Bible Commentaries
Galatians 3

Verse 1

The Spirit’s Power and Justification
by the Gospel and Not by the Old Law

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

O foolish Galatians: In Matthew 5:22, Jesus says, "...whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." In light of this passage, has Paul endangered his eternal welfare by referring to the Galatians as "foolish"? The answer is no. He does not violate the Lord’s instruction by using this adjective to describe them. There are four or five words translated into the English words fool, foolish, foolishly, and foolishness. Jesus uses the Greek word moros, meaning "morally worthless, a scoundrel, a more serious reproach than ’Raca’; the latter scorns a man’s mind and calls him stupid; moros scorns his heart and character..." (Vine 246). In this text Paul uses another Greek word, anoetos, which "signifies ’senseless,’ an unworthy lack of understanding..." (Ibid.). They are similar to those described in Hebrews 5:11. They have not diligently applied themselves to understanding what they had first been taught when new and false teachers arrived with another doctrine. They are not unlike many religious but thoughtless people today who follow erroneous doctrines without personal study (see Acts 17:11 and Romans 10:17).

who hath bewitched you: To "bewitch" someone in this sense means "to slander, to prate about anyone" (Vine 65). The false teachers have evidently fascinated them by using flattering words along with slandering Paul, and they have led them into believing other doctrines than what Paul has taught them. This acceptance indicates they are more interested in the teachers than in discovering whether their messages are true. (See Colossians 2:4-8 where Paul warns another congregation of a similar situation.) He has taught them the truth about Jesus.

that ye should not obey the truth: Now they have been led into believing they "should not obey the truth," the word of God (John 17:17). They are not only to know and understand the truth but also they are to obey it. They seem not to have studied the truths about Jesus. This attitude toward truth is the reason Paul refers to them as foolish. (See 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 where Paul gives the reason for and the urgency of their obeying the truth; also, see John 8:31-32.)

before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?: Most are familiar with television and how it is able to set before our eyes events that take place in other parts of the world. It can even show us things that took place years ago. Paul’s preaching to the Galatians about Jesus Christ and His crucifixion is that vivid. He has proclaimed this gospel message unto them. But the gospel is not just facts about Jesus’ crucifixion. It indeed has these facts in it but also it has promises and commandments. Those commandments relating to the death of Christ (Romans 6:3-5) along with other commandments are the reasons he could use the word "obey" in the preceding phrase. Their eyes are referred to in this passage to symbolize "their understanding" as they are in Psalms 119:18.

Verse 2

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

This only would I learn of you: If they will just understand the correct answer to this one question, it will settle the entire matter of whether or not what he has taught them is the truth.

Received ye the Spirit: This question refers to their receiving the nine spiritual gifts recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. These gifts enable them to perform various miraculous works and carry on the work of the church before the New Testament is written and published. The manner in which they receive the Spirit is recorded in Acts 8:13-19. These gifts could be given only through the laying on of an apostle’s hand. They could not be transferred or handed down by the recipient to someone else. Philip could work these miracles (Acts 8:6). He could not, however, lay hands on the Samaritans and give them these gifts. The apostles had to perform this action. Hence, with the death of the apostles, that power comes to an end.

by the works of the law: The law to which Paul refers is the law of Moses or the Old Testament. Since these churches are, for the most part, made up of Gentiles, they would not have been well acquainted with the law of Moses. Their familiarity with it, which occasioned the writing of this epistle, would have come from the Judaizing teachers who follow Paul from place to place. Of course, the Spirit they receive does not come to them from any preexisting law system, such as the law of Moses. That this law is specifically under consideration is later made clear by introducing Abraham and proving that he is blessed before the giving of the law of Moses. This thought is introduced to show the Galatians that since Abraham is blessed without the law of Moses, they are blessed without it also.

or by the hearing of faith?: By implication, this is the answer Paul intends. "Hearing of faith" refers to their receiving and obeying the gospel message (see Acts 5:32). Paul does not bring the old law to them; yet they receive the Spirit. He had to come from what Paul has brought to them and from what they have received (1:9).

Verse 3

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Are ye so foolish?: The same word for "foolish" is used here as in verse 1. They are thoughtless. They just have not thought about the matter.

having begun in the Spirit: "The Spirit" sometimes refers to the New Testament as it does in 2 Corinthians 3:6. In that verse "the letter" refers to the Old Testament. "The Spirit" refers to the New Testament in the way it is given or revealed to man and to the spiritual nature of its laws. The Spirit reveals the word of God to the apostles (John 16:13). God writes the ten commandments on stone. Paul brings the Spirit-revealed and spiritual word to the Galatians, and they have received the Spirit with power to perform the above-mentioned gifts. They now seem to want to change to something else.

are ye now made perfect by the flesh?: "The flesh" describes the nature of the laws given in the Old Testament. They pertain to the flesh (Hebrews 9:10-14). Those carnal or fleshy ordinances are for the purifying of the flesh. It takes the blood of Jesus to purify the conscience of man. "The flesh," therefore, describes the old law and not the flesh of man. "Perfect" in this verse does not mean sinless perfection but refers to the idea of completeness or maturity. It is as if their new birth, by which they have become a child of God, is accomplished by the New Testament; but now they want to turn to the Old Testament to reach spiritual maturity. Growth from that source was not possible then and is not now. Growth is to be in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, something that can come only from the New Testament (2 Peter 3:18).

