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Our Father, we thank You for
Your written Word. We thank You that it's given
by inspiration of God and that it's profitable to us. And even
now, as we look at this section of Holy Scripture, would You
strengthen our hearts and would You cause us to reflect upon
the glory of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Gospel. How we
thank You that He has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
How we thank You that He has paid the debt that we owed how
we thank You that He was our substitute and surety on that
cross, on that tree. We give praise to You, Most High,
for delivering Him up for us all. And we would ask even now
that Your Spirit would shine the light upon the Redeemer.
And we ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Well, as we look at this
particular passage, it is connected to what we are looking at in
our morning services. In Acts chapter 13 and 14, in
that first missionary journey, the region that Paul, or one
of the regions that Paul visits, is Galatia, the southern Galatian
churches. And so after he finishes that
missionary journey, likely he writes this epistle to the Galatians. In fact, John Stott makes that
comment. He says, we need to remember
in Acts 13 that Paul is addressing Galatians. Only a few months
or so later, he will be writing his letter to the Galatians.
It is very striking, therefore, that he brings together here
at the conclusion of his sermon, in Acts 13, five of the great
words which will be foundation stones of his gospel as he expounds
it in his letter. Having referred to Jesus' death
on the tree, Acts 13.29, he goes on to speak of sin, Acts 13.38,
faith, justification, law, Acts 1339, and grace in Acts
1343. So what Paul does here in Galatians
is basically rehearses what he had preached to those churches
on the first missionary journey. And here specifically, he is
defending the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He introduces
that in chapter 2 at verse 15 to verse 21. And now he's going
to confirm this idea or this doctrine of justification by
faith in a whole host of ways. Notice in the first place, there
are several witnesses to the shortcomings of legalism. First,
the Galatians' experience according to chapter three, verses one
to five. Secondly, the example of Abraham,
chapter three, verses six to nine. Thirdly, the law's expectation
in chapter three, verses 10 to 14, the priority of the promise
in verses 15 to 18, and then ultimately the purpose of the
law in verses 19 to 25. So as I said, he is vindicating
that great doctrine of justification by faith alone. And our focus
this evening will be on verses 10 to 14. We have in the first
place, the expectation of the law in verses 10 to 12. And then
secondly, the gracious provision of God in verses 13 to 14. So the law does not justify,
the law cannot produce those acceptable to God, but rather
the gospel does because of what Christ has accomplished on behalf
of his people. So let's look at this particular
section, verses 10 to 14, as I said in the first place, the
expectation of the law. Paul is contrasting between what
he says here concerning the law and what he has said in verses
6 to 9 with reference to Abraham. Abraham found acceptance with
God, or received a righteousness from God, not through the works
of the law, but rather through faith in the promise of God concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. And the basic themes in verses
6 to 9 are faith, justification, and blessing. When he comes to
deal with the law here in verses 10 to 12, the emphasis is upon
works, condemnation, and God's curse. So there is this contrast,
and essentially what the apostle is saying, there is one of two
ways by which sinners attempt to enter into the presence of
God. You either do it on your own, your own law-keeping, your
own merit, your own ability, or by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. When he speaks about the works
of the law or those doing the works of the law, we need to
appreciate he's speaking in terms of justification. We wouldn't
be having a series on the Ten Commandments if it was not the
case that Christians, in some form or other, have to obey the
law. We obey the law as a consequence
of our salvation. How Paul speaks here concerning
the law is not to denigrate the law, but rather to denigrate
the idea of acceptance by God through the works of the law.
And that's the point in verses 10 to 14. Notice he confirms
this by scripture. He first appeals to Deuteronomy
27, and then he emphasizes the teaching of Habakkuk 2, and then
he confirms this by Leviticus chapter 18. So let's look at
this densely packed section of scripture and see what the apostle
is doing. Notice in the first place this
appeal to Deuteronomy. Verse 10 he says, for 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. So the
reality that those who are of the works of the law are under
the curse. Again, he is not condemning law-keeping
as a pattern of sanctification in the Christian life. He is
condemning the attempt at law-keeping for justification before God,
acceptance by God. And he highlights this. The apostle
is not saying it's wrong to keep the law, rather it is wrong to
try and keep the law for justification. Matthew Poole explains it. He
says, to be under the law is under the covenant of works,
or under the expectation of life and salvation only from obedience
to the works of the law. I think we're pretty well taught
in our church as we reflect upon these themes pretty regularly.
