Galatians 3:26 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.
It is important to note that not all people are the children of God. Only those who have faith in Christ Jesus are children of God.
Many people my age and even younger recited the “Disciples Prayer”, often called the “Lord’s Prayer”, without being saved. It is one thing to read the passage from Matthew 6. It is another to be taught that you are actually praying to your Father in heaven when He is not your Father.
Many people today assume they are part of God’s family, even though they are not saved. In fact it is quite common to hear people talking to the effect that we are all part of God’s family.
Adoption into God’s family is only possible through faith in Christ Jesus. This must be understood. It is a very dangerous thing to have a false sense of hope.
In verse 27 we learn more about Spirit baptism. Spirit baptism takes place at the moment of salvation. There is no prayer to receive the Holy Spirit. He is given to every born again Christian at the moment of salvation.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
There are many people who claim to be saved, but they do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. That is obvious from the way they live. Paul states here that as many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. That is so clear in the Bible, and yet it is so often rejected by professing Christians. Who do you suppose is right: God or the rejectors?
God gave us four Gospels which all record the life of Christ. Examine His life and then look at your life. Does it add up? No born again Christian will be without sin as Christ was and is. However, the desire of the true child of God is to be more Christlike all the time.
In verse 28 we are reminded of the unity that there is for those in Christ. Saved Jews and Gentiles belong to the same God and have the same Saviour and Lord. The apostle Paul addressed this in chapter 2 when he needed to publicly rebuke Peter for his hypocrisy.
We see as well that whether in prison or not in prison, the saved person is still the same. The apostle Paul spent much time in prison. He was not there because he sinned against God. He was there because there were God-haters who wanted him silenced.
The next phrase is often misused. Paul stated that whether male or female, salvation is the same for all. There are people who pull that out of its context and make it apply to women preachers. No woman is ordained of God to be a preacher or pastor. Many liberal churches have women preachers. They claim they received their call from God. They are lying. Some defend their wickedness by suggesting they have the support of their husbands. Since when does a husband have greater authority than God?
Salvation is the same for all. It is only through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ that a person is saved. That is the same for men and for women.
There is a unity in Christ Jesus. It is an amazing thing to be part of the real family of God. Many are part of a secular body and they assume they are part of the body of Christ Jesus, but they have to ignore what the Bible says to make that claim. Many take offence to being taught the truth. A person can remain stubborn until death, but God is not about to change His Word for anyone. He did not do so for Cain, nor for the rich man in Luke 16 nor for any other rebel.
In verse 29 we see another blessing of being truly saved. Those who are in Christ, are Abraham’s seed. We are heirs according to promise, not works. God wants us all to understand that salvation is a gift of God. He owns it and He gives it to those who turn to Him in repentance and who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One Who took our place and He went to the cross and He shed His blood there and died there. He was removed from that cross and laid in a tomb. His body never suffered decay. Three days later He rose from the dead. His deity never died. He is the eternal Son of God. His humanity died and rose again. He looked the same after His resurrection, however He had the scars from the cross on Him. He offered doubting Thomas to come and touch them. Thomas finally believed without needing to touch them. Salvation is an act of faith in God. It is not a matter of works. It is a matter of believing what God has declared and what Jesus did.
Jesus told Nicodemus: “ye must be born again.” Nicodemus had questions, but he needed to put his faith in Jesus Christ. He needed to cast off his doubts and believe what seemed an impossibility to him. He did that and he was the benefactor of the gift of eternal life. A few others have done this through the centuries. Many more have rejected this gift and many are suffering in torment now, and sadly, many more will be joining them as well.
It is our prayer that none reading these devotionals will end up in hell. If you take God at His Word and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, you are saved. You have eternal life. Now you need to get into a true, local church where you can grow in the Lord.
Pastor Bartel