Galatians 3 - Introduction

He asketh, what moveth them to leave the faith, and depend upon the law? They that believe are justified, and blessed with Abraham. And this he sheweth by many reasons.

Anno Domini 49.

ST. PAUL, having by many arguments proved himself a real Apostle, and shewed that his knowledge of the Gospel was given him by immediate revelation from Jesus Christ, proceeds in this and the following chapter, to treat of the doctrines in dispute between him and the false teachers. They affirmed, that no man could be justified but by the law of Moses, because the pardon of sin could be obtained only by the atonements which it prescribed: and therefore they urged the Gentiles to become Jews, that they might have the benefit of these atonements. But to impress the Galatians the more strongly with a sense of the danger of that doctrine, the Apostle charged them with want of understanding for listening to it; and spake of their not obeying the truth, as if it were the effect of some fascination, Galatians 3:1.—Then, by asking those who had gone over to Judaism, whether they had received the genuine religion which they possessed, as well as the spiritual gifts, by obeying the law, or by obeying the Gospel, he shewed them that obedience to the law of Moses had no part in men's acceptance with God, Galatians 3:2.—and taxed them with folly, because, after having had their acceptance with God, in the Gospel dispensation, through the alone merit of Christ, sealed to them by the graces, gifts, and witness of the Spirit, they proposed to make themselves more acceptable by performing the ceremonies of the law of Moses, which sanctified nothing but the flesh, Galatians 3:3.—Besides, by that course, they rendered all their former sufferings for resisting Judaism of no use, Galatians 3:4.—And to finish his rebuke, he asked them whether he had communicated the spiritual gifts to them, to prove that men are saved through obedience to the law of Moses, or to prove that they are saved through obedience to the Gospel, that is, through the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ, and by the operations of the Holy Spirit? Galatians 3:5.

In what follows, the Apostle overturned the doctrine of the Judaizers more directly, by observing, that even Abraham himself was justified, not by the works of the law, but in the Gospel method of faith counted for righteousness. And that they who like him believe in God, are Abraham's sons, and entitled to all the blessings of the covenant, Galatians 3:6.—And that God, having determined to justify the nations by faith, preached the Gospel, or good news of his determination, to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed, Galatians 3:8.—And therefore in every age and nation, they who believe in Godshall be blessed with Abraham, by having theirfaith counted to them, as his was to him, for righteousness, Galatians 3:9.—Whereas according to the law of Moses itself, every one who seeketh justification meritoriously by the works of that law, most certainly is condemned by its curse, Galatians 3:10.

Farther, to prove that by the law of Moses no man is justified in the sight of God, the Apostle appealed to the Jewish prophets as testifying that doctrine, particularly Habakkuk, Galatians 3:11.—Besides, the law does not require faith, but obedience to its precepts, as the condition of the life which it promises, Galatians 3:12.—Wherefore every sinner being doomed to death by the curse of the law of Moses, no person can be justified by that law. But Christ hath bought us off from the curse of the law of Moses, which is in fact the curse of the law of nature, consequently from law itself as rule of justification, by dying for us, Galatians 3:13.—That the blessing of Abraham, the blessing of justification by faith, which, in the covenant with Abraham, God promised to bestow on all nations through his seed, might come upon the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; and that they might receive the promise of the Spirit in all his gifts, graces, and witness, as the seal of their present title to justification by faith, and also of eternal life, if persevering in this faith unto death.

But because the Jews believed, from Isaiah 60:3 that the Gentiles were to be converted to them, the Jews contended that the blessing of the nations in Abraham's seed, was to be accomplished by the Gentiles embracing Judaism, and by their receivingjustification through the Levitical atonements. Wherefore, to overturn that false notion, the Apostle reasoned in the following manner: even a human covenant is not set aside, or altered, after it is ratified, except by the contracting parties, Galatians 3:15. But the promises of the covenant concerning the counting of the faith of the nations for righteousness, were made not only to Abraham, but to his seed: particularly this promise, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. He does not say and in thy seeds, as speaking concerning a multitude of children, but as concerning one person only; and in thy seed, who is Christ, Galatians 3:16.—I therefore affirm that this covenant which was before ratified by God, concerning the blessing of the nations with justification by faith through Christ, in consequence of the promise made to Abraham as a federal head of believers, the law which was given four hundred and thirty years after, cannot annul, so as to abolish the promise, by introducing a method of blessing or justifying the nations, different from that established by the promise, Galatians 3:17.—Farther, if the inheritance be obtained by works of law, it is no longer bestowed by promise; yet God bestowed it on Abraham and his seed, as a free gift by promise, Galatians 3:18.

Yewillperhapsreply,ifneithertheinheritance,norjustification, is obtained through the works of the law of Moses, why was that law added after the covenant was made with Abraham? It was added for the sake of restraining the Jews from transgressions, and more especially from idolatry; and was to continue till Christ the Seed should come, to whom it was promised, that the nations should be blessed with justification by faith through him. Moreover, the law being added to the covenant for this other purpose, namely, to make the Israelites sensible that they were sinners, and that God was displeased with them,it was delivered by angels into the hand of a Mediator, Galatians 3:19.—For a mediator is not employed between persons in good agreement with one another, Galatians 3:20.—From these things it followed (though the Apostle has not drawn the conclusion,) that a law which was given to make the Israelites sensible that they were sinners, and which by its curse condemned every sinner to death without remedy, could never be intended for their justification. Is the law of Moses then, which makes us sensible of our transgressions, and subjects us to its curse, inconsistent with the promise of justification by faith? By no means. That operation of law, on the contrary, shews the absolute necessity of the promise. For if any law could have been given capable of delivering us from death temporal and spiritual, certainlyrighteousness might have been obtained by such a law, Galatians 3:21.—But the law of Moses contained in the scripture, instead of communicating righteousness and eternal life to any person, has shut up all mankind together in prison, as sinners sentenced to death, that the promise of justification now published in the Gospel, may be performed to all believers, Galatians 3:22.—Wherefore before the Gospel was introduced, Jews and Gentiles were imprisoned as condemned criminals, and shut up together under the custody of law, so as to be obliged to have recourse to the method of justification by faith, which at the beginning was but imperfectly discovered, but which was afterwards to be fully revealed to all, in the Gospel, Galatians 3:23.—So that the law was our pedagogue, to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith, Galatians 3:24,—But the method of justification by faith, being now universally made known in the Gospel, Jews and Gentiles are no longer under the pedagogy of the law of Moses, and of nature, Galatians 3:25.—Besides, ye Jews and Gentiles who believe, are all the sons of God and heirs of eternal life through your faith in Jesus Christ. So that to your being the sons of God, it is not necessary to subject yourselves to the law of Moses, Galatians 3:26.—For at your baptism ye professed to put on the temper of Christ, Galatians 3:27.—And where this is really done, there is in the Gospel no preference given to men, as formerly under the law, on account of their descent or their outward condition; but all are equally honourable and equally beloved of God as his sons, who possess the temper and virtues of Christ Jesus, Galatians 3:28.—And with respect to you Gentiles, if ye are Christ's brethren by possessing his temper and virtues, certainly ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs of the heavenly country, according to God's promise, Galatians 3:29.