Obviously, we should never attempt to try to gain acceptance with
God by our own performance of the law. Well, we didn't come
to this on our own. We came to this because it's
emphasized so recurringly by Paul the Apostle. The gospel
answers to man's greatest need, acceptance by God through faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ. John Calvin says the contradiction
between the law and faith lies in the matter of justification.
For the present question is not whether believers ought to keep
the law as far as they can, which is beyond all doubt, but whether
they can obtain righteousness by works, which is impossible. And as we look at this passage
from Deuteronomy 27, notice the emphasis. Cursed is everyone
who does not continue in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do that. Now, an obvious assumption for
the Apostle Paul is that there is never been, or has never been,
presently never is, and will never in the future be one who
actually does all that the law commands. See, that's the issue. The problem is never with the
law. The problem is always with man. Our total depravity, our
total inability, our position covenantally in Adam renders
us dead to all good things spiritually. So as a result, when it comes
to the law, we can not only not keep it for acceptance with God,
but everything in our heart wants to despise it and reject it and
run from it. Prior to our conversion, we are
not great lovers of the law of God Most High. And then when
we look at this particular passage in a bit more detail, it's interesting.
In Deuteronomy 27, remember they're on the plains of Moab, they're
getting ready to enter into the promised land, and they have
this covenant ceremony. And there's this mount called
Gerizim, and it's on that mount that blessings are pronounced.
When you enter into the land, and you do what God commands
you, there will be blessing in the land. There's another mountain
called Ebal. And Ebal was the place of curse,
and the curses come to the children of Israel, and the emphasis in
Deuteronomy 27-26, which is the last statement in a string of
statements, says, Cursed is the one who does not confirm all
the words of this law by observing them. And that highlights what
we see in Paul's text. Galatians 3.10, curse it is everyone
who does not continue. See, here's the situation. In
all things which are written in the book of the law, to do
that for a person, I was gonna say a sinner, Can't happen. For
a person to gain acceptance by God, it must be based on absolute
perfect law keeping. I hope by now, or maybe 10 minutes
ago, you say, oh, of course, this is why we should never try
to approach God via the law. Because he doesn't say, do the
best you can. He doesn't say, okay, I see that
your heart's in the right place. No, obedience to the law of God
as a means of justification or acceptance by God must be rendered
the way that our confession of faith highlights. In 2nd London
Confession, chapter 19, paragraph 1, it talks about God's law and
it says, "...by which God bound him, Adam, and all his posterity
to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience." That's
the emphasis in the law of God. Not your best attempt, not I
tried, I didn't do the best I could, but Lord, you're gonna forgive
me anyway. Remember, justification, acceptance with God. It comes
only as a result of perfect compliance to all things written in the
book of the law to do that. Now, if you look at chapter five
in verse three, you'll see how Paul deals with the Galatian
problem. See, with Galatia, or the churches in Galatia, not
long after his preaching, Judaizers came to those churches. And those
Judaizers said, it's good to do what Paul says in terms of
believing on Jesus as Israel's Messiah, but you must also keep
the laws of Moses. In order to be accepted by God,
you Gentiles, you not only need to believe the gospel, but you
also need to be circumcised. Now, circumcision, if it's not
done for a religious observance, is neither here nor there. But
when we attach religious significance to circumcision, that's the problem,
and Paul condemns it in Galatians 5.3. Notice what he says, I testify
again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor
to keep the whole law. goes back to that category I
presented earlier. There's one of two ways to approach
God, either grace through faith in Christ Jesus or on our own. We can't mingle the two as the
Judaizers were enjoining upon them. We can't say faith plus
works. It's faith alone by which God
accepts us into his presence. So if you choose the path of
law, it must be all things that are commanded, it must be exact,
it must be entire, and it must be perpetual. And I hope all
of you will say a hearty amen to the reality that that is absolutely
impossible for us sons of Adam. But then notice what Paul goes
on to say in his emphasis in Habakkuk 2.4. Notice his argument. Verse 11, but that no one is
justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just
shall live by faith. So if the emphasis in verse 10
on Deuteronomy 27, 26 is the reality that no one will ever
be accepted by God with reference to law keeping, because he doesn't
do all things that are commanded, that's the same emphasis here
in this appeal to the prophet Habakkuk. The just shall live
by faith. That then excludes the possibility
of attempting to approach God through the works of the law.
