7. Galatians 3:26-27 – For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. A. Note the passage again, “For as many of you as” not one more or less, but the very same ones and the very same number “were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.” He allows for not exceptions. As noted in Romans 6:3 above, salvation is in Christ alone, and like that passage, this one teaches that one must be baptized into Christ before they can make the claim that they are in Christ! Lets take a very close look into these two verses and show how the necessity of Baptism here is irrefutable. This passage cannot be denied! In verse 27, the word, “for” is a very important word in this verse. This word in the Greek is “gar” and it is a conjunction that is always used to explain the statement that was just formerly made unlike in Acts 2:38 where Peter says that to “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.” In Acts 2:38 the word “for” here was translated from the Greek word “eis” which means “for or “unto.” Here in this passage the word “for” means a different meaning because it is translated from the Greek word, “gar” which means “because of” which is what the “faith only” advocates use to try to explain Acts 2:38 to mean “faith only.” However it does not as explained earlier in this lesson. But this was an issue that needed to be explained for future purposes and it is important that we know and understand this concept. We are using 2 separate Greek words that have been translated into “for” in the King James Version but have separate meanings. Therefore, Paul is about to explain verse 26 in verse 27. Paul is going to explain how we, “all become sons of God, through the faith in Christ Jesus.” Paul says, “For as many of you”. This is a comprehensive phrase, meaning that the many of you that he speaks of has done a certain thing to receive God’s promised blessing. This suggests that as many of you who don’t do this certain thing will not receive God’s blessing. This phrase is defining who specifically receives the blessing in this passage. Paul continues this phrase in these words. “For as many of you as were” Earlier in this lesson I made the comment to remember the verb “are” in verse 26 considering it will play a major role in the definition of Paul’s statement here. It is very important in what Paul specifically states here. This passage is nothing but trouble for those who believe in salvation by faith only and want to eliminate baptism as an essential part of God’s plan included in the term, “the faith”. So they say this by way of manipulation. “For you all are the Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you, (the you here referring, they say, to the sons of God), as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. They claim you have to be a Son of God before receiving baptism and are baptized because you are already his child. An outward sign of the inward grace of salvation already experienced. If this even remotely sounds superficially sensible it is not. Why? Because of the verbs! The grammatical analysis of this context makes this teaching of salvation by faith only completely at odds with the biblical term of salvation. Please analyze this context with me very carefully here. Verse 26- “you are (present tense) sons of God”. And so, you are presently, God’s sons. How or Why? Verse 27, “For” or “because of what you did in the past.” You “were baptized (past tense)” so “(present tense) you now are” verse 26, “a son of God”. Because of what you did being baptized you are God’s child. This is grammatically impossible to refute!
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 03:28:49 +0000
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