse; The Promise Is Characterised By Blessing (Gal. 3:10-14)

  • Contrast Gal. 3:9-10. Bless = ‘to empower to prosper’; curse = ‘to diminish, or to make small.’
  • There is much erroneous teaching today about blessings and cursing.
  • Under the new covenant: We are free from the curse because Jesus became a curse, i.e. an ‘accursed one,’ for us (Isa.53:6;  2 Cor.5:21). He bore the curse for us by dying in our place, (Matt.27:46; Lev.16:5ff). This curse was openly demonstrated by the way that Christ died, (Deut.21:23). Jesus bore the full curse of the law on behalf of His people.
  • The only way we can come under a curse is by attempting to live by the law. This is because the law demands perfect obedience, (Deut.27:26). Since no one is perfect, all who live under the law will experience its curse.
  • Gal. 3:13-14. We are blessed with the blessing of Abraham (see Gal. 3:8,9,14).
  • We should be studying the blessings, not the cursing! E.g. Eph.1:3-14;   1 Cor.2:9-12; Philemon 1:4-6



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