November 18, 2025 • 19 mins
In this Bible Story, we are able to read the letter Paul wrote to the Galatian church. Paul, with the love and wisdom of Jesus, implores the Galatian church to stop binding themselves to the law. He encourages them to live under grace and live in the Spirit. This story is inspired by Galatians. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Galatians 1:10 from the King James Version.
Episode 231: During his travels, Paul heard about the lies that were being spread in Galatia. He heard about how this false teaching was impacting the church that he loved, so he wrote them a letter. In this letter, he called out the foolishness of this new teaching and reminded them of his own past experiences with the law. He reminded them that it is in Christ that we find our righteousness, not the law. And he shared his heart for them, reminding both them and us the importance of walking according to The Holy Spirit, not the flesh.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray for do I now persuade men or God?
Or do I seek to please men? For if I
yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians one ten. Free me, Lord from my brothers and
sisters in Christ who are more focused on their own
(00:23):
works than on their faith. Free me from the legalistic
Christ followers who are bent on justifying themselves through the law.
Thank you, Jesus, that by your sacrifice, I am saved
by faith and not by my works. Thank you that
(00:43):
I can walk in complete freedom and enjoy my walk
with You, free from the opinions of others. Continue to
allow the fruits of the Spirit to be evident in
my life. I decree and declare that in Christ Jesus,
I am free and unchained. By decree and declare that
(01:05):
I serve You Lord by devotion and not obligation. As
I work out my faith in love, I will walk
in freedom and in step with the spirit. Where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is always freedom. There
is no bondage in Christ. So Lord, I thank you
(01:30):
that I don't have to earn my way into heaven.
But because I place my trust and love in You,
you will guide me in the way everlasting in the
name of Jesus. Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by
(01:53):
listening to to day's Bible in a Year, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Dear Galicia. In our last story, we learned about certain
Jewish believers forcing Gentiles to be circumcised to be accepted
into the Family of God. Outraged by this, Paul and
Barnabas held a council of all the leaders in Jerusalem.
They debated whether Gentiles should be forced to follow the
Jewish customs laid out in the Law. The consensus was
(02:32):
a resounding no. Now we listen in on a letter
Paul wrote to the Galician church. Paul wrote to the
Galatians because they had men in their midst teaching them
that all Christians should be circumcised to be saved. Paul's
words would reflect the heart of Jesus as he defends
the grace given by Jesus on the Cross. Inspired by
(02:54):
the Book of Galatians.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode.
I want you to know that I would absolutely love
to send you my daily devotional that will give you
fresh encouragement every single morning and day from the moment
we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,
(03:24):
but it's in the midst of all this crush and
hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,
life changing Word by sending you my free daily email devotional,
PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign up
(03:45):
for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org. Jack
Graham dot org. In our previous time together, we heard
how the Counsel of Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem, along
with Paul and Arnabus, affirmed that gentile believers were not
bound to Jewish customs outlined in the law, but should
(04:06):
focus on abstaining from things that would hinder their relationship
with God in Christ, such as sexual immorality and food
sacrifice to idols. Today, we'll hear Paul's words to the
Church in Galicia and his affirmation of their freedom in Christ,
not because of obedience to the law and things like circumcision,
(04:26):
but because of faith and the grace of God. Let's
hear now the reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
To the Church in Galicia. Grace and peace to you
from our Lord. I am amazed that you would turn
from grace so quickly to adopt another gospel, one of
bondage and works. Let me tell you this, Even if
you see an angel coming down from heaven preaching another
gospel to you, it is false. I tell you this honestly,
(04:57):
since I do not seek the approval of man, but
of God. If I simply sought to please you, I
would not be a servant of Christ. I need you
to know this, brothers, that the gospel preached by me
to you is not a gospel forged and penned by man.
It is from the heart of Christ himself.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
You know my past.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You know that I was once a zealous pharisee, held
bent on the destruction of the Church. I held the
law tightly and honored it my whole life. But Jesus
called me into grace, so I fled to Arabia, and
then Damascus, then to Jerusalem. I wanted to know what
was happening to my heart. I wanted to know Christ.
