Taught 6/22/2008
Galatians 3:1-14
The Apologetics of Grace
Open your Bible to…
1Pet. 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Pray
Intro
√ The apologetics of Grace
The word “apologetics” refers to the defense of the Christian faith against criticisms, objections, attacks and heresies.
It comes from the Greek word “apologia”, translated “defense” in 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV).
The word doesn’t mean to apologize, rather it is the word used to describe the arguments presented by a lawyer as evidence to support his position.
In Christianity apologists use logic and reason to demonstrate the validity of our faith and to dismantle the objections of those who would attack our faith.
Well, in the next two chapters we find that Paul puts forth a powerful apologia (defense) of Grace as the only means of salvation!
The Personal Experience Argument ~ 3:1-5
The Biblical Argument ~ 3:6-14
The Logical Argument ~ 3:15-29
The Historical Argument ~ 4:1-11
The Sentimental Argument ~ 4:12-18
The Allegorical Argument ~ 4:1-31
I think you’ll find Paul’s defense of Grace to be indisputable!
Ap. We need to have a defense!
3 of the top 10 books on the recent New York Times book list are attacks on faith in general, and the Christian faith specifically!
Atheism has never been more popular!
People are abandoning the concept of God as described in the Bible and we need to be prepared to offer a well reasoned defense of the Christian faith.
While we don’t all need to be a Josh McDowell, or a Ravi Zacharias…
…we all do need to be able to communicate our faith in a clear and objective way so that we might win the unbeliever to Christ.
The Personal Experience Argument (vs. 1-5)
Gal. 3:1 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?
Gal. 3:2 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?
Gal. 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Gal. 3:4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
Gal. 3:5 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?—
√ The personal experience argument
Paul begins his argument by calling the Galatians to look at their own personal experience as proof that it is Grace, not the Law that brings salvation.
While personal experience by itself is a weak argument because it’s subjective…
…none the less it’s an important argument to the people to whom Paul was writing because they had experienced change in their lives as a result of God’s Grace!
In other words, Paul starts off by saying…
“Look at your own lives and tell me was it by Grace or the Law that you were transformed?!”
The obvious and only answer is that these people knew that it was by Grace alone that they came to experience the power of God in their lives!
Ap. Still a great argument for the authenticity of the Gospel!
Critics of the Christian faith can’t deny the reality of changed lives!
Can’t be explained by medicine, science or education!
The radical transformation of sinners into saints is the work of God’ Grace!
The same was true of the Christians in Galatia! They knew that they had been changed by God’s Grace because they…
Saved by simple faith in the Cross
Received the Holy Spirit by Grace
Experienced miracles by God’s Grace
Let’s look at each point because their experience mirrors our own experience!
They were saved by simple faith in the Cross ~ vs. 1
Paul writes…
“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?” Vs. 1
I still like the way that J.B. Phillips translates it…
“O you dear idiots…”
Paul’s point is that the Christians in Galatia were saved by simple faith in the Cross of Jesus.
That is, when Paul preached to them he presented Jesus crucified for their sins.
So effective was Paul’s presentation of the Cross that the people of Galatia could “see” Jesus in their minds eye crucified for their sins.
They put their trust in Jesus’ work and experienced salvation!
That wasn’t a unique experience with the people of Galatia, that’s how everyone is saved!
Ex. Jesus’ commentary to Nicodemus
Note Jesus’ illustration and commentary on how a person is saved…
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus relates an Old Testament experience to a New Testament truth…
…that is, we are saved by simple faith in the work of Christ.
Ex. The Bronze Serpent
During the Exodus the children of Israel sinned by murmuring against the Lord.
So, He sent poisonous snakes (“vipers” in Arkansas) into the camp.
The snakes bit people and multitudes began to die so they cried out to the Lord for help.
So, God told Moses to do the following…
Num. 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
Num. 21:9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Notice how the people were saved from death…
They simply had to trust that by looking to the provision of God that they would be healed of the poisonous snake bite.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that just as the bronze serpent was lifted up and provided healing for the people…
…so He would be lifted up on a pole (the Cross) and anyone who looked to Him would find eternal life!
Healed if you will of the Snake bite of Satan!
The bite of sin that kills every person.
The point, Jesus told Nicodemus that salvation wasn’t a work of the flesh, it wasn’t the result of keeping the Law…
…it came by simple faith in God’s work of the Cross, just look to the Cross!