Verse 4

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

When Paul first goes to this region, he is persecuted (Acts 14:19-20). Evidently the false teachers continue their persecution against the church after Paul leaves. The Jews are largely responsible for both his and their sufferings, though some persecution comes from the Gentiles (Acts 14:2-7). It seems that some of the very ones who endure the persecutions led by the Jews are now beginning to turn toward these Jews and their false doctrines. All of their sufferings would be vain or without profit if they complete their exodus from the gospel to the old law.

The last phrase of this verse indicates their apostasy might not be complete (see 5:1-4). In the same fashion today, a person might be saved and then turn away from Jesus. Those things the person has endured would then be in vain. He has fallen from grace (see Ezekiel 18:24; 2 Peter 2:20-22).

Verse 5

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

In the New Testament, God has always chosen to work through human agents in proclaiming and applying the gospel. By the direction of God and in cooperation with Him (1 Corinthians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 3:9), Paul has supplied the Spirit to these people. The word translated "ministereth" means to supply (Vine 411). God has given Paul the power to work miracles to confirm that his preaching is from heaven (Acts 14:3; Acts 14:8-9; Hebrews 2:3-4). This verse in Galatians is Paul’s own answer to the questions asked in verses 2-4. This supplying of the spiritual gifts and blessings come before the Judaizing teachers’ attempts to proselyte them. Again, "hearing of faith" stands for the gospel.

Verse 6

How Abraham was Made Righteous

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Even as Abraham believed God: This is a reference to Genesis 15:6. We know that Abraham had been following God’s directions for seven or eight years at this time as Genesis 12:1-4 teaches. Paul uses this example to prove that the Galatians could be righteous without the law of Moses with its ordinances that pertained to the flesh, such as circumcision. Abraham heard God’s promises, believed them, and obeyed God. As a result, God considered him righteous. All of this happened before the giving of the law of Moses and, for the most part, before the rite of circumcision was given. Now, if God could consider Abraham righteous without the law, He can certainly consider the Galatians righteous without it.

and it was accounted to him for righteousness: This epistle is written to children of God. There are things in it that the alien sinner needs to hear, such as in Galatians 3:26-27, which tells how these people have become children of God. However, what is said here about Abraham and the Galatians is said of them not when they are alien sinners but after they are in a covenant relationship with God as His children. Therefore, in telling a person how to become a child of God, we have to be careful how we use this Abrahamic example. Paul is teaching the Galatians how to maintain the correct relationship with God. He is not telling them how to establish this relationship. Abraham’s case is parallel to theirs because when these words were uttered by God (Genesis 15:6), Abraham’s relationship to God had been established several years before (Genesis 12) and, perhaps, even before that time. From time to time, Abraham must have sinned, for the phrase we are studying simply means God forgives him of his sins and covers them. He is acquitted of any guilt (see Romans 4:3-9 where the quotations from Psalms 32:1-2 teach this meaning is what God has in His mind). We do not know how many times God has to forgive Abraham after Genesis 12:1-4 (see Romans 4:13), but The Holy Spirit chooses to mention at least three different occasions:

1. In 1911 B.C., on the occasion of his being promised innumerable seed in Genesis 15:1-6, God counts him righteous--He forgives him of past sins.

2. Fourteen years later, in 1897 B.C., according to Romans 4:19-22, God again forgives him of his sins or "it was imputed to him for righteousness" when he staggers not at the promise that Sarah will bear him a son in his old age.

3. Finally, in James 2:21-23, God justifies Abraham. He removes any guilt Abraham has by forgiving him on the occasion of his being willing to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. This event occurs in 1872 B.C. or about twenty-nine years after the statement in Genesis 15:6.

James concludes all of this by writing:

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God (2:23).

These three examples indicate how Abraham’s relationship with God is maintained. It is a continuing process that he is able to maintain before the law of Moses is given. The false teachers tell the Galatians, "You must obey the law of Moses to maintain your relationship with God." That is unlike Abraham’s relationship with God and is, therefore, not true.

