Galatians 3-4: Is freedom uncomfortable?

We read Galatians 3–4 out loud and face Paul’s blunt warning that “Jesus plus” anything turns freedom into slavery. We wrestle with why it’s so hard to rest in God’s love when earning and proving feel safer than grace. 
• circumcision as a symbol of adding conditions to belonging 
• the Spirit received by faith rather than works of the law 
• Abraham’s promise and righteousness credited by belief 
• the law as a guardian that cannot give life 
• unity and identity in Christ beyond status markers 
• adoption as sons and the Spirit crying “Abba, Father” 
• the pull to return to religious slavery and performance 
• an honest check on where we still try to earn God's favor

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Yeah, welcome back to the Out Loud Bible Podcast. This is Mike. We're going through the book of Galatians. Galatians is uh is one of my favorite books. I know I say that every time. Uh this one, though, especially because this was actually

Why Galatians Still Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:23

the first whole book of the Bible that I memorized. Uh I was able to memorize it and perform it uh for uh my church when we were living in Alabama, and uh also again in another translation, actually, uh from my church in New Hampshire. And so it's a book that I'm very familiar with and very fond of. And it talks about circumcision, which is you know not an issue we we talk a whole lot about today, but what circumcision represents in this book is very relevant today. It represents this idea that just Jesus and this whole faith in Jesus isn't really enough to be considered God's people. It's not really enough to be uh right with God. The Jews around these new Gentile believers were trying to teach them that circumcision is how we prove that we are following God. And Paul is like, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're gonna shut that down now. To hell without argument, literally, he says, anyone who teaches another gospel is condemned to hell. Yes, strong words, but fitting for how serious of an issue this really is. Today we see how there are issues that are tied to, kind of hitch their wagon to salvation, but are not on the same level at all. And anytime we're we we say, yes, Jesus, but also this, red alert, big red flag. No, no, no, no. So Paul's writing to the Galatians, which is uh a series of churches in the region of Galatia, including Iconium, Lystra, Derby, that we read about in Acts 13 and 14. You can go and read what Paul's missionary journey was like there. He's now writing back to those churches to call out the fact that they've been drifting away from the original simple, free gospel message that he preached when he was there, and now are all tied up, being enslaved again to the very thing that Paul was saying. You don't have to be enslaved to this Jewish religious way of keeping the law, sort of life. So, with that in mind, let's dig right back into Galatians chapter three and four today in the New English Translation. You foolish Galatians, who

Faith Or Law For The Spirit

SPEAKER_00 2:48

who has cast a spell on you before your eyes? Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? The only thing I want to learn from you is this. Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort? Have you suffered so many things for nothing? If indeed it was for nothing. Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard? Just as Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, so then understand that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, All the nations will be blessed in you. So then those who believe are blessed, along with Abraham, the believer. For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse. Because it's written, cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law. Well, now it's clear no one's justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. But the law is not based on faith. The one who does the works of the law will live by them. And Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it's written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, in order that Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham, would come to the Gentiles so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. Brothers and sisters, I I offer an example from everyday life. When a covenant has been ratified, even though it's only a human contract,

Abraham’s Promise Beats The Law

SPEAKER_00 5:21

no one can set it aside or add anything to it. Now, the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Now, scripture does not say and to the descendants, referring to many, but and to your descendant, referring to one who is Christ. What I'm saying is this: the law that came 430 years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God so as to invalidate the promise. For if the inheritance is based on the law, it's no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise. Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary. Now, an intermediary is not for one party alone, but God is one. Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not. For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But but no, the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise could be given because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to those who believe. Now, before faith came, we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. And thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we're no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, there's neither male nor female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise. Now I mean that the the heir, as long as he's a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he's under guardians and

From Guardian To Family In Christ

SPEAKER_00 8:14

managers until the date set by his father. So also, we, when we were miners, were enslaved under the basic forces of this world. But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you're sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts who calls Abba, Father. So you're no longer a slave, but a son. And if you're a son, then you're also an heir through God. Formerly, when you didn't know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. But now that you've come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You're observing religious days and months and seasons and years. I I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain. I I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me. Because I've become like you. You've done me no wrong. But you you

Don’t Return To Religious Slavery

SPEAKER_00 9:59

know it was because of a a physical illness that I first proclaimed the gospel to you. And although my physical condition put you to the test, you didn't despise or reject me. Instead you you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus Himself. Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me. So then have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? Oh they oh they court you eagerly, but for no good purpose? They want to exclude you so that you would seek them eagerly. However, it's good to be sought eagerly for a good purpose at all times, and not just when I'm present with you. My children, I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could I could be with you now and and change my tone of voice because I I'm perplexed about you. Like tell tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law? For it's written that Abraham had two sons,

Two Covenants In One Story

SPEAKER_00 11:31

one by the slave woman, and the other by the free woman. But one, the son of the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise. These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. This is Hagar. Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she's in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it's written, Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children, break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband. But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now. But what does the scripture say? Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. And we'll pause there for now. We'll finish the rest of the book of Galatians next time. For now, how comfortable and confident are you in the fact that you do not need to do anything to earn the love and acceptance

Learning To Rest In Sonship

SPEAKER_00 13:36

of God the Father? Maybe your own relationship with your father has tainted your perception of God as the Father. Maybe you have a hard time believing that God would choose you and give you all the rights and love and acceptance of his own child because of your own circumstances. Maybe you're living in such a way that if you could just give yourself a little assurance, maybe a little more hope that you might be accepted by God because you do this or you live this way, or you do this habit, or you say this thing, or pray this way, or give this thing. My friend, that's not free, and God loves you too much to send Jesus to do what he did to make it free and able to get right with God and still expect anything else from you. I'm not just speaking to uh an unbeliever or a new believer. We who have been around a while, walk in this Christian life for a while, can still get trapped by these things. We can lose sight of the original simplicity of faith in Jesus, by his grace alone, being saved. And we add these other things because we feel like if we can build up some credentials, then maybe we can have more assurance and more confidence or this or that. Maybe not by what we say, but maybe by what we do and how we live, we demonstrate that Jesus isn't enough for us. I'll be vulnerable and say, there are sometimes I feel like I can't just rest in my relationship with Christ. I have to do something. I have to do this ministry. I have to go read the Word of God out loud. I need to go teach people what the Bible says and how to live it for themselves. But for me, I gotta do this in order to earn my place at the table. That makes it difficult to rest. That makes it difficult to feel enough. Sometimes the more worthy and impactful the mission, the harder it is to feel like you could live in peace with God without it. How about you? How does this message of freedom strike you? That's the Thinking Out Loud thought for the day. Thanks for joining me here as we continue reading the book of Galatians. We will wrap up this letter next time on the Out Loud Bible Podcast.