Michael's Abbey Bible Study - Galatians Chapter 3

1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Here Paul pivots from the smack down of the Judaizers to directly confront the Galatians going back to the legalism of their culture. (Although he did pepper his correction against Judaism with corrections against legalism because the Galatians had so mixed them up.) Paul is reprimanding the Galatians here, but much more he is concerned for them. He calls them foolish not because they aren't intelligent but because they have abandoned any spiritual discernment. They misheard what the Judaizers were teaching, twisted that false teaching even further to conform to their pre-Christian beliefs, and replaced the gospel with that mess.
Who bewitched you was a common figurative cliche and not an actual reference to witchcraft.
Paul so clearly and publicly preached the gospel that it is almost beyond belief that they do not understand that their foolishness contradicts all they were taught. Christ crucified ought to block any legalism and identity Judaism for anyone paying attention. We should take this as a warning on how dangerous the cultural influence is and how easy it can lead us astray.
2 his is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? This argument recalls their own experience, and points out that their own experience contradicts the foolishness they are falling for now.
Despite the Spirit not being directly addressed until now in Galatians, and not again until chapter 5, the Spirit is the underlying argument of chapters 3-6, and their unifying theme.
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Paul's biting language is because of the Galatians lack of discernment. They failed to judge the absurdity of their contradiction they were now holding onto.
4 Did you suffer so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain? This is a difficult verse to translate. The word epathete almost always means suffered, but it has been used to mean a more neutral experienced, which is almost certainly meant here. And it may have rarely been used in a positive sense, but that is disputed.
In the context of verses 3 & 5, this most likely is referring to the experiences of the Galatians, including those that occurred after conversion. Thus, if they are justified by works then their experiences in the Spirit were in vain.
5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? This is the last of the rhetorical questions arguing from their experiences. The Spirit and miracles are opposite from works of the Law.
6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. In verses 6-9 Paul shows what the Galatians are believing is an illogical dichotomy.
This quote of Genesis 15:6 (also quoted in Romans 4:3) is to show the Galatians that they are wrong to think that Judaism, and by extension Christianity, is legalistic. Even the Torah, where the Law is written, expressly states that it was faith, not works that justifies man.
In Genesis 17:1-14 God chose Abram out of His grace, not because of anything Abram did.
Genesis 17:14 "But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
The law is often referred to as "the circumcision" because it was the first law and sign. But it did not justify people. It was their identity, their inclusion in the nation and the covenant. The Jews understood they were justified by faith in God and that they were saved by His grace.
However, the Galatians didn't understand this because they had no frame of reference for nomism, and neither do we. The Galatians were mixing it with their pagan culture to bring in their pagan justification by works beliefs that they were used to.
7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. Paul's opening words in this verse are a typical Greek form that means "you know this".
Sons of Abraham was a lofty term for being a Jew.
Just as Abraham's faith that justified him, by faith gentiles are grafted into the covenant and are sons of Abraham.
8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you." This quote from Genesis 12:3 is an example of the Christology in the Old Testament. This was a prophecy given to Abraham of the coming gospel. It was over 2,100 years before this prophecy came to pass. God's timing is not what we think. His view is much bigger than ours.
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. This is poetic way of saying Gentiles of faith in Jesus are included in God's covenant with Abraham, and that was the deliberate purpose of that covenant. In Romans 15:9–12 Paul cites several scriptures that show this was part of the covenant, Psalms 18:49 & 117:1, 2 Samuel 22:50, Deuteronomy 32:43, and Isaiah 11:10.
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them." Verses 10-14 is an explanation and reinforcement of verses 6-9, and point out that the Old Testament is in agreement with the gospel.
This is a quote from Deuteronomy 27:26. The Judaizers were probably using words like Josephus in Against Apion, that there is a gracious welcome for those who join the Jews and live under the Law of Moses. Paul is pointing out that the law itself says it is a curse. This is because no human could possibly follow all of it, which is what "abide by all things" in the law means.
11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." This is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4b. The law does not make a person righteous. Instead it convicts a person of their unrighteousness. Only faith can justify a person.
12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them." This is the primary argument put as simply as possible, with a quote from Leviticus 18:5. Faith and the Law are opposites.
13 Christ 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" - This is a very strong argument from the law and the gospel, connecting them in a way that shows even the law points to Christ.
Jesus died a shameful death by both secular and religious standards. The Law stated he was cursed because he was hung on a tree.
Deuteronomy 21:23 "his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance."
Historically the Roman government left the crucified on their cross until they were too exhausted to prevent their own asphyxiation for maximum torture and maximum warning to others. However, in Israel, they made the concession to accelerate the death of those crucified by breaking their legs, allowing them to be buried before nightfall in accordance with Jewish religious law. This was standard practice of conquering Romans who knew occupying was harder than conquering. They would even make sacrifices to the local gods to pacify the conquered people.
