The Value of Redemption

 

⁶ Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ⁷ Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. ⁸ The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

¹⁰ For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.” ¹¹ Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith.” ¹² However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “The person who performs them will live by them.” ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— ¹⁴ in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Galatians 3:6-14

Good Morning Beloved,

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!

We're so glad that you are here with us.

When we speak about redemption, it is imperative, that we understand, that it is all predicated on the human condition. It is predicated on understanding, that man, is guilty before a Pure, Righteous and Holy God, under condemnation, under just judgment, because he has incurred a debt to God, by violation of His law, which on his own, he has no capacity to repay. 

 

In essence, he is therefore, sitting in prison, on death row, if you will, awaiting that final punishment, his final damnation. Mans only hope is to be redeemed, to have the debt that he owes God, paid by someone else. To have the debt removed by payment in full, if he is to be delivered from that final judgment. It is only through Christ's finished work of the cross, that becomes possible. There is, no other way!

 

 Let us bow our heads in prayer.

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Father, we give You thanks for Your Word for us today. We thank You for the truth, for the clarity of Your Word. We thank You for our time together, rejoicing in fellowship with the saints You have gathered together, but even more we are thankful for the fellowship we have with You. We are filled with gratitude, joy, worship, adoration and praise. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, that is living inside of us. Thank You for delivering us from sin and darkness. Saving us from ourselves, but more importantly, from eternal separation from You.

Lord, we pray for those who are yet without Christ, we ask that You would reach down and touch their hearts, that today might be that day, they would acknowledge their sin, turn from it, and receive the gift of grace, forgiveness and salvation through Christ. 

May it all be for Your glory.

In Christ's name

Amen

Today's Message: The Value of Redemption

If we examine our own sin, it is impossible for us to be saved. However, God, in His grace, has promised to save all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. If we will believe God like Abraham, God will do the impossible. And, as was the case with Abraham, when a sinner trusts Christ, God’s righteousness is accredited to his account.

God takes the righteousness of Christ and places it in your account when you by faith receive Christ. When you trust Jesus it is like God writes righteousness over your sins. This means that the record of sin is always clean before God, by His blood, and a right standing is given in its place. The believer, therefore, can never be brought into judgment for his sin, for God has called him righteous in Christ.

Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Having dealt with the Galatians’ subjective experience of receiving the Holy Spirit, Paul now turns to the objective evidence of the Word of God. We never judge the Scriptures by our experience; we test our experience by the Word of God. In verses 1 through 5, Paul asked them several questions. In this next section he will quote several Old Testament Scriptures. His idea is again to prove that salvation is by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law. 

 

The Judaizers wanted to return the church to the Law, so Paul quotes from some pivotal, crucial passage concerning the law. The point is, that a relationship based on faith and not on law is the only way to right standing with God. Believers are justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of law.

 

Open your Bibles with me to the book of Galatians chapter three. In our ongoing study of this wonderful portion of the Word of God, we come to verses 6 through 14. I invite you to follow along with me as I read to you from our text, Galatian 3:6-14. Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

"Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”  Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “The person who performs them will live by them.”  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—  in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

 

In verse 6, Paul says "Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

 

Paul is comparing the Faith of the Galatians to the faith of Abraham, he is putting the Galatians faith in God on the same level as Abraham’s Faith in God. He is drawing a parallel here: the faith of the Galatians on the same level as the faith of Abraham. We can insert ourselves here in the same place as the Galatians.

Abraham was the all important father figure in Judaism so first Paul quotes Abraham as his authority. He states that Abraham was justified by faith not law. Even so Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Paul begins by quoting Moses to show that God’s righteousness was placed in Abraham’s account only because he believed God’s promise. Despite his and Sarah’s advanced ages, Abraham believed God’s promise to give him an heir in Isaac. Abraham believed God’s promise in spite of it being biologically impossible. Abraham placed his faith in God and His promise and God gave him His righteousness even before the law came into existence, even though the living out of his faith was far from perfect.

