"By Works of the Law, or by Hearing with Faith?"

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on Galatians

Galatians is a letter of sharp contrasts.  Paul is writing to Gentile Christians throughout Galatia, who have been told (erroneously) they must now live as Jews.  Their confusion arises from the efforts of false teachers (Judaizers), who secretly infiltrated the churches in Galatia to spy out the freedom enjoyed by these new Christians.  In response, Paul exposes the false gospel taught by these men for what it really is, no gospel.  He reminds them that the gospel which he preaches (the public placarding of Christ) was revealed to him by Jesus, who’s saving merits are received through faith alone, and cannot earned by works.  In Galatians 3:1-14 (our text), Paul contrasts the true gospel which he has preached (requiring the “hearing of faith”), and the false gospel (“works of law”) proclaimed by Judaizers.

Paul is writing to churches which he helped to found not long before through the preaching of that gospel which had been revealed to him by Jesus.  Paul was gone from Galatia for a brief period of time, but already a group of Jewish converts to Christianity (Judaizers) were denying the gospel which he just preached to them.  Telling Gentile believers, “yes, Jesus was Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God,” the Judaizers added the condition that membership in the church was maintained through continuing obedience to the law of Moses, submission to ritual circumcision, the keeping of certain dietary laws, all of which functioned as badges, or emblems of membership in the people of God (true Israel).  When pagan Gentiles came to faith in Jesus Christ, Judaizers insisted that Gentiles adopt these ethnic badges of Judaism, or else forfeit their right standing before God.  Gentiles must believe in Jesus, but live as Jews.

Discovering what had happened in his absence, Paul composed this letter.  In the opening chapter, Paul expresses his concern.  “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” (Gal. 1:7).  Paul contends this false gospel was taught by deceitful men “who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery” (2:4).  Things got so bad that Paul was forced to confront Peter to his face, since Peter was living as a Gentile, but hypocritically telling Gentiles to live as Jews.  Peter was not acting in line with the truth of the gospel which is grounded in the work of Jesus Christ, his sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection from the dead.  Justification (our right standing before God) comes through faith, and not through one’s obedience to dietary laws, submitting to circumcision, or through obedience to any other elements of the Mosaic law.  In Galatians 2:16, Paul has made this point clear.  “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.”

In Galatians 3:1-6, Paul exhorts the Galatians to consider how it was that they came to faith in the first place.  Exasperated by the state of things in Galatia, Paul warns his readers/hearers not to tolerate the error of the Judaizers.  The harsh label he ascribes to them “foolish Galatians” comes from a term which conveys the idea of an insufficient use of mental powers or a deficiency in understanding.  But a paraphrase like “you numskulls,” is not inappropriate!  Paul is angry, if not furious, with the Galatians.  He minces no words with them.  Many readers of this epistle notice the rather striking fact that Paul calls his readers “Galatians,” and not “Brethren,” nor does he use any terms of endearment to people he knows well and from whom he has recently departed.  

When Paul asks the Galatians the question, “who has bewitched you?” he uses a term which means to cast a spell upon someone using the “evil eye.”  The Galatians are acting like they are under a hypnotic spell cast upon them by the Judaizers, rendering them incapable of sound judgment.  Paul will warn them in Galatians 5:4, that those who have been taken in by the evil eye (spell) risk being severed from Christ.

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"Not by Works, But Through Faith" -- Galatians 2:15-21

The Third in a Series of Sermons on the Book of Galatians

Paul opens his letter to the churches of Galatia by taking direct aim at the false gospel which those identified as Judaizers were preaching to the Galatians–and which many Galatians were embracing!  The Apostle exposes the deceitful tactics the Judaizers used to infiltrate the Galatian churches spying on the liberty which Christians enjoyed.  In response, Paul lays out the specifics of the gospel revealed to him by Jesus Christ–a gospel not of works, but of faith in Jesus.

No doubt, Paul was angry when he wrote Galatians.  During his second missionary journey, Paul traveled throughout the region of Galatia, preaching Christ crucified–publicly placarding Christ (Galatians 3:1) to all who would listen.  God graciously granted Paul the privilege of seeing many Gentiles converted from paganism to faith in Jesus, the Son of God.  Many Jews who lived in the region also came to believe that Jesus Christ was Israel’s Messiah as promised throughout the Old Testament.  They too embraced the same Savior the Gentiles had through faith.  It was not long after Paul left the region that a group of false teachers, known to us as Judaizers, infiltrated these churches, undermining Paul’s authority and distorting the gospel which he had just preached to them.  The so-called gospel these Judaizers were proclaiming was a different gospel from that preached by Paul, which was, in reality, no gospel at all.

