Bible Study - Galatians Chapter 3 – One People of God

 

You can watch the video of this study on YouTube here at 8pm to 9pm AEST.

English Standard Version

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰ For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” ¹² But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— ¹⁴ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. ²⁰ Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

²¹ Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²² But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Introduction

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a passionate and urgent defense of the core truth of the gospel: salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. In Chapter 3, Paul moves from a personal defense of his apostolic authority to a powerful theological argument, confronting a dangerous heresy that had infiltrated the churches in Galatia. This heresy, often called "Judaizing," taught that Gentile converts to Christianity must first adhere to the Mosaic Law, particularly circumcision, to be truly members of the people of God. In essence, it was adding human works to the finished work of Christ. Because Paul’s consistent message was salvation by faith, or in other words, you become a full member of God’s people, an inheritor of all the promises, simply by trusting in Jesus. (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20).  

Paul begins with a startling and emotional rebuke: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" He points them back to their own powerful, transformative experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. This was not a result of their law-keeping but of their "hearing with faith." He establishes a critical principle: the Christian life begins by the Spirit, and it cannot be "perfected by the flesh" (human effort). To revert to law-keeping as a means of righteousness is to nullify the very grace that saved them and to make their suffering for Christ meaningless.

Paul then masterfully uses the Old Testament itself to prove his case. He points to Abraham, the father of the Israelite (and therefore, Jewish) nation, who was declared righteous by God because he "believed God" (Genesis 15:6), long before the Law was given at Mount Sinai. Therefore, the true children of Abraham are not those who are biologically descended or who keep the law, but "those of faith." The Law, Paul argues, was never intended to be a path to life. Instead, it reveals our sin and places us under a curse, for no one can perfectly abide by all its demands. But the glorious good news is that Christ redeemed us from this curse by becoming a curse for us on the cross.

Finally, Paul clarifies the purpose of the Law. It was a temporary guardian, a "paidagōgos" (a servant who supervised a child's conduct), put in place to lead us to Christ. Now that faith in Christ has come, we are no longer under this guardian. Through faith and baptism, we are clothed with Christ, becoming sons of God and heirs according to the promise made to Abraham. This new reality breaks down all earthly divisions—Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female—uniting all believers equally in Christ. Galatians 3 is a monumental chapter that liberates us from the tyranny of performance and anchors our hope securely in the promise of God, received by faith.

It also once and for declares that the people of God, the inheritors of the promises to Abraham, those who can claim to be the sons of Abraham, are only and ever those who have faith in Jesus Christ. We will see this as we go through the chapter.

Analysis and Overview

1.     The Argument from Experience (vv. 1–5) - Paul rebukes the Galatians for being “foolish” and asks a pointed question: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” (v. 2) He reminds them that their salvation and reception of the Spirit were based on faith, not law-keeping. Their suffering and spiritual experiences would be in vain if they now turned to the law.

2.     The Example of Abraham (vv. 6–9) - Paul quotes Genesis 15:6: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (v. 6) He argues that Abraham was justified by faith, not by the law (which hadn't been given yet). Therefore, those who share Abraham’s faith are his true children. The gospel was preached beforehand to Abraham: “In you shall all the nations be blessed” (v. 8).

3.     The Curse of the Law and Christ’s Redemption (vv. 10–14) - Paul contrasts faith and works of the law: The law brings a curse because no one can perfectly keep it (v. 10, quoting Deut. 27:26). Habakkuk 2:4 is cited: “The righteous shall live by faith” (v. 11). Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us (v. 13, quoting Deut. 21:23). The result: the blessing of Abraham (justification and the Spirit) comes to all nations through faith (v. 14).

4.     The Law and the Promise (vv. 15–18) - Paul uses a human analogy: a ratified covenant cannot be altered. The promise to Abraham and his offspring (singular—Christ) was given 430 years before the law. The law does not annul the promise; salvation has always been by promise, not law.

5.     The Purpose of the Law (vv. 19–25) - If the law doesn’t save, why was it given? It was added because of transgressions (v. 19) It was temporary—“until the offspring should come” (v. 19) It imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise might be given through faith (v. 22) It acted as a guardian (or tutor) until Christ came, leading us to justification by faith (vv. 24–25).

6.     Unity in Christ (vv. 26–29) - Paul concludes with the inclusive nature of faith: All are sons of God through faith (v. 26) Baptism into Christ means clothing yourselves with Christ (v. 27) No divisions—Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female—all are one in Christ (v. 28) If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (v. 29).