God takes the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and places it on your account, when you by faith receive Christ. When you trust Jesus it is like God writes His righteousness over your sins. This means that the record of sin is always clean before God, by His blood, and a right standing is given in its place. The believer therefore can never be brought into judgment for his sins for God has called him righteous in Christ Jesus.

We are so used to our own culture, Christianity within that culture, that when we lead other people to Christ, from other cultures, we expect them, at least to some degree, to accept our own cultural brand of Christianity. In other words, we expect them to do church our way, sing our hymns, worship in our western worship style.

 

However, the reality is, the Bible doesn't lay out a specific worship style. Its about the heart of God’s people, on Fire for Him. In reverence and awe of Him, worshiping Him.

 

Verse 7, Paul defines for us, who the true children of Abraham are. "Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham."

 

Paul is quoting from Genesis 15: 5-6, "And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness."

 

The Jew and Judaizers were very proud of their relationship with Abraham. They thought that this relationship guaranteed them salvation. John the Baptist warned them that their physical descent did not guarantee spiritual life. Jesus made a clear distinction between "Abraham’s seed" physically and "Abraham’s children" spiritually.

 

Yes, Abraham’s physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob are the Jewish people but Abraham’s spiritual descendants are those who believe God for salvation. Abraham’s children are the sons of faith as contrasted with those of works or of circumcision or of heritage.

 

There are some people today, who still imagine that salvation is somehow inherited, or earned. Because mother and father were godly people, because they were "raised in church," the children think that they are saved automatically. I'd like to make it clear,  this is not true. It has well been said, "God has no grandchildren." Each person individually responsible, therefore must determine to live by faith in God and His word.

 

Then,  in verse 8, "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you." The Scripture preached, the personification of Scripture, is the voice of God.

 

The Scripture preached the gospel, the good news. What the good news is, is that the whole world will be blessed. How will they be blessed? Because by faith in the truth that God reveals at any point in redemptive history, by believing the truth that God has revealed, you will receive divine righteousness credited to your account by faith alone. That’s the gospel. That's the gospel.

God’s foundational promise or covenant to Abraham was that salvation by faith was for all nations. The prophecy, "In you shall all the Nations be Blessed" is a foreshadowing of the Gospel. Scripture proposes that from the very beginning of Abraham’s relationship with God that the blessing of the promised salvation would be for a people of faith. From other Scriptures we understand that "in you" was in Abraham’s seed, meaning the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name given among where by you must be saved. The gospel was first proclaimed to Abraham apart from and before the law.

Verse 9, indicates that the blessings of God come as they always have, by means of faith in God and His promises. "So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer." I love that! The believer, that becomes the New Testament word to identify Christians: The believer. It’s always faith, and faith alone. Faith is the empty hand, receiving the righteousness of God, through Jesus Christ.

The conclusion is that the Old and New Testaments, or dispensations are united. All believers dwell under the tent of faith. All persons of faith for all time stand together with Abraham, the pioneer of a faith-based relationship with God. The object, proof and reason for that faith in God were more specified and clarified under the new covenant. 

The old olive tree did not need to be up rooted, the new branches just needed to be in-grafted  The names of God’s people are written in the same Book of Life. This is why God’s truth, God’s Word under the old dispensation still speaks to us today. It's not outdated, useless, or in effective, as many believe today. The blessings of God were and are inherited, not by keeping or trying to fulfill the law, but in living by faith in God and His word. Through Jesus, our righteousness has fulfilled the law for those who are in Him.

Verse 10 proclaims "For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”

 

Therefore, salvation cannot be by means of the law, for the law brings a curse. For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written "Cursed is everyone." That is a very difficult message to preach, it's even more difficult to hear. It parallels statements like "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But to say "cursed is everyone," that really adds strength to it.