This teaching indicates the Judaizing teachers do not doubt the establishing of a correct relationship with God when Paul first preaches the gospel to the Galatians. They want the Galatians to submit to circumcision and keep certain days, etc. that the old law requires in order for them to maintain the right relationship with God. Paul condemns this doctrine steadfastly and teaches them that their righteousness comes to them "even as" Abraham’s came to him before circumcision and the observance of certain days were required.

Verse 7

Promise Made to Abraham and His True Seed

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

The Jews have long regarded themselves as exclusively the children of Abraham. He is their father according to the flesh. Christ’s religion, however, is on a higher plane than fleshly relationships. It has to do with the inner man, as Paul explains in Romans:

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (2:28-29).

When faith is contrasted with the law, it is used to mean the gospel of Christ. It includes the message, the belief of that message, and obedience to the requirements of that message. "By faith Noah...prepared an ark..." (Hebrews 11:7). He hears God’s message, believes it, and obeys the instructions thereof. In this way he prepares the ark by faith.

Those "of faith" are the ones who stand in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1). This type of person becomes a child of Abraham, even though he is not a fleshly Jew. After the cross, all those who obey the gospel are the real Jews in God’s sight. How this process occurs is explained in verses 27-29.

Verse 8

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith: Scripture, when written or preached, is put for the Messenger, who is God in this instance. In Genesis 12:3, God is looking into the future and is able to see the great division that will come between the Jews and the Gentiles. He can see the wrong attitudes the Jews will manifest toward other families or nations. He can even see the different abuses of the future law system by the Jews as they will apply it to the Gentiles who will come into the church His Son will build and purchase with His own blood. God foreknows He will not "so love" the Jews only, but He will "so love" the entire world or all families or nations (John 3:16). He will love them and justify them as He does Abraham. Abraham enjoys this blessed relationship before the law of Moses is given and, therefore, without the law. Similarly, after the law of Moses ends at the cross of Christ, all nations enjoy that relationship (Colossians 2:14-16); therefore, without that law system, they will be blessed and enabled to enjoy a right relationship with God. All of this teaching is included in the statement made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed: It is called "the gospel" because it is "good news" for the world to hear. This is bad news for the Judaizing teachers, who have come to Galatia, for it exposes their doctrine as false. It must be kept in mind that this is the gospel being preached in promise as opposed to its being preached in fact after the death of Christ. It must also be kept in mind that the terms "the faith" (1:23), "the faith of Christ" (2:16), "the hearing of faith" (3:2), and "through faith" in this verse all refer to the gospel of Christ that one must hear, believe, and obey. If this great truth is forgotten, it is easy, as so many have erroneously done, to accept the false doctrine that justification comes by one’s personal faith alone (see Romans 10:17).

Verse 9

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

The idea is that all the Gentiles who come into the church by hearing, believing, and obeying the gospel, described by the term "of faith" in this verse, are blessed in the same manner Abraham is blessed. This teaching specifically refers to his being blessed before and, therefore, without the law of Moses and before circumcision is required. Abraham has to keep on believing in order to enjoy the blessings. If the Galatians are to continue to enjoy the blessings of God, they will also have to keep on believing separate and apart from the law as did Abraham. He was not required to keep it and neither are they. "Blessed" refers to the forgiveness of past sins and being counted righteous.

Verse 10

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

(See Deuteronomy 27:26.) We need to keep in mind that this epistle is not written especially to teach an alien sinner how to be justified. Its primary purpose is to teach justified people how to remain justified and to explain the help God has provided for them. The writer seems to pause in his illustration about Abraham to remind them of a terrifying truth about the law of Moses and a curse or doom that was attached to the ones who would be under it. That truth was when people were under that system, they were required to keep every law perfectly all the days of their lives. They could not stumble in one single point (see James 2:10). When they stumbled or disobeyed one law, that law condemned them. To remain justified, they had to keep all the law all the time. A violation would bring sin into their lives; that sin separated them from God, and they died spiritually. Hence, that law is called "the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones" in obvious reference to the ten commandment covenant (2 Corinthians 3:7; Deuteronomy 4:13). This verse also exposes the danger of singling out one law, or even a few laws, out of the Old Testament, and requiring that it be kept today. In Galatians 5:3, Paul teaches that such are debtors to keep the whole law. The point is, if a person chooses a law system to live by, in order to remain justified he must keep that law perfectly. If he does not, he is doomed with the curse of law systems and must remain separated from God. No responsible man (except Jesus Christ) has ever demonstrated the ability to keep law perfectly. This is the chief reason Jesus had to come into the world (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). The only way to be justified by law is never to sin (Leviticus 18:5). The failure of all who have tried to be justified by law except Jesus is recorded in Romans 3:23.

