Lesson 15: Growing in the Right Faith
Read Galatians 3:1-29 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gal.3
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.


We continue, in our verses today, to see how the Law was given for a purpose rather than as a permanent guide for our lives. Verse 23 says we should look at the law as we would at the background for a photo or a painting. Think of a picture you take of someone you love very much. Do you take the picture against a white background with nothing on it, or do you take the picture against a background that will make the person appear more interesting or happy?

Faith is not something we can show in a picture; it needed to be painted onto another background to be identified. We understand doing something good or trying to be who or what someone wants us to be. But the opposite of good works is not bad works or laziness. The opposite of good works in God’s kingdom is faith.

In our verses today, God paints all our good works (the Law) as a prison with a guard. Think of how you feel inside when you wonder if you have done something well enough to please God. Do you not feel anxious and worried? You feel like you are in prison because you do not know if what you have done is good enough.

But, as we read in Verse 25 and following, faith sets us free. But it is not just any faith; it must be faith in Jesus Christ.

The freedom faith gives us is also defined in our verses today. There is freedom from all prejudice – no one is better than anyone else in God’s eyes. In faith, there are no favorites with God; everyone is equally loved and treasured by Him with all of His love. There is no status to be gained by following a set of rules. There is no discrimination based on where or when or how you were born. By faith in Jesus Christ we are free to serve Him in anything He asks us to do. Each of us receives the same amount of eternal life in Him as everyone else.

*Who are you in Christ Jesus today?