June 15, 2025 – Galatians 2:15 – 3:9

Lesson Date: June 15, 2025

Focal Scripture Passage: Galatians 2:15 – 3:9

AIM: To lead students to recognize that salvation is only available through faith in Jesus Christ, and to encourage them to trust Jesus alone for salvation and tell others how they can be saved.

 

Before class: Read the notes on Galatians 2:15 – 3:9 found in the Sunday School Teacher Book.

 

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Ask the students to imagine for a moment that they are in the following situation:

You are flying in an airplane that experiences complete engine failure.  The plane is sure to crash and if you remain in the plane you will certainly die.  Your only hope to be saved is to escape from the doomed plane.  When you pull out the available parachutes, however, you discover that one parachute harness is attached to a normal, fully functional parachute, but the other parachute harness is attached to a heavy anvil.  You must decide which harness to put on before jumping from the doomed airplane.

Ask: “Which harness would you put on, the one connected to a parachute or the one connected to an anvil?” (the one connected to a parachute).  Ask: “Why would you choose the parachute instead of the anvil?” (the parachute would save your life, but the anvil would mean certain death).

Tell the students that it’s not hard to make the right choice in that imaginary scenario, but in real life when facing the choice of trusting Jesus for salvation or trying to achieve salvation by trusting in good works, many people make the wrong choice.  State that sadly, many people choose the “anvil” of good works, which will certainly lead to death and hell.

Tell the class the title of today’s lesson is Can Good Works Save You?  Tell them the scripture we will study this morning makes it abundantly clear that salvation is only available through faith in Jesus Christ.

 