(05:41):
Those who saw me change glorified Christ. It was not
because I followed the law, but because I was changed
by grace. Fourteen years had passed and I was traveling
to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, who was a gentile.
We did not force him to be circumcised. Yet foss
brothers tried to bind him into slavery to the old
(06:03):
Covenant law. We did not yield in submission to them.
To do so would have been to deny the power
of the Gospel. It started to become clear to me
that I was to be an apostle of the Gentiles,
just as Peter was called to the Jews. I want
to tell you something about Peter so that you might
learn from him. Peter would eat with the Gentiles and
(06:24):
fellowship with them, but when his Jewish brothers were present,
he would not speak to them or eat with them.
This was too faced and not honoring to Christ. So
I opposed him to his face. Peter was supposed to
be an example to us, and instead his conduct was
not in step with the truth. I told him that
if he, being a Jew, was able to live like
(06:47):
a gentile, then he should not force gentiles to live
like Jews. It was simple, and Peter received his correction.
Let me make one thing clear. We are Jews by birth,
but it is not our tradition or race that makes
us justified. Our faith in the work of Jesus on
the Cross makes us justified. It is not by works
(07:09):
that we attain favor with God.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
For He is pleased with us.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
In Jesus. We must die to the law so we
can live in Christ. I have been crucified. With Christ,
I am no longer living. It is Jesus who lives
in me. The life we are to live should be
by faith in Jesus. He has loved us and gave
his life for us. If we gained our righteousness from
(07:32):
our good deeds or following the law, then why would
Christ have died for us? You foolish Galatians? Who has
cast a spell on you that you would turn from
this glorious truth. Some of you saw with your own
eyes Jesus being crucified. Let me ask you this, did
you receive the Holy Spirit by being perfect?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Are you so dumb that you would now try and
be perfect after receiving grace. Was called righteous because of
his faith, not his ability to follow rules. The truly
righteous ones are the ones who look under Jesus and
have faith in him. The righteous live by faith. Let
me give you an example of what the law is
for picture a contract. Every human contract can be annulled
(08:19):
or ratified, but not with God. He keeps his promises
despite our failures. So what good is the law? Well,
the law was our tutor until Christ came. The law
was an image of the perfect character of God. That
character was fulfilled in Jesus, so we look to follow him,
not the law. That way, the Gospel is not only
(08:40):
for Jews who follow the law, but for people of
all nationalities who believe in Jesus and follow him. A
child is no freer than a slave until he becomes
a man. So the child must be looked after and protected.
That is what the law did for us. It took
care of us until we were ready to step into maturity. Sons,
(09:00):
daughters and heirs to all the gifts of Jesus. To
know Jesus is to be free. So it concerns me
that you are all trying to enslave yourselves to the law. Stop.
I am afraid that all your effort and labor to
be perfect is all in vain. Brothers and sisters, I
beg you be like me. Let go. We were close ones.
(09:23):
You would have laid down your life for me. But
now I feel like I am your enemy. Just because
I preach to you the truth. I am perplexed and
disturbed by you. Christ has set us free to walk
in liberty. The ability to do what is good and
noble comes from a place of freedom, not bondage. Do
not be slaves to mindless devotion. If you decide that
(09:45):
one must be circumcised to be saved, then you put
yourself under the bondage of the whole law. You cannot
pick and choose. You either follow the whole law or
you follow the one who has made you righteous. It
is not about being circumcised. It is about working out
your faith in love. You are doing so well. Tell
(10:06):
me who has whispered lies in your ears, who has
hindered you from speaking the truth? Know this that a
little bit of leaven can ruin the whole loaf of bread,
The same as with people. Honestly, I wish that those
who told you you needed to be circumcised were just
cut off their privates altogether. For you were called to freedom,
(10:28):
and they have set you back. Walk in freedom. Do
not use your freedom as an opportunity to sin. Serve
one another, for the entire law is truly fulfilled in
these words. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But
if you insist on devouring one another, take heed lest
you all consume yourselves into oblivion. If you keep in
(10:50):
step with the Spirit, you will have no need of laws,
for he will guide you. For the desires of the
Spirit will oppose the flesh. For the fruit of the
flesh is obvious fits of rage, rivalries, division, envy, drunkenness, selfish,
sexual gratification, jealousy, idolatry, and all sorts of rage that
break instead of build. But the fruit of the spirit
(11:13):
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self control. If you have these things, you have no
need of law. Yet we all fail, we all fall
in some way. So let us restore one another in gentleness.
