Gospel Freedom – Part 3 The Righteous Shall Live By Faith Galatians 3: 1-22 July 23rd, 2017
I. FORGETTING how they STARTED
A. The Central IMAGE: Christ CRUCIFIED v. 1
B. STARING with the SPIRIT, FINISHING with the FLESH v. 3
C. The SPIRIT is supplied through FAITH, not LAW v. 5-6
2. Father ABRAHAM had MANY SONS
Galatians 3:7-14, Romans 4
A. The CURSE of the LAW v. 10
B. The REVERSE of the CURSE v. 13-14
C. The PROMISE of FAITH v. 14, Gen. 15, Romans 4:13-17
3. The LAW vs. The COVENANT
Galatians 3:15-22, Romans 4
A. The Covenant BEARERS were Covenant BREAKERS v. 19
B. The LAW worked as a QUARANTINE v. 22
C. SAVED, not by law, but by FAITHFULNESS of MESSIAH v. 22
4. ONE Covenant FAMILY
A. Jesus is our BOUNDARY MARKER
B. Jesus + NOTHING ELSE
C. Jesus is our IDENTITY
Questions for Further Reflection:
1. Have you ever gone through a season where you felt you had “lost your first love”? As a believer, how does one maintain that devotion to Jesus?
2. Do you tend to err more towards moralism (salvation through works) or relativism (salvation from what?)? How does the image of Christ crucified counter those thought processes?
3. What does it mean to you to be a member of Abraham’s family? What does Paul mean when he refers to those who are sons (and daughters) of Abraham?
4. What is Paul’s relationship to the Law? Is the Law a good thing or a bad thing? How should we view the Law now? What is our relationship to it?
5. What boundary lines would you draw around our faith community? What boundary lines may exist, though unintentionally? What cultural differences might leave someone on the outside of our group?
6. What are you tempted to add to Jesus for your salvation? Is it moralism? Is it people’s approval, success, knowledge, or social justice?
7. How do your actions line up with the truth that Jesus is your identity? Without succumbing to moralism, how can we live out the truth of who we are in Christ?
8. How does Paul’s language about being in one family through Jesus change the way you view other believers?