These are the notes to Session 5 of The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study group's study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Galatians in a letter written to the churches, he founded, in the Galatian (Asia Minor modern Turkey) cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Paul wrote Galatians to counter false teachers who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith.
In this session Paul made his case for justification by faith alone using a revered Old Testament person (Abraham) and assorted Old Testament passages. Paul anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his use of Abraham to prove the doctrine of justification by faith: that the giving of the law at Sinai occurred after Abraham and brought about a change and a better method of salvation. The apostle dismissed that argument by showing the superiority of the Abrahamic covenant and the inferiority of the law.
In this session Paul made his case for justification by faith alone using a revered Old Testament person (Abraham) and assorted Old Testament passages. Paul anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his use of Abraham to prove the doctrine of justification by faith: that the giving of the law at Sinai occurred after Abraham and brought about a change and a better method of salvation. The apostle dismissed that argument by showing the superiority of the Abrahamic covenant and the inferiority of the law.
Galatians 3:10-18 NKJV For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, 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. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
In the scripture that we read it says that we have been redeemed. The Greek word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s, justice, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death.
Romans 3:21-26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The only adequate payment to redeem sinners from sin’s slavery and its deserved punishment was “in Christ Jesus”
I Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
I Peter 1:17-19 NKJV And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
That ransome price or redemption was paid to God to satisfy His justice.
Another key to this text is the promises to Abraham: These are the promises found in the Abrahamic covenant;
(Gen. 12:3, 7; 13:15–16; 15:5, 18; 17:8; 22:16–18; 26:3–4; 28:13–14).
Because these promises were made both to Abraham and to his descendants, they did not become void when Abraham died or when the law came. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God’s faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man’s faithfulness. To Abraham, God said, “I will.” Through MosesHe said, “Thou shalt.”
The promise (Abrahamic covenant) set forth a religion dependent on God.
The law set forth a religion dependent on man.
The promise centers on God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s initiative, God’s sovereignty, God’s blessings.
The law centers on man’s duty, man’s work, man’s responsibility, man’s behavior, man’s obedience.
The promise, being grounded in grace, requires only sincere faith.
The law, being grounded in works, demands perfect obedience.
In his letter Paul contrasts the covenants of promise and of law, Paul first shows the superiority of the one and then the inferiority of the other.
Now Let’s Breakdown What We Read.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Those attempting to earn salvation by keeping the law are under the curse quoted from Deuteronomy 27:26 to show that failure to perfectly keep the law brings divine judgment and condemnation; one violation of the law deserves the curse of God. No one can keep all the commands of the law—not even strict Pharisees like Saul of Tarsus.
Paul’s Old Testament quote showed that justification does not come from keeping the law the he quotes from Habakkuk 2:4
Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
which shows that that justification is by faith alone.
The law is not of faith. Justification by faith and justification by keeping the law are mutually exclusive.
Leviticus 18:4-5 NKJV You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord .
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
By bearing God’s wrath for believers’ sins on the cross, Christ took uponHimself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law.
Last week we talked about the blessing of Abraham in which he was declared righteous because of faith of belief in God and His promises.
Genesis 15:1-6 NKJV After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God , what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
Even human covenants, once confirmed, are considered irrevocable and unchangeable; how much more a covenant made by an unchanging God.
James 1:17 NKJV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,”as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
The quote is from
Genesis 12:7 NKJV Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord , who had appeared to him.
Now before you get excited, the singular form of the Hebrew word, like its English and Greek counterparts, can be used in a collective sense, that is, to refer to a group. Paul’s point is that in some Old Testament passages (for example,
Genesis 3:15 NKJV And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Genesis 22:18 NKJV In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Paul indicates that “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ.
17 And this I say, 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. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Four hundred and thirty years from Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (see to the giving of the law at Sinai (1445 BC); the law actually came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham (2090 BC), but the promise was repeated to Isaac
Genesis 26:24 NKJV And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”
and later to Jacob (1928 BC)
Genesis 28:13-15 NKJV And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
The last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in 1875 BC just before he went to Egypt—430 years before the Mosaic Law was given.