Conclusion - Galatians 3 is a powerful defense of the gospel of grace. Paul shows that: Faith, not law, brings righteousness and the Spirit. Abraham is the model of faith. The law was temporary and pointed to Christ. In Christ, all believers are united and become heirs of God’s promise.

Bible Study Questions

Section 1: The Personal Appeal & The Experience of the Spirit (v.1-5)

1. Question: Paul begins with a strong rebuke. What does his tone reveal about the seriousness of abandoning the core message of faith for works? What does it mean to be "bewitched" in a spiritual sense?
• Cross-references: 2 Peter 2:1; 1 Corinthians 1:23
2. Question: In verses 2-5, Paul grounds his argument in the Galatians' own experience. Why is the source of the Holy Spirit's reception and miraculous work a powerful proof for salvation by faith?
• Cross-references: Acts 10:44-45; Romans 8:9

Section 2: The Example of Abraham & The Blessing of Faith (v.6-9)

3. Question: How does the story of Abraham in Genesis 15:6, quoted in verse 6, fundamentally shift the basis of righteousness from what we do to what we believe?
• Cross-references: Romans 4:3-5; James 2:23
4. Question: According to verses 7-9, who are the true "sons of Abraham"? How does this refine our definition of the people of God?
• Cross-references: Romans 9:6-8; John 8:39

Section 3: The Curse of the Law & The Redemption of Christ (v.10-14)

5. Question: Verse 10 states that relying on the works of the law places one under a curse. Why is perfect obedience an impossible standard, and what is the purpose of this realization?
• Cross-references: James 2:10; Deuteronomy 27:26
6. Question: Contrast the principle in verse 11 ("the righteous shall live by faith") with the principle in verse 12 ("the one who does them shall live by them"). What is the fundamental difference between a system of faith and a system of law?
• Cross-references: Habakkuk 2:4; Leviticus 18:5
7. Question: In verse 13, how did Christ redeem us from the curse of the law? What does it mean that He "became a curse for us"?
• Cross-references: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Deuteronomy 21:23

Section 4: The Law and The Promise (v.15-22)

8. Question: Using the analogy of a human covenant (or "will"), what point is Paul making in verses 15-18 about the relationship between God's promise to Abraham and the later Law of Moses?
• Cross-references: Hebrews 9:16-17; Jeremiah 31:31-33
9. Question: In verse 16, Paul makes a specific argument about the word "offspring." Who is the ultimate, singular "offspring" of Abraham, and why is this crucial for understanding the promise?
• Cross-references: Genesis 22:18; Acts 3:25-26
10. Question: Paul anticipates the question, "Why then the law?" (v.19). What was the law's purpose, according to verses 19-22?
• Cross-references: Romans 5:20; Romans 3:20
11. Question: Verse 21 is a key moment. Does the law contradict God's promises? What is Paul's answer, and what does it reveal about the law's inability to save?
• Cross-references: Romans 7:12; Romans 8:3

Section 5: Sons of God Through Faith (v.23-29)

12. Question: What was the function of the law as a "guardian" (or "schoolmaster") until Christ came (v.23-24)? How does this role change once "faith has come" (v.25)?
• Cross-references: 1 Corinthians 4:15; Romans 10:4
13. Question: According to verses 26-27, what is our new identity "in Christ Jesus"? What does it mean to be "baptized into Christ" and to have "put on Christ"?
• Cross-references: John 1:12; Romans 13:14
14. Question: The declaration in verse 28 is radical for its time and for all time. What are the practical implications of this unity "in Christ Jesus" for how we view ourselves and others within the body of Christ?I don’t
• Cross-references: 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 3:11
15. Question: How does the chapter conclude (v.29)? How does this final statement tie the entire argument—about Abraham, promise, faith, and Christ—back to the believer's identity and inheritance today?
• Cross-references: Romans 8:17; Titus 3:7

 

Society is Healing

 

Who said it is all bad news out there? There is a reason you will never see me among the black-pillers, because when things are dark, this gives light a chance to shine all the more brightly. And we do see good things happening even in our decadent days. Here is some encouraging news,

“Almost a third of generation Z men and boys think a wife should obey her husband, according to a global survey of 23,000 people that found young men hold more traditional views about gender roles than older generations.

