Bible In A Year: The Book of Galatians

The book of Galatians proclaims that people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and not by works of the Law. Paul warns against turning to a different gospel and teaches that the Law was given until Christ came, revealing humanity’s need for salvation. Believers are called to stand firm in the freedom found in Christ, walk by the Spirit, and live out their faith through love. Galatians emphasizes that salvation is through God’s grace received by faith in Christ.

Transcript

Welcome And Ministry Resources

Phil Porter 0:00

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our mission is to help the people of God understand the Word of God. Join us each Monday and Thursday for new episode releases. Listen to our full library of content at teachme the Bible.com or by downloading the Teach Me the Bible app from any app store. You're listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. Welcome everybody to the Teach Me the Bible Podcast. My name is Phil Port. I'm alongside author, husband, father, Bible teacher, professor, Dr. David Klingler, and we're excited that you're here with us this morning. We're actually going to jump into uh more of Paul's letters here in just a moment, but I just wanted to also let you know some resources that are available for you over on our app or on our website, teachmethebible.com. You can actually view book studies. You can also do question and answer. There's many different things and resources that you have available from this ministry. So we we encourage you fully take advantage of it. And another thing uh I wanted to mention this morning was this ministry is all volunteer based. And so um it's funded by people giving uh their own resources uh to this ministry and uh also um all of the editing, all of the study guides, all of the we just have a great team. And so we just wanted to give them a shout out today because they do such a great job. But this is how this ministry keeps going every single week. And so we're very thankful for those people. Um, but again, go on teachmeabible.com for more resources uh for you to grow in God's word and also share this with a friend. Word of mouth is so good. Um, and so please continue sharing this uh ministry so that we can help the people of God understand the word of God.

Why Galatians Hits So Hard

Phil Porter 1:53

So today we're gonna jump right in, uh, continuing our journey with the Bible in a year today. Um last week we actually uh finished up 2 Corinthians, and today we're getting into a book that is something I am actually very intrigued by because Paul's tone is different in this book, and um I I am just ready to hear what all that's about because I'm intrigued. And so uh David, I'm gonna hand it over to you with the book of Galatians.

Dr. David Klingler 2:21

Yeah, book of Galatians and uh Paul's letter to uh to the Galatians. And so um this actually is uh it may be the there's there's discussion on what order Paul's letters were written, which ones were first. We have some guesses because we know the journey uh the missionary journeys, the trips he took that are recorded in the book of Acts. Uh, but uh certainly this is one of his earlier letters, maybe his first, uh depending on how you date it, maybe as early as somewhere around 49 A.D. So this may be one of his uh first letters, but you we really get to see kind of what Paul was dealing with. Uh, and and you see it all through the book of Acts. You see it in the Gospels, uh, that everywhere Paul goes and shares the gospel, he's getting pushback, he's he's getting opposition from the Jews, uh, the unbelieving Jews. And so he's he is uh he's sharing the gospel uh with the Jews. He goes everywhere he goes, he goes to the synagogue, he shares the gospel. For the most part, he's rejected. Uh he goes to the Gentiles, the Gentiles believe the gospel, and then the Jews come behind him and say, No, Paul's wrong. And uh, and and so if you, this is would be the the uh the antagonist speaking, these opposers of Paul speaking, if you Gentiles want to be part of Israel, you have to be circumcised and keep the law. Uh and and so that's really the core issue here uh that's going on in the book of Galatians. Uh Paul has preached the gospel. Uh they do not have to become Jews. Uh actually, uh, if you understand the Old Testament story, through Israel's rejection, the gospel goes to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous, to move them to anger. And part of the way that that happened is because uh is the gospel is going to the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are believing the gospel, they're receiving the Holy Spirit of promise, which was promised to Israel, but they are receiving the Holy Spirit of promise without physical circumcision and without lawkeeping. They received it through the gospel as a sign back to Israel that they're wrong, that they have uh rejected their Christ, uh the one who gives the Spirit, um, and uh and the you know, he's the minister of the new covenant, uh, the giver of the new covenant, this uh this Christ is, and they've rejected the very one uh who is promised in the Old Testament. And so uh and so Paul goes, he shares the gospel of the Gentiles. Here come the uh the Jews in behind, and they say, no, no, Paul's wrong. You have to be circumcised and keep the law. And they're listening. These these Jewish or these Gentile believers are listening to these uh Jews. Uh, and Paul just is this down and he can't believe it. And so so that's that's really the the the letter. And so uh Paul, an apostle, um, not sent from men nor through the agency of men. Uh, one of the things that um that these antagonists apparently are saying is Paul's just

