Classic Christianity – Children of Promise – Part 1 – 11-02-26
~ Galatians 3:24 — “So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Bob George’s message contrasts the law with God’s grace. He teaches that the law cannot give people life or make them righteous; instead, it reveals humanity’s spiritual need and points people toward Christ. Like a mirror that shows dirt but cannot wash it away, the law identifies the problem, while Jesus is the one who brings cleansing and life.
Bob emphasizes that eternal life is found in Jesus, and that faith in Christ brings a person out from under the law’s supervision. He describes believers as identified with Christ and clothed in His righteousness—not relying on their own. Through the Holy Spirit, they are made children of God and heirs, able to approach Him as “Abba, Father.”
He also highlights unity among believers: in Christ, distinctions such as HEBREW and Greek, slave and free, and male and female do not divide the body. Bob presents redemption as God’s gift through Jesus and says the Spirit’s presence assures believers of their relationship with God.
Finally, Bob cautions against letting religious rules, calendars, or church activity become substitutes for a relationship with Jesus. He describes Sabbath observance as a shadow pointing to the rest found in Christ, and urges listeners to depend on God rather than pridefully insisting on doing things their own way.
Here are the Scripture passages Bob quoted, referenced, or clearly alluded to. Some were paraphrased rather than quoted verbatim.
Matthew 11:28–29 — Jesus’ invitation to the weary to come to Him for rest.
Galatians 3:21–29 — The law and God’s promises; the law as a guardian leading to Christ; being justified by faith, baptized into Christ, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 4:1–11 — The heir who is still a child, Christ redeeming those under the law, believers receiving the Spirit and sonship, and the warning against returning to religious observances.
Romans 8:1–2 — No condemnation for those in Christ and freedom through the law of the Spirit of life.
Romans 6:23 — The wages of sin is death.
1 John 5:11–13 — God’s testimony that eternal life is in His Son, and that believers can know they have eternal life.
James 2:19 — The reference to demons believing that God exists and trembling.
John 1:12, 17 — Receiving Christ and becoming children of God; the law coming through Moses and grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:2 — Israel being “baptized into Moses.”
Romans 3:10 — “There is none righteous, no, not one.”
Romans 8:9, 15–17 — The Spirit dwelling in believers, crying “Abba, Father,” and believers as God’s children and heirs.
2 Peter 1:3 — God providing what is needed for life and godliness.
1 John 4:10, 19 — God’s initiating love and believers responding to it.
James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 3:34 — God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud.
Romans 10:13 — Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Colossians 2:16–17 — Religious festivals, food and drink, and Sabbath days as shadows pointing to Christ.
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Pray to God:
Do you really want to know the WHOLE Truth of what is going on today?
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Lord Jesus, teach me the truth of the world today and give me the wisdom to know the truth and identify the lies of the devil. Thank you God.”
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Announcer 0:13
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.