Verse 11

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

This verse is a quotation from Habakkuk 2:4 and is referred to again in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews 10:38. It will help us better understand Paul’s usage of this quotation if we start with that Old Testament prophet and the setting there. God wants His children to keep trusting and obeying Him even in difficult times. Habakkuk writes about the time when the Chaldeans will come and destroy Jerusalem and carry the people away into captivity. Many of them will die; and he reminds them they are the just, that is, those who stand in the right relationship with God, and they must continue to trust and obey Him. Those who will follow his instruction will live and not be destroyed by the invaders. In contrast, the Chaldeans are instruments in God’s hand; but, instead of giving God the glory for their successes, they chose to take credit for their victories themselves. Consequently, they are conquered by what becomes the great Medo-Persian Empire. Similarly, in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, those Christians who remember, believe, and keep the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 24, save their lives (see verses 15-22). Those who do not believe, trust, and obey those sayings of Jesus are lost in that great tribulation (verse 23). They do not keep on believing. In Romans 1:17, the prophet’s words are used again to indicate that once a person is justified he keeps on living by faith. He keeps on remembering the gospel mentioned in verse 16, believing its words, and obeying them. This is God’s appointed way of maintaining the correct relationship with Him. That this is what Habakkuk means is stated more clearly in Hebrews:

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (10:38-39).

The Galatians are thus warned that if they embrace the law, they are drawing back into perdition--they will be destroying themselves spiritually. Another truth Habakkuk reveals to us in this quotation is that God is not pleased, even in the Old Testament, with His children if faith is not present with their obedience. (See how another prophet stresses this truth in Micah 6:6-7.)

Verse 12

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

The Old Testament is a law system by which a person, in order to have and maintain the right relationship with God, will have to live according to the entire law perfectly (Leviticus 18:5; Deuteronomy 27:26). This is the meaning of the latter phrase in this verse in Galatians. The law, however, does not deal with the weakness of human flesh. This "fault" of the old covenant is mentioned in Hebrews 8:7-8. It is not possible for any Israelite to keep that law perfectly. The human flesh just has too many weaknesses.

And the law is not of faith: This phrase means the law is not like the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a system of faith, and in it is a provision for the weakness of the flesh (Romans 8:3). "Of faith" does not mean that the gospel has no laws in it, for such teaching would contradict Romans 8:2 and 1 Corinthians 9:21, along with other passages.

but, The man that doeth them shall live in them: The meaning is that any person who tries to be justified by laws alone must keep them perfectly. Because of the weakness of the flesh, no person can keep law perfectly. Christ is the provision for the weakness of the flesh; He provides and gives efficacy to God’s plan. In spite of our sins that make us unrighteous, we can be made righteous and maintain that righteousness. God will never bring those sins that made us unrighteous (nor their penalties) against us again (Hebrews 8:12). These blessings are what the Galatians are in danger of losing if they turn to the law of Moses with the false teachers.

Verse 13

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law: The word translated "redeemed" is the general word for "a purchase of any kind" according to Albert Barnes in his commentary on this verse (333); thus, it includes the idea of the purchase price being called a ransom, referring to a deliverance from some form of bondage. The curse of the law is, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20). One transgression will bring the condemnation of death. An example of this situation occurs in the Garden of Eden. Man is given a law with no savior if he transgresses it (Genesis 2:16-17). One transgression brings spiritual death to Adam and Eve and permits physical death to reign on earth among their descendants. Such is the nature of law systems when a violation occurs.

being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Jesus is "made a curse for us": for the Galatians, for the Jewish people, for us today. This expression is a way of saying He pays the price for our sins and endures the penalty due us. He becomes a curse when He hangs on the cross, for the law says:

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

The Hebrews did not execute a person by crucifixion. The twenty-first verse of that same chapter gives the usual method of stoning. However, when people were stoned to death for repugnant or the very worst of crimes, their dead bodies, or maybe just their heads, were hung on a tree or cross. In this way they were held up for public scorn and ridicule. If the Jews had had their way, they probably would have stoned Jesus to death and then hung his body up for this public ridicule and shame. Perhaps this is the reason for the wording in Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39 where the order is given in reverse of what actually happens, that is, they slay him and hang him on a tree. This is the end the Jewish leaders and people want for Jesus. They must have thought this extreme shame would turn all the people against Him. Not only is this the most shameful way for a Jew to die it seems it is so among other races of people, too. Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23). How foolish for the Gentiles to hear they should follow someone who has died such a shameful death. Christ’s attitude is indicated in Hebrews 12:2, "...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame...." This death does not mean Jesus becomes a sinner (2 Corinthians 5:21). He becomes a sin offering.

