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Galatians : Chapters 1-3

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Fundamental Evangelistic Association


FEATURE is a daily Bible study guide written by fundamentalists for fundamentalists. It directs the reader to God's Word and addresses issues faced by believers today. Feature, which uses only the King James Version, may be obtained for $10.00 per year. Special bulk rates for churches are also available. An order form is posted on this website.  Please address correspondence, subscriptions and address changes to:

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excerpts from:
FEATURE
A DAILY BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Selected © FEATURE Devotionals From Past Issues

Galatians Chapters 1 to 3
Pastor Dennis Costella

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Galatians 1:1-3

PAUL AN APOSTLE

THE study of Galatians will rejoice the heart, strengthen the spiritual inner man and provide irrefutable evidence of the definition of the true Gospel. Erroneous teaching concerning what it really means to be saved and to walk with God abounds today. We must be able to give an answer to those who add conditions to what God's Word says concerning what one must do in order to be born again by the Spirit of God. During the next few weeks, read through this entire epistle as often as possible, asking the Lord to speak to you through the words found herein.
         Judaizers who questioned Paul's apostolic authority had entered the churches (Gal. 2:4; Phil. 3:2,3) and resisted the fundamental doctrine of salvation by faith apart from works. This apostolic letter to the churches of Galatia (and to us today) sets the record straight. From the beginning of the epistle Paul is clear in his claim to apostolic authority (v.1). Note the correlation of Christ with God the Father as a unity (deity) coupled with the mention of the resurrection. Paul is indeed "an apostle" and Jesus Christ has been "raised from the dead." He is God the Son. Other "brethren" stood with Paul (v.2), just as it is important that we identify with those who are standing strong and true. Yes, it certainly does matter where we go to church, for the assembly must be sound in doctrine and practice. "Grace" (v.3) speaks of the undeserved favor extended to blood-washed sinners who are thereby enabled to walk in Truth. God's abundant "peace" is a result of this grace at work in the heart. Are you saved by grace? Are you walking in a way that demonstrates God's grace at work within? DWC

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Galatians 1:4-5

THE TRUE GOSPEL

FOLLOWING his salutation, Paul issues a brief yet definitive statement regarding the essential content of the one, true Gospel —"Who gave himself for our sins" (v. 4a). This is the Gospel message in a nutshell. Christ was both the Priest who offered the sacrifice and the Sacrifice that was offered. The perfect Son provided the perfect Sacrifice to appease God's holiness. The Gospel, or "Good News," is not political liberation, social activism, ecological renovation or even religious involvement. No, it is God's provision whereby lost, helpless, hell-bound sinners can have their sins washed away and be made acceptable in His sight.
          "That he might deliver us from this present evil world" (v.4b). God's purpose for saving those who believe is to call out a people for His Name who will be prepared to serve Him in the midst of a Christ-rejecting 'world. Christ provides deliverance not only from the penalty of sin but also from the reigning power of sin in the life of the believer (Rom 6:11-15). If one's "conversion" produces no evidence of change in his life, then whether or not he was truly born again in the first place is questionable.
          "According to the will of God" (v. 4c). The will of God is accomplished whenever a lost sinner receives the gift of salvation and he becomes a child of God (Jn 1:12,13; 2 Pet. 3:9). Conforming to Christ and refusing to conform to the world is always the will of God as well. The true Gospel results in separation unto Christ and away from whatever is contrary to godliness. God has provided for the believer's sanctification and He will bring it to pass. As such, all glory will go to God (v.5). DWC

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Galatians 1:6-10

WHOM ARE WE TRYING TO PLEASE?

