Father Abraham has Many Sons (Gal. 3:6-9) - Part 1

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Undoubtedly the reason Paul has so much to say about Abraham in Galatians 3 and 4 is that the Judaizers made such a fuss over him. They claimed that Father Abraham and all his children belonged to God, not by faith alone, but by works of the law. In addition to misunderstanding the gospel, the Judaizers were also guilty of misunderstanding the OT.

The fact that Abraham was justified as a Gentile made him the perfect example to use for the Galatians, who had been wrestling with two questions: Whom does God accept, and on what basis? For his answer, Paul took Abraham's history and applied it to their situation, and to ours: Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7).

This faith is not just for Abraham and the Galatians, but for everyone. In v. 6 Paul proved that justification by faith was God's plan for Abraham. In v. 7 he showed that people like the Galatians could become Abraham's children by the same faith. Then in v. 8 he proves that justification by faith alone has always been God's plan for all people everywhere: And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed' (Gal. 3:8).

 

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