The sanctioned approach on this side of the garden, this side
of the fall, is grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. The just shall live by faith
is the emphasis. There is no acceptance with God
through the works of the law. The appeal to Habakkuk 2.4 underscores
the only way of acceptance with God, justification by faith alone. Turn to one other spot where
the apostle appeals to that text. In Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter
1. Very familiar passage, the very
thesis statement of the epistle of Paul to the Romans, verses
16 and 17. In verse 16, he says, for I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first
and also for the Greek. For in it, the righteousness
of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the
just shall live by faith. So in both places, and there
are other places to be sure, but in both these places, Paul
invokes or calls to mind that passage in Habakkuk 2, not to
teach that we're accepted by God or we live by faith plus
works, or we live by a commingling of the two, but the just shall
live by faith. That's the emphasis in Galatians
3. 10 to 14. Deuteronomy 27 demands complete
compliance with every jot and tittle of the law. Habakkuk 2.4
indicates that the just doesn't live by law-keeping, the just
shall live by faith. And then the final text that
he appeals to is in Leviticus 18.5. In verse 12, in Galatians
3, he says, yet the law is not of faith. Again, Another statement
excluding the possibility that a sinner could approach God on
the terms of law. No, the law is not of faith. It is not the case that there
is that co-mingling. It's not the case that you get
a little bit, a little bit of faith, a little bit of works,
a little bit of compliance with the Mosaic law, a little bit
of looking unto Jesus. And that is what God accepts.
No, the law is not of faith. And then he goes on to indicate,
but the man who does them, those laws, those commandments, those
pieces of legislation shall live by them. So the appeal to Leviticus
18.5 further demonstrates the inability, nay, the impossibility
of acceptance with God through the works of the law. The law
is not of faith, and therefore, according to Habakkuk 2.4, there
is no chance whatsoever someone comes to God in terms of justification
through the works of the law. The man who does the law must
live by that law perfectly, entirely, exactly. And of course, no one
is able to do so. I would suggest to you that one
of the functions for the old covenant was to function as a
covenant of works. The covenant made by God with
Israel was to continually alert them to the reality that they
were sinners, that they stood in need of a savior. They were
being pointed by that law to consider the promised Messiah
who would come in the fullness of the time when God sent forth
his son, born of a woman, born under the law. I think that's
the way we're supposed to understand what Paul does in Galatians 3
at verse 19. So if we see here, and I'm going
to look at verse 19 in a moment, but you could see, if Paul says
there's no acceptance by God with reference to the works of
the law, well then the natural question might arise, well then
whence the law? Why the law? Why that old covenant
system? And I think that's what he's
speaking about. in terms of law in this section in Galatians
3. He's talking about the old covenant as a covenant. Notice
in verse 19, what purpose then does the law serve? It was added
because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom
the promise was made and was appointed through angels by the
hand of a mediator. It was added because of transgressions.
This was a means by which God Most High kept Israel in check. When our kids were little, they
had these things. I don't think we ever used them.
I think they still have them today. They're sort of a leash
for a child, right? You wrap it around the kid. It's
a little bit more user-friendly than a dog leash and not much
different, I guess. But you put that on the kid so
if you're somewhere, you can sort of yank him back. If he's
going to run off or he's going to do something that he shouldn't
do, you just kind of give him a yank. It's kind of, in a sense, what
Paul is saying the Old Covenant did. It preserved the people. It preserved the line such that
the seed could come. It preserved the line of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and David. It kept the people in tow until
the arrival of the mediator. That's how you're supposed to
understand this next section when he says we're no longer
under the law. He doesn't mean we're free to
commit adultery. He means we're no longer under
the old covenant. We're no longer under a covenant
of works, attempting acceptance by God through those works of
the law. Notice in verse 21, is 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. Again, it's not law. It's man.
It's not law. It's our Adamic nature. It's
not law. It's rebellion. Paul underscores
this in Romans chapter 7. The law is holy. It's just. It's
good. The problem has always been the human heart and its
response to that law. Verse 22 says, but the scripture
has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus
Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith
came, and I don't mean that, he doesn't mean that Abel didn't
have faith. He doesn't mean that David didn't
have faith. We just read Psalm 32, where David is rejoicing
in the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, the removal of sin,
and that by faith. He's not saying faith was absent
in the Old Testament. If he is referring to the Old
Covenant as the law, he likely is referring to New Covenant
as faith. In other words, it is the means
of approach unto God. So then he goes on to say, verse
23, but before faith came, we were kept under guard by the
law, kept for the faith, which would afterward be revealed.
Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we
might be justified by faith. It functions that way individually,
Romans 3.20, therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will
be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of
sin. It functions that way for you
and I. It also functions that way for corporate Israel. And
that's what he is saying in this instance. Therefore, the law
was our tutor, our pedagogue to bring us to Christ, that we
might be justified by faith. And when he says in verse 25,
but after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
He doesn't mean no law for the Christian. He doesn't mean go
ahead and do whatever it is you want. He means the old covenant
is over. It has done its job. Messiah
has come. The free promise of God is realized
and it's by grace through faith in Jesus that persons enter in
to heaven. Now, if you ask the question,
has anybody else ever observed this? Look at Matthew chapter
19. Matthew chapter 19, two passages where we see our Lord use the
law this way. Matthew chapter 19, there's that
instance with the rich young ruler. Verse 16, now, behold,
one came and said to him, good teacher, what good thing shall
I do that I may have eternal life? You see our default disposition,
what do I do to get into heaven? What do I do to get into heaven?
That really betrays any knowledge of who God is and who we are,
right? God is holy, holy, holy. God is most high, glorious, wondrous,
spotless, pure. God is light, John tells us. So this idea that if there's
a good thing that I can do, if there's one requirement that
I can check off and somehow gain my acceptance with God, that's
man's default position. That is man in Adam. And Jesus
wants to highlight that with this particular man. So what
does he do? He uses the law. He uses the
law to expose this man and to show him his need. Verse 17,
so he said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good
but one, that is God. But if you want to enter into
life, keep the commandments. He said to him, which ones? Jesus
said, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you
shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your
father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The young man said to him, all these things I have kept from
my youth, what do I still lack? It's a pretty powerful statement,
isn't it? Do you think that of yourself
as a believer? Do you actually say all these
things I've kept from my youth? I mean, there's some pride going
on here. I think you'll all agree. There's
at least a self-aggrandizement where this guy thinks he's a
whole lot better than what the Bible tells us he is. And then
in verse 21, Jesus said to him, if you want to be perfect, go
sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure
in heaven and come, follow me. But when the young man heard
that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Christ is not teaching contrary to the Apostle Paul. Do this
thing, sell your stuff, and then you'll have acceptance with God.
He's preaching the 10th commandment to him to show him his sin, to
show him his need. It's functioning there as a child
tutor. It's functioning there as a pedagogue,
the way that the Old Covenant did with reference to Israel
and their need for Messiah. Turn over to Luke chapter 10,
one other instance of this. There's others in the Bible,
but we don't have a lot of time for all of that So we're going
to just look at these two specimens the parable of the Good Samaritan
the parable of the Good Samaritan Oftentimes it's preached as a
covenant of works Oftentimes it's preached in this way be
the good neighbor go thou and do likewise help the downtrodden
and poor Now, I'm all for being a good neighbor. I'm all for
going and doing likewise. I'm all for help the downtrodden
and poor, but that's not the point of this passage. To miss
the context is to end up preaching the covenant of works. Go out
and be good neighbors and God will be happy with you. That's
not the point of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Look at
verse 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him,
saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said
to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of
it? So he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
And he said to him, You have answered rightly. Do this, and
you will live. Now, this is an important point
in this section that we need to take into consideration. Verse
29, he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my
neighbor, this fellow thought he was doing quite well. This
fellow thought he was compliant with the law. This fellow thought,
as far as things go, I'm in the best possible place to be. Well,
Jesus tells the parable of the good Samaritan, not simply to
teach this fellow to go and be a good neighbor, but to show
him his sin, to show him his depravity, to show him his wickedness. He preached it as a means to
stir up this man to go after Jesus Christ. So back in Galatians
chapter 3, the contrast between law and faith, The contrast between
law and gospel is with reference to justification before God. When it comes to the normative
use of the law, the gospel and the law sweetly comply together. There is great harmony, great
joy, but when we attempt to gain access with God through the law,
we are putting ourselves in a bad predicament. Just to summarize
this section, we'll move on into the next. John Eady says, the
apostles' meaning is that, confessedly, everyone fails to keep all the
written enactments of the law. Therefore, everyone seeking salvation
by his own obedience is under a curse. It's just the way it
is. That's what the law brings. Cursed
is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written
in the book of the law. The man who does them shall live
