An Appeal to the Galatians' Experience
Sermons on Galatians
May I turn in your Bibles to Galatians chapter 3? Galatians chapter 3, we'll take up the first five verses this evening, which is an appeal to the Galatians experience. We remember that the bulk of chapters 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul is highlighting the fact that his call to the apostolic ministry was divine in its origin, and as well his message, his gospel was received from Jesus Christ, that he was preaching the real deal. that he did not need to have his message supplemented, that they should resist the temptation to add works to faith vis-Ã -vis circumcision or other elements of law-keeping that would be necessary to sort of perfect or complete what Christ had done. Remember, he made this statement in chapter 2 at verse 21. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. So, he continues his defense of justification by faith alone in chapter 3. We know that He is dealing with justification because He says as much. Verse 8, He says in the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Verse 9, so then, those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. And then again in verse 11, but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident. He is still dealing with our state before God, our righteousness before God, our acceptance with God. He will get to sanctification, but in due course. He will take up that issue in chapter 5. So we need to keep that in mind. The issue at stake is that the Judaizers were saying that faith in Jesus is good, but you need to perfect it or complete it by adding your own works, by adding your own faithfulness, by adding circumcision to the mix in order to make sure that you are right with God. I'll begin reading in chapter 3 at verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified. 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? Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, Are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain? Therefore, 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? Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore, know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And 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. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Curse it is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Christ 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, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, we thank You for Your written Word and we pray for Your Holy Spirit now to guide us in this passage. We pray that you would give us clarity in our thinking, give us clarity in our understanding, give us grace, Lord God, to take these things to heart, to think clearly and rightly with reference to justification by faith alone. We ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, there are three sections, just to give you a bit of a structure before we zone in or focus in on verses one to five. There is, as I said, an appeal to the Galatians' experience in verses 1-5. This isn't a mystical appeal. This isn't a, you know, otherworldly appeal. It is just going based on facts. It was Paul who preached in the churches of the southern Galatia region. It was Paul who preached justification by Faith alone, they heard that Word, they believed that Word, they received the Holy Spirit. All those blessings came. So, he appeals to that. He says, we already know this to be the truth, this to be the case. The Judaizers cannot make that any more better or any more efficacious. So the appeal to the Galatians' experience, verses 1-5. And then there's an appeal to Scripture, specifically Abraham's example in verses 6-9. And this is brilliant. Not that Paul needs me to say that he's brilliant, but imagine the Judaizers for a moment. Who do you think they would put forth as an example of circumcision? It would be Abraham. The covenant made with Abraham. The promise of blessing in Abraham. And then the covenant of circumcision that followed thereafter. Paul says, no, to properly understand Abraham is to properly understand justification by faith alone. Again, it is brilliant. And then verses 10-14, the law's expectation. What was God's design in giving the law? And then the remainder of the chapter highlights the permanence of the promise and then the purpose of the law, which God willing we'll look at in due time. But here in verses 1-5, Paul asks six rhetorical questions. Rhetorical question means that it's asked in such a way that the answer is evident. The answer is obvious. Now, we could just take up each of these questions, but I don't want to do that for sake of ease. I just want to make several observations on verses 1 to 5. And the first observation that we need to look at is that they were being led astray. They were being led astray. Remember back in chapter 1 at verse 6. Paul wrote, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. They are being led astray by giving attention to this false doctrine. by listening to the idea that we must perfect or complete the finished work of Jesus by our own law-keeping, is to be led astray. And that calls forth, or that elicits from Paul this statement, O foolish Galatians! He's not insulting their intelligence. It's not just that they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. The idea here is that they were not exercising spiritual discernment. They were not exercising biblical commitment. They were being led astray by false doctrine, and that brings forth false condemnation. He says, O foolish Galatians, it is legit, it is righteous, it is good, it is excellent at times to chide and reprove and rebuke someone when they start to go astray doctrinally. Remember the context that I mentioned. It's justification. If you go astray a little bit in your eschatology, I might think you're a bit odd, or you might think I'm a bit odd. But there's no reason for us to call each other fools with reference to a bit of a difference in eschatology. If you have a certain preference on how to do such and such in the Christian