Comparing the Law and Faith
Gal 3:1-14

3-4-07 

Once you are saved, to trust the law for justification rather than to walk in faith is to disobey the truth 1 – you were saved and justified by faith not by the law –

The truth is disclosed by the testimony of many witnesses.  To walk in the law instead of faith is to:

Follow the testimony of fools 1- and thus become a fool – Jesus said to the Pharisees “Ye fools and blind – ye blind guides” they had followers but they made them twofold more the children of hell than themselves – to be the follower of a blind guide is foolish!!

Reject the testimony of Paul 1 – he was as Christ crucified among them – 2 Cor 5:20 says he was an ambassador in Christ’s stead, Gal 6:17 he bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus, Phil 3:10 he was made conformable to Christ’s death – they could see the power of Christ in his crucified life

Reject the testimony of the Spirit 2 – no one ever received the Spirit by the works of the law – in Matt 19:17, before the Holy Ghost was given (Jn 7:39), to enter into life a person had to keep the commandments – but after Jesus’ resurrection, to enter the kingdom of God ye must be born again by the Spirit, Jn 3

Reject the testimony of the flesh 3 – no one is ever perfected by the flesh – we are perfect through God 1 Pet 5:10, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” – this never happens through the flesh – Paul said about the flesh, “I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.”

Reject the testimony of your adversaries 4 – they cause you to suffer reproach for the testimony of Jesus which they wouldn’t do if you were trying to be justified by the law like them – Phil 1:28-30 says that their reproach against you is a token to you of salvation

Reject the testimony of the apostles – 5 – the apostolic signs were miracles to cause them to believe – and these miracles were never a result of the law – Moses demonstrated miracles to get Israel to believe before he ever received the law – when Jesus came with grace and truth, he used miracles to get Israel to believe – therefore the Spirit is not ministered by the law

Reject the testimony of Abraham – 6-9 – Abraham’s testimony is the testimony of faith and not of the works of the law – that all the nations would be blessed in him in Gen 22:18 is a promise that was made to Abraham following his willingness to sacrifice Isaac which was a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Reject the testimony of the law – 10 – under the law, you are under a curse – Jas 2:10

Reject the testimony of scripture – 11-12 – Hab 2:4; Heb 10:38, Heb 11:6 – the testimony of scripture is that the just shall live by faith – when a preacher was asked to compare a certain man’s denominational religion with salvation in Jesus Christ, the preacher answered, “Yours is a religion of DO; mine is a religion of DONE.”

Reject the testimony of Jesus – 13-14 – he took our place as a substitute on Calvary, 2 Cor 5:21, resulting in us getting the Spirit – Jn 7:38-39 – the law could never have done this

Thus, Paul has done a tremendous job of declaring the testimony of everything that is affected by salvation to show that the Galatians were standing against all these testimonies in their desire to stand under the law and not in faith.

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