THE false teaching that had crept into the church of Galatia had a rapid and devastating impact. Paul told the believers, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed" (v.6). Notice that the believers were moving away "from Him," the One who had saved them. Their problem was not only a doctrinal disputation, but an actual defection away from a proper communion with and obedience to their Lord. It seems unthinkable that a Christian would not contend for the purity of the very Gospel that saved him, but it does happen, especially today. Sadly, many are unconcerned about the variations of the "gospel" promoted throughout Christendom. But only one true Gospel exists, and that is the "Gospel of Christ" (v.7). Any addition to or subtraction from what Scripture reveals is "another gospel" that is under God's curse (vv. 8,9). Today, many subtly try to alter the Gospel message so as not to offend those who insist on adding "works" to the message of salvation. But God is offended by any change to the Gospel, for He is the Author of It. He is the One we are to please—not men! Before Paul was saved, he sought man's regard and was willing to alter his message and mission in order to "persuade men" (v.10). But after he was saved, he realized he could not be a "servant of Christ" if he aimed to please men.
          Today, we must have the conviction and confidence that the Gospel we believe and the message we proclaim to a lost and dying world is, in fact, the Gospel of God. The devil used false teachers to pervert the Gospel in the early church, and he is still doing the same today. We must preach the "Gospel of Christ" and no other. DWC

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Galatians 1:11-12

STRAIGHT FROM THE LORD

TODAY'S text begins the first of the three main divisions of this epistle. Galatians 1:11-2:21 contains Paul's explanation of the authenticity of the message he proclaimed and the defense of his own apostolic authority. He defended his apostleship by pointing to the agreement of his ministry with the apostolic teaching of the established church in Jerusalem (Gal. 2). These vital considerations are fundamental to the believer's Biblical adherence to the Faith once delivered.
         The apostle Paul immediately established the fact that the Gospel he proclaimed was "not after man" (v. 11), that is, it was not by man's invention or reasoning "but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (v.12). The soul-saving message that Paul preached emphatically declared that salvation was a gift of God, totally by His grace and apart from any efforts of man. Perhaps the easiest way to recognize a false gospel is to ask what it requires for a person to be saved. Inevitably, the salvation formula will always include some form of "works" that a person must do to either gain or maintain that supposed salvation. It is essential that the Gospel we believe is according to Scripture alone, for the eternal well-being of our very souls is at stake. We cannot choose to accept only those doctrines of salvation we feel are relevant or logical; moreover, those who "lovingly" accept many different "gospels" are, in reality, leading people straight to hell. Paul received from the Lord a Gospel of grace, based solely upon what Christ has already done and not upon what man must do. The message he received and preached conformed to God's Word rather than man's logic (1 Cor. 15:1-4). DWC

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Galatians 1:13-17

A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE

IN today's text, Paul reminds the Galatians of his life prior to his conversion. If there were ever a person who could boast of his accomplishments in serving his religion, it was Paul (vv. 13, 14). Undoubtedly, many praised his religious zeal and brilliant understanding of the "Jews' religion," but not the Lord. Men naturally tend to applaud those who appear to be earnest and zealous in their religious endeavors, but if that pious display is not integrally linked with fidelity to the Truth of God's Word, then man might be pleased, hut the Lord will certainly be displeased. God is extremely specific about what He accepts and expects, and He has perfectly written down those specifications for our learning and admonition.
         When God's grace intervened in Paul's life, his beliefs and lifestyle dramatically changed (vv. 15-16). After meeting the resurrected and glorified Son of God on the road to Damascus, Paul immediately responded, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:1-6 cf. 26:12-18). His life and purpose were completely transformed, and he began to serve as a witness of Christ's saving power to both Jews and Gentiles alike. The apostle did not need to go to Jerusalem in order to have his conversion and subsequent ministry scrutinized and authenticated by the first church in Jerusalem (v. 17). Instead, Paul went into the solitude of Arabia to be with Christ and to be taught of Him. He did not need any man or organization to validate what God had done for him and had commissioned him to do. He knew exactly what his calling from the Lord entailed because he received it "by the revelation of Jesus Christ (v.12)." DWC

