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Category: Galatians 3

Galatians 3:19 – Why the Law?

Posted on November 5, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:19

¹⁹What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

Truth to Learn

The law was given to Moses so that we could see how exceedingly sinful we are and how righteous Jesus is.

Behind the Words

In the opening sentence of this verse, you will notice that two words are grayed-out (“does” and “serve”). These two words don’t appear in the original Greek but were added by the translators. Perhaps a better translation of this sentence is, “Then why the law?”

The expression “because of transgressions” is translated from the word “parabaseōn,” which properly means with respect to transgressions or wrongdoing. The point is not that the law was added as a result of transgressions but that it was added to show the true nature of transgressions.

Meaning Explained

As we have been working our way through this chapter of Galatians, it has become obvious that Paul is teaching that salvation (righteousness) comes by faith without any help from obedience to the law. He has made that point abundantly clear several times. Therefore, the obvious question is, “Then why did God go to all the effort to deliver the law to Moses and the children of Israel?”

In Paul’s typical manner he does not dodge this issue but addresses it head-on. Knowing that this would be in his readers’ minds, he proceeds to ask and answer the question himself. The answer is, “It was added to show the true nature of transgressions.” We would not understand the true nature of disobeying God unless there was a way for us to experience it. Since none of us are righteous, we cannot satisfy the law. We are natural born law breakers and the law makes that obvious to us.

Another purpose of the law was for us to see how righteous Jesus is, since He fully kept the law. And, as Paul showed us in the previous verses, Christ was the seed to whom the promise of the inheritance of the world was made. Now, since we can’t satisfy the law and Christ has satisfied the law, we are all under God’s condemnation. The perfect one, Jesus Christ, then gave Himself as the payment for our sins so that we could receive His righteousness by faith, and faith alone.

So What?

As we are told in Romans:

§ “There is no one righteous, not even one,” [Romans 3:10]

§ “The wages of sin is death” [Romans 6:23a]

§ “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23b]

Without the law we would not know our own sinfulness and we could not accept God’s gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ.

Once again, God thought of everything!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Galatians 3:18 – Promised Gift

Posted on November 2, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:18

¹⁸For if the inheritance is of Law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by way of promise.

Truth to Learn

Abraham was promised an inheritance, not through satisfying the Law but through believing God. Our salvation is exactly the same. We are saved by a gift that is promised us without any works of the Law whatsoever.

Behind the Words

The first thing we have to ask ourselves is, “What, specifically, was the promise that God made to Abraham?” The answer is given to us by Paul in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 4:13 ¹³For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

From this we see that the promise was that he (Abraham) should be heir of the world. That is to say, that Abraham and his descendents would inherit the earth.

The Greek word translated “gave” is “kecharistai,” which is a form of “charis” meaning grace. It refers to “an act of freely bestowing a favor on someone else without payment or obligation.” The tense of this word, like others that we have looked at lately, is the perfect tense, indicating completed action in the past with current, ongoing effect. The inheritance that God promised Abraham was given to him in the past and now is in the state of having been bestowed on him, forever.

Meaning Explained

Paul’s argument is that if the inheritance of the world can be obtained through keeping the Law, then it is delivered by obligation, not by way of a promised gift. Since, as we saw in the previous verses, the promise was made to Abraham more than three hundred years before the Law came, the promise is not dependent on the keeping of the Law. It is, as Paul says in this verse, a gift (God gave it to Abraham.) And, as we see from the meaning of the word “gave,” it was presented to Abraham without him having to do anything to earn it or to pay for it. The inheritance was both promised and delivered to Abraham (from God’s perspective) the moment Abraham believed God’s word.

And that’s exactly how it works for our salvation today. This is the crux of Paul’s entire train of thought. The promise that we are saved from our sins is immediately placed to our account the moment we believe God’s Word and accept Christ as Lord and Savior. There is nothing more we have to do because God gave it to us by way of a promise the instant we believed.

So What?

