TEXT: Galatians 3:26-29
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
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In our last few messages in this series, we looked at 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, which contained a statement very similar to what is written here in Galatians: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.” Apparently the Christians in Galatia were struggling with some of the same racial and social prejudice that the Christians in Corinth were going through, so Paul had to give them the same message. In 1 Corinthians, we saw how we are all a part of the body of Christ and are under the same Holy Spirit and how this should foster unity among Christians. In Galatians, we see four points that all point to the same goal of unity.
First, we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Before the coming of Christ, the Jews were the only people who were in communion with the one true God. God had given them His commandments in the books of the Law and had ordered them to build a temple and prescribed proper rituals and sacrifices. The only way for a Gentile to worship the true God was to become a Jew, which was a lengthy process. Even today, you can only convert to Judaism through a lengthy process including immersion in a bath, studying of the Jewish religious texts, appearance before a rabbinical court, and the process of circumcision. Now that Christ has come, none of that is needed. In the words of Warren Wiersbe, “The Law has performed its purpose: the Saviour has come and the “guardian” is no longer needed. It is tragic that the nation of Israel did not recognize their Messiah when He appeared. God finally had to destroy the temple and scatter the nation, so that today it is impossible for a devoted Jew to practice the faith of his fathers. He has no altar, no priesthood, no sacrifice, no temple, no king. All of these have been fulfilled in Christ, so that any man—Jew or Gentile—who trusts Christ becomes a child of God.”
Second, when we are baptized, we have put on Christ. We already know that the rite of baptism in water is a purely symbolic act. It does have any spiritual effect on us. What baptism refers to in this context is the baptism of the Spirit, which we talked about in one of our earlier sermons. But what does it mean to “put on Christ?” Well, when we are baptized in the Spirit, we will experience the guiding of God throughout our lives. We will manifest the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5 in our lives: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. We are putting on the light of Christ by living the way He wants us to live through the actions and attitudes that the Spirit guides us into.
Third, we are all one in Christ Jesus. This is where Paul really reiterates what he told the Corinthians: that race, class, and gender do not matter in the eyes of God. The only thing that matters is whether we are saved or lost. John Walvoord and Roy Zuck bring this out in their commentary on this verse by saying, “Since all believers became one with each other, human distinctions lose their significance. None is spiritually superior over another, that is, a believing Jew is not more privileged before God than a believing Gentile; a believing slave does not rank higher than a believing free person; a believing man is not superior to a believing woman. Some Jewish men prayed, “I thank God that Thou hast not made me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Paul cut across these distinctions and stated that they do not exist in the body of Christ so far as spiritual privilege and position are concerned.”
Fourth, we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Once again, Paul cuts through the ethno-religious division between the Jews and the Gentiles. Obviously, the Jews are still the biological descendants of Abraham, and the national blessings upon the Jewish people are still in effect. Christians do not replace Jews in God’s plan, but are an extension of it. Christians, both Jewish and non-Jewish, are the spiritual seed of Abraham and are recipients of the promise of justification by faith as described in Galatians 3:6-9: “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”
We as Christians ought to be thankful of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us through Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we have in our lives. We ought to recognize all Christians as children of God without favoring ethnicity, social status, or gender, and treat them as equal members of the body of Christ.
Clara M. Brooks wrote:
As sweet strains of heav’nly music
Blend in one harmonious sound,
So the members of Christ’s body
In blest unity are found
One in mind, and one in spirit,
One in doctrine, faith, and love;
One in name—oh, precious union,
Like the angel hosts above.
Not like waves upon the ocean,
Tossing wildly, rolling high;
Or the tempest’s great commotion,
As it sweeps across the sky;
But like twilight, gently stealing
O’er the verdant, shady lea,
So the holy saints in Zion
Rest—from all their sins set free.
Blood-washed pilgrims on the highway
Chant the sweet, melodious strain
Of their freedom from confusion,
Angels join the glad refrain;
One with all the hosts of heaven,
There their names are written down;
Jesus only, Jesus ever,
In their hearts as King they crown.
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If you are a Christian listening today, here are three things you need to do:
1. Confess and repent of your own sins. You already know what they are.
2. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ to repent of their sins and get back to their first love
3. Pray for souls to be saved, and do your part by witnessing to the lost.
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Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 