He Who Through Faith is Righteous Shall Live - Week 6

Galatians 3:1-12

Note: The study related to these questions may be found at Catholic Exchange. Please go to their site for the complete material concerning this study. Below are my thoughts on the questions presented for the given study (Please see disclaimer at bottom).

The Spirit'S Testimony

Read Gal. 3:1-5
1. What kind of language does Paul use to express his deep concern about the problem the Galatians are facing (vs. 1)?
(a) Paul uses very strong, accusatory language.

2. Notice the curious phrase Paul uses in vs. 1, which says that before the eyes of the Galatians, Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. What do you think this means?
(a) This could either mean a graphically detailed account, or perhaps a painting or drawing.

3. How does Paul use the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Galatians lives (vss. 2-3) as the first bit of evidence that justification comes through faith and not by works of the law?
(a) Because the Galatians received the Holy Spirit without being circumcised. Therefore, this is Paul's first example that it is not the Mosaic Law which justfies, but rather faith in Christ.

4. What specific kinds of experiences with the Holy Spirit do you think Paul is referring to in vss. 4-5?
(a) We know some of the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Corinthians:

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (1 Cor 12:8-10, RSV)

and also from later in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23, RSV)

5. There was no doubt about the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the people to whom Paul wrote. How would the Galatians have to answer the question Paul puts to them in vs. 5?
(a) Given that many of them were surely not circumcised, the only answer is that The Spirit works miracles by faith.

6. Notice that Paul is appealing to the personal experience of his friends. The questions he asked are rooted in common sense, not in Scripture or theology (there will be time for that). What does this tactic suggest to us about the best place to begin when we want to persuade people of spiritual truths? The texts of these passages are not included in this lesson. Read them in your own Bible.
(a) The best way to being in persuading people of spiritual truths is to point out the things with which they are already familiar.

As Paul begins to answer his own question from vs. 5, he turns to Abraham, the Father of the Jews. Quite possibly the people suggesting to the Galatians that they needed to be circumcised and observe all the Jewish law used Abraham as an example of one who loved God and obeyed Him. Perhaps they taught that circumcision was the real mark of belonging to God, as it had been for all the Jews since Abraham. It is important here for Paul to defuse this idea. In order to understand Paul's reference to Abraham, it is necessary to be familiar with some of the history of his life. We will examine two passages from Genesis.

The Promise of Blessing

Read Gen. 12:1-9

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sar'ai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. (Gen 12:1-9, RSV)

7. At the end of Gen. 11, we are introduced to Abram, the son of Terah. Terah was a descendant of Shem, the righteous firstborn son of Noah. It appears that Terah set out from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, perhaps to stake a tribal claim on the land that rightfully belonged to the descendants of Shem but was occupied then by the Canaanites, the descendants of Ham (Noah's son who sinned against him see Gen. 9:20-29). Terah made it as far as Haran, but settled there instead. In Gen. 12:1-3, God speaks to Abram (his name will later be changed) and makes an amazing promise. What is it?
(a) That God will bless Abram and make of him a great nation.

8. It is worth thinking about this promise with some care. Does Abram have to do anything to earn it?
(a) Abram has not earned God's blessing or this distinction.

9. How will Abram actually receive it?
(a) Abram will receive this blessing by an obedient faith. St. Paul states that faith must be obedient to God in Romans:

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; (Rom 1:1-6, RSV)

10. What kind of man does Abram appear to be?
(a) Abram appears to be obedient to God.

Abram Believes God

Read Gen. 15:1-6

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:1-6, RSV)

11. By this time, about ten years have passed. What is Abram struggling with?
(a) Abram was struggling with the fact that he still did not have an heir.

12. How does God respond to that struggle?
(a) God reassures Abram about the promise He made.

13. God counted ( reckoned ) Abram's belief in His promise as righteousness the trust that Abram placed in God made him pleasing in God s sight. Was Abram circumcised at this time in his life (hint: Read Gen. 17:9-27)?
(a) Abram was not circumcised at this point.