Paul’s Authority And No Other Gospel

Dr. David Klingler 5:20

a man pleaser. He's just telling you, you Gentiles, what you want to hear. He's not he's not giving you the straight truth. If he was telling you the truth, he would tell you that you have to be circumcised and keep the law. He's not saying that. And so he's just trying to give you to tell you what you want to hear, he's trying to uh to be a man pleaser. Uh and uh and so right off the bat he says, you know, I'm an apostle, not sent for men, nor through the agency of men, but through Christ Jesus, uh and God the Father who raised him from the dead. Uh grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us out of this present evil age. That's verse four. Um, and of course we read that as you know 21st century believers or 20, and we go, yeah, yeah, you know, present evil age. Amen. It's worse now than it's ever been. See how relevant what Paul's saying is, and and uh uh actually what Paul's referring to, uh the the crooked and perverse generation, the the he's he's referring to the whole story of the Bible and where they are in the story of the Bible, that uh that the promised Messiah of Israel has come and Israel has rejected him. Uh, and so the the crooked and perverse generation, which is Israel, has rejected him. Uh, and uh so he's calling this this present evil age, and the you know, this age of Christ's rejection as the gospel goes out to the Gentiles. And so it's very important that we understand that right away. And then he says in verse 6, I'm amazed that y'all are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really no other. Only some are trying to disturb you and distort the gospel of Christ. In other words, they they this is what they've been teaching from the get-go, and they're wrong, right? You can't have Christ and the law. The uh the law was not there for the Jew to justify them, uh, to validate them, to make them righteous. It was given so that they would recognize they weren't righteous, that they weren't justified, and it was to drive them to Christ. And that's what he's gonna say uh in chapter three, that he's gonna explain that that the law was a tutor. It was added because of transgression, because of sin, so that Israel uh would see their sinfulness and they couldn't delude themselves, they couldn't deceive themselves, right? They say, Oh, well, you know, I yeah, I keep the law. Well, how's that care for orphans and widows going? Well, I don't care for orphans and widows. So how are you keeping the law, right? Um I I always uh tell this story, you know, that you know, you tell your kid go clean their room and they go throw everything under the bed and throw it in the closet. You know, you probably are living this reality right now with your ears, and you say Unfortunately, yes. Yeah, no, no, that that's not cleaning the room, right? And so you have to start adding all the addendums, right? Um that means you don't throw it under the bed and throw it in the closet. Well, then they throw it all in the drawers. You go, okay. And it doesn't mean you don't throw it in the drawers. And you know, so you have to start to delineate what it means to clean your room. Now, they could have just followed the first command, which is clean your room, right? Uh they could have just followed the two commands, love the Lord your God and love your brother, your neighbor, as yourself. And they say, Well, can I steal his stuff? No, you can't steal his stuff. Well, what about if I just kind of cheat him a little bit and use uneven weights? No, no. Can I take his wife or his no? No, can I hate him just a little? No, you can't hate him just a little. No, you you you you have to love him. Uh you you have to care for him, you have to sacrificially look out for him and for his stuff. And it's, you know, and so so all of this is laid out in the law. Well, can I follow another God? No, you can't follow another God. Uh, you have to have no other gods. Uh, you tear down their altars, you kill all their, you know, all of it. You know. Get rid of it. Yeah. And so um, so the law was given so that Israel would recognize how sinful they were, and it would drive them to the partial, the sacrificial system, which covered their sins, but it didn't take it away. The the sacrificial system was there uh to to uh as a placeholder until Christ came. Uh and so it was a tutor to drive them to Christ. That's the whole function. So uh, once the one who is promised has come, you don't need the partial, you don't need the shadow. This is what uh the writer of Hebrews is going to explain. Dealing with the same thing. They're what in the book of Hebrews, the Jews who are believers are being persecuted by Jewish unbelievers, and they just want to get out of the persecution, so they want to go back to law keeping. Hey, can we just, if we keep the law, are we good? If we go back to the sacrificial system, no, the sacrificial system was a partial to lead you to Christ. So there's no going back. You can't reject Christ and go back to the sacrificial system that was to lead you to Christ. It'll just lead you to Christ again. What are you gonna do? Crucify him again and bring him to open shame? Of course not, right? So the only way forward is to endure to keep going. And this is because Christ fulfilled the whole law. Yeah, yeah, he was the payment. Uh, he was the not the one that covered sin. He wasn't the sacrifice that covered sin but took it away. Uh, and and so we're gonna run into this repeatedly uh throughout the rest of the New Testament, and so many of these arguments are dependent upon this because the antagonist in many of these books and many of these letters that Paul writes and that uh uh that uh Peter and James and John write are they're Jewish antagonists. Uh and so they're fighting the same issue, right? So he's saying, I'm amazed that you're so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ to it for a different gospel, which isn't a gospel really at all. It's only those who are disturbing you and they're distorting the gospel. But and this is an important verse.

