"June 22 Sunday Sermon Manuscript – Galatians 3:23–29"
- 열린교회BKUMC
- 6월 20일
- 7분 분량
Galatians 3:23–29
Those Who Have Clothed Themselves with Christ
Last week, we reflected on Romans 5:1–5 and shared how we must imitate the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.
Today, I would like to talk about how Paul describes “Christians” or “those who believe in Jesus” in the book of Galatians.
Strictly speaking, Paul doesn’t actually use the term “Christian” but rather uses expressions like “in Christ” or, as in today’s passage, “those who belong to Christ.”
The term “Christian” was actually a name given to people who believed in Jesus by others later on—it wasn’t something we initially called ourselves.
Since today we are reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians, I hope you and I will intentionally understand the term not as “Christians” but as “those who are in Christ,” “those who belong to Christ” as mentioned in verse 29, or “those who have clothed themselves with Christ” as in verse 27.
Galatia was not the name of a specific city or church, but rather a region in what is now central Türkiye where the Galatian people lived in fertile lands.
Cities known in this region include Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, which you may find familiar. The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul to the churches in this region.
The reason Paul wrote this letter was to refute false teachers—like in other churches—who insisted on the Mosaic law and claimed that all Gentile Christians must be circumcised. Paul wrote to teach that this claim was unrelated to the gospel of Jesus.
In today’s passage, Paul may seem quite hostile toward the law, and indeed, he is often misunderstood as denying the entire Old Testament or dismissing Jewish law. However, this tone likely stems from the urgency of the situation and Paul’s intent to teach more effectively.
First, before we read the passage in detail, we must remember that Paul wrote this letter to strongly oppose the circumcision mandates of false teachers, emphasizing that such things are not compatible with the gospel of Jesus.
At the same time, today’s text addresses the Roman binary worldview embedded within their demands, and Paul is teaching what kind of mindset and direction a true believer—someone in Christ, clothed with Christ, or belonging to Christ—ought to live with.
Also, from today’s text, we see that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as understood and taught by Paul, is not about division or exclusion, but rather about living in harmony and unity despite differences—that is the true life of a Christian.
Let’s take a deeper look at the passage. In verse 23, Paul uses a time concept—“before faith came” and “when faith came.”
“Before faith came” is translated from the Greek word “alpha.” In English Bibles, it is rendered as “Before,” but we can also understand it as referring to “the beginning.”
“When faith came,” inferred from the context, refers to the time when Jesus came into this world.
In verse 24, Paul interprets the role of the law: “Until Christ came, it acted as a personal tutor for us.”
Paul sees the value of the law as being like a personal tutor—teaching us how to know God—until the time Jesus came to this earth.
In verse 25, Paul teaches that now that we have faith in Jesus, we no longer need to be under the teachings of the law.
It’s a simple idea, but through his words and phrasing, Paul shows that the law had two characteristics. First, as stated plainly, it served as a personal tutor before faith came. Secondly, in verse 23, Paul uses terms like “guard” and “held in custody,” which are prison-related terms, to describe the law as both a tutor and a captor or overseer.
The words “guard” and “held in custody” in verse 23 have been translated differently across versions—like “guardian,” “protector,” “disciplinarian,” or “servant entrusted to care for children”—but ultimately, Paul emphasizes another attribute of the law: its coercive nature, which under certain interpretations or depending on who interprets it, allows one person to discipline or monitor another.
In fact, the “law” that Paul speaks of in today’s text isn’t limited to just the Torah of the Old Testament.
As I’ve been repeating—until faith came—this includes not only the Old Testament laws but also the various legal systems, disciplinary practices, and thought structures considered right and dominant before Jesus came into the world.
Paul points out that the Galatians are turning away from the gospel of Jesus Christ and becoming corrupted by these various laws—whether it’s the Mosaic law or ideologies picked up from different places, such as distinguishing between the circumcised and the uncircumcised within the church, or ideas from legalists who draw nationalistic lines between Jews and Gentiles.
These also include those who divide by gender—male and female—or between slave and free. Paul rebukes these, saying that to live as someone truly in Christ, someone clothed with Christ and belonging to Christ, is to live toward unity as God’s children despite our differences. That’s what sets us apart from the world and legalists.
In verses 26 and 27, Paul speaks not only to the Galatian believers but to all who believe in Jesus and are called Christians: “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus,” and, “You who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
These two verses speak of the meaning of faith and baptism, and also what truly happens to those who believe in Jesus.
