Bible School Class : Galatians 3

Paul had preached the gospel of grace to the Galatians and by believing in this message they were forgiven, delivered, sanctified and baptized in the Holy Spirit. They also had those among them that received gifts of power manifestations through this same message of grace and faith. Life was wonderfully different----They were free from condemnation in the realms of the gospel of grace.

Then the judaeizers or legalists from Judaism came on the scene teaching that simple faith in the gospel of Christ is not enough by itself. This belief or simple faith that Jesus Christ as the Son of God made the perfect sacrifice for our redemption and reconciliation to God, is all that is necessary, if we believe in Him and His work to be saved, born again, redeemed and reconciled to God.

We have a strong history in Brazil of the Pentecostal Judaeizers holding on, not to the Mosaic Law, but their own version of rules or laws in addition to the gospel for a person to be really accepted as a member of the local AG church (their interpretation of the body of Christ). Imagine the impact of teaching the gospel of grace as presented in the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians to a mixed class of legalists and gospel of grace adherents. We have had a few of nights of sparks flying as I have taught emphatically the gospel of grace. The legalists were not happy but I did as Paul said in Gal 2:5 "To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."

So tonight I taught on Galatians 3. Among other things I emphasized….

(Gal 3:1) O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

(Gal 3:2) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

(Gal 3:3) Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

(Gal 3:4) Have ye suffered so many things in vain? If it be yet in vain.

(Gal 3:5) He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

The manifestations of the grace of God: salvations, healings, miracles or casting out of devils, are not produced by legalistic or ceremonial works based on the Mosaic Law or modern laws of men. They are produced by the preaching of faith in the grace of Christ. One sure way to kill or dampen a wonderful moving of the Holy Spirit and other gracious operations of the Spirit is to start adding our laws to God's Grace, suggesting that God's Grace alone is not enough.OH HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE WITNESS TO THE TRUTH THAT WAS TAUGHT AS IT WAS TAUGHT!!! A paraphrase of one of the great themes of the reformation is still enough; Only Grace; Only Faith and Only the Scripture. That's enough!!!!!!