A third (33%) of gen Z males also said a husband should have the final word on important decisions, according to the 29-country survey, which included Great Britain, the US, Brazil, Australia and India.

It found that gen Z males (born 1997-2012) were twice as likely as baby boomer men (born 1946-1964) to have traditional views on decision-making within a marriage, with just 13% of men in the older cohort agreeing that a wife should always obey her husband. Among women, 18% of gen Z and 6% of baby boomers agreed.

People of both genders in Indonesia (66%) and Malaysia (60%) were most likely to agree with the statement, compared with 23% in the US and 13% in Great Britain.

The annual research of over-16s was conducted by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London and revealed a stark difference in the beliefs of different generations of men when it comes to gender roles:

Almost a quarter (24%) of gen Z males think women should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, compared with 12% of baby boomer men.

Attitudes toward sexual norms also differed sharply across generations, with 21% of gen Z males thinking a “real woman” should never initiate sex, compared with only 7% of baby boomer men.

More than half (59%) of gen Z males said men were expected to do too much to support equality, compared with 45% of baby boomer men. For women, the proportions were 41% and 30% respectively.

Despite being the most likely to believe a woman should not appear too independent or self-sufficient, gen Z males were also the group most likely to believe women who have a successful career were more attractive to men – 41% agreed with this statement.”[1]

That wives should submit to their husbands has been the norm throughout history, in virtually every culture known to mankind, with very few and limited exceptions. And it has worked, incredibly well. The human race is here today because of these ancient traditions. Some cultures took it too far, of course, but still this situation has worked. In the last century or so feminists have over-turned this long cherished tradition, and now virtually every western nation that has fallen into the feminist trap has below replacement births and is now seeking to fill its societal gaps with mass immigration. Not just small, targeted skilled migration, but bringing in more people each year than are born, in many contexts. This is because feminism is a poison to society, it saps society of its ability to reproduce itself. 

For this, and other reasons, many of the young are seeing through the failures of feminism and egalitarianism. Though, it should be noted that part of the reason this is happening is also because many of the immigrants that leftists advocate for bringing into the country, come from countries with far more traditional gender values than Australia. Hence, the left is starting to freak out, in part, at the fruit of their own advocacy and politics. Still, because of this and because of the obvious failures of egalitarianism to make a society that works well for men and women, many of the young are starting to reject the values that boomers made popular.

Overall, however, we should take encouragement from this. I have consistently preached the biblical message that wives should submit to husbands and that husbands should lovingly lead and cherish their wives. Many pastors have been afraid of getting into these topics, often because they think that young people will not gel with them, or that women specifically will not gel with them. But the truth is resilient, society generally circles back around to it over time. Our job as Christians is just to remain consistent to biblical truth, no matter where the winds of social pressure are blowing.

List of References

---

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/05/gen-z-men-baby-boomers-wives-should-obey-husbands

The End of Evangelicalism in Our Day?

 

Are we going to see the end of evangelicalism in our day? This might seem like a radical question, but I don’t think it is. When you consider the serious missteps that evangelical leaders have tied their movement to, from Prohibition in the early 20^th century, to the seeker sensitive movement, a.k.a watered down light rock concert style church with little teaching, to the prosperity gospel, to feminism, and many other examples, you can see that this movement has tied itself to some very unorthodox beliefs and ideologies. Not the least of which is how heterodox end times views have come to dominate in the evangelical space.

I think history can give us some insight here. When we look at how history rhymes, we might be able to answer this question, somewhat.  

In 1535 something incredible happened. In the Middle of the Protestant reformation while Luther and other Reformers were overturning many Catholic traditions. Right in the heat of the famous schism between those two traditions, something unbelievable happened. The Protestants and Catholics joined forces to deal with something they considered an even bigger concern. Catholic and Protestant magistrates joined forces to put down a rebellion in the town of Munster.

Why? What would inspire such divergent groups to lay aside differences like that? In the middle of their most heated time of dispute?

Well, in the late 1520's and early 1530's the Anabaptist movement was captured by apocalyptic forces. The Anabaptists started off with a very moderate, and peace focused leadership. They believed that Christians should meet voluntarily, and not be born as members of the state churches. Many took on board a strong form of pacificism, that shunned any use of force for any reason. Others believed that the state held this power and should use it for good, but not to compel conscience. Both views had a strong lineage in Church history. It did not matter, their break with their state churches brought upon them swift and harsh persecution. The measured leadership of their early days was mostly gone by the early 1530’s, having perished in that tribulation.