Verse 14

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: "The blessing of Abraham" does not mean he will bless us but that we might receive the forgiveness of sins or be made righteous in God’s sight just as Abraham is given those blessings. All of these blessings are to come without the law of Moses, including physical circumcision. It is difficult for those Jewish false teachers to comprehend that the Gentiles are considered in "all the families" and "all nations" in the promises made to Abraham. Since they read these things with a "veil" covering their heart, it is incomprehensible to them to think these blessings will come through Jesus Christ whom they hate.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul declares their predicament:

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away (3:14-16).

that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith: The ability of the Galatian Christians to exercise the various gifts of the Holy Spirit forms a large part of Paul’s argument. He has preached only the gospel to them. Because of this teaching and before anyone has tried to bind Moses’ law upon them, they have received the Spirit through Paul’s ministering the certified gospel to them.

Verses two and five show what measure of the Spirit he is writing about. This "gift measure" and Paul’s giving it to them evidently is as impressive there as it is in Samaria to Simon the sorcerer when he sees the apostles giving it in Acts 8:15-19. This promise of the Spirit has come through faith or the gospel and not through the law of Moses, although the Old Testament does contain the promise that one day the Holy Spirit will come in special ways at a special time (Isaiah 32:15; Joel 2:28-30; see also verses 2 and 5).

Verse 15

Promise Not Changed by the Law of Moses

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: The writer is ready now to teach the Galatians that the law of Moses is not designed to annul or alter the covenant with its promises God has made to Abraham. Instead, it is used by God to make sure the Abrahamic covenant is fulfilled (see verse 19). If the law of Moses changes that covenant in any way or negates it, then God is not right in giving that law. The reason for that fact is stated in this verse.

Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto: Even among men, once a covenant is confirmed or ratified, they will not permit it to be changed or destroyed unless all the parties to the covenant agree. At the time of the giving of the law, Abraham has already died. It would have been impossible for him to have been a party to a change in the covenant (see Hebrews 6:13-18). The false teachers that have come to Galatia are putting God into a position where He will be guilty of doing something that even man will not do insofar as covenants are concerned. We can read in Genesis 12:3-7 about this covenant with its promises; in 13:14-17 about the land promise; and in 15:5-21 where God walks, in the form of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp, between the divided pieces of the sacrifice to confirm the covenant, and, hence give the term "to cut a covenant," which becomes the most common verb in the Old Testament to describe the act of making a covenant (see Jeremiah 34:18; see the Old Testament section of Vine on page 50 for more information on this thought; then read Genesis 17:7-8, the passage Paul bases this teaching in Galatians on).

It may be further added that the word translated "covenant" in this passage is rendered "testament" in Hebrews 9:15-17. Some object to the King James Version’s translation and mention the inconsistency of it since most of the time the word is translated "covenant." However, except for the use of "mediator" in verse 15, it seems that "testament" is a good rendering of diatheke in that context. The word simply means an arrangement or disposition of any kind, and a testament would certainly come under that meaning (Thayer 136-1-1242). It is difficult to explain how Jesus could be both a mediator and a testator in the same context. A mediator is not required to die to make a covenant valid in the modern ordinary use of the word. A testator is required to die to make his testament or will valid. The point must not be overlooked that the kind of covenant under consideration also requires the taking of a life. The verb in the Old Testament means "to cut a covenant"; an animal has to die. But the example in Hebrews 9:18-20 confirms that the testator has to die. Thus, the usage of the word "covenant" is different from the way we use it today. The covenant God made with Abraham and his seed and the new covenant Jesus ratified are both agreements made by heaven and not by earth, and the latter is broad enough to include the need of a mediator as well as a testator (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Christ can be considered as fulfilling both roles just as He offers Himself both as the sacrifice and the ministering High Priest who does the offering.

Verse 16

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made: This passage refers to the promises contained in Genesis 17:7. Paul uses "promises" instead of the word "covenant" found in verse 15.

He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ: The correct interpretation of "his seed" would be impossible without this revelation. Because of this verse, we now know that seed is a collective noun that refers to Christ. It is a spiritual promise and includes the spiritual seed, which is each child of God in Christ mentioned in the last verse of this chapter. At this point of the epistle, it is enough to know that "his seed" refers to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This great truth has many implications so far as the old law is concerned, and these are brought out in the following verses.

Verse 17

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Paul returns to the thought of verse 15. The agreement God makes with Abraham concerning Jesus Christ, His seed, is given more than 400 years before the law of Moses is given. Because of what is said in Exodus 12:40-41, some have thought this verse in Galatians to be a contradiction because the verses in Exodus seem to say they lived in Egypt 430 years. Johnson observes that "The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament is the one usually followed by Christ and His apostles" (People’s New Testament Commentary, Vol. 2 174) and that version also includes the time they lived in Canaan before going down to Egypt. The point is the law is given on Sinai hundreds of years after the promise concerning Christ is made to Abraham by God. That covenant is confirmed or put into effect by God in the events already alluded to in Genesis 17. In addition to the animals’ being slain to confirm the covenant, God swears by Himself to confirm it (Hebrews 6:13-18). It is, therefore, impossible for the law given later by the same God on Mt. Sinai to deprive that covenant of its force and make it void. God cannot lie and certainly would not do what even man would not do once a covenant is ratified (see Romans 4:13).