Genesis 46:2-4 NKJV Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.” So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
Once God ratified the covenant officially, it had lasting authority so that nothing and no one could annul it. The Abrahamic covenant was unilateral (God made the promise to Himself), eternal (it provided for everlasting blessing), irrevocable (it will never cease), and unconditional (in that it depended on God, not man), but it's complete fulfillment awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Whether before or after Christ came to earth, salvation has always been provided only through the perfect offering of Christ on the cross. Believers who lived before the cross and never knew any specifics about Jesus were nevertheless forgiven and made right with God by faith in anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice, whereas believers who live after the cross are saved by looking back to it. When Christ shed His blood, it covered sins on both sides of the cross. The old covenant goes back to the cross; the new covenant comes from it. On the one hand faith pointed forward, whereas on the other it points back.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
In the scripture that we read it says that we have been redeemed. The Greek word translated “redeemed” was often used to speak of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom. Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s, justice, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death.
Romans 3:21-26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The only adequate payment to redeem sinners from sin’s slavery and its deserved punishment was “in Christ Jesus”
I Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
I Peter 1:17-19 NKJV And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
That ransome price or redemption was paid to God to satisfy His justice.
Another key to this text is the promises to Abraham: These are the promises found in the Abrahamic covenant;
(Gen. 12:3, 7; 13:15–16; 15:5, 18; 17:8; 22:16–18; 26:3–4; 28:13–14).
Because these promises were made both to Abraham and to his descendants, they did not become void when Abraham died or when the law came. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional covenant of promise relying solely on God’s faithfulness, whereas the covenant with Moses was a conditional covenant of law relying on man’s faithfulness. To Abraham, God said, “I will.” Through MosesHe said, “Thou shalt.”
The promise (Abrahamic covenant) set forth a religion dependent on God.
The law set forth a religion dependent on man.
The promise centers on God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s initiative, God’s sovereignty, God’s blessings.
The law centers on man’s duty, man’s work, man’s responsibility, man’s behavior, man’s obedience.
The promise, being grounded in grace, requires only sincere faith.
The law, being grounded in works, demands perfect obedience.
In his letter Paul contrasts the covenants of promise and of law, Paul first shows the superiority of the one and then the inferiority of the other.
Now Let’s Breakdown What We Read.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Those attempting to earn salvation by keeping the law are under the curse quoted from Deuteronomy 27:26 to show that failure to perfectly keep the law brings divine judgment and condemnation; one violation of the law deserves the curse of God. No one can keep all the commands of the law—not even strict Pharisees like Saul of Tarsus.
Paul’s Old Testament quote showed that justification does not come from keeping the law the he quotes from Habakkuk 2:4
Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
which shows that that justification is by faith alone.
The law is not of faith. Justification by faith and justification by keeping the law are mutually exclusive.
Leviticus 18:4-5 NKJV You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord .
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
By bearing God’s wrath for believers’ sins on the cross, Christ took uponHimself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law.
Last week we talked about the blessing of Abraham in which he was declared righteous because of faith of belief in God and His promises.
Genesis 15:1-6 NKJV After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God , what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
Even human covenants, once confirmed, are considered irrevocable and unchangeable; how much more a covenant made by an unchanging God.
James 1:17 NKJV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,”as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
The quote is from
Genesis 12:7 NKJV Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord , who had appeared to him.
Now before you get excited, the singular form of the Hebrew word, like its English and Greek counterparts, can be used in a collective sense, that is, to refer to a group. Paul’s point is that in some Old Testament passages (for example,
Genesis 3:15 NKJV And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Genesis 22:18 NKJV In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Paul indicates that “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ.
17 And this I say, 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. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Four hundred and thirty years from Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (see to the giving of the law at Sinai (1445 BC); the law actually came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham (2090 BC), but the promise was repeated to Isaac
Genesis 26:24 NKJV And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”
and later to Jacob (1928 BC)
Genesis 28:13-15 NKJV And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
The last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in 1875 BC just before he went to Egypt—430 years before the Mosaic Law was given.