And in verse 28, Paul describes what happens to such people. Let’s read it together: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Why are there no Jews or Greeks? We can still distinguish Americans and Koreans today. Why no slave or free? There were clearly slaves and masters in those days. Why can’t we distinguish male and female? Of course we can. But Paul says, “There is none.”
Paul is explaining the power of faith—that to be a Christian, to live clothed with Christ and to be someone who belongs to Christ—means to live a life empowered by faith and baptism that is completely different from the world.
People use distinctions to justify discrimination, selection, permission, or to assign certain responsibilities. These kinds of divisions are also present within the law—distinguishing those who keep it from those who don’t, and separating the faithful from the unfaithful.
We are very familiar with this. It seems only fair to be rewarded according to what one has done. Even when Koreans obtain U.S. citizenship, they are still called Korean Americans—their identity doesn’t change completely.
But this simple worldview of distinctions, from Paul’s perspective, becomes an obstacle to understanding faith and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus never preached the gospel by dividing people, and the love of God declared in the gospel was never delivered with discrimination.
From this conviction, Paul proclaimed the gospel. For Jews, the main stumbling block was that the law remained so significant in their lives apart from faith.
For Gentiles, the deeply ingrained societal systems—such as slave and master dynamics or the strict binary mindset from Roman and Greek philosophy—hindered their understanding of the gospel’s call to save all people.
Paul worked hard to overcome this, because these misunderstandings and attachments to old systems led many to fall into the hands of false teachers.
Personally, I believe Paul’s effort brings us into a richer and more Christ-like way of living. We believe in Jesus. We are assured of salvation.
But then someone says, “Are your sins really forgiven? Didn’t you fail to do what the law required?” or “Are you really saved?” Then they add, “You’re still a slave, but your master also believes in Jesus—does that mean slaves and masters worship together?” “Men and women worship together—how can they be equal?”
Such questions can shake our faith or lead us to doubt.
That’s why Paul intentionally uses phrases like “those who have clothed themselves with Christ,” “those who belong to Christ,” and “children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” rather than simply calling them “Christians.”
This kind of teaching gives us a more gospel-centered and concrete hope for God’s kingdom.
First of all, the world’s principles of power no longer operate within our faith. We are now people who live according to the new order that God has established.
The world still divides, discriminates, and claims differences. These days especially, economic power becomes the main standard to divide people and define their opportunities.
This economic division turns everyone into slaves of materialism. People write books on how to become rich and chase habits that supposedly lead to wealth.
This desire for relative wealth—not absolute—becomes one of the ways the world controls us.
Schools, science, and even religion have long become powerless in the face of money. The world seems to parade its dominance.
As if material wealth is devouring everything, our times are increasingly governed by its power.
But today’s passage reminds us that we live by an entirely different order. We are people who focus not on economic value, but on the existential transformation of being “clothed with Christ.”
If we were once driven by discrimination and division, now by believing in Jesus, we are people who belong to Christ, who have clothed ourselves with Christ, and who, through faith, have become children of God in Christ Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, you believe in Jesus, right? Isn’t that why you are here? Did anyone come for another reason? No, right?
Then you too are people who have clothed yourselves with Christ, who belong to Christ, and who have become children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
This means that our lives are not shaken by the world, nor governed by the world’s systems, but live by the order of faith.
To preach the gospel and pray for the revival of the church is to commit ourselves to proclaiming this new order to the world.
So now, go boldly into the world—or rather, toward all the people around you. Especially those who used to attend church but now hesitate, falter, or struggle due to past wounds—share the true power of the gospel with them.
Let us go beyond simply saying, “Our church is great!” and instead say, “Let us become God’s children through the gospel of Jesus Christ in this new order of faith! Let us live together clothed with Christ! Let us walk with the Lord in joy even in this foreign land!”
Isn’t that refreshing? Saying “Church is great” is so subjective—what’s “great” varies from person to person.
So instead, let us talk about why we go to church and why we believe in Jesus. That way, our faith will not be shaken. Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian churches with such a heart.
Let us not be shaken. The power of Jesus we believe in is not just about improving our lives or becoming happy. It is about clothing ourselves with Christ and living by a new order.
The gospel does not divide. So let us live with a focus on the freedom found in faith! I sincerely hope that you and I become those who testify to such a gospel.
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