Bible Commentaries
Galatians 3

Verse 1

Gal 3:1. The original for bewitched is defined by Thayer, "to bring evil on one by feigned praise or an evil eye, to charm, to bewitch one," and he explains it to mean, "of those who lead away others into error by wicked acts." The ones who were doing this with the Galatians were the Judaizers who were deceiving them into thinking they should go back to the old law. Before whose eyes, etc. The Galatians had seen the evidence of Christ's great sacrifice in the lives of Paul and other true teachers of the Gospel among them, so that they had been given full opportunity for seeing the superior spiritual life in a service to Him.

Verse 2

Gal 3:2. The argument Paul makes in this verse may be said to be one that has a factual basis. The Galatian brethren knew they were in possession of the Spirit, for whenever and wherever an apostle led men and women into the service for Christ, they were shown evidence of the Spirit by the gifts bestowed upon those receiving the hands of the apostle. And these brethren also knew that they had never received the gifts except through hearing of faith, which means the Gospel, though the law had been in existence for centuries.

Verse 3

Gal 3:3. It is certain that God's dealings with man would not decline in degrees of perfection or completeness, but would advance as humanity became able to receive them. On this principle, the things to be accomplished through the "ministration of the Spirit" (2Co 3:8) would be an advancement over that which was possible by the flesh, a term given to the ordinances of the law of Moses, because of its consisting of "carnal ordinances" (Heb 9:1 Heb 9:10). The Galatians were reversing the order and leaving the completeness of the system under the Spirit, in which they had begun their religious life, and going backward to finish (be made perfect) their religious lives by the ordinances of the law.

Verse 4

Gal 3:4. Suffered . . . in vain. The Gentiles who accepted the Gospel were persecuted by the Judaaizers who wished them to be satisfied with the law of Moses. They could have avoided these persecutions had they yielded to the pressure of the Judaizing teachers. Now, after• having stood firm at first in spite of the persecutions, if they backslide and take up the ordinances of the law, it would render all of their past sufferings for Christ to be vain. (See Heb 10:32-35.)

Verse 5

Gal 3:5. This is the same as verse 2.

Verse 6

Verse 6. In all of the systems of religious conduct that God has offered to man, individual faith was necessary for divine acceptance, even though the system as a whole was not termed one of faith, as the Christian or Gospel system is. Hence we are told that Abraham (in the Patriarchal Dispensation) was regarded righteous because of his faith. Abel belonged under the same dispensation and he also was blessed because of his faith (Heb 11:4). Likewise the Jews who were under the dispensation of the law, did not receive the blessing of God without faith (Heb 4:2).

Verse 7

Gal 3:7. It was generally regarded an honor to be related to Abraham. (See Mat 3:9; Luk 19:9; 2Co 11:22.) In their zeal for persuading the Gentiles to take up the ordinances of the law, the Judaizers tried to make capital of the respect for the great patriarch by connecting him with the law of Moses. Paul does not overlook the greatness of Abraham, but shows that his greatness was due to his characteristic of faith. However, that had nothing to do with the ordinances of the law, for he lived six centuries before the law was given. (See the comments on Rom 4:1-13 in volume 1 of the New Testament Commentary.

Verse 8

Gal 3:8. Scripture foreseeing denotes that God could see ahead what would be done, and caused it to be written in the Scripture. Faith is used in the sense of the faith, a term applied to the New Testament system of religion. Heathen means the Gentiles, who were not included with the Jews under the law of Moses. (See the comments, at chapter 2:9.) The Gentiles were going to be offered justification through the faith, and hence God revealed this beforehand to Abraham. Not in all its details, of course, but the fundamental truth that Jesus would bless all nations (and not the Jews only), was foretold to him in ttie words in thee shall all nations be blessed.

Verse 9

Gal 3:9. Which be of faith applies to all individuals who manifest the same degree of faith in God as was true of Abraham. Blessed with him means they will receive the blessing of God as being true servants of Him.

Verse 10

Gal 3:10. The Bible recognizes a distinction between a literal and a figurative, or a physical and a moral impossibility. Unless we observe such a distinction we will have difficulty with the apparently contradictory passages in 1Jn 1:8 1Jn 3:9. Peter said the fathers "were not able to bear" the yoke of the old law (Act 15:10). That passage is explained in volume 1 of the New Testament Commentary. Yet Paul cites a passage in the Old Testament that says that all who did not do so were under the curse. The original for the last word is defined by Thayer, "an execration, imprecation, curse." In severe cases the curse amounted to an unmerciful death (Heb 10:28), but the law of Christ makes one free from such a curse (Rom 8:2). By going back to the works of the law, the Galatians placed themselves under this curse.

Verse 11

Gal 3:11. Evident means it is clear--the conclusion is unavoidable. The basis for the conclusion is the inspired statement that the just shall live by faith (Hab 2:4). The old law was always considered to be one of outward works as a system, while the principle of faith existed from the days of Abel onward, and the New Testament is the first and only system that is referred to as the faith. Since faith and formal works are opposites, it follows that if a man is justified in God's sight by one, it cannot be by the other. This explains why Paul uses the word evident as he does in this verse.

