The book of Galatians was written by Paul to the church in the region of Galatia, and for a very specific reason. Straight after Paul’s greetings at the start of the book, he immediately starts the correction that he feels is very necessary. So we find Paul saying: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (1v6). From Paul’s style of writing, you can get the sense of urgency that he felt for the need to correct the believers. Imagine if you like a phone call or video conference with your founding Pastor, who has recently departed to go and start another work somewhere else, going something like this: ‘Holy greetings brethren, it’s Pastor Paul here. What’s this incredible thing I am hearing? You’ve forgotten the gospel so soon?’ Clearly Paul intends to reinforce the foundation they did have previously, as they seem to have moved their houses onto a shaky foundation.

How much of the church today is in this same state, having departed from the gospel that they first believed in? – The good news is that we can still be saved, there is still time remaining to repent and turn back to our “first love”, through the grace and gifts of Jesus Christ. As Paul continues his sentence, He calls the ‘other gospel’ a perversion of the true “gospel of Christ” (1v7). Clearly Paul’s intention in writing this book is to correct false doctrine that has crept so quickly into the church. The whole of the book of Galatians is very important for our understanding of basic teachings for the Christian, but I will draw our attention to a few sections of it as we study this current verse in it’s greater context.

In the second part of the first chapter, Paul tells of the journeys that he has made in order to make sure that the gospel that he preaches is the true and correct gospel. He didn’t receive the gospel from men “but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1v11). Clearly the direct intervention of Jesus in his life was the firm foundation that Paul had been counting on to make sure that the ‘good news’ he preached was in fact correct. He didn’t immediately have a conference “with flesh and blood” (1v16) or go to Jerusalem to check with those that had been Apostles before him (1v17). After three years however he did return to Jerusalem to stay with Peter for fifteen days, (1v18) but didn’t meet any of the other apostles apart from James, the younger brother of Jesus (1v19). Another fourteen years later, Paul returned to Jerusalem (2v1) and again checked with the other Apostles that the gospel he had been preaching was correct, and that he had not been ‘running in vain’ (2v2). At this point it was again confirmed that Paul’s teaching had been correct – an important sign of this was that the Greek Titus was not required to be circumcised to enter into covenant relationship with God (2v3). Peter, John and James also extended “the right hands of fellowship” (2v9) – effectively saying that Paul was of equal status with these three pillars of the early church and writers of some of the books that we have today in the New Testament. In fact, it is Peter that later confirms that the writings of Paul have the status of scripture, in 2^nd Peter 3v15-16.

So Paul could claim the highest authorities as witnesses to the fact that he is in fact an Apostle – the highest in heaven being Jesus himself, and the highest on earth being Peter (the one who had been promised the keys to the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 16v19), John (the disciple that Jesus loved especially – see John 13v23, John 20v2, John 21v7, John 21v20), and James (the brother of Jesus – see Mark 6v3, Galatians 1v19).

Paul again mentions the Apostle Peter in the second chapter – this time in a negative light. It seems that when Peter came to Antioch, he firstly fellowshipped freely with the Gentile believers, but when other believers followed him from James, he withdrew from the Gentiles and kept himself separate (2v12). Paul was disturbed to the point where he rebuked Peter “to the face” (2v11). A little later in the second chapter, as Paul is rebuking Peter, he again mentions the fact that the entrance to salvation and being under God’s covenant is no longer initiated “by the works of the law” (2v16). This is now the third time that Paul has shown in the letter that circumcision is no longer the way into covenant with God. This is most likely the error that the Galatians had fallen into – believing that circumcision was going to benefit their salvation. Paul shows that we are now justified by faith in Jesus Christ rather than doing things within the law (2v16).

Paul is not just negative to the law and how far it can take the believer, but he also shows the positive side of the argument – the way out of the error – and in even greater detail. Paul says that he is crucified with Jesus, he now has Christ living on the inside, and the life he now lives is because of faith in Jesus (2v20). Clearly this is to be seen as a greater relationship with God than merely following rules and regulations found in the law – now there is direct communication by being a host to the same Spirit that Jesus himself had in Him – the Holy Spirit, or ‘Christ anointing’.

In the next verse, Paul again shows that Jesus is dead in vain “if righteousness come by the law” (2v21) – we also saw this concept in the previous section, 1^st Corinthians 15v29 {86}. Clearly there is a very good reason that Jesus had to die – ultimately he was fulfilling all of the law on our behalf (Matthew 3v15, Matthew 5v17, Luke 24v44 etc).

Immediately before this current verse of study, Paul shows that faith in Jesus Christ leads to us becoming “the children of God” – not just for some, but for all that believe (3v26). The fact that we are the sons of God is contrasted with being under a schoolmaster (3v25) – the schoolmaster might teach us, and show us some of the things of God, but ultimately it is the Father that gives love and provides for all of our needs. As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4v19). Notice also that it is only through Jesus Christ that we obtain the promises of firstly being God’s sons, and also having all of our needs met. The Old Testament and especially the law was the schoolmaster, whereas we now become the children of God under the New Testament or Covenant with God. This father-and-child relationship comes only through “faith in Christ Jesus” (v26).

When we get to the current verse, I would like us to especially notice that we are baptised “into Christ” and have “put on Christ” (3v27). The faith noted in the previous verse combines with immersion (baptism) in Jesus and receiving of the Christ-anointing – the Holy Spirit. All of these individual ingredients are part of the same recipe for salvation. On many different levels we get ‘into’ Jesus:

• Taking on His name in baptism

• Being immersed and buried with Him in death to sin

• Taking on all of His attributes

• Thinking as He thinks

• Talking as He would talk

• Doing what He would do

• Receiving the same Holy Spirit that He has

• Put on the same anointing as He has

• Receiving the power of resurrection just as He has

• Receiving all of the blessings and promises that He had from the Father

• Becoming ‘joint heirs’ with Jesus to all of the inheritance of God

All of this starts with the baptism of faith – in Jesus and the things He has gained on our behalf.

