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Galatians 3:1-9
Paul has come to the main point of his letter to the Galatian assemblies, that a man is justified by faith in
Jesus Christ alone, and not by the works of the Law. Last week, we discussed exactly what the term
justification means, and I would like to review that with you first, so that we understand the fullness of
what God has done for us in Christ.
Justification is a legal term, whereby God, as Judge, pronounces a man to be righteous. No man is
righteous in his natural state; he is born a sinner, as a son of Adam, and demonstrates his inner
unrighteousness as it is worked out through the members if his body; that is, he sins.
Man cannot make himself righteous; he cannot reform himself, for his self will always refuses to conform to
the will of God. In addition, man has no means by which to put away his own sin so his sin remains.
Man has sinned, will continue to sin, and finally, will incur the just judgment of God for his sin death
he will die in his sin, which will keep him eternally separated from God.
The problem is that Judge; He is utterly righteous and holy. God cannot justify an unrighteous man; that is,
He cannot pronounce an unrighteous man as righteous; that would violate who God is. Even if an
unrighteous man were to try to keep the Law, which is Gods expressed will, the Judge cannot pronounce
him righteous because the man can never fully obey it.
In order for God to justify the man, the man must somehow become righteous; though he cannot make
himself righteous. How can this be done?
The solution is that Judge. He is utterly merciful and loving. He provides one way by which all men can
become righteous through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus identified Himself with mankind, dying in their stead to put away their sin. Through the power of His
resurrection, He availed Life everlasting to all men. What God simply requires is that men receive the allsufficient provision He has made for them, in order for them to be justified by Him.
And how do men receive it? By faith. They place their faith in Jesus, identifying themselves with Him, as
He did with them. Through the washing of regeneration, their sins are loosed from them; through the
renewal of the Holy Spirit to their spirit, they now live in union with Christ, partaking of His righteousness.
They become the righteousness of God, in Christ. And now the Judge is able to justify them to
pronounce them righteous, because in Christ, they are righteous.
This is more than if a man had never sinned; that would only take care of his past sin. Its even more than
being freed of all charges of sin and guilt, past, present and future; for that only addresses the outside, not
the inside. To be justified by God is to have both the penalty of sin paid in full, and to be righteous inside
and out; in both character and deed (these go together). And that is what God does for mankind, in Christ.
Paul had laid out for the Galatians that this is the only way to be justified; whether Jew or Gentile. Both
first had acknowledge their need; that they were sinners, and that they could not justify themselves.
For the Jew, this involved setting aside the works of the Law, as a way to justification; for the Law cannot
justify a man, only condemn him. This was difficult for a Jew, as it put him on the same ground as a
Gentile as a sinner in need of a Savior.

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But Paul stressed that it was essential for the Jews to see that they needed to make a clean break with the
Law as if they were dead to it. To try to work for their justification through the Law would render the
work of Christ null and void.
Now that Paul has clearly laid out the one and only basis of justification, he once again addresses the
assemblies in Galatia directly, continuing in his reproof from the beginning of his letter (Gal 1:6-7). Lets
first read through the section together.
[Read Galatians 3:1-9]
Lets return to the first verse.
3:1 O foolish Galatians! Can you just hear the shock and dismay in Pauls words here? He is horrified
by what he had heard is going on in the assemblies of Galatia. The Greek word for foolish means lacking
intelligence, but Paul is not saying the Galatians are stupid; he is saying they are void of understanding;
they are not using their minds.
Thats why they had become deceived; they had impulsively seized upon the erroneous teaching that had
been offered to them. This, they had done so soon (Gal 1:6) so quickly and easily without thinking it
through. Paul will make them think it through! The battle is for the minds of men.
Who has bewitched you? Paul makes an indirect reference here to the false teachers that have come into
the assemblies in Galatia; he does not dignify them by direct address, or by naming them as teachers.
Notice that Paul says they have bewitched the Galatians. In the Greek, this word literally means to cast the
evil eye, by which one kills or destroys; Paul uses the term here to describe the Galatians being misled by
pretense, as if by magic arts.
What was the pretense? That the Galatians needed to add the works of the Law, and circumcision, to their
faith. That idea had been packaged as the complete way to salvation and held up before the Galatians
like a hypnotic object before their eyes, and they had become mesmerized by it. Now they were under the
spell of the false teachers, for in buying their lies, they had allowed themselves to be brought under their
power and influence. Paul intends to snap them out of it!
Which of the Galatians were so foolish as to have been bewitched by the false teachers? Was it the Jews, or
the Gentiles? It was both. Was it the believers, or those who merely professed to believe? Both again. We
will see from the balance of Pauls letter that this deception had taken root throughout the assemblies in
Galatia; this was not some small subset of the assemblies that had been led astray. Paul is addressing his
reproof to the majority of them.
In verse 1, there are two clauses that are not in the best manuscripts. The first is, that you should not obey
the truth; the second is among you. Without these clauses, it would read, O foolish Galatians! Who
has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified?
It may be that these clauses were introduced into the text as a clarification, but I personally think it is
clearer without them. Among you almost makes it sound like Jesus was crucified in their midst. To

