Not What My Hands Have Done (Galatians 3:1-14)
Last time you sinned, how did you respond?
Your conscience nagged you and how did you respond?
Did you think to yourself, “I need to get myself straightened out? Or did you go straight to the Lord, understanding that the only remedy for your sin is His finished work?”
To where did you run?
Some people won’t come to church because they feel their selves unworthy. They feel that they need to get some things in their life in order before going. Do they really believe that they can atone for their own sins? Do they really believe that they can make their selves righteous?
The inclination of the churches of Galatia to trust in their own works is not one that they alone have. It is a problem for all of us in some way, shape, or form. What we do in a small way, they do in a much larger way. But it is a problem nonetheless.
In some sense, this is to be “bewitched”. It is to have a wicked spell cast over you, for you are forgiven because of the finished work of Christ. You are not forgiven based on what you have done. You are forgiven when you trust Jesus Christ.
I have mentioned the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses in previous sermons. They blatantly proclaim that we have to, in some way, earn our salvation. I would also say that we see the very same ideas in Rome. But this way of thinking astounded Paul.
Paul was astounded because he had worked to publicly portray Christ as crucified to them. How could they ever turn away and think that they could earn their standing with God on their own? Because forgiveness comes, not when we work but when we trust in Christ’s finished work.
You Were Saved By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone (Galatians 2:2-5)
Paul here asks a very important question to the churches of Galatia. How was it that they received the Holy Spirit? Was it by doing works of the law or by hearing with faith?
He knows the answer to this question. And he knows that they know the answer to this question. And he is so emphatic about it that he calls them foolish. Do they really think that they are going to begin by faith and now go with works?
The Galatian believers had suffered for their faith. Now are they going to say that all their suffering was in vain. Did they go through many hardships for nothing at all, or did they really believe that salvation is found through faith in Christ.
And when God did miracles among them, was it because of their faith or works?
Remember back to when you first heard the gospel and believed.
We rebelled against God and earned His justice. And rather than leaving us in sin and death. God the Son took on human flesh. He lived and died for us. He paid the punishment for our sins. And He rose from the dead for our justification. God the Son accomplished our redemption for us.
Did you decide that you could work for your right standing with God? Or did you abandon all hope of that and trust in the Lord.
That is what Paul is saying to the church at Galatia in this text.
So, I have a question for you. Why did you come to Christ by faith so long ago and now think that you are going to merit a right standing with Him based on your works?
Why do you think that you will be able to clean yourself up and become right with Him?
Do you really think that you are able to make yourself fit for God by what you do?
You Are One Of Abraham’s Children Through Faith Alone (Galatians 2:6-9)
The Judaizers were teaching that a person was made right with God by participating in certain Jewish rights. But Paul pointed to Abraham. He was a gentile that was brought into God’s family. And so, we can learn a lot from his life as to how a person is made right with God.
How many of you heard the “Father Abraham” song when you were a child? Did you sing it in church? I did not. But I had friends that would sing it with church children because they had learned it long ago. It comes from this passage of Scripture.
Abraham was counted righteous because he believed God. It was not because he was personally righteous.
Remember, Abraham was a Gentile. God gave him the promise of the gospel in shadows. Paul points out here that the gospel was found in this words “in you shall all the nations be blessed”.
When I say that Abraham heard the gospel veiled, I am simply saying that he didn’t have all the information. He heard the promise of God and believed. We hear the promise of God, see the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and believe. Abraham didn’t have all the information we have, but he believed the gospel. And what was the result?
God saw the faith of Abraham and counted him as righteous. This is banking terminology. God saw Abraham’s faith and accounted him as righteous. In other words, God counted Abraham’s faith in God’s promise as righteousness.
It is not that I work hard to earn God’s favor and become a child of Abraham. It is that those who have Abraham’s faith are his children.
How many ways to God are there?
Only one. And how is it that we make it to God?
Through faith in Jesus Christ.
Why was Abraham counted righteous? Because he believed the gospel, even though it was in a shadow.
We have it clearly before us today.
