A Great Example
Galatians 3:1-14
Introduction
How do you respond when you get frustrated, especially when you get frustrated with a person? There are all sorts of things that people do. Some people bite their lip so they do not say something they might regret. Some people go for a run or do some other exercise to blow off steam. Some people punch a wall. Others get really loud, either with the person or just in general. Some might say some harsh things to the person they are frustrated with. Of course your reaction may depend on who you are frustrated with. How you respond to a family member that frustrated you might be different from how you respond to the police officer who pulled you over for speeding. Still, there will be a natural tendency to either hold it in or to express it in some way. And if it is expressed, there may be some helpful and unhelpful ways to do that.
In the passage that we are looking at, we see Paul expressing his frustration with the Galatians. Why is he frustrated? Paul had shared the gospel in Galatia, preaching that they could be saved by putting their faith in Jesus. Others came after him, preaching that they also were required to follow the Law of Moses, including the sign of circumcision. The Galatians were seriously considering taking on the Law. While Paul was angry with his opponents were leading the Galatians astray, Paul was also frustrated with the Galatians. How could they seriously be considering this?
In this passage, we see Paul’s emotional side. “O foolish Galatians!” It is not just that Paul is taking this personally, that is they are believing these others instead of him. Paul reminds them of what happened when they believed. They received the Holy Spirit and they witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit among them. This parallels what happened when Gentiles first received Jesus with the preaching of Peter to Cornelius in Acts. The Spirit was poured out when they believed, apart from any taking on of the Law. This was Peter’s report to the church in Jerusalem, to those who were concerned with Gentiles coming into the church. If God accepts people, who are we to disagree? In the same way, if God showed his approval of the Galatians because of their faith, why would would they want to embrace a different gospel? You can sense the intense emotion in Paul’s words.
But Paul does not stay there. Yes, he is upset but his ultimate goal is the express the truth and not just vent his emotion. So Paul shifts gears and moves from an emotional appeal to a logical argument. Paul switches to a discussion about the great Old Testament figure Abraham. That is what we are going to focus on.
Abraham as Our Example
Before we get into what Paul says about Abraham, we should ask why does he use Abraham? Why not Moses, since it is specifically the Law of Moses that is the issue? Why not David or Elijah or anyone else? Paul is very intentional here and this demonstrates his brilliance.
Who is Abraham? Was Abraham Jewish or Gentile? Technically, a Jew is a descendent of Judah, the great grandson of Abraham and an Israelite is a descendent of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. In many ways, Abraham straddles both the Jewish and Gentile worlds. Also, a promise was given to Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through him. In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for nations and Gentiles are exactly the same. This makes Abraham very suitable for describing what Gentile faith looks like. Finally, it was to Abraham that the sign of circumcision was given. Since circumcision, which became the sign of taking on the Law, is the issue in Galatia, we need to understand the faith of Abraham. Abraham is perfect for understanding what it means to be a Gentile Christian.
Paul reminds us that Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ The original context is important. Abraham had just been told that he and Sarah would have a child and that child would be the ancestor of many people. That seemed impossible and yet Abraham believed the promise of God. God’s response could be paraphrased as something like: “That! That is exactly what I have been looking for!” God wanted faith and Abraham had faith. Faith. That is what Paul had been preaching to the Galatians and all of the people he encountered. Abraham is our example of faith.
Notice the timing of this incident. Circumcision was something that was given to Abraham but when? Abraham was circumcised but it was after he had been reckoned as righteous by God, so the circumcision had nothing to do with God reckoning Abraham as righteous. Secondly, what happened with Abraham was centuries before Moses and therefore the Law that was revealed to Moses. There is no way one could argue that Abraham’s righteousness was the result of keeping the Law of Moses. Abraham was reckoned as righteous because he believed and that same belief is what makes us righteous.
Looking to Abraham
Obviously Paul was using Abraham as an example for a very specific issue for the Galatians. But what about us? The clearest application for us is how we become and live as Christians. It is by faith. This was the cornerstone of the Protestant reformation. We are saved by faith and not by works. We do not have to live in fear of whether we are good enough or if we have pleased God sufficiently. It is by faith that we are saved.
But I believe the specific example of Abraham gives us more to consider. Let’s go back to what Abraham originally believed that led God to reckon him as righteous. It was that he and Sarah would have a child. This was the first thing that we learn about faith. Faith is a stretch. God does not call us to believe things that are easy to believe. It does not take faith to expect that people will be driving on the right side of the road. They might not, but we already know that it is 99% likely that people will. Abraham’s faith was a stretch and so is ours. We are trusting that someone dying on a cross two thousand years ago gives us eternal life. God asks a lot when we are called to believe.
If you go back to Genesis, Abraham had to wait a long time for the fulfillment of the promise. The second thing we learn is that faith has a waiting element to it. When I look at the situations in my life that have weighed the heaviest on my heart in prayer, I see that God has intervened in most of them, but it often took years if not decades. This is not an easy concept in our instant society. We want results and and we want it now. Faith requires time.
We also find in the story of Abraham that did not always do the right thing. When he got impatient waiting for the promised child, he fathered a child with the servant Hagar. You might think that might disqualify Abraham from the promise. And yet God still worked in and through Abraham. The promised child was born and great nations came from Abraham. God is a God of grace. Many of the powerful acts of God in my life were not the result of great demonstrations of faith on my part. Often my faith was mixed with doubt and uncertainty. And yet God never punished me for my doubt. I was able to pray along with the parent in the Gospels, “I believe, help my unbelief.”
Conclusion
When we talk about faith as Christians, we need to consider two aspects. There is the faith by which we are saved and the faith by which we live. They are not all that different, and are really not two different things. There is not a set of commandments or laws that keep us in God’s family. It is faith. I remember as a seeker thinking that this was intense faith and that if you waver even for a moment, you are condemned.
Yet Paul offers to us a great example of faith in Abraham. Can you, in whatever situation you are going through right now, identify with Abraham’s faith? The promise that Abraham believed was a stretch. It was a faith that was going to take some time to see the fulfillment and there was going to be some hiccups along the way.
We are children of Abraham when it comes to faith. Let us believe as Abraham believed, with all of the complexity that comes with being a human being. Whatever you are going through, consider what the Bible actually says about faith and not the unattainable ideal that you have heard about. This is the faith by which we are saved and this is the faith by which we live.