Verse 12

Gal 3:12. The law is not of faith. The full significance of this is as if it said, "the law of Moses is not the same system as the faith of the New Testament." Shall live by them. The Jew who carefully observed the ceremonies imposed by the law of Moses, was able to live or be contented with the thought that his life was according to the outward forms of that system. Only God would know whether he was "mixing" faith with his work (Heb 4:2), hence as long as he performed the deeds prescribed by the law, he could not be penalized by the congregation, and therefore he would escape the curse of the law.

Verse 13

Gal 3:13. The particular curse meant here is that of hanging on a tree, which was accomplished by crucifixion. By giving us a system that does not require such physical punishments, Christ took away that kind of curse. And He was able to bring about the change only by going through such a curse himself on our behalf, which is the reason He had to be crucified.

Verse 14

Gal 3:14. Blessing of Abraham denotes the blessing of God that was pronounced on Abraham because of his faith. If such a blessing was possible only through the outward deeds like those imposed by the law, then the great patriarch would have missed the said blessing, for he lived several hundred years before the law. But in adopting the principle of faith instead of the formalities of the law as that on which the blessing would be given, God could include Abraham in the divine blessing. And by the same token, such an arrangement made it possible for the Gentiles (who did not have the provisions of the law) to be blessed with Abraham, provided they manifested the same principle of faith as was shown by the noted patriarch.

Verse 15

Gal 3:15. I speak after the manner of men. For an illustration, Paul is using the usual customs of mankind regarding covenants or legal agreements, and the rules followed in observing them. To confirm means to ratify by some formality under the supervision of the proper authority. Hence Paul says that though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it has been confirmed it cannot be lawfully dis-annulled, although it must be confirmed to make it sure.

Verse 16

Gal 3:16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. This states the first instance that the promise of Christ was ever made to any human individual, notwithstanding a popular notion to the contrary. The reader should see the comments on Gen 3:14-15, in volume 1 of the Old Testament Commentary. Seed is a word that may be used in either a singular or plural sense, hence Paul settles which meaning he is attaching to it here by saying not seeds, as of many; but as of one. He further specifies the one seed meant by the words thy seed, to which the apostle adds which is Christ. Thus we have the interesting information that when God made the promise to Abraham of universal blessings through his seed (Christ), He made the same promise to that Seed who was then with the Creator in Heaven. This sheds light on Heb 10:5-7, which represents the attitude of Jesus when he left Heaven and came to the earth. He already knew (having been told at the same time that Abraham was) that He was to come into the world to bless "all nations," and He was submissive to his Father's will. That is why he said, "I come to do thy will, 0 God."

Verse 17

Gal 3:17. Four hundred and thirty years corresponds with the terms in Gen 15:13 and Exo 12:40-41, which is the time the children of Israel were in Egypt. The reader is urged to see the comments on this 'subject at Gen 15:13-15, in volume 1 of the Old Testament Commentary. The present verse also shows that the period of four hundred and thirty years is the time the Israelites were in Egypt. It states that the law was four hundred and thirty years after the covenant was--not first given-- but after it was confirmed. Psa 105:9-10 plainly says it was confirmed unto Jacob. We cannot interpret that on the general basis that the name Jacob is used as including Abraham and Isaac, they being two of "the fathers" often spoken of, for in this place the writer mentions the three separately, and distinctly says the covenant was confirmed unto Jacob. It was in the days of Jacob the children of Israel went down into Egypt (Gen 46:1-6), and it was within three months after coming out of that country that they came to Sanai where the law was given (Exo 19:1). So the conclusion is clear; they entered Egypt in the days of Jacob, to whom the covenant was confirmed, and the law was given at the end of their sojourn, which Paul says was four hundred and thirty years after the covenant was confirmed. Paul makes the point that the giving of the law even that many years afterwards cannot disannul the covenant, because it had been confirmed. (See the comments at verse 15.)

Verse 18

Gal 3:18. The inheritance means the blessing that was to be offered to all nations of the world through his seed. The argument of the verse is that if the blessing was to come through the law (as the Judaizers were teaching), then it could not have been connected with the promise first made to Abraham, for that was done many centuries before the law. And yet it was well known that God actually did give the promise of universal blessing to Abraham. The grand conclusion, then, is that the blessing intended for all nations (not the Jews only) was not the product of the law.

Verse 19

Gal 3:19. With the foregoing con- elusion before them, it was natural for the readers to ask, wherefore then serveth the law? That is, for what purpose was the law given, if the promise of universal blessing through the seed of Abraham had already been given to the world as made known to the patriarch? The question is answered in the rest of this verse. The law was added (to the promise); not because God had made any change in His mind about the covenant, but because of transgressions. Members of the Patriarchial Dispensation became so unsatisfactory in their conduct, that it was doubtful if there would be a sufficient number of them in line of service to God to receive the Seed when he came. As a supplementary rule of behaviour, the law was given to bolster the nation descended from Abraham in its service to God, pending the final dispensation to come through Christ. But this addition of the law was not to be permanent (as the Judaizers were contending) but was to be in force only until the coming of the Seed to whom (see verse 16) the promise was made. In other words, the law was to be attached to the promise and in force only until Christ came into the world. Ordained by angels. God never appeared in person to mankind, but was always represented by angels when speaking to Moses and others. (See Act 7:53; Heb 2:2.) In the hand of a mediator. The last word is from MESITES which Thayer defines, "a medium of communication, arbitrator," and he explains it as follows: "One who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or to form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant." The mediator was Moses, who acted between God and the Israelties. This is all in agreement with the statement at the beginning of the verse, namely, that the law was added because of transgressions.