14. So what can we conclude about the relationship between righteousness (being pleasing to God) and circumcision?
(a) That circumcision is not necessary for righteousness before God.

Sons of Abraham by Faith

Read Gal. 3:6-9
15. Whom does Paul say are the true sons of Abraham (vs. 7)?
(a) Men of faith.

16. Paul says that when God promised Abram to bless all nations through him, he was preaching the gospel to him. That is because Paul understood the word bless to mean to justify (see vs. 8). How was this blessing obtained by Abram? How would the Gentiles ( all nations ) obtain it?
(a) Abram received this blessing by faith. (b) Gentiles also receive this blessing by faith.

17. If an act of faith resulted in justification for Abram, was he justified only once, on the occasion mentioned in Gen. 15, or was he justified several times (think carefully about this and read Heb. 11:8- 19 before you answer)?
(a) From the Letter to The Hebrews:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named." He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Heb 11:8-19, RSV)

Abram was justified many times because he displayed an obedient faith many times.

18. Was Abram justified by faith alone (think carefully about this and read James 2:18-26 before you answer)?
(a) From The Letter of James:

But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. (Jam 2:18-26, RSV)

No, Abram was not justfied by faith alone. Abram not only believed in God, but lived his life guided by this belief and trusting in the promise of God.

19. Putting this reference to Abraham in its proper perspective according to Paul's purposes, what was his primary reason for using Abraham as an example in these verses?
(a) To show that Abraham was not justfied by the works of the Mosaic Law, but was instead justified by an obedient faith.

20. Paul thinks of Abraham as a man of faith. What characteristics of Abraham's faith do you think Paul found so appealing and exemplary?
(a) Paul found Abrahams trust, patience, and his perseverance to be appealing and exemplary.

Now Paul turns from using the example of Abraham to using the Old Testament Scriptures in order to demonstrate that justification is by faith and not works. Recall that Paul was trained as a rabbi. His faith in Christ enabled him to see clearly what was hidden in the Old Testament teachings about righteousness and faith; now he wants to use these to powerfully refute the error and misunderstanding of the Judaizers.

The Law Brings a Curse

Read Gal. 3:10-12
21. In vs. 10, Paul quotes Deut. 27:26 (read). What is the big problem facing anyone who expects to be justified by keeping the law?
(a) From the Book of Deuteronomy:

"`Cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, `Amen.' (Deut 27:26, RSV)

The big problem is that no one is able to keep the law fully and thus all are cursed.

22. In vs. 11, Paul quotes from the minor prophet, Habbakuk. In order to understand the quote, you need to know that Habbakuk wrote at a time when the fierce, deplorably wicked Chaldeans (Babylonians) were used by God to chastise Israel. The prophet wonders how a holy God could allow the Chaldeans to appear to escape judgment for their violent arrogance. God assures Habbakuk that, in His own time, He will visit justice on them. Read Hab. 2:1-4. For Israel to silently and patiently endure the Chaldeans will be a test for them. How is this test like the test Abraham faced? How will one please God in this test?
(a) From the Book of Habbakuk:

I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look forth to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Hab 2:1-4, RSV)

Both require patience and trust in God's promise. (b) By remaining "upright", that is by trusting that God will keep His word.

23. Paul finally gets to the root of the problem of the law in vs. 12. You need to read Lev. 18:1-5 in order to understand Paul s use of his quote. Why does he say the law does not rest on faith ? According to the Leviticus passage, what does the law rest on?
(a) From the Book of Leviticus:

And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall do my ordinances and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, by doing which a man shall live: I am the LORD. (Lev 18:1-5, RSV)

The law does not rest on faith, but instead on ordinances and statutes. (b) The law rests on ordinances and statutes.

24. If no one can actually keep all the law, and if those who please God are those who live by faith in Him, not depending on works of law, what is the natural question that arises at this point in the discussion of justification?
(a) The natural question is "Why do we need the law?".

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

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Alfredo Nevarez
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