O thoughtless Galatians — He breaks in upon them with a beautiful abruptness. Who hath bewitched you — Thus to contradict both your own reason and experience. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been as evidently set forth — By our preaching, as if he had been crucified among you.... [ Continue Reading ]
This only would I learn of you — That is, this one argument might convince you. Did ye receive the witness and the fruit of the Spirit by performing the works of the law, or by hearing of and receiving faith?... [ Continue Reading ]
Are ye so thoughtless — As not to consider what you have yourselves experienced? Having begun in the Spirit — Having set out under the light and power of the Spirit by faith, do ye now, when ye ought to be more spiritual, and more acquainted with the power of faith, expect to be made perfect by the... [ Continue Reading ]
Have ye suffered — Both from the zealous Jews and from the heathens. So many things — For adhering to the gospel. In vain — So as to lose all the blessings which ye might have obtained, by enduring to the end. If it be yet in vain — As if he had said, I hope better things, even that ye will endure t... [ Continue Reading ]
And, at the present time, Doth he that ministereth the gift of the Spirit to you, and worketh miracles among you, do it by the works of the law — That is, in confirmation of his preaching justification by works, or of his preaching justification by faith?... [ Continue Reading ]
Doubtless in confirmation of that grand doctrine, that we are justified by faith, even as Abraham was. The Apostle, both in this and in the epistle to the Romans, makes great use of the instance of Abraham: the rather, because from Abraham the Jews drew their great argument, as they do this day, bot... [ Continue Reading ]
Know then that they who are partakers of his faith, these, and these only, are the sons of Abraham, and therefore heirs of the promises made to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the scripture — That is, the Holy Spirit, who gave the scripture. Foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles also by faith, declared before — So great is the excellency and fulness of the scripture, that all the things which can ever be controverted are therein both foreseen and determined.... [ Continue Reading ]
So then all they, and they only, who are of faith — Who truly believe. Are blessed with faithful Abraham — Receive the blessing as he did, namely, by faith.... [ Continue Reading ]
They only receive it. For as many as are of the works of the law — As God deals with on that footing, only on the terms the law proposes, are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all the things which are written in the law. Who continueth not in all the things... [ Continue Reading ]
But that none is justified by his obedience to the law in the sight of God — Whatever may be done in the sight of man, is farther evident from the words of Habakkuk, The just shall live by faith — That is, the man who is accounted just or righteous before God, shall continue in a state of acceptance... [ Continue Reading ]
And the law is not of faith — But quite opposite to it: it does not say, Believe; but, Do. Leviticus 18:5... [ Continue Reading ]
Christ — Christ alone. The abruptness of the sentence shows an holy indignation at those who reject so great a blessing. Hath redeemed us — Whether Jews or gentiles, at an high price. From the curse of the law — The curse of God, which the law denounces against all transgressors of it. Being made a... [ Continue Reading ]
That the blessing of Abraham — The blessing promised to him. Might come on the gentiles — Also. That we — Who believe, whether Jews or gentiles. Might receive the promise of the Spirit — Which includes all the other promises. Through faith — Not by works; for faith looks wholly to the promise.... [ Continue Reading ]
I speak after the manner of men — I illustrate this by a familiar instance, taken from the practice of men. Though it be but a man's covenant, yet, if it be once legally confirmed, none — No, not the covenanter himself, unless something unforeseen occur, which cannot be the case with God. Disannulle... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the promises were made to Abraham and his seed — Several promises were made to Abraham; but the chief of all, and which was several times repeated, was that of the blessing through Christ. He — That is, God. Saith not, And to seeds, as of many — As if the promise were made to several kinds of se... [ Continue Reading ]
And this I say — What I mean is this. The covenant which was before confirmed of God — By the promise itself, by the repetition of it, and by a solemn oath, concerning the blessing all nations. Through Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years after — Counting from the time when the pr... [ Continue Reading ]
And again — This is a new argument. The former was drawn from the time, this from the nature, of the transaction. If the eternal inheritance be obtained by keeping the law, it is no more by virtue of the free promise — These being just opposite to each other. But it is by promise. Therefore it is no... [ Continue Reading ]
It — The ceremonial law. Was added — To the promise. Because of transgressions — Probably, the yoke of the ceremonial law was inflicted as a punishment for the national sin of idolatry, Exodus 32:1, at least the more grievous parts of it; and the whole of it was a prophetic type of Christ. The moral... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the mediator is not a mediator of one — There must be two parties, or there can be no mediator between them; but God who made the free promise to Abraham is only one of the parties. The other, Abraham, was not present at the time of Moses. Therefore in the promise Moses had nothing to do. The la... [ Continue Reading ]
Will it follow from hence that the law is against, opposite to, the promises of God? By no means. They are well consistent. But yet the law cannot give life, as the promise doth. If there had been a law which could have given life — Which could have entitled a sinner to life, God would have spared h... [ Continue Reading ]
But, on the contrary, the scripture wherein that law is written hath concluded all under sin — Hath shut them up together, (so the word properly signifies,) as in a prison, under sentence of death, to the end that all being cut off from expecting justification by the law, the promise might be freely... [ Continue Reading ]
But before faith — That is, the gospel dispensation. Came, we were kept — As in close custody. Under the law — The Mosaic dispensation. Shut up unto the faith which was to be revealed — Reserved and prepared for the gospel dispensation.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ — It was designed to train us up for Christ. And this it did both by its commands, which showed the need we had of his atonement; and its ceremonies, which all pointed us to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
But faith — That is, the gospel dispensation. Being come, we are no longer under that schoolmaster — The Mosaic dispensation.... [ Continue Reading ]
For ye — Christians. Are all adult sons of God — And so need a schoolmaster no longer.... [ Continue Reading ]
For as many of you as have testified your faith by being baptized in the name of Christ, have put on Christ — Have received him as your righteousness, and are therefore sons of God through him.... [ Continue Reading ]
There is neither Jew nor Greek — That is, there is no difference between them; they are equally accepted through faith. There is neither male nor female — Circumcision being laid aside, which was peculiar to males, and was designed to put a difference, during that dispensation, between Jews and gent... [ Continue Reading ]
If ye are Christ's — That is, believers in him.... [ Continue Reading ]