This created a leadership vacuum that allowed apocalyptic preachers, like Melchoir Hoffman and John of Leiden, to proclaim the end of days was immanent, and that the kingdom of God was about to be established. Hoffman believed his own prophecies and allowed himself to be put into jail, believing he would be freed when Jesus returned. He died in prison years later, a victim of his own errors. Leiden proclaimed himself king of the beleaguered people of Munster. He was publicly put to death when the rebellion failed.  

Other false prophets came along as well. They built on the messages of men like Hoffman and through a serious of events they took military control of the town of Munster, proclaiming it the New Jerusalem. Leiden was among the most influential of these people, but there were many others.

This led to conflict and eventually war with the authorities in the region. Anabaptists flocked to the city, believing it to be a refuge, and finding it to be in reality an apocalyptic nightmare. But to many the events of the Reformation, the tumults happening all over Norther Europe, lined up so well with the book of Revelation that they fell under the trance of these false prophets. Their prophecies were even considered to have more weight, because of the great tribulation happening in those days.

Eventually, the abominable behaviour of the leaders of this city provoked such an outrage in the region, that the Catholics and Protestants authorities aligned together to put down what became known as the Munster Rebellion. Many Anabaptists perished in the defeat of this rebellion. Among those that perished were some of the pacifist variety who got caught up in the middle of the conflict, and just thought the city of Munster would be a refuge from the travails of the Reformation persecution raging around them. But it did not matter, they were punished along with many of the instigators of the rebellion. The word Anabaptist became a curse word for centuries. Even though Anabaptists had peaceful branches like the Mennonites, the stain of Munster lived long in people’s memories.

Now, we see history gearing up to rhyme in our day. False prophets have been declaring that war with Iran is a must for the End of Day’s events. We are seeing bad prophecy being self-fulfilled in our days by many of its own adherents. The Spirit of Munster was really the Spirit of false prophecy. When these kinds of people get military power, they can cause great damage. Because they can seek to bring to pass their own apocalyptic ideas. And we are seeing this in action, and some strains of evangelicalism are right in the midst of this.

Are we seeing evangelicalism's Munster moment?

I think this is entirely possible. For decades too many pastors have been silent about false apocalyptic narratives. Caught up in the seeker sensitive movement which has been dominant for too long in western churches, many pastors have been trained to avoid such topics. Only those who passionately believe in these end times views tend to buck this trend, at least generally speaking. Privately pastors will talk about how bad such theology is. Publicly they are pan-millennialists who don’t want to get into it, for fear of upsetting people, or causing division. But this has allowed bad theology to become generally accepted among a large swath of the evangelical church. Has this silence of the vast majority of pastors in the church fostered tragedy? Has this allowed the evangelical church to be captured by the same sort of errors as Munster, just in a different form?

I don’t think we will see all of evangelicalism come to an end. The Anabaptists live on, but only because they rejected their earlier apocalyptism. Evangelicalism will continue, but I think large streams of it will begin to be shunned by more and more Christians. Already many people avoid the end times parts of the Bible because they have heard too many bad interpretations. But with credible reports of powerful Christians using bad prophecy to justify war in the Middle East, many are seeing in real time how this brings disrepute on the church, that is not far different to what Munster did. This will cause a reaction against the kind of literalist Bible reading that became a staple of the reformation, but in some quarters has morphed into a type of end times view that expects the Old Testament to come alive again in our day.

There is not doubt that the Iranian regime is bad. Radical Islamist governments are bad. That is easy to declare. But there are many bad regimes in this world. We are not at war with most of them. Two things can be true at once. They can be bad, and what is happening now can also be the fruit of bad theology and bad ideology.

We are seeing the convergence of many false apocalyptic ideologies coming to war with each other in the Middle East right now. I see many Christians online talking about the errors of fundamentalist Islam. But I see many of the same Christians decreeing that this war is God’s will, at the exact same time. Can you see the irony? Because many of them cannot. Christians need to do some real soul searching about their part in fostering these kinds of theologies.

I would say a good place to start this soul searching is reading a book like The Anabaptist Story, by William R. Estep. Estep does a good job of showing how two very different streams of theology ran through the Anabaptist movement, and he shows how one led to tragedy, and the other led to a movement that is still vibrant and peaceful till this day.

