Time In The Word

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Paul's obsession with the cross was strange for two reasons. First, he refused to live for any of the things that people normally live for. He did not boast about his popularity, intellect, influence, appearance, income, or performance. Nor did he boast about his circumcision. Second, what Paul was willing to boast about was even stranger: the cross of Christ. Christians are used to thinking about the cross as something noble, or even beautiful, but to ancient people it was the ultimate humiliation. The Romans considered the cross degrading, disgusting, detestable, and disgraceful. Boasting in the cross means more than just believing that Jesus died for your sins; it also means living a crucified life.

In verse 17 Paul writes, From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. This statement was partly a warning to the Judaizers. They had followed him to interfere with his gospel of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Paul had finally had enough, therefore he warned his opponents not to cause him any more trouble.

This statement is also a warning to every Christian, however, for it shows what kind of treatment we can expect for boasting in the cross. Sooner or later, every Christian who glories in the cross will face opposition.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

It must have been a dramatic moment. The Galatian church had gathered for the public reading of a letter from none other than Paul. As the letter ended, they heard these words: See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand (Gal. 6:11).

What had probably happened was this: According to his usual custom, Paul had dictated most of this epistle to his secretary. But he finished the document in his own handwriting, personally adding his autograph to give his letter to the Galatians the stamp of his apostolic authority. And he wrote his signature in large letters to underscore his conclusion.

The last section of Galatians, therefore, is more than a hastily written postscript, the afterthought of an apostle. Instead, these verses constitute a summary of the entire letter. In his summary, he contrasts circumcision and the cross, showing that justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone means boasting in the cross alone. To understand this is to understand Galatians. More than that, it is to understand the Gospel.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Do you remember the first time you observed a seed sprouting in a glass jar? It is a fascinating law of creation, governed by God's providence. God has also created seed so that whatever type of seed planted, that is the plant that will grow and bear fruit. You do not pick grapes from a thorn bush; you pick grapes from a grape vine. Scripture is full of figures of speech, similes and metaphors based on the relationship of seed and plant, and Paul uses such a figure in Galatians 6:6-10, in this case the relationship of sowing to gathering. He uses this figure in order to teach us about stewardship within the body of Christ. He is dealing with how we live with one another. Gospel liberty does not allow us to be self-centered. Paul says Gospel liberty is not a license to sin against God and it is not a license to live self-centeredly amid the community. In the previous section (6:1-5), he gave a practical example of how to live together in humility.

Now in verses 6-10, he offers another practical example, the matter of Christian stewardship, particularly in the provision for those in full-time ministry. Once again Paul establishes the principle, that God uses His appointed means to accomplish His spiritual purposes.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

We learn by example; we copy things that we see. This is also true for developing spiritually. We call this biblical principle, modelling.

Paul often gave examples to illustrate the principles that he had imparted. In today’s text, Paul exhorts us to live in holiness and in harmony, as we serve one another in love. He concludes the exhortation by relating walking in the Spirit to how we treat one another. In the first 5 verses of chapter 6, he gives an example of serving one another in love, particularly as we deal with sin within the body of Christ.

In verses 1-2, Paul begins with an exhortation on how sin should be handled in the body of Christ. Paul's exhortation is an example for implementing his concluding exhortation in chapter 5:26, Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Having shown us the practical example of walking in the Spirit and not challenging one another in jealousy and pride, in verses 3-5, Paul gives the antidote to selfish ambition. Paul warns of the danger of self-deceit: If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

The Holy Spirit does not produce fruit in the Christian life without our cooperation. There are two things every Christian must do to remain fruitful. First, mortification, the putting to death the sinful nature and vivification, the coming to life of the regenerate nature. We find the death of our own sinful nature in the death of Christ, through what J. I. Packer calls "cocrucifixion with Jesus Christ." There is a connection between Gal. 5:24 (And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires) and Gal. 2:20 (I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me). But there is one very important difference. In chapter 2, we are crucified; in chapter 5, we do the crucifying. At the same time that we are putting our flesh to death, we are being revived by the Holy Spirit. These two aspects of sanctification—mortification and vivification—go together. As the reformer John Calvin put it, "The death of the flesh is the life of the Spirit."

Second, walking with the Spirit: If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

In this verse, Paul follows an indicative with an imperative; he tells us to become what we are. At regeneration, the Holy Spirit enters the heart of every Christian. Yet we must keep on living in the Spirit, which is precisely what the Galatians were failing to do.

