Galatians 3:1-27

Galatians 3:1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you,

Paul writes as if they had come under some kind of witchcraft, and been deluded by it. This seemed to astonish the apostle, so he cries out to them «Who hath bewitched you,»

Galatians 3:1. That ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

They had heard the plainest possible preaching from Paul and his companions. Jesus Christ had been so clearly set forth before them that they might as it were, see him as he hung upon the cross of Calvary. Yet, under some unhallowed spell, they turned aside from the faith of Christ.

Galatians 3:2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

«You profess to have received the Spirit; did the Spirit come to you by the works of the law, or through hearing and believing the gospel?»

Galatians 3:3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

«Did you begin right, and are you going to finish in some other way? Is the foundation laid in truth, and will you build falsehood upon it? Is the foundation Jesus Christ, the chief corner store, and is the superstructure to be wood, hay, and stubble?»

Galatians 3:4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

«Have you been made to suffer through conviction of sin? Have you even been persecuted for the truth's sake? And are you going to give it up after all that?

Galatians 3:5. 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?

«Have those miracles been wrought in your midst by the power of faith or by the works of the law?»

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

That is the Scriptural doctrine, faith is counted or imputed for righteousness.

Galatians 3:7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Those who are justified by faith in Jesus; those whose faith is counted for righteousness, they are the children of believing Abraham, not those who are under the law of Moses.

Galatians 3:8. And the scripture, foreseeing that and would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Just as Abraham was blessed, so are the nations to be blessed, that is, by faith. By faith, they become his spiritual seed; by faith, they enter into his covenant; by faith, they receive the blessings of grace.

Galatians 3:9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Just as the believing Abraham was accounted righteous, so believing men who are the spiritual seed of Abraham, are also accounted righteous.

Galatians 3:10. 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.

Can any man perfectly keep the whole law of God? Has any man ever continued in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them? No; and, therefore, all that the law does is to bring the curse upon those who are under its dominion, and none of them can obtain salvation by the works of the law.

Galatians 3:11. But that no man is justified by the law, in the sight of God is evident: for the just shall live by faith.

This passage is again and again repeated in the Scriptures: «The just shall live by faith.» There are no other just men living, there cannot be any other just men living, but those that live by faith.

Galatians 3:12. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

The law demands doing, the gospel enjoins believing. The believing man comes in as an heir of the blessing, but, the man who trusts to his own doing is an heir of the curse.

Galatians 3:13. 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:

What a wonderful doctrine this is! We should have hesitated to use such language as this had not the Holy Spirit himself moved Paul to write that Christ was «made a curse for us.» He who is most blessed for ever, he who is the fountain of blessing and the channel of blessing to all who ever are blessed, was «made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:»

Galatians 3:14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Dear friends, are you living by faith upon the Son of God? Are you trusting in God? Are you believing his promises? Some think that this is a very little thing, but God does not think so. Faith is a better index of character than anything else. The man who trusts his God, and believes his promises, is honouring God far more than is the man who supposes that by any of his own doings he can merit divine approval and favor.

Galatians 3:15. Brethren, I speak after the matter of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

If a covenant is once made, signed, sealed, and ratified, no honourable man would think of drawing back from it. Whatever happens afterwards, the covenant having been once made is regarded as an established fact, and it must remain.

Galatians 3:16. 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. 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.

This is sound reasoning. God made a covenant with Abraham, and said that in him and in his seed all nations should be blessed. All believers are in Christ, who is here called Abraham's seed, and therefore they must be blessed. Whatever the law may say or may not say, it was not given until years after the covenant was made with Abraham, and therefore cannot affect it in any way.

Galatians 3:18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:

God gave it to Abraham by promise. It was a free gift; he did not bestow it upon the condition of merit on Abraham's part. Isaac was born, not according to the power of the flesh, but according to promise, and the whole covenant is according to free grace and divine promise.

Galatians 3:18. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law?

What was the use of that?

Galatians 3:19. It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;

The law makes us know what transgression is; it reveals its true nature. Under the hand of the Holy Spirit, it makes us see the evil of sin. We might not have perceived sin to be sin if it had not been for the command of God not to commit it; but when the commandment comes, then we recognize sin and the evil of it.

Galatians 3:19. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 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 should have been by the law.

There could not have been a better law. Some talk about the law of God being too severe, too strict, too stringent, but it is not. If the design had been that men should live by the law, there could not have been a better law for that purpose; and hence it is proved that, by the principle of law nobody ever can be justified because, even with the best of laws, all men are sinful, and so need that justification which comes only by grace through faith.

Galatians 3:22. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

All of us, by nature are shut up like criminals in a prison that is so securely bolted and barred that there is no hope of escape for any who are immured within it. But why are all the doors shut and fastened? Why in order that Christ may come and open the one only eternal door of salvation: «that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believes.»

Galatians 3:23. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Well do I remember when I was «shut up» in this fashion. I struggled and strove with might and main to get out, but I found no way of escape. I was «shut up» until faith came, and opened the door and brought me out into «the glorious liberty of the children of God.»

Galatians 3:24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The pedagogue was a slave who led the children to school, and sometimes whipped them to school. That is what the law did with us; it took us under its management, and whipped us, and drove us to Christ.

Galatians 3:25. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Now we go to Christ willingly, cheerfully, joyfully, trusting in him with all our hearts. The pedagogue's work is done so far as we are concerned.

Galatians 3:26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

We hear a great deal about the universal fatherhood of God, but it is all nonsense. There is no Scripture for it whatsoever. Those only are the children of God who are «the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.»

Galatians 3:27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

«He is everything to you. He covers you, he surrounds you. You do not stand before God in your own filthy rags, but you have put on Christ.»

Galatians 3:28. 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.

What a mercy it is to be in Christ, so that you yourself are not seen any more, but only Christ, and you accepted in him!

Galatians 3:29. And if ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

«According to the promise,» not according to your works, or your deserts, but «heirs according to the promise.»