Bob George 0:29
Turn to Galatians four. As we concluded chapter three, he’s talking about the fact of the difference between the law and the grace of God in which we now live. Now, in verse 23 of chapter three, if you go back there in your Bibles, before this faith came, go back to 21. Is the law opposed to the promises of God? You have the promise of God, and then you have the law of God. Absolutely not. It’s not opposed to it. But if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would have come by the law. But no man will ever be made alive in the sight of God through the law, because the law came to show you your death. The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ may be given to all who believe. Now, before this faith came, before you exercise faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you were held prisoners by the law. The law had you locked up until faith should be revealed. So you and I are born into this world under the law, locked up under the law, and under the wages of sin under the law, which is what death. You were not born alive spiritually; you were born dead spiritually, and the only solution to death is life. And so, life is through Jesus. So, until this faith in Jesus came. We were held prisoners under the law of the wages of sin, which is death. Now, in Romans, Paul says that there’s no condemnation awaiting you who belong to Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life sets you free from what the law of sin and death. So, all of us are under the law of sin and death, we’re born under the law of sin and death. No one is born alive, dead. We’re born under the law, so God never sends someone to eternal death. We just remain eternally dead when we refuse to accept life that is offered to us in Christ Jesus, and so before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until until faith should be revealed. And folks, when you see an until, that’s always before and after. You were under this until you were single until you became married, and so we have to understand that that it is a total contrast. So you were a prisoner by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. Faith in who? In Jesus. Now, folks, we say I believe in God, and I say fantastic. Now let me give you what God’s testimony is about His Son. If you say I believe in God, I agree with you. That’s nice, but of course it says in the Scripture even Satan believes in God and shudders at the thought of Him. So that’s no big deal. You got to believe if you say I believe in God, then He gave a testimony about His Son, and if we’re going to believe in God, then we’re going to have to believe in his testimony, and if we don’t believe in his testimony, then we don’t believe in God. So this is the testimony that God gave us in regard to His Son, that God has given you eternal life, and this life is in His Son. And he who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life, and these things I have written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may what know that you have what eternal life. Now that’s the testimony of God. So you say I believe in God that your God is my God, my God’s yours. Great. Then let’s see what His testimony is, and his testimony is that God has given us eternal life in His Son Jesus Christ. And if you do not come to Him for life, you remain dead. The wrath of God does not come upon you. The wrath of God remains upon you. And so you condemn yourself to hell. You’re not sent there. You just remain there. Why? Through the refusal of life. Now, religion will not give you life. Being a Baptist won’t give you life.
Being a Catholic won’t give you life. Being a Buddhist won’t give you life. There’s only one source of life available to the entire world. HEBREW, Gentile, slave and free, and that is Jesus. He is the source of eternal life. There is no eternal life apart from Jesus. He is eternal life, and unless you think you’re born with it, you better get it. And where you go to get it is the only place it’s there to get, and that’s in Him, not in anything or any place else except in Him. That’s God’s testimony concerning His Son. Now they say, “Well, then, what in the world was the law for?” Well, verse 24: the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ. What is the law there for? It’s a leader to do what, so that we can be justified by faith through the law? No, through Jesus. The law is there to lead you to Christ to show you what? Who’s Christ? Life. What does the law do? Show you you’re dead. The purpose of the law is to show you you’re dead. The wages of sin is what death. The law has to show that to you. You’re dead as a hammer. We’re born into this world dead as a hammer, and the only thing that you need is life, and the only life available to us is Christ Jesus. And so he says, now that faith has come, now that you have exercised faith in the only source of life available to any man on this earth, you are no longer under the supervision of the law. You’re no longer under the law. The law did its work. The law is a mirror. What’s a mirror for? To wash your face in? What’s the purpose of a mirror? Show your face is dirty, or is an instrument to wash your face in it? It’s to show your face is dirty. Can the mirror wash your face? Can it cleanse it? Can it do anything except show you you’re dirty? And the law and the mirror’s done its work. You turn around, you hear a tap on your shoulder, and you look around, and there’s Jesus. And he says, “Bob, what the mirror show you?” I said, “My face was dirty.” He said, “Who do you want cleansed?” Yes, I do. Then I’ll cleanse you. Now the mirror has done its work, and Jesus has done its work. And so the purpose of the law is not to live under the supervision of the law, because no man can live under the supervision of the law. Why? Because the power of sin is in the law. So if you’re going to live under the supervision of the law, you’re going to live under the power of sin under the law, so you’re no longer under that. You’re now under the supervision of a living God called the Holy Spirit of God, who lives in you, who desires to live His life through you, to teach your mind, to control your emotions, and direct your will. You have a teacher living in you. He’s called the Counselor. Doesn’t charge 100 bucks an hour. He’s a counselor. What’s a counselor do? Give you advice. That’s the role of a counselor to give you advice. What’s the role of the Holy Spirit living in you? To give you advice. I wish I would have listened to his advice a few months ago when he was saying sell your stock. He was telling me that I didn’t listen. Now, everyone who is in Christ Jesus, who has come to him by faith, are sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Look at that verse 26. You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. Now that is not water baptism; that is identification. They’re not talking about dunking someone in water. You’re talking about you have been identified with Christ. Remember in the scripture it says they were baptized into Moses. What were they doing? Dunking him, getting dunked into him. You are identified with Moses.