Those who died were buried in a sepulcher, a cave or cave-like room with a platform for the remains to decay. After a year they would open up the sepulcher, collect the bones and place them in an ossuary, a container, which would be their final resting place. A family tomb could contain both. Those who were hung on a tree couldn't be buried with their family because of the curse until after the one year decomposition. But after that year they were no longer cursed and their ossuary could be taken to the family crypt.
Jesus' resurrection broke the curse of the cruxifixction and the curse of the law.
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. This is the sum of the gospel in a single verse.
15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. For comparison Paul uses the example of a human covenant, (contract,) between two people or governments. It is set once it is ratified. It cannot be changed. Since the ratified covenant between to humans is viewed as figuratively carved in stone, it is much more so for a covenant with the eternal God.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. The purpose of the covenant with Abraham was to bring about Christ. That is, Christ was the point of of the covenant, the law, and the prophecies. This is why Jesus says He fulfilled the prophecy in Luke 4:21, and that He was the fulfillment of the law in Matthew 5:17.
17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. The law came 430 years after the covenant that was ratified between God and Abraham. Just like a human contract, the law did not replace the covenant, which was a promise with God almighty. It was a path to the fulfillment of that covenant.
18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. The promise of the covenant came before the law, not because of it. The purpose of the law was the same as the purpose of the covenant; to bring about Christ. It was to make it possible. We are inheritors of God's promise to Abraham because of Christ. Christ is the fulfillment of that promise. And we are children of Abraham because of it's fulfillment.
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Since the covenant predated the law of Moses, the reason for the law is a valid question. First, it was added to the covenant. This implies that the law wasn't God's design. The reason it was added was because the Israelites were sinning their brains out just like the pagan cultures around them. These were vile disgusting sins even by today's standards. Next the law was not handed down directly from God. It was ordained, that is ordered and decreed, by mediation between Moses and the angels. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 19:8 that divorce was not part of God's design, but was allowed by Moses because he knew they were hard of heart. Of course, the law itself wasn't God's design either. The seed which will come was Jesus. Therefore, the purpose of the law was to keep the Israelites from self-destructing in sin, keeping them just holy enough that Jesus could become incarnate, God become flesh. And this also confirms that Jesus was the fulfillment of both the covenant and the law.
20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. This verse is one of the most difficult to interpret in all of Paul's letters. However, since the angels were identified as an agents in the mediation that resulted in the law of Moses, it seems that this is an explanation of why the angels were involved. If it was directly with God, the human side would be steamrollered. By using angels as mediators the law was worked out in concert with Moses. Although many Jewish texts name Moses as the mediator, and that is universally a positive thing. Thus it would seem that there were mediators on both sides, the angels for God and Moses for the Israelites.
21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. The law of Moses is not contrary to the covenant, a.k.a. the promises of God. It was a supplement added on to facilitate the fulfillment of the covenant. It would seem that Paul wanted to make it clear that, even though the law was mediated between angels and Moses, it was not contrary to the covenant.
However, the law of Moses did not reconcile sinners to God, and was therefore incapable of producing life like the fulfillment of the covenant, Christ and Him crucified, can do. If the law were enough, then there wouldn't be a need for a covenant. Nor would Jesus need to be crucified for us and our salvation.
22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. This is another of the more difficult Pauline verses. Scripture is a general term that in this instance is referring to the function of the law of Moses. However, the broader scope of all scripture also serves the function of convicting and convincing us of our sin and need for salvation.
The phrase "shut up everyone under sin" is translated a variety of ways in in different translations. But essentially the Greek says that scripture imprisoned everyone/everything under sin. Since scripture doesn't cause us to sin, but only informs us of and warns us about sin, taking this literally would be to pit it against all the other scriptures about the nature of sin and bondage. What seems to fit the best is that this is a poetic way of saying that scripture makes us aware of the prison we are in under sin. And clearly, scripture and the law of Moses in and of itself can do nothing to free us from that prison. Only the grace of God can do that. As this directly counters the gnostic heretical belief that knowledge is a path to salvation, the wording may have been chosen in response to a gnostic maxim of the time.
The purpose of the law is to make it possible for the covenant to be fulfilled by faith in Jesus the Christ on the part of believers, and grace on the part of God.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. This verse is parallel to verse 22. Faith in this verse is specific to faith in Jesus the Messiah, not faith in general. Faith predates the law, as Genesis says about Abraham.
Genesis 15:6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Abraham had faith in God. But faith in Christ would not be revealed until the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus one way the law made it possible for the covenant to be fulfilled was by being the custodian of God's people until the time was right for Jesus to dwell among us.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. Another way the law made it possible for the covenant to be fulfilled was to be our teacher. Scripture instructed the Israelites how to live righteously, even though they fell so miserably short again and again and again. It still provided tutelage they required so they knew the path back to God every time they strayed. The law was the teacher of the Israelites to bring them back to faith. In like manner, scripture teaches us so we can have faith in Jesus and be justified, which is to be