Gal 3:1-4: "O foolish Galatians! Who bewitches you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was graphically crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you get the spirit by works of law or by hearing of faith? So foolish are you? Undertaking in spirit, are you now being completed in flesh? So much did you suffer feignedly? Since, surely, it also is feignedly!"
The second sentence here is a little hard to understand (for me anyway) in the way the Concordant Literal has it rendered. After wrapping my head around it, my paraphrase would be “Foolish Galatians! How could you be bewitched from the truth, since it was graphically portrayed among you that Christ was crucified?” It seems as though some among the Galatians were doing what Paul mentioned back in Gal 2:18, I don’t think the Galatians were returning to the law, as they were members of the nations and the law was not given to the nations (Rom 2:14). They were being fooled into thinking that they needed to start following the law to be perfected, or to keep their salvation (ahem, sounds like Christianity, ahem). Paul told the Galatians the truth of the evangel, what God through Christ had already accomplished, and they believed. Paul had never said any work of the flesh was required, including conjuring up faith within oneself. The Galatians, like Paul, had suffered for the truth of the evangel, because many hate the message of the grace of God. Heralding works based righteousness does not incite persecution (Gal 5:11).
Gal 3:5-6: "He, then, who is supplying you with the spirit, and operating works of power among you-did you get the spirit by works of law or by the hearing of faith, according as Abraham believes God, and it is reckoned to him for righteousness?"
Paul asks the same question again, “did you get the spirit by works of law or by the hearing of faith?” God sealed them with the holy spirit of promise upon their hearing and belief of the evangel. Why would they now need to work for that same spirit? Abraham simply believed God’s promise, what God told him He would do.
Gal 3:7-9: "Know, consequently, that those of faith, these are sons of Abraham. Now the scripture, perceiving before that God is justifying the nations by faith, brings before an evangel to Abraham, that In you shall all the nations be blessed. So that those of faith are being blessed together with believing Abraham.”
Those of faith are not literal descendants of Abraham, but are being reckoned righteous by God like Abraham was through faith. God’s plan all along has been to ultimately bless all of His creation. Through Christ’s faith, all have been justified from sin (Rom 6:7, 2 Cor 5:14), though only believers are currently justified by God. Rom 3:21-23: "Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God." This righteousness of God is for all, and is currently on all who believe.1
Gal 3:10-14: “For whoever are of works of law are under a curse, for it is written that, Accursed is everyone who is not remaining in all things written in the scroll of the law to do them. Now that in law no one is being justified with God is evident, for the just one by faith shall be living. Now the law is not of faith, but who does them "shall be living in them." Christ reclaims us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for our sakes, for it is written, Accursed is everyone hanging on a pole, that the blessing of Abraham may be coming to the nations in Christ Jesus, that we may be obtaining the promise of the spirit through faith."
A. E. Knoch makes a great point in his commentary on verse 9, drawing our attention to the contrast between faith and law. Those of faith are blessed, and those under law are under a curse. Why would anyone want to put themselves under a curse, when blessing comes through the faith of Christ and believing what has already been accomplished by Christ.
Gal 3:15-18: "Brethren (I am saying this as a man), a human covenant likewise having been ratified, no one is repudiating or modifying it. Now to Abraham the promises were declared, and to his Seed. He is not saying "And to seeds," as of many, but as of One: And to "your Seed," which is Christ. Now this am I saying: a covenant, having been ratified before by God, the law, having come four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not invalidate, so as to nullify the promise. For if the enjoyment of the allotment is of law, it is no longer of promise. Yet God has graciously granted it to Abraham through the promise."
A covenant made by men is not easily changed or made void. The covenant made to Abraham was made by God, with no stipulations for Abraham to keep. God made the promise, and it rests on Him to accomplish it. The law coming 430 years after the covenant made with Abraham by God in no way nullifies or invalidates God’s promise. We are told Christ is the Seed of Abraham spoken about here, no need to guess.