The role of the Spirit is to keep us in line, give us our orders, all we must do is keep our place in the formation, moving in step with his commands. Keeping in step takes discipline, and so does spiritual growth. True spiritual growth comes from walking with the Spirit every day.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

What is spirituality? Who is spiritual? Is it accomplished by legalistic conformity to the Mosaic law? What part does the Holy Spirit have? The self?

In Galatians 5:16-18, Paul explains the nature of spirituality. Verse 16 its command, Walk by the Spirit. In the first part of the verse, Paul defines the command; in the second part, he explains the result, …and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

A Christian is a creature of two environments. Unlike the fish whose one nature is adaptable to only one habitat, the believer can function within two realms.

In verse 17, Paul explains that as Christians, we have two natures and two desires; in verse 18, he provides the solution to the conflict.

In verses 19-23, Paul discusses the contrast between works and fruit. Earlier there was a clash between the flesh and the Spirit. Now a contrast is established between the works of the flesh (5:19) and the fruit of the Spirit (5:22).

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Just as justification is not possible through the efforts of self, so sanctification cannot be achieved through one's own energy either. Both come from the provision and power of God.

The basic meaning of "sanctify" is "to set apart."

One of the four stages within the biblical concept of sanctification is Progressive Sanctification. It’s that work of the triune God whereby He sets apart the Christian unto Himself from the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. This happens during the entire lifetime of the believer on earth and is achieved by his yieldedness to the Spirit and his obedience to the Scriptures.

Paul wants believers to realize that obedience to the law was not necessary for progressive sanctification. The sinner is not only justified by faith, but he is also sanctified by faith. Paul writes in Rom. 1:17 (NLT), This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

The Judaizers charged that Paul’s teaching would lead the Galatians into lawlessness. Paul countered that the false teachers wanted to replace one expression of legalistic bondage for another. Who was right? In this section Paul argued that a proper apprehension of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone would lead to a life of spiritual freedom and holy love.

In 5:1 Paul wrote, Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. In 5:13 he wrote, For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. Warren Wiersbe says that liberty minus love will issue in license, whereas liberty plus love will result in service.

What is the purpose of this liberty? Using liberty for selfish pursuits is not love. The real goal of spiritual liberty is to serve one another. A sinner has been set free from the bondage of self, sin, and Satan so that he might become a slave to others.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

The Judaizers charged that Paul’s teaching would lead the Galatians into lawlessness. Paul countered that the false teachers wanted to replace one expression of legalistic bondage for another. Who was right? In this section Paul argued that a proper apprehension of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone would lead to a life of spiritual freedom and holy love.

Paul writes, Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1). Set free by Christ, the Galatians soon were acquiescing to the demands of the legalists. Paul wanted them to take a stand, to act like free men, not like slaves.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Paul effectively used a double approach to warn the Galatians about the dangers of Judaizing legalism. The first was personal and subjective (4:12-20), and the second was objective and historical (4:21-31).

The characters and events of the OT have often been used as illustrations of NT principles. For instance, the Passover lamb was a type of Christ in His sacrificial death (1 Cor. 5:7). The essence of faith can be seen in Abel, Enoch, Noah, and others (Heb. 11). A basic law of hermeneutics can be derived from 1 Cor. 10:11: Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. In verses 21-31 of Galatians chapter 4, Paul planned to use an event out of the life of Abraham to illustrate the principle that a man could not inherit the blessings of the patriarchal covenant through obedience to the law.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

In this section Paul effectively used a double approach to warn the Galatians about the dangers of Judaizing legalism. The first was personal and subjective (4:12-20), and the second was objective and historical (4:21-31).

In verses 12 through 20, the direct address brothers, served to catch their attention. They were genuine brothers and sisters within the family of God, but the Judaizing teachers, had caused them to have a strained relationship. Paul wanted them to be reconciled to him.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Although regeneration changed the spiritual position of a slave, it did not eliminate his social status. He was still a slave. Many NT epistles provided valuable counsel for the converted servants and slave owners. For example, Paul encouraged Philemon to receive the recently saved Onesimus no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother... (Philemon v. 16).

The cultural background of the first century provided an excellent analogy between the principles of spiritual sonship and those of spiritual bondage.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

 In cultures that practiced slavery, there were obvious differences between the one who served and the master, between the son of a slave and the son of a slave owner. Although the servant may have possessed greater physical strength and innate intelligence than that of the owner's son, the servant was still regarded as an inferior person. The servant was under orders to obey, and the son was free to enjoy the provision of the father.

In his argument for the superiority of Christ, the author of Hebrews pointed out that Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope (Heb. 3:5-6). A slave is never free to do anything voluntarily; rather he is always obligated to obey laws.