If you were living back in the days of the giant and David, you were going to be baptized into either David or the giant, because the result of that war depended on whether you were going to live free or whether you were going to be in bondage. Whoever won that war, and so you are identified with with David to the point that whatever happened to him happened to you. Do you understand that? Whatever happened to David is going to happen to you. Whatever happened to the giant is going to happen to you. And so you are identified with Christ Jesus, and to all who are are clothed themselves with Christ. It says in the Scripture that you and I are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now, what does that mean? When God looks at you, whose righteousness does He see? He sees Jesus. Do you have any righteousness of your own? It says in the Scripture, there’s an unrighteous, no, not one. Now again, I ask you: Do you have any righteousness of your own? Whose righteousness do you possess? His. And apart from his righteousness, how much do you have? None. But with him, how much do you have? Everything. And so you’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Now, in Christ Jesus, there is neither HEBREW or Greek, or slave or free, or male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now, what does that tell us? In Christ Jesus, there’s no HEBREW or Gentile, because in Christ Jesus, what have you been made? You’ve been made one in Christ Jesus. You’ve been baptized into the body of Christ, have you not? Now, in the body, who’s the head? Christ Jesus. So let’s say over here, all of you were HEBREWS by physical birth, and all you were Gentiles by physical birth, and now you’ve all come to Christ. What are you? You could just, you could just get together, and there’s no difference. It’s not HEBREW or Gentile, slave or free. You’re all one. That’s why I have a problem with Messianic ___, because I’m a Messianic Gentile, and I do not believe that God meant for all the ____ to get together and worship Jesus, and all the Gentiles to get together, or for all the women to get together and all the men to get together, as it is in some areas where the women sit on one side and the men on the other. But he means for us to be one. We have been made into one new body. There is no black, white, slave, free, none of that. You were brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, and there’s no difference in any of us. We’re part of the body, and He is the head. Now that’s what He’s talking about. There’s neither HEBREW or Greek, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ. If you belong to Christ, you are there. Then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. Now I’m in Christ, and therefore I’m an heir. Now what does that mean? Does that mean an heir head, or what does that what does it mean that you’re an heir? Yeah, that everything that Christ has we’ve inherited. Now is that good news? Okay, now we’re ready for Galatians four. What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he’s no different from a slave. Although he owns the whole estate, in other words, the father has it, you’re going to get it. But while you’re a kid, you’re not treated as an owner. Why you don’t have enough sense to be one? You’re a child. You need to grow up, so you’re no longer you’re you’re no you’re no longer treated, or you’re not treated as an heir, even though you are. But you’re treated as a child, and therefore you’re no different than a slave. Although he owns the whole estate, he’s subject to guardians and trustees. Now here’s that until the time set for the father. So, as a child, are you subject to your parents, and in those particular case, guardians or trustees? Yes. Why? Because you’re a child. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. In other words, you were under those rules and regulations of the world.
You’re a child, and as long as you’re a child, you need instruction. You can’t go out and turn a child loose to think that they’re going to function like you do when you get to be older. Now it says, but when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, under the law. Was Jesus born under the law? Did He teach under the law? Did He proclaim grace? But had grace been given yet in its fullness? Was grace there? Yeah, grace was there. Grace was in the Garden of Eden, so is the law, but it wasn’t called the law or the grace.
