Galatians - Week 6 (3:15-25)
Galatians 3:15-25
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Galatians 3:15-25 〰️
Discussion Questions
Could someone read Galatians 3:15-25?
Paul says that even a human covenant cannot simply be changed or set aside once it has been established. What does this illustration teach us about the certainty of God’s promise to Abraham?
(Optional) Follow-up: How should knowing that our salvation rests on God’s unchanging promise, not the consistency of our performance, shape us when our faith feels weak?
Leader Note:
Paul begins with an ordinary legal example: Once a covenant has been formally established, its terms cannot simply be rewritten. His point is that God’s promise is even more certain than a human covenant because it rests upon God’s faithfulness.The law, which came 430 years after God gave the promise to Abraham could not cancel or alter what God had already promised to him. Help the group see that salvation ultimately rests upon God’s commitment to keep His promise, not upon our ability to secure His blessing through obedience.
Additional Scripture: Genesis 12:1–3; Genesis 15:1–18; Numbers 23:19; Romans 4:13–16; Hebrews 6:13–20; 2 Corinthians 1:20
What is the difference between receiving something as an inheritance and earning it as a reward? Why does Paul insist that God’s blessing comes to us as an inheritance promised through Christ?
(Optional) Follow-up: How might our relationship with God change when we live as secure heirs of His promise rather than workers trying to earn His approval?
Leader Note:
Paul identifies Christ as the promised offspring through whom God’s covenant promises reach their fulfillment. Jesus is the true heir of the promise, and everyone united to Him by faith shares in His inheritance. This means God’s blessing is not obtained through ethnicity, circumcision, or law-keeping but received through belonging to Christ. The center of God’s promise is not merely a set of benefits but a person—Jesus Christ.
Additional Scripture: Genesis 22:15–18; Matthew 1:1; Acts 3:25–26; Romans 8:16–17; Galatians 3:26–29; Ephesians 1:3–14
If the inheritance was already promised to Abraham, why did God give the law? What does it mean that the law was “added because of transgressions”? (v.19)
(Optional) Follow-up: How does God’s law help us recognize the seriousness of sin rather than merely giving us a list of rules to follow?
Leader Note:
The law was not given to replace the promise or provide another way of salvation. It identified sin clearly, exposed rebellion as transgression against God, and restrained Israel until the promised offspring came. Its temporary role within the Mosaic covenant served God’s larger redemptive purpose by revealing humanity’s need for Christ. The law diagnoses the human condition, but it cannot provide the life or righteousness it requires.
Additional Scripture: Exodus 20:1–21; Romans 3:19–20; Romans 5:20–21; Romans 7:7–13; 1 Timothy 1:8–11; Galatians 3:23–24
If someone asked, “How is it fair for God to judge people by a law He knows no one can perfectly obey?” how would Galatians 3:21–22 help you respond?
(Optional) Follow-up: If someone asked, “If obeying God’s commands cannot make us right with Him, why does obedience matter at all?” how would you respond?
Leader Note:
God did not give the law to create an impossible standard and then condemn people for failing to meet it. His law expresses His good and righteous character, while our inability to obey it reveals the depth of our sin—not a defect in His commands. The law holds us accountable for our genuine rebellion, closes off every attempt at self-justification, and directs us to the promise of life through faith in Christ. God’s justice exposes our guilt, but His grace provides the righteousness we could never produce ourselves.
Additional Scripture: Psalm 19:7–11; Ezekiel 36:26–27; Romans 3:20–24; Romans 7:12; Romans 8:2–4; Hebrews 8:6–13
Some people assume that Old Testament believers were saved by obeying the law, while New Testament believers are saved by grace through Faith. How does Paul’s argument that God’s promise came before the law challenge that assumption?
Leader Note:
Paul’s timeline is important: God gave His promise to Abraham 430 years before giving the law, so the law could not introduce a new, works-based way of salvation. Abraham was counted righteous through faith, and Old Testament believers were likewise saved by grace through faith in God’s promises, which ultimately find their fulfillment in Christ. The law and sacrificial system exposed sin and pointed forward to the need for a Savior; they were never a means of earning righteousness. Throughout the whole Bible, God has had one plan of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
Additional Scripture: Genesis 15:6; Psalm 32:1–5; Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 4:1–8; Hebrews 10:1–14; Hebrews 11:1–40; 1 Peter 1:10–12
Paul describes the law as a guardian until Christ came. How should Christians relate to God’s law in the Old Testament now that Christ has come and fulfilled the law?
Leader Note:
In the ancient world, a guardian supervised and disciplined a child until the child reached maturity; the guardian was necessary but temporary. In a similar way, the Mosaic law guarded Israel and exposed sin until Christ fulfilled the promise and inaugurated a new era in redemptive history. Believers are no longer under the Mosaic law as the covenant that governs and condemns them, but this does not make God’s moral will irrelevant. Through the Spirit, Christians obey God’s commands as people already accepted in Christ, not as people attempting to earn His acceptance.
Helpful framework to think through God’s Law in the OT: (The Bible does not formally divide every law into these categories, but they provide a helpful framework for understanding how the Old Testament law relates to Christians today.)
Moral Laws reveal God’s character and His enduring standards for right and wrong. They continue to guide believers—not as a means of earning salvation, but as a response to grace. (ex. The 10 commandments)
Civil Laws governed Israel as a nation. While they are not directly binding on Christians, they offer wisdom for daily life through principles of justice, mercy, and love for our neighbors. (ex. “When a man opens a pit… and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration.” – Exodus 21:33–34)
Ceremonial Laws governed Israel’s sacrifices, priesthood, purity, and worship. Christ fulfilled these laws, and they help us understand all that He accomplished for us through His life, death, and resurrection. (ex. The day of atonement in Lev. 16)
Additional Scripture: Matthew 5:17–20; Romans 7:4–6; Romans 8:1–4; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:13–18; Hebrews 8:6–13