The Judaizers were a group of Jews who apparently converted to Christianity once convinced that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.  But as zealous Jews, and fully committed to the law of Moses, they were not eager to see the ways of their fathers overturned.  In addition to faith in Jesus Christ, they contended, Gentile converts to Christianity must also submit to circumcision and keep elements of the ceremonial law in order to be justified, just as they were doing.  Paul describes how these Judaizers deceptively entered into the Galatian churches by spying on the liberty that the Gentile Christians were enjoying.  They had even been able to pressure Peter and Barnabas into withdrawing from Gentile believers who did not keep ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law such as the dietary laws.  

In chapter 2:11-14 of this epistle, Paul recounts how he was forced to confront Peter to his face in Antioch, since Peter was hypocritically living as a Gentile–Peter had acquired a taste for pork chops and honey-baked ham–but after a visit from a group of Judaizers, Peter began insisting that Gentile converts keep the dietary laws that he had given up keeping.  “Do as I say, not as I do,” became Peter’s motto, a reaction arising from his fear of the Judaizers.  As Paul saw it, Peter’s actions compromised the gospel, since the gospel has nothing to do whatsoever with human merit, circumcision, and the obedience to the law of Moses, but is instead based upon the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In verses 15-16 of Galatians 2, we come to the very heart of Paul’s argument he will use throughout the rest of the letter.  The apostle defines the gospel as a doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone, on account of Christ alone.  Paul writes, “we ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”  Verse 16 has been correctly identified as “the doctrine of justification in a nutshell.”  This is one of the clearest definitions in all of Scripture regarding the doctrine of justification, that is, of how we as sinners obtain a “right standing” before God. 

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"The Truth of the Gospel" -- Galatians 1:10-2:14

The Second in A Series of Sermons on the Book of Galatians

Paul’s personal calling from the Risen and Ascended Jesus was to preach the same gospel which Jesus revealed to him.  As Paul now understands, he was set apart by Jesus and called by God’s grace for this very task.  In fulfilling that call the Apostle founded a number of churches in Galatia, preaching the gospel of Christ crucified throughout the region.  But soon after his departure from the area, the gospel was under full assault, prompting Paul to write his epistle to the Galatians, one of the most direct and confrontational letters in the New Testament.

Last time, we worked our way through the opening verses of the Book of Galatians (vv. 1-9) which is, as we saw, Paul’s response to a serious situation developing in Galatia.  Paul will describe how he had preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Galatians previously, publicly placarding Jesus Christ before their very eyes (3:1).  But shortly after he departed the area, a group of false teachers, known as Judaizers, gained a foothold in these same churches.  Teaching that in order to be justified (regarded as “right” before God), that in addition to placing one’s faith in Jesus, Gentile converts also must submit to circumcision and keep certain elements of the ceremonial law just as the Judaizers were doing.  In other words, Gentile believers must believe in Jesus, but live as Jews.  Paul’s gospel of Christ crucified was very disconcerting to these false teachers since it removes all place for human merit and good works as a ground of being declared “righteous” before God (“justified”).  This “different gospel” which the Judaizers were teaching was in reality “no gospel.”  Paul opposed them with everything in him.

In responding to the false teaching and accusations of the Judaizers, Paul sets out four points for the Galatians to consider in Galatians 1:10-2:14.  First, Paul speaks of the origin of the Gospel he preaches.  Second, he describes the nature of his call as apostle to the Gentiles.  Third, Paul recounts his life as a Jew and explains his zeal for the religion of his fathers.  Finally, he describes his two prior visits to Jerusalem and his dealings with the apostles, Peter, James and John, along with the rise of the Judaizing heresy, culminating in Paul confronting Peter about the latter’s apparent acceptance of this heresy.  

We begin with verses 10-12, and Paul’s first point of defense.  The gospel of Christ crucified is not a figment of his imagination.  The gospel which Paul preached was personally revealed to him by Jesus.  Amazed at the speed at which the Galatians had been taken in by these false teachers, Paul offers a lament of sorts, asking “am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.  For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.  For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The gospel is centered in the objective and historical work of Jesus Christ for us; his life, death, burial, and resurrection according to the Scriptures as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-9.  In Romans 1:16-17, the gospel is defined in terms of the revelation of the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.  If preaching the gospel is recounting the facts of redemption, the charge of novelty made against Paul collapses since the facts surrounding Christ’s death and resurrection were common knowledge.  Given the offence of the gospel and its character as a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Gentile (cf. I Corinthians 1:23), Paul could hardly be preaching this message in order to gain favor with men.  He himself at one time had opposed the new sect of “Christians” with great zeal.

