Galatians 3

Galatians 3:1-4

Apostle Paul already wrote in the previous chapters concerning the true gospel, and concerning the false brethren who, if allowed to do so, would alienate the Galatian churches from the grace and peace given by God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now he says, "O foolish Galatians!" (Galatians 3:1). Their foolishness was in their turning away from "all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 4:24). Psalm 53:1 exposes them saying, "The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile." They were bewitched into the idolatry of the law, that they "should not obey the truth" (Galatians 3:1) of the gospel. Just as the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Jeremiah concerning the people of Judah saying, they "have done evil in My sight,” says the Lord. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it" (Jeremiah 7:30). This was the condition of the churches of Galatia, "before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among" them as crucified (Galatians 3:1).

Apostle Paul continues to reason with them, in hopes that they would submit to his gospel message. As the Apostle Peter also said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Apostle Paul reminds them that by the simple hearing of the gospel, "being mixed with faith in those who heard it" (Hebrews 4:2), they already received the Holy Spirit. This was not "by the works of the law" (Galatians 3:2). Therefore, "having begun in the Spirit" (Galatians 3:3) it was clearly unreasonable for them to believe the false brethren who were telling them they were "now being made perfect by the flesh" (Galatians 3:3), which is the foolish pursuit of salvation through obedience of the Old Testament law, as if there is no God in heaven to provide grace and peace through the sacrifice of the Messiah.

It is apparent that the churches of Galatia suffered much for their testimony of Jesus Christ. The message of these false brethren must have been appealing as a way for Christians to avoid further suffering for Christ. They would keep the title of 'Christian" and would be inoffensive to the legalistic Jews, but they would forfeit the freedom of God and be brought once again under the bondage of the Jewish law. Therefore, Apostle Paul asks the churches, "Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?" (Galatians 4:4).

Galatians 3:5-9

Apostle Paul reminds the churches that God "supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you" (Galatians 3:5), and that He does this freely "by the hearing of faith," and not by "the works of the law" (Galatians 3:5) as if the grace and peace which comes from God could be earned rather than received "as a little child" (Luke 18:17) — "just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). The Jews prided themselves as being sons of Abraham through genealogy, as they do even today. However, the rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the only means for salvation would leave them under God's wrath. As Jesus Christ said, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones" (Luke 3:7-8). Accordingly, Apostle Paul tells them "know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7).

He shows the churches that the gospel of salvation through faith, apart from works, was preached to Abraham as found in the Scripture. Whereby God showed early on that He would justify the Gentiles by faith (Galatians 3:8) when He said to Abraham, “In you all the nations shall be blessed” (Galatians 3:8). Abraham received God's message by faith, and likewise "those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham" (Genesis 3:9). Which also implies that those who rely on keeping the Old Testament law forfeit God's blessing and remain under His wrath.

Galatians 3:10-12

Apostle Paul clearly states the cost of returning to the bondage of the Old Testament law. He tells the churches of Galatia that "as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse" (Galatians 3:10), and he makes reference to Deuteronomy 27:26 which says, "Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them." To prove that it is evident in Scripture that "no one is justified by the law in the sight of God" (Galatians 3:11), he also makes reference to the latter part of Habakkuk 2:4 which in full says, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith." It is this foolish pride that was creeping into the hearts of the believers, and as the Apostle Paul said, "the law is not of faith" (Galatians 3:12). So, those who were falling for the false gospel really had nothing to be proud of, because they were exposed by the Scripture as not being upright before God, because of their rejection of the message of grace and peace which comes from God by faith alone. This is farther clarified by God's expectation as stated in Leviticus 18:5, which the Apostle Paul points out, and which says in full, “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Although this was the Word of God to the Jewish people, history has proven the inability for man to live up to God's expectation, which leaves anyone under His wrath who would rely in their ability to please Him through the observance of the Old Testament law. Rather, Apostle Paul tells them they must accept God's free gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, which is received by faith alone, totally unrelated to the Jewish law which is proven useless as a means of earned righteousness.

Galatians 3:13-14

Contrary to the false concept that God expects for us to be justified by observing the Jewish law, Apostle Paul reminds the churches, "before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified" (Galatians 3:1), that "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). To the Jews who surely knew the Old Testament Scripture, Apostle Paul points out Deuteronomy 21:23 where the Holy Spirit indicates that Jesus Christ did indeed become a curse for us in the sight of God, because “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13), and Jesus Christ hung on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world. Apostle Paul reminds the Galatian churches that Jesus Christ did this so "that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles;" "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14). The promise through faith is as Isaiah the prophet said; mourning due to God's wrath would endure only "until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high" (Isaiah 32:15), and as Apostle Paul makes clear, the Spirit is received through faith.

