William Herschel was a young boy who grew up in Hanover Germany in the mid 1700’s. He loved music and followed his father into the military as a member of the band. Unprepared for war, he deserted when the 7-years war began in 1756 as France invaded Germany. He didn’t like battle and wasn’t up for it. He fled to England, and hid for a while. Did I mention, the penalty for desertion is death. But eventually he became a famous astronomer, finding Uranus. But something happened to William Herschel, George, the head of the house of Hanover, was crowned the King of England. King George III summoned William to the royal court. Here was one man in all of England, who knew about Herschel’s past and his desertion. For William had deserted from his regiment of the Hanoverian guard. As he was handed a letter, written in the King’s own hand, he read these words, “I, George, pardon you for your past offenses against our native land.”
Such is the story of Galatians.
Paul begins today’s section with the words, Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (3:6). To be credited something is to have it placed on your account, so that it truly becomes yours. Banks credit money to our accounts when we make a deposit. That money is truly ours. Heroes are credited with bravery for saving someone’s life. That bravery is truly theirs and it is recognized by all of society as being their own. Similarly, William Herschel was credited with innocence. He was credited with freedom and his conscience was relieved from ever having to worry about being prosecuted for his previous indiscretions and law breaking.This is what Paul is trying to communicate to the Galatians. What makes you free he asks? What makes you acceptable to God? Is it what you did? Is it because you were a hero that God accepted you? Is it because you brought something to the altar and sacrificed it to God that you are accepted? NO! It is because you believed God and he made you righteous. Consider Abraham: He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham didn’t do anything more than William Herschel did in 1816, 60 years after deserting, the army, he read the decree and believed the King’s words. He didn’t have to do anything else. He didn’t have to change his life, he didn’t have to defend his past actions, or hide them, they could just be the former truth, but a former truth that no longer had any control over his future.
So it was with Abraham, he just had to believe God’s promises that he would direct him. That he would give him a child. That he would make him into a nation and bless him. Listen again to God’s promises to Abraham – “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”” (Genesis 12:1–3). But for Abraham, all these promises came down to one thing – would there be a son? And God assured him there would be a son, and Abraham believed Gen 15:6 tells us, and God credited him as righteous. God declared him acceptable with these words. Abraham didn’t have to say anything, he didn’t have to do anything, he wasn’t circumcised yet, he hadn’t done anything, he hadn’t said anything, he was still a wandering Chaldean, but God had declared him righteous. Another way of saying it is “God declared Abraham just and good.”
Why does God use belief as the litmus test for righteousness? Why does belief have such a powerful outcome in the divine economy? Why does God use belief as the means of crediting righteousness? Think with me for a moment about the Garden of Eden. In the Garden, what was Adam and Eve’s first sin? It wasn’t taking the fruit as so many of us were taught. It was failing to believe God’s word. It was essentially calling God a liar. Not believing his words were true and would come to pass.
Isn’t that what happens when we refuse to believe a story? The great fishing stories are evidence of this. I was in the Stamp store here in town a few months back and one of the employees brought a postcard over to my daughter Morgan and asked her if she wanted to go fishing at the place on the card. There were fish as big as the cars, one guy was being pulled through the water, skiing on the end of his pole. Another was dragging the big one that probably got away into his boat. When we hear these fishing stories, we don’t believe them and we don’t believe the fisherman who is telling us, especially if we have heard other stories from him and the fish is always bigger than before. We just brush it off as fishing lies.
When Abraham believed God, he wasn’t calling God a liar like we call a fisherman a liar. No, on the contrary, he was a picture of reversing the original act of disobedience that brought sin into the world. He was taking God at his word and trusting God’s wisdom, God’s direction, God’s promises. That is why belief is so important to God and why he uses belief as the litmus test for crediting righteousness. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. But the word goes on to say, understand then that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (3:7-9).
Belief didn’t just stop with Abraham, it continues on to us. When we believe, we too are justified; we are made righteous. We are declared acceptable in God’s sight. We are blessed. When we believe that Christ was cursed for us and that he redeemed us from the curse of calling God a liar, then we are redeemed. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). But when we don’t believe this and we insist on doing things our own way, when we insist on keeping our own laws and determining our own paths to righteousness, we are calling God a liar and we are repeating Eden over and over again. Rightly we are cursed, just as surely as William Herschel would have been if he had called King George a liar.
In fact, our natural human tendency is to refuse to believe God. Most of the Jews in Jesus’ time wouldn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, they wanted more proof than just his word, even the countless miracles he had already performed weren’t enough. Listen ““He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42).