Although regeneration changed the spiritual position of a slave, it did not eliminate his social status. He was still a slave. Many NT epistles provided valuable counsel for the converted servants and slave owners. Paul encouraged Philemon to receive the recently saved Onesimus no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother... (Philem. v. 16).

This cultural background of the first century provided an excellent analogy between the principles of spiritual sonship and those of spiritual bondage.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

This major section begins with the rhetorical question: Why then was the law given? (3:19). In verse 19-25, Paul explained the purpose of God giving the law to Moses and to Israel. In the remaining verses of chapter 3, Paul explains the believer’s position under faith.  He tells us that when a person was under the works of the law, he soon found himself to be under the curse and under sin. Now Paul wanted to show the favorable position of the sinner who has been justified by faith in Christ.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Paul has clearly demonstrated that the law could not give the Holy Spirit (3:1-5), could not give the righteousness of God (3:6-9), could not give the blessing (3:14), and could not change the original covenant (3:15-18). The law, however, could give a curse (3:10-13). In the remaining verses of chapter 3, Paul continued to prove the superiority of the life of faith to that of legalism.

This major section begins with a rhetorical question: Why then was the law given? (3:19). Since the promise was given to Abraham and to Christ and since the law could not annul the promise, what was the purpose of God giving the law to Moses and to Israel? Why didn’t He continue dealing with them on the basis of the covenant of promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Why was there any change at Sinai? Paul anticipated such questions, thus they had to be addressed.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

 

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Since salvation is a matter of God's free grace, we do not earn it by working to obtain it. It is a gift, not something owed to us. We receive our inheritance from God the same way Abraham received it: by faith. We simply believe that God will make good on his promise to save us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And then, we act on our faith, living like the true heirs of God that we have become through his covenant in Christ.

This is the grace of God, that he does not deal with us on the basis of our performance, but on the basis of His promise. No matter what we have done, our sins are covered by the covenant righteousness of Christ. And now that we are in Christ, our standing before God does not fluctuate with the inconsistency of our daily obedience (or disobedience). On the basis of the promise that he made before the law, God loves us with an unconditional love.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

 

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Throughout this chapter Paul has been proving that justification and the Holy Spirit come by faith and not by works. First, he argued from experience—the experience the Galatians had when they received the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:1-5). Next, he argued from Scripture—the biblical record about Abraham, the man of faith (Gal. 3:6-14). But when it comes to making a theological point, it always helps to have a good illustration, so next Paul takes a human example (Gal. 3:15a). According to standard legal practice, with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified (Gal. 3:15b). The covenant is permanent.

By covenant, Paul refers instead to a covenant for an inheritance, what today might be called a "last will and testament." A will is not a contract. It does not set terms that various parties are obligated to fulfill. Instead, it simply declares what one party intends to do. A last will and testament is a legal arrangement in which one party bestows his or her estate on someone else. It is a grant rather than a bargain.

The kind of human covenant Paul has in mind is also irrevocable. Once it is signed, sealed, and delivered, it cannot be changed. There is no way to set it aside or add to it. It cannot be abrogated or annulled. It cannot be amended or adjusted. It is legally binding exactly as it stands.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

 

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

If the law cannot bless us, then how can we receive God's blessing? This is the question Paul has been wrestling with throughout this letter. How do I stand in right relationship with God? What must I do to gain his favor? In a word, how can I be justified?

There are two possibilities: Either I am justified by works of the law or I am justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul's answer is that justification comes only by faith and not by works. He has stated this before, but here he repeats it: Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.' But the law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them' (Gal. 3:11-12). Justification cannot come by works of the law; it must come by faith.

Luther rightly understood that only Christ can justify a sinner, and only through his cross. Paul explained it to the Galatians like this: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' (Gal. 3:13).

The love of Christ is wondrous. He was crucified to remove the curse. Since we are no longer subject to the death penalty of the law, we can receive the promise of the gospel, that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith (Gal. 3:14).

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Imagine the scene: An entire nation gathers on the sides of two mountains to worship. Half the people stand on one side, half on the other. They worship responsively, alternating their praise. First one group cries out to God, and then the other, with every man, woman, and child shouting in unison.

This was the scene when the Jewish people crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. According to the command of Moses, six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount Ebal to form an antiphonal choir. Rather than singing in harmony, they recited a litany of blessings and curses. The tribes on Mount Gerizim blessed the people of God, while the tribes on Mount Ebal cursed them.

What curses they were! Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image (Deut. 27:15). Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother (Deut. 27:16). Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (Deut. 27:19). Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them (Deut. 27:26). The Levites recited a dozen curses in all, and after each one, all the people said, "Amen!"

