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Nate Roten’s sermon examines the role of faith in Galatians 3:7-14, contrasting it with the law. He argues that spiritual descendants of Abraham are those who have faith, not just physical lineage. The sermon uses Old Testament scriptures like Genesis 12:3 and Deuteronomy 27:26 to illustrate that the law cannot provide righteousness. Christ’s redemption from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for believers is a central theme, emphasizing that faith in Jesus is essential for receiving God’s promised blessings.

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Main Idea

You are part of the family by faith, not by the family tree. It’s about belief, not bloodlines.

In John 8:33-58, Jesus is speaking with a group of Jews who insist that, as Abraham’s descendants, they are already free and justified before God. Much is said in this interchange, but I want to draw out two important moments:

³⁷ I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no place among you. ³⁸ I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father;^, so then, you do what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ “Our father is Abraham,” they replied.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. ⁴¹ You’re doing what your father does.”

…

⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be?”

⁵⁴ “If I glorify myself,” Jesus answered, “my glory is nothing. My Father—about whom you say, ‘He is our God’—he is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Then, after this bit, Jesus spoke the famous words: “Before Abraham was, I AM.” This made the Pharisees want to kill Him because they understood it as a claim to be Yahweh Himself.

Now, hold on to these concepts as we turn our attention to Galatians:

1. If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did.
2. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.

Passage

Galatians 3:7–14 CSB

⁷ You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons. ⁸ Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. ⁹ Consequently, those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.
¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. ¹¹ Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. ¹² But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. ¹⁴ The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Last week, we ended with Paul connecting the reality of their lived experience with the truth of how Abraham became righteous:

Galatians 3:6 CSB

⁶ just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?

Now, Paul will flesh this out in more detail by presenting his second of six arguments: The Argument from Scripture. If the false teachers want to discuss the law, Paul will give it to them! In this section, Paul organizes his argument into three main parts as we observed in last week’s chiasm:

Argument from Scripture

1- The Promise of Abraham’s Faith (who gets the blessings)

2- The Cruse of the Law (who gets the curses)

3- Redemption in Christ (the one who manages it all)

This will be the outline for today. Within these three main points, we will review the Old Testament scriptures that Paul brought into the conversation and discover together how they point to faith in Jesus.

1- The Promise of Abraham’s Faith

I – Worldwide salvation through Abraham (Gen. 12:3)

Descendants. As one might expect, the Jews believed they were Abraham’s descendants due to their physical lineage in the family tree. After all, God did not choose Egypt, Babylon, or any other nation; He chose Israel. He gave her His law, the covenantal sign of circumcision, and so forth. However, Paul makes a different argument, and there are two key facts that support his position:

1.     The law was not given yet. Moses wasn’t born yet, so the blessings of Abraham cannot be based on the law.

2.     Though the covenant sign of circumcision was given to Abraham, he was declared righteous before that sign was given.

These two elements – law and circumcision – are central to Jewish identity and the distorted gospel of the Judaizers. However, they have nothing to do with being righteous before God or how one receives the blessings promised to Abraham. This implies that ethnic Israel isn’t Abraham’s descendants, which further means that justification isn’t limited to them; it can be for anyone, which is precisely Paul’s point. As Genesis 12:3 states, it is all the nations (Jew and Gentile)! All who share the same faith as Abraham are God’s children who receive His blessings. Paul’s argument, then, is that Abraham’s true descendants are those who are spiritually descended- those who have faith in God, just as Abraham did. They are the ones who act like their father, Abraham (just as Jesus said). God established him as the head of the family, and the family is blessed in the same manner as the head. Thus, one could say that those who are ‘in Abraham’ by faith receive the same blessings and standing with God that Abraham has. It is about faith, then, not the family tree. It is about believing, not bloodlines.

What is the blessing? And what is the blessing of Abraham? It is the unraveling of the Genesis curse from the believer. Sin defiles our hearts so that we are at enmity with God. We fall short and are guilty of a host of grievances that will culminate in our eternal punishment. But the blessings to the nations in Abraham are the blessings of righteousness (being back in right standing with Him), justification, and restored relationship!

The scriptures (in this case, that means the Old Testament, witnessed this and attested to it. That is why this is referred to as Paul’s argument from scripture. The gospel message does not start with Jesus; it begins in the first book of the Bible. The gospel was proclaimed to Abraham! As Jesus stated in John 8, Abraham saw His (Jesus’) day and rejoiced in it!

This reminds me of a popular reply when a person is asked if they are Christian. Maybe you’ve heard it. When asked how they know they are a Christian, they’ll reply with something like this: “Yes, I am, because my parents are.” Or perhaps it’s something like, “Yes, I go to church every Sunday.” These replies aren’t too different from those of the Jews. It is a statement born of affinity. You are saying, “I am something” because I belong to a group that is “that something.” Don’t make the same mistake. You are a Christian because you have made the individual decision to put your faith in Jesus Christ.

