Galatians 3 (2)

Pray Psalm 105.3-7.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

Sing Psalm 105.3-7.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part.
Him and His strength and Presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgments speak.

You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand!
He is our LORD, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.

Read Galatians 3.1-9; meditate on verses 5-9.

Preparation
1. How are we saved and declared righteous before God?

2. Who are the true and blessed children of Abraham?

Meditation
The Judaizers used a powerful argument in pushing their cause: Do you want to be a child of Abraham our father? Then, like him, you must be circumcised.

All Jews reverenced Abraham, as we see in the gospels. Gentiles would undoubtedly have picked up on the special place of physical descent from Abraham that marked the Jews as a distinct people. Believing Gentiles would have understood that they were, in a certain way, part of a long tradition of the people of God. Thus, many would have been swayed by the argument that circumcision is required for all the true children of Abraham.

Paul says, “Nope.” Abraham believed God and His promises before he was circumcised. So it was believing that mattered for Abraham to be accounted righteous before God. And believing is what God insists on for all who would be Abraham’s true children and His.

God knew that He would justify Gentiles as early as when He spoke His promises to Abram (Gen. 12.1-3). But He said nothing about circumcision; He only required faith in His Word. The blessing of the Gospel reaches and spreads through the nations by the grace of God, lived and proclaimed by the people of God, the true children of Abraham. God will give His Spirit to whomever He will, that they, too, may believe, be born again, and be adopted into the family of Abraham and God.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God, Who supplies the Spirit to us, and works miracles among us (Gal. 3.5), requires one thing from us:
That we believe in Him and His plan of salvation for us: His only begotten Son’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension—Jesus. Only Jesus.

Belief precedes everything.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1.1).
“For God so loved the world [He created] that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3.16).
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2.8, 9).
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6.23).
“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Prov. 30.5, 6).

Belief precedes everything; and grace precedes belief.
These truths we believe, and we believe them unto salvation.

To add circumcision, keeping the Law, or any other traditions of man to the amazing, merciful, gracious, gift of God’s salvation plan is not only unnecessary, but it is wrong. And not only wrong; but self-defeating and stupid.

Who can keep the Law perfectly? Well, no one can. So why pretend otherwise?

Could it be that if we receive this gracious gift of salvation, we have an inkling that an obligation to live in a new Kingdom, under new guidelines, under new leadership—that of King Jesus—is required? And that might demand changes?

Or maybe we just cannot fathom that kind of LOVE?
But that LOVE is just as real as the Creation and all the other marvelous things that God has done.

It is a “no strings attached” gift.
It is only after we accept and unwrap the gift and put it on, that we joyously bear our light yoke and easy burden with our gentle and loving Savior, Jesus Christ (Matt. 11.28-30). “The Scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith” (Gal. 3.8) is a truth worth believing.

Reflection
1. What do we mean by “faith”? That is, what is necessary for true belief to be present in someone?

2. Why are faith and obedience always connected? Can we have faith without obedience? Can we have true obedience apart from faith? Explain.

3. How does grace make faith and obedience possible in us?

[If] Abraham was justified by faith those who wish to be his children must likewise abide firmly by faith. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Galatians 3.7

Pray Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11, 45.
Thank God for His faithfulness—to His covenant and promises—and for the grace by which He has saved you through faith in Jesus. Pray for grace, strength, and wisdom to live as a true child of Abraham today.

Sing Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11, 45.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the LORD Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.

He will His covenant faithfully guard—His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!

So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.