If anyone is caught in sin, let us help bear
(11:36):
one another's burdens and take heed of your heart, for
whoever thinks they have reached the heights of holiness are
sure to be brought low. Take care of one another.
As you can see, I have written this letter with
my own hand, for my eyesight is failing me, and
the words are large on the page. Understand these large
words of mine. Far be it from me to boast
(11:58):
except in the cross of Jesus Christ. From now on,
let no one cause anybody else to stumble. May the
grace of the Lord Jesus be upon you.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Amen. We begin today's reading with Paul's surprise at how
quickly the believers in Galicia had lost the point of
the gospel, and we're trying to add requirements to the
grace of God in Christ and subject themselves again to bondage.
There were Jews among them who insisted that believers needed
(12:29):
to also follow the requirements of the law in order
to be saved, and Paul is unequivocal in his words,
anything different than the gospel of God's grace through Christ
and Christ alone is a false gospel. To make this
point even stronger, Paul told them that even if an
angel were to come down and give them a different gospel,
(12:52):
that angel would be cursed. The reminder to the Galatians
is ones that we should heed today as well. If
you try to add to the Gospel, whether you're subtracting
it or adding to it, you end up with a
lie is subtraction or its addition or subtraction by addition.
As Paul told these believers, he of all people would
(13:15):
know that following the law does not save, and to
be saved means to know God and to be forgiven
of sins and to know eternal life. So how is
one saved not by works of the law. Before his
conversion he was an example of piety and zealousness among
Jewish believers. Paul knew the Law backwards and forwards, inside
(13:38):
and out. He followed it to the letter, and even
persecuted those who preached the gospel he is now advancing.
Paul argued that if the law could have made him
justified before God, it would have, but it did not
because the law cannot save. His life was changed because
he embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior and
(13:59):
God grace in order to save him. He then gave
the example of Titus a gentile, a Greek man who
came to faith in Christ and joined Paul and Barnabas
on their missionary journey. There were Jewish believers who tried
to impose the burden of circumcision and Jewish law on Titus,
but Paul defended him and refused to let him be
(14:20):
subject to the bondage of legalism, which would strip away
the power of the Gospel. Paul even confronted Peter, an
apostle and the leader of the church. Paul had witnessed
Peter eating with gentiles when Jews were not around, but
separating himself from them when Jews were present. By his
hypocritical actions, Peter was creating a division between Jews and Gentiles,
(14:44):
and this was inconsistent with the Gospel, not only that
it was robbing the Gospel of its power. Paul called
on Peter to examine his own life and to experience
the freedom in Christ, the freedom that we have because
of what Christ has done, not because of what the
Law has done. If Peter could enjoy his freedom, how
(15:05):
could he not allow others to experience that same freedom
in Christ. It takes courage to stand up for the truth,
especially when a leader may be more mature and yet
is wrong and acting in a way that undermines the
power of the Gospel. Paul was willing to confront Peter
for the sake of the advancement of Jesus Christ and
(15:26):
the message of the Gospel. Paul's example is one of
encouragement for all of us to stand boldally and courageously
for the truth of God's word and the power of
God's message. And as Paul continued his letter, he reminded
the Galatians just what that truth is. Justification does not
come from our human efforts, but by faith, and the
(15:49):
object of our faith is Jesus. It is our faith
in Christ that makes us righteous, not our works. To
bring this point home, Paul said that if the Law
made people righteous, then Jesus died for nothing. Why then,
if we have righteousness through faith in Christ and Christ alone,
would these Galatians look to the law to make them righteous.
