Galatians 3:8-9 Because the Gentiles Are Blessed in the Same Manner as Abraham, Trust in Christ

Galatians 3:8-9 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

Before the Law was given, Abraham received the promise of the Gospel. This promise is that both the Jews and the Gentiles will be blessed through the Seed of Abraham. Because this promise was given to Abraham, both before the Law was given and before the coming of Christ, this promise has supremacy. Paul is here building his case for the Galatian Church that it is those who walk in the faith of Abraham who receive the promise, not those who seek to be righteous by following the Law.

The Gentiles will be justified by faith, in the same way as the Jews. They will stand before God and counted righteous only because they have been counted righteous in Christ on the basis of their faith. They receive the promises given to Abraham in the same way he received them: by faith. Abraham was blessed because He trusted God (cf. Romans 4:1-12). Let this sink in, brothers and sisters. You are justified before God; He favors you not on the basis of your own righteousness, but on the basis of Christ’s righteousness because you have trusted God, “who justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). In your sinfulness you are displeasing to God and unable to please Him. For that reason God sent Christ to take the penalty for our sin and to be our righteousness before God. Until you understand this, your sins will continually burden you and hinder your walk. Contemplate Romans 4 and Galatians 3. You are justified on the basis of your faith, just as Abraham, who was a sinner just like we are.

How is Paul able to come to his conclusions here about Abraham’s justification before God? The Scripture here is viewed by Paul as the very word of God; as God Himself speaking. Have this same mind in yourself, dear friend. The Scriptures are the very words of God—they are “God breathed,” or “inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, the Scriptures come with God’s authority and bearing upon your life. And because the Scriptures are inspired of God, and God cannot lie (cf. Hebrews 6:18), they are without err or. This makes them of great profit to those who heed them and take them as valuable. Listen to the Scriptures, for “the words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6); and let them shape your understanding; do not give in to your own presuppositions and seek to force them upon the text. Let the Scriptures rule you, as they did Paul.