Key Scripture: He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? ~ Galatians 3:5
Galatians 3:1-14
1 Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? 5 He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 6 Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”✡ 7 Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”✡ 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”✡ 11 Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”✡ 12 The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”✡
13 Christ 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,”✡ 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Study Questions:
- Why do you think Paul called the Galatian believers “foolish” (v. 3) and “bewitched” (v. 1)? Given the context of Galatians, what are some examples of how churches and believers today can be “bewitched” and not obey the truth? 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Colossians 2:8; Romans 16:17-18
- In this section of the letter to the Galatians, Paul changes his tactics. What proof of being saved by faith does Paul use here in verses 2-5? What is another example of uncircumcised Gentiles receiving the Spirit? Acts 10:44-47
- What are some examples of how we try to complete ourselves in the flesh like Paul mentions in verse 3? What is the role of our faith and God’s Spirit in living righteously?
- In verse 5, Paul discusses what was happening in the Galatian churches before the circumcision group arrived. What is his point?
- Why does Paul reference Abraham in verses 6-9? John 8:33; Matthew 3:9 (For a summary of who Abraham was, read Hebrews 11:8-10) Does knowing who Abraham was to the Jewish people, namely to the group of circumcised believers, add significance to verse 7? How?
- What is the curse mentioned in verse 10? Deuteronomy 27:26; Jeremiah 11:3-4; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 4:15
- Since we can’t keep the law and thus are not justified (saved) by keeping the law, does that mean we can be lawless? Romans 6:1-2; 6:15; 1 Peter 2:15-16
- What does Paul mean when he says that “The law is not of faith, but, ‘The man who does them will live by them’” (v. 12)? (Note: Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5 here.) Romans 2:13; 7:9-10
- What is the difference between being redeemed from the law and being redeemed from the curse of the law? How are we redeemed from the curse? Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 1:5
- Why did Jesus redeem us from the punishment (curse) of the law? Galatians 3:14; Genesis 12:3; John 15:13; Romans 3:23-26; Ephesians 5:25
Memory Verse: The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. ~ Galatians 3:8-9
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✡ 3:6 Genesis 15:6
✡ 3:8 Genesis 12:3; 18:8; 22:18
✡ 3:11 Habakkuk 2:4
✡ 3:12 Leviticus 18:5
✡ 3:13 Deuteronomy 21-23