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obey the truth is to believe; as we know, the issue was that the Galatians were buying into the idea that
their simple belief in Jesus was not enough to save them.

But without this last clause, we have a closer connection between being bewitched and before whose
eyes, and it makes sense that Paul would be connecting them. Paul had clearly portrayed Jesus Christ as
crucified to the Galatians; that was always at the center of his teaching. To the Corinthians, Paul would say,
I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Co 2:2).
In Galatia, it was as if Paul had painted a vivid picture before their very eyes, giving them all the details of
the eye-witness accounts of Jesus death and resurrection. And Paul had also painted for the Galatians the
picture from the OT; how the Scriptures concerning the Messiahs first coming were perfectly fulfilled
through what Jesus did.
Further, Paul had enlightened their understanding to the meaning of that vicarious death and resurrection;
he proclaimed to the Galatians why this was such good news for them Christ was their propitiation; their
redemption; their salvation; their justification; their reconciliation; their peace.
Paul had set all of this right before their eyes, through his preaching of the gospel. But what had happened?
They looked away; they took their eyes off Jesus, responding to the charms of the false teachers, instead;
and in turning away from the Light, the truth in their minds had become enshrouded by the clouds of
deception.
Paul has been working through his letter at blowing away those clouds with his statement on how a man is
really justified by God. Now he will use the actual experiences of the Galatians to prove his statement, and
make justification real to them.
v. 2 When Paul writes, This only I want to learn from you, it would be like us saying Just answer me
one question. The idea is that the answer to this single question alone will settle the entire issue as to how
the Galatian believers have been justified.
So what is Pauls question? Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of
faith? By the way, this question shows that Paul was convinced that at least some of those who were
deceived by the false teachers were genuine believers. Paul asks them to think back to when he was still in
their midst, having preached the gospel to them, and they had received the Holy Spirit.
Now, how would they know they had received the Holy Spirit? There are many evidences of Him, in the
believer. The Holy Spirit cleanses the believer from sin; the believer no longer carries the burden of his sin
and its guilt, and he becomes aware of that; he is forgiven. And the Holy Spirit completes the believer; the
believer no longer has the sense that something vital is missing from his life, and he has peace with God.
The Holy Spirit also sanctifies the believer; the believer is set apart from the world, and set apart unto God.
The evidence of this in his life is an increasing aversion for the things of the world, and an increasing desire
for the things of God.
It is through the Spirit that the believer has a relationship with God; He can know what God thinks, and
what His will is, for the believers life so the believer, for the first time, has true purpose and direction in
his life. And the Holy Spirit teaches the believer about God; now, the believer can understand the deep