Genesis 46:2-4 NKJV Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.” So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
Once God ratified the covenant officially, it had lasting authority so that nothing and no one could annul it. The Abrahamic covenant was unilateral (God made the promise to Himself), eternal (it provided for everlasting blessing), irrevocable (it will never cease), and unconditional (in that it depended on God, not man), but it's complete fulfillment awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Whether before or after Christ came to earth, salvation has always been provided only through the perfect offering of Christ on the cross. Believers who lived before the cross and never knew any specifics about Jesus were nevertheless forgiven and made right with God by faith in anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice, whereas believers who live after the cross are saved by looking back to it. When Christ shed His blood, it covered sins on both sides of the cross. The old covenant goes back to the cross; the new covenant comes from it. On the one hand faith pointed forward, whereas on the other it points back.
Purpose Of The Law
Context
Paul knew his readers would reason: “Well, if the law can’t save us, why did God give the law in the first place? What’s its purpose? And if the law has been set aside, are we free of any and all moral restraints?”
If salvation has always been by faith and never by works, and if Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant of promise to Abraham, what purpose did the Law have? Paul gives a direct and sobering answer: The purpose of the law was to demonstrate to man his total sinfulness, his inability to please God by his own works, and his need for mercy and grace. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
What Paul gives is a clear and concise explanation of the purpose of the law. Without the law, people are incapable of seeing their depravity and need for forgiveness. When the law is obscured, grace appears less amazing than it actually is.
This section (3:19–29) ends on a wonderfully encouraging note. It speaks of the freedom that believers enjoy, the sonship they have, the unity they have been granted, and the inheritance that is theirs—not because they are able to keep God’s laws but because of the grace of God that comes through faith in Christ.
Galatians 3:19-29 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 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. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
The Law: In the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, God directly established a unique law code to direct His people in their worship, in their relationship to Him, and in their social relationships with one another.
Israel was not the only nation to have a law code. Such collections were common among the countries of the ancient world. The biblical law code, or the Mosaic Law, differed from other ancient Near Eastern law codes in several ways. Biblical law was different, first of all, in its origin. Through out the ancient world, the laws of most nations were believed to originate with the gods, but they were considered intensely personal and subjective in the way they were applied. Meaning these law codes were based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes or opinions.
By contrast, the biblical concept asserted that law comes from God, from His nature, and is holy, righteous, and good. Furthermore, at the outset of God’s ruling over Israel at Sinai, God the great King gave His laws. These laws were binding on His people, and He upheld them. Furthermore, His laws were universal and an expression of His love for His people.
Exodus 19:5-6 NKJV Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Now let's break down what we read in Galatians 3:19-29
Galatians 3:19-20 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
What was the purpose of the law? Paul’s answer is that the law reveals humanity’s utter sinfulness, inability to save themselves, and desperate need of a Savior—it was never intended to be the way of salvation.
The Bible teaches that angels were involved in the giving of the law but does not explain the precise role they played.
Hebrews 2:2 NKJV For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,
Paul’s point about a mediator is apparently to point out that a “mediator” is required when more than one party is involved, but God alone ratified the covenant with Abraham.
Hebrews 6:13-14 NKJV For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”
Galatians 3:21-25 NKJV Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 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.
When he said that the law was certainly not against the promises of God he Paul uses the strongest Greek negative similar to what he said in
Galatians 2:17 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!
He used this comment to remove the idea that the law and the promise are at opposite purposes. Since God gave them both and does not work against Himself, law and promise work in harmony; the law reveals humans’ sinfulness and need for the salvation freely offered in the promise. If the law could have provided righteousness and eternal life, there would be no gracious promise.
The Greek verb translated “confined”, in verse 2w, means “to enclose on all sides.” The picture here is that all humankind as hopelessly trapped in sin, like a school of fish caught in a net; and that all people are sinners.
Isaiah 53:6 NKJV All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 3:21-26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Paul personifies the law as a jailer of guilty, condemned sinners, on death row awaiting God’s judgment.