Testing Teachers By Scripture

Dr. David Klingler 11:17

But even though we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which uh we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Now, this is pretty important. He says, I say again, as uh uh uh as I said before, I say again, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed, let him, let him anathema, let him burn in hell, right? Um, Jude's gonna say this is the once for all faith delivered to the saints. It is uh uh you know the good teaching, the sound teaching, the sound doctrine. And we're gonna talk about this when we get into Timothy and Titus, and it's gonna be a phrase that shows up over and over and over. What is the sound teaching? What is the uh the good teaching, literally? It's it's the teaching of the prophets. Um, it's the teaching of Moses. Uh, and the teaching of Moses is the teaching of the prophets, and Jesus is the fulfillment of those. Uh, the the Moses and the prophets were looking forward to Jesus, and so uh the word became flesh. The promised Messiah walked onto the scene. Uh, the exact representation of the character of the Father, the fulfillment of the of all that was promised has walked onto the scene. And his words, Jesus' words, match the words of the prophets. What he says and what he does match. They match the words of Moses. And so Jesus and John, don't think that I will accuse you before the Father. He's speaking to the Pharisees. The one who accused you is Moses, in whom you put your trust. If you believe Moses, you believe me. For Moses wrote of me. But if you're not willing to believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Because his writings and my words match. Uh and so then Jesus gives his word, which are the words of the Father, which are the words of the prophets and the uh to the apostles, and the apostles take them out. And so this is the once for all faith delivered to the saints. And and no one is at liberty to change it. Uh and so if anyone comes to you saying something contrary, you don't listen. I don't care if they talk about miracles and angels and you know, and supernatural events and uh signs and wonders. And this isn't anything new. This is not new instruction. This comes straight out of Deuteronomy 13. Moses uh test for a false prophet. Uh if a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and prophesies, and what he prophesies comes true, right? Uh you know, and you see signs and wonders. You don't listen to that prophet or dreamer of dreams. Uh if he tells you to follow another God, if he gives you a different gospel, if he if he uh teaches a different teaching than what you've received from Moses, what you've received from the prophets, what you've received from Christ. Of course, you have to know those things to be able to evaluate them. Um you you're not to listen to that prophet or dreamer of dreams, and this is an important phrase, because the Lord your God is testing you to see if you will love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul. Now that heart, all your heart and all your soul, that's Deuteronomy. Uh that is these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. And you are you are to uh evaluate, live by the word of God, not by your experience. Uh and so Paul here is saying, if an angel shows up, if a miraculous event, a supernatural whatever, uh I don't care if you see, you know, 10,000 flying purple elephants, UFOs, um miraculous uh, you know, the Antichrist apparently is going to raise people from the dead. I don't he said, I don't care what you see. If they contradict what we what you've received from us, don't listen. Right. Now, why should we listen to Paul? Because in the book of Acts, uh, the Bereans are commended by you know by Luke, by Paul, for going back to the scriptures to evaluate whether or not what Paul was saying was right. Right. And so uh it's just hey, I'm an apostle, you have to listen to me. That's not it. Um, you listen to me because my words match the words of Jesus, and the words of Jesus match the words of the prophets, and the words of the prophets match the words of Moses, and Moses got his word directly from the Lord. Uh, and so we're all saying the same thing. This is the good teaching, this is sound doctrine. And if you don't know it, bless your heart, but you're wrong. This is how you evaluate everything. And so this is right where Paul begins uh his letter. One of the problems we have in the church uh is that we have leaders who don't know sound doctrine. Uh they don't know the Old Testament, they don't know the words of Moses, they don't know the teaching of the prophets, they don't know the words of Jesus, they don't know the apostles. Uh, and these things are the things that are to be handed down in the church. Paul's gonna tell Timothy, and we're gonna get to this in first and second Timothy, these things which you've heard from me in the presence of many witnesses teach the faithful men who are able to teach others. Well, what are these things that he heard? Uh well it's the same things that you're, you know, he's gonna tell uh Paul's gonna tell Timothy. Same things you've heard from your your your mother and your grandmother, uh the the scriptures of old, right? Uh and so if we don't know those things, we don't know how to judge. And often what we do then is we judge by personal experience, how it makes us feel, or what we what we've heard, right? Well, there's all kinds of garbage out there, right?

Phil Porter 16:39

Yeah, I'm glad you uh went there because um even from my experience growing up in church, a lot, but not really understanding the word, just now diving into the story and really trying to track it and go through there. What I really appreciate you spending time to discuss this, even though we're only what eight verses in, taking some time to discuss this, is that really does, and if you're listening, it helps the people understand the word of God and not take something and just run with it for the sake of feelings, for the sake of thinking that it's for you.