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Galatians 1:18-24

THE CHURCH ACKNOWLEDGES PAUL'S APOSTLESHIP

AFTER three years, Paul went up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles in the church and to communicate to them how Christ had saved him and called him to apostolic ministry (vv. 18, 19 cf. v.1). The fellowship he found with Peter and James (Acts 15:22-26) bore testimony to their common salvation and ministry. Paul emphasized the veracity of what he was writing in this epistle, not only regarding the record of his personal testimony hut also concerning the revealed truth of New Testament doctrine (v.20); God was his witness! Paul penned the book of Galatians by the miracle of inspiration. The believers in the early church needed to have absolute confidence that Paul's writings were of the Lord-and so do we today.
         When the churches of Judea heard of the dramatic change in Paul's life and that he now proclaimed "the faith which once he destroyed," they acknowledged that he was, in fact, a brother in the Lord and an apostle of Jesus Christ (vv. 21-23). The early churches "glorified God" and rejoiced that one such as Paul could come to know the Savior (v.24). Surely, they also praised God for the glorious manner in which Paul was singularly and uniquely called as an apostle and instructed in the Faith by the Lord Himself. What a tremendous confirmation of New Testament truth this must have been for all the saints who witnessed this amazing testimony. Yes, we have a supernatural Gospel, for It is of God. When believers faithfully proclaim that Gospel, It is the power of God to everyone who believes It (Rom. 1:16). Let us glorify God for the salvation message that is both marvelous and certifiably true! DWC

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Galatians 2:1-5

CONTEND FOR THE TRUTH

IN chapter one, Paul established the fact that his apostleship and the Gospel message he preached came directly from Christ Himself. Then in the first ten verses of chapter two, Paul related to the Galatian believers the account of his meeting with the church leaders in Jerusalem where he presented his God-given ministry and defended the Gospel message of salvation by faith alone in Christ's finished work on Calvary's cross. Acts 15 is a parallel portion to today's text in which we read about the “false brethren" who were troubling the churches in Galatia by trying to impose the Law of Moses upon the Gentile converts, telling them that they had to be circumcised in order to be saved. Realizing the implications of this heresy upon the doctrine of salvation, Paul had to vigorously resist this dangerous teaching.
        Barnabas and Titus, an uncircumcised Gentile believer, accompanied Paul on his journey to Jerusalem to battle the Judaizers' insistence upon placing the Gentile converts under the yoke of the Law (vv. 1, 2a cf. Acts l5:l, 2). Notice that Paul was careful to show due respect to the leaders in Jerusalem. He did not want to appear as though he were trying to become a religious dictator attempting to “set everyone straight" (v. 2b). However, for the “truth of the Gospel [to] continue," Paul had no choice but to take a bold and unyielding stand against any perversion of Bible truth (vv. 3-5 cf. 2 Pet. 2:1-3). Confrontation is always God's first answer to dealing with false teachers. Moreover, if the situation remains unchanged, then the Lord demands separation from error and from the false teachers of that error—no exceptions! DWC

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Galatians 2:6-10

PAUL AND BARNABAS SENT TO THE GENTILES

WE must not misunderstand Paul's reference in verse six to the apostles and church leaders in Jerusalem, all of whom had followed Christ long before Paul's calling. He was not speaking disrespectfully of any of those present at the Jerusalem conference. Paul was simply making the point that his own calling as a bona fide apostle of the Lord was not of any less importance or authority than the status rightfully attributed to the original apostles. Because the false teachers were set on making the Gentile converts Jewish proselytes under the Law, they undoubtedly did whatever they could to discredit and minimize the worth of their chief antagonist, the apostle Paul (v.6). Paul, therefore, avoided even the impression that he was forcing his own views or exalting himself. Instead, he spoke the truth firmly, clearly and without undue offence. He knew that the words he spoke were the “commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37), yet he displayed a fine balance between true spiritual humility and the divine apostolic authority that he rightly possessed.
        When the conference heard what God had done through Peter's ministry to the Jewish communities and through Paul's ministry among the Gentiles (Acts 15:6-12), they “perceived the grace" that was upon Paul and Barnabas and extended to them “the right hands of fellowship" (vv. 7-9). All agreed upon the truth of the one, pure Gospel and the need for rebuking those who perverted It. The Jerusalem leaders sent forth Paul and Barnabas with practical suggestions for service (v.10), encouraging them in their ministry, which all now acknowledged was indeed of God. DWC