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things of God, so that he can know Gods ways. Finally, the Holy Spirit creates the desire to please God in
the believer, and empowers him to fulfill Gods will in his life.
These are just some of the ways in which the Holy Spirit transforms the believer all of them changes in
the inner man as Christ is manifest in him. This inward transformation is evident to the believer; he
knows that he is a changed man; he knows he has truly received the Holy Spirit.
Many of these changes also become apparent to others, as the righteousness of Christ is worked out in the
believer through acts of righteousness the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). It is likely that there were
other evidences of the Spirit, as well, through the spiritual graces which the Spirit gives to believers
(charisma).
So the true believers in Galatia would have had this evidence that they had received the Holy Spirit. And
when had they received the Holy Spirit? Clearly, because Paul is asking them this, it must have been when
Paul had come and preached Christ crucified to them. They believed what Paul said; and when they did,
they received the Holy Spirit.
There was no work on their part; for the Jew, no works of the Law; or any other works, for the Gentile.
They all just heard the words of the gospel, and believed. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word
of God (Rm 10:17). They received the Holy Spirit through simple faith alone. Note that Pauls words here
make it clear that there is no separate receiving of the Holy Spirit following belief into Christ; the moment
one believes, one receives the Holy Spirit; He is the Spirit of Christ (Rm 8:9).
Once the Galatians had answered that question in their minds, it should have cleared things up for them; to
suggest that the works of the Law were necessary for salvation cannot be true, for their experience was that
their salvation had been wrought through simple faith alone.
But just in case anyone was still unclear, Paul posed a few more questions to the Galatians.
v. 3 The term being made perfect is an intensive form of a Greek verb which means to complete. It is
likely that the false teachers had tried to convince the Galatians that perfection could be attained through
the works of the Law.
But Paul knows that perfecting the believer is the sanctifying work of the Spirit. And what is the end of
that work? What is the ultimate perfection of the believer? When he is a son of God, in a body of glory (1
Th 5:23). Paul will show the Galatians why it cannot be that perfection can be attained through the works
of the Law.
Paul says to the Galatians, are you so foolish so devoid of understanding? The Galatians would have to
admit by this point that their experience bore witness to the fact that they had received the Holy Spirit when
they had first believed.
If the Spirit was the beginning of their Life in Christ, did it make any sense that that Life could be
perpetuated now through their own efforts by the works of the flesh, Spirit apart the way they had been
living, before they learned the Way to Life Everlasting, and received the Holy Spirit?
Whether they were Jewish flesh, or Gentile flesh, they would have known that the works of their flesh had
never made them righteous before. And could they, by any manner of work they could do, somehow
perfect themselves into sons of God, in bodies of glory? The idea was ludicrous to Paul; hopefully the
Galatians could begin to see how absurd this was.

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What had they been able to do, in their own strength, before they received the Holy Spirit? Unrighteous
works. Why would they now go back to living in their own strength weak, in the flesh when they had
received the power of the Holy Spirit to live righteously?

Notice the parallel contrasts in verses 2 and 3. In verse 2, we have the hearing of faith contrasted with
the works of the Law. In verse 3, we have the Spirit contrasted with the flesh. Paul is linking the
hearing of faith with the Spirit; and he is also linking the works of the Law with the flesh.
Surely, the false teachers would have decried the works of the Law being equated with the flesh; but so they
were; they were the efforts that men made to justify themselves, in their own strength. And in that light, the
Galatians could begin to see that performing the works of the Law had nothing to do with the living the
Life Christ died to give them.
This lesson had to be absorbed, not just by the Jews, but by the Gentiles, as well. Remember that the false
teachers were trying to put the Gentiles in Galatia under the Law, and have them get circumcised.
Paul continues his reproof.
v. 4 Now, the word suffered in this verse basically means to be affected by something from the outside;
in other words, to undergo an experience.
If the experience was bad, the translation suffered would be appropriate. But in this case, it is more
likely referring to the experience the Galatians had undergone in receiving the Holy Spirit so a good
experience. Verses 2, 3 and 5 all deal with the Galatians experience with the Spirit; therefore, by context,
it is unlikely that Paul would be talking in verse 4 about a bad experience they had suffered, such as
persecution.
Paul is saying to the Galatians, Have you undergone so many great experiences through the Holy Spirit to
no purpose if indeed it was to no purpose? To understand what Paul is saying, lets consider for a
moment the purpose of the Holy Spirit, during this age on earth.
One purpose of the Spirit is to glorify Christ (Jn 16:14); in particular, to glorify Christ to men, so that they
may be reconciled to God (John 15:26, 16:8-11; Acts 1:8, Col 1:20). The transformation of the believer
the graces given to him the fruit of righteousness, worked out in his life all serve to glorify Christ to
men, to draw men, that they, too, may be reconciled with God.
If a genuine believer were to live by his own efforts, according to the flesh; if he were to live trying to
perform the works of the Law would the Spirit be manifest in his life? No. So Christ could not be
glorified in that life. Men would not be drawn to God, and reconciled to God, through that life.
Although that believer had received the Holy Spirit, it would essentially be to no purpose, at least for
others; there would be no gain for God, through that life. That would be a life lived in vain. But Paul adds,
if indeed it was in vain expressing the hope that that life would count, for God, by choosing to live that
life through the Holy Spirit. Its a choice, isnt it?

