OUR FATHER OF WHOM WE ARE SONS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST

The Apostle Paul, in Galatians chapter 3 verses 15 -  29, writes that Godˋs promise to Abraham was to his ˋseedˋ which is singular noun and that singular seeds was not the many who descended from Abraham but to the One who descended from Him who is Christ. Because this covenant between God and Abraham was made before the advent of the Law of Moses, it superceded the law of Moses in its efficacy as a vehicle of Gods promises.

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

Paul then asks the pregnant question; If Abrahamic faith is sufficient for the accrual of Godˋs promises, then what was the Law for? 

Paulˋs reply to his own question is eye opening: The law was introduced in order that transgressions could be  identified and diagnosed in the human race. The law was brought to man as a mirror to show him his fallen condition and his servitude to the law of sin and death. 

The law taught us what was wrong with us and taught us what we needed in order to have a remedy to our sentence of death. The law also clearly pointed to Christ but once we were redeemed by faith in Christ, the law was no longer our teacher or task master.

Paul then asked if the law was in competition with Abrahamic faith in the sense that it could provide an alternate route to achieving rightousness. 

Paul argued that was not the case either because if the law could have provided righteousness in some fashion, then the law would have been the singular route used to bring men to righteousness without the need to crucify the Son of God and subject Him to death. 

But the points of the law were the landing landing-lights on the runway of faith in Christ who fulfilled the law and who made a way for all mankind to escape death.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

All humans who have faith in Christ whether they are  slave or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile, are in Christ as Abrahamˋs seed and full heirs of the promises that God made to Abraham.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER BEFORE WHOM THOSE WHO LIVE BY FAITH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED

Galatians chapter 3 verses 1 - 14 says this;

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

The Apostle Paul, aghast at the Galatians for drifting towards legalism as the means by which they accounted themselves righteous, calls them foolish. He rhetorically asked them if there were any works they did that brought the Spirit of God to them.  Clearly, they had done no such thing but rather a simply believed in the message of faith that was preached to them.

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Paul explains that all the supernatural blessings they had received were through faith and not by any attempt to fulfil the strictures of the law of Moses. In fact, faith, being the vehicle of righteousness unto salvation, was encoded into the story of salvation right from the very beginning during the life of Abraham who  believed the word of God upon hearing it and as such was the one through whom all those who came after in faith were blessed. 

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The attempt to gain justification by the law is futile because the law is a curse upon those who are under the law and who are unable to fulfil it.

But in our state, Christ, who was hanged on a tree, became a curse for us so that we were not longer cursed to be under the law that we could not fulfil but rather, by believing in the message of Christˋs victory on the cross, we could recieve the promise of the Spirit.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON LOVED US AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US 

Galatians chapter 2 verse 11 - 21;

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Amen.

1

 OUR FATHER WHO DOES NOT SHOW FAVOURISTISM TO ANY MAN

Galatians chapter 2 verses  1 - 10

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4  And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

Amen.

1

 OUR FATHER WHO SINGLES US OUT FROM OUR MOTHERˋS WOMB

Continuing in Galatians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul explains that the gospel he brought to the Galations was not from a human source but rather it came to him as a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and he went to the wilderness of Arabia where he had a protracted re-learning of his lifeˋs purpose having previously been zealous for God but by ignorance, wound up striking at the very work God.

11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

Amen

4

OUR FATHER WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD

In Galatians chapter 1 verses 1 - 10, the Apostle Paul begins his address to the churches in Galatia by identifying himself and his office in Christ and conveys a warm blessing  of grace and peace to them.

He summarizes their common understanding of the gospel where the Lord Jesus died for our sins so that we could be eternally set free from the bondage of the age into which we were born.

Paul expressed surprise that the Galatians, having accepted the good news of the availability of redemption, had now accepted a different gospel that was distorted and perverted from its intent and message.

Paul strongly denounces the gospels that are circulating among the Galatians that were different from what they had first believed. He declares to them that if angels or even he himself came with a variation of the original gospel they believed, they should reject it. Paul even curses any person who comes among them to proclaim a false gospel.

1 Paul, an apostle (ne ot from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO OPENS DOORS FOR US TO CARRY HIS WORD

Colossians chapter 4 verses 1 - 18 concludes the Apostle Paulˋs letter to the believers in Colossae with the first verse seeming to have been erroneously separated from the last portion of chapter 3.  

In that portion, Paul is giving a prescription for the relationships that the believers had with one another for example the relationship between husbands and wives, children and parents, bondservants and masters and finally, believers and Christ.

In this case, the first verse in Chapter 4 concludes a theme on the requirement of the relationship between a master and his bondservant to be just and fair because the master must remember that he too has a master in heaven.

The final passages of the letter contains a request for prayer that he and his companions would have doors opened to speak the mystery of Christ. Paul also offers guidance to walk in wisdom towards unbelievers and to be ready to give answers to questions posed to them. 

He then commends fellow servants to the Colossians and passes messages to them from other saints like Luke the beloved physician. He also passes an important massage to  a believer called Archipus that urges him to take the ministry he received from the Lord seriously so that he could fulfil it.

Paul then signs off with a blessing of grace.

1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

7 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

Amen.

1