Dr. David Klingler 17:16

Yep.

Phil Porter 17:17

Um these are just some of the guardrails that I've begun to set up in my own life.

Dr. David Klingler 17:21

Yeah.

Phil Porter 17:21

And so I really appreciate the clarification.

Dr. David Klingler 17:23

Yeah, there's a play a time in

When Feelings Become The Measure

Dr. David Klingler 17:25

church history um where, you know, and this goes back just uh you know, in church history, just not not too long ago. You know, it's it was uh you know uh neo-orthodoxy, this new view of orthodoxy, this a new liberal approach, which says, you know, the old, old story just won't do. We we we need to we need to adjust what we're teaching uh to to meet to to reach and meet a modern world. Uh and so the way that this went was, you know, the this Bible is not the word of God. That's how this logic train goes at what they were teaching. It becomes the word of God as you experience it. And so the validation of truth is your experience, not the scriptures. You don't judge uh the the uh experience based on the scriptures, uh the the your experience is the validation of all, including the scriptures. Well, that's exactly backwards from what the scriptures teach, but of course that's where the church has has gone. And so so anyway, um uh you know one other thing, just by way of note, uh that that you're gonna see over and over and over in the New Testament is this view, and it's still very prevalent today, right? So, number one, we we operate by experience, wrong headed. Uh second, um uh but but certainly related, uh if you are under persecution, if if you are suffering, if you have cancer or sickness or your your experience um is suffering, you must be doing something wrong, right? Because God blesses those who serve him. You know, and so if you don't have a big house and a big car and and you know, health and wealth and prosperity, you must be doing something wrong. See, look at Paul. That's what they're gonna do. Look at Paul. This is proof. Well, it's not proof of anything. Um, all you know, he's gonna say to Timothy, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, will suffer. Uh to the Philippians, uh, you know, this this is the standard fare, uh, that suffering, persecution is part and parcel of the Christian life, and it has been since Cain and Abel, right? Uh, and so those two things, uh you know, miracles and experience and present reality are often used today as validation of right theology, and nothing could be further from uh from the the the truth. But anyway, uh and so so here we are in Galatians, and and so uh Paul has got to explain how he didn't receive this from men.

Jerusalem, Titus, And Peter Confronted

Dr. David Klingler 20:04

He didn't receive his gospel from men, he received it from God. He uh he didn't receive it from the other apostles. Um and so he's not a man pleaser, he's not out to please anybody. In fact, uh the argument goes if I was a man pleaser, I'd still be over there with them. I'd be teaching you what they're teaching you, right? Uh, because everything that they are, everything that the antagonist has and is, that's what I uh what I was. And so he explains uh at the end of chapter one and into chapter two how he uh uh you know how he learned the gospel through revelation from Christ. Uh he went into the wilderness, he was trained uh by Christ. Uh, and then after an interval of 14 years, uh he went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also, uh, and he submitted the gospel which he was teaching to the other apostles. Not for their approval. He wouldn't say, Hey, I'm I'm here to make sure that I'm right. He says, I'm here to make sure you're right. And and uh and he says, and they added nothing to me. They didn't contribute a thing. The only thing they said was, you know, go, um, you know, uh, you know, he they uh he says uh this is let's pick up, he said, he of uh on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised, verse uh chapter two, verse eight. For he who effectually works for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised, effectually work also for me to the Gentiles. And recognizing the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas, that's Peter and John, uh, who were the reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. The only thing they asked is that we remember the poor. That's the very thing we're eager to do. So they just reaffirmed everything that I said. So now why is this important? Because uh Jewish Uh when if you look over here at chapter six, uh in chapter six at the end of this book, there's there's another group. We've talked about the antagonists, and we've talked about the Gentiles. Uh, but there's one other group that's really important uh that we haven't talked about, and it's the Jewish believers among the Galatians, right? And so here's what's going on. Let's uh so um the this is chapter six, verse 12. Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh, and we're gonna talk about the flesh, try to compel you to be circumcised simply so they won't be persecuted for the cross of Christ. So there's Jewish believers who believed in Christ, but per the law, a Jew could not hang out with someone unclean, a Gentile, right? And so Jewish unbelievers, rejectors, the antagonists, are saying to the Jewish believers, Hey, what are you doing hanging out with those Gentiles? You need to fix this. Well, how do you fix it? Well, you you need to get them circumcised and keep the law, right? And so uh the Jewish believers are compelling the Jewish or the Gentile uh unbelievable uh the Gentile believers to be circumcised and keep the law. Does that make sense? Uh so that so that they won't be persecuted by the Jewish unbelievers. Yes, right? Now, why is it so important then that he bring Peter into this discussion? And he's gonna bring Peter into this discussion in chapter two, he says, because because I'm the the apostle to the Gentiles, to you Gentiles, and Peter's the apostle to the circumcised, to the Jews, and you know what? We agree. Yes, in fact, in fact, he says, uh, not only do we agree, uh, but uh, but I had to confront Peter. I've already had to address this deal with Peter, right? For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to, uh Peter uh used to eat. You know, he says, uh when he when when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to a face, his face because he stood condemned. So I've already had to address this over there in that camp with the Jewish believers. In fact, with the leader of the Jewish believers, Peter, I already had to address this very issue with him. It says, for prior of certain men from James coming, uh he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they showed up, right, for fear of the circumcision, for fear of being persecuted by the other Jews, he started to not hang out with the Gentiles. The very thing that's going on in the Galatian church, which is why he's bringing this up. As a result that the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away. And when I saw that he was not straightforward about the gospel, about the truth, I said to Cephas, in the presence of all, if you, Peter, being a Jew, have life like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, they translate live like the Gentiles. The issue is not how one lives, but how one has life. If you have life like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, uh why do you compel the Gentiles to be Jewish? It makes no sense. He says, look, we we're not we're not sinners uh like the Gentiles. We're Jews by nature, we're not sinners among the Gentiles. Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Christ, even we, Jews, uh not sinners by nature. Jews by nature, not sinners among the Gentiles. Even we believed in Christ Jesus, so that we would be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, since by works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Now, it's important that we define what flesh is here.

