Israel and the Church - Part 3 - Grace Alone or Jesus Plus?

The fastest way to lose the heart of Christianity is to add something to it. In this teaching from our Israel and the church study, we walk through Paul’s letter to the Galatians and face a question that still divides believers today: are covenant blessings tied to ethnic descent and religious practice, or to faith in Jesus Christ?

We revisit the pressure the Galatian churches faced from Judaizers who taught that Christians must obey the law of Moses, especially circumcision, to be truly saved. Paul’s response is intense because the stakes are huge. He contrasts grace with law, shows why “another gospel” isn’t an upgrade but a distortion, and even calls out hypocrisy when Peter’s behavior implies Gentile believers are second class. Along the way, we tie Paul’s argument to the modern temptation to live by “Jesus plus” through religious identity, labels, and ritual requirements.

Then we slow down in Galatians 3 and 4 where Paul defines Abraham’s heirs. The promise comes through Abraham’s seed, singular, meaning Christ, and everyone who belongs to Christ becomes Abraham’s seed and an heir. That truth reshapes how we think about Israel and the church, Christian unity, and spiritual freedom. We also talk honestly about how believers can drift back into “weak and worthless principles” by elevating special days, seasons, and shadows above the living Savior.

If you’ve felt pressured to prove yourself to God, this message points you back to the gospel of grace and the freedom it brings. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review telling us what part challenged you most.

Transcript

Welcome And Series Roadmap

Lynne 0:00

You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynne Little. Our program highlights biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynne is the founder and president of Lynne Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa, A Parent Grieves, and Finding God in Death and Life, A Passage Through Grief. Now, here's Lynne. Hello and welcome

The Big Question From Genesis

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to episode three of our study on Israel and the church. For those who are new to the series, we encourage you to review the first and second episodes when you get the opportunity. We took an incremental approach to this subject because there are several topics to cover and it can be a bit overwhelming. That said, let's turn our attention once again to the first pivotal question in the series: who is God referring to in Genesis chapter 3, verse 2? Today we're going to examine how the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians addressed this question. But first, a bit of background. In Paul's time, Galatia was a Roman province in what is now modern Turkey. The major cities of the region included Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derby. The churches in the region of Galatia were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts. So it's clear that the intention in the letter was to address both of these populations. Paul's purpose in writing to these churches was to confirm them in the faith, especially concerning justification by faith alone, apart from

Galatia And The Judaizers’ Pressure

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the works of the law of Moses. The Galatians at that time were facing a theological crisis. Certain false brethren had infiltrated the church. Paul referred to them as Judaizers, legalistic Jews who taught that Christians must obey Mosaic law. In particular, this faction insisted that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. In other words, believers were essentially told to convert to Judaism first, and then they would be made eligible to become Christians. Paul, aghast at this "bewitching" of the believers, set about to correct the record regarding salvation by grace. Thus, throughout Paul's epistle to the Galatians, saving grace, the gift of God, is juxtaposed against the law of Moses, which cannot save. Another milestone moment within this pivotal letter is when Paul defines the seed of Abraham as Christ and those who are in Christ. Paul begins the letter by establishing his authority to speak on important issues through revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. In Galatians 1:1, his salutation reads, "Paul, an apostle, sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father." He then voices his disappointment at the believers being removed from grace into another gospel. He writes, "I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is not even a gospel. Evidently, some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ." He continues in verse 8. "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be under a curse. As we've said before, so now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse." So this other gospel being preached, rather than being a blessing to believers, one was instead a message of curse. And lest we forget, the curse is God's domain. Serious charge, serious consequence.

Jerusalem Council And Peter’s Hypocrisy

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Next, in chapter two, he details the backstory of the conflict that he is speaking against. Paul describes coming to Jerusalem to speak with the apostles about a specific issue. This meeting, sometimes referred to as the council at Jerusalem, was very concerning. Paul asserts in verse 4 "that false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves." These believers were naming circumcision as one criterion of salvation. And who were the false believers? The Judaizers. The upshot of the meeting was that the apostles agreed that the Gentiles did not have to be circumcised to be believers, that Peter was called to bring the gospel to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. The latter point having been made clear to Paul after his numerous unsuccessful attempts to win Jews to Christ. Despite the agreement, a conflict soon arose that Paul had to address publicly. Apparently, Peter was content to have meals with Gentiles until Jewish believers came to visit, at which time Peter would no longer eat meals with the Gentiles. Paul called him on that hypocrisy because Peter was essentially forcing Gentiles to live like Jews when Peter himself did not. This was an odd dissembling on the part of Peter. God had already used Peter to welcome Gentiles into the church by a vision he gave him in Acts chapter 10. Already we see that a rift existed that had to be mended. That rift, in some measure, continues to this day. Here, Paul is already taking a stand against

Justified By Faith Not Law

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the concept of "Jesus plus." He forcefully argues that a person is made right with God by trusting in Jesus Christ, not by performing works of the law, such as circumcision. In Galatians 2:16, he states, "know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we too have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." He continues to say in verse 21, "I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. " Here is a stark reminder to the church that to add anything to the message of grace is to dilute it to the point of rendering the gospel useless. And in Galatians 3, he pours out his angst. "Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by the hearing with faith?" Now why did he mention Jesus being crucified? He needed to underscore the point that the law was already fulfilled, that foreshadowings throughout the Old Testament had already come to pass in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He continues in verses three and four. "Are you so foolish after starting in the spirit? Are you now finishing in the flesh? Have you suffered so much for nothing? If it really was for nothing? Does God lavish his spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?" Paul's passages here reflect his great grief over the fact that the believers would even consider going backward after all they had endured. Their behavior is so very reminiscent of the children of Israel crying to return to the bondage of Egypt. The temptation to these believers was to return to the old covenant with the assumption that Jewish practices would carry