(16:10):
Paul then pointed back to the first patriarch, to Abraham himself,
to explain that righteousness by faith is nothing new. Righteousness
has always come through faith, not works. Abraham believes God,
and his faith was credited to him as righteous. The
Law was not given to make people righteous, but as
(16:30):
a guardian, a guide a teacher until the time when
Christ came to set all people free, not only Jews,
but people of all nations. Listen to what Paul writes
in Galatians three twenty five to twenty eight about what
Jesus has done for us. These are powerful words. But
now that faith has come, we are no longer under
(16:52):
a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons
of God through faith. For as many of you as
were baptized and too Christ, have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free.
There is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. Don't miss how profound this statement is.
(17:15):
We are the children of God. We are the sons
and daughters of God, heirs to the promises of Christ.
We have been adopted into His eternal family, God's forever family,
and it's all because of what Jesus has done for us.
This adoption means that we are truly free and favored
by God. Paul calls the Galatians to not walk away
(17:37):
from this freedom, but rather to walk in it. It
is a freedom to love and serve god fully. But
Paul knew also he needed to caution against misunderstanding this freedom.
Our freedom in Christ is not licensed to live in
sin as we please. It is a freedom to live
by God's grace in the power of his Spirit. He
then explained what it looks like to live by God's Spirit,
(18:00):
giving us the fruit of the spirit, love and joy,
and peace, and patience, and kindness and goodness and faithfulness
and gentleness and self control. All of this flows out
of a life committed to follow Jesus Christ. The work
of the Holy Spirit is to fuel us for godly
living and to fill us that we might produce the
(18:21):
fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is
Christ's likeness, and he reproduces himself in us by the
power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Paul
concludes by acknowledging that we will fail, and he impressed
upon the Galatians that they must support and encourage one
another and bear one another's burdens. The Christian life was
(18:44):
never meant to be lived alone. It was true then
and it's true today. Dear God, we thank you for
this powerful letter that Paul gave to the Galatians and
to us. We are so grateful that we are not
saved by our own works, because we could only fail.
By your grace. Through your cross. In the power of
your resurrection, we are saved from our sins. You live
(19:06):
in our lives, and we can live forever with you,
all because of Christ. God, help us to walk in
the fullness, in the freedom, in the favor that you
have given us in Christ. And may we live to
humbly serve you and point others to your Son in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(19:27):
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, and before we go,
I want you to know that I would love to
send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
every single day. So visit Jack Graham dot org to
sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham
dot org.
Let us pray for do I now persuade men or God?
Or do I seek to please men? For if I
yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Galatians one ten. Free me, Lord from my brothers and
sisters in Christ who are more focused on their own
(00:23):
works than on their faith. Free me from the legalistic
Christ followers who are bent on justifying themselves through the law.
Thank you, Jesus, that by your sacrifice, I am saved
by faith and not by my works. Thank you that
(00:43):
I can walk in complete freedom and enjoy my walk
with You, free from the opinions of others. Continue to
allow the fruits of the Spirit to be evident in
my life. I decree and declare that in Christ Jesus,
I am free and unchained. By decree and declare that
(01:05):
I serve You Lord by devotion and not obligation. As
I work out my faith in love, I will walk
in freedom and in step with the spirit. Where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is always freedom. There
is no bondage in Christ. So Lord, I thank you
(01:30):
that I don't have to earn my way into heaven.
But because I place my trust and love in You,
you will guide me in the way everlasting in the
name of Jesus. Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by
(01:53):
listening to to day's Bible in a Year, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Dear Galicia. In our last story, we learned about certain
Jewish believers forcing Gentiles to be circumcised to be accepted
into the Family of God. Outraged by this, Paul and
Barnabas held a council of all the leaders in Jerusalem.
They debated whether Gentiles should be forced to follow the
Jewish customs laid out in the Law. The consensus was
(02:32):
a resounding no. Now we listen in on a letter
Paul wrote to the Galician church. Paul wrote to the
Galatians because they had men in their midst teaching them
that all Christians should be circumcised to be saved. Paul's
words would reflect the heart of Jesus as he defends
the grace given by Jesus on the Cross. Inspired by
(02:54):
the Book of Galatians.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode.