Verse 18

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

For if the inheritance be of the law: Paul does not want his readers to forget how he is contrasting the law of Moses with the gospel of Christ. The contrast is not between grace and any law. In their commentary on Galatians, Hogg and Vine write, "Once more the fundamental antagonism between law and grace, works and faith, is emphasised" (147). Their statement is in error; and, if believed, destroys Paul’s line of reasoning. "The law" refers to the law of Moses and to no other.

it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise: The "promise" and its fulfillment do not come from that law or depend on that law. The law of Moses is not a legal document to give the children of Abraham the land of Canaan. They enter and possess the land of Canaan because of the promise God makes to Abraham. In a similar fashion, the Galatians will enter the heavenly Canaan without the law of Moses. But the false teachers are saying they must obey at least certain portions of the law of Moses to enter into heaven (see Acts 15:1).

Verse 19

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Wherefore then serveth the law?: The question put forth in the first part of the verse is asking, "If what is said in verse 18 is true, then what was the purpose of the law of Moses?"

It was added because of transgressions: "Added" is defined by Vine as "to add, or to place beside" (12). Added to what? To the promise that God makes to Abraham and his seed. Why is it added? It is not added to complete the promise or provide something that is lacking. The promise is perfect. But the people who will be instrumental in fulfilling the part of the promise that has to do with Jesus’ coming to this world to save man from sin are not perfect. Thus, "it was added because of transgressions." The people will need the law in order to know what God expects of them and to know what is right and wrong. It will help restrain them from sins. Even though the law is given for this purpose, they commit many sins. Without the law to restrain them, however, they probably would have been more perverse and wicked than they were. And, besides, they need a Savior because of their sins; and the law of Moses is to be a large part of God’s plan in bringing Him into the world to die for the sins committed under the Old Testament as well as under the New Testament (see Romans 3:21; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 11:39-40).

till the seed should come to whom the promise was made: Is this a permanent law added to last until the end of the world? No, it is added "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." That seed is Christ (verse 16). The duration of the law of Moses is from the giving of it on Sinai until Jesus comes. This conclusion agrees with Colossians 2:14-16 and Hebrews 10:9-10.

and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator: That God uses angels as His messengers to reveal the law to Moses, who is here called a mediator, is made clear here and in Hebrews 2:2, and Acts 7:38; Acts 7:53. As a mediator, Moses stands between God and the people of Israel when the law is given (see Exodus 20:19). However, when God gives the promise to Abraham, there is no mediator. In Paul’s mind, this fact makes the promise superior to the law of Moses.

Verse 20

Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

1. No mediator stands between God and Abraham. A mediator is one who stands between two parties, and God acts alone with Abraham. God is an eternal being who does not change. A human mediator does not have this characteristic; and, besides, a human mediator dies as did Moses. This fact seems to add the flavor of temporariness to the law of Moses. Moses is a mediator between God and the children of Israel, not between God and the Gentiles. However, "God is one." There is one God, and He is the God of all men whether they are Jews or Gentiles. So when He makes the covenant with Abraham, the Gentiles are included in the "all families of the earth" (Genesis 12:3). In 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Paul writes, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all...."

2. The law of Moses is not in conflict with the promise.

Verse 21

Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness would have been by the law.

(See Romans 3:19-21.) The law is given so they will have a knowledge of sin (Romans 7:7). In that chapter, Paul pictures himself as being born during the time of the law. At the time of his birth, he is "alive," or without sin (verse 9). When he reaches the age of personal accountability, "sin revived" and he dies. Paul had thought the law of Moses would give him "life," the right relationship with God insofar as his sins were concerned; but instead the law condemns him, and he "dies" insofar as spiritual life is concerned (verses 10-11). Sin has deceived him by using the law to bring spiritual death (1 Corinthians 15:55-56) just as sin deceives Eve and brings physical death to the world. Because the people had the law only, they stood condemned. In the New Testament, there is law plus a Savior who can give life (1 Corinthians 15:57; Romans 7:24-25). The law of Moses is the very best law there could be. It comes from God and has His stamp of approval on it. If any law could have given life, it would have come from that law. But if it had given life to the people instead of death (2 Corinthians 3:7), it would have a characteristic that would have put it in competition with "faith," the gospel, in the saving of men’s souls. The writer has already declared that there is no other gospel (1:8). Therefore, the answer to his question asked in this verse is, "No, the law is not against or in competition with the promise God made to Abraham and to his seed!" God forbid. He does not want them to think or say such a thing.

Verse 22

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin: "Concluded" is translated "shut up" in the Revised Version. The first two chapters of Romans are written to make known that all, both Jew and Gentile, are sinners and cannot save themselves. Following is the conclusion of this teaching:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God...For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).