by them. In other words, absolute perfection
in terms of compliance to that law. He says, or Edy goes on
to say, he is striving to obtain blessing from a code which has
condemned and cursed him to win life from a law which has wrought
his death. Now that brings us to the provision
or the gracious provision of God in verses 13 and 14. If we
learn that there's no acceptance with God or by God for us in
that state of under the works of the law, then what hope is
there? That's the glory of the gospel,
right? The Lord has provided hope. The
Lord has graciously given his son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. The Geneva Bible at this point
says, how then can they be blessed whom the law pronounces to be
accursed? Because Christ sustained the curse, which the law laid
upon us, that we might be quit from it. The law does not provide
acceptance with God because of our sinfulness. So God provides
a savior who deals with our sinfulness. He cleanses us. He gives us his
righteousness. He enables us to stand in the
presence of his father. So what the law cannot do, and
again, it's not the fault of the law, but rather it's the
fault of men relative to the law, God does in the provision
of his son, and that brings us to consider the only redeemer
of God's elect, our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 13, he
says, 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. Now the idea of redemption there,
it definitely indicates deliverance. but it's deliverance by the payment
of a price. And that payment of a price comes,
as Paul says here, through the blood of Jesus Christ. He became
a curse, not because he sinned, but because our sin is imputed
to him. Just like in 2 Corinthians 5.21,
God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. That's the
sense in which he was made a curse for us. Not because he was personally
liable to the judgment of God for having sinned against God,
but rather our sin is heaped up upon him and his righteousness
is heaped up upon us. That is the glory of the doctrine
of imputation. As Poole says, the word redemption
generally signifies delivering. Here it signifies a deliverance
by a price paid. Notice verse 13, Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law. That curse we were under because
of Deuteronomy 27, 26. Cursed is everyone who does not
continue in all things. The man who does not live by
these things brings upon our own heads, our own lives, a curse,
and yet Christ has redeemed us from the curse of that broken
law by having become a curse for us. And it's the same language
that Paul uses here that he uses in incarnation texts. In 2 Corinthians
8, 9, he says, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. He wasn't
always a curse. He became a curse when God heaped
our sin upon him and he stood on that cross and he took the
punishment that was due for us. He became a curse in the plan
of God to deliver us from the curse of the law. And that's
the emphasis of the apostle in this section. The Lord Jesus
became a curse. by imputation and exhausted the
wrath and fury and judgment of God for all those whom the Father
had given him." Notice as well the concept of substitution.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become
a curse for us. Substitutionary atonement is
thoroughly biblical. Substitutionary atonement is
where we hang our souls. If it's a general, hypothetical,
offered out there, if anybody wants to avail it, no, no, no,
no. None of us would ever. None of us would never choose
for Jesus. None of us would ever say, I
want the way of acceptance by grace through faith in Christ
Jesus. That's not it. Christ goes to
that cross for all that the Father gave Him. Christ goes to that
cross for the many for whom His blood was shed for remission
of sins. He doesn't go to that cross in
a hypothetical or general sort of way, but it's particular redemption,
it's blood atonement, substitutionary in nature. He stood for us. And then Paul indicates or gives
us some scriptural sort of bearing with reference to this concept
of curse. Notice what he goes on to say, having become a curse
for us, for it is written, curse it is everyone who hangs on a
tree. Now, this was the language this
morning in Acts chapter 10. Remember, after they had killed
him, they took him down from the tree. Peter uses that concept
in Acts chapter 5, and he also uses it in 1 Peter chapter 2.
This idea of tree is reminiscent of the text that Paul is highlighting
here. It's Deuteronomy chapter 21,
verse 23, but in the context. Verses 22 and 23 in Deuteronomy 21. It says, if a man has committed
a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang
him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree,
but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not
defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an
inheritance, for he who is hanged is a curse of God. So Paul invokes that piece of
data to substantiate his claim that Christ has become a curse
for us. So substitutionary curse-bearing
for the elect of God is what Christ wrought out. So again,
not hypothetical. It's not just sort of offered
out there. If anybody wants to take it, take it. No, it's a
for-us transaction. And brethren, that needs to encourage
us Because Christ loved me, Paul says in Galatians 2.20, and he
gave himself for me. It's one of the beautiful things
of the Christian religion is the ability to use personal pronouns,
to call Jesus my Lord and my God, to be able to say he loved
me and gave himself for me. Brethren, in a hypothetical general
Arminian-Pelagian sort of a system, there is no particularity. And ultimately the onus is upon
the man to activate the various blessings of God. But that is
never how it's presented in scripture. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law. Christ is the operative one.