When we look at the phrase that starts this verse – “For as many of you” – we can see that there was no exclusion mentioned – nobody is exempt from this verse. In other words, everybody should be baptised – without exception – and all should ‘put on’ all of the attributes of Jesus Christ. This theme is developed further in the following verses. Paul says that after baptism, there is no longer a difference between Jew or Gentile, slave or master, boss or employee, male or female (3v28) – all those that are baptised and have received the Holy Spirit are equal in standing before God, and unified in Jesus Christ. Believers are all equals in Jesus, and because of what Jesus has done on our behalf.

Previously, under the old covenant, it was a long process that a Gentile had to endure in order to come into covenant relationship with God, although it was not impossible. Under the new and updated covenant however, the entry requirements are now the same for all. There is no longer an advantage for a man above a woman, a rich man above a poor man, a blue man above a green man, or any other ‘accident of birth’ – it is now the ‘new birth’ experience that defines the entry point to the new covenant with God. Go through the second birth and, as far as standing before God is concerned, it no longer matters where your natural birth placed you in this world.

One very important thing that Paul has shown here is the equality of male and female believers. In Old Testament times, with believers under the law, it was only the males that received the sign of entry to the covenant with God. Abraham and all of the males of his household were the first to receive the sign, by receiving circumcision at the time a covenant was promised for Abraham and his sons (Genesis 17v9-14,23). Since the time that the church started on the day of Pentecost, both male and female can come into covenant with God. At least part of the reason for this is the fact that Jesus came to fulfil the law (see Matthew 5v17). Part of this fulfilment came by the fact that Jesus himself received the sign of entry under the old covenant, being circumcised ‘on the eighth day’ (Luke 2v21). When we have faith in Jesus, and show it by being baptised in His name, we become partakers of all that He has fulfilled on our behalf. All of the promises made in the old covenant are ours because Jesus won them for us by fulfilling the law, and becoming the perfect sacrifice for our sins that no animal or any other person or could be (Romans 5v9-11, John 1v28-29 {45}).

Paul says in fact that if we are Christ’s then we have become “Abraham's seed” and are heirs to all of the same promises that the descendants of Abraham have as a covenant right (3v29). These rights include the following, as seen especially in Genesis chapter seventeen:

• God will multiply us exceedingly (Genesis 17v2)

• Being exceedingly fruitful (Genesis 17v6)

• Becoming ‘many nations’ and countries (Genesis 17v6)

• Kings and rulers will come from among our number (Genesis 17v6)

• God will continue to be the God in covenant with all of the generations to come after us (Genesis 17v7)

Paul continues on into the next chapter to show that when we are redeemed by Jesus from being under the law, we become sons of God through adoption (4v5). Notice that here is the answer to the question ‘what are we redeemed from?’ The knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve desired so much in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3v6) brought about the law, and we are now redeemed from being under the law by Jesus. No wonder Paul was concerned for the Galatians, who seemed to be returning to the law and being under subjection to it.

Because of our adoption as sons, God sends “the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (4v6) Here we see that the spirit that now lives in our hearts is the same Spirit that was in Jesus. We can now take on this special right to call God “Abba”, or in today’s language “Daddy.” This train of thought continues on by showing that we are no longer servants, having to do everything that we are told, but we are now sons (4v7). Because of our status of ‘son’ we are then all “an heir of God through Christ” (4v7). As an heir of somebody you are entitled to an inheritance, and other blessings and abilities that being the heir to a fortune entails. In the case of the believer, we have a right to expect the fullness of what God has to offer, both in the natural and especially the spiritual. Of course this is tempered with our side of the covenant or contract.

All contracts have clauses in them such as ‘If you do something then I will do a resulting something else’ and it is no different with our relationship with God. As a father I might say to my children “If you do your chores around the house then I will give you some pocket-money.” Or I might have a contract with a builder which says ‘I will give you £1,000,000 in exchange for the house that you will sell me’. It is the same thing with God – there is no limit to how much He can bless us, if we are just willing to do the things He would like us to do. We can see part of this in the next chapter of Galatians, where we find out that “they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (5v24). Clearly if we want something that is outside of God’s will – ungodly affections and lusts for instance – then we are lacking in an area of ‘crucifying our flesh’ and limiting the extent to which we belong to Jesus. When we harbour these ungodly affections and lusts, God, who is so willing to bless us, knows that we would only use any blessing we receive to our hurt. When this is the case, God knows that He needs to limit how much He gives so that we can’t abuse our blessings, or turn a blessing into a curse. Otherwise this would then become a block to our ability to receive the full inheritance that God has in store for us.

After we have ‘crucified the flesh’, Paul also tells us that we should not just “live in the Spirit” but “let us also walk in the Spirit” (5v25). Clearly it is possible for us to receive the Holy Spirit but still not fully walk according to His leading. Earlier in the chapter Paul had already said that we should “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (5v16). There is a war going on in the life of the believer, between fulfilling the lusts of the flesh on the one hand, and walking in the Spirit on the other. Not only is it important to receive the Holy Spirit – live ‘in’ the Spirit – but there is a greater level of blessings available to those that “Walk in the Spirit” – indeed, Paul even expected that the Galatians should move to this level in their walk with God. Part of the fruits of walking in the Spirit will be a move away from doing things just because our flesh desires them – showing that our flesh is crucified and buried.

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