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith (Gal. 3:8). The OT had the foresight to predict the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. The Scriptures not only predicted that he would come, but also prophesied the precise way that he would save. He would justify sinners by faith, exactly as God justified Abraham.

This plan of salvation is for all people everywhere. It is universal. It is for all nations. The blessing of justification was never for the Jews alone; it was always intended for the whole world. In Gal. 3:8 Paul refers to the Gentiles and to the nations. In fact, these are two different translations for the same term. The word does not refer to political states, but to people groups. Through Abraham, God's blessing would come to every ethnic community in the world, to every tribe, people, and language. This was the agenda that Jesus established for the church, to go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). It later became Paul's agenda for world missions. This explains why he went to places like Galatia to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ that God had first announced to Abraham.

Preaching the gospel to every people group remains the church's agenda to this very day. To think and to act biblically is to think and to act globally. We preach the whole gospel to the whole world, knowing that it is the will of God for Jesus Christ to stake his claim on every ethnic community on the face of the earth. The gospel we preach to the nations is the gospel of justification by faith.

 

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This podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

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).

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

Deep down, the Galatians knew that they were justified by faith alone, for this is how they had come to Christ in the first place. To stop them from going back to the law, Paul made a personal appeal to their spiritual experience.

This appeal came in a series of rapid rhetorical questions—four of them in all:

1. A question about initiation, in which Paul took the Galatians back to the moment of their conversion: "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal. 3:2).
2. A question about completion, or how the Christian makes it to the end of the Christian life: "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3).
3. A question about persecution, the cost of following a crucified Christ: "Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?" (Gal. 3:4).
4. A question about miracles and their meaning for the Christian life: "Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal. 3:5).

Essentially, all these questions boiled down to a single issue: Does the Christian obtain the Holy Spirit by working the law or by hearing with faith?

Once the Galatians were forced to admit that they had received the Holy Spirit by faith alone, the argument was over. This is why Paul said he wanted to ask them only one question. Grant him that the Spirit comes by faith alone, and the whole matter is settled.

 

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

How can God accept me? Only if I trust in Jesus Christ. This is the biblical doctrine of justification by faith that Paul taught the Galatians. I cannot be saved by anything I do; I can be saved only by what Jesus did when he died on the cross and rose from the dead. There is no way for me to make myself right with God because I am unrighteous. But Jesus made things right through his crucifixion and resurrection. All that is left for me to do is receive the gift of God's free grace by putting my faith in God's Son.

This doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone has always had its detractors. If justification comes by grace, then all the glory goes to God. But people want to keep some of the glory for themselves. Thus, they seek to justify themselves before God by their own works.

Martin Luther encountered this problem when he began preaching the gospel in his native Germany. According to Luther, "The doctrine of justification is this, that we are pronounced righteous and are saved solely by faith in Christ, and without works."

In today’s study, Dr. Gonzalez will begin his exposition of Galatians 3:1-5.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

The only way to get what Christ has to offer is to be united to him by faith. John Calvin said, "We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us."  But once we are in Christ, then we get everything he has to offer, especially his righteousness. When we are in Christ, God considers us as righteous as his own Son, not because we are righteous, but because we are in Christ.

The doctrine of union with Christ explains why the Christian is dead to the law. We were united to Christ in his crucifixion. As far as God is concerned, we were really and truly nailed to the cross with Christ. It was on the cross that the law carried out its death penalty against us. Therefore, as far as the law is concerned, we are now dead. There is nothing the law can do to improve our standing before God. We can live for Christ because we are dead to the law.

In today’s study, Dr. Gonzalez will conclude his exposition of Galatians 2:17-21.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.

GALATIANS EXPOSITORY SERIES

 

In today’s study, Dr. Gonzalez will begin his exposition of Galatians 2:17-21.

What Paul said in Gal. 2:16 bears repeating: "We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ." This is the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. As John Calvin (1509-1564) said, "we are justified in no other way than by faith, or, which comes to the same thing, that we are justified by faith alone.” "Justification" is a legal term that refers to a person's standing before the bar of God's justice. To be declared right with God, I must be righteous. But I am not righteous; I am a sinner. How, then, can I justify myself to God? This is the question that the doctrine of justification answers.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Time in the Word.

As God ministers to you through this series of studies and as you experience God’s love and grace in your own life, share these podcasts with others, so that they too may be blessed by God’s Word and His amazing grace.

Time in the Word with Bible teacher Dr. Miguel Gonzalez is a ministry of Reasons for Faith International Ministries, a ministry committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear exposition of God’s Word.

For additional resources, or if you have enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting www.rffiministries.org.