"All" refers then to both Jew and Gentile or to each responsible being. The law could not save them nor could they save themselves.

that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe: Salvation is what the promise is all about. A savior is to be provided. Both Jew and Gentile need that savior (Romans 11:32), and He will deliver them from the prison house of sin they are shut up in under the law. How? By faith of Jesus Christ. This statement does not speak of His own personal faith. As noted before, it means the gospel of Jesus Christ. The law of Moses could not deliver God’s people. They were then in bondage to sin, held captive by its power. God’s people are referred to in the phrase "given to them that believe." When God’s children sin under the gospel, they have a way of escape (1 John 2:1-2). While Jesus provides a plan for the alien sinner to escape his sins and their consequences, it is not under consideration in this verse. The contrast is between the children of God under the Old Testament and the children of God under the New Testament. Again, "believe" refers to the mental act, confidence in, and obedience to the gospel just as Abraham believed.

Verse 23

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

"But before faith came" means before the gospel is revealed as a fact. Abraham has heard it as a promise (verse 8) but not as an accomplished fact. During the time of the law of Moses, the Jew is "kept under the law," whose purpose is to guard them against idolatry and sin.

"Shut up unto the faith" means they are in the enclosure of the old law with a view to the coming of the gospel to be revealed later on. The law, when used correctly, actually points each one under it to the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Romans 15:4). Paul’s next illustration teaches us that this idea is what he has in mind.

Verse 24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

"Schoolmaster" comes from a word that literally means to lead a child (Vine 329). He further writes that the idea of instruction is not in this word, though some might be involved. (See comments at end of verse 25.) Training and discipline would be involved. The idea is that God employed the law for the purpose of leading or guiding an individual to the school of Christ just as parents would employ a guardian and assign him the task of guiding their children to the school house where they could be properly instructed. The purpose of the law then was to guard them from the outside forces of evil and to guide them to Christ. This guidance was necessary for them to be justified or declared guiltless in God’s sight by the gospel.

Verse 25

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The work of the child leader, called a schoolmaster in the King James Version, would end when he has delivered the child to the proper school. "Faith" refers to the coming of the gospel, which contains the instructions for God’s people today. Once the Jew and the gospel come together, the Jew is no longer under the law because its work has ended. It has fulfilled its purpose. The false teachers at Galatia are trying to go back to their old guide and take the Gentile Christians with them.

From Galatians 3:19 to Galatians 4:7, Paul is exhorting the Galatians about the purpose of the law of Moses and how they are redeemed from its bondage. To help them understand the relationship individuals had while that law was in force, he uses four terms:

1. Kept under the law (3:23). "Kept" (phroureo) is a military term, indicating that a person is guarded by a garrison of soldiers, not in the sense of the person being imprisoned but with a view of protecting him from some danger (Vine 284). The law guards its subjects from the dangers of idolatry and other sins of the Gentile nations that are near them.

2. "Schoolmaster" (paidagogos) is a guide, guardian, or trainer of boys (3:24-25). It literally means "a child leader" (Vine 329). The idea of instruction does not seem to be entirely absent since he does train the child in certain aspects of life. The schoolmaster is the one who takes the child to the school or instructor for his general education. Therefore, the person under the law is to permit the law to take him to Christ where he will receive his instructions about his salvation.

3. "Tutors" (epitropos) (4:2) describes one to whose care something is committed (Vine 284). The idea of a guardian is involved with this word but not a military guard as in Galatians 3:23. This would be one of the household servants who is to guard and care for the child. The thought is that the person under the law is just like a child placed under the care of a guardian. In reference to the family’s material possessions, he is not different from a servant in the sense of controlling the inheritance (4:1).

4. "Governors" (Oikonomos) (4:2) refers to the steward of the house and literally means one who rules a house. He is generally a superior servant responsible for the family housekeeping, the direction of other servants, and the care of the children under age (Vine 276). The person under the law is like a child under one of these governors. These four terms all describe what it is like to be under the law in varying degrees of bondage and subjection. When the child reaches a certain age, he will no longer be under the tutor or governor.

The law is, therefore, temporary because when the child matures he will no longer be under the care of these guardians. When the law’s work is completed, it is nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14-16). Not only that, but Romans 7:4 suggests that when Christ dies, the Christian dies to the law by virtue of the fact that one is baptized into the death of Christ (Romans 6:3-5).

Verse 26

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

The Galatians are "children of God," not through the law but "by faith in Christ Jesus"--not by faith only as the formation of the next verse suggests when it indicates that becoming a member of God’s family does not occur until after they are baptized. The reader must keep in mind Paul uses the term "faith" in the sense of the gospel and one’s believing and obeying it.