 2- The Curse of the Law

II – Curses for Disobedience (Deut. 27:26)

The Great Discourse. Paul quotes from Deuteronomy because it is the great discourse delivered by Moses to the Israelites before they entered the promised land. In this discourse, Moses informs the crew that blessings will follow obedience, which is wonderful. However, disobedience will lead to curses. This is how God designed it so that His people will grow, thrive, and be a light to the nations as they obey His commands. However, there would be severe consequences for disobedience, as they were established as a people representing God on earth.

The Law reveals sin. Initially, there was no way to know what God expected of His people, as He had not yet communicated that to them. However, this is precisely what He revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Because God gave us His law, we now understand what disobedience is. Through the law comes knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20 / 7:7). In this respect, the law is good and serves a specific, God-ordained purpose for His people.

Misplaced reliance. The issue at hand, however, is that people are relying on the works of the law for something. They rely on it to provide what it was never intended to or had the power to offer. They seek to have right-standing with God based on their ability to uphold it, but Deut. 27:26 serves as a reminder that no one can keep the law perfectly. Even if one falls short in a single area, they break it completely and are under the curse of being a lawbreaker. The law is like a chain; if you break just one link, the entire chain is compromised and unable to perform its intended function. Similarly, their reliance was misplaced. They cannot keep the law perfectly. Therefore, it is unreliable to provide them with what they want, which is what Abraham received (or what was credited to his account): righteousness. Because they depended on the law, they received the opposite: curses.

III – Righteousness Comes from One Place (Hab. 2:4)

Two sides of the same coin. We’ve seen Paul address this already with justification. The issue is how to have a right standing before God, and these two things are two sides of the same coin. Is there justification or condemnation? Do you have a right standing before God, or is there an issue in the relationship? Paul eludes to that when he confirms that no one will be justified before God by the law because the righteous will live by faith.

Paul says that the matter is clear… abundantly clear! Works of law don’t get you there. It’s like a car with a functional navigation system but doesn’t have wheels or an engine. It is extremely helpful to know the route, nearby gas stations, and secret speed traps, but it can only point the way. It can’t actually take you there.

Habakkuk. And Paul was making it even clearer that this isn’t breaking news. The prophet Habakkuk (who lived in the 600s BC) stated the exact same thing in the midst of impending judgment. God was using a pagan nation as His tool of judgment from His hand due to Israel’s waywardness. That is what their ‘works’ had earned them, but if they were going to continue to live as God’s people in right standing with Him, they had to live by faith.

Again, they were looking for righteousness in the wrong place. Doing so is like trying to get a taco from Burger King. If you want a taco, don’t go to a burger joint. You are looking in the wrong place.

Likewise, they were searching for blessings in a place where only curses are found.

IV – Doing vs. Believing (Lev. 18:5)

Leviticus. To emphasize this point, Paul quotes another passage from scripture- this time from Leviticus. The Levitical law focused on ‘doing.’ If you refer to Lev. 18, you will find this passage, followed by an extensive list of things to avoid.

The point? To get the blessings of Abraham through the law, the law has to be kept. The doing and obeying become the foundation of your identity and the source of security (salvation, justification, and righteousness). None of this is built on faith; rather, it relies on your efforts to uphold the law, which Paul has already stated will only result in your continual exposure to the curse of the law and bondage to it.

Paul is right: the matter is quite clear. The ones who receive the blessings of Abraham are those who accept Jesus in faith. Those who suffer the curses of the law are the ones who rely on the law to attain the blessings of Abraham. He demonstrated this by referencing three separate Old Testament passages to drive the nail all the way through the wood. If you rely on the law to make you righteous, you can’t simply take the blessings while leaving the curses, as if it were a Golden Corral buffet where you can pick and choose what you want. The law is a single unit, and if that is the path you wish to take, you must embrace it all.

Paul sees how the Judaizers sought to bring Christians back under bondage, but Christ gave His life to set them free.

As Warren Wiersbe once said, “For the Christian to abandon faith and grace for Law and works is to lose everything exciting that the Christian can experience in his daily fellowship with the Lord.”

We can see how true this is by reflecting on what the law cannot do. The law cannot:

•       justify (Gal. 2:16)

•       give righteousness (Gal. 2:21)

•       give the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2)

•       bestow the blessings of Abraham (Gal. 3:14)

and, as we will see in the coming weeks, it also lacks the power to:

•       guarantee our inheritance (Gal. 3:18)

•       give life (Gal. 3:21)

•       give liberty (Gal. 4:8–10)

Why on earth would you want to return to a system that cannot give you everything that Christ can?!

3- Redemption by Christ

V – The Curse and the Cross (Deut. 21:23)

Jesus. Now that we know who receives blessings and who receives curses, Paul brings it all back to Jesus. Just as Abraham was the head of the family and all ‘in him’ are blessed, so Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of that reality. Abraham was the forerunner who exemplified the faith we should all possess, but he did so while looking forward to the promise of the Messiah who was yet to come.

Now, we look backward to the promise fulfilled!

Jesus redeemed us, which literally means to purchase from slavery. We were under the curse from the fall and the curse of the law, but Jesus purchased us out of all that. However, it cost him. He didn’t just purchase us with spare change he found in the couch cushions; he did the unthinkable. He bore the curse in our place. Paul references this by quoting Deut. 21:23, which describes what you do to someone who was cursed by God and executed. Once they were already dead, their body was to be hung on a tree for all to see that they were cursed by God, but the body couldn’t be left overnight. It had to be taken down and buried that same day.