life that I don't necessarily agree with, but that's not sin, I don't have the right to come and call you a fool. And I respect the fact that I like to think that you're not going to call me a fool if we do things a little bit differently. But when it comes to the matter of justification, if you start to go astray, Paul's calling you a fool. It is folly, it is the height of folly, so that you should not obey the truth. One man says, yet more than just a reprimand, this expresses Paul's deep concern, exasperation, and perplexity. He's upset, brethren. A godly man is upset when people he is seeking to teach the truth to begin to stray. When these basic, foundational, fundamental elements of Christianity are not being held fast to. Paul says, O foolish Galatians, It is not a lack of intelligence on their part that grieves Paul, but a failure to exercise even a modicum of spiritual discernment. That's what he's saying here. And then notice the language that he uses. Who has bewitched you? It's an amazing statement that he uses. The word here means specifically, to bewitch. How's that for learning? How's that for explanation of Greek? It means to bewitch, to cast a magic spell, to seek to bring damage to a person through an evil eye or a spoken word. You see what Paul is saying. If you deviate from the doctrine of justification by faith alone, you are bewitched. That means if you give heed to the Romish doctrine of salvation by faith plus words, If you give heed to the new perspective on Paul, or the federal vision that salvation is about our faithfulness, then you have fallen prey to a vicious and wicked spell. You have been bewitched. F. F. Bruce says, their new behavior was so strange, so completely at odds with the liberating message which they had previously accepted, that it appeared as if someone had put a spell on them. Paul had preached in their churches. They had received the Word. They were justified freely by God's grace. They received the Spirit. Now these shysters come in, these religious hooligans, and they say, yeah, what Paul spoke is good, but you also need to submit to circumcision. Paul says the very fact that you are listening to that demonstrates your foolishness and demonstrates the fact that you are under a spell. You have been bewitched. You are in a bad place. The second observation on the passage is that they had heard the Gospel from Paul. They had heard the Gospel from Paul. Notice verse 1. Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? How did Paul, clearly portray Jesus Christ as crucified among them. He didn't do it with flannel graphs. He didn't do it with the Jesus film. He didn't do it with Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. He did it through preaching. Now before you say Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ wasn't out and available on DVD back then, realize this, that in the time frame that Paul moved and ministered and labored, drama was very popular. The theater was very popular. Skits and all those things were very popular. But God is well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Paul says that Christ was clearly portrayed among them as crucified, not through pictures, but through preaching. Reverend Paul had other media available to him, and yet God's ordained means Not as only means people can read the Bible and be converted by the power of the Spirit, but one of God's ordained means for the calling of sinners to repentance and faith is the foolishness of preaching. Ronald Fung says, the word rendered, openly displayed, refers not to some document or letter previously written by Paul, nor to a depiction of the suffering and dying Jesus. They didn't reenact the passion for these particular people. It is to the public and official character of the apostolic preaching, which set forth, like a placard for all to see, Jesus Christ crucified. That's the emphasis. The sum and substance. You can encapsulate the entirety of the message with that emphasis. Christ and Him crucified. It's perfect tense here, which lays emphasis on the fact that this crucifixion is a past, completed action with current and abiding results. Paul was able to say to the church in Corinth, I spent time with you, and I determined to know nothing among you. Except what? Except Christ and Him crucified. Brethren, the Galatians had heard proclamation. They had heard the truth. They had heard the Word of God. And by His grace, they believed it, they understood it, they received it, and they were saved. Now, men have come in, and they have sought something else before them, and they are starting to go astray. And Paul says, you foolish Galatians, You are coming under a spell. When we look at the book of Acts, especially as Paul ministered in the southern Galatia region, we see that emphasis on preaching. Acts chapter 13, beginning in verse 16. He's in Antioch in Pisidia. He goes into a synagogue and what does he do? He preaches the gospel. 13 at verse 44. It says, on the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. Why? Because Paul was going to preach the Word of God. Verse 49, And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. Reverend, good deeds are a blessing, and they adorn the Gospel. But the message preached, the message proclaimed, the truth concerning Jesus. You may give your testimony of how you have a happier, healthier, and a more profitable life. But brethren, men must hear of blood atonement. They must hear of a crucified Savior. They must hear of the doing and dying and rising again of Jesus. I just came across a quote. The Gospel is a pronouncement, not a program. It is good news, not good advice. It tells us what's been done, not what we must do. And the Apostle understood this from town to town, city to city, province to province. He preached Christ crucified. That's the emphasis of the passage. The Galatians had heard that, the Galatians had received that, and the Galatians were now departing from it. And that brings us to the third observation. They received the Spirit by the hearing of faith. Back in Galatians chapter 3, verse 2, he says, this only I want to learn from you. Just tell me this. Let's just cut to the quick here. Let's just get right to the issue. This only is what I want to know. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? The hearing of faith here, I take this to mean believing what you heard. You heard propositions. You heard truth. You heard gospel. You believed it by God's grace. Paul's question is very simple. This will settle it. His appeal to their experience. Did you begin by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Did you come into justification or into the reception of the Holy Spirit by this law working? By what you did? Or was it by grace? Was it a gracious arrangement of God? And notice here how he introduces the Holy Spirit. Verse 2, this only I want to learn from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law? What's Paul's point? Those who by God's grace believe what they hear in terms of the Gospel and are justified, they receive the Spirit. So much so that those two blessings, shall we say, justification and Spirit, go hand in hand. As one man said, the gift of the Spirit and justification are two sides of one coin. Another man says, the Spirit in Pauline teaching belongs to the foundation of the Gospel. His reception does not mark a second and higher stage than justification. That's a perennial heresy in Christianity. The second work of grace. You believe, you're justified, that's great, but you aspire to a higher life. You aspire to more, and then God gives you the Holy Spirit. That is incorrect. The moment you believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are justified, you receive the Spirit. You receive the Spirit, you're justified. Those are two sides of one coin. They are blessed gifts that the Lord gives to His people. Both in John and in Acts, the gift of the Spirit is similarly the sequel and confirmation of Christ's redemptive work. So when he is talking about their beginning of the Christian life, he uses the language of the reception of the Spirit. Another man says, what uniquely distinguishes God's people marks them off as inheritors of the promise made to Abraham. The agitators are urging circumcision. You want to really be one of God's people? Get circumcised. You want to really show your identity as God's people? Get circumcised. probably on the basis of Gentile inclusion in the covenant with Abraham. Paul argues for the Spirit. For Paul, the Spirit alone functions as the seal of divine ownership. It's a promise of the new covenant in Ezekiel 36. Remember, God says, I will take out the old stony heart. I will put in a new fleshly heart. He says in 36.27, I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgments and do them. So we are justified and we have the Spirit. We are men and women, boys and girls, of the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit as the seal and the guarantee of our inheritance according to Paul in Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. According to Paul in Romans 8 and 9, we have received the Spirit of Christ. Brethren, it's not just the Charismatics or the Pentecostals who have the Spirit. Dare I say it, Reformed people have the Spirit. We need to conduct ourselves as Spirit-filled people. He has been given to us. When we receive, by God's grace, the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are inheritors of the Holy Spirit. You see that emphasis throughout the book of Acts as well. Remember that passage in Acts 2.38. Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." We often stumble in this passage, especially in verse 39 with the children and all that. What is clear is this. When we, by God's grace, believe on the Lord Jesus, we have received the Holy Spirit. Notice over in Acts chapter 10. Peter preaching to Cornelius and his household. These Gentiles. Acts chapter 10 verse 44. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word, and those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit, just as we have? You see, to believe the Gospel is to receive the Holy Spirit. So Paul's appeal to the Spirit in Galatians 3.2 ought not to catch any of us by surprise. It's not as if he has now become a Pentecostal. He's now become a charismatic. Paul is always charismatic. Paul is always Pentecostal. So is every genuine believer. We may not go out and do the same sorts of things in our expression of that, but by God's grace we have received that gift. We have the Spirit. It's not just unique to some denomination, but the Spirit of God comes upon all believers indiscriminately, because the Lord our God has promised it as a feature of New Covenant religion, that I will put My Spirit within you. over in Acts 11, verses 16 and 17, as he is highlighting or recounting this conversion at Cornelius' household. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was I that I could withstand God? And then at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, 8-10, Acts 15, verse 8, So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts By faith. It's not by works of the law. It's not by activities that they engaged in. It's not like they set up a free clinic that whoever got circumcised would then receive this gift of the Spirit and be added to the church. You do this, you jump through this hoop, you engage in this aspect of obedience to the Mosaic rite, and you will be allowed into the New Covenant community. That's not it at all. It is by grace alone through Faith alone. And that's Paul's point in Galatians 3.2. Let's just get this settled. Let's just cut to the quick. Let's just go right to the heart of your experience. 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? You can work your fingers to the bone. You will not get the Spirit. You can work yourself into the grave, but you will not get the Spirit. He comes by God's grace. He comes in fulfillment of new covenant blessing. He comes through the hearing of faith, believing what you heard. We begin the Christian life by God's grace through believing the propositions of the Gospel which center on the great redemptive truth of Christ and Him crucified. We do not begin by our law-keeping. We do not preach, be circumcised, and you will be saved. In fact, the thrust of missionary preaching in the book of Acts was just the opposite. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be justified. You will receive forgiveness such that you could not get through looking to the law of Moses. A fourth observation. A fourth observation is they must resist the heresy of seeking perfection by the works of the law. Notice in verse 3, Are you so foolish Again, he's not going to let them go. Paul used to like calling people names. That's not Paul. You know that. When you read all of Paul's letters, you don't find him saying, I'm going to really irritate these guys. I'm going to call these guys names. I'm going to say bad things to these guys. That's not Paul. Paul's got a pastor's heart. Paul's got an apostolic spirit. Paul has a genuine desire for the good of souls, but the integrity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and so he's calling them fools because they're tampering with it. You're a fool if you tamper with the Gospel of free grace. You're a fool if you think that somehow you merit eternal life based on what you do. You are a fool of the first order if you think that you contribute something to your salvation. Brethren, you cannot. Remember the doctrine of total depravity? Remember the fact that the carnal mind is enmity against God? Remember that we cannot please God? Remember that we raise our fists at God? Remember that there is none righteous, no not one? There is none who seeks after God? There is no fear of God before our eyes? We are told through the prophet Jeremiah, Can a leopard change its spots? Then can you change your condition? Those who are accustomed to doing evil? Jeremiah the prophet says, the heart is deceitful, not above some things, but above all things. You want to know the most deceitful thing in this world? It's not the politician in Ottawa or in Washington, D.C. It's right here in your own chest cavity. The heart is deceitful above all things. It's desperately wicked. Who can understand it? The prophet says. All we like sheep have gone astray. You see, all of that plays into this. So for a man, a woman, a boy or a girl to say, you know, Christ's work is good, but I must supplement it. I must add to it. It is an affront to the whole system of salvation by grace through faith. It is in the language of 221. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes to the law, then Christ died in vain. So they must resist the heresy of seeking perfection by the works of the law. Verse 3, Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? I hear the Judaizers in this question. Look at the language. You've begun well. You've believed well. But in order to be perfect, in order to be complete, in order to be on that higher plane of existence, in order to be a real Christian, just come on over here and we'll circumcise you. Just come on over here and obey Moses. Just come over here. We've got a little booth set up. We've got a mohel in there. We'll take care of you in a few minutes. You'll be on your way serving and praising God. Being perfect. being complete. What's Paul's point? You begun with the Spirit. Are you seeking completion or perfection now in the works of the flesh? The works of the law? They didn't understand justification. And I'm convinced a lot of people today don't understand it. We think justification is a process. We think that it can grow. We think that it can mature. We think that it can be completed and perfected by something that we do. Justification is a declaration made by God the moment we believe. It doesn't get better. It doesn't get stronger. It doesn't grow mature. It doesn't get complete because it's already complete. When you believe the Gospel, God pardons your iniquities and imputes the righteousness of Christ. It's a done deal. These men were seeking, by the works of the law, to complement or supplement this beginning with faith. Paul says, no, you cannot do this. And this is seen today. I've mentioned a couple of things. The new perspective on Paul and the federal vision. Beware of any man, any system that teaches a future justification. Now, that means in the language of modern theology, that when we believe initially, that's good. But there's coming a day when we'll stand before the judgment seat of Christ and our works will be measured and evaluated and called to complete so that we will be future justified. Justification is a done deal. Justification is once. Justification is complete. That's why it's so beautiful. That's why it's so wonderful. I was reading Martin Luther on this. He said all we did was preach this. All we did was preach this. This is what will take down the Pope. This will be what takes down Rome. This will be what takes down all false religion. Preach justification by faith alone. Paul's question is very pertinent. Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Is it going to be on the day of judgment, God looks at you and says, wow, that was good that you believed and that you've lived consistently with it, therefore you're in. That's not biblical justification. We are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, never to grow, never to mature, never to get better. It's not as if Spurgeon is justified like this, and we're justified like this. Paul's justified like this, and we're justified like this. No. Justification is a legal declaration affecting all those under its purview. We've all been pardoned. We've all received the righteousness of Christ, imputed by faith alone. You see, they had this faulty understanding that they had to complete justification, that they had to add to justification, that they had to supplement justification. This Gospel wants no preservatives, wants no additives. It is Christ alone. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. And we must keep that in mind. And then finally, Look at verse 4. Verse 4 is tough. Have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? The word could be translated, have you experienced? It doesn't necessarily connote suffering. It's a neutral word. The context argues for which way we take it. I think the idea is this, have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? I think Bruce summarizes it well. He says, sufferings of any kind endured for the gospel's sake would indeed be pointless if after all salvation could be attained by law keeping. If circumcision and the like could procure justification before God, then persecution for the cross of Christ and the scandal attached to it could be bypassed. Why would you be persecuted if we're all on this playing field that we've just got to eke out our salvation by our own works? It's when Christians say, look, I'm believing in Christ alone, through faith alone. I'm looking to the grace of God alone. Oh, that just ends in wicked living. That just ends in all kinds of bad things. If you teach men that, then they'll go out and say, no. There's persecution when you affirm grace. There's not persecution when you affirm law-keeping. And then finally, they needed to recognize the exclusivity of faith alone. That's the point, the whole passage. That's the emphasis. Works of the law or faith? Works of the law or faith? Works of the law or faith? What was their answer supposed to be? Faith. Verse 5, Therefore, 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? God was at work in their midst. You go back to Acts 13, you go back to Acts 14, just mention a couple places, Acts 13, 52. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and had joy. Acts 14, verse 3. Acts 14, verses 8 to 10. Very specifically, Paul's ministry in these southern Galatian churches. The Spirit was at work. Miracles were operative. Paul says, does that come through the efforts of the Judaizers? When men come and preach law, does the Spirit fall upon them? Does the Spirit work miracles? Does the Spirit do great and powerful things? No. The Spirit comes and blesses truth. The Spirit operates among men and women who believe. The Spirit is operative, not as a bartering tool. Lord, if we go through circumcision, will you heal a few of our people? That's not how it works. This isn't a swap meet. Not a spiritual swap meet. We'll do our part and then you give us some of the miracles of the Spirit. No. When gospel preaching is going forth, God supplies the Spirit. God works miracles among you. And He doesn't do it by the works of the law. He does it by the hearing of faith. Again, Bruce, but here Paul makes an ad hominem appeal to the Galatians' experience. Their acceptance of the Gospel as Paul preached it was in fact followed by miraculous signs, whereas presumably nothing of that sort accompanied the activity of the agitators. So the whole section is simply to emphasize this point. You are where you are by God's grace alone through believing the truth alone. That's what you need to remember. Justification does not come by faith plus words. Justification comes by faith alone. We notice from this passage the spiritual condition of those who depart from justification by faith alone. It is folly. It is foolishness. Some commentators translate the word stupid. Oh, stupid Galatians. I know that sounds a bit offensive, but that captures something of the Word. It is folly, brethren, to think that for a moment You can avail with God by law keeping. That is to undermine the biblical doctrine of sin. It is to undermine the biblical doctrine of the holiness of God. It is to undermine the biblical necessity of blood atonement through Jesus Christ. Those who turn from justification by faith alone to a faith plus works arrangement have become bewitched. Secondly, it is serious to depart from teaching justification by faith alone. If the implication is, or if He says, who has bewitched you, the implication is clear. Whoever is teaching this is bewitching. Whoever is teaching this and distorting the truth is casting a spell over you. It is a bad thing to tamper with the Word of the living God. It is a horrible thing to add to it or to take away. James says, let not many of us be teachers, for we shall incur a stricter judgment. When you begin to distort justification by faith alone, you put yourself in a very precarious position. We need to pray for God to raise up men like Paul who will clearly portray Christ and Him crucified through preaching. men who have the gift of the Spirit, men who understand doctrine, men who understand exegesis, men that are not afraid to declare the whole counsel of God. Because quite frankly, there's a whole host of men out there bewitching people, teaching people error, teaching people heresy, teaching people that our covenantal faithfulness is what is ultimate on that day of judgment. God have mercy on every one of us. It is not on our covenantal faithfulness. It is upon the doing and the dying and the rising of Jesus by which we will ever stand. If it is anything other, then we are damned to hell. It is all of Christ and Him alone. Remember, the Gospel is a pronouncement, not a program. It is good news, not good advice. It tells us what's been done, not what we must do. Let us pray to God to raise up a great multitude of faithful preachers that will proclaim this glorious gospel. Well, let us pray. Father, we thank You for this emphasis on faith alone, and we thank You for the fact that Paul has written this epistle for our instruction, for our encouragement, and we pray, God, that You would help us to walk faithfully, help us to understand these truths, and help us, God, in heaven to realize that our salvation is because of Christ, that our justification is due solely by grace alone, through faith alone and Him alone. And, Our Father, we pray that You would continue to work in the hearts of men and women in this local church. Give us a desire to understand theology. Give us a love for Your truth. Protect us doctrinally, Lord God, and continue to raise men up and fill them with Your Holy Spirit and gift them and enable them to go and to proclaim these truths to a lost and dying world. We ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.