Today’s sermon audio can be found on Castbox at 181 “The Promised Spirit” Galatians 3:13-14. This post contains my sermon notes; it is not a manuscript or transcript of the sermon. Our first reading for November 1st was John 7:37-39. Our text for November 1st was Galatians 3:13-14. We read the verses from John 7:37-39 because both passages discuss receiving the Holy Spirit. We very briefly considered verses 13-14 September 27th but it seemed useful to give these two verses further attention.

Today's First Reading

37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39, ESV 1

Today's Text

10For 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.” 11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13Christ 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”— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:10-14, ESV

Sermon Outline

"The Promised Spirit" Galatians 3:13-14

  1. Early Protestant Pneumatology
  2. The Atonement (13)
  3. The Spirit (14)
  4. The Holy Spirit in Galatians

Scripture References: John 7:37-39; Galatians 3:10-14;

1. Early Protestant Pneumatology

Pneumatology is a subject within systematic theology that focuses on the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Godhead). I want to briefly discuss pneumatology to give us some context for the last clause of our text for today (14bso that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.).

I use the phrase early Protestant here as an adjective to designate the magisterial Reformers of the sixteenth century. You have no doubt heard of two of the most well-known magisterial Reformers, Luther and Calvin. The magisterial Reformers are described as magisterial because instead of promoting separation of church and state they sought to work with various governments to reform the church. As an aside, note that I do not agree with this level of government involvement in the church. I think it blurs the distinction between church and state in an unbiblical way. I instead believe in the separation of church and state.

But I do agree with many other important doctrines as taught by the early Protestants. These doctrines include the Protestant doctrines of Scripture, of God, and of Salvation. The early Protestant doctrine of God certainly included a significant focus on the Holy Spirit.

I want to consider the early Protestant viewpoint on the Holy Spirit for five reasons:

  1. Many of our contemporaries think that the early Protestants devalued the Holy Spirit.
  2. But the early Protestants had a very high view of the Holy Spirit.
  3. And the early Protestants emphasized the necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit
  4. And the early Protestants also emphasized the value of the ongoing ministries by the Holy Spirit.
  5. Nonetheless many Christians are shifting to more Reformed doctrinal positions that are associated with the early Protestants.

One assertion we can make about the early Protestants was that they assuredly held to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381, AD 589) gives us an ecumenical basis for discussing the Holy Spirit. That creed, often called the Nicene Creed, calls all Christians to confess:

And [we believe] in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets;

Skipping forward to the era of the early Protestants, consider what B. B. Warfield (1851-1921) wrote about John Calvin (1509-1564). Warfield called Calvin ‘the Theologian of the Holy Spirit’2. Warfield justified claiming that Calvin was the most important theologian of the Holy Spirit up to the beginning of the twentieth century as follows3:

But above all he gave to the Church the entire doctrine of the Work of the Holy Spirit, profoundly conceived and wrought out in its details, with its fruitful distinctions of common and efficacious grace, …

As we distance ourselves from Pentecostalism let us not also distance ourselves from the Holy Spirit.

With this historical theological context in mind let’s look at Paul’s use of the word Spirit in our text today. First we will look at the basis on which we can receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit (13). Then we will look at two blessings of the atonement (14). In our conclusion we will also look ahead at other places in Galatians where Paul uses this word.

2. The Atonement (13)

22“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 21:22-23, ESV

13Christ 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”— Galatians 3:13, ESV

In verse 13 Paul, quoting Deuteronomy 21:23, asserts that Christ by His crucifixion became a curse for us to redeem us (save us from our sins). Now Paul gets to the solution to the problem that all mortal humans are under a curse and therefore face eternity under the wrath of God. In verse 13 Paul clearly teaches penal substitutionary atonement. We all come under the curse by our sins. But Christ became a curse for us without having ever sinned Himself. Christ did this by willingly being crucified. That caused Him to be cursed as per Deuteronomy 21:23.

The doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement could be anchored in Galatians 3:13. Perhaps this early letter of Paul’s contributed to the early formulation of the doctrine. We could use verse 13 to define penal substitutionary atonement. The noun atonement correlates closely with the verb redeemed. The adjective penal correlates with the phrase the curse of the law. The adjective substitutionary correlates closely with the phrase by becoming a curse for us. We believe in the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement regardless of the fact that many others reject it because it is Scriptural.

‘13aChrist redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us’.
The phrase ‘Christ redeemed us’ applies to both Jews and Gentiles. The verb ‘redeemed’ here means to pay the price of freedom from sin for us. The ‘curse of the law’ is eternal, spiritual death for our sins. Jesus, as planned from eternity past, willingly went to the cross so that, among other things, He ‘became a curse for us’. Jesus took our punishment for our sins to Himself. Jesus Himself never sinned. So His righteousness is acceptable to God. For us who have savingly believed God does the following (and much else): (1) God imputes our sins to Christ; (2) God imputes Christ’s righteousness to us.

‘13b—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—’.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23, which Paul quotes here, originally addressed what had to be done with the corpse of a criminal who had earlier in the day been executed and then subsequently ‘hanged on a tree’. In Israel the corpse had to be buried on the same day as the execution and subsequent display ‘on a tree’. Evidently, once rabbis became aware of Roman crucifixion the same principle was applied to it; The body had to be removed and buried that same day. The Romans had no such qualms but respected Jewish regulations when Christ was crucified. Moses wrote that ‘a hanged man is cursed by God’. Of course this was all part of the plan of redemption that the Trinity had agreed to before the creation of the universe.

That ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us’ is a crucial aspect of the Gospel.

Now we will look at two blessings of the atonement (14).

3. The Spirit (14)

14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:14, ESV

In verse 14 Paul asserts that in Christ Jesus true believers receive two blessings: the justification that Abraham had long before received and furthermore now true believers also receive the indwelling promised Holy Spirit.

Paul has already written in Galatians 3:8-9 ‘8And 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.” 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.’ In verse 8 Paul is correlating the justification of the Gentiles by faith with the blessing of all of the nations. That is one reason why we can assert that 14a refers to justification in the phrase ‘the blessing of Abraham.

In verse 14 Paul uses ‘so that’ twice. The phrase could mean ‘in order that’. Moo describes these two clauses as both “‘purpose’ clauses” and “result” clauses4. These two blessings, justification and the promised Spirit, are two of the purposes of the atonement and they are a direct result of the atonement. In other words,the fact that ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us’ leads to both of these blessings. We receive the blessing that Abraham received and the promised Holy Spirit:
(1) on the basis of Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement for us on the cross and
(2) by means of the gift of faith God gives us.

‘14aso that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles,’.
‘14bso that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.’.
In 14a Paul uses the prepositional phrase in Christ Jesus. And in 14b Paul uses the prepositional phrase through faith. It is in Christ Jesus that one receives justification. Christ Jesus is the spiritual location in which one receives justification. Theologians often equate, correctly, being in Christ Jesus with union with Christ Jesus. But we also know that one is justified through faith. And Paul here tells us that we receive the promised Spirit through faith as well.

We should note that Paul is not explicitly referring to regeneration here in 14b. Perhaps regeneration is implied by the phrase in Christ Jesus. We know that it is the Holy Spirit who causes us to be born again (regenerated) per John 3. But faith is caused by regeneration rather than vice versa. So here in 14b Paul is focused on the post-regeneration ministries and work of the Holy Spirit. These ministries and work are received in Christ Jesus and through faith.

Jesus, by His sinless life, by His atoning death, by His vindicating resurrection, by His whole sinless conception, birth, life, death, resurrection, appearances, ascension, intercession, and His sending of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us through faith to receive the many blessings of God.

Now let’s consider some details of receiving the promised Spirit according to Paul in his letter to the Galatians.

4. The Holy Spirit in Galatians

Paul gives us extensive insight into the new era of the Holy Spirit in Galatians. Consider the following references to the Holy Spirit as well as one reference to the human spirit. Paul also uses an adjective, spiritual, to describe a mature Christian as one who walk[s] by the Spirit. Below I have restated some of Paul’s rhetorical questions as assertions since Paul’s expected answers are easy to determine.

  • 3:1-5; (2,3,5) the beginning of the theological section of the letter
    • 3:2: The Galatians received the Holy Spirit by hearing with faith.
    • 3:3: The Galatians had begun the Christian life by the Spirit.
      • They could not possibly be perfected by their own works.
    • 3:5: God supplies the Spirit to all believers by hearing with faith
      • God does not suppl[y] the Spirit to to any believer by works of the law.
  • 3:13-14 (14)
    • 3:14: Because of the atonement all believers receive the promised Spirit through faith.
  • 4:1-6; (6)
    • 4:6: All true believers have receive[d] adoption as sons [and daughters].
      • And because we are sons [and daughters],
      • God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”.
  • 4:21-31; (29)
    • 4:29: All true believers have been born according to the Spirit.
  • 5:1-26; (5, 16, 17 2x, 18, 22, 25) the beginning of the ethical section of the letter
    • 5:5: through the Spirt, by faith,
      • we true believers eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
    • 5:16: Paul commands us to walk by the Spirit to avoid gratifying the desires of the flesh.
    • 5:17: the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are opposed to each other.
    • 5:18: if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
    • 5:22: Paul gives us a list of characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.
    • 5:25: Paul gives another command:
      • If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
  • 6:1-5; (1, spiritual)
    • 6:1: Paul commands the mature (spiritual) believers
      • to restore anyone caught in any transgression.
  • 6:6-10; (8 2x)
    • 6:8: We ought to sow to the Spirit so that we will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
  • 6:18; (human spirit)
    • 6:18: Paul concludes with a blessing applied to the human spirit of each brother and sister.

Because of the atonement all believers receive the promised Spirit through faith. Since God has given us this faith we have, as true believers, receive[d] the promised Spirit. We should act accordingly.

The Gospel

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 1 Corinthians 15:3-10, ESV

Footnotes

© 2026 Christian Life Church.

  1. ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ©2011 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ↩

  2. B. B. Warfield, John Calvin: The Man and His Work, The Methodist Review, 1909: “[We should] give [John Calvin] a place by the side of Augustine and Anselm and Luther, as the Theologian of the Holy Spirit, as they were respectively the Theologian of Grace, of the Atonement, and of Justification.” ↩

  3. ibid. ↩

  4. Douglas Moo, Galatians, BECNT, 2013, kp 357. ↩