Galatians – Week 4 – Day 3

READ 

Galatians 3:1-2 

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.  

Paul’s teaching had made clear to the Galatians the importance of Christ’s death. Paul emphasized they had received the Holy Spirit by faith and not by the works of the law. The message they had heard about Christ was that the one who trusts in Him by faith also receives the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:9). Paul wondered why they were now trying to live by the law instead of by what they had been taught. 

REFLECT 

Does this encourage you to be thankful you do not have to live under the Old Testament law system? 

RESPOND 

Read John 1:17 to see that the law came through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. We are now living in the age of grace. No one should be trying to merit favor with God by living as if under the Mosaic law. The 10 moral commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 are true in every age. They are repeated in the New Testament with the exception of the command to keep the Sabbath day. That day was a sign between God and Israel (see Exodus 31:12-14), not the Church.