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"The Gospel of Christ" -- Galatians 1:1-9

The First in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Letter to the Galatians

With good reason, the Book of Galatians has been called the magna carte of Christian liberty.  There is perhaps no portion of Holy Scripture which packs the punch of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia.  In this letter Paul sets out what is perhaps the most passionate defense of the gospel found in all the New Testament.  The apostle is angry when he writes this letter–he calls the Galatians “foolish” (3:1) and even tells them if they want to begin with circumcision, they might as well to go the whole way and emasculate themselves (5:12).  Strong words from the apostle, but much is at stake.  

The church to which Paul is writing is one which he himself helped to found not long before.  This same church was now tolerating, if not openly embracing, a form of teaching which directly contradicts what the apostle previously taught them about the saving work of Jesus Christ.  For Paul, this is a spiritual battle to be fought over the meaning of the gospel.  He is fighting for the very soul of these churches.  He minces no words with those whom he regards as enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Before we work our way through this letter, it is necessary take a look at the historical background which led to its composition.  Paul’s circular letter to the churches in Galatia (a region located in what is now south-central Turkey) and was written in AD 48, just prior to the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15:1-21.  By looking at Paul’s comments here in light of events recounted in the Book of Acts, we know that Paul visited the southern part of Galatia at least twice during the missionary journey described in Acts 14:21.  In Galatians 2, Paul describes his visit to Jerusalem on the occasion of a great famine which hit the city as described in Acts 11:27-30.  In Galatians 4:13, Paul refers to having preached the gospel to the Galatians previously.  
 
This indicates that Galatians was written in the days preceding the Jerusalem Council, when the pressing question of Gentile conformity to the Law of Moses was hotly debated before being definitively settled by the leaders of the church.  The pressing question was “must Gentile believers in Jesus live like Jews in order to be faithful Christians?”  These circumstances provide compelling evidence that Galatians is Paul’s earliest letter included in the canon of the New Testament, and the doctrine of justification is the basic gospel message Paul proclaimed from the very beginning of his ministry as apostle to the Gentiles.

As a result of Jewish opposition to Paul’s proclamation of Christ crucified in the synagogues of the region, Paul and Barnabas turned to preaching to the Gentiles.  Many were converted.  Soon after Paul and Barnabas left Galatia, Jewish converts to Christianity began teaching in the churches that Gentile converts must submit to the Law of Moses and undergo circumcision in order to be regarded as “right before God” (justified).  In Galatians 1:7, Paul refers to unnamed individuals who he says were throwing the Galatians into confusion soon after he had departed the area.  

Known to us as the Judaizers, these false teachers were undermining Paul’s gospel by claiming that his preaching was actually dangerous since it did not require obedience to the law of God as a condition of deliverance from the wrath of God.  Furthermore, they claimed, Paul’s authority was inferior to that of other apostles such as Peter and James, who were more closely associated with Jesus, the Jerusalem church, and with Judaism (1:1; 6:17).

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"Saved Through the Grace of the Lord" -- (Acts 15:1-35) A Postscript to Galatians

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon on Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council--A Postscript to Galatians

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"May I Never Boast" -- Galatians 6:11-18

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"Whatever One Sows" -- Galatians 6:1-10

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon on Galatians 6:1-10.

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This Week at Christ Reformed Church (June 12-June 18)

Sunday Morning, June 18:  In Galatians 6:1-10, Paul takes up the matter of reaping and sowing--so do we.  Our worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Afternoon:  Why is idolatry such a serious sin?  We continue our study of the Heidelberg Catechism as we work our way through Lord's Day 34 (Q & A 92-95).  Our catechism service begins @ 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study:  Will return in September.

The Academy:  Resumes in the Fall of 2017.

For more information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here (Christ Reformed Info), or on Facebook (Christ Reformed on Facebook).

"Walk By the Spirit" -- Galatians 5:16-26

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the eleventh in my series on Galatians

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"Through Love Serve One Another" -- Galatians 5:7-15

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