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Galatians 2:11-14

A CONFRONTATION WAS REQUIRED

THE Jerusalem conference (read Acts 15:1-26) had determined that the Gospel for the Gentiles was identical to the Gospel for the Jews (Acts 15:6-11). When Peter gave the impression that a difference existed between Jew and Gentile (vv. 11-13), a serious doctrinal issue developed that demanded attention. Peter disassociated himself from the Gentile Christians when the Jewish believers from Jerusalem visited because he feared them "of tthe circumcision." He felt th visiting brethren would get the wrong idea if they saw him eating with Gentiles. The established Jewish system forbade this type of fellowship, and the believing Jews in Jerusalem had not yet attained the level of spiritual maturity where they grasped the truth that now, in Christ, Jew and Gentile were equal before God and before one another. Therefore, Peter's decision to withdraw from the Gentiles did not harmonize with sound doctrine. We must never allow the "fear of men" to intimidate us into withholding or not applying God's truth for fear that some will not appreciate that truth.
        It was necessary for Paul to publicly rebuke Peter because "the truth of the Gospel" was at stake, and the defense of that truth was far more important than attempting to maintain a false unity (vv. 11, 14). Because Peter no longer lived under Jewish law, he was wrong to suggest, even by impression, that the Gentiles should adhere to the Law of Moses. Paul was required before God to sternly rebuke Peter, a disobedient brother. If Peter had not submitted to that essential, Biblical rebuke, then separation would have been necessary (Rom. 16:17; 2 Thess. 3:6, 13-15). DWC

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Galatians 2:15-21

NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW

PAUL explains that the Jews had always assumed, by virtue of their unique relationship to God through the Mosaic Law, that they were far above the "sinners of the Gentiles." The resulting prejudice was pervasive among all Jews, even those who recently had been saved. But now that Christ had come, the Law was no longer necessary. Both Jew and Gentile alike were made equal by faith alone in Christ's perfect, finished work. The Law of Moses sanctified no one (vv. 15, 16). Peter and Paul both testified that justification came through faith "and not by the works of the law," but Peter's compromising actions in yesterday's text, however, gave the impression that works were necessary after all. A believer must never entertain the idea nor even imply that works are necessary for salvation. Paul used the same term "sinners" (a word the Jews haughtily ascribed to the Gentiles) for those believing Jews themselves who gave the impression that works were necessary to secure salvation (vv. 17, 18). Was Christ the author of any such thought? "God forbid"!
        The liberty we have in Christ to enter into all the spiritual blessings afforded all who believe the Gospel is central to the Faith (vv. 19,20). Christ eliminated the Law, for He met Its conditions yet undeservingly bore Its penalty. His imputed righteousness (not "law-keeping" or works) now secures our standing before God (v.21 cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). The reality that "Christ liveth in me" is infinitely greater than anything the Law could ever do. Paul was adamant that the essentials of the Gospel were understood and believed, refusing to lend credibility to a perverted message. DWC

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Galatians 3:1-5

YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED

TODAY'S text marks the beginning of the section in this epistle relating to the doctrine of justification (3:1-4:7). The Judaizers were teaching that the keeping of the Law would result in certain benefits to the believer. The apostle Paul, on the other hand, emphatically taught that the Law's purpose was to reveal sin and to pronounce a curse upon the sinner, concluding that only Christ's atoning death could remove sin's curse from mankind. The Galatians were incredibly foolish to even consider turning from their faith in the all-sufficiency of Christ's completed work on Calvary's cross (v.1). What was “the truth" that they should have obeyed? The Galatians should have heeded God's command to rest in the perfect salvation that Christ had "set forth" and to totally rely upon what their Savior had already done.
        Paul asked the Galatians whether they received God's Spirit by works or by faith (v.2). The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer indicates that he possesses God's perfect and finished salvation (Acts 15:7-9; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13, 14). It is essential to understand that the Spirit indwells the Christian at the moment of regeneration. Next, Paul told the Galatians to consider their Christian testimony before others. He reminded them that the enemies of God's grace would no longer exist if righteous acts actually did help to secure God's acceptance (vv. 3,4). Finally, Paul concluded by stating that the Holy Spirit's work within the church always manifests itself through faith, not works (v.5). Having begun the Christian life in faith, the Galatians needed continue in faith as well. We must do the same. DWC

