 Okay. Okay. So let's continue. Right? So, you know, when we look at these, I mean, these issues and see, okay, is it really applicable in today's church? Well, or do we see a parallel in today's church? Maybe not in the same manner like this, you know, but it would be in other things, you know, for example, you know, people might say, like I've heard people saying, okay, when you come to church, you know, about offering, okay, make it, make it something very legalistic and say, okay, if you do not, you know, if you do not give an offering, then, you know, these things will happen. Right? Now, we know the whole thing of giving to the Lord and, you know, tithes and all that. We know that it's scriptural, it is there in the Word. But God also makes it a very, very right through Scripture. He makes it very clear. Even in, you know, when you see in the wilderness, when they, when they built the tabernacle, and when God tells Moses, okay, ask these people to, you know, all these materials, okay, this fabric, these stones, this precious stones and gold and whatnot. So God says, you know, let them do it out of willing heart. Right? And also, we looked in, looked at, you know, Second Corinthians 9, and then it talks about very specifically about how we need to give. Right? So while giving is in Scripture, and giving is definitely something that is biblical and well, God says that He will, in Malachi, He says He will pour out, He opened the windows of heaven and pour out while all that is there. But if we are going to make it a legalistic thing and say, you know, well, bad things would happen, good things will not happen if you do not give. Right? Now that is manipulation. Right? So sometimes, you know, in the, in the area of giving, in the area of even sometimes baptism. Right? Baptism because we want to sometimes what protect the testimony of the person. You know, it comes from a sincere place, sincere heart, but then we end up really, you know, making our teaching very legalistic. Right? We say, okay, now you need to, you need to spend so many years, you know, I want to observe the things in you. I want to see how good you are, how, you know, how consistent you are in your life. And then I will give you baptism. Now, what about baptism? Now that is something that is not there in scripture. We see that the Ethiopian official, the Ethiopian unit was baptized by Philip immediately. Right? He believed. And then he, you know, you know that, right? The incident where he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah. He's going in the chariot. Philip has the conversation with them. He believes and then he asks, which means he, Philip actually told him about water baptism. So the Ethiopian official asks, you know, hey, that is water. So what stops me? So Philip says, if you believe with all your heart, you may and then go on and then it goes on to baptism. So we see that is again, you know, out of a matter of the heart, you believe, but then we can make it very legalistic and say, well, this is how it is. So it could be in the area of, you know, giving off a tree or tides. So we, in today's church, you know, if you see a parallel, we could slip back into the law or being legalistic and not live according to grace in these areas. Right? So it will help if we reflect and if we see, okay, what are those things? Right? Am I going back into the law? Now, having said that, no, we, I know that, you know, as, as a church, as a body, as a organization, there are processes and structures and, you know, so that is, that is not something that we are, you know, talking off, right? Something to get things done. We need, you know, we need a process. So we're not saying, you know, hey, that means it's being legalistic. No, it's a series of steps that you need to take in order to do something effectively while it's an organization. So, so we're not talking about that. We're talking about matters of truth and when we, when we make it legalistic in nature. Okay, so let's, let's continue with the, with verse 10 in chapter 3. Yeah, chapter 3 verse 10. Okay, so here it is, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things, which are written in the book of law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Verse 13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. Okay, so, so you're saying for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, when, when it, when it comes to the works of the law, and doing what the law requires, and the standards adhering to the standards of the law. So it means that, you know, everyone who does not do that, you know, who does not continue in all things, well, continue comes under the consequence of not continuing in the law, right? You keep one thing, you break other things, or you break one thing, well, you, you suffer the consequence of it, right? Which is, you know, so it says, cursed is everyone, you know, you're not blessed, but you receive a negative blessing, you receive the opposite of that, so cursed is everyone who does not continue in the things of the law. And, you know, that no one is justified is from Deutronomy, right? Deutronomy 27. Now, it says that no one is justified by the law is very evident because in Habakkuk, so Paul refers to that scripture, says where Habakkuk clearly writes that the just shall live by faith, so he's referring to that scripture. So how do the just live? They live by faith, faith in what or faith in who, faith in God, and in his, in his word, right? So the just shall live by faith. So to what does that mean? That means that, well, to be justified and to live a life of justification, right? Live a life after you're justified. It is by faith. It is not by going back to the law or keeping the law. The just shall live by faith. Okay, so then verse 12, yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. So the law is not of, it's not a faith, it's actually works, a series of works, but the man who does them, you know, this law shall live by them, you need to continue in it. Okay, so you know, so what Paul is saying is you can't mix grace and law