In Galatians 3:1–29, Paul confronts the Galatian believers for turning from the gospel of grace to reliance upon works of the law. Having received the Holy Spirit through faith, they were now attempting to accomplish through human effort what only God could do. Paul reminds them that the Christian life does not merely begin by faith. It continues by faith.
Paul points to Abraham as evidence that God's promise of righteousness has always been received through faith, not earned through obedience. Long before the law was given to Moses, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Those who share Abraham's faith are counted among his spiritual descendants.
But the law reveals a serious problem. It demands perfect obedience, and every sinner falls short of God's righteous standard. Rather than providing salvation, the law exposes our guilt and reveals our need for a Savior. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, accomplishing what we could never accomplish ourselves.
Paul concludes by explaining that God's promise came before the law and finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The law was never intended to replace God's promise or provide righteousness through human effort. Instead, it reveals our need for Christ. Through faith in Him, sinners are justified, made children of God, and counted as heirs according to the promise.
KEY TRUTH: We are justified by faith in Christ alone, not by works of the law.
SERMON OUTLINE
I. The Christian Life Begins and Continues by Faith — Galatians 3:1–5
II. God's Promise to Abraham Was Received by Faith, Not Works — Galatians 3:6–9
III. The Law Reveals Our Curse, but Christ Redeems Us from It — Galatians 3:10–14
IV. The Law Reveals Our Need for Christ, Who Makes Us Children of God — Galatians 3:15–29
Grace Alone — A Study of Galatians
Week 4: Faith, Not Works