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Galatians 3: 6-9

THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM'S JUSTIFICATION

ABRAHAM is the primary Old Testament example of justification by faith apart from works. He was the "friend of God" and walked uprightly before he ever demonstrated his faith through works by offering his son Isaac (v.6). God justified Abraham before the Law was even given. Compare this text carefully with the related portions in both James 2:21-23 and Romans 4:1-3, 12-25. Clearly, good works are the result of possessing a living, saving faith brought about by the experience of the new birth. Faith serves to secure a right relationship with God the Father through what God the Son has already accomplished. After God's work of regeneration, the indwelling Spirit is then present to enable the new creature in Christ to do His will. What is His will?  “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8-10). Works follow saving faith.
        Abraham stood before God in imputed (credited) righteous (v.7. cf. Rom. 4:16, 20-25). He believed God's promise, even though its fulfillment would require a miracle. God accepted that "faith" as grounds for Abraham's righteousness before Him. Have you believed God's promise that eternal life is the portion of all who place their faith in Jesus Christ?  If so, then you are blessed with faithful Abraham" (v.9). God promised Abraham he would be a blessing to many, for through his seed God's Messiah, the Anointed One, would come (vv. 8, 9 cf. Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6). Abraham's example shows that faith is the only way man can receive God's salvation. DWC

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Galatians 3:10-14

DELIVERANCE THROUGH CHRIST

TODAY'S  text states with absolute certainty that those who try to impose the Law of Moses upon believers are in error. While the Seventh Day Adventists are perhaps the most obvious offenders in this regard, the “faith-plus-works salvation formula" heresy extends to all other churches or denominations that require rituals in addition to faith in Christ for salvation. God's Word clearly states that no one can be justified by the Law, for all are under Its curse because no one can keep the entire Law except Jesus Christ (vv. 10-12). God used the Law to establish the fact that all are sinners in need of salvation, and in so doing, He pointed us to Christ Who perfectly fulfilled the Law and satisfied Its demands, thus “[redeeming] us from the curse of the law." We are no longer subject to the Law or to Its condemnation.
         In this blessed text we have, in a nutshell, the glorious truth of Christ's substitutionary work at Calvary's Cross on our behalf (v.13). Our sinless Substitute became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and took upon Himself the Law's curse for sin. As a result of what Christ has done, salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit are available to all who receive the promise" (v.14). And how is that promise received? Through faith"! False teachers had deceived the Galatians into believing that they could not enter into the blessings and the promises made to faithful Abraham unless they were circumcised and followed the Levitical system, but Paul straightly tells them that this teaching is false. All are “the children of Abraham" and partakers of his blessing (vv. 7, 14) who share the patriarch's faith in the Gospel of salvation by faith alone. DWC

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Galatians 3:15-18

THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM IS OUR INHERITANCE

THE false teachers claimed that Law-keeping was beneficial to the church. However, God's promise to Abraham, given long before the Law existed, was that a Savior would come Who would abolish the effects of sin. The blessings promised were for those who were in Christ, not under the Law. Verse 14 states that God blessed Abraham because of his faith and his blessings would become the inheritance of the Gentiles "though Jesus Christ." What blessings? Believers enjoy the gift of the Holy Spirit and the removal of sin's curse, death. All the blessings we enjoy as believers are ours by virtue of our union with Christ through faith alone.
          In verse 15, Paul established the nature of covenant relationships. When such an agreement is made, even among men, the reputation of the one who authored the agreement is at stake. If he fails to fulfill the terms of the covenant, then he will lose his credibility. The terms cannot be altered or dismissed unless the terms have been fulfilled (v.15). This reveals the permanence of God's promises to Abraham before the Law (v.16). The Lord blessed Abraham with seed, both physical (the nation of Israel) and spiritual (all who would be saved by faith in Christ during the Church Age). The Promised Seed, "which is Christ," would come and would bless Abraham's heirs through their faith, just as the patriarch had been blessed for his faith. The Law did not nullify this covenant (v.17). Rather, the Law made God's promise of the coming Messiah even more precious because the recipients of the inheritance were blessed through faith in Christ and the bondage of the Law was broken (v.18). DWC

