1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2011 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2011

2. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide An Appeal Dear User…. This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, adjust font size, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. P LEASE U SE A S I S.

3. Carl P. Cosaert Principal Contributor

4. The Gospel in Galatians Contents 1 Paul: Apostle to the GentilesBackground 2 Paul’s Authority and Gospel1; 5:12 3 The Unity of the Gospel2:1-14 4 Justification by Faith Alone2:15-21 5 Old Testament Faith3:1-14 6 The Priority of the Promise3:15-20 7 The Road to Faith3:21-25 8 From Slaves to Heirs3:26-4:20 9 Paul’s Pastoral Appeal4:12-20 10 The Two Covenants4:21-31 11 Freedom in Christ5:1-15 12 Living by the Spirit5:16-25 13 The Gospel and the Church6:1-10 14 Boasting in the Cross6:11-18

5. The Gospel in Galatians Our Goal {167} T o reflect on our own understanding of the gospel. Allow God’s Spirit to spark a spiritual revival in our hearts as we rediscover what God has done for us in Christ.

6. The Gospel in Galatians Lesson 7, November 12 The Gospel in Galatians Lesson 7, November 12 The Road to Faith

7. Key Text Galatians 3:22 ESV S cripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

8. The Road to Faith Initial Words {241} E ven after we accept Christ, we can get lost. The good news is that God has not left us to ourselves. He has mapped out the road to faith, as revealed in the gospel, and that path includes the law. Without the law we would have no gospel. It’s hard, really, to understand the gospel without the law.

9. The Road to Faith Quick Look 1. The Law as Regulator (Galatians 3:21) 2. The Law as “Guard” (Galatians 3:23) 3. The Law as Schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24, 25)

10. The Road to Faith 1. The Law as Regulator Galatians 3:21 ESV I s the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if the law had been given that could give life, then righteousness could indeed be by the law.”

11. 1. The Law as Regulator The Law and the Promise {242} different roles and functions G od gave both the promise and the law. The law is not at odds with the promise. The two merely have different roles and functions in God’s overall plan of salvation. The law did regulate life within the covenant. However, the ability to “make alive” is a power exercised by God and His Spirit alone.

12. Seeking to prove the inability of the law to give life, Paul writes in Galatians 3:22, “Scripture has confined all under sin” (ESV). Because of the extent of sin and the limitations of the law, the promise of eternal life can come to us only through the faithfulness of Christ in our behalf. 1. The Law as Regulator The Law and the Promise {242}

13. The Road to Faith 2. The Law as “Guard” Galatians 3:23 NKJV B ut before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

14. 2. The Law as “Guard” “Before Faith Came” {244} I n the literal Greek it reads, “before the faith came.” Because Paul is contrasting the place of the law before and after Christ (Gal. 3:24), “the faith” is most likely a reference to Jesus Himself and not a reference to Christian faith in general.

15. 1. As an alternative way of salvation (Gal. 4:21). The opponents in Galatia were trying to gain life-giving righteousness by obedience. 2. In the sense of being under its condemnation (Rom. 6:14, 15). The law acts as a prison warden, locking up all who have violated it. “Kept Under Law” Two Connotations {244}

16. The Greek word translated as “kept” (vs. 23) literally means “to guard.” Although it can be used in a negative sense, as to “hold in subjection” or to “watch over” (2 Cor 11:32), in the New Testament it generally has a more positive sense of “protecting” or “keeping” (Phil 4:7, 1 Pet 1:5). 2. The Law as “Guard” Positive and Negative {244}

17. The same is true with “shut up” (Gal 3:23). It can be translated “to close” (Gen 20:18), “to shut” (Exod 14:3), “to enclose” (Luke 5:6), or “to confine” (Rom 11:32). Depending on its context, this word can have either positive or negative connotations. 2. The Law as “Guard” Positive and Negative {244}

18. 2. The Law as “Guard” Positive and Negative {244} it pointed to the Messiah The law was not a curse that God placed upon Israel; on the contrary, it was intended to be a blessing. Although its sacrificial system could not ultimately remove sin it pointed to the promised Messiah who could; and its laws protected Israel from many of the vices that plagued other ancient civilizations.

19. The Road to Faith 3. The Law as Schoolmaster Galatians 3:24, 25 W herefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith us come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

20. 3. The Law as Schoolmaster Paidagogos {248} D isciplinarian” (NRSV), “tutor” (NKJV), or even “guardian” (ESV). The paidagogos was a slave in Roman society who was placed in a position of authority over his master’s sons from the time they turned six or seven until they reached maturity.

21. The law was added to point out sin and provide instruction. This means that the law also has a negative aspect, and that’s because it rebukes and condemns us as sinners. Yet, even this “negative” aspect God uses for our benefit, because the condemnation that the law brings is what drives us to Christ. 3. The Law as Schoolmaster Paidagogos {248}

22. Many have interpreted Galatians 3:25 as a complete dismissal of the law. We are no longer under the law’s condemnation (Rom 8:3). We are in Christ and enjoying the privilege of being under grace (Rom 6:14, 15). 3. The Law as Schoolmaster Paidagogos {250}

23. That gives us the liberty of serving Christ wholeheartedly, without fear of being condemned for mistakes we might make in the process. This is what true liberty and freedom in the gospel is. 3. The Law as Schoolmaster Paidagogos {250}

24. The Road to Faith Final Words {252} Its prohibitions are the sure guarantee of happiness in obedience. As received in Christ, it works in us the purity of character…. To the obedient it is a wall of protection.” —Selected Messages 1:235 mercy side T he law of ten commandments is not to be looked upon as much from the prohibitory side, as from the mercy side.