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v. 5-6 Paul is again appealing to the experience of the Galatian believers. The Galatians had received the
Holy Spirit after the gospel was preached to them by Paul. Who had supplied the Spirit? The Lord had;
and He had done miraculous works through the Spirit in the believers. There are several records of this in
Galatia found in Lukes record. Turn to Acts chapter 14. The first mention of miracles was in Iconium.
[Acts 14:1-3] Signs and wonders miracles done in their midst through the Holy Spirit, in Paul and
Barnabas.
A remarkable miracle also occurred in Lystra.
[Acts 14:8-10] Initially, this miracle caused the people to think Paul and Barnabas were gods. The
unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium came down, and transformed this emotionally-charged crowd
into a violent mob, who then proceeded to stone Paul. Truly, it was another miracle of God that Paul
survived the stoning, after having been left for dead.
[Return to Galatians 3]
These were just some of the miracles that the Holy Spirit did through the apostles, the works bearing
witness to their words, that this was the message of God. But the sense in the passage here is that the Holy
Spirit also worked miracles through the Galatians and that is very likely, as miracles are one of the
spiritual graces (1 Cor 12:28) that equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph 4:12) the ministry of
reconciling men to God (2 Cor 5:18).
Now Paul was asking, did the Lord supply the Spirit to the believers, and work miracles through them
because of how well they had been keeping the Law? Well, until the false teachers had come, they werent
keeping the Law. Yet, long before the false teachers had come, it would have been evident that the Lord
was supplying the believers in Galatia and working through them; Paul certainly would have witnessed
this.
So was it based on their works? No; it was simply based on them putting their faith in Christ. Once again,
their experience bore witness to the fact that faith was the sole conduit through which their supply of the
Spirit and His power came.
In verse 6, Paul cites an OT reference concerning Abraham. This is meant as supportive evidence from
Scripture of what Paul has been saying thats why verse 6 begins with just as. Something Paul wrote
before is just as what Scripture records of Abraham that he believed God, and it was accounted to
him for righteousness another way of saying that Abraham was justified by faith.
So what has Paul been writing of? The experiences of the Galatians. And what was their experience? Paul
makes it clear and they would have to agree that they had received the Spirit by faith.
When the Galatians believed, they received the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy
Spirit to their spirits (Titus 3:5). Now, in union with Christ, they partook of His righteousness, so that God
could pronounce them righteous they had been justified by faith. Paul was saying that just as Abraham
was justified by faith, the Galatians were, as well.
Now, the Galatians had believed God for His Christ; they believed the gospel preached to them by Paul.
What was it that Abraham believed? It says in this Scripture that he believed God (Gen 15:6). But Paul
has made it clear that a man is only justified by faith in Jesus Christ. So if Abraham was justified by God,

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does that mean that he believed in Jesus Christ? In fact, he did whom he would have known as the
Coming One.
The Scripture that Paul is quoting here actually bears that out. We find it in Genesis chapter 15. Ill give
you a little background.
The LORD had called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees to a life of separation from his country, from
his kindred, from his fathers house a life of separation unto the LORD. To that call was attached certain
promises, which we will look at shortly.

Those promises included making Abraham a great nation; something that could only occur if Abraham had
children. As Abrahams wife was barren, this particular promise would have meant a great deal to him.
So, believing the LORD for the promises He made, Abraham went out. Where was he going? He didnt
know; the LORD had just said, to a land that I will show you. The author to the Hebrews records, and
he went out, not knowing where he was going (Heb 11:8). He just put one foot before the other, as the
LORD showed. That took faith; but it was not a saving faith; that would come later.
Little by little, the LORD revealed more of His plan to Abraham, as Abraham continued to follow the
LORDs leading. When Abraham reached the land of Canaan, the Lord told Abraham, I will give this land
to your seed (Gen 12:7, IL).
When Abraham finally finished separating completely from his last family member (his nephew Lot), the
LORD showed him the expanse of the land He would give to Abraham and to his seed, forever; it was to be
an everlasting possession. The LORD also revealed to Abraham that his seed would be as the dust of the
earth speaking of the innumerable physical descendants of Abraham (Gen 13:14-16).
Time passed. Through various circumstances, Abraham had learned to trust the LORD to be his provision
and his protection. Following his victory in a battle of kings, the LORD encouraged Abraham through His
priest, Melchizedek, who shared bread and wine with Abraham, no doubt sharing their meaning with him,
as well, speaking of the death of a Coming One on behalf of men. The strengthened Abraham against a
worldly temptation from the king of Sodom; victory upon victory.
But after all that excitement, there was the return to everyday life; and in those ordinary, passing moments,
Abraham got to thinking. At this time, he is still called by his given name, Abram.
[Genesis 15:1-6]
v. 1-3 the LORD says to Abram, do not be afraid. So what does that tell you? Abram is afraid. Now,
Abram was not afraid of going to battle with four kings and their forces, for there he saw the LORD to be
his protection; but there was something else that Abram was afraid of. It had to do with the things that the
LORD had promised him.
All of those promises depended on the LORD giving Abram an heir; and as of yet, there was no heir; the
LORD had given him no seed. Time was passing; the ordinary moments in life. Abrams wife Sarai had
always been barren, and Abram was afraid that soon, both of them would be past the age when they could
bring forth children.