Only saving faith unlocks the door of the prison where the law keeps men and women bound. Faith in Christ alone releases people from bondage to law, whether the Mosaic Law or the law written on the hearts of Gentiles.
When Paul says that the law was a tutor he used the Greek word that denotes a slave who had the duty of taking care of a child until adulthood. The “tutor” would escort the children to and from school and watch over their behavior at home. Tutors were often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to yearn for the day when they would be free from their tutor’s custody. The law, our tutor, was escorting us to Christ by showing us our sins.
Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
While God is the Father of all people in a general sense because He created them, only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are God’s true spiritual children; unbelievers are the children of Satan
I John 3:10-12 NKJV In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
John 8:37-44 NKJV “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The baptisim Paul is talking about is not water baptism, which cannot save. Paul used the word “baptized” as a metaphor of a person being “placed into” Christ by the spiritual miracle of union with Him in His death and resurrection.
Galatians 2:17-21 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Paul was emphasizing the fact that we have been united with Christ through salvation; positionally before God, we have put on Christ, His death, resurrection, and righteousness; practically,
we need to “put on Christ” before people in our personal conduct.
Romans 13:14 NKJV But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Paul reminds us that all those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with each other. This does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions amongChristians, but it affirms that those distinctions do not imply spiritual inequality before God; nor is this spiritual equality incompatible with the God-ordained roles in the church, society, and at home. Jesus Christ, though fully equal with the Father, assumed a submissive role during His incarnation
Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
The covenant of law is long past, but the moral demands of the law have not diminished, having neither begun nor ended with the Mosaic covenant. That is why preaching the moral, ethical standards of the law today is still imperative in driving men to Christ.
Unless men realize they are living in violation of God’s law and therefore stand underHis divine judgment, they will see no reason to be saved. Grace is meaningless to a person who feels no inadequacy or need of help. He sees no purpose in being saved if he does not realize he is lost. He sees no need of forgiveness by God if he does not know he has offended God. He sees no need to seek God’s mercy if he is unaware he is under God’s wrath. The purpose of the law was, and is, to drive men to despair over their sins and to a desire to receive the salvation that God’s sovereign grace offers to those who believe.
John Stott has written: “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt, and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ,” Instead of the futility of trying to keep the impossible demands of the law, Paul urges believers to “put on Christ” (Gal.
For homework you can read what Jesus said about the law in
Matthew 5:17-48 NKJV “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Context
Paul knew his readers would reason: “Well, if the law can’t save us, why did God give the law in the first place? What’s its purpose? And if the law has been set aside, are we free of any and all moral restraints?”
If salvation has always been by faith and never by works, and if Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant of promise to Abraham, what purpose did the Law have? Paul gives a direct and sobering answer: The purpose of the law was to demonstrate to man his total sinfulness, his inability to please God by his own works, and his need for mercy and grace. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
What Paul gives is a clear and concise explanation of the purpose of the law. Without the law, people are incapable of seeing their depravity and need for forgiveness. When the law is obscured, grace appears less amazing than it actually is.
This section (3:19–29) ends on a wonderfully encouraging note. It speaks of the freedom that believers enjoy, the sonship they have, the unity they have been granted, and the inheritance that is theirs—not because they are able to keep God’s laws but because of the grace of God that comes through faith in Christ.
Galatians 3:19-29 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 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. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
The Law: In the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, God directly established a unique law code to direct His people in their worship, in their relationship to Him, and in their social relationships with one another.
Israel was not the only nation to have a law code. Such collections were common among the countries of the ancient world. The biblical law code, or the Mosaic Law, differed from other ancient Near Eastern law codes in several ways. Biblical law was different, first of all, in its origin. Through out the ancient world, the laws of most nations were believed to originate with the gods, but they were considered intensely personal and subjective in the way they were applied. Meaning these law codes were based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes or opinions.