Justified By Faith Not Jewish Flesh

Dr. David Klingler 25:38

Flesh is flesh. The Jew thought he was justified in the flesh. His Jewish DNA justified him. I'm a descendant of Abraham. Hello? Uh circumcised, given the law, God's chosen people. I'm special, I'm a Jew. If you want to join us, you have to be circumcised and keep the law. Justified in the flesh. He's saying justify justification was never in the flesh. And Paul's gonna argue this in Romans, you know, argue this in other books as well. You're justified through faith. And this is what Peter and Paul all recognized. Uh we Jews, uh, not justified by the law. The law condemned us. You're gonna get to it in chapter three. Uh, that's what the law did. It condemned us, it didn't justify us. Uh, and so even we recognize that justification comes through faith in Christ. Since by works of the law shall no flesh be justified. So they're teaching the Gentiles, you need to be justified in the flesh, be circumcised in the flesh and keep the law, right? And so um often I hear this um, you know, the the desires of the flesh, you know, the desires to go down to the bowling alley or something, you know, and hang out and drink and smoke and bowl and dance or whatever. You know, the desire that no one in this book has that desire. It's that the desire is to be justified in the flesh. That my DNA, my circumcision, my identity, uh, the covenants that God made with us as a people justify us. Paul's gonna say the same thing in Romans. It's not the hearers of the law who are justified. Just because you have the law, you receive the law, you have the that doesn't justify you. It's not the hearers of the law who are justified before God, but the doers. So if you have it and don't do it, it doesn't justify you. And you don't do it. So you're not justified through it, you're condemned through it. Um, but those who have faith in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation in the law, Romans 8, for those who are in Christ Jesus. So the law no longer condemns. That was the function of the law, but it doesn't condemn because it did its job, it drove us to Christ. It was a tutor, chapter 3, right? So Paul's theology through all these books is the same. So he's saying, I already had to confront uh Peter. Um uh you know, um, so uh since by works of the uh the the flesh shall no law be justified, but if while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves uh have also been found to be sinners. Is Christ the minister of sin? May it never be. Verse 50, verse 18. For if I rebuild what I once destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor. What's he talking about? If the law does its job, it took for the Jew, convicts them of sin, drives them to Christ, they believe in Christ, and then they go back to law keeping, what's the law gonna do? It's just gonna convict them all over again. If I rebuild uh what I once destroyed, I recognized you know that's the law. He says, No, no, for through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. The law did its job, it killed me. For I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith, not by law keeping. I live by faith, not by circumcision. Uh yeah, by faith in the Son of God who loved me and delivered himself up for me. Uh, so I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through law, then Christ died needlessly. Great point. Right. So he argues this case and he says, All right, morons,