Jesus became the curse. By dying on the cross (a tree), Jesus overtly became the curse for us. Every Jew who saw Jesus hanging there perceived Him as the man cursed by God in Deut. 21:23, and indeed He was! As God, He bore His own curse so that we wouldn’t have to. This wasn’t just for the Jews. Since the beginning, the purpose was for the Gentiles also to receive the blessings of Abraham and have eternal security through the provision of the Spirit… all made possible by faith in Christ.

The Old Testament illusion was to have faith like Abraham… or to be ‘in Abraham’ to receive God’s promised blessings. But Christ is the fulfillment. Now, anyone who is ‘in Christ’ can enjoy these blessings… the undoing of the curse at creation and the curse of the law. In Christ, we are saved, justified, made righteous, given the Holy Spirit, raised to new life and eternal life, and freed from the bondage of sin and the law!

And the way you become ‘in Christ’ is belief… having faith in Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises, in his atoning death on the cross, in the power of His resurrection, and in His current reign.

Questions to Consider

What does it mean that Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law” (verse 13)? What was that “curse,” and how did Jesus deal with it?

What Old Testament scriptures does Paul use in this passage? How does he use these scriptures to support his claims?

If being a Christian is about faith and not just following rules, how should that change the way you live your life?

How does this passage show that the “gospel” (good news) began in Genesis?

FAQs

1. What Old Testament scriptures does Paul use in this passage? How does he use these scriptures to support his claims?

• Paul uses several Old Testament scriptures to support his claims. Specifically, he references:
  • Genesis 12:3 to show that the blessings of Abraham are for all nations, not just ethnic Israel.
  • Deuteronomy 27:26 to highlight the curse that comes with disobeying the law.
  • Habakkuk 2:4 to emphasize that righteousness comes through faith, not works.
  • Leviticus 18:5 to illustrate that keeping the law does not lead to righteousness.

• Paul uses these scriptures to demonstrate that faith, not works of the law, is the means by which one receives the blessings of Abraham and is justified before God.

2. If being a Christian is about faith and not just following rules, how should that change the way you live your life?

• Faith Over Works: Your identity and standing before God are not based on your ability to keep the law but on your faith in Jesus Christ. This means you should not rely on your own efforts to achieve righteousness but trust in God’s promise of salvation through faith.
• Focus on Relationship: The focus shifts from mere obedience to a deepening relationship with God. This relationship is built on trust, love, and obedience that flows from a heart that is already justified by faith.
• Freedom from Bondage: Recognize that you are no longer under the curse of the law. This freedom allows you to live a life that is not bound by the need to constantly perform to earn God’s favor.

3. How does this passage show that the “gospel” (good news) began in Genesis

• This passage shows that the gospel began in Genesis by highlighting the promise made to Abraham. In Genesis 12:3, God promises to bless all nations through Abraham. This promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who redeems believers from the curse of the law and offers them the blessings of righteousness and eternal life. The gospel message, therefore, starts with the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

4. What does it mean that Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law” (verse 13)? What was that “curse,” and how did Jesus deal with it?

• The curse of the law refers to the consequences of disobeying God’s commands. According to Deuteronomy 21:23, someone who was cursed by God and executed was to be hung on a tree for all to see. Jesus became this curse by dying on the cross, thus taking upon Himself the punishment for humanity’s disobedience. By doing so, He redeemed believers from the curse of the law, making it possible for them to receive the blessings of Abraham through faith in Him.

5. How does Jesus’ statement in John 8:56 (“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad”) relate to Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:7-14?

• Jesus’ statement in John 8:56 indicates that Abraham had a foreknowledge of Jesus’ coming and was glad about it. This aligns with Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:7-14, where he says that Abraham’s true descendants are those who share his faith. Both passages emphasize that the blessings of Abraham are not limited to physical lineage but extend to all who have faith in Jesus Christ.

6. What is the significance of Paul referencing Deuteronomy 27:26 in Galatians 3:10?

• Paul references Deuteronomy 27:26 to highlight the curse that comes with disobeying the law. This passage underscores that no one can keep the law perfectly, and thus, relying on the law for righteousness leads to being under its curse. This contrasts with the blessings of Abraham, which are received through faith in Jesus Christ.

7. How does the concept of “doing vs. believing” (Leviticus 18:5) relate to Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:7-14?

• The concept of “doing vs. believing” in Leviticus 18:5 emphasizes that keeping the law is necessary to receive its blessings. However, Paul argues in Galatians 3:7-14 that this approach is flawed because it relies on works rather than faith. The blessings of Abraham are not achieved through obedience to the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

8. What is the ultimate purpose of Christ’s redemption as described in Galatians 3:14?

• The ultimate purpose of Christ’s redemption is to make it possible for Gentiles (non-Jews) to receive the blessings of Abraham. This includes receiving the promised Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ’s redemption undoes the curse of the law and offers believers eternal security, justification, and righteousness through faith in Him.