They received the Holy Spirit by Grace ~ vs. 2-3
Gal. 3:2 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?
Gal. 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
The true evidence that a person is really saved is the seal of the Holy Spirit taking up residence in that person’s life.
Eph. 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Eph. 1:14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Both the Galatians and the Ephesians received the Holy Spirit at the moment of their salvation.
He, the Holy Spirit, is the “seal” or sign that a person is really saved!
He, the Holy Spirit, is also the “guarantee”, or down payment, providing proof positive that God will come back for that person and take them to heaven!
Paul’s point to the Galatians is…
“How’d you get the Holy Spirit?”
The answer…
“Dugh, when they believed in Jesus”
That is, the Holy Spirit is a gift of God’s grace, not of their works!
They experienced miracles by God’s Grace ~ vs. 5
Paul’s final personal experience argument was to point them to the miracles that they had experienced.
Gal. 3:5 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?—
We don’t know what miracles Paul had in mind, but we know from the book of Acts that God worked powerful miracles through Paul wherever he preached the Gospel.
Healing the sick
Raising the dead
Casting out demons
Paul’s point here in vs. 5 was that all the miracles that they experienced were gifts of God’s Grace…
…they didn’t do anything to earn them!
So, Paul proves to the Christians in Galatia that God’s Grace is sufficient and that they do not need to keep the Law because they can look at their own personal experience and find that…
…every spiritual blessing they possessed came by faith, not through works!
Ap. Every blessing we have has come by faith!
Not one of us earned any of the blessing that God has given us!
The Biblical Argument (vs. 6-14)
√ The Biblical Argument
Paul’s next argument is based on the objective evidence of the Bible.
That is, Paul provides a Biblical foundation for the personal experience of the Christians in Galatia.
That’s really important because we can all be fooled by experience alone!
The Devil is busy counterfeiting spiritual experience and we don’t want to get duped!
So, we always want to test our experience by the Word of God.
That’s what Paul does here as he moves from the subjective personal experience argument of the Christians in Galatia…
…to provide a objective Biblical argument to prove that God has always worked with people by His Grace!
Ap. Always test your experience by the Word!
If you don’t you’ll find yourself trapped by false teachers and false doctrine!
Ex. Counterfeit revivals
When the Holy Spirit does a new work you’ll always find a Biblical foundation.
Peter pointed the doubting crowd to the prophet Joel on the day of Pentecost.
You won’t find that kind of Biblical foundation in counterfeit revivals!
Abraham was saved by faith ~ vs. 6-7
Gal. 3:6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Gal. 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
Paul pulls out the big apologetic guns here with his example of Abraham.
Abraham is the father of the Jewish people and nation.
He was and is revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians today ~ about half the world’s population!
The reason for such respect is that Abraham had a special relationship with God.
God spoke to him on 7 different occasions.
God showed Himself to Abraham, ate with him, walked with him, and talked with him.
Perhaps the highest tribute that Abraham received was that he was called a friend of God!
“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.” ~ James 2:23
Paul’s argument then is that the Bible supports the experience of the Christians in Galatia…
That is, Abraham the Father of the Jewish people was saved by faith, not works!
Therefore, the false teachers who troubled the people in Galatia were wrong about salvation because it is, and always has been a work of Grace!
Salvation was promised the Gentiles by faith ~ vs. 8-9
Gal. 3:8 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.”
Gal. 3:9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Next Paul proves that the Bible promises that the Gentiles, those who are not physical descendants of Abraham, will also be saved by faith!
The scripture that Paul uses to prove his point is from Genesis 12 where we find God’s promise to Abraham, what we call the “Abrahamic Covenant”.
Part of the blessing is that all the people of the world would be blessed through Abraham.
The primary blessing the world received is that the Messiah, Jesus, came from the lineage of Abraham (ref. Gal. 3:16).
The secondary blessing is that all people would have the opportunity to enter into the same relationship with God that Abraham had by faith in the Messiah.
So, Paul’s argument then is that…
Since God promised to save the Gentiles by faith…
…then the Judaizers were wrong to say that the Gentiles had to become Jewish converts and keep the Law!
The truth revealed is that physical lineage to Abraham can’t save a person…
…the true children of Abraham are those who like him place their trust in God for salvation.
