We began chapter 3 last week, I had mentioned that Paul had now changed the tone of his letter. Up until this point he has given us a simple overview of soteriology—that is the Christian doctrine of salvation. Now he dives full into a systematic defense and appeal for God’s grace as the only means of salvation. In verses 1-5, he appealed to the Galatian believers’ Christian experience. He showed us that the grace-filled life is nothing more than the Spirit-filled life.
Usually around this point, there’s always someone who wants to raise their hand and ask a question, and it’s as if Paul anticipated this question.
“Ok, Paul, you’re saying that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. What about all those people that lived before Christ? How were they saved?”
We’re going to discuss that question and the answer in detail today, but let me give you the short answer first: salvation has always been by faith.
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Stephen R. Burch is the pastor of Green Mountain Baptist Church in Center Rutland, Vermont, where he lives with his wife, Erica, and his five children. He trusted Christ as a young child while growing up in Michigan. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music ministries from...