Galatians 3:15-18

In Galatians 3:15 the Apostle Paul points out that not even a contract (covenant) between mere men which has already been confirmed can be made void or be altered. Everyone knows this to be true. The agreement made with Abraham was not made by a man, but by God. This makes God's promise all the more binding than that which can possibly be made between mere men, and yet men's promise agreements are duly honored among them. God's unfailing promises were made to "Abraham and his Seed" (Galatians 3:16). The Seed being singular refers to Jesus Christ as the heir of the promises of God. To prove that the promises to Jesus Christ are altogether separate from Jewish law, Apostle Paul points out "that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect" (Galatians 3:17). As already made clear, if man's promises are binding, God's promises are all the more binding. He will not go back on His promise. Especially not for something (the Jewish law) which was not even in effect at the time in which the promises were made. So those who try to obtain the promised inheritance as if it "is of the law" (Galatians 3:18) have separated themselves from the promise, because "God gave it to Abraham by promise" (Galatians 3:18), and not by the law.

Galatians 3:19-20

This leaves a question which the Apostle Paul realizes begs to be answered. The question is "What purpose then does the law serve?" (Galatians 3:19). By now it should be clear that God gave the law to hold everyone accountable for sin, and to lead us to Christ. As Apostle Paul said, the law "was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made" (Galatians 3:19). The difference between the law and the promise is seen in the fact that although "God is one" (Galatians 3:18), He used angels and mediators to bring the law, which makes the separation clear which exists between God and men who are under the law. This is seen in Exodus 20:19 when the people requested that Moses would speak with them, and they also said, "but let not God speak with us, lest we die." In contrast, through the promise of faith, Jews and Gentiles are both reconciled to God through Christ and are encouraged in the Holy Spirit to "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). As Apostle Paul said, "God is one" (Galatians 3:18). "His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The Lord has made known His salvation" (Psalm 98:1-2).

Galatians 3:21-25

Now Apostle Paul anticipates a follow-up question which he will not leave unanswered for the churches, "Is the law then against the promises of God?" (Galatians 3:21). His short and direct answer to this is "Certainly not!" (Galatians 3:21), which is actually saying, 'Perish the thought!' He goes on to explain that God's purpose for the law was never to give life. There was no Old Testament Jewish "law given which could have given life" (Galatians 3:22), otherwise, Apostle Paul admits, righteousness would have been obtained by the law. However, Apostle Paul testifies to the fact that "Scripture has confined all under sin" (Galatians 3:22). As he said in the letter to the Romans, God has done this so "that He might have mercy on all" (Romans 11:32), and mercy is apart from law. So the purpose of the law is clearly "that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" (Galatians 3:22). Apostle Paul farther clarifies this in his letter to the Romans by pointing to Abraham and saying, "he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised (Romans 4:11-12). So, the law was given in order for all of Israel to be kept in bondage, "under guard by the law" (Galatians 3:23), but with a very clear purpose which was stated from the beginning in Genesis when the Holy Spirit said, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people" (Genesis 49:10). So, through the law, they were "kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed" (Galatians 3:23), and which has indeed been revealed in the appearing of Jesus Christ who requires the obedience of faith, not of law. Therefore, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4), the law having fulfilled its purpose of bringing us to Jesus Christ so "that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24), because by Christ "everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39). Apostle Paul concludes his explanation of God's purpose for the law with this statement: "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Galatians 3:24-25). So the law was instated for God's purpose to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, which is apart from bondage to the law which was implemented by God as a temporary guardian.

Galatians 3:26-29

Apostle John testified accordingly, saying that "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). Here Apostle Paul also bears witness saying, "you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). By this Apostle Paul is declaring the unity of the faith among both Jew and Gentile. As he said to the church at Ephesus, Jesus Christ "abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace" (Ephesians 2:15). Here he now says to the Galatian churches, "as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27-28). Only Israel, for the law, was "baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:2), but now all men are baptized into Christ, and through faith have become "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:17). As the Apostle Paul says in this final verse of the third chapter, "if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).

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