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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday December 8, 2019
GOD’S CHILDREN THROUGH FAITH
Galatians 4:1-7
In
Galatians chapter 4, verses 1-7, Paul continues to expound on his point that we
are children of GOD only through our faith in CHRIST. In first century Israel,
the process of growing up was far more definite than it has ever been in
American life.
Back then, on the twelfth birthday of a
Jewish male, his father would take him into the synagogue, and on that day, the
boy would become a “Son of the Law”, after certain religious oaths and rituals.
He would then, quite literally, become responsible for his own actions before
GOD. There was then established, a clear boundary line between the boy that
was, and the man that now is. Literally overnight, the boy became a man.
When the male was under the age of twelve,
he was a mere child in the eyes of the Jewish Law, and therefore, under the
rule, or dominion, of the Laws of his parents. But when he became of age, he was
freed from under their rule, and became fully responsible for making his own
decisions, and, could also claim his inheritance from them. That’s how it was
with us before CHRIST came.
We were under the spiritual rule of this
world, literally slaves to sin. But when GOD sent CHRIST to be born of woman
into a world of sin, and subject HIMSELF to the Law (as a 100% human being), HE
also represented for us, the one and only chance we had to be freed from under
the dominion of sin, death, and the Law.
As a 100% human being, JESUS perfectly
obeyed the laws of GOD, simply because HE shared GOD’s “nature”, (just as all
human beings do), even before the HOLY SPIRIT ever descended upon HIM at the
River Jordan, following HIS baptism by John. At that point, HE had already
lived a perfect life for 30 years, and HE obeyed HIS FATHER GOD completely,
because it was HIS desire to do so. In other words, JESUS proved, quite
literally, that we, as human beings, don’t obey GOD because we don’t desire to
do so, and not, because we can’t help it!
HE made it possible for all mankind to be
adopted into the family of GOD as HIS OWN children, and thus, believers become
heirs to everything that CHRIST HIMSELF has.
PAUL’S
CONCERN FOR THE GALATIANS
Galatians
4:8-20
In verses 8-20, we see Paul’s deep concern for the Galatians,
who, not long ago, were literally slaves to “pagan gods” that did not exist in
the natural sense. And now that “they had found salvation in the real GOD” (knew
GOD on a personal level), or rather, “the real GOD had gracefully given HIS
salvation to them”, they seemed to be “falling back” into the clutches of those
same weak, spiritual forces that they had just left behind. They were also, at one
and the same time, trying to win favor with the “true GOD” by adhering to the “Jewish
calendar” of ritual celebrations and observances such as “Passover”, “Pentecost”,
and the “tabernacles festivals” (the Law).
Salvation from man’s perspective is that
“he has found GOD” (confession with the mouth), however, salvation from GOD’s
perspective is that “HE has found us” (when we accept HIM in the heart). In
verse 8 Paul tells the Gentile believers that they were slaves to false gods
before they discovered the “Real GOD”, or rather, “the Real GOD found them”. He
then asks (v.9), “Why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more
to the weak and useless spiritual powers of this world?”.
Like many “professed” Christians in today’s
society, the Galatians were trying to endear themselves to GOD by going to
church, or worship services for a couple of hours every Sunday, or every
Sabbath day, while all through the remainder of the week, they ignored GOD
completely, by way of their worldly behavior, and lifestyles. However, true
Christians know that true worship of GOD can only be exemplified in our day to
day and actions, attitude, and behavior.
Paul had become concerned that all of his “hard
work” and teaching meant nothing to them. In verse 11 Paul uses the Greek term
“kekopiaka” which means “to labor to the point of exhaustion, in vain”. He
wanted to know, “Where was the zeal for CHRIST, and the love and care that they
had shown him” when he first brought them the Good News on his first missionary
journey with Barnabas?
At that time, even though Paul was sick
with a revolting ailment, they did not reject him, but rather, they treated him
as though he were an angel, or even, CHRIST HIMSELF. And now, they were
treating him as if he were an enemy, because he was teaching them the truth
(Vs.13-15).
To live in CHRIST is to be “free” from the
gravitational pull of this world, and that does not just mean free from the
lure of the things of the world (idol gods, people, etc.), but also, it means
to be free from the bondage of sin and death (permanent separation from GOD),
and, free from the law (V.12).
