Galatians

Galatians 3:1-14:

3 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

 

Paul asks us “Why, after starting the Christian life in the Spirit, why do we now start depending on the flesh?”  By the flesh, he is referring to our attempt to live the Christian life through human effort.

We have the same promises of blessing as Abraham did.

I look at my walk with Christ and I don’t seem to make much effort in how I live that life, but I also don’t depend enough on the Holy Spirit.  If I did, these things would be different:

1.  I would pray more.  I would have an attitude that turns more often to the Lord in prayer.

2.  I would have a greater expectation that God is at work, not only in me, but also through me.

3.  I would spend more time in meditation.

4.  I would be more aware of God throughout the day.

5.  I would be much more sensitive to the nudges of the Holy Spirit.

What would you do?

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2 Responses to Galatians

  1. Monica says:

    Christianity is not a prayer in which we ask God to take away the problem. As Solomon teaches us .. it is the gift of Godly Wisdom that we must pray for. With that gift we will get understanding (discernment, comprehension and interpretation.) The problem that causes us the grief and stress may stay .. but still, we will then rise above it and it will not swallow us. By the grace of God, it will be what most protects us.

  2. Great posts, especially this one !! thank you! :-)

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