Galatians 3:10-18

Message Notes:

Galatians 3:10-18: This passage is the theological core of the book of Galatians. It contains the main message of the book.

•“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (3:11)

Many people are unaware of this, but the key phrase — “The righteous shall live by faith” was not invented by the apostle Paul. It is a remembrance (or echo) of a key statement from God that appears in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk (2:4).

•“The righteous shall live by faith.”

Take some time to read the Book of Habakkuk (3 chapters).

•Habakkuk was troubled by the wickedness in the land of Judah and in the nations around them.

•He was bothered by the fear that God was silent about it.

•(See Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25 for a passage/story with a parallel idea of “concern.” “Lord, don’t you care that we are going to drown?”)

•Habakkuk believed in God but he was bothered about God’s inactivity (1:2)

•Eventually God answered Habakkuk by saying that He was aware of the surrounding wickedness and that He had a plan to use the Babylonians to judge Judah (too late for revival — Judah had already rejected God’s overtures for that).

•Then God essentially said, “Trust Me.” He said it like this: “The righteous shall live by faith (or faithfulness).” See also chapter 3:17-19, for Habakkuk’s conversion of faith. This passage reveals a powerfully expanded and parallel thought to Hab. 2:4.

Next Byron shared an illustration from the life of John Bunyan that exemplifies the major theme of Habakkuk’s prophecy.

•Quote from the sermon: “Bunyan believed that faithfulness to Christ mattered more than his own comfort.”

•Bunyan’s “preaching ministry” was altered by his time in jail, but God gave him a new “writing ministry” that was far more impactful worldwide.

Lessons from John Bunyan’s life:

•God is never limited by our circumstances.

•Prison bars cannot imprison the gospel.

•Closed doors do not close God’s purposes.

•Bunyan could not preach from a church pulpit.

•So God gave him a pen.

Quote about John Bunyan:

•“John Bunyan could have traded faithfulness for freedom with a single sentence: ‘I will not preach anymore.’ Instead, he chose obedience over comfort, truth over convenience, and Christ over personal security. Twelve years in prison seemed like a terrible loss, but God turned those years into a ministry that has lasted for centuries. Enduring faith trusts that even when our lives feel confined, God is still writing a story that reaches far beyond what we can see.”

All of the above provides a Biblical and emotional introduction to the relationship of Habakkuk 2:4 to the three times it is quoted in the New Testament (Hebrews 10:38; Romans 1:17; and Galatians 3:11). Now, read Galatians 3:10-14 in light of the book of Habakkuk.

Major messages of Galatians 3:10-14

•(3:10a) — If you rely on “works” to attain righteousness, you will be cursed. Why?

•(3:10b) — Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 — If you say, “I will be saved by keeping the law, then you must keep it perfectly, or you will be cursed.”

•(3:11) — No one can be good enough to be saved by works. We are made right with God by faith.

•(3:13-14) — When Jesus died on the cross, He took the curse reserved for us. We must receive Him and be “in Him” to be saved. Having the curse of our sins removed from us is a gift of God’s grace through Jesus. (See 2 Corinthians 5:21 as a parallel verse.)

Discussion Questions:

A helpful way to start this study is to ask participants to trace the the meaning of faith across the following three passages:

•Habakkuk 2:4 teaches the principle: The righteous live by faith. 

•Habakkuk 3:17–19 provides the picture: Faith clings to God even when every earthly support is gone.

•Galatians 3:10–14 reveals the foundation: We can live by faith because Christ has borne the curse we deserved and secured the blessing we could never earn.

•Also compare the usage and meaning of faith in its contexts: Hebrews 10:38 (compare with Heb 11); Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. What are the similarities and dis-similarities?

Compare faith in Hebrews 11

•Hebrews 11:1-35a — accomplishing faith;

•Hebrews 11: 35b-40 — enduring faith

•What words describe the differences in faith between these two passages?

•Which type of faith is better? Stronger?

Talk about this quote about John Bunyan and faith:

•“God’s people often have to wait in the dark before they understand what God is doing in the light.”