The Law As Tutor To Christ

Dr. David Klingler 29:25

all right, you fools, you know, uh, you foolish Galatians, uh uh who uh this is the only thing I want to know from you. And he sets the argument here. Were you justified uh by works of the law? Did you receive the spirit by uh by works of the law or by hearing through faith? There's your choices. And the the answer is, well, by hearing through faith. Are you so moronic? Are you so foolish then, having begun by the spirit, through faith? Are you now being perfected by flesh? Now, what does he mean, perfected by flesh? By law keeping, circumcision, law keeping by the flesh. Um, did he who suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain, does he then, who provides you with the spirit and works miracles among you, do it by works of the law or by hearing through the faith? By hearing through faith. How was Abraham justified? By hearing through faith, before the law was given by faith. That's that's why the law was given. So then the question becomes, well, why then was the law given? Well, it was given to because of transgressions. It was added because of transgressions, so that sin would be sinful. Uh but uh uh he says this uh for uh is the law contrary to the promise of God? Promise, uh the promise of Christ? Of course not. It drives you to Christ. May it never be. For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, eternal life, then righteousness would indeed be based on the law, but it's not. It's based on Christ. And the law's function was to drive you to Christ who imparts life. But the scriptures have shut up all under sin, all men under sin. Not all the the Jew, the Jew would acknowledge that the Gentile was a sinner. So that wasn't an issue, right? Um, but what the law did was make the Jew acknowledge that the Jew was a sinner, right? Uh we are Jews by nature and not sinners among the Gentiles. Nevertheless, uh knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law, even we believe. See, because the law condemned us, right? It didn't condemn the Gentile. They didn't need they didn't need condemnation. We could all see they were sinners, you know, says the Jew, right? Uh but what the law did is didn't he didn't save us, it didn't justify us, it condemned us, and it drove us to Christ. And so the law has did it, uh, did its job. And so so in in chapter, end of chapter three and into chapter four, he's going to explain that uh the in the Old Testament, before Christ came, all Israel had was the promise. Um uh and and the the the sacrificial system was to drive them to Christ. They had the promise of Christ, they had the promise of the Spirit. Uh he likens it to being a uh a son, um uh, but uh he was an he was an heir. Okay. Uh and so he talks about in chapter uh chapter four, there's these, there's these, the father, there's a child, and there's a slave. And it and both had to, you know, there was no difference between the slave uh and the heir uh until uh you know until the time came where the inheritance was presented. And then the heir uh became the you know, had the full authority. So I say that as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from the slave, even though he's the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the day set by the Father. So also we Jews, while we were children, were held under the bondage of elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of the woman, born of the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, the Jew, that we, Jew, might receive adoption as sons. And because you Gentiles are sons, God sent forth his spirit, right? So so the slave became a son through faith, through the spirit, just as the heir became a uh a son through faith, through the spirit. And so there's no distinction between how the Jew or the Gentile becomes a son. It's through faith, not through works of the law, since by works of the law shall no faith uh uh shall no flesh be justified. So um uh so in chapter so he he fleshes this out in chapter

Freedom, Flesh, And Fruit Of Spirit

Dr. David Klingler 33:49

four. Then in chapter five, and and we're gonna do this uh the book of Galatians later um this year, maybe early next year, uh in a more in-depth study. So uh so stay tuned for that. But uh but so he explains then the purpose of the law. In chapter five, he says, it was for freedom that Christ set us free, set us, the Jews, free from the condemnation which is in the law. Uh so you don't be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Don't you know we were set free from it. Uh let me get this right. You became a son through faith, and you have the spirit, and now you want to go become an heir, but you're not an heir, you want to become a slave. What are you doing? How does that make sense? This makes no sense. I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ is of no benefit to you. If you're trying to be justified by law, then you're not gonna be justified by Christ. You know, so go back over there, try it again. Try to be justified by law. It's just gonna drive you to Christ, right? Um, and so these are mutually exclusive. You are either justified by law, and you're not, or you're justified by Christ. The function of the law was to drive you to Christ. And so I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ is of no benefit to you. And I testify to every man who receives circumcision, he's under obligation to keep the whole law. You've been severed from Christ. You who are seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are hoping, uh are waiting for the hope of righteousness. In Christ, there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision that means anything but faith working through love. In other words, your sons through faith. Whether circumcised or uncircumcised, it doesn't matter. You have the spirit, which was the promise. And so, why would you want to go back to Old Testament law keeping uh and condemn yourself? This makes no sense. You were running well who hindered you from obeying the truth. Uh, for y'all were called for freedom, brethren. Oh, don't only don't turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. And this is where we start losing our definitions. What would that look like? You were called for freedom, uh, but you know, freedom from the condemnation which is in the law that condemned the flesh, the Jewish flesh, you know, they condemn them. Um, we all want to be justified in the flesh. I'm better than you, that type of thing. So so don't go turn back to law keeping uh and try to be justified in the flesh. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take care, lest you be consumed by one another. For I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Now the desire of the flesh, the Jewish desire, is to be justified in the flesh. And now the Gentile's desire, who's being circumcised in law keeping, is also the desire to be circumcised uh to be justified in the flesh. You know, that's the desire. He says, No. Um, Paul says, I have no desire to be justified in the flesh. Been there, done that, tried it, doesn't work.

unknown 37:07

Right?

