The Spirit Replaces the Law | Gospel Freedom | Galatians 3:1-14

Before we begin

Table Communities are community gatherings for the purpose of:

• Building meaningful relationships through intentional time together
• Engaging in mutual discipleship through directing one another towards Christ with truth shared in love
• Multiplying grace through love, prayer and gifts of the spirit

The notes will guide you through praying together, reading scripture and engaging in intentional relational time together. There are also notes and practices for this month's habit of grace. We know that most groups will not have time to discuss the habit of grace during their time together, but they are available if time allows and are available for those seeking to intentionally engage with God's grace during the week. If that desire is within you, please read the notes on your own time or go through the habit of grace practices with a spiritual friend or your spouse, so as to build one another up in truth and love. Finally, this gathering is not about getting through all the note content, but rather this gathering is about building meaningful relationships, engaging in mutual discipleship and multiplying grace. Let those values shape the direction and pace of your time together.

Kick off with prayer

You can use the kick off prayer below (if you are not comfortable praying aloud), and give time for others to pray into the night together. 

Example prayer, if needed. Ideally pray freely as you feel called:

‍Father we praise you for gathering us together. Despite whatever weighed on our hearts as we entered this house, we pray that your Spirit guides our time together and free us from anything that is not of you. We pray that by the strength of your might we may speak truth in love to one another. We pray that we are led by the gifts of your spirit, so that we may build up one another and your church as a whole. As we read your word, we pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner pleasing to you.  

Passage: Gospel Freedom | Galatians

We will read the text together seeking for God to give life to the text through his Spirit. "Lord please help us to hear your word and receive what you have for each of us"

Galatians 3:1-14

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

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 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.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

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

Passage Summary

Paul urgently reminds the Galatians that the gospel began not by their own effort but by the Spirit of God. The blessings of salvation, the Spirit, and righteousness came not through works but through hearing with faith. Trying to finish in the flesh what began in the Spirit undermines grace. Paul draws on Abraham’s story to show that God’s people have always been made right by faith, not performance.

Discussion Questions

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1. Has anyone experienced spiritual burn out or exhaustion where faith has become about "trying harder"? How did that happen?

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Facilitator Guide:
Helps participants put words to the emotional and spiritual exhaustion of performance-based Christianity. Opens the door to exploring how the Spirit offers rest, not pressure.

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2. We all know that we are justified by grace not works, but what about sanctification? Does holiness come into our lives through grace or effort?

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Facilitator Guide:
This question reveals where participants may believe God’s acceptance is initially by grace, but sanctification is earned. It surfaces where the gospel has been replaced by spiritual striving.

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3. Paul asks, “Did you receive the Spirit by works or by hearing with faith?” How would you answer that question for yourself?

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Facilitator Guide:
Aimed at reawakening wonder and gratitude for how the Spirit met us in our need, not through effort, but through grace. Through us acknowledging our need and the faith that Jesus could rectify that need. This helps anchor our story back in God's initiative.

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4. You were not reconciled to God against your own free will. What was your participation in your own conversion? And if we begin in the Spirit and are perfected (sanctified) by the Spirit, how do we participate in our own sanctification now?

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Facilitator Guide:
This question helps participants consider both the mystery and the response of grace. It challenges them to reflect on their role, not as the initiator of change, but as an active responder to what the Spirit is doing. The goal is to shift thinking from passive or performance-driven discipleship to active, faith-filled participation that trusts the Spirit’s ongoing work in shaping us more into the likeness of Christ. Aimed at reawakening wonder and gratitude for how the Spirit met us in our need not through effort, but through grace. This helps anchor our story back in God's initiative.

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5. Is the Holy Spirit highlighting any memories for you now? For example, have you been made to think or feel that you need to do something else to earn God’s love or blessing? Perhaps you’ve felt as though those who are more mature have something you don't.

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Facilitator Guide:
This question creates space for reflection and Holy Spirit conviction. It’s designed to help participants listen for the subtle voices—external or internal—that have shaped a false narrative around maturity, growth, or worthiness. It gently surfaces areas of comparison or spiritual insecurity, and invites the group to re-anchor in the gospel: that sanctification, like justification, is God's work in us not a badge of spiritual status we achieve.

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Closing Prayer Prompt

Prompts:

• Thank God for His promises fulfilled in Christ.
• Confess areas where you’ve slipped into performance instead of faith.
• Ask the Spirit to renew your trust and lead you in joyful dependence.
  
  

"But before we begin praying, let's take one minute of silent reflection to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal..."

Silent Reflection (1 minute):

• Where am I trying to finish in the flesh what God began by the Spirit?
• Where is God inviting me to return to simple trust?
  
  

Invite anyone to share briefly, then pray for one another—especially for courage, honesty, and freedom in Christ.

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