Salvation has always been by faith ~ vs. 10-12
Gal. 3:10 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.”
Gal. 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Gal. 3:12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Paul’s point here is that salvation can never come as a result of keeping the Law!
For as he points out in vs. 10 those who try to keep the Law, and fail to keep just one of the 613 commandments…
…finds himself under the curse of the Law!
The Law demands perfect obedience to every commandment, statute and ordinance.
Those who live under the Law don’t get to pick and chose which laws they want to keep…
…while disregarding those they don’t want to keep.
Rather, anyone who wants to keep the Law is obligated to keep all of it lest they fall under judgment of God!
A review of the heroes of the faith reveals that not one person in the Old Testament ever kept the whole Law!
Yet we know that God granted His favor and salvation to many including those we call the “heroes of the faith”.
How then are sinners, those who didn’t keep the whole Law, able to find themselves in God’s favor? Paul quotes Habakkuk to show us how!
“the just shall live by faith.” ~ vs. 11 & Hab. 2:4
His point is that people have always been saved by faith! It’ not a new truth, rather, that’s how God has always dealt with people.
Ex. Abraham
Lied on two occasions about his relationship with his wife…
Demonstrated a lack of faith when famine hit Canaan and went Egypt against the will of God.
Tried to “help” God fulfill His promise to bring him a son by Sarah.
Yet, Abraham found favor with God, not because of his works…
…rather, because of his faith!
Salvation comes by simple faith in Jesus ~ vs. 13-14
Gal. 3:13 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”),
Gal. 3:14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul closes his argument by telling us that all we want and need is found in Jesus!
He took the curse of the Law from our shoulders and put it on His own back.
He won for those who trust in Him all the blessings that God promised to Abraham.
He gave us the Holy Spirit to seal us as His own children and to empower us to walk by faith.
Therefore, everything we need is found in Christ, not in the Law!
Ap. The Law is powerless to help sinners!
The Law is like a mirror, it reveals all your blemishes but it can’t fix them!
The Law can’t justify sinners (Gal. 2:16)
The Law can’t make you righteous (Gal. 2:21)
The Law can’t give you the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2)
The Law can’t give you a share of God’s riches (Gal. 3:18)
The Law can’t give you life (Gal. 2:21)
The Law can’t give you liberty (Gal. 4:8-10)
So why would anyone want to go back to the Law!!
√ The appeal of the Law
With all the benefits of Grace why in the world would anyone want to try and keep the Law? I think vs. 1 gives us a clue…
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth…”
They were bewitched!
That’s not the old TV series or the more recent movie about Darrin and Samantha!
Rather, the word means…
“To cast a spell, to fascinate by false representations”
That is, the false teachers in Paul’s day as well as ours use deceptive claims to misrepresent God’s Word to promote their own agenda.
They appeal to our flesh ~ that is, keeping the Law or any set of religious rules and observations is appealing because it gives us an opportunity to boast about our religious achievements!
Grace removes all boasting because it reminds us that we are all sinners and cannot work our way to heaven.
They appeal to our feelings ~ that is the legalist likes rituals because it makes them feel like they’re doing something spiritual. They don’t like the walk of faith because it’s requires us to “walk by faith and not by sight”.
Worshipping in God’s Grace doesn’t deny our feelings, but we recognize that we don’t have to feel anything for it to be real! It’s real because God says it is!
They appeal to our pride ~ wherever a set of rules or regulations exist people then find a means of measuring their spirituality. They like that because it allows them to compare themselves with others and think of themselves as more spiritual.
Grace calls us to measure ourselves against the Person of Jesus Christ! When we do that we find that there is no room for pride because we all fall short of His perfection.
Those who are “bewitched” by the Law will find themselves trapped because no matter how hard they try to keep the rules in their heart they know they fail every day!
Close
√ The apologetics of Grace
Wow! Paul was certainly a gifted apologist and anointed by the Holy Spirit he makes an indisputable defense of the Gospel of Grace.
The Personal Experience Argument ~ 3:1-5
The Biblical Argument ~ 3:6-14
Make it your goal to understand Paul’s arguments so that you can defend God’s Grace and more importantly so that you can live in God’s Grace!
For more on the subject of Grace you might pick up the book, “The Grace and Truth Paradox” by Randy Alcorn.