Paul seems to cover these points in excruciating detail, moving ever so slowly through his arguments. The reason is that he wants the Galatian Christians (and Christians today) to completely understand, without a shadow of doubt, that works of the Law have absolutely nothing to do with salvation.

Works of righteousness are the result of salvation, not the source of salvation!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:17 – Covenant Confirmed

Posted on November 1, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:17

¹⁷And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

Truth to Learn

Obedience to the Law has no effect on the covenant of righteousness between God and man.

Behind the Words

The expression “that was confirmed before” which Paul uses with regard to the covenant, comes from the Greek word “prokekurōmenēn.” This is a compound word made up of “pro” meaning “before in place or time” and a form of “kuroō” which means “to confirm or establish.” Hence, this means to establish or confirm something in time past. But this particular verb is expressed here in the perfect tense, meaning that it is a covenant which was established at a point in time in the past with a continuous, ongoing (and unchanging) effect.

Meaning Explained

Two verses back Paul used an example from human relations. He pointed out that when a covenant (a contract) is made between two people then no one can change that covenant. He now applies that principle to the current argument. Abraham was declared righteous by God when he believed God’s promise, and that’s when the covenant between them was established.

Genesis 15:5, 6 ⁵Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

And the covenant that was established in the past has a continuous, on-going effect. This is the contract which God made with Abraham. They were the only ones participating in the covenant. The Law was not presented to Moses until 430 years after this covenant between God and Abraham. Since the covenant can’t be added to or annulled by anyone or anything, the Law cannot add to or take away from the covenant made between God and Abraham.

Paul has just demonstrated to the Galatians that their righteousness, like Abraham’s, is based on faith apart from the works of the law. Their faith is in the promised seed, Jesus Christ. Since their faith resulted in God declaring them righteous just as it did for Abraham, then, like Abraham, they cannot add to or take away anything regarding their righteousness by observing the Law, in part or in whole.

So What?

How long ago were you saved? Do you remember the exact moment that you confessed your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? That’s when God made a covenant with you (with continuous on-going effect). Keeping the works of the Law or the statutes or ordinances of a church or denomination cannot add to or take away from that. Period!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:16 – One Seed

Posted on October 31, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:16

¹⁶Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “and to your seed,” who is Christ.

Truth to Learn

Faith in Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the means of God’s blessing.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “seed” is “spermati” from which we get our English word sperm. In this instance, it is a singular noun. Later in the verse the word appears in the plural, “spermasin” and is translated “seeds.” This word can refer to a seed that is planted in the ground or it can refer to a person’s posterity, his descendents. The problem is that neither the Greek word for “seed” nor the Hebrew equivalent of this word, “zera’” is found in the plural anywhere in the Bible when referring to a person’s posterity, except in this passage.

So, why does Paul go to an extreme like this to claim the promise to Abraham was to a single person when in natural language it could refer to all of his descendents? Many Biblical scholars, throughout the centuries, have wondered about this, and opponents of Biblical inspiration and inerrancy have used this verse to try to prove their point. The difficulty of defending Paul’s use of the singular to refer only to Christ has caused at least one expositor to say:

“Perhaps the following remarks may show that there is real force and propriety in the position which the apostle takes here. If not, then I confess my inability to explain the passage.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is referencing a passage in the book of Genesis where God spoke to Abraham after seeing that he (Abraham) was willing to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, in obedience to God’s word:

Genesis 22:18 ¹⁸In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Paul’s thesis is that the singular use of the word “seed” was intentionally referring to a single person, Jesus Christ. Had God intended “seed” to refer to Abraham’s posterity it would have included all the descendents of Abraham including Isaac, Ishmael, and all the children of his second wife, Ketura. But, the blessing of Abraham is conferred on all those who believe God’s promise of a single redeemer, as Paul pointed out in:

Galatians 3:9 ⁹So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Today, those who believe God’s Word and His promise of eternal life receive God’s blessing. That is, they are accounted as righteous, not because they have earned it in any way, but because they believe in Abraham’s seed, the son of David, the root of Jesse, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

To the Galatians Christians, who were fooled into believing that they also had to keep the Law of Moses to be completely saved, Paul could not have made it any clearer.