Abraham was told that all the nations would be blessed in him. Now the blessing of Abraham has come in Jesus Christ. And we have seen what He did through his life, death, and resurrection. We have seen that there is forgiveness of sins in Him. What Abraham saw in only a part, we see in glorious fullness that Christ lived for us, died for us, and rose from the grave for us.
And so, it is not those that trust in their own good behavior that are Abraham’s children. It is those that trust in the promise of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ that are Abraham’s children.
If you read your Bible more, will that put you into God’s family?
If you stop cussing, will you be part of God’s family?
If you decide not to get drunk this weekend, will that make you part of God’s family?
No. Emphatically no. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we are admitted into God’s family.
You Are Cursed If You Rely On Works (Galatians 2:10-12)
What does Paul say about the person relying on works of the law to be made right with God?
He says that they are under a curse. And he quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 to make the point plainly.
“Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (Deuteronomy 27:26 ESV)
A person that disobeys the Law is under a curse.
This is a curse that all of us participate in. It is a curse that has fallen upon all of us that have. We have all fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). It is evident that no one is declared righteous by law keeping. None could. We are all sinners.
What does Paul say about the person that says they need to clean up their life before coming to Christ?
They can’t. They can’t fulfill righteousness on their own. They are a filthy sinner, a curse before God, and that is what they will remain on their own. There is nothing they can do about it.
You can’t do it on your own.
I have talked with a few different people that would say, “I need to clean up my life and then I’ll go to church.”
The only response that I can come up with that is truthful is this, “You can’t. Only Jesus can do that.”
A common movie trope is that a person sees the light, tries to do what is right, and attempts to atone for their sins. But you can’t atone for your sins. You can’t make yourself righteous. You can’t make yourself holy before God.
If I were to hand you an expensive bottle of water. I looked it up. Some of them sell for over $100. I couldn’t pronounce most of them and hadn’t heard of them, but I’ll just tell you that they’re out there. But suppose I hand you one of them and say, “Here drink this. I placed a few drops of sewage from the Conway sewer into the bottle, but it shouldn’t be enough to change the taste. Would you drink it?”
You have sinned. You have fallen short of God’s standard. There are drops of sewage in your life that you would never dare tell any of us about. And you know that God won’t accept it. But you hope that you can do enough stuff to earn God’s favor?
One drop of sewage and you are unacceptable to a holy God.
Try to earn your salvation through your own works and you will be unacceptable to a holy God.
You Are Free From The Curse If You Have Faith In Jesus (Galatians 2:13-14)
We were, every one of us, born under the curse of the Law. We sinned and earned God’s justice for ourselves. But Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Redeemed means that God purchased us. On the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sin. And by doing so, He purchased us.
Have you ever used a coupon? A coupon counts for the price of the product. And when Christ redeemed you, His death counted for the price of your sin. He redeemed you.
As evidence of this, Paul quotes Deuteronomy to make the point that Jesus became a curse for us.
“”And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23 ESV)
Jesus took our sin and shame and became a curse for us. Every sin that has been forgiven, or ever would be forgiven was placed upon Jesus Christ.
Jesus gave you forgiveness by becoming a curse for you. But why did He do this?
Jesus did this so that we could have the promise that was given to Abraham. He died a curse for us, so that we could be given the Holy Spirit. And we receive this with the open hand of faith.
We do not take hold of this by our own work, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
We are required to keep the commandments. The Law of God stands over us. And we have all broken God’s Law.
Who has lied? Who has not honored their parents? Who has not given God the first place? Who has ever stolen anything?
You are under a curse.
“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”” (Galatians 3:10 ESV)
And here is the good news. Christ took the curse for you. Christ died on the cross and bore your sin. He bore your shame. He bore the punishment you owed. He bore the curse for you. And so, you can be free from the cruse.
The response to this message is repentance and faith. Repentance is a change of mind. That is what the Greek word means. We believe that God is right about us, that we are sinners. And we turn from believing in our own goodness and realize that we have broken God’s Law, therefore we are under a curse. And we place our faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is trust in Christ and His finished work. Faith has an object. We trust in something or someone. We trust in Jesus Christ. We turn from ourself and turn to Christ.
All those who turn from believing they do it their self and turn to Christ have forgiveness.
R. Dwain Minor