Let’s take a closer look at the beginning of Chapter 4. Read verses 1 through 7 today.

Questions for reflection:

1. Connect Paul’s illustration of growing up and becoming a full heir. How does this relate to Paul’s arguments in Chapter 3?
2. How is religious legalism akin to childhood? How is living in Christ by faith akin to growing up and receiving an inheritance?

Today read Galatians Chapter 4.

Questions for reflection:

1. What seems to be the overall point Paul is making in this chapter as he follows up his theological arguments in Chapter 3?

2. Which illustrations resonate with you most from this chapter?

We are now approaching the end of Paul’s dense argument in Chapter 3, and in so doing he will return to his very first rhetorical question in this argument. Today we’ll compare to verses. Today take a closer look at Galatians 3:21-23 and compare it to Galatians 3:2-4.

Questions for reflection:

1. How are these two passages related?
2. What does Paul seem to mean by the terms “promise” and “life” and “righteousness” “your goal” in these passages? How are they similar?
3. Why do you think Paul might have started with this question about how they “received the spirit” (v2-4) and then circled back to that argument again (21-23)? What makes this argument so effective?

Rest and reflection day.

Paul has made a strong argument that righteousness has always been “by faith,” and he points to Abraham – the father of the Jewish faith – as proof, quoting Genesis 15:6, “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, observing the laws of the Torah was never what made Jews righteous it was always faith, therefore observing the laws of the Torah now (as either Jewish or Greek Christians) still won’t make you righteous.

At this point anyone (especially a Jew) might stop Paul and say, “Well then, what was the point of having the law?” The Jews have spent the better part of the last several hundred years being cursed for their disobedience to the law, and the better part of the last several generations trying to strictly adhere to it so they might be restored to their former prominence as the blessed people of God. Was all that for nothing?

Paul addresses this question. Today read Galatians 3:19-25 and compare to Romans 5:20-21 and 7:7-10.

Questions for reflection:

1. Based on these passages what seems to have been the purpose of the law of the Torah for the Jews?
2. How might these purposes have been related to grace?
3. How might these purposes have contributed to the coming promise of blessing given to Abraham?

Today we’ll focus in on Galatians 3:15-18 and Gen 12:1-7 and Gen 15:1-2. Read those passages together.

Questions for reflection:

1. What is Paul’s point about inheritance, the law, and the “promises?” What “promises” is he referring to?
2. How does Paul see these promises as the solution to the problem of Jewish and Gentile Christians being separated by ethnic and religious customs?

We’ve been following Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians and his argument about how faith in Christ has fulfilled and replaced adherence to the law of the Torah. We’ll now read along as his argument reaches an initial conclusion.

Read Galatians 3:15-29.

Questions for reflection:

1. What seems to be the significance of the promise, or covenant, made with Abraham here?
2. What is “the seed” Paul is referring to?
3. What do you think Paul means by saying that the Jews were “held prisoner” by the law in v23?
4. How does all this lead naturally to the conclusion of ethnic and gender equality in v28?

Paul opens his argument in Galatians 3 with a strong rhetorical question to the believers: “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” So for Paul, even though he’ll make a very strong theological argument about how, like Abraham, we are justified by faith, the ultimate validation of their faith is that the Galatians have actually received the Holy Spirit.

This is a critically important point, because it indicates the genuine meaning of the word salvation. Today, we’ll start to trace back this theme of receiving the spirit of God. Read Acts 2 and Joel 2.

Questions for reflection:

1. What is happening in Acts 2 and how does it related to Joel 2?
2. Compare these to Galatians 3:1-5. What is the “goal” he speaks of?
3. Why do you think this question might seem more urgent to Paul than the theological argument he’ll make later?
4. How could this shift our perspective on “salvation”?

Today is a rest and reflection day.