Wrestling with how past Christians faced and handled negative apocalyptic movements can help give us theological clarity in our day. The Bible is not subject to history, or man’s word. But faithful believers who loved God’s word have faced many of the same challenges that we do today, and they learnt how to navigate them. I think evangelical pastors should consider addressing this as a priority in the coming days, weeks and months. Because the church is called to be salt and light, it is created to be influential, but sometimes it gets hijacked by bad ideas and that influence turns sour.

Gluttony, The Overlooked Sin

 

Gluttony is a sin that has not only been ignored by much of the western church, but actually incorporated in many ways into our lifestyle.

Many think it is not that big a deal. But gluttony was the sin that brought down the whole world. Genesis 3:6, "6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." It was their appetite, as they "saw that the tree was good for food," that undermined the entire human race and drove us into sin. They gave in to gluttony. They could not control their appetite.

It is not an accident that the obese nations of the West are in such moral decline. Appetite speaks to self-control, what you worship and what rules you. An inability to reign it in is a visible demonstration of a lack of impulse control, and a lack of moral seriousness on the issue. Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury tales puts this forward in a powerful way,

"O gluttony; full of all wickedness,

O first cause of confusion to us all,

Beginning of damnation and our fall,

Till Christ redeemed us with His blood again!

Behold how dearly, to be brief and plain,

Was purchased this accursed villainy;

Corrupt was all this world with gluttony!

Adam our father, and his wife also,

From Paradise to labour and to woe

Were driven for that vice, no doubt; indeed

The while that Adam fasted, as I read,

He was in Paradise; but then when he

Ate of the fruit forbidden of the tree,

Anon he was cast out to woe and pain."[1]

This is no minor issue. It is a world changing issue. A society given over to self-indulgence has to decline, what else can it do?

Many are ruled by their bellies, but as Chaucer notes, the belly is literally a container of trash,  

“The apostle, weeping, says most piteously:

"For many walk, of whom I've told you, aye,

Weeping I tell you once again they're dross,

For they are foes of Christ and of the Cross,

Whose end is death, whose belly is their god."

O gut! O belly! O you stinking cod,

Filled full of dung, with all corruption found!

At either end of you foul is the sound.""[2]

 

"Filled full of dung..." literally. A horrible, but also true thought.

Food is a wonderful and glorious gift from our Lord and God. But like all good gifts from God, this one has been severely abused by many, including Christians. At least with sexual sin and wrath, you hear these things challenged from time to time. But gluttony, it is the forgotten sin.

List of References

---

[1] Chaucer, Geoffrey .. The Canterbury Tales: FREE Hamlet By William Shakespeare (JKL Classics - Active TOC, Active Footnotes ,Illustrated) (p. 257). JKL Classics. Kindle Edition.

[2] Ibid (pp. 257-258).

Is Your Faith In Trouble?

 

“10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.”

Psalm 147:10-11, NKJV.

I am old enough to remember Christians saying that the Iron Dome was not simply a brilliant piece of tech, but the hand of the sovereign God over Israel. I remember this being a common belief in the Baptist and Charismatic circles I grew up in. I have even seen memes in recent years likening the iron dome to the hand of God in the sky knocking away missiles. Yet now we see it failing, and failing badly.

This image above is tragic, because the leaders of these two countries have led each of their peoples to destruction. This image represents missile strikes hitting the small country of Israel, launched by Iran.

I want to ask those who up until recently called this iron dome the hand of God in the sky, are you self-reflective enough in your faith to admit that the supernatural claim of the iron dome was always a lie? Are you self-reflective enough to acknowledge that it was really just a piece of clever tech that took care of mostly poor-quality rockets, but was never really tested before last year? And that it is now being shown to have been just that all along?

It was numerous claims like this, that I saw Christians making about this tiny country, that caused me to change my mind about the supernatural state of modern Israel. They called many things miracles, that were obviously not that at all. The things they called miracles could often simply be explained by the fact that Israel was supported by the most powerful nations in the world, first Britain, then the Soviet Union, and then the United States. This caused me to re-evaluate the claims of many Christians on this issue.

Are you willing to do that? If that is your belief? Are you willing to examine your claims about this tiny nation being a supernatural evidence of God in this world?