Dr. David Klingler 37:08

I have now it's a complete desire, uh, realization that I'm justified in Christ. And so these are mutually uh exclusive. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. They are in opposition to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you please. In other words, so that you they're in opposition, so you can't go over there and try to justify yourself in the flesh by what you do. I'm circumcised, I keep the law, I'm better than you. Doesn't work. Right? They're in opposition. Now, uh, if you're led by the spirit, if you walk by the spirit, if you continue, you you uh you know, you stand firm, yeah. He uses three, uh stand, walk, uh, walk in the spirit, you were standing firm, who uh you were running well, who hindered you uh from obeying the truth? Uh if you continue day by day in the reality of the truth of imputed righteousness through Christ, you have no desire to try to be justified by lawkeeping. You're like, that's not even attractive. Let me get this right. I'm gonna go over there and try to do, try real hard. And it's just gonna condemn me? No. I'm gonna walk by faith, I'm gonna walk in the imputed righteousness and mercy of God. Uh, because if I try to go over there and keep the law, the works of the flesh, they translate here now the deeds of the flesh are evident. The deeds and works is the same. The works of the law equals the works of the flesh, right? Uh the works of the flesh are evident. Go over there and try to keep the law. You know what it's gonna do? It's gonna convict you. It's gonna uh can condemn you of immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy. And if you look at all these uh these uh terms in the Greek, they go right back to Old Testament. It's gonna condemn you as being harlots, it's gonna condemn you as being unclean, impure. All of the Old Testament sins that Israel committed under the law, it's just gonna condemn you all over again. Um, but the fruit of the Spirit, uh, the the the the result of walking by faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ is love. God loved you, you love others. You have peace with God. He's been kind towards you. You're kind towards that love, kindness, uh uh love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, uh, uh gentleness, self-control. And against such things there is no law. Now, those who have belonged to Christ have been crucified, they they've crucified the passions uh of the flesh with its desires. What's he saying? He's saying he's not talking about you've crucified your desire to go to the bowling galley. He's saying that those who have belonged to Christ, Peter, B, they have no desire to go back to trying to be justified through lawkeeping. It's it's waste of time. They're mutually exclusive. And this is why he's fighting so hard against this be circumcised and keep the law. So he sums it up in chapter six. So you uh if any man is caught in uh any trespass, in other words, you uh and the trespass here is going back to law keeping. You who are spiritual, you who are thinking clearly, have the you know, you you receive the spirit through faith, you're walking uh day by day through faith, you have no desire to go. Go correct your brother and remind him. Lawkeeping is a fool's errand, lest you too be tempted. Uh so bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the law. If anyone thinks he's something when he's nothing, see that's what lawkeeping does. It says, Hey, look at me, right? He says, uh, he deceives himself. Uh the the law keepers over there boasting in what he's doing because he's keeping the law. And Paul says, I ain't gonna boast in anything except Christ. If I'm gonna boast, I'm gonna boast in Christ. So uh chapter uh six, verse fourteen, may it never be that I should boast except in the cross of Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision but a new creation. And all those who walk by this rule, pay uh great uh per uh peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. The promises to Israel, the promises uh to the Gentiles, they're all walking by the same faith. If you're a believer, from now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the brand marks of Jesus, right? So much for that, well, he just wants to please men. Well, tell me then why am I getting all these beatings? Why am I being persecuted for the cross of Christ? And so so how's this relate to us

Faith Plus Something Still Tempts Us

Dr. David Klingler 41:54

today? Well, you know, this has been a long uh podcast, but uh um, but uh a couple points. One, um, boy, we're still in the business, people are still in the business of changing the gospel. Uh faith plus something, right? You gotta do something, right? Uh it's not. Uh it is uh it is faith in Christ. Uh and you know, and then walk by the spirit. Uh the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness. Uh, and and so walk by the spirit, and and this is uh, and you recognize what God has done for you through Christ, now you respond by doing it to others, right? And against such things, uh, there is no uh no law. Now we don't have Jews running around trying to get us to be baptized and or be circumcised and keep the law, um, but we do have people who are trying to add to the gospel. Uh and and Paul would say, look, this isn't this is nothing new. People have been trying to add to the gospel forever. It is faith alone through Christ alone, right? Um period. Uh grace, faith, Christ. That's it. Uh, and so very practical still today, although we don't experience the same situation, the gospel has not changed. Um, but people are still trying to change it. And so we need to understand what the gospel is so that we present it clearly, we live by it clearly, uh, and we don't muddy the waters of it.