The false teachers who had followed Paul
and Barnabas into Galatia had apparently won many of the Galatians over. And now,
upon writing this letter, Paul felt as though he was going through “labor
pains” all over again, needing to de-program them, to get them back to the
“right teaching” that they had originally accepted from him. He, No doubt, felt
that they needed to be released, once again, from the spiritual chains of sin
and death that had formerly bound them to the world. And, he felt that he had
to try and extricate them with his only weapon coming in the form of the words
of this powerful letter.
THE TWO CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM
Galatians 4:21-31
In
the first century, many Jews believed that Paul’s teachings on grace and
salvation by faith, seriously undermined the “Mosaic Law”, and thus, denied
GOD’s Old Testament revelation to man. Paul argued instead, that, the Gospel he
taught only served to uphold the Law, and to give it the place that GOD always
intended for it to have.
In Galatians chapter 4, taking up at verse 21, Paul sets out to educate
the early Christian Church in Galatia and other places on how GOD’s grace and
salvation through JESUS CHRIST actually establishes the Law in GOD’s intended
role, which is, to be a mirror that can, first, show us our sins, and then,
point us toward faith.
In the Greek, the word New
Testament writers use for “faith” is “pistis”, and it means “to rely upon with
an inward certainty”. Even before the Law, there was Faith. Abraham is the
towering figure to whom the Jews traced their origins and special place as “GOD’s
chosen people”.
Here in this passage, Paul once again
demonstrates from sacred history, that, salvation always has been a gift of GOD
received through faith, and that, faith is the way by which Abraham received
his salvation, even before there was a Law, or a “Ten Commandments”.
Righteousness was accredited to Abraham, because he had faith, and he believed
GOD.
In the biblical Greek, there is a wonderful
sounding word that New Testament writers use for “promise”. It is “epaggelia”
(ep-ang-el-ee-ah), and it is “an announcement of divine assurance of good”. Now
Paul points out to the Gentiles of the church at Galatia that Abraham had two
sons, one (Ishmael) from his “servant wife, Hagar, and the other (Isaac) from
his “freeborn wife, Sarah. He tells them that the son of Hagar was born as a
result of a “human attempt” to bring about fulfillment of “GOD’s promise”.
However, the son of Sarah was born as a result of GOD’s OWN fulfillment of HIS OWN
promise (Vs.21-23).
Paul argues that, the “promise” of GOD was
given to Abraham because of his “faith”. And since the promises that are given
to him, and, to his offspring are rooted in faith, and not, in the law, the
Gentiles too then, must also rely on faith, rather than works, or the law, in
order to please GOD, and continue to receive HIS “promised goodness”.
Sarah and Hagar serve as an illustration of
GOD’s two covenants. Hagar represents Mount Sinai where people first became
enslaved to the Law. Today Jerusalem is like Mount Sinai in Arabia because she
and her children live in slavery. But Sarah, the free woman, represents the new
heavenly Jerusalem. It is she who is our mother, and therefore, we are also
children of the “promise”, just like Isaac (Vs. 24-28).
Abraham was confident that GOD was able to
do that which HE had promised, and, that HE would surely keep HIS word.
Whenever we believe GOD’s promise of salvation through JESUS CHRIST, we too, are accredited with
“righteousness” that we did not, or could not earn on our own (Romans 4:18-25).
If salvation depended on us we would surely
be lost, however, since our salvation depends on GOD keeping HIS promise to
those who believe, we have the greatest of all possible guarantees.
Paul used Abraham as an example, because
the Jews regarded him as the father of their race, and the earthly pattern of
what a man should live like. Paul was seeking to prove that, what makes a man
righteous, is not his works, or obedience to the Law, but rather, it is his
faith and trust in GOD.
Paul also used Abraham as an example,
because, he himself, was a wise teacher who could discern human thoughts. He
recognized that faith is abstract, and, that the human mind finds it very
difficult to grasp abstract ideas.
Using Abraham as an example was Paul’s way
of personifying faith, and thereby, developing a better understanding of what
is needed, if we are to please GOD. And his use of Sarah and Hagar was to show
how we must “get rid of the flesh”, as Abraham had to do with his wife, Hagar,
and “cling to the SPIRIT, as he kept Sarah, the wife and mother of the
“promised son”, Isaac.
We are not children of the servant girl who
was obligated to the Law, but rather, we are children of the free woman,
acceptable to GOD, because of our faith. We must, in our human minds, receive
and accept by faith, the divine and abstract ideas of GOD, WHO HIMSELF is
Spirit, and therefore abstract, and HE dwells in Heaven. To trust and believe
GOD is necessary, not just for the people in Paul’s day, nor, just for the
Jews, but rather, for all people, for all time.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