Gal 3:19-20: "What, then, is the law? On behalf of transgressions was it added, until the Seed should come to Whom He has promised, being prescribed through messengers in the hand of a mediator. Now there is no Mediator of one. Yet God is One."
It is widely unknown why the law came, which is on behalf of transgressions. A. E. Knoch says this in his commentary on vs. 19: “Law changes sin from a mere mistake into the over-stepping of a divine command. It enhances the sinfulness of sin. Transgression is sin against a known law, entailing not only the usual penalties, but the added displeasure of God against one who defies His precepts. The law was not given to the people directly, but through Moses who acted as the mediator. Neither was it given through Christ, the Seed of the promise.” Rom 5:20: "Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should be increasing. Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds," I had a hard time wrapping my head around vs. 20, the way the Concordant Literal has it translated. A paraphrase is easier for me to understand: “a mediator is not needed when there is only one party making a promise. Yet God is One.” God is One (not three in one, one of three, etc.) and He didn’t have a mediator when He made His promise to Abraham.
Gal 3:21-26: "Is the law, then, against the promises of God? May it not be coming to that! For if a law were given that is able to vivify, really, righteousness were out of law. But the scripture locks up all together under sin, that the promise out of Jesus Christ's faith may be given to those who are believing. Now before the coming of faith we were garrisoned under law, being locked up together for the faith about to be revealed. So that the law has become our escort to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. Now, at the coming of faith, we are no longer under an escort, for you are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus."
The law is not a counter to God’s promises but a part of His plan. It was an escort to those under it to recognize sin and their inability to be righteous in themselves (on behalf of transgressions). Israel was an “example” nation, in that, even a nation given a law to follow directly from God were unable to be righteous. Rom 3:19-20: "Now we are aware that, whatever the law is saying, it is speaking to those under the law, that every mouth may be barred, and the entire world may become subject to the just verdict of God, because, by works of law, no flesh at all shall be justified in His sight, for through law is the recognition of sin." Paul spends most of the first part of Romans proving that all humanity is locked up under sin (Rom 1:18-3:18), before he reveals the remedy. The only contribution we have in any of this is being sinners. Only sinners need to be saved, which is all of us (Mark 2:17). The righteousness of God through Jesus Christ’s faith is put on believers earlier than it it is on unbelievers in God’s plan (Rom 3:21-23). Those who were “garrisoned under law” can only be Israelites (this includes Paul) as they were the only nation given the law. Now that the faith has been revealed (the evangel of the Uncircumcision) for the body of Christ, even Israelites that embrace the message are no longer under law.
Gal 3:27-29: "For whoever are baptized into Christ, put on Christ, in Whom there is no Jew nor yet Greek, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female, for you all are one in Christ Jesus. Now if you are Christ's, consequently you are of Abraham's seed, enjoyers of the allotment according to the promise."
Those that put on Christ are believers, those seeking “to be justified in Christ” (Gal 2:17). They are those “baptized into one body, whether Jew or Greek” (1 Cor 12:13). They are those led by God’s spirit and are sons of God (Rom 8:14). They have been given the spirit of sonship and are enjoyers of Christ’s allotment. Rom 8:15-17: "For you did not get slavery's spirit to fear again, but you got the spirit of sonship, in which we are crying, "Abba, Father!" The spirit itself is testifying together with our spirit that we are children of God. Yet if children, enjoyers also of an allotment, enjoyers, indeed, of an allotment from God, yet joint enjoyers of Christ's allotment, if so be that we are suffering together, that we should be glorified together also." Paul goes on to affirm this in chapter 4.
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1. It is important to remember the relative and absolute viewpoints and keep them in mind when talking about belief. Absolutely, God is the one who gives faith to believe the truth (Eph 2:8-9). In the relative, we see those that have this faith and those who do not. I encourage you to listen to this short talk by James Coram titled “Justified by sin and justified by God” which goes into more detail on these two expressions.
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