I bring this up, because we might see the colony of Israel fail in our day, or at the very least, we might see it become a lot more precarious. We don’t want that to happen, as that would be a disaster, yet wars can bring disaster. While some Christians ludicrously claim that Netanyahu is trying to liberate Iran, what is really happening, is that two nations, who both believe they should have pre-eminence in the Middle East, are now in open war, and both are seeking to crush the other, and weaken their ability to project in the region. Maybe this will end in another stalemate, like last year? Maybe it will end in both destroying each other? Maybe one will achieve total victory? Maybe one will achieve victory at a great cost? None of us can predict how this will finally settle.

But we don’t need to either. Whatever comes of this war, we can already say that many supernatural claims about Israel are being shattered right now. And so the prophecy chasers are seeking to reframe the supernatural claims.

This is important because many Christians see the country called Israel as a linchpin of their faith, as the physical manifestation of the Bible today. But it is not. It is simply a human nation, built for human reasons, in an unstable area. Like any other nation it has strengths and weaknesses. Whether it stands or falls, Christianity is not based on that, is not exemplified by it, and this nation has no bearing on it. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, and it exists wherever his gospel is being proclaimed.

This might become an important assertion for some people in coming days.

I don't celebrate this war. I think it is tragic that bad theology, bad policy, bad ideology and more has led to this point. But here we are. Pray that this war ends as quickly as possible, and there is as little destruction as possible. And pray for the innocent who are continually caught in the middle of these never ending wars.  

I would also like to share the perspective here of Dr Chadi Youssef, who commented on my post about this on social media. I have reproduced Dr Youssef’s comment here in full, with permission, as I think it speaks to this issue very well:

“Your piece Matthew is landing on something real that a lot of Christians won’t face until their theology is forced to collide with reality: we confused providence with endorsement, and we turned a defence system into a sacrament.

A hard truth for the Church: calling the Iron Dome “the hand of God” was not faith — it was category confusion. God can be merciful in restraint, yes. God can preserve life, yes. But Scripture never teaches us to identify a weapons system with divine favour, as if engineering equals election and interception equals righteousness. That logic is closer to idolatry than to biblical discernment, because it turns military capability into a spiritual badge. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses” isn’t a cute verse; it’s a warning (Psalm 20:7). If we trained ourselves to see technology as “proof God is on our side,” then the moment the system bleeds, our faith bleeds with it — because we tied our doctrine to a dome instead of to Christ.

And the deeper issue is this: the Bible’s moral architecture does not allow the modern shortcut so many prophecy-chasers took. In the prophets, election is not immunity; it is accountability. The more sacred the claim, the more severe the judgment when injustice is done under God’s name. That’s why Ezekiel speaks of God’s name being profaned among the nations (Ezek 36:20–23). That’s why Jeremiah mocks slogan-faith (“Temple of the Lord!”) when the vulnerable are being crushed (Jer 7:4–7). That’s why Amos says God judges His own people precisely because of covenant (Amos 3:2). So when Christians call state survival “miracle” while ignoring justice, bloodguilt, and the treatment of the stranger, they are not reading the Bible — they’re using Bible words to bless a political project.

This image you shared—covered with strike markers—is not “prophecy content.” It’s the fruit of leaders and systems dragging whole populations into escalation. It is tragedy, not spectacle. And it exposes another lie: the lie that history has no recoil. When two nations believe they must have pre-eminence in the corridor, they will keep tightening the corridor until ordinary people cannot breathe. That’s not mystical — it’s corridor physics. The Levant is one hinge-land: what ignites in one part locks movement everywhere. That’s why we keep seeing skies close, routes reroute, insurance spike, supply chains stall, and civilians pay first.

So yes — your fright: many supernatural claims are being shattered. But here’s the more important point: if your faith collapses because the modern state of Israel is vulnerable, then your faith was never anchored where the New Testament anchors it. Christianity is not “verified” by any nation-state’s military dominance. The Church is not commissioned to treat any flag as the Bible’s physical manifestation. The cornerstone is Christ, not a state, and not a defence system.

And this is where the Bible’s end-horizon corrects both sides. The prophetic vision is not “one tribe wins forever by power.” Isaiah 19 gives the opposite horizon: a healed corridor—Egypt, Assyria-space (the northern arc that includes Syria/Aram in the biblical imagination), and Israel reconciled under God’s blessing, with a highway running through former enemies (Isaiah 19:23–25). That’s the real “highway” logic: not conquest-talk, not sanctified violence, not propaganda—repentance, justice, humility, reconciliation under Messiah. Until that moral centre returns, every “miracle narrative” that baptises weapons will only train Christians to become blind, tribal, and easily manipulated.

