Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The Apostle Paul has penned a letter to the Churches of Galatia, who are being harassed by a group known as the Judaizers.

The Galatians have heard the Gospel from Paul and have now heard some information from the Judaizers that would cause them to question the Gospel.

They believe there is a need to somehow add to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cement their salvation.

The Judaizers are pointing the new believers to Abraham and the need for circumcision to be a true son of Abraham and Paul is very concerned about them.

So he is writing this letter to them to ensure the understanding of the Gospel, he does this in a couple of ways:

Reaffirms his credentials as an Apostle and one who is not an Apostle based on the other apostles (John, Peters (Cephas), James, etc.), but through his appointment by Jesus.

(Galatians 1)

His zealousness for the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2)

His presentation of works vs faith (Galatians 3-5)

His expected walk of those who are in the Gospel (Galatians 6)

We are going to take a look at part 3 above, where Paul presents an argument for faith which justifies as opposed to works.

Works of the Law

All who rely on works of the law

Paul is singling out a group.

Those who are trying to take the Galatians back to doing works as opposed to wholly placing their faith in the Gospel.

Works of the law, the actual doing of the law, the energy that is put into performing the deeds and action that the law dictates.

The law, this is pointing to the law of Moses, those first 5 books of the Bible, the Torah, the Pentateuch.

This is being referenced.

Note there are 613 commandments in the Jewish law.

581.Not to curse a ruler, that is, the King in the land of Israel (Ex.

22:28)

467.Not to break a bone of the Paschal lamb (Ex.

12:46)

367.Not to wear garments made of wool and linen mixed together (Deut.

22:11)

277.Not to pretend not to have seen lost property, to avoid the obligation to return it (Deut.

22:3)

Now, these four and the 609 others needed to be done if you relied on the law.

are under a curse

The issue with all the laws is that you are under a curse because when depending on yourself you can’t keep them.

Israel, who had been taken out of slavery by the LORD.

The LORD saw to it that they were cared for in the wilderness, gave them what they needed.

They could not keep the law.

When you hear Jesus tell what was really meant for the Decalogue, from the Sermon on the Mount.

We couldn’t keep this, just this week.

How many of us wanted to give our co-workers a piece of our mind.

when they told us to cut the camera on for the zoom meeting , how many us weren’t fussing.

Hurling insults around like water balloons.

This curse is one that Paul brings up, because those who are under the laws cannot avoid it, unless you are Jesus.

So if you want to put yourself under the law then you are cursed.

Cursed be Everyone

Paul reaches back to the Old Testament to prove his point.

We find this text in Deut 27:26.

This passages closes a group of 12 things the Levite Priests would say to the people from Mt. Ebal.

The point was to announce the separation of themselves from the activities that would lead to a curse.

The activity was ultimately an affront to God and the curse would be visited on those who performed the activity by God.

This would means that they would be separated from their people and from their land.

They would forfeit their belonging to the people of God and the land that was provided by God.

So Paul is noting that to belong to the law, is to do all the law, and not doing so results in being cursed.

Application

We see this in other religions today:

Hebrew Israelites

Seventh Day Adventists

Muslims

We even do this to each other:

When someone does not have the same view as you

When someone does not have the same patriotism you have

When someone has a difference of opinion

When someone posts something that you do not like

We have to be careful that we are not placing on ourselves anything that would attempt to add to or take away from the efficacy of the Gospel.

Live By Faith

No one is Justified before God by the Law

Paul continues his current thought, but tells what the law does not do, and faith does.

Paul gives us this word justified, we need to define.

δικαιόω (dikaióō) -

to render a favorable verdict, vindicate;

of experience or activity of transcendent figures, esp. in relation to humans;

of God be found in the right, be free of charges;

be acquitted, be pronounced and treated as righteous

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 249.

(BDAG)

It is clear, without a doubt, because of the curse that is met when being under the law, that clearly is not the way.

It is not the way to be justified before God,

Let’s talk about the law for a second.

Note that the law is not bad.

The law gives us insight in the nature and character of God.

We get to see how he cares for the orphans and widows and immigrants.

We get to see how God views murder and stealing.

The law tells about God and who He is and tells us about His will for our lives.

So the issue is not that they law is bad per se, rather we are cursed because we cannot keep the law.

Romans tells us that no one keeps the law, we all sin, that none is righteous (Romans 3:23).

Ephesians 2:1 tells us that we were dead, deserving of the wrath of God.

What Paul is saying is that we cannot be justified before God, the Person of God, not some abstract standard, or non-person, but God the creator of the universe the maker of all things seen and unseen, the one who hung the stars, we need to be justified before this God, the one who is holy, who exists in and of Himself, who stands in need of nothing, who exists outside of time and space.

You means to tell me that I need to be justified before Him, and that I will work to get there, that I will somehow keep all the law and be found justified before God.

Paul is saying that won’t work, it is not going to happen.

The righteous shall live by faith

What Paul does tell us is the if you are justified then it is by faith, the righteous shall live by faith, you are righteous is you are justified and life is by faith, not by works.

Those who are found to be righteous, those who are found to be justified, those who are in the family of God as sons and daughters shall live by faith.

Works can’t get it done, but faith can.

Works can’t get you there but faith can.

Works leave you cursed, but faith gives you life.

Faith can get it done, that is what was accounted to Abraham because he believed the LORD.

Abraham righteousness came through believing, through faith, not through any of the actions that he did, for this was given to him prior to anything that Abraham had done.

Law is Not Of

But the law is not of faith

To cement his point of works of the law vs faith he continues the contrast of the two.

The law and The faith are not the same.

The law cannot do what faith does, they are summarily different

Different Purposes

Different Outcomes

This is not to say that one is bad and the other isn’t, it is to say that they are utterly different, so doing one cannot get you to the other.

The law was provided for transgressions, to show us sin

The law has no power to give life