Galatians Part 24 - Galatians 3:26-29

vs. 26-29. 1. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (v. 26). A. Mind that this chapter shows that the Abraham’s faith preceded the Law and was associated with the inheritance of promise. vs. 6-8, 16-18. (1) Not only did Abraham’s faith precede the Law, it preceded circumcision (the unnecessary ritual that was being imposed upon the Galatian saints for justification). ROM 4:10-11. (2) There was faith in Abraham: he was a container of and possessor of faith. (3) Scripture speaks of faith dwelling in men. 2TI 1:5. B. for: conj. Introducing the cause of a fact, the statement of which precedes or follows: Because. (1) This connects v. 26 with the preceding thoughts of vs. 22-25 which show the perfection of faith as possessed and exercised flawlessly by Jesus Christ which culminated in His resurrection which declared Him to be the Son of God with power. ROM 1:4. (2) As noteworthy as was Abraham’s faith (v. 9), it was the flawed faith of a sinner who knew himself to be such. a. Ergo, he rejoiced in the day of Christ which he saw. JOH 8:56. [1] He perhaps saw it no more clearly than on the day he offered his only begotten son, Isaac, and received him in a resurrection figure, naming the place Jehovah-jirah (in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen). GEN 22:14; HEB 11:17-19. [2] He could look with light indifference upon the promised land but he did not so concerning the promised Seed. ACT 7:2-5 c/w HEB 11:8-10. b. Sinners who rejoice not in the flesh but in Christ have faith like Abraham. PHIL 3:3. c. Abraham’s faith was “...accounted to him for righteousness...” (v. 6) but Jesus Christ’s faith was the working of His righteousness. (3) The resurrected Christ continues to be faithful (full of or characterized by faith). REV 1:5. C. We are children of God, justified from all our sins, and in possession of eternal life by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., the faith which was in Him and which He exercised. (1) This agrees with EPH 1:5 that teaches that we receive the adoption of children by Jesus Christ and thus by His faith. (2) This agrees with ACT 13:39 that teaches that we are justified by him (Jesus Christ) and thus by His faith. (3) This agrees with JOH 17:2 that teaches that Christ, the Son of God, gives us eternal life and thus we live by His faith. c/w JOH 14:19. D. This verse also counters the notion that the Galatian’s fall from grace (GAL 5:4) implies they had lost their status as God’s children. They had fallen from the doctrine of grace, not from the inheritance of grace. E. This verse also counters the notion of diverse reasons for being children of God: “...ye are ALL the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The Scripture concludes all under sin (v. 22) and all needing the same remedy. 2. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (v. 27). Galatians 1-1-17 Page 43  A. The O.T. exodists were only baptized unto Moses (1CO 10:1-2) but N.T. exodists from unbelief and sin are baptized into Christ. B. Being baptized into Christ is being baptized into His spiritual body, the local church. (1) Conversion is an adding to the church, which is an adding to the Lord. ACT 2:41, 47 c/w ACT 5:14; 11:24. (2) The Spirit baptizes converts into a local church, the body of Christ consisting of many members. 1CO 12:12-13, 27. (3) Converts thus put on Christ in baptism. One is in what one has on. C. Baptism into Christ is the formal beginning of a submitted walk in newness of life in His body, the church, leaving the past life of sin buried. ROM 6:1-4. D. The submitted walk in newness of life must continually put on Christ in practice. ROM 13:12-14. 3. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (v. 28). A. There is obviously no advantage to the Jew other than that which Scripture affords him. ROM 3:1-2; 9:3-5; 1:16; 11:16-17. (1) Neither Jewish genealogy or circumcision are any advantage in Christ. TIT 3:9; GAL 6:15. (2) Jew and Gentile sinners are alike saved by the grace of Christ. ACT 15:9-11. (3) Gentile believers are made partakers of the commonwealth of Israel. EPH 2:12-13. a. commonwealth: Public welfare; general good or advantage. b. Whatever God intended in promise for His Israel applies also to uncircumcised believers in Jesus Christ. c. Therefore, if God’s intended promises were meant to include a geographical plot in the Middle East, Gentile Christians have as much right to it as any Jew. (4) Lest Gentile believers boast, Paul reminds them that Jews can be graft back into God’s good graces by abandoning their unbelief of the gospel. ROM 11:17-24. B. This verse also dismisses any other false distinctions in Christ: “...ye are all one in Christ.” This is the true unity of the children of God: chosen by God in Christ without regard to earthly distinctions unto heavenly ends (EPH 1:3-6), and so living in Christ as universally undeserving beneficiaries of His grace: a common faith of a common salvation, thus the unity of the Spirit. TIT 1:4; JUDE 1:3; EPH 4:3. 4. “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (v. 29). A. This utterly defines who are the true seed of Abraham who inherit the promises: Jesus Christ and all those who belong to Him. c/w GAL 3:16. B. The doctrine of truth is very much according to accuracy of words and grammar. (1) The promise was not made to seeds, but seed (singular), which is Christ. v. 16. (2) The promise is not to Christs (there are false Christs, MAT 24:5, 24) but those who are Christ’s. It is to those given to Him to save (JOH 17:2) whom He purchased with His blood out of every nation. REV 5:9. Galatians 1-1-17 Page 44