So What?

Now, I ask you, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:15 – Eternal Contract

Posted on October 30, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:15

¹⁵Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.

Truth to Learn

God has made a contract with us to give us eternal life if we believe His truth. Nothing and no one can change it.

Behind the Words

When Paul says: “I speak in the manner of men,” it does not mean that this truth is not from God. It means that Paul is about to use an example of an event that occurs between men. The word translated “confirmed” is a form of the Greek word “kuroō,” a word that refers to “authority.” This particular word is in the perfect tense, meaning this is past completed action with a present continuous effect. Hence, the word that Paul uses here refers to: “something that been made authoritative or that has been established as valid and now continues to be authoritative.”

Meaning Explained

When any two people today make a legal agreement with each other, it involves a contract signed by both parties. Typically, after the contract is signed, two copies of it are made and each retains one of the copies. From this point on, neither party can cancel or change the agreement unless both parties agree and, either mutually amend the contract or create a new one.

God’s contract with Abraham was:

Galatians 3:6 ⁶just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

In other words, Abraham received righteousness in God’s accounting book in exchange for believing what God told him. This is the agreement—the contract—which God made with Abraham and it can never be changed.

But there is another agreement that Paul has told us about in the preceding verses: Those who are of faith, those who believe God’s Word as Abraham did, are blessed (declared righteous) by God just as Abraham was. The curse, that we earned by our failure to live up to God’s righteousness, was taken on by Jesus at the cross. Our curse has been taken away and Jesus’ righteousness has been given to us.

This contract, just like a human contract, cannot be annulled or changed by anyone. When we confess our sins and accept Jesus’ payment for those sins with his own blood, God makes a binding agreement with us. This agreement, as we saw in the previous verse, says that we have been purchased by God and taken off the market. Hence it is an eternal contract.

So What?

Have you made this agreement with God? Have you accepted Jesus blood as payment for your sins? If so, you are no longer for sale. You belong to God and He has declared you righteous forever.

You can’t add to it by good works and you can’t annul it by sinning. You are saved eternally!

Why not thank Him for this gracious contract.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:14 – Through Faith

Posted on October 26, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:14

¹⁴that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Truth to Learn

Like Abraham, we receive God’s blessing through faith AND we also receive God’s guarantee through faith.

Behind the Words

In order to get the fill impact of this verse, let’s look carefully at the Greek grammar used. We have a tendency to read this verse as: “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise …” In other words, we read this as a sequence of two events: first, we receive the blessing, then we receive the promise. The Greek construction, however, seems to say that these are parallel events, so it could be translated as: “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Meaning Explained

We’re just splitting hairs, right? No. You see, the blessing that Abraham received is the righteousness that was graciously given to him by God. And, as we saw in verse six, this righteousness was accounted to him as a result of his faith (not a result of works), because he believed God’s promise. We also receive the blessing of imputed righteousness by faith, not by works. Likewise, Paul now tells us, we also receive the promise of the Spirit through faith at the same time. He said a similar thing in Romans:

Romans 8:15, 16 ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

You see, if we have truly submitted ourselves to God, in recognition of our sinfulness, and have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we are given the Holy Spirit as a promise (a guarantee) that God will complete His work in us. That’s what Paul tells us in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:13, 14 ¹³In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

It is through faith that we receive the blessed declaration that we are righteous and it is through this same faith that we receive the Holy Spirit as God’s promise that we are eternally His.

So What?

Now, I ask you: “Do you want to try to earn this righteousness and this promise from God, neither of which is possible to earn? Or do you want to simply believe the Good News about Christ’s payment for your sins and receive this blessing which you don’t deserve? ”

It’s one or the other, there is no middle ground!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:13 – Purchased Forever

Posted on October 25, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:13

¹³Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

Truth to Learn

When we believe that the blood of Jesus pays for all our sins we become God’s purchased possession and we are taken out of the marketplace and placed into His family, forever.