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Abram had learned to trust God to protect and provide for him, but Abrams faith was really just in what the
LORD did for him Lord GOD, what will You give me. Abram did not yet see the LORD for who He
really is; he did not yet believe in the LORD, Himself. Abram did not yet know the LORD that way. The
LORD must reveal Himself, and make Himself known to men. Now the time had come when the LORD
would make that revelation to Abraham.
v. 4 The LORD gave Abram the assurance that his heir would be his own seed just as the LORD had
promised.
v. 5-6 It was nighttime, and Abram had been in his tent. The LORD brought Abram outside, and had him
gaze up at the heavens. He commanded Abram to count the stars the word for count in the Hebrew
means to recount, or tell. Abram was to tell the stars; that is, recount their names.
In the culture that Abram came from, the stars were the subject of idolatrous worship. All ancient cultures
that studied the stars recognized the same basic star groups constellations and decans and the stars of
which they were composed had names and meanings that were remarkably similar, from culture to culture.
Where had those names, and meanings come from? In that they were so similar, it points to a single
original source. That source is the LORD.
On the fourth day, the LORD had formed the stars and set them in the heavens to be for signs and for
seasons (Gen 1:14). In the Hebrew, signs are indicators of happenings past, present or future. Seasons are
appointed times, the order in which those happenings will occur. The stars were for signs to indicate
happenings that would occur on the earth, presented in an ordered sequence: like letters in a word, and
words in a sentence; and sentences - in a story.
A story needs words; and God provided those words through the star names. It is God Himself who named
the stars. Psalm 147:4 says, He [the LORD] counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
The prophet Isaiah also spoke of the stars: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these
things, that brings out their host by number: He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for
that He is strong in power; not one fails (Is 40:26).
So what was the story that the LORD told, through the star names? We know that it is the story of
redemption; sometimes called the gospel in the stars. Psalm 19 gives detail of this prophetic revelation in
the stars, from which we can begin to see that it is a portrayal of the Coming Christ, in His person and His
work; the sun in its tabernacle, the bridegroom coming out of his chamber, the strong man, rejoicing to run
his race.
So Abram recounted to the LORD the names of the stars, which he knew from his culture, and the LORD
revealed to Abram just what each one signified. In this way, the LORD preached the gospel to Abram,
telling of the Coming Christ, who would suffer death to deliver man from the penalty of sin, and rise from
the dead to give man everlasting life.
The LORD told Abram, So shall your Seed be, Seed being singular in number here. The LORD was
revealing to Abram that the Coming Christ would be his descendant. That put to rest his concerns of an
heir!
The Genesis record says that Abram believed in the LORD. We understand that Abram believed what the
LORD shared with him the gospel, the good news of the Coming One. Based on Abrams belief in His

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Christ, the LORD counted him as righteous; that is, he judged him righteous, because he had identified
himself with Christ, who is righteous. This is how Abram was justified; just as the Galatians were
justified; by believing in the Crucified Christ.
Paul also discussed the example of Abrahams faith in his letter to the Romans. Turn to Romans chapter 4.
[Romans 4:1-5]
v. 1-2 In this section of the letter, Paul is making his argument that a man cannot be justified by the works
of the Law. Paul cites Abraham here to be an example of this, as in Galatians.