Verse 20

Gal 3:20. The very meaning of the word mediator indicates that two persons are on unfriendly terms, and the work of a mediator is to get them reconciled. There can be no need for nor work of a mediator in a case where only one person is interested. But God is one (only), therefore the presence of a mediator means that another party is involved. God is always righteous and no unrighteous person can be considered as being on good terms with Him. That is why a mediator was employed, and the party who needed to be reconciled to God was the Israelite nation, which had estranged itself from God by its "transgressions," and the law of Moses was the document by which the reconciliation was to be accomplished.

Verse 21

Gal 3:21. It must be constantly kept in mind that an outstanding evil that troubled the church in the first century was Judaism; the doctrine that the law of Moses was necessary to salvation. Paul is exposing ,that in the epistle to the Galatians. His argument in the few verses preceding the present one might raise the suggestion that the law was against the promises of God because it was added to those promises. He answers, God forbid, a term frequently used in the New Testament that denotes "by no means." The law could not be regarded as a competitor of the things set forth in the promises, for it did not claim to give (spiritual) life to its followers. It was added to the promises only for the purpose of stabilizing the conduct of the people of that dispensation, so that they would be ready to receive the "life" indicated in the promises when the time of fulfillment arrived. The law given through Moses was never intended in itself or by its merits, to give to its adherents that something regarded as spiritual life. Had such a law been given, then the obedience to it would have been acknowledged by the Lord as righteousness, and it would have been continued permanently.

Verse 22

Gal 3:22. Concluded all under sin does not say that God caused them to sin. The truths and facts regarding their conduct by the children of men, disclosed to God that all had sinned, hence He just declared what was true which was that all were sinners, which would make them all the subjects for divine mercy. Since all were actually sinners as a class, all would require the same means of spiritual redemption. The said means could not be by the merits of the law of works, therefore the Lord used that document as a hold-up or preparatory measure (see verse 19), at the same time pointing man to the coming of the promised seed of Abraham, that was to provide all nations with a system to be known as the faith, which would be able to assure the believers that they would be justified in Christ.

Verse 23

Gal 3:23. The thought in this verse is virtually the same as verse 19. Faith is a term for the Gospel of Christ, to distinguish it from the law of Moses. Kept under the law is the same as "it was added" in verse 19, and shut up unto the faith corresponds with "till the seed should come" in the same verse.

Verse 24

Gal 3:24. Wherefore means the apostle is drawing a conclusion from the facts of the preceding verse, and it is stated in the form of an illustration. Schoolmaster is from PAIDAGOGOS, which occurs only three times in the Greek New Testament; twice in Paul's present argument and once in 1Co 4:15, where it is rendered "instructors." But neither of these English words is used in the same sense as they are today. The original word is defined by Thayer as, "a tutor," and Robinson defines it, "a pedagogue." Thayer furnishes some historical information on the subject that will be useful as follows: "A guide and guardian of boys. Among the Greeks and Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them [were "shut up"--E. M. Z.] before arriving at the age of manhood." The apostle likens the law of Moses to this guardian of the child, because it was given charge of the "children of the Abrahamic promise" until such time as the fully-empowered Schoolmaster (Christ) should come, who would take charge of the pupils and administer spiritual education under• the curriculum of the faith.

Verse 25

Gal 3:25. Having been brought into contact with the real teacher (Christ), there is no further need for the authority of the guardian (the law).

Verse 26

Gal 3:26. I again remind the reader that the main object of this epistle is to show that the old law is replaced by the Gospel as a rule of conduct for salvation. In order to be an heir to the estate of God, it is necessary to be a child of His. Paul declares that such a relationship is possible for these Galatians (who were Gentiles) only by faith in Christ Jesus.

Verse 27

Gal 3:27. Continuing the same line of argument expressed in the preceding verse, Paul refers his readers to the event of their obedience in baptism. The force of the argument will be best realized by laying the emphasis on the name Christ. It is as if the apostle said that those who had been baptized into Christ had put on Christ and not Moses.

Verse 28

Gal 3:28. There is an adverb of place, referring to the position named in the preceding verse of those who have "put on Christ." In Him there is no distinction made between the various classifications mentioned as far as their spiritual relationship with the Lord is concerned. They are all made to compose one group in the sight of God, by their obedience to Christ and not because of any other relationship they previously sustained, either under the one or the other dispensation of religion.

Verse 29

Gal 3:29. However, the aforesaid statement does not nullify the importance of Abraham, for he was promised a descendant who would be a blessing to all nations (whether Jew or Gentile), and such a blessing was to be acquired through faith in that descendant, who was Christ.