Behind the Words

A few verses back Paul said:

Galatians 3:10 ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Since verse ten he has shown us that the law is not of faith and that anyone trying to obtain righteousness by the Law must satisfy all the Law, which we sinful humans can’t do. So, if we can’t satisfy the entire Law we are under God’s curse and can’t obtain righteousness ourselves. But now Paul gives us the blessed truth that Christ redeemed us from that curse. But what does it mean that Christ has “redeemed” us?

The word translated “redeemed” is the Greek word, “exagoradzo” which is made up of “ek” meaning “out of” and “agoradzo” which means “to buy.” So this word can be translated as “to buy out of.” But what does that really mean? It means that we have been bought and have been taken out of the marketplace. The beauty of this notion is that we can never be put back in the market place and sold to anyone else. We now belong to God. We are His possession, eternally! And, we have been given the righteousness of Christ (in God’s record book he has marked us as righteous, just like Jesus Christ).

Meaning Explained

How did Christ buy us and take us out of the market place? He did it by taking our curse on himself. As sinners, we had broken God’s law and were under His curse. When Jesus hung on the Cross He had all of our sins thrust upon Him. Remember when Jesus was hanging on the cross there was darkness for three hours? That was representative of God the Father having turned away from God the Son while He bore our sins and became a curse for us. But Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law and was, therefore, righteous in God the Father’s eyes. So, just as Jesus humbled Himself before the Father and took on our curse as He hung on the cross, when we submit to God the Father and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior our curse is paid for and removed from us. And, in place of the curse we deserve, we receive the righteousness of Christ which we don’t deserve.

That’s grace, pure and simple!

So What?

Have your sins been paid for? If so, then you are purchased goods. You now have a new owner and He expects you to behave like a child of the King. So, live like a son or daughter of a Holy God, not because you want to gain something, but because you want to give something.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:12 – Faith, not Law

Posted on October 24, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:12

¹²Yet the law is not of faith, but “The man who does them shall live by them.”

Truth to Learn

The Christian who is trying to obey the Law of Moses or the rules of their church in order to be a “good Christian” is not living by faith.

Review

A few verses back, Paul told us that God promised Abraham that in him all nations, Jew and Gentile alike, would receive God’s blessing. He then went on to say that those who are of faith “are blessed with believing Abraham.” In other words, God’s blessing (righteousness imputed) is upon those who believe God’s promises, not on those who try to earn their righteousness by obeying the law.

Meaning Explained

Paul now declares that not only is the law not of faith, but whoever tries to satisfy the law is committing his future life to living by the law. On the surface this may seem contradictory. It sounds like he is saying that life can be obtained by keeping the law. However, Paul is making a reference to a passage in Leviticus which says:

Leviticus 18:5 ⁵You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

The key in this verse is the phrase “if a man does.” If anyone keeps the whole law, he, or she, will receive life. The problem is that anyone with a sin nature cannot keep the whole law. The only one who ever wholly kept the law is Christ himself. In fact, He declared in His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:17 ¹⁷Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

The word translated “fulfill” is the Greek word “pleroō” which means “to make full” or “to fill up,” but by implication it means to fully satisfy. Christ came to fully satisfy all that the law requires for righteousness and life, but it is impossible for us.

So, what Paul is saying is that satisfying the law is not done by faith but by works. The Galatians Christians had been taught by the false teachers that they had to keep some of the ordinances of the law in order to be completely saved. Paul has just shown them that keeping part of the law is not sufficient because in order to be justified by the law the entire law must be kept. And, as he said two verses back;

“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Therefore, anyone trying to complete or secure their salvation by works of the law is under God’s curse.

That’s something to think about!

So What?

If you believe that you have to keep the works of the Law in order to live a victorious Christian life, then I ask you: “Are you keeping the whole Law?”

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:11 – Faithful Righteousness

Posted on October 23, 2007 by Will

Galatians 3:11

¹¹But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “The just shall live by faith.”

Truth to Learn

The only way for any of us to stand before the Judge of all the earth is to be completely righteous. But none of us is righteous in and of ourselves. In order to be righteous in God’s presence, we must have already received the righteousness He offers us through faith.

