Galatians 3:1-28

Galatians 3:1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith ?

«When the Spirit of God came upon you, and renewed you, when he endued some of you with miraculous gifts, did this power come by the works of the law, or through your believing the gospel? ‘Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?'»

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

«Is this work to be partly God's and partly your own? And if he has begun it with a basis of gold, are you to perfect it with your poor dust and clay? Are you so foolish as to attempt to do this?»

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

They knew very well that the miracles came as the result of faith, and were an attestation and seal of the gospel of faith, and not of the works of the law.

Galatians 3:6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

He was the father of the faithful that is of the believing; not of those who trust in their own works. These are only like Ishmael, who must be cast out of the chosen family; but the true children, the real Isaacs, are those who are born according to the promise of grace.

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

That is, «in thee, because thou art the father of believers. Thou art a sort of head and prototype of men who believe in me, and so, ‘ in thee shall all nations be blessed;' and in thy seed, too, as thou shalt be the father of the Christ, shall all nations be blessed.»

Galatians 3:9. So then they which be faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 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. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

If then, even those who are just live by faith, how can any expect that they shall live by their works?

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

The law says nothing about faith; it speaks only about doing: «Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.»

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:

There is the key of the mystery. Christ is our Substitute. He fulfilled the law's demands by his perfect obedience, and he suffered the law's utmost penalty by his death upon the cross; and, now, all those who believe in him are forever justified because of what he did for them.

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. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed,

If it be legally drawn up, signed, and sealed, and witnessed,

Galatians 3:15. No man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

There it stands, and an appeal can be made to it in any court of law where it may be produced.

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.

That is clear enough. The covenant made with Abraham and his seed cannot be affected by anything that was said or done on Sinai. Whatever the covenant of works may be, or say, or do, it comes in more than four centuries after this glorious covenant of grace had been signed, and sealed, and ratified; and therefore it cannot be affected, it must stand fast for ever.

Galatians 3:18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

So, then, we know it is by promise, and God must keep his promise, and we must believe it. It must be true; and if we do believe it, we shall prove it to be true, and it will be fulfilled in every jot and tittle to every believing soul.

Galatians 3:19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the band 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. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin,

Or, «shut us all up under sin.» The law has come, and proved us all guilty, and shut us all up as in a great prison from which we cannot escape by any power of our own.

Galatians 3:22. That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,

It whipped us to Christ, and taught us that we could not be saved except by Christ.

Galatians 3:24. That we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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.

Yet some foolish people still talk about our Israelitish origin. What would that matter even if it were true? «There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free.» All these distinctions are done away with, and Christ is all, and believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, «are all one in Christ Jesus.»

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

So that all the blessings which God promised to Abraham belong to you who are believers in Christ, and you may take them, and rejoice in them; but if ye are without faith in Christ, then are ye without the one essential thing which gives you an interest in the covenant of grace.

This exposition consisted of readings from Galatians 2:15; and Galatians 3:1.