Christ is the efficient agent. We are the recipients of those
blessings. And that's how Paul ends in verse
14. Notice that he not only redeemed
us, but he brings these blessings to bear upon us. In verse 14,
he says that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles
in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith. Matthew Poole again, I think,
rightly interprets the blessing of Abraham. It understands those
spiritual blessings of justification, reconciliation, and adoption,
which came to Abraham upon his believing and the imputation
of righteousness thereupon unto him. Remember, churches in Southern
Galatia, for the most part, are Gentile. So Paul is showing Gentile
inclusion in the covenant promises of God. And he says as much here
in verse 14, that the blessing of Abraham, you understand that? Abraham, the father of the Jewish
nation, the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles.
Why? In Christ Jesus. All the promises of God are yea
and amen in Him. Notice this is not confined there.
Look at verse 26 in chapter 3. For you're all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized
into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female.
For you're all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ,
then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.
So Gentile believers in the churches of Galatia were sons and daughters
of Abraham. All the while, ethnic Jews who
had rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah, they had classified
themselves unwittingly as Gentiles. So there is this great sort of
turnaround. And then notice he highlights
this in 4.6. And because you are sons, God
has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying
out, Abba, father. Therefore, you are no longer
a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of
God. through Christ, so the blessing
of the Spirit secured by the redeeming work of Christ. We
have not only inclusion into the covenant promises of God,
but the reception of the Holy Spirit. In fact, look how he
starts off this section in Galatians 3. Galatians 3.1, O foolish Galatians,
excuse me a moment, O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched
you? that you should not obey the truth. See, for the Apostle
Paul, these Judaizers coming in saying, okay, faith in Jesus
plus circumcision, that is to bewitch people. In Galatians
chapter one, he says they want to pervert, they want to destroy,
they want to hurt the very gospel itself, the freeness of it, the
graciousness of it, the The glory of it is unacceptable to carnal
men. They recoil at the thought of
God in Christ reconciling the world to himself. There has to
be something about the sinner. There has to be something about
our accomplishment. There has to be something that
we can contribute. Well, Luther, I think, was right.
The only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin we
need to be saved from. But with reference to these Judaizers,
faith in Jesus plus circumcision, and that will commend you to
God. That's why he says, who has bewitched you that you should
not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly
portrayed among you and is 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 it indeed was in vain?