Behind the Words

What does Paul mean that no one is “justified” by the law? The word “justified” is a translation of the Greek word, “dikaiountai” which is a form of “dikaioō.” This word means, “to bring out the fact that a person is righteous.” Remember what Paul said to the Christians in Rome?

Romans 3:10 ¹⁰As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;”

So, if none of us is inherently righteous (just) and no one is justified (made righteous) by the law, then trying to obey the law will never result in righteousness. Paul goes on to say that not only are we not justified by works of the law but those who would be just (righteous) will live by faith.

Notice that he did not say, “the just are living by faith.” In the current verse, the word “live” is in the future tense. Now there is a certain sense in which we are currently living by faith but Paul is saying that the just “will live” by faith. In fact, the Greek doesn’t really say “by faith,” it says “out of” or “from” faith. What is Paul trying to tell us?

Meaning Explained

Throughout the Bible it is said that there are two realms in which we exist: the physical and the spiritual. When we are born into this world we receive physical life, which will end for all of us when we take our last breath. Because of our sin nature, which we inherited from Adam, we are spiritually dead the moment we are physically born. In order for us to gain spiritual life we have to be “born again.” This is our spiritual birth. At that point in time we are adopted into the family of God and credited with righteousness. However, if you read the Romans 2 chapter, you will see that even though we have been declared righteous, as long as we are in this body we are sinners. When we pass from this physical life to the next we will all stand before the Judge and those of us who have believed God will be made completely righteous.

We “will be justified” — completely and eternally. At that point we will truly live as a result of (out of) the faith that we have in this physical life. That’s what Paul is telling us in the current verse, “the just shall live by faith.” Because we believe that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness we shall truly live in the eternal state and we will know the complete blessing of God.

So What?

In that day we will live, not because we belong to the right church, or keep the law, or follow a set of rules but because of our faith. Period!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Galatians 3:10 – Cursed Works

Posted on October 18, 2007 by admin

Galatians 3:10

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do the.

Truth to Learn

Performing works of the law results in God’s curse. Faith and faith alone results in God’s blessing.

Behind the Words

Paul once again uses a play on words to make his point. In the previous verse he said those who are “of faith” are “blessed.” In the current verse he says that those who are “of the works of the law” are “cursed.” The expression “of faith” is from the Greek words ek pisteōs which literally translates as “out of faith” or “out of belief.” What Paul means by this is that their manner of life is build out of faith. It is the characteristic that describes how they conduct themselves. And those people whose life is characterized by faith are “blessed” by God or, as we saw in the discussion of the previous verse, are “well spoken of” by God.

Now, in this verse he refers to those who are “of works of the law.” This is a translation of the phrase ek ergon nomou which literally means “out of works of law.” In other words, their manner of life is built out of works of law, obeying rules to receive righteousness rather than simply having believing faith. These people, according to Paul, are “under the curse” which comes from the Greek, hupo kataran. The word hupo means “under” and the word kataran means “a curse.” So these people, instead of receiving good words from God, receive a cursing from God.

Meaning Explained

Paul now uses a quote from the Old Testament to show that doing a few good works does nothing for a person if they don’t do all the works of the law.

Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law. (Deueronomy 27:26)

What Paul is pointing out is that the one who tries to obtain righteousness by works of the law must keep the entire law. Now, we know that no one can keep all the works of the law, so anyone who tries to confirm or complete their righteousness by obeying some or all of the works of the law is cursed because it isn’t humanly possible.

The Christians in Galatia had been taught by the false teachers that they had to keep some of the works of the law in order to be completely saved. Paul has just shown them that keeping part of the law does no good. If they expect to receive righteousness by works of the law then they have to keep the entire law, and no one can do that!

Application

Do you want to receive “a blessing” from God or “a cursing?” Living by faith and some good works does not secure God’s blessing. The only way to receive God’s blessing is to live by faith and faith alone.

Are you still trying to earn God’s blessing?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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