Gospel Bible Baptist Church

Gal. 3:6-9

Introduction

We continue our lesson about Justification. Paul in teaching the superiority of faith over the law is making an example of the founder of the Jewish nation, Abraham. The Jews are so proud and confident of going to heaven because they are the offspring of Abraham. They did not realize that that personal relationship with God is more important than physical relationship with their fore father Abraham

Illustration 1: How Were the Old Testament Saints Saved?
H. A. Ironside was traveling and dropped in on a Sunday school class. The unprepared teacher asked how Old Testament saints were saved and somebody answered, “By keeping the law.”
The teacher said, “Correct!”
Ironside raised his hand and said, “Romans 3:28 says it’s not by the law.”
The teacher responded, “Oh, that’s right, sorry. So how were Old Testament saints saved?”
Somebody else answered, “By making sacrifices.
“Correct!”
Ironside raised his hand and said, “Hebrews says the blood of bulls and goats is not sufficient.”
“Oh yeah…why don’t you just tell us how!”
“The same way we are today, by faith!”

I. The Faith of Abraham (Gal. 3:6)
A. How was he, the father of Jewish people, justified? The answer was simple and direct. Noting Gen. 15:6, Paul declared, He believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Abraham’s faith in God’s ability to perform what He promised was accepted by God as righteousness and so the patriarch was justified – before he was circumcised (Gen. 17:24). How then could the Judaizers insist that circumcision was essential to being accepted by God?
B. The word “even” here is important. It comes from the Greek “kathos” and means “even as, according as, as well as.” The truth that Paul is telling here is that all people are saved the same way Abraham was saved. Abraham’s salvation is the pattern of salvation for all people throughout all ages. That doesn’t mean that there are other ways to be saved. Everyone who ever was saved or ever will be saved is saved by the same principle as Abraham was saved.
C. The words accounted in Gal. 3:6 and counted in Gen. 15:6 mean the same as imputed in Rom. 4:11,22-24. The Greek word means “to put to one’s account.” When the sinner trusts Christ, God’s righteousness is put to his account. More than this, the believer’s sins are no longer put to his account (Rom. 4:1-8). This means that the record is always clean before God, and therefore the believer can never be brought into judgment for his sins.

Illustration 2: We Are Made Righteous
Righteousness is an attribute of moral purity belonging to God alone (John 17:25). It is He alone who is truly righteous. No one in the world is righteous in the eyes of the Lord, that is, except the Christian. We are counted righteous in the eyes of God when we receive Jesus by faith (Phil. 3:9). Our righteousness is based on what Jesus did on the cross. The righteousness that was Christ’s is counted to us. We, then, are seen as righteous in the eyes of God. Though we are actually worthy of damnation, we are made righteous (Is. 61:10) by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. As a result, will spend eternity in the presence of the holy, pure, loving, kind, gentle, and righteous God. Our righteousness.
— 10,000 Sermon Illustrations

II. Children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7)
A. The Jews prided themselves in being the children of Abraham. The Jews ask Christ, Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? (Jn. 8:53). The Jews loved to identify themselves with Abraham. Paul says, they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. If you are going to be a son of Abraham you must be justified before God the same way that Abraham was. Salvation is a matter of faith. Those who come to God by faith in Christ are Abraham’s decedents.
B. We can clearly say that believing Jews and Gentiles are the true spiritual children of Abraham because they follow his examples of faith.

III. Salvation for the Gentiles (Gal. 3:8-9)
A. The word “heathen” (Gal. 3:8), as used here, simply means Gentiles. Paul’s quotation of Moses (Gen. 12:3) proves that, from the very beginning of Abraham’s relationship with God, the blessing of salvation was promised to all the nations of the world. God preached the “Good News” to Abraham centuries ago, and Paul brought that same Good News to the Galatians: sinners are justified through faith and not by keeping the Law. The logic here is evident: if God promised to save the Gentiles by faith, then the Judaizers are wrong in wanting to take the Gentile believers back into Law. The true “children of Abraham” are not the Jews by physical descent, but Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Jesus Christ All those who are “of faith” (believers) are blessed with “believing Abraham.”
B. When you read God’s great covenant with Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3, you discover that many different blessings were promised some personal, some national and political, and some universal and spiritual. Certainly, God did make Abraham’s name great; he is revered not only by Jews, but also by Christians, Muslims, and many others. God did multiply his descendants, and God did bless those who blessed Abraham. He also judged those who cursed his descendants (Egypt Babylon, and Rome are cases in point). But the greatest blessings that God sent through Abraham and the Jewish nation have to do with our eternal salvation. Jesus Christ is that promised “Seed,” through whom all the nations have been blessed (Gal. 3:16).
C. God promised to bless the heathen (Gentiles) through Abraham, which means that Jews and Gentiles are saved the very same way. The “gospel” that Abraham believed was certainly not the full Gospel of the grace of God that we preach today; even the apostles did not fully understand the meaning of Christ’s death until it was explained to them. The gospel Abraham believed was the good news that God would bless Abraham and make him a mighty nation. Abraham believed this promise and this faith was accounted for righteousness.

Illustration 3: The Rich Employer
Peter Eldersveld tells of a rich Christian who had a large company of employees, and many of them owed him money. He was constantly trying to teach them something about Christianity, and one day he hit upon a plan. He posted a notice for his employees to see that said, “All those who will come to my office between eleven and twelve o’clock on Thursday morning to present an honest statement of their debts will have them cancelled at once.” The debtors read the notice with a great deal of scepticism, and on Thursday morning, although they gathered in the street in front of his office, not one of them went to the door. Instead, they gossiped and complained about their employer, and ridiculed the notice he had posted. They said it didn’t make sense.

But finally, at 11:45, one man jumped forward, dashed up the steps into the office, and presented his statement. “Why are you here?” the rich man asked him. “Because you promised to cancel the debts of all those who would come as you instructed,” the other replied. “And do you believe the promise?” “Yes, I do.” “Why do you believe it?” persisted the employer. “Because, although it was too much for me to understand, I know that you are a good man who would not deceive anyone.” The rich man took the bill and marked it “Paid in full,” at which time the poor man, overcome, cried out, “I knew it! I told them so! They said it couldn’t be true, and now I’m going out to show them.” “Wait,” said his benefactor, “it’s not quite twelve o’clock. The others are not entitled to any special proof of my sincerity.” When the clock struck twelve, the forgiven debtor ran out waving his receipt in the face of his fellows. With a mad rush they made for the door, but it was too late. The door was locked. Illustrations of Bible Truths.

IV. Conclusion:
Abraham believed God and he was justified. He was declared righteous because of his faith in God and in God’s promises. Will you put your faith in Christ too?