Five Things I Learned from Galatians 3: We all need a Savior.

We all need a Savior

We can learn a lot just by reading the Bible. Galatians 3 is written by Paul to the churches in the region of Galatia. He reminds them (and us) that those who are of faith are the true sons of Abraham, not because of our natural birth, family heritage, or rule-keeping, but because we receive God’s promise by faith. We all need a Savior.

One: 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by  hearing with faith? Galatians 3:2

At some point in our lives we must listen to what Jesus is telling us, As Romans 10:17 says “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”, which looks back to Isaiah 53:1. We must listen to Jesus and allow His words to penetrate deeply into us, and to change us. It is only by this relationship with Jesus that we can be saved, not by what we do and what rules we follow.

No, this is not an excuse for unrighteous living . But the path to salvation and to righteous living goes through Jesus. We are changed by grace through faith; we live a righteous life by grace through faith. I cannot manufacture this righteousness; it must come from God!

Two: 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by  hearing with faith? Galatians 3:5

Miracles come from God, they are worked for His reasons and not mine, John 9:1-3, Luke 13:3-5. Yes, we can and should pray for a miracle, and God does answer those prayers. Who else can we turn to when we have a need? But miracles come from God for His purposes, we cannot earn them.

Three: 6  Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. Galatians 3:6, 9

This, along with Romans 4:3 and James 2:23 , refer to Genesis 15:6. Here we see that Abraham trusted God and listened to what He said. He obeyed God and went where he was told to go. But Abraham was not perfect. What God did for Abraham was not based on Abraham being perfect, but on what God promised. We have to build our lives by faith on what God is doing, not on what we want.

Four: 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. Galatians 3:18

God promised elderly Abraham and Sarah a son of their own, without human schemes or intervention (Genesis 12–22). Abraham faltered at times, but he kept returning to God’s promise. The reward wasn’t earned; it was given by grace so we could see what a life of faith looks like. Perfection isn’t the goal (we could never achieve it through the law). Instead, “the righteous shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Hab 2:4).

Five: 28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, There is neither slave nor free man, There is -neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:28-29

This statement includes all people; we are all the same before Jesus. We can all be saved by grace through faith and not on our birth or training. This is the beauty of the gospel; it is for all of us and we all stand before God as sinners in need of salvation.

This is not an in-depth study of Galatians 3. In this short chapter we can see that no matter who we are, where we come from, or what our past is we can be saved by the work of Jesus. It does not depend on us, but Him. And that is good news!