By contrast, the biblical concept asserted that law comes from God, from His nature, and is holy, righteous, and good. Furthermore, at the outset of God’s ruling over Israel at Sinai, God the great King gave His laws. These laws were binding on His people, and He upheld them. Furthermore, His laws were universal and an expression of His love for His people.
Exodus 19:5-6 NKJV Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Now let's break down what we read in Galatians 3:19-29
Galatians 3:19-20 NKJV What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
What was the purpose of the law? Paul’s answer is that the law reveals humanity’s utter sinfulness, inability to save themselves, and desperate need of a Savior—it was never intended to be the way of salvation.
The Bible teaches that angels were involved in the giving of the law but does not explain the precise role they played.
Hebrews 2:2 NKJV For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,
Paul’s point about a mediator is apparently to point out that a “mediator” is required when more than one party is involved, but God alone ratified the covenant with Abraham.
Hebrews 6:13-14 NKJV For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”
Galatians 3:21-25 NKJV Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 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.
When he said that the law was certainly not against the promises of God he Paul uses the strongest Greek negative similar to what he said in
Galatians 2:17 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!
He used this comment to remove the idea that the law and the promise are at opposite purposes. Since God gave them both and does not work against Himself, law and promise work in harmony; the law reveals humans’ sinfulness and need for the salvation freely offered in the promise. If the law could have provided righteousness and eternal life, there would be no gracious promise.
The Greek verb translated “confined”, in verse 2w, means “to enclose on all sides.” The picture here is that all humankind as hopelessly trapped in sin, like a school of fish caught in a net; and that all people are sinners.
Isaiah 53:6 NKJV All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 3:21-26 NKJV But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Paul personifies the law as a jailer of guilty, condemned sinners, on death row awaiting God’s judgment.
Only saving faith unlocks the door of the prison where the law keeps men and women bound. Faith in Christ alone releases people from bondage to law, whether the Mosaic Law or the law written on the hearts of Gentiles.
When Paul says that the law was a tutor he used the Greek word that denotes a slave who had the duty of taking care of a child until adulthood. The “tutor” would escort the children to and from school and watch over their behavior at home. Tutors were often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to yearn for the day when they would be free from their tutor’s custody. The law, our tutor, was escorting us to Christ by showing us our sins.
Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
While God is the Father of all people in a general sense because He created them, only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are God’s true spiritual children; unbelievers are the children of Satan
I John 3:10-12 NKJV In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
John 8:37-44 NKJV “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The baptisim Paul is talking about is not water baptism, which cannot save. Paul used the word “baptized” as a metaphor of a person being “placed into” Christ by the spiritual miracle of union with Him in His death and resurrection.
Galatians 2:17-21 NKJV “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Paul was emphasizing the fact that we have been united with Christ through salvation; positionally before God, we have put on Christ, His death, resurrection, and righteousness; practically,
we need to “put on Christ” before people in our personal conduct.
Romans 13:14 NKJV But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Paul reminds us that all those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with each other. This does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions amongChristians, but it affirms that those distinctions do not imply spiritual inequality before God; nor is this spiritual equality incompatible with the God-ordained roles in the church, society, and at home. Jesus Christ, though fully equal with the Father, assumed a submissive role during His incarnation
Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
The covenant of law is long past, but the moral demands of the law have not diminished, having neither begun nor ended with the Mosaic covenant. That is why preaching the moral, ethical standards of the law today is still imperative in driving men to Christ.
Unless men realize they are living in violation of God’s law and therefore stand underHis divine judgment, they will see no reason to be saved. Grace is meaningless to a person who feels no inadequacy or need of help. He sees no purpose in being saved if he does not realize he is lost. He sees no need of forgiveness by God if he does not know he has offended God. He sees no need to seek God’s mercy if he is unaware he is under God’s wrath. The purpose of the law was, and is, to drive men to despair over their sins and to a desire to receive the salvation that God’s sovereign grace offers to those who believe.
John Stott has written: “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt, and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ,” Instead of the futility of trying to keep the impossible demands of the law, Paul urges believers to “put on Christ” (Gal.
For homework you can read what Jesus said about the law in
Matthew 5:17-48 NKJV “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
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