Galatians Chapter 3

Pray: Ask God to teach you what it means to be free in Him this week. If you encounter legalism in your life, present it to God in prayer. 

Study: Learn more about Abraham’s journey of faith in Genesis 12, 15–16, 21–22. Follow up your study by reading Hebrews 11:8–19. 

Create: Make something to remind yourself of your freedom in Christ. Display your creation in a place you’ll notice often. 

Memorize: Commit Galatians 3:26–28 to memory this week to remember how Jesus unifies all believers as children of God. 

List: Make a list of the ways you’ve experienced freedom in Christ since becoming a Christian. Spend time thanking God for setting you free.

 Go Deeper

Learn more about justification of Abraham from the following passages: Gen. 12:1–9; 15:1–6; 17:1–14, 22–27; 22:1–19 

What did God promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2–3? (To make him a great nation that would be a blessing to the whole world) 

Was Abraham counted righteous before or after his circumcision? Before or after the near sacrifice of Isaac? (In both cases, before) 

What does this tell us about Abraham’s righteousness? How does it further Paul’s argument in Galatians 3? 

Abraham was counted righteous, not because of his obedience, but because he believed in the promise of God. The promise of worldwide blessing through the lineage of Abraham made it a big deal to be a Jew, but Paul is pointing out that Abraham did not receive this promise by any merit of his own. Rather, he believed by faith and those who believe by faith today are blessed like Abraham. 

Galatians Chapter One

 

LIVE IT OUT

• Tell one person about how the gospel has affected your life. Explain how knowing Jesus has changed you. 

• This session introduced the idea of legalism. Spend time this week taking a personal inventory—do you believe your works save you or appease God? Has legalism cropped up in your life? Pray through your answers and tell another mature believer what you learned. 

• Pick a worship song that relays the full gospel and listen to it throughout the week. Play it in the car, while you’re getting ready, or during dinnertime to remind yourself of the simple, pure gospel.

Exercise for the Addition of Chapters and Verse Numbers

  In session 11 we discussed the fact that the Bible’s original manuscripts did not include chapters and verses. These were later additions meant to help readers navigate our way through the Bible more efficiently.

Visit biblehub.com and read Romans 1–2 using your preferred Bible translation. Before you begin, click on the gear/cogwheel icon and deselect all page options included in that list. Doing so will enable you to read the text with no chapters, verses, or section headings. As you read, pay attention to your reading experience. Now, using three different translations (CSB, ESV, NIV, for instance), read Romans 1–2 again, this time with verse numbers and headings selected. Again, pay attention to your reading experience. Did you notice any differences in your experience? If so, what were they? Which did you prefer? Why?

While the chapters and verses in our modern Bibles are not inspired aspects of the text, they are nonetheless helpful for us. Take a moment to give thanks for people like Stephen Langton and Robert Estienne, whom God has used to preserve his Word for us. And, if you’re up for a new challenge, try reading a version of the Bible that doesn’t have numbered verses. Most major English translations now have “Reader’s Bibles” in which numbered verses have been removed. Give it a try and see what you think.