The Jews regarded Abraham as the father of their nation, Israel. They held Abraham up as the supreme
example of a righteous man. But Abraham probably didnt have to think about his own life too long before
coming to the conclusion that he could not be justified according to the flesh by his own human efforts.
Think of when he abandoned the land to which the LORD had led him, for Egypt. Think of Hagar and
Ishmael.
Perhaps Abraham could boast about some things he did, but only to himself; it wouldnt be enough to
justify him before God; for that, Abraham would have to be perfect, both in his motives and his deeds.
v. 3 Abraham was not justified by works, but by believing God for His Christ.
v. 4 Think of a man working to earn wages. If a man tries to work for his justification by keeping the Law,
he does not gain it; he loses everything. How can God bestow His unmerited favor on one who is trying to
merit his own righteousness? He cant.
Instead, the man who works for his justification will get the wages he is owed, for his works. The wages of
sin is death (Rm 6:23). The man who works for his justification is really storing up wrath for himself in the
day of wrath (Rm 2:5).
v. 5 A man must recognize that he cannot justify himself, and abandon his attempts to do so. Instead, he
must place his faith in the finished work of Christ, in order to be justified by God. That means he does not
try to add any work of his own, which would negate the work of Christ on his behalf.
[Return to Galatians]
So what Paul has done here, as in his letter to the Romans, is to use the OT Scriptures to prove that God has
always justified men through faith in His Christ; it is the only way that men can be justified. Abrahams
experience was the Galatians experience.
Paul then makes a remarkable statement, which would cause both Jew and Gentile to ponder.
v. 7 Now, the term son can be used either literally or figuratively. Literally, it refers to a descendant; in
ones physical line. Figuratively, it means in the character of someone, or something; the idea is, like
father, like son.

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10

The Jews referred to themselves as sons of Abraham; they saw him as their revered father (Jn 8:39, Rm
4:1). Through their physical descent from Abraham, the Jews assumed they would be heirs to the promises
that God made to him; and therefore, heirs to Gods kingdom.
But Paul introduces a new perspective on being a son of Abraham here; Gods perspective. Man looks at
the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7). God does not consider the heirs to His kingdom to be
those who are physical descendants of Abraham, but those who are his spiritual kin; those who believe as
he did, simply putting their faith in His Christ.
Well, that would negate the importance of physical descent, for the Jews; to be a son of Abraham, they
would have to believe as Abraham did or they would be excluded as a son and an heir.
It would also open up the definition of a son of Abraham to include any Gentile, who believed by faith,
as Abraham did! Incidentally, Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Gentile; and even his physical descendants
included both Jewish and Gentile nations.
Paul pursues the inclusion of the Gentiles through faith.
v. 8-9 Notice verse 8 opens with, And the Scripture, foreseeing preached the gospel. In this verse,
Scripture is personified, which was a common Jewish figure of speech. Because Scripture is Gods Word,
when it speaks, God speaks.
Now, you may observe that the Scripture which Paul quotes In you all the nations shall be blessed
doesnt really seem to be a preaching of the gospel, as Paul says here. This quote is from Genesis 12:3, and
is part of the promises that God initially gave to Abraham.
What Paul recognized was that this promise to Abraham contained an announcement of the gospel in
advance beforehand before the gospel was preached to Abraham in its full form. In a sense, it was
the gospel, concealed, and then later, revealed. Were going to quickly trace Pauls line of thought in
Genesis. Turn back to Genesis 12. Here are the promises that God initially made to Abraham.
[Genesis 12:1-3] Now, in our passage in Galatians, Paul quotes it as in you all the nations shall be
blessed. Thats because his mind had gone to a fuller revelation that God made later to Abraham, after he
had offered up Isaac to the Lord as a burnt offering. Turn to Genesis chapter 22.
[Genesis 22:16-18] Here we have the original expanded from families to nations, and in you in Abraham
given as the fuller revelation, in your Seed, speaking of the Christ.
The LORD had revealed to Abraham about His Christ that night under the stars so shall your Seed be.
In Pauls mind, these revelations that the LORD made to Abraham are all bundled together, so that in the
original promises the LORD made to Abraham, Paul sees the gospel being preached to Abraham
beforehand. The gospel was anticipated in those promises.
[Return to Galatians]
What Paul is saying here is that Scripture recorded that promise to show the foreknowledge of God; that He
always intended to justify the Gentiles by faith just as He did the Jews.

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11

It was always part of the plan of God to justify all of mankind by faith in His Christ. All of the blessings of
God are to be had in His Christ. Paul will write to the Ephesians, Blessed by the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph 1:3).
Paul concludes in verse 9: So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Like
father, like son; both Jew and Gentile alike who believe are the true sons of Abraham, and heirs to Gods
kingdom. Faith in Christ is the one and only channel through which all the blessings of God flow to men.
As we continue in our passage next week, we will see Paul demonstrate that, whereas faith brings blessing,
what the law brings is cursing.
Next week: read Gal 3, Deut 27, Lev 18:1-5, Deut 21:22-23, Rm 4:13-25, Gen 15:7-21