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Bob George 14:25
Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through who? Jesus Christ. Now, when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman under the law, to redeem those under the law. How come? So that we might receive the full rights as sons. Now, when you redeem something, what do you do? When something has been redeemed, how many of you remember redemption sinners? Remember those? What’d you do with those? Well, you save green stamps. You couldn buy. A candy bar with a green with green stamps. You go to the theater and give them some green stamps. They’d laugh you away from the window. But in a redemption store, you could get a toaster, or you could get some other things, couldn’t you? So you turned in these worthless green stamps that were worthless to anyone except the redemption store, and you got a toaster. Now here, when the time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive full rights as sons. What is that? It’s called the exchange of life. I give him everything that I am, just a just a green stamp, and he gives me everything that he is, and that’s God. I turn myself in as a son; he gives me the right to become a son of God. I turn myself in as an empty jar; he fills it with his life and his righteousness, and gives it back to me. It’s redemption. Now, all of that took place, and all of that was the time had fully come. Now, when the time had fully come was what? When Jesus came. Until that, we were locked up under the law. Until Jesus came. Now, because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out Abba, Father? Now, what does that tell us? What does that tell us about our spiritual birth? We are made sons of God to as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become what? A son of the living God. Now, how did we become one of those? The Spirit of God came to live within us. Remember what it says: that the Spirit of God lives in you, and if the Spirit of God does not live in you, you don’t belong to Him. So, what are you born again of? The Spirit. You’re born again of the Spirit of God. That means the Spirit of God from outside of you comes to take place inside of you, and you’re born. Birth is life. You’re born again. You’ve been born physically, now you’re born spiritually, and that cannot happen apart from the Spirit of God. So this thing that some people teach that you’re born again yesterday and then you get the Spirit tomorrow is a total, not only impossibility, but it’s a perversion of the gospel, because there’s no way to be born again apart from the Spirit, so if you don’t have the Spirit, you’re not born again, and so you don’t get the Spirit here, then get another one tomorrow. You’re born again of the Spirit of God, and at that moment you are given the right to become a child of the Living God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. All of that takes place at that time. Now, because you are sons, and the Spirit of God lives in your heart, that Spirit of God living in you has a testimony, and it says this is the testimony we just talked about it that God has given, and it says if this testimony is in your heart, you’re going to be agreeing with this that you’re a son of God. You’re going to be agreeing that you have eternal life. If the spirit lives in you, the spirit can’t war against itself, and the spirit testifies to the fact that you’re a child of God and you possess eternal life. And it says, because you’re a son of God, you cry out, “Abba, Father.” What does that tell you? When you’re possessed by the spirit, you know something. God’s my Father. I’m a son, I’m plugged into the God of this universe. I’m His kid, and I can cry out, “Abba,” which is the word “daddy,” father. He said, “This is God.
You ought to, you know, you ought to say thee and thou.” He says, “He’s daddy. It’s daddy. It’s like ___ ____ going into the office of his dad, of his president _______, roaming around while they were talking about the conflict. He’d say, “Kid, that’s the president of the United States, and he’s my daddy,” and I call him daddy. And that’s what it says to us that we can approach the throne of grace, calling him Abba Father, Daddy Father, and receiving mercy in our time of need, that’s what God has done for you and me. He’s made us His child. Who, anybody on the earth that turns to Him by faith, HEBREW, Gentile, slave, free, woman, man, makes no difference. To whosoever comes to Him, He saves. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be what saved. What’s the only thing that keeps you from being saved? Not calling upon the name of the Lord. That’s all. Just saying, I’m going to do it my way. Just like _______, do it my way. And God says, I gave you a will. People ask the question, “How does God allow these things to happen?” Because He gave man a will. He could have made you and me as a robot. He could have made us as a puppet. He chose to give us a will, so that I could choose to be loved by God and to love God. And whenever you give a man a will, there’s a danger to it, and that is that man isn’t going to choose to walk in dependency upon his Creator. I’m going to choose to do it alone. I’m going to choose my own way. I don’t like you as God. I’m going to get me another one. I’m going to get another one. I don’t like what you testified about your son, I’m going to get another thing to worship, and that is exactly what takes place in the heart of a man. You know what that is, folks? It’s called pride, and do you know what pride is? It’s P-R with an I, right big in the middle of it. It’s the big I. And God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud. Why does He resist the proud because the proud is resisting him, and so we have an opportunity on the face of this earth to come and to learn the testimony of God concerning His Son, and to turn to that Son, and to receive life, and our own stubborn pride many times keeps us from us. We say, “I’d rather do it alone. I want to be the maker of my own destiny. I’m in control. You ever lived that way? I did for 36 years. That’s the way I lived. I’ll do it my way. I don’t need God. I can go to Sunday. I go to Sunday to talk about Him. Put $1 in the plate. But do I know Him? No, I don’t know Him. Didn’t know Him till I was 36. Then it came to know him, not know about him, but to know him. Now it says, verse seven: You’re no longer a slave, but a son. And since you’re a son, God has made you also an heir. That we are an heir of all that God has provided for us. Now, how much has God given us? Everything that we need for life and godliness. That’s a pretty good inheritance, isn’t it? He didn’t even divide it up. He just said to every one of you, “It’s 100%. I’ve given you everything you need for life and godliness.” Now it says formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who, by nature, are not gods, and in many instances, that would be slaves to your religious leaders who don’t know the Lord, or to your political leaders who don’t know it. You were slaves to them. But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, I love that distinction. What does it say? It’s not that we love God, but what? He loved us first. Does anyone ever initiate love to God? No, only respond. And remember, guys, we are not initiators; we are responders. God is the initiator of all things. We are the responder to what He initiated. He initiated His love towards you and me, what do we do?
