- Priority of the Promise:
Galatians 3:6-9
Luther: With these words Paul makes faith in God the supreme worship, the supreme allegiance, the supreme obedience and the supreme sacrifice. Faith attributes glory to God, which is the highest thing that can be attributed to Him.
Galatians 3:10-14,
Luther: Faith always justifies and makes alive; and yet it does not remain…idle or without love. When we believe then we live simply on account of Christ, who is without sin, who is also our mercy seat and forgiveness of sins.
Galatians 3:15-18,
Luther: “Before there was a Law, God by a promise granted Abraham the blessings of inheritance, that is, the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, salvation and eternal life which means that we are sons and heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
Galatians 3:19-20 The law is a third-hand revelation: God – angel- Moses. The promise: God – Abraham.
Luther: The Law is a hammer that crushes rocks, a fire, a wind, and great and mighty earthquake that overturns mountains. Then the still small voice followed.
2.Why the Law?
Galatians 3:21-24
Luther: As the dry earth thirsts for rain, so the Law makes the troubled heart thirst for Christ.
Galatians 3:25-26
Luther: We are free from the Law, our prison and our custodian, for after faith has been revealed, it no longer terrifies the troubles us. According to our feelings, however, sin still clings to the flesh and continually accuses and troubles the conscience. (But the conscience is) always encouraged by the daily coming of Christ. Just as he came to us at a specific time to redeem us from the harsh domino of our custodian, so He comes to us spiritually everyday, causing us to grow in faith and in our knowledge of him.
- Baptized into Christ:
Luther: Put on Christ. 1. According to the Law: Imitate the example and virtue of Christ. 2. According to the Gospel: Not of imitation, but of new birth and a new creation, namely, that I put on Christ Himself, that is, His innocence, righteousness, wisdom, power, salvation, life and Spirit. Christ becomes our garment.
Galatians 3:28
Galatians 3:29
Galatians 4:1-7
Gen. 4:4 Paul’s Christmas story.
Luther: He who is Lord of the Law, who is not under the Law subjected himself voluntarily to the Law. Christ says” I have conquered the Law by a double claim: first, as the Son of God, the Lord of the Law; secondly, in your person, which is tantamount to your having conquered the Law yourself.
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