In fact that is the whole story of the Old Testament – men and women, children and parents, slaves and masters generally refuse to believe God and his word. The prophets chide the people for not believing that God is going to bring punishment on their wickedness and send them into exile. Here is one synopsis of many that could be leveled against humanity. “The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there” (2 Kings 17:22–23).
Even today, the belief in God is shrinking, the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and sinlessly perfect is even smaller, the belief that hell exists and is the ultimate destiny of those who refuse to believe God is almost gone. Then there are the myriad of other so called “social issues” that people refuse to believe God, whether it be in regards to sexuality, environmental stewardship, care of the widow and orphan, generosity, etc. Humans don’t believe God and His word, if we did, our societies would be entirely different and founded upon the love of God and neighbor. Idolatry wouldn’t exist if we believed God. Neither would war, slavery, abuse, environmental destruction, theft, lying and selfishness. All these exist because we as humans refuse to believe God and His word. We refuse to believe God’s promise that unbelief brings a curse and punishment, both physically and spiritually; but that accepting God’s word and believing it brings blessing and benefit.
When we disobey God’s word we are rightly termed disobedient and are therefore cursed. But what about when we obey God’s word? One might wonder, is obedience the opposite of disobedience? Can I obey God and then be free from punishment and merit for myself His blessings? Well, you can try, but you will never make it. For the Word says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (3:10). There are 2 key words here, which we must understand. The first is everything. Literally, everything written must be obeyed. That means, the laws about not killing, stealing, committing adultery, engaging in idolatry, etc. But it also means the laws like:
- “Do not mate different kinds of animals.”
- “Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.”
- “Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”
- “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”
- “Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:19, 27, 37)
That 3rd one pretty much rules everyone of us out, for you can’t hardly buy clothing that is all cotton, wool, or something else. Everything is a blend.
But lest you still want to try and obey for the blessing. The second word that is important is the word continue. The word means continuously, perpetually. It would be better to translate the passage Cursed is everyone who does not continuously do everything written in the Book of the Law. That charge condemns everyone of us, for we can’t go back and change our previous behavior and ignorance is no excuse. We are cursed. Cursed, cursed beyond all recognition. No, there is no hope in obeying the law. We need redemption from the law, just like William Herschel experienced from King George III.
We need to be bought. Consider with me: You a slave in the 1500’s picked up in Africa and placed on a ship for the West Indies. You arrive and are forced to work. The slave merchants tell you, “If you work hard, you will be able to buy your freedom, but each day you work, the cost of redemption increases for your food and clothes, shelter and medical care are added to your bill daily Eventually you come to realize that your only hope of freedom comes in being bought and released by a new owner, but that is highly unlikely. You have never even heard of such a story. So the day comes and you are stood on the auction block. Landowners look you over and check you out. You are not very strong, in fact you are sickly and barely able to stand. Then the bidding starts. It rises slowly, then one wealthy merchant in the back calls out. I will give you all I have for that one soul. All my estates on this island, all my wealth, everything in this land that is mine I give for that slave. You are purchased and then, to the astonishment and amazement of every spectator present, the King walks forward and pronounces you free. Furthermore, he adopts you as his heir and gives you access to all of his riches and power at home and abroad.
This is what Christ did. He redeemed our pitied souls, slaves to sin that we are. Unable to work off our debt, sick from our own disobedience, he redeemed us, giving his very life, being hung on a tree, being cursed for us so that everyone who believes might be blessed, like Abraham was blessed. By faith we receive the promise of the Spirit. By faith we receive righteousness. By faith, we also receive eternal life. “And this is what he promised us — even eternal life” (1 John 2:25). [It is what Easter is all about, the conquering of death through the rising of Christ.]
And Paul illustrates this on one more way, if we are still struggling to grasp that Faith and faith alone in the promises of God are enough. He says, consider a will, once it is notarized and established and legally recorded and once the maker of the will dies, there is no longer any way to contest or change the will. Likewise, God make a promise, a testament, a will of sorts with Abraham, and it was based on belief/faith in the words of God. Then when Jesus came and died on the cross, since Jesus was God, God’s word was firmly established for all time. This is the one way to salvation and restored relationship with God – Belief in the son.
In conclusion, there are two ways set forth in Paul’s letter. The way of the Law sets forth a religion of man. Man’s duty, man’s work, man’s responsibility and thus man’s condemnation. The opposite way of faith and promise is the religion of God: God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s initiation, God’s power, and hence God’s Blessing and God’s righteousness. And it all comes by faith in God and His word. Let’s close with these words,
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:22–23) and “God in his grace gave it to Abraham [and by corollary to all who are Abraham’s offspring] through a promise” (Gal 3:18). If you want to be righteous, right with God, then believe what Christ has done in dying and rising for your sin is sufficient. Believe, and you will be saved. Amen.
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