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Galatians 3:19-22

LIFE. . . TO THEM THAT BELIEVE

GOD gave Israel the Law for a specific and limited purpose: to reveal sin—the Law was "added because of transgressions" (v.19). The Old Testament Law served to shed the light of God's righteous Standard upon the desperately unrighteous thoughts and actions of the natural man. However, the Law was limited with respect to Its duration, for It was to be in effect only until "the seed should come" (v.19). God was the mediator of the covenant He had made with Abraham, and God Himself would faithfully provide the promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ (v.20).
          The Law could not meet man's greatest need—the provision of eternal life—because the Law Itself condemned all to be "dead in trespasses and sins" (vv. 21, 22 cf. Eph. 2:1). Yet, the Law did not conflict with the "promises of God" that those who believed on the promised Savior would receive eternal life. No, by revealing man's sin, the Law simply established man's inescapable need for a Savior Who could provide the remedy for that sin. Because the Law demanded justice—the penalty of death for man's sins—it could not provide eternal life for the sinner; however, Christ's substitutionary death adequately met the all holy demands of the Law.
          The Lord's conclusion is this: All are guilty before God because all have fallen short of the standard for righteousness that the Law established. The New Testament says "All have sinned" (Rom. 3:23), as the Israelites of old and we today continually prove to be true. The only way to find escape from the penalty of the Law is to receive by faith what God promised to Abraham—salvation in Jesus Christ (v.22). DWC  

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Galatians 3:23-26

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

BECAUSE of Christ's atoning death on the cross, we are no longer under the condemnation of the Law (vv. 13,23). However, Paul describes the Law as a "schoolmaster," serving to instruct the Jews of the Old Testament and all people today of man's lost, sinful condition. Before Christ came, man was "kept under the law, shut up unto the faith" (v.23); in other words, the Law declared that all were sinners, forced to wait for "the faith" that Christ's death and resurrection would eventually make known. But praise the Lord, the Law of God did not just reveal man's sinful state; It also pointed to Christ's future sacrifice for sin. The Levitical offerings and feasts were prophetic types of God's promised, sacrificial Lamb. Man's personal atonement for sin during that former dispensation of Law was by faith, just as it is today—but it was faith in Christ's blood that would be shed. Now that "the faith" has been revealed in the Gospel, believers today can possess all spiritual blessings because Christ has freed us from the bondage of the Law (v.24).
          Verses 25 and 26 present the nature of our new position in Christ. We no longer need the Law of Moses to teach the prophetic types through Its commandments and sacrifices, for Christ has now fulfilled all of those types. Simply stated, we are no longer under the Law. Moreover, the fact that "all [are] the children of God" reveals that Jews and Gentiles are now on equal ground. God had given the Law to the Jews, but the cross eliminated the need for the Law, and thus, the enmity between the two groups. In God's eyes, all believers are now "one body" in Christ (Eph. 2:11-18). DWC

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Galatians 3:2

HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE

OUR new standing in Christ came to pass by the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit Who made the sinner one with Christ the moment he believed the Gospel (vv. 27, 28 cf. I Cor. 12:13). The inseparable union thus formed by the power of God has incredibly far-reaching significance. The question as to whether or not two Gospels exist (one for the Jews and another for the Gentiles) is now mute—the Church Age, all are in need of deliverance from the penalty of sin, all are equally guilty before God and all are given the invitation of salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Not only do all believers become one in Christ Jesus" regardless of gender, color, ethnicity or station, but each one who has believed in Christ to the saving of his soul also becomes a full heir of the inheritance promised to Abraham's seed as fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (v.29 cf. vv. 6-18). Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can now "put on Christ" when they repent and believe the Gospel, for at that moment they are placed into the Body of Christ where true, spiritual unity exists. Paul tells the churches in Galatia, "ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (v.28).
         False teachers told the Galatians they had to keep elements of the Law in order to be saved. No, the apostle made it perfectly clear that salvation was solely a work of God apart from the acts of men. The Law of Moses did have Its place, specifically in Its relationship to God's dealings with Israel in the previous dispensation. But the Law did not annul the promise made regarding the coming of Christ to bless "Abraham's seed" (Jew and Gentile equally) who would believe the Gospel. DWC

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