Galatians
3:6-9 Just
as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know
then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel
beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So
then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
The story of our redemption
begins with a Gentile. In Genesis we read that Abraham lived in the city of Ur
of the nation Chaldea. He was not a Jew nor an Israelite because he lived
before God established his people as a nation.
Paul draws on this fact many
times in this letter. This is because the people he was working with, the
Galatians, were also non-Jews, non-Israelites. He is adamant about this issue
because the Jews who opposed Paul were teaching the Galatians that they needed
to become Jews and obedient to the Law of Moses. Then they could become
Christians.
The relevance today is that
many of the people we minister to have never been in a church. They have no
religion or have an eclectic religious belief or practice. So like the
Galatians, they are coming to Christ before they become a Christian. They
cannot attend church functions, practice Christian principles and mimic other
Christians in order to become a Christian. They must accept Christ before they
become a Christian.
Christianity is about
a relationship, not about a set of practices that make you a part of God’s
people, the Church. The danger of teaching them obedience without faith in the
One who is able to enable their true obedience to Christ. Let no one put the
cart before the horse. If you confess Christ as your Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved from the eternal
punishment for your sins. This confirms the Holy Spirits presence in your life.
God makes you a Christian.
