Galatians:  Building a Faith that Liberates

How to Have a Father Relationship with God

Galatians 3:6-9

Galatians 3:6-9     ⁶Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁷Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. ⁸The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

When asked about faith …

               Acts 16:31  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”

                 Ephesians 2:8,9  “⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”

1. True faith makes us “sons of Abraham”. (6-7)

               Matthew 3:9  ⁹And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

               John 8:39 ³⁹“Abraham is our father,” they answered.  “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did.

2. True faith gives us blessing. (8-9)

          Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18  “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Ephesians 1:3,4  ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”

Matthew 5:3-12  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

3. True faith makes us “children of God.”

               John 11:51,52  ⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

As “children of God”:

1.  We have a loving Father.

               1 John 3:1 ^“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

As “children of God”:

2.  We have a forgiving Father.

               Psalm 103:8-13 ⁸The LORD is compassionate and  gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  ⁹He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  ¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹²as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  ¹³As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him”

As “children of God”:

3.  We have a generous Father.

               Romans 8:14-17 “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

How can I know if God is my Father?

John 8:41,42  ⁴¹You are doing the things your own father does.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.

John 1:12  ^“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”