I want you to know that I would absolutely love
to send you my daily devotional that will give you
fresh encouragement every single morning and day from the moment
we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,
(03:24):
but it's in the midst of all this crush and
hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,
life changing Word by sending you my free daily email devotional,
PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign up
(03:45):
for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org. Jack
Graham dot org. In our previous time together, we heard
how the Counsel of Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem, along
with Paul and Arnabus, affirmed that gentile believers were not
bound to Jewish customs outlined in the law, but should
(04:06):
focus on abstaining from things that would hinder their relationship
with God in Christ, such as sexual immorality and food
sacrifice to idols. Today, we'll hear Paul's words to the
Church in Galicia and his affirmation of their freedom in Christ,
not because of obedience to the law and things like circumcision,
(04:26):
but because of faith and the grace of God. Let's
hear now the reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
To the Church in Galicia. Grace and peace to you
from our Lord. I am amazed that you would turn
from grace so quickly to adopt another gospel, one of
bondage and works. Let me tell you this, Even if
you see an angel coming down from heaven preaching another
gospel to you, it is false. I tell you this honestly,
(04:57):
since I do not seek the approval of man, but
of God. If I simply sought to please you, I
would not be a servant of Christ. I need you
to know this, brothers, that the gospel preached by me
to you is not a gospel forged and penned by man.
It is from the heart of Christ himself.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
You know my past.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You know that I was once a zealous pharisee, held
bent on the destruction of the Church. I held the
law tightly and honored it my whole life. But Jesus
called me into grace, so I fled to Arabia, and
then Damascus, then to Jerusalem. I wanted to know what
was happening to my heart. I wanted to know Christ.
(05:41):
Those who saw me change glorified Christ. It was not
because I followed the law, but because I was changed
by grace. Fourteen years had passed and I was traveling
to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, who was a gentile.
We did not force him to be circumcised. Yet foss
brothers tried to bind him into slavery to the old
(06:03):
Covenant law. We did not yield in submission to them.
To do so would have been to deny the power
of the Gospel. It started to become clear to me
that I was to be an apostle of the Gentiles,
just as Peter was called to the Jews. I want
to tell you something about Peter so that you might
learn from him. Peter would eat with the Gentiles and
(06:24):
fellowship with them, but when his Jewish brothers were present,
he would not speak to them or eat with them.
This was too faced and not honoring to Christ. So
I opposed him to his face. Peter was supposed to
be an example to us, and instead his conduct was
not in step with the truth. I told him that
if he, being a Jew, was able to live like
(06:47):
a gentile, then he should not force gentiles to live
like Jews. It was simple, and Peter received his correction.
Let me make one thing clear. We are Jews by birth,
but it is not our tradition or race that makes
us justified. Our faith in the work of Jesus on
the Cross makes us justified. It is not by works
(07:09):
that we attain favor with God.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
For He is pleased with us.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
In Jesus. We must die to the law so we
can live in Christ. I have been crucified. With Christ,
I am no longer living. It is Jesus who lives
in me. The life we are to live should be
by faith in Jesus. He has loved us and gave
his life for us. If we gained our righteousness from
(07:32):
our good deeds or following the law, then why would
Christ have died for us? You foolish Galatians? Who has
cast a spell on you that you would turn from
this glorious truth. Some of you saw with your own
eyes Jesus being crucified. Let me ask you this, did
you receive the Holy Spirit by being perfect?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Are you so dumb that you would now try and
be perfect after receiving grace. Was called righteous because of
his faith, not his ability to follow rules. The truly
righteous ones are the ones who look under Jesus and
have faith in him. The righteous live by faith. Let
me give you an example of what the law is
for picture a contract. Every human contract can be annulled
(08:19):
or ratified, but not with God. He keeps his promises
despite our failures. So what good is the law? Well,
the law was our tutor until Christ came. The law
was an image of the perfect character of God. That
character was fulfilled in Jesus, so we look to follow him,
not the law. That way, the Gospel is not only
(08:40):
for Jews who follow the law, but for people of
all nationalities who believe in Jesus and follow him. A
child is no freer than a slave until he becomes
a man. So the child must be looked after and protected.