Verse 27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ: The first word of this verse "For" (gar) is used to indicate he is ready to give the reason they are children of God by faith in Christ. They have been baptized into Christ, an action performed in the past with the present result of their being children of God. We must keep in mind that this epistle is written to show how to maintain this sonship and not how to establish the relationship. This statement agrees with Romans 6:3 where the children of God in Rome have been baptized into Christ and into Christ’s death. To believe they are saved and become children of God before they are baptized is to believe they are saved outside of Christ. In Christ is the sphere of family relationship with God; it is where all spiritual blessings are bestowed (Ephesians 1:3). Baptisma is the noun form for baptism in the Greek. Contained in its meaning is the idea of immersion, submersion, and emergence. It comes from a word meaning "to dip" and is used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, etc. (Vine 50). It, therefore, follows that the Galatians have been immersed in water and have emerged from that water as children of God walking in a new life (Romans 6:4-5). They do not have water sprinkled on them for this act of obedience. Furthermore, this act is a work from God, necessary for them to have performed for their salvation (1 Peter 3:21). A work from God must be distinguished from a work of the law (of Moses) by which no man could be saved (Romans 3:20) and the works from men that they have thought of and arranged (Ephesians 2:9). Baptism is a work from God just as surely as believing is a work from God (John 6:28-29). Even John’s (the baptizer) baptism is from God (Mark 11:30-32). The New Testament writers are careful to distinguish between works that will not save and works from God that He uses in one’s justification (James 2:24). So far as the Galatians are concerned, their faith was working by their love for God as they were baptized (verses 5 and 6).

have put on Christ: Putting on Christ is another effect of their having been baptized. They put on Christ much like a person puts on a shirt or coat. Apparently this is a term signifying their adoption into the family of God. Jews are required to be born again (John 3:3-5) because they are depending on their first birth as a descendant of Abraham to save them. However, the Gentile does not have this first birth with that significance to depend on; thus, the term "adoption" is used to describe their process in becoming a part of God’s family. In Volume III of Horne’s Introduction to The Critical Study and Knowledge of The Holy Scriptures, there are examples of how this term is used to describe the adoption of children in different cultures (455). Among some, the child would simply put on the shirt of the one adopting him. The phrase "to draw any one through one’s shirt" is the way some expressed the adoption process. Among the Hebrews a similar custom is used when a person changes from one position in life to the position that another held. The robes, mantles, sacred garments, etc. are put on the person who would now occupy the new position as Elijah did to Elisha in 1 Kings 19:19 and 2 Kings 2:15. In Isaiah, the Lord says:

And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit they government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah (22:21).

The same is said about Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah who takes the place of Shebna, the captain of the temple. Putting on Christ can, therefore, mean the Gentiles now have a new position available to them. That position, the context shows, is as a child of God. In Galatians 4:5, Paul begins to use the term "adoption" as he did in Romans 8:14-15.

Verse 28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In the Middle East, there seem to be great distinctions between the people mentioned in each of these classes. Each, however, becomes a child of God when he obeys the gospel. All are equal in this matter. The individual’s working of righteousness (Acts 10:34-35) is what constitutes him as a child of God. It does not matter what their race is, where they might have been in the social system, or what their gender may have been. They are all one in Christ (see Ephesians 2:13-16). This equality does not remove certain responsibilities and requirements individuals may have had because of their station in life. For example, even though a master and his servants are one in Christ, God still requires the servants to obey their master. The walls that have separated them in the world vanish in the body of Christ. This is a powerful statement to the Jews who consider the Gentiles beneath them and unworthy of association.

Verse 29

And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

And if ye be Christ’s: Belonging to Christ is the most important thing in the world. One belongs to Christ because Christ purchased him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In Titus 2:14, Paul refers to the children of God as "a peculiar people." "Peculiar" does not mean strange but rather is used of "one’s own possession" (Vine 477). The idea is the Galatians belonged exclusively to Christ. He has purchased them. They have accepted the deliverance He offers.

then are ye Abraham’s seed: Because they are in Christ (verse 27) and belong to Christ, they are considered as spiritual descendants of Abraham. Abraham does not enjoy his blessings because of the law of Moses but because of his own faith in the promises of God and his subsequent obedience. This promise is to Abraham and his seed (verse 16). The seed is Christ, and anyone in Him and belonging to Him will enjoy the blessings contained in the promises. Like Abraham one must believe and obey the word of God.

heirs according to the promise: The part of the promise in Genesis 12:3 that Paul has under consideration is "and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." The Galatians will be included because they form a part of the families of the earth. The blessings in this promise are the spiritual blessings that are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). They are not limited to the heavenly inheritance but contain blessings for the here and now (see Romans 4:7-8; Romans 4:12, where the forgiveness of sins is included in the blessings given to Abraham and, therefore, to all families of the earth when they walk in His steps).