I don’t celebrate war. I fear God. And I’m saying to the Church: repent of using God’s name as a political stamp; stop calling technology “miracle” when it suits you; stop making modern Israel the linchpin of your faith; and return to the actual biblical spine—justice, mercy, humility, and Christ as King over the corridor.”

As someone else noted as well, “This is literally a real-world lesson in real time on the danger of false prophecy.” This is precisely correct.

I sympathize with the Jewish people’s desire for a homeland. I have noted that many times in my writings over the years. What I do not stand with, though, is the attaching of this with apocalyptic ideologies of a pseudo-Christian end times view, that has been pushing the nations of the Middle East towards greater and greater confrontation. Many of these bad apocalyptic ideas see these confrontations as necessary for prophecy to be fulfilled, and some who hold these ideas have managed to have strong influence in high places. But what Christians should have been doing instead was treating the Middle East as a mission field, not a proving ground for apocalyptic speculations.

Many Christians have identified their faith with the constitution of the nation state of Israel in the 20^th century. As a pastor I expect that many of those people would be having their faith challenged by current events in the region. They were taught a prophetic timetable, that is supposed to unfold in a certain way, but as this timetable increasingly comes to be revealed as false, this will cause many to question what they have been taught. I hope these Christians are self-reflective enough to note that eschatology was never meant to be made central to their faith in the first.  

Our faith is centred in the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and we can see the evidence of his work through his Church in this world, and in many other ways. He is real and truly at work. We should be very hesitant though to use the hardest parts of the bible, end times passages, as linchpins in our faith. The church has long disagreed over how those passages will precisely be fulfilled. There is good reason for that.  

Israel Gets Its War

 

It makes me really upset to think about how much of our prosperity and way of life is impacted by selfish people in the Middle East who can't stop fighting. And by fools in the West who want to tie themselves to one side or another. 

Of course, as much as it effects us, our Christian brethren in the Middle East cop it far worse. And there are tonnes of ordinary people in the Middle East, of all faiths and yes I meant that, who would like this to stop as well. 

We were told there would be wars and rumours of wars. But never forget what is the cause of these wars: 

"1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:1-2).

The warmongers have got their war. Now we all have to wait and see what the fallout will be. 

Many Christians Take Church For Granted

 

I think it is important to remember that many of the people we consider to be Christian heroes, and who actually are Christian heroes, were often considered troublemakers by the "respectable" Christians of their time. One thing these respectable Christians accused these people of being is "enthusiasts".

John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's Progress is a great example of one of these “enthusiasts”.

John Bunyan was imprisoned for twelve years due to his refusal to stop preaching as a nonconformist, which was illegal under the laws of his time. Bunyan, was a Baptist preacher, and he was arrested in 1660 under the Conventicle Act, which prohibited religious gatherings outside the Church of England. This law was part of a broader effort to suppress nonconformist movements, which were viewed with suspicion by the authorities, especially after the Restoration of the monarchy under Charles II. Bunyan's meetings were seen as a potential threat to the stability of the kingdom, as nonconformists were often associated with revolutionary sentiments; like the idea that Jesus was the head of the Church and the Scripture alone should dictate our teaching.

During his trial, Bunyan was accused of "persistent and willful transgression" of the Conventicle Act. He openly admitted to conducting religious services outside the established church, stating, "I have never attended services in the Church of England, nor do I intend ever to do so". His refusal to conform to the established church's practices and his commitment to preaching led to his conviction. The magistrates sentenced him to three months in prison, with the threat of further punishment if he continued to preach after his release.

Which he did. He was dedicated to preaching the gospel and he was willing to suffer for it.

I think the stage is being set for us to learn the hard way not to squander the liberties our forefathers earnt for us, by their faithful witness to the gospel. Society is turning in a direction where people who hold long cherished and practiced Christian beliefs are being seen as anti-social. Society is beginning to move closer to the kind of autocracy that Bunyan lived under, where dissent was not tolerated, or at least barely tolerated.

People take our current liberties for granted. They take church for granted. They take Christian fellowship for granted, ranking it often under kids sport, and other activities. What else would God do, but in his kindness remind us why it is so important to take our faith seriously?