So you see what he's saying, this idea to try and supplement
faith in Christ is to ultimately shipwreck your faith. It's either
Christ alone or it's the law alone, but there's no commingling
of the two. That is absolutely contrary to
the purpose and the plan of God Almighty. Well, brethren, in
conclusion, just a few thoughts and then we'll move into the
supper. First, in terms of a few observations about the law in
the gospel, Both are crucial for persons to know. I think
it was Spurgeon that said, the man who knows law and gospel
is a good theologian. The man who understands the relationship
between the two, the man who understands how these things
work together is a good theologian. There's no place for being negligent
with reference to these things. First of all, the law shows us
our sin. I mentioned Romans 3.20 in the individual realm, but
as well corporately, Israel was shown their sin while they were
under law. They were taught by God, through
the prophets, their need for the Lord Jesus Christ. They were
taught to look unto that promised one who was coming to save his
people from their sins. The law highlights our need for
redemption to come from somewhere else. If we are convinced that
our law-keeping will never avail with God, then that will hopefully
promote in us the seeking of the way of access vis-a-vis through
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel manifests
the glory of the Savior. We sing a hymn. It used to be
127. It's now 286. In the old hymn book, it's 127.
In the new one, it's 286. I don't think I'm going to learn
the new numbers before I die, so I'm going to do that once
in a while. But John Newton, in his hymn, Let Us Love and
Sing and Wonder, he speaks of the Lord Jesus, and he says,
He has hushed the law's loud thunder, and he has quenched
Mount Sinai's flame. Again, we are never, ever permitted
by God to take away from a statement like that that law is bad. Law is good. Law functions the
way God designed it to function. The problem is that men try to
use that law unlawfully as a means of acceptance with God. But those
who have been conquered by the grace of God that understand
something of law and gospel can rejoice with what John Newton
writes. He has hushed the law's loud
thunder. He has quenched Mount Sinai's
flame. He doesn't do that by saying
bad law. He does that by satisfying the
demands and requirements of that law. He upholds it. He vindicates
it. He demonstrates its majesty and
its excellence. He doesn't just suspend the law
and now everybody can come in. No, he keeps the law and then
that righteousness is imputed to us. This is how God is both
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ. The gospel manifests the glory
of the Savior who redeemed us from the curse of the law, having
become a curse for us. Now, a second thing I want to
mention by way of a concluding thought is that this whole area,
this whole chapter, chapter 3, confirms not only chapter 2,
15 to 21, but especially verse 21 in chapter 2. Let's just remind
ourselves of what Paul says there. He said, I do not set aside the
grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ
died in vain. You see, if you think that you
can go to heaven based on what you do, based on what you've
done, based on what you plan to do in the future, then why
Golgotha? Why Calvary? Why that incident,
that situation where the father was pleased to bruise the son? Paul's argument is airtight.
I do not set aside the grace of God. If righteousness comes
through the law, then Christ died for nothing. So if you think
for a moment that you're gonna go to heaven because you're good,
you're excellent, you're wonderful, you're essentially saying that
what took place on Calvary was needless. You didn't need to
send the son of your love, you didn't need to crush him on my
behalf, because I'm good enough to sort of earn it for myself.
Machen comments on 221, he says, this verse is the key verse of
the epistle to the Galatians. It expresses the central thought
of the epistle. The Judaizers attempted to supplement
the saving work of Christ by the merit of their own obedience
to the law. That word supplement is powerful
and it's important. You need to understand the Judaizers
didn't say, OK, no Jesus, just work yourself into heaven. That's
not what they did. They didn't say no Jesus. They
affirmed faith in Jesus Christ, Israel's Messiah. You Gentiles
need to believe on him, but you also need to be circumcised.
You're obligated to keep the laws of Moses in order to be
accepted. This idea of supplementation.
This idea of a little addition, this idea of a little bit of
contribution on our part. No, the lines are clearly drawn
by the Apostle Paul. Either it's law or it's grace. Either it's law or it's gospel. He says, the Judaizers attempted
to supplement the saving work of Christ by the merit of their
own obedience to the law. That, says Paul, is impossible.
Christ will do everything or nothing. Earn your salvation
if your obedience to the law is perfect, or else trust wholly
to Christ's completed work. You cannot do both. You cannot
combine merit and grace. If justification, even in the
slightest measure, is through human merit, then Christ died
in vain. See, sometimes people say, well,
what's the big deal? I mean, yeah, faith in Christ, a little
law, that's okay. It's to militate against the
very cross. If righteousness comes through
the law, then Christ died in vain. Even if a little tiny righteousness
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. And Paul will not
entertain that for a moment. John Calvin says, for if we do
not renounce all other hopes and embrace Christ alone, we
reject the grace of God. And then Luther and his commentary
on Galatians, which every Christian ought to read before they die.
For whoever seeks righteousness apart from faith in Christ, whether
it be through works or satisfactions or afflictions or the law of
God is nullifying the grace of God and despising the death of
Christ even though he may speak otherwise with his mouth. And
on our text, specifically, Galatians 3.14, Luther comments that this
is how we ought to speak to Christ. I am thy sin, thy curse, thy
death, thy wrath of God, thy hell. But thou art my righteousness,
blessing, life, grace of God, and heaven. I think Luther's
right on, brethren. That's the way we need to speak
to Christ, concerning Christ, and as we preach Christ. That's
the way of salvation. Not faith plus works. Grace alone,
through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. For if righteousness
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for
your Word. We thank you for the clarity of the Apostle's argument. We thank you for that sample
preaching in Pisidian Antioch. Thank you for his concern for
the souls of men and the desire to not only educate them, but
to see them freed from sin, freed from the curse of the law, justified
by faith alone in Christ alone. God, I pray that we would see
this for ourselves, that it would bring great comfort and great
encouragement to us. And God, as we witness, as we
evangelize, as we testify to others, may we always seek to
present the glory of the gospel, the freeness of the gospel, the
grace of God in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in
His most blessed name that we pray. Amen. Well, let's turn
in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.