Grace Is Not A License

Phil Porter 43:27

So a question um that I have, I love when you're tracking through the story, and as you've just done a great job of helping me even understand the book of Galatians, but so you said Paul's echoing the words of Christ, Christ to the prophets, prophets to Moses, and he got it from from God. One of the things I think today that even I've heard and I've been um actually guilty of kind of falling into is I take this language as um okay, so I'm not supposed to follow the law, now I'm under grace. And so I can do whatever I want because I am under grace. Which even fleshing this out, again, I don't believe that today, but uh but I think many people find themselves there uh and are told that because they don't understand. This this even helps um dissect that and really makes you understand what living by the Spirit is. Can you speak to that maybe just a little bit?

Dr. David Klingler 44:28

Yeah, sure. Uh yeah, that's a great question. You'll actually find imperatives that Paul gives to the church that come out of the law. Children, obey your parents. For this is the first command with a promise that you may live long in the land. Well, well, Paul is telling that to the Ephesians. Um uh, and uh, and certainly in this uh church, he's writing to Gentiles, and we're gonna do this next week with uh Ephesians. Um he's writing to Gentiles to explain to them who they are in Christ, and then he says, and and and here's a command. This is the first command with a promise. Now wait a second, Paul. Uh, are we supposed to keep the law or not? You're supposed the the man was created to represent the character of God, and man said, I ain't doing it, we're not doing it. And so there's only one that walks onto this into this story who is the exact representation of the character of the Father. Um, and he has bought us, he's purchased us, he's redeemed us, and and so now we are to uh live uh in service to God through Christ. What does that look like? Well, um uh sum it up. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love one another just as he commanded us. And so all of the law is contained in those two, those two statements, right? And he even said that back uh uh back in uh in uh chapter five. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Well, that's not easy to do. No, it is not. Um some for some of us, it's not we don't even love ourselves, much so you know, uh, and to love others like we love ourselves, that uh that's difficult. So so the character of God doesn't change. The standard doesn't change. Jesus says this in the Sermon on the Mountain. You're to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Uh and so even after salvation, I am just as dependent uh upon the mercy of God today as I was the day that I believed the gospel. God's standard hasn't changed. He he still calls me to love people as he loves them, to to uh, you know, love the father as Christ loved the father. I can't do that, um, but it doesn't change the standard. And so I'm still reliant upon mercy. And so, you know, the law, if the law is the revelation of the character of God, and it is, and the character of God doesn't change, then there is a sense in which the present-day believer is still to represent the character of Christ, the character of God, imperfectly as we do. Uh, but for us, that means we are totally dependent upon mercy. It's not license to go live how you want to live, uh, it is a constant recognition that we fall short. But Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, uh, gave us mercy, treats us with mercy even today, and so we treat our fellow believer and even our enemy with mercy. Uh and that's all throughout the law. Right? And so the character of God doesn't uh doesn't change. Now, here's the difference the law never justified anyone. And so just because you keep the law didn't justify you, though you you didn't keep the law, you couldn't keep the law, you wouldn't keep the law if you're old testament Israel. Uh and so it drove you to Christ. And so the law, the function of the law in the Old Testament and the function of the Spirit in the new is one and the same. It's to drive you to Christ. Uh and live out the character of God best as you can.

Phil Porter 47:55

What a great book. Wow. This is uh this has been very helpful and insightful today, so I thank you for that. Uh any last words or any words of encouragement before uh we leave here.

Dr. David Klingler 48:07

The

Grace Alone Closing Encouragement

Dr. David Klingler 48:08

the constant reminder uh that you were saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Um that's that's tough to to to that's a tough pill to swallow, even after belief, because we want to put our stuff in there. My stuff's helping a little, isn't it? No, it's not. Your stuff's not helping at all. So we are totally dependent upon Christ, and so as Paul says, if I'm gonna boast in anything, I'm gonna boast in the cross, right? Uh and and we ought to we ought to adopt those words. There's a life verse, right? That's a good one.

Phil Porter 48:53

Yeah, well, you talked about adopting something. I I'm looking at chapter six, and I'm just thinking, man, what a statement to have uh for from now on, let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand marks of Jesus. That is like such a powerful statement. I mean, this guy has been through the ringer, and what a powerful statement. And so today I know that if you're listening, you were if you were like me, you are very encouraged uh by this letter and thankful that Paul wrote a letter like this. Um, because it definitely helps continue the story. And so next week we're gonna pick right back up. We're gonna jump into the book of Ephesians. And so uh thank you for joining us today, and we will see you next week. For more resources, visit teachmethebible.com or download our app from any app store. You can partner with Teach Me the Bible in helping the people of God understand the Word of God by subscribing and sharing with others. Thank you for listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.