That is what the law did for us. It took
care of us until we were ready to step into maturity. Sons,
(09:00):
daughters and heirs to all the gifts of Jesus. To
know Jesus is to be free. So it concerns me
that you are all trying to enslave yourselves to the law. Stop.
I am afraid that all your effort and labor to
be perfect is all in vain. Brothers and sisters, I
beg you be like me. Let go. We were close ones.
(09:23):
You would have laid down your life for me. But
now I feel like I am your enemy. Just because
I preach to you the truth. I am perplexed and
disturbed by you. Christ has set us free to walk
in liberty. The ability to do what is good and
noble comes from a place of freedom, not bondage. Do
not be slaves to mindless devotion. If you decide that
(09:45):
one must be circumcised to be saved, then you put
yourself under the bondage of the whole law. You cannot
pick and choose. You either follow the whole law or
you follow the one who has made you righteous. It
is not about being circumcised. It is about working out
your faith in love. You are doing so well. Tell
(10:06):
me who has whispered lies in your ears, who has
hindered you from speaking the truth? Know this that a
little bit of leaven can ruin the whole loaf of bread,
The same as with people. Honestly, I wish that those
who told you you needed to be circumcised were just
cut off their privates altogether. For you were called to freedom,
(10:28):
and they have set you back. Walk in freedom. Do
not use your freedom as an opportunity to sin. Serve
one another, for the entire law is truly fulfilled in
these words. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But
if you insist on devouring one another, take heed lest
you all consume yourselves into oblivion. If you keep in
(10:50):
step with the Spirit, you will have no need of laws,
for he will guide you. For the desires of the
Spirit will oppose the flesh. For the fruit of the
flesh is obvious fits of rage, rivalries, division, envy, drunkenness, selfish,
sexual gratification, jealousy, idolatry, and all sorts of rage that
break instead of build. But the fruit of the spirit
(11:13):
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self control. If you have these things, you have no
need of law. Yet we all fail, we all fall
in some way. So let us restore one another in gentleness.
If anyone is caught in sin, let us help bear
(11:36):
one another's burdens and take heed of your heart, for
whoever thinks they have reached the heights of holiness are
sure to be brought low. Take care of one another.
As you can see, I have written this letter with
my own hand, for my eyesight is failing me, and
the words are large on the page. Understand these large
words of mine. Far be it from me to boast
(11:58):
except in the cross of Jesus Christ. From now on,
let no one cause anybody else to stumble. May the
grace of the Lord Jesus be upon you.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Amen. We begin today's reading with Paul's surprise at how
quickly the believers in Galicia had lost the point of
the gospel, and we're trying to add requirements to the
grace of God in Christ and subject themselves again to bondage.
There were Jews among them who insisted that believers needed
(12:29):
to also follow the requirements of the law in order
to be saved, and Paul is unequivocal in his words,
anything different than the gospel of God's grace through Christ
and Christ alone is a false gospel. To make this
point even stronger, Paul told them that even if an
angel were to come down and give them a different gospel,
(12:52):
that angel would be cursed. The reminder to the Galatians
is ones that we should heed today as well. If
you try to add to the Gospel, whether you're subtracting
it or adding to it, you end up with a
lie is subtraction or its addition or subtraction by addition.
As Paul told these believers, he of all people would
(13:15):
know that following the law does not save, and to
be saved means to know God and to be forgiven
of sins and to know eternal life. So how is
one saved not by works of the law. Before his
conversion he was an example of piety and zealousness among
Jewish believers. Paul knew the Law backwards and forwards, inside
(13:38):
and out. He followed it to the letter, and even
persecuted those who preached the gospel he is now advancing.
