Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? No! Does God work miracles among you because you follow the law? No! God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the Good News and believed it.
Galatians 3:5 (ICB)
If you grew up in Sunday School, you are familiar with the story of Abraham.
Actually, Abraham started off being Abram (exalted father), but God changed his name to Abraham (father of many). And believe it or not, he wasn’t Jewish. As a matter of fact, the distinction between the Jews and Gentiles was known only to God at that time.
The Jewish line is considered to have been established through Seth, the godly son of Adam. But the distinction between Jew and Gentile, as known by mankind, did not begin until 2 Kings 16-25.
But nationality is not the point. Faith is.
“…Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God. So, you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith…”
Galatians 3:6 & 7(ICB)
God had such a great plan. And in that plan, He included Abraham to lead an unlikely people group to salvation. Abraham was a Gentile. God has always had a plan of redemption for every tribe, nation and tongue.
God had such love for Abraham. He called him His friend. Jesus calls every believer “friend”.
I don’t call you servants now. A servant does not know what his master is doing. But now I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.
John 15:15 (ICB)
When we read stories about Bible characters like Abraham, we tend to make them larger than life. We make them unrealistically holy and out of our reach. After all, we could never be as special as Abraham, could we? Well take a look at Romans 2:11 (ICB)
“There is no partiality with God.”
God loves all of His children and places value and worth on them that is measured by the love He has for His Son.
“I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love.”
John 15:9 (ICB)
Think of it like this: the love that God has for Jesus, Jesus’ love for us, and our love for God are all unified. That’s why we must love our brothers and sisters; excluding any believer from this love breaks our bond of unity, which signifies the promise of the believer’s relationship with God.
Let’s deconstruct the rest of this passage. This will help illustrate God’s grace through faith.
- The Scriptures told what would happen in the future.
- God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith.
- This was the Good News first told to Abraham.
- Abraham believed this, and because he believed, he was blessed.
- It is the same today. All who believe today are blessed just as Abraham was blessed.
- Being religious and trying to be legalistic will lead to failure and death.
- That’s because no one can perfectly keep the law of God.
- We can’t be made right with God by the law.
- The Scriptures say, “He who is right with God will live by faith.”
- The law does not use faith.
- So, the law put a curse on us.
- But Christ took away that curse.
- Jesus changed places with us.
- Jesus put himself under that curse.
- It is written in the Scriptures, “Everyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed.”
- Christ did this so that God’s blessing promised to Abraham might come to the non-Jews.
- This blessing comes through Jesus Christ.
- Jesus died so that we could have the Spirit that God promised
- Jesus died so we could receive this promise by believing.
- The promise would be given through faith.
- You were all baptized into Christ,
- You were all clothed with Christ.
- You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:8-27 (ICB)
So, look at the great summary of all this wonderful news!
Now, in Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek.
There is no difference between slaves and free men.
There is no difference between male and female.
You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
You belong to Christ.
So, you are Abraham’s descendants.
You get all of God’s blessings because of the promise that God made to Abraham.
Galatians 3:28 & 29
Go and tell this Good News to your world!
International Children’s Bible (ICB)
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 