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Protect and Enjoy Gospel Freedom by Standing on Christ
Galatians 5:1–6
This critical passage answers lingering questions about what the gospel of grace will inevitably produce. If I gain a good standing before God based entirely on trust in the work of Christ, then doesn't that mean I can go on living however I'd like to live?
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Applying Paul's Illustration: Purge Anti-Gospels & Know Who You Are
Galatians 4:30-31
Today, we finish looking at Paul’s illustration using the story of Sarah and Hagar, which he used to show the struggle between law and grace for the Galatians. Let’s look at two more applications from this Old Testament story.
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Applying Paul's Illustration: Rejoice in Spiritual Barrenness & Expect a Struggle with Legalism
Galatians 4:27-29
In last week’s post from Galatians, we saw how Paul used the story of Hagar, Sarah, and the birth of their sons from Genesis to illustrate the struggle between law and grace to the Galatians. Today, we’ll see how Paul applies his illustration and consider four applications of the truth he laid out by contrasting Hagar and Sarah.
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Stay Focused in the Gospel: Christ Formed in Us
Galatians 4:17-20
With this passage, we wrap up Paul’s passionate appeal to the Galatians not to add to the gospel they’d been given but to stay firm in the gospel of grace. Through his words, we’ve also seen the Spirit’s heart expressed for all of us, and so far, we’ve learned that God wants us to stay simple in the gospel, relating to him as our father, and to stay free in the Christian liberty he won for us.
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Stay Free in the Gospel: In Christian Liberty
Galatians 4:12-16
Today, we pick up in the middle of Paul’s loving appeal to the Galatians, pleading with them to stay firm in the gospel of grace rather than being swayed by false teachers to add practices of Judaism to be accepted by God. As Paul expressed his heart to them, we learn the Spirit’s heart for all of us. Last week, we saw how God wants us to stay simple in our relationship with him, relating to Him as our Father.
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Stay Simple in the Gospel: God Is Our Father
Galatians 4:8-11
We are in the middle of Paul's theological case to the Galatian church. After he had brought them the gospel, they had begun to drift from it. False teachers were telling them they needed to attach the practices of Judaism to their new faith in Christ. Soon, these brand-new Gentile Christians were acting out Old Testament practices in an attempt to become accepted in God's sight. All this was abhorrent to Paul—he referred to it as a gospel contrary to the one they had received, a distorted gospel, a different gospel, one worthy of a curse on all who proclaim it (Galatians 1:6-9).
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Do I Feel God Is My Father?
Galatians 4:1-7
After asking, Do I think God is my Father? the second question this text leads us to ask should be, Do I feel God is my Father? These verses tell us that God is discontent with only positioning us as his sons or us merely thinking we are his sons—he also wants us to feel we are his sons. He puts his Spirit in believers, and the Spirit within us cries out to God, “Abba, Father!”
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Do I Think of God as My Father?
Galatians 4:1-7
This entire passage illustrates the point in the final verse: "So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (7). If you have trusted Christ and believed his gospel, you have been transferred from slavery to sonship. You are—right now, not only in the future—a full heir of God because of your connection to Jesus.
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The Law Complements the Gospel Because It Combatted Sin until Christ Arrived & Reveals Our Need for Christ
Galatians 3:19-22
Last week, we began looking at how the law complements the Gospel, the first way being that it arrived after Christ was promised - over four centuries after the promise made to Abraham and his offspring.
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The Law Complements the Gospel Because It Arrived after Christ Was Promised
Galatians 3:15-18
In a sense, there is no bigger question than the one Galatians attempts to answer: How do we relate to God? Do we experience God as a reward for good works? Do we gain fuller and more complete revelation of him by keeping more of his law as revealed in nature, conscience, or Scripture? Or do we encounter God by his grace? Do we enjoy him through faith in his promises?
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