Paul argued that if the law could have made him
justified before God, it would have, but it did not
because the law cannot save. His life was changed because
he embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior and
(13:59):
God grace in order to save him. He then gave
the example of Titus a gentile, a Greek man who
came to faith in Christ and joined Paul and Barnabas
on their missionary journey. There were Jewish believers who tried
to impose the burden of circumcision and Jewish law on Titus,
but Paul defended him and refused to let him be
(14:20):
subject to the bondage of legalism, which would strip away
the power of the Gospel. Paul even confronted Peter, an
apostle and the leader of the church. Paul had witnessed
Peter eating with gentiles when Jews were not around, but
separating himself from them when Jews were present. By his
hypocritical actions, Peter was creating a division between Jews and Gentiles,
(14:44):
and this was inconsistent with the Gospel, not only that
it was robbing the Gospel of its power. Paul called
on Peter to examine his own life and to experience
the freedom in Christ, the freedom that we have because
of what Christ has done, not because of what the
Law has done. If Peter could enjoy his freedom, how
(15:05):
could he not allow others to experience that same freedom
in Christ. It takes courage to stand up for the truth,
especially when a leader may be more mature and yet
is wrong and acting in a way that undermines the
power of the Gospel. Paul was willing to confront Peter
for the sake of the advancement of Jesus Christ and
(15:26):
the message of the Gospel. Paul's example is one of
encouragement for all of us to stand boldally and courageously
for the truth of God's word and the power of
God's message. And as Paul continued his letter, he reminded
the Galatians just what that truth is. Justification does not
come from our human efforts, but by faith, and the
(15:49):
object of our faith is Jesus. It is our faith
in Christ that makes us righteous, not our works. To
bring this point home, Paul said that if the Law
made people righteous, then Jesus died for nothing. Why then,
if we have righteousness through faith in Christ and Christ alone,
would these Galatians look to the law to make them righteous.
(16:10):
Paul then pointed back to the first patriarch, to Abraham himself,
to explain that righteousness by faith is nothing new. Righteousness
has always come through faith, not works. Abraham believes God,
and his faith was credited to him as righteous. The
Law was not given to make people righteous, but as
(16:30):
a guardian, a guide a teacher until the time when
Christ came to set all people free, not only Jews,
but people of all nations. Listen to what Paul writes
in Galatians three twenty five to twenty eight about what
Jesus has done for us. These are powerful words. But
now that faith has come, we are no longer under
(16:52):
a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons
of God through faith. For as many of you as
were baptized and too Christ, have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free.
There is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. Don't miss how profound this statement is.
(17:15):
We are the children of God. We are the sons
and daughters of God, heirs to the promises of Christ.
We have been adopted into His eternal family, God's forever family,
and it's all because of what Jesus has done for us.
This adoption means that we are truly free and favored
by God. Paul calls the Galatians to not walk away
(17:37):
from this freedom, but rather to walk in it. It
is a freedom to love and serve god fully. But
Paul knew also he needed to caution against misunderstanding this freedom.
Our freedom in Christ is not licensed to live in
sin as we please. It is a freedom to live
by God's grace in the power of his Spirit. He
then explained what it looks like to live by God's Spirit,
(18:00):
giving us the fruit of the spirit, love and joy,
and peace, and patience, and kindness and goodness and faithfulness
and gentleness and self control. All of this flows out
of a life committed to follow Jesus Christ. The work
of the Holy Spirit is to fuel us for godly
living and to fill us that we might produce the
(18:21):
fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is
Christ's likeness, and he reproduces himself in us by the
power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Paul
concludes by acknowledging that we will fail, and he impressed
upon the Galatians that they must support and encourage one
another and bear one another's burdens. The Christian life was
(18:44):
never meant to be lived alone. It was true then
and it's true today. Dear God, we thank you for
this powerful letter that Paul gave to the Galatians and
to us. We are so grateful that we are not
saved by our own works, because we could only fail.
By your grace. Through your cross. In the power of
your resurrection, we are saved from our sins. You live
(19:06):
in our lives, and we can live forever with you,
all because of Christ. God, help us to walk in
the fullness, in the freedom, in the favor that you
have given us in Christ. And may we live to
humbly serve you and point others to your Son in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(19:27):
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, and before we go,
I want you to know that I would love to
send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
every single day. So visit Jack Graham dot org to
sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham
dot org.
Host
Jack Graham
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