Children Of Abraham By Faith

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weight with God. The final denoument that put to rest the issue of Abraham's heirs begins with this statement in Galatians 3: 7 through 9. "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand then that those who have faith are children of Abraham. The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham. All nations will be blessed through you. So those who rely on faith are blessed, along with Abraham, the man of faith." Take a moment to reflect on who Paul considers the blessed ones. He continues in verse 10. "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written. Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything in the book of the law. Clearly, no one who relies on the law is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. The law is not based on faith. On the contrary, the man who does these things must live by them." So let's back up here and clarify something. The definition of the word rely means to have confidence in something or to depend on something or someone for support, help, or survival. For believers to rely on the tenets of Judaism is the very definition of going backward, the antithesis of the work of grace. He continues in verse 13. "For it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise

The One Seed Is Christ

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of the Spirit." And verse 15. "Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say and to seeds, meaning many people, but and to your seed, meaning one person who is Christ." And then in verse 19, he adds, "Why then was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the seed to whom the promise referred had come." Beloved, the favored son status goes to only One. Yes, nations are being blessed because of the One, the singular seed, and no other factor. And as we are one with him, blessings come to every believer. Paul makes clear that the chosen, favored status is conferred to Christ and then to believers in Christ. He gets even more specific starting in verse 26. "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." Wow. The splintering of the body of Christ into factions is being called out here. Why the labels? Should we truly be designating anyone as a Messianic Jewish believer? When there is neither Greek nor Jew, why not an Italian believer designation? These are factions, folks.

Adoption Makes Us Heirs

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And Paul isn't finished yet. In Galatians 4, verses 1 through 7, Paul elaborates. "So also when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons. God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father. So you are no longer a slave, but God's child. And since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." Recall that Paul's audience was both Jewish and Gentile believers. He is addressing all believers. We are adopted sons, beloved, who receive full rights as adopted children. Who has more rights, more privileges, or special favors granted them than the sons of God? There is no other category of human being in the universe that inherits more favor. So any claim that considers the physical descendants of Abraham alone as the chosen of God is in direct contradiction to the Word. So, returning to the question, does ethnic descent guarantee covenant blessings? The answer is no. Privileged bloodlines are antithetical to a God who was not only not a respecter of persons, but who considers all believers to be his sons. Paul establishes the fact of the believers' liberation from slavery and then scolds the believers for turning back to the elements that can

Turning Rituals Into Another Gospel

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place them again under bondage. In Galatians :, 8 through 11, he lists key specifics that bring believers into bondage. "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you were turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you that my efforts for you may have been in vain. I beg you, brothers, become like me." How many of my brothers and sisters in Christ commemorate types and shadows rather than the risen Christ? Here are a few examples. Some celebrate a Seder dinner as an adjunct to communion, the communion that the Lord Jesus initiated as a memorial to his blood. They observe Jewish feasts instead of the one who exemplified the feast. Regard the times and seasons of the Hebrew calendar: and blood moons, temples, red heifers, weeks of years, expounding on end time prophecies concerning Israel. Issues the Lord Jesus told his followers it was not for them to know. Yet some persist in fellowshipping around Jewish practices, often distracted from carrying out the task of the Great Commission. Turning back to the elements of the law or the rituals that held people bound. How is this not another gospel? Paul calls these examples weak and worthless principles, a prelude to returning to slavery. This, my friends, is a dilution of Christianity. We have the real, yet spend time memorializing types and shadows. To what end? These practices dishonor the Lord Jesus, they minimize the cost, the sacrifice, the completion of the fulfillment of every jot and tittle. They exemplify the phenomenon of Jesus plus. If believers had any idea what it was like to live under the cruelty and demands of the law, they wouldn't dream of memorializing anything to do with it. The Apostle Paul was well aware of the demands of the law, so stringent, so exacting, the defense of it drove him to murder Christians.

Stand In Freedom And Respond

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Paul goes on in chapter 5 to encourage believers to "strengthen themselves in the freedom of truth and continue to walk in grace. " In verse 7, he remarks, "You were running a good race, who caught in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view." A little leaven, the little foxes, keeps believers occupied, divides focus, divides loyalty, and dilutes purpose. Jesus did not practice rabbinic Judaism. He abolished it. He was at odds with the Pharisaic strictures. Would we dishonor him by commemorating a system that he did away with? The bewitching of the church is exemplified in prioritizing one group and their practices above all others. It's an erroneous assumption, not backed with scripture. To cling to a shadow is to reject the substance. Have you had an encounter with the substance of a living Savior? The Bible tells us in John 3: 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life. The path is a simple prayer spoken out, believed with our hearts, in sincerity. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross and pay the penalty for my sins. I believe he rose again on the third day. Jesus, I invite you to come into my heart, forgive my sins, and make me brand new. I confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, let us know. Write to us lynnelittle ministries @ gmail.com. Have a wonderful day and the rest of the week. Thank you so much for listening. Lynne Little Ministries is a 501c3 whose mission is to assist those who have suffered loss and to help them discover hope, peace, and restoration. For books, resources, or to make a tax deductible donation, go to lynnelittle.org.