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1. Review.
   • Remind the class that we are studying the New Testament book of Galatians.
   • Ask: “What was last week’s lesson about?” (A Transformed Life; we learned how Paul’s life was transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ, and examined ourselves to see if we have experienced a similar transformation).
   • Ask: “Did any of you get to tell someone this week how Jesus has transformed your life?”
   • Ask if any volunteer would recite last week’s memory verse (Galatians 2:20), which we will study in today’s lesson.
2. Justification Comes by Faith, Not Works.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Galatians 2:15-18.
   • Explain that the word justified means being declared just and righteous in God’s sight, just as if we had never sinned; it is another Bible word for salvation.
   • Ask: “According to the first phrase of verse 16, can people be justified by doing the works of the Law?” (no).
   • Ask: “How does the next phrase say we can be justified?” (by faith in Jesus Christ).
   • Ask: “What does the next phrase say Paul and those with him had done?” (believed in Jesus Christ).
   • Ask: “What does the next phrase say is the result of believing (trusting) in Jesus?” (being justified by faith and not by works).
   • Ask: “What is the summary statement at the end of verse 16?” (no one can be justified by doing good works).
   • Tell the students that this verse answers the question that is the title of the lesson (Can Good Works Save You?): no one can be saved by doing good works.
   • Explain that many people believe if their supposed “good” works outweigh their bad works (sins), then they will go to heaven when they die, but verse 16 proves that is not true.
   • Ask: “If we can’t be saved (justified) by doing good works, then how can we be saved?” (by turning from our sins and trusting Jesus Christ to save us).
   • Tell the class that Romans 3:24 says, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
   • Summarize: The Bible makes it clear that justification (salvation) comes by faith, not works.
3. New Life Comes by Faith, Not Works.
   • Read Galatians 2:19-21.
   • Ask: “What’s the first thing Paul said about himself in verse 20?” (he was crucified with Christ).
   • Explain that Jesus died in our place, taking our sins upon Himself on the cross.
   • Tell the students that Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
   • Ask: “What’s the next thing Paul said in verse 20 about himself?” (in spite of being crucified with Christ, he was alive).
   • Ask: “What did he say about this new life?” (it comes from Jesus, who lives within us).
   • Ask: “What did he say about Jesus (the Son of God) at the end of verse 20?” (He loves us and gave His life for us).
   • Tell the class verse 20 describes the new birth and new life we receive through belief in Jesus; another word for this new life is regeneration.
   • Tell them that John 3:16 describes how we receive new life in Christ: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
   • Tell the students that in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
   • Ask: “According to Galatians 2:21, what would it mean if people could be saved (made righteous) by doing good works?” (it would mean that Christ’s death on the cross was pointless and accomplished nothing).
   • Summarize: The Bible makes it clear that new life (regeneration, being born again) comes by faith, not works.
4. The Holy Spirit Comes by Faith, Not Works.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Galatians 3:1-2.
   • Remind the class that Paul wrote this letter to new believers in Galatia because false teachers were telling them that they had to keep the Jewish Law to be saved.
   • Ask: “What did Paul ask them in verse 2?” (Did you receive the Holy Spirit by doing the works of the Law or by faith in Jesus?).
   • Explain the following:
     • As soon as a person trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within.
     • That means every genuine Christian has the Holy Spirit.
     • Romans 8:9 says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
     • The Bible makes it clear that every believer receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, and anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit living within is not saved and does not belong to Jesus.
   • Ask: “What’s the answer to Paul’s question; do we receive the Holy Spirit by doing works or by faith in Jesus?” (faith in Jesus).
   • Summarize: The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts by faith, not works.
5. Sanctification Comes by Faith, Not Works.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Galatians 3:3-5.
   • Ask: “What question did Paul ask in verse 3?” (Having received new life in the Spirit, do you think you can become perfect through doing works of flesh?).
   • Explain the following:
     • The word perfect means complete or mature.
     • When Jesus saves us we begin a new life in Christ.
     • God’s will for us is to grow more and more like Jesus for the rest of our lives.
     • The Bible word for this ongoing growth in the Christian’s life is sanctification.
     • 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.”
   • Tell the class that just as salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith, sanctification is also a gift of God working in our lives to grow us toward maturity.
   • Tell the students that Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
   • Tell them that 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
   • Summarize: The Bible makes it clear that sanctification (growing in Christlikeness) comes by faith, not works.
6. Adoption and Blessing Come by Faith, Not Works.
   • Read Galatians 3:6-9.
   • Ask: “According to verse 6, why was Abraham counted to be righteous in God’s sight?” (because he believed God).
   • Tell the class this verse is quoted from Genesis 15:6.
   • Stress the fact that Abraham was judged to be righteous because he believed God, not because he did any good works.
   • Ask: “What does verse 7 say about believers who trust God by faith?” (they are the children of Abraham).
   • Ask: “According to verse 8, what did the Old Testament scriptures foresee and foretell?” (that God would save the Gentiles [here referred to as heathen] by faith).
   • Tell the class that the end of verse 8 is quoted from Genesis 12:3, which promised that people from all nations would be blessed through Abraham’s descendant, Jesus.
   • Ask: “What does verse 9 say those who believe in Jesus receive?” (all the blessings promised to Abraham).
   • Tell the students that Romans 8:17-18 says, “¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. ¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
   • Ask: “Can adoption as children of God and the blessings of salvation be earned by doing good works?” (no).
   • Summarize: The Bible makes it clear that adoption and all the accompanying blessings of being a child of God come by faith, not works.

 

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Remind the students that the title of today’s lesson is Can Good Works Save You?  Ask: “What’s the answer to that question?” (absolutely not; no one can be saved by doing good works).  Tell them that trusting good works for salvation is as foolish as trusting a parachute harness attached to an anvil; both will certainly end in death.

Ask: “How, then, can anyone be saved?” (by placing their faith in Jesus Christ).  Tell the class that Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Stress the fact that salvation is only available through faith in Jesus Christ.  Tell the students the only way to experience justification, new life, the indwelling Holy Spirit, sanctification, and the adoption and blessings of being a child of God is to repent of their sins and place their faith and trust for now and all eternity in Jesus Christ.

Ask: “Have you done that?”  Ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes.  Ask: “Be honest with yourself, are you trusting Jesus or your supposed good works to get you to heaven?”  Tell them if they have never placed their faith in Jesus to silently confess and turn from their sins and accept God’s free gift of salvation by faith right now.  Allow a moment for silent prayer, and then voice a closing prayer.

 

CONCLUSION: Ask everyone to memorize Galatians 2:16.  Tell them to try to tell someone this week that salvation is a gift of grace not based on good works, and how they can be saved by trusting Jesus.