Galatians 3:11

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. BUT - furthermore. BY THE LAW - Greek, 'IN the law;' in the sphere of the law, and in virtue of it. The syllogism (Galatians 3:11) is, According to Scripture, The just shall live by [ek, out of] faith. 'But the law is not of [ek, out of] faith, but of works' (i:e., does not make faith, but working, the conditional ground of justifying). Therefore "in," or, 'by the law; no man is justified (i:e., shall live) before God'-at God's tribunal-whatever the case may be before men (Romans 4:2) - not even if he could, which he cannot, keep the law, because the Scripture element and conditional mean of justification is faith ...

11._But that no man, is justified by the law_. He again argues from a comparison of contradictory schemes. “If we are justified by faith, it is not by the law: but we are justified by faith therefore it is not by the law.” The minor is proved by a passage from Habakkuk, which is also quoted in the Epistle to the Romans. (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17.) The major is proved by the difference in the methods of justification. The law justifies him who fulfils all its precepts, while faith justifies those who are destitute of the merit of works, and who rely on Christ alone. To be justified by our own merit, and to be justified by the grace of another, are two schemes which cannot be reconciled: one of them must be overturned by the other. Such is the amount of the argument: let us now attend to the separate clauses. The just

6-14 The apostle proves the doctrine he had blamed the Galatians for rejecting; namely, that of justification by faith without the works of the law. This he does from the example of Abraham, whose faith fastened upon the word and promise of God, and upon his believing he was owned and accepted of God as a righteous man. The Scripture is said to foresee, because the Holy Spirit that indited the Scripture did foresee. Through faith in the promise of God he was blessed; and it is only in the same way that others obtain this privilege. Let us then study the object, nature, and effects of Abraham's faith; for who can in any other way escape the curse of the holy law? The curse is against all sinners, therefore against all men; for all have sinned, and are become guilty before God: and if, as transgressors of the law, we are under its curse, it must be vain to look for justification by it. Th...

Verse 11. _BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW_] By the _observance_ of the law, suppose he had even continued in all things that are written in it to do them, _is evident_; for the Prophet _Habakkuk_, Habakkuk 2:4, has declared, under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, _The just shall live by faith_; or, he who is just by faith shall live: therefore this justification comes not by _works_, or the observance of the law, but by _faith_....

BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED ... - The argument which Paul has been pursuing he proceeds to confirm by an express declaration of the Bible. The argument is this: “It is impossible that a man should be justified by the Law, because God has appointed another way of justification.” But there cannot be two ways of obtaining life, and as he has appointed faith as the condition on which people shall live, he has precluded from them the possibility of obtaining salvation in any other mode. FOR, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH - This is quoted from Habakkuk 2:4. This passage is also quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17; see it explained in the note on that verse. The sense here is, that life is promised to man only in connection with faith. It is not by the

EXPOSITION GALATIANS 3:1 O FOOLISH GALATIANS (ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται). In thus apostrophizing them, the apostle brands their present behaviour, not any lack of intelligence on their part in general (comp. Luke 24:25). "Foolish"—to allow yourselves to be thus robbed of your happiness. The transporting feeling of elevation and joy with which, in Galatians 2:19, the apostle describes himself as crucified with Christ to the Law, and as living in Christ and through Christ, makes him the more keenly sensible of the senseless folly shown by the Galatians in taking up the observance of the Law. WHO HATH BEWITCHED YOU, THAT YE SHOULD NOT OBEY THE TRUTHS? (τ

BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED,.... There are some that are justified, as all God's elect are, in his own mind and will from eternity; which will of his to justify them, upon the righteousness of his Son, undertook by him to bring in, is their justification in the court of heaven; and all that believe in Christ are openly and manifestly justified in the court of conscience, under the testimony of the Spirit of God: but no one is justified BY THE LAW; it is in the Greek text, "in the law"; there were many justified before the law was given, as Noah, Job, Abraham, and all the Ante-Mosaic believers; and there were many justified "in", or under the legal dispensation; but none of them were justified by their obedience to the law, but by the righteousness they believed they had in the Lord: especially no man is justified IN THE SIGHT OF GOD; who sees the heart, knows the spring of actions, an...

Paul, writing, to those changeable Galatians, who had so soon deserted the faith, says to them in this chapter 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._ Paul does not compliment them on being a very «thoughtful,» «educated» «cultured» people; he does not care an atom about that matter, but because they had forsaken the simple truth of the gospel, he says, «O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?» Those are hard words, Paul! Why did he not say, «Who has led you forward into more advanced views?» Not he; he calls it witchery, the work of the devil, and it is nothing better; and the wisdom of it is no better than the trickery of some old witch. If you take your eyes off Christ, it must be witchcraft that makes you do it. There is

II. CONTRASTS BETWEEN LAW AND GRACE CHAPTER 3 _ 1. The gift of the Spirit not by the works of the law, but by hearing of faith. (Galatians 3:1)_ 2. Righteousness not bestowed by the law, but by faith. (Galatians 3:6) 3. The law curses; the curse born by Christ. (Galatians 3:10) 4. The law cannot annul the covenant of promise, (Galatians 3:15) 5. Wherefore serveth the law? (Galatians 3:19) 6. Faith having come--no longer under the law, ...

GALATIANS 3:1 TO GALATIANS 5:12. DOCTRINAL SECTION. PAUL SETS THE CHOICE BEFORE THEM CHRIST OR THE LAW AND ARGUES FOR ITS URGENCY. Galatians 3:1. It was a strange folly which could lead them to forget the picture, so plainly shown them, of the suffering Saviour. (1) Their own experience had been of the Spirit, as (_a)_ the source of ecstatic prayer (Galatians 4:6), in which the sacred scrap of Aramaic speech (Mark 14:36) once used by Jesus was employed throughout the early Christian world (_cf._...