Galatians 3:1-14: Righteous Through Faith, Not Works

St. Paul calls the Galatians away from their foolishness. False teaching has taken their eyes off Christ crucified so that they think that they can somehow be perfected by works of the Law, even though the Holy Spirit was given to them when they heard the Word of God with faith. Though the Judaizers claim that being a son of Abraham is a matter of circumcision, St. Paul shows from the Word of God that to be a son of Abraham is to share Abraham’s faith in the promise of God. Anyone who tries to rely on works is under a curse, for we sinners cannot fulfill the Law. Instead, to be righteous is to live by faith in Christ, who has become a curse for us so that we would share in all the blessings of God’s promise. Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, and Rev. Dr. Brian Kachelmeier, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, join host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Galatians 3:1-14. “No Other Gospel” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistle of Galatians. St. Paul writes an urgent letter to the Galatians lest they forsake the one true Gospel. The apostle calls the Galatians away from the teaching of the Judaizers, because salvation does not come when we add any sort of works to what Jesus has done for us. We are only saved by God’s grace in Christ Jesus.