 

Having attacked the Jew’s confidence in their physical relationship to Abraham, Paul now shows that the Law brings a curse by quoting the Greek. This verse indicates that if anyone proposes to be saved by the law, he must keep every part of it at all times. If you cannot, and no one can, then you are under authority or power, bondage to sin. Because of our failure to fulfill, to keep the law, salvation must be received by grace through faith in Christ.

Deuteronomy 27:24, says "‘Cursed is he who attacks his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.' "

Contrary to what the Judaizers claimed, the law cannot justify and save- it can only condemn. Breaking even one commandment brings a person under condemnation. And because everyone has broken the commandments, everyone stands condemned. The law can do nothing to reverse the condemnation. But Christ took the curse of the law upon himself when He hung on the cross. He did this so we wouldn’t have to bear our own punishment. The only condition is, that we accept by faith Christ’s death on our behalf as the means to be saved.

Verse 11 makes it perfectly clear, that no one will be saved or sanctified by law. "Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith."

 

Next, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, "the righteous one will live by his faith." This verse is so important that the Holy Spirit inspired three New Testament books to explain it. Romans 1:17, explains the righteous by telling how the sinner can be justified before God. Galatians 5:25, explains how the righteous shall live the crucified live in the power of the Spirit. Hebrews defines and discusses faith. No one could ever live righteously by law for the law kills and show the sinner guilty before God, Romans 3:20; 7:7-11. Righteousness before God is granted by faith.

 

Then, verse 12 teaches that you cannot live by law and faith for they are mutually exclusive. However, the Law is not of faith; to the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them."

Someone might argue that it takes faith even to obey the law, so Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5, to prove that it is obeying the law not believing it that God requires. The law says, "Do and live!" but grace says,"Believe and live!" Paul’s own experience, in Philippians 3:1-10, as well as the history of Israel. Romans 10:1-10, proves that works of righteousness can never save the sinner, only faith in God’s Word can do so.

The legalists wanted to reduce religion to legal works and rituals. Paul wants you to enjoy a relationship of love and life by faith in Christ. For the Christian to abandon faith and grace for law and works is to lose everything exciting the Christian can experience in his daily fellowship with Jesus. The law cannot justify a sinner, neither can it give him righteousness. Why then, return to the Law?

Paul, in the next two verses, summarizes all that he has been saying. Christ has freed us from the curse of the law. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."

Law breakers have been put under a curse; but repentant sinners need not worry. Christ has redeemed us from the curse! He has brought us up out of the sentence of condemnation which the law pronounced on us and from the punishment of eternal death it required.  He rescued us by payment of a ransom, the ransom price being His own shed blood. He became a curse, literally "an accursed one" for us.

How was Christ made a curse? While dying on that tree, God laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. By dying on that tree, Christ bore the iniquity of us all. On the Cross He bore the punishment of sin, the punishment we deserved, which is the punishment of the law. Now the believer who is under Christ, is no longer under the law and its awful curse.

The results of our redemption is given in verse 14. "in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

 

In Closing....

Having lifted the curse off our shoulders, the blessing of God can now flow. The two purpose clauses are coordinated and work together. The covenant blessings promised to Abraham have now come to all believers. Among all the priceless gems sparkling in the glory of Abraham’s blessing the gift of the Holy Spirit is the most precious. Through Abraham, specifically through his seed Jesus, a countless multitude of people would be blessed. Through Christ and, literally, the Spirit of Promise, the river of grace, full, flowing, refreshing and free would stream to all the people of faith.

All that is necessary to partake of the blessing of Abraham is faith, faith in the Crucified and Risen Christ. Because of Calvary, where the fire of God’s wrath unleashed its fury, believers in Christ Jesus of every tribe, tongue, race and nation are redeemed from the curse of the Law.

If you have been redeemed, rest in His finished work on the Cross for you. Rejoice and give thanks! 

If not, don’t make the all too common mistake of thinking that you can earn His favor. 

What is it in your life, that you are letting define you? Your own self-righteousness or the righteousness of God, through Christ?

The Righteous will live by Faith!

May it be so..

 

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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