We respond to it, and so it says that now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you’re turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You’re observing special days and months and seasons and years. I fear that somehow I’ve wasted my efforts on you. You were talking to a group of people who were bog down in all kinds of tradition, and all kinds of holidays, and everything was tradition. And then they came to Christ, and he’s saying, “Why are you now returning back to those traditions? What did it say about those kind of things? Turn with me to Colossians for a moment. Colossians 2:16. Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival. Now that’s what he’s talking about over here in Galatians, or a new moon celebration, or what? A Sabbath day. These. Now he’s named eat, drink, religious festivals, new moon celebration, or a Sabbath day. So we could take any one of those, and instead of saying these, saying it. So let’s just for a moment, because so many people are hung up on a Sabbath day. Let’s take a Sabbath day. What is a Sabbath day? It is a shadow of the things that were to come. The reality, however, is found in who? In Christ. So the Sabbath day is a shadow. The reality is Christ. Who is our Sabbath today, Christ. Who do we turn to for rest? Christ, not a day of the week, but Christ. Now, when you still are worshiping the day of a week, and people say, “Oh, you got to worship the Sabbath is Saturday,” no, the Sabbath is Sunday, and you say, “No, the Sabbath is Jesus. He’s the Lord of the Sabbath. There is no more day of the week. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. That was a shadow foreshadowing the reality that was to come in Christ. What was the purpose of the of the Sabbath? To do what? Rest. What did Christ come to give us? Rest. What a day of the week? Seven days a week, we rest in Him. Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I’ll give you rest and peace for your soul. It’s not a day of the week; it’s every day of the week, and we get all hung up on what day you come to sit in the pew and go home and smell, folks. All that stuff is foreshadowing. Christ is the Sabbath; he’s the Lord of the Sabbath. Now let’s go back to where we were. You’re observing these spatial days. We just talked about that: months and seasons and years, nothing wrong with those, but they become a substitute for Jesus. And anything that God can bless as a supplement, He’ll curse as a substitute. And we make supplements to Jesus, and before long, they’re substitutes for Jesus. And instead of looking at going to church as a supplement to your faith, it becomes a substitute for your faith, and you hear people. That’s all they talk about: it’s church, church, church, church, church. And you go to lunch with people, and all they talk about church, church, church, church, church, church, church, church, church, and you want to throw up after a while. You say, “Where’s Jesus in all this? What has happened? Church became a substitute for Jesus, not a supplement to, but a substitute for. And if you’re going to talk about something, talk about Him. He’s the reality, not your church. And that’s sometimes that’s all you hear. And where I used to go, you went to lunch, brother. You’re going to talk about church. That’s all, just church. Never Jesus, just church. Become preoccupied with your body instead of your head. We do that too, don’t we? Get a good-looking body and don’t have a thing in our brain. God is saying to us, “I gave you the Holy Spirit for you to think. I came to give you instruction. I came to teach your mind to control your emotions and direct your will, and that’s what I’m there for.”
Announcer
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord. Find more information online at BobGeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs, and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help, that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.