together. Okay, so that is what is implying, that you can't mix, you can't, you know, now you received Christ by faith. And it's because of grace, you receive Christ, the works of the spirit, the miracles you receive by faith. Now, you cannot mix that along with the works of the law, because the law, this is what it says, that if you continue, those who live by the law shall continue in it, and then because you're not able to keep the law, you need to suffer the consequence of the law. But you know, the good news is this, that the Lord Jesus, he took upon himself the consequence of not keeping the law on the cross. When he took our sins upon himself, he also took the punishment for that, the consequence of that. What was the consequence of not keeping the law, the consequence of us not keeping the law, he took it upon himself. Right, so here Paul is actually differentiating between the fact that you can't, I mean, or he's just stating the point that you cannot mix both, because they were mixing both. They were saying, okay, I live by grace, I believe and continue to believe in Jesus, but also, you know, be certain size and keep all these things, so you can't mix. Verse 13, Christ has redeemed us, praise God. It's a done thing. It's something that was done in the past. When was it done? It was done on the cross. So he's saying, Paul is saying, look back, something happened. Something happened when Jesus went to the cross, and what he did on the cross is so significant today. It's applied for you, for your life. Now how is it applicable? Redemption. Christ has redeemed us. He did something. He has redeemed us. He has taken us out. He has restored something to us. He's taken it out. He has redeemed us from what? From the curse of the law. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law, from the negative consequences, from the punishment of not keeping the standards of God, not meeting or, you know, not raising up to meet the expectations, the standards of holiness, the standards of righteousness, everything. So Christ has actually redeemed us. He's taken us out. He has saved us. He's brought us out from the curse of the law. He has protected us, shielded us from the curse of the law, from the punishment of not keeping the law, from the consequence of not being able to continue on the law. Now he has redeemed us. How did he redeem us? It says, having become a curse for us, because cursed is everyone who hangs on the tree. So he became a curse for us, so that we could be blessed. A very important truth. So he's again talking about what the magnitude of what Jesus did for us on the cross. You know, you're going back to the law, you're going back to circumcision, you're going back to all these Jewish customs and everything. Let me remind you. He says, let me remind you. If you're actually doing that in the previous chapter, he says, if you're actually doing that, then I want to tell you that actually Christ died in vain. So here he's saying, if you actually did that, you're not actually receiving from him. I want to remind you that you are actually redeemed. You are redeemed from the law, from the works of the law, from the negative consequences or from the curse of the law. You are actually redeemed because you could not keep it, but you are taken out of it. And who has redeemed? Christ has redeemed us. How did he redeem us? He became a curse for us on the cross. I want you to remember that. I want to remind you of this great truth. It's a curse as everyone who hangs on a tree. So he redeemed us. Verse 14 is even more significant. He says, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ. Let me just share the notes here. He redeemed us, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. So I think we've studied what are the blessings of Abraham in relationally and spiritually. He was a friend of God. He has the kind of faith that he had, the possessions that he enjoyed, the victory over his enemies, and all that. The blessing of Abraham. And in addition, Deuteronomy 18 talks about the blessings, and it also talks about the curse of not keeping the law. So we've gone through that and we see that Christ has redeemed us. Christ has redeemed us from all the curses of the law and released us into blessing. So that's the beautiful part that he has actually released us into blessing. So that we might receive the blessings of Abraham. We might receive that in Christ. So Deuteronomy, so not 18, it's in 28. So we see the blessings, we see the curses and everything and the whole chapter. So every blessing in it, it's for us because Christ became a curse for us and he redeemed us from the curse of the law. So every blessing we see here is for us. And every curse that is listed there, Christ has redeemed us. So that's the good news. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. So these are the curses of not being able to keep the law or not continuing in the law, not continuing in obedience. So Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. So we can walk joyfully, we don't have to fear any curse. We don't have to fear anything. We can walk in confidence. We can walk joyfully. We can walk knowing that we are accepted by him. We are confidently knowing that he has made us righteous. He has clothed us with his righteousness. So this is what has happened. And how did it happen? By faith. It was through faith and by faith it was through grace. So he goes on to explain a little further here in verse 15. He says, Brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annules or cancels it or adds to it. Now to Abraham and the seed, where the promise is made, he does not say unto seeds as of many, but as to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. And this I say that the law, which was 430 years later, cannot annule the covenant which was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. So again, Paul is saying, if there is a natural covenant made, an agreement made between men, I'm sorry, between two men, two parties on the earth, no one can annule it because it's made by, unless it is by those parties themselves now, no one can actually change it or cancel it because it's a covenant made with two parties, an agreement reached between two parties, a formal agreement. So the same way, now here is God telling Abraham and his seed to his seed where the promise is made. So now it's very interesting to see that the father has actually made the covenant a promise to the son. It says unto seeds, it does not say unto seeds as of many, but as of one unto your seed. That is in verse 16. So let's look at, so this is what God says unto your seed. So he's talking about what will happen in the lineage of Abraham that there will be the Messiah who will come. And God is foreseeing that and he is, that covenant has been made that unto your seed, he's talking about Christ, that many will be made and in fact it is a covenant that is made and it cannot be annuled. So it cannot be changed. So now it is of faith, it cannot be by law, whatever blessing that you receive, whatever promises that you received, the promise of the blessing that you receive, the inheritance that you receive in Christ, it is not through the law. We'll look at it a little more deeper when we go on. And this I say that the law which was 430 years later, so God makes this promise to Abraham, makes this covenant to the Abraham and the law came four centuries later. So that cannot change it or cancel because it was by faith that Abraham received the blessing, it was by faith. So he's saying for inheritance, if the inheritance is of the law, then it is no longer of promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise. So is this proving over and over and over again that there's no point in going back to the law, that it is futile and empty to go back to the law. Verse 19, okay, what purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise was made and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the guard, under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith but after faith has come we are no longer under a tutor. So here Paul answers that question, what is the purpose of the law? Because in the Old Testament we say that there is a big deal that was made about the law. There are so many details and in fact it was God who gave the law, all those traditions and all those things to keep etc. So for the Jewish mind it was very difficult to really come to understand or to receive the fact that salvation and justification is by faith. I think you've studied Romans and the Book of Romans in that Paul again brings out very clearly. So that was the argument. How can it be? What is the purpose of the law? We have been people who have kept the law. So now suddenly you're saying that this righteousness comes by faith and not through the law. So here Paul is asking the question, what purpose does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions. The law was given because of transgressions. Why? Well, till Christ should come to whom that promise was made in Abraham, that promise was made in the seed through the seed, all nations will be blessed, that all people will be blessed. So now this promise that was made, that till the seed should come, till Christ should come, this law was like a tutor. The word used there is a tutor or a teacher who would keep, who would protect, who would direct and keep the people. So it was added because of transgressions and let me just go back to it. Sorry, I'm looking at, yeah, it was, sorry, I'm looking at verse 19 again, that till the seed should come to whom the promise was made and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. So referring to the fact that God himself was the one who made the covenant and he himself was a mediator for the covenant and for the promise, he himself was the one and it was appointed till the seed should come. Now, so does that mean that the law is against the promises of God? Is the law against the promises of God? So Paul is saying, if there was a law, if there was a law which actually promised righteousness, if there was a law which said, okay, by this you will be made righteous, then righteousness would come, would have come through the law and not by faith. But scripture, the law actually confined all under sin, okay, is brought everything, everybody under sin. Verse 22, scripture has confined all under sin. How does it, how does it confine or how does it bring everybody under sin? Because it says this is sin and this is not sin. Okay, but man as by nature goes on to commit sin, right, goes on to not keep the standards of God. So has confined everybody under sin, has brought everybody under sin and say, okay, this person, okay, could not keep the law, he's now under sin. This group of people, they could not keep the laws, they are under sin, right. So it's confined all under sin. Verse 22, second part of it, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Okay, so there, now, you know, if you look at a Jew, if you look at a non-Jew, now everybody's under sin, confined by sin. But those who receive the promise through faith, now the promise is to everyone who believes. You can be a Jew, you can be a non-Jew, is for everyone who believes. And it's through faith, this promise is given, the promise is received through faith in Christ Jesus. So it's not about the law. Okay, so now, but before faith came, we were kept under God by the law. Now before this whole salvation, which means that he's talking about the work of the cross, and till such time, the Lord Jesus came and carried our sin on the cross that we might believe in him and put our faith in him and receive salvation. Before faith came, we were kept under God by the law. So it was like the law was a tutor, the law was a tutor pointing us to the righteousness of God. The law was a God protecting us from harm and danger, the consequence of not keeping the law. So was protecting us. We were kept under God, kept for the faith, which would, after we believe. So this is what the law did. What is the purpose of the law? The law actually confined everybody under sin. What is the purpose of the law? The law kept us under God till we could come and exercise our faith. The law was our tutor, was our teacher pointing us to the standards of righteousness, and so on. So this is what had happened. Verse 24, therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now, this was the purpose of the law. It is not that the law was opposite to the promises of God or against the promises of God. No, the law actually protected the person. The law actually brought the person so that the person might believe in Christ, that we might be justified by faith through Christ. So when faith had come, now when you put your faith in Christ and when you are justified, now there is no need for the, for keeping the law. That is what he is again always saying. There's no need for you to go back to the law. There's no need for you to keep the law, the traditions of the law, and all that. There's no need for you to do that. Why? Because the law actually served its purpose. It's brought you to Christ. It's kept you. It's confined you to sin, brought you to Christ. Now you have put your faith in Christ. You receive the promise. Now there's no need for you to go back to the law, and there's no need for you to continue in the law. So for those people who are trying to do the law or saying, okay, the law was given. It is ancient. It is given by God. Therefore, we need to obey. So he's giving them the reasons why the law was given, and why now you have to stop. Once you've put your faith in Christ, you do not have to go back to the law. So very clearly he mentions about that. Now verse 26, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Now here's the other one. Okay, let's just read the rest of the verses. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as we're baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Okay, let's just read a few verses in chapter four also. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, on under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying out above father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. So wonderful. It's talking about how, you know, the law kept you to come and protected you that you came to the place of receiving Christ. Okay. Now that you are, you have received Christ, here's another thing, you are all family. Okay. You are, you are sons of God. So that is the place that you have received. You receive not because of the law. Understand that through faith in Christ, you have become children of God, sons and daughters of God. You are a family of God. Okay. So goes on to explain that you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, which was not possible if you are just skipping the law. Okay. Now, something else has happened. There's a change. Right. You died to the law, became alive in Christ. There's a spiritual change, right there. You, your spirit is born again. Your spirit is one with Christ, like all that is there, like in several other places that Paul talks about that you are a new creation, you are one spirit with them and all that. So all that is bearing upon, you know, this, this particular verse where he says, you are sons of God. Okay. So for as many as you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, you've been baptized or immersed or placed in Christ, you know, spiritually that is what has happened. You are one spirit with him. You know, for as many as baptized into Christ have put on Christ, like you put on this new nature, you become a new creation. Therefore, verse 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now, what is the meaning of that verse? That means that, you know, your status, you know, you, all these differences, differences of who has got an upper hand or who is, you know, not all that, all those differences are taken away and you are equal. That is what it means. You are equal now. Right. You are, you are, you are the same. There's no partiality. There is no, you know, upper hand. You are all equal. Okay. So you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. You're the family of God. Now in a family, everybody is treated equally. You could have different roles. You could have different things. You could all be in different levels of maturity, but then we are all equal. Right. So as many as you, of you baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek. So there's no question of, you know, Jew or Greek or nationality and because of which, you know, some are greater or some are lesser. There is neither slave nor free. Okay. Now when it comes to, you know, those days, they were slaves. So you're saying, you know, there is no difference in that now. Slaves were looked upon, looked down upon and, you know, there is no such difference. So here he's saying, you're all one in Christ. You're all equal. You're all one in Christ. Now this is what happened to you as believers in the Lord Jesus. You're all one in Christ. Then, and if you are Christ's, if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. What is the heir? One who receives an inheritance. That is what an heir means. One who receives an inheritance. One who receives an inheritance, a family inheritance. Like when you say heir, it could be somebody who receives like the head of the family or can actually leave an inheritance. It could be a house. It could be property. It could be a land. It could be maybe money. It could be other things like gold or silver, whatever as an inheritance. Now this belongs to me. Now this belongs to my son. This belongs to my daughter. Why? Because they are my heirs, a legal heirs. So here saying that if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. So what belongs to God now comes to you, you inherit it. It's something even more wonderful. So he's talking about the wonderful thing that has happened because of your faith in Christ. Now the law, it had its role. It did something. It brought you, pointed you to Christ, kept you as a guardian. It was a tutor teaching you what was right and what is wrong and it brought you to the place of putting your faith in Christ. Now put your faith in Christ. Now you don't have to go back to the law anymore because you've become Christ. Now in Christ there is a total change that has happened in your identity. There is no one who's, you know, all the differences of inequality or partiality, everything is gone. So now you are Christ and if you are Christ then you are heirs of God and you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Now this is what happens to an heir. Like even in a house, you know that there, let's say there is a child and the child is a legal heir. Everything belongs to the child. Like whatever the parents, whatever the father and mother possess or have, you know, maybe it could be a business that they are running, it could be, you know, property, it could be wealth in the bank, whatever, it actually belongs to the heir. But what happens, you know, when it's a little child, there's no difference between the heir and the slave in the sense, you know, a servant who's working in the house because the child does not get to enjoy the inheritance because he's not received it and but is kept safe by the guardians and stewards, you know, there could be, you know, of course, if you just picture a very, very wealthy family, right, they're having a lot of maybe servants and everything. So the child is actually kept safe. The child is looked after, right, because by the parents and also taken care by the servants. Right. All the needs taken care of. So saying, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Now the child is old enough, the child is ready to receive, ready to receive the inheritance and enjoy the inheritance. So until the time appointed by the father. So he's saying, even so, we, when we were children, right, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. But now, when the fullness of the time had come, I was talking about the Kairos moment, the fullness of the time had come. God sent forth his son, God sent forth Jesus, born of a woman, born under the law. Okay. So born, the law was very much in function, the law was functioning. So he was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Right. So when you say under the law, the law had the upper hand or the law had declared everybody to be sinners. The law had declared everybody to be marked for the consequence of sin condemnation. So they were under the law. And what happened was this, to redeem those, the Christ came, the Lord Jesus came to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive adoption has sons. So he has taken us from under the law, from out of the law, that we might receive adoption that we might be adopted into a family and that we might be as we might receive the inheritance, which is a beautiful thing, which is a wonderful thing that has happened to all of us. So Paul is just pointing the relations to that. You want to go back to the law. Don't you realize what has happened to you, that you are as, that you have received this inheritance, but the law had his role in keeping, you were kept safe, you were guarded and all these things happened. But now, because you are sons, verse six, chapter four verse six, because you are sons, I just go there, because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of a son into your hearts crying out about father, right? Because you are family of God, your sons are children of God. God has sent forth the spirit into our hearts by whom we cry out about father. The spirit testifies, or like we see in Romans, that spirit testifies to our spirit that we are sons of God. Let's look at that verse. Let's go to Romans chapter eight, Romans eight, and verse 16, maybe we'll receive verse, I mean read verse 15 and 16. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out about father. The spirit himself witnesses, bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, verse 17. And if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together. So he's pointing to that, right? Is that truth is which he has been preaching and he is taught and you see that in Romans as well, the position, the place that we have come to. So saying that, you know, that you are sons of God, God has sent forth the spirit into your heart by whom we cry out about father. Therefore verse seven, you are no longer a slave. You are no longer a slave. You know, earlier it was like, you know, a child is not different from a slave, right? Because you are under the law and you are in the house and you have this inheritance, but it's going to happen at a later time. But now he's saying you are no longer a slave. You declared you are no longer a slave, but you are a son and an heir of God through Christ. You are no longer a slave. You know, you've come to that place where the law does not have any hold on you anymore. You've received the promise of faith through Christ. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but you are a son, you are a child of God. And therefore you are your position to receive the inheritance and enjoy the inheritance in Christ. You are no longer a slave. But if a son and an heir of God through Christ. So he's just saying, you know, you are, this is the place of, you know, Christ has elevated you. This is the position to whom, to which you have been lifted up. You have been lifted up to this such a glorious place. How can you go back? How can you go back to the law? And it's just comparing and saying there's no, there's no way you can go back to keeping the law. You become a child, you become a son, you become an heir. How can you even go back to the law? So we'll stop here and then continue with the, you know, verse four, sorry, verse eight from the next class. So we studied till, so we looked at the whole of chapter three and chapter four till verse seven. So we'll, of course, next class again, we'll review this just so we, you know, all these things about the purpose of the law and everything. It becomes even more clearer and, you know, it's, you know, it's there in all clarity in our hearts. So we'll just review that as well. And then we'll move on to the rest of it, right? Okay, so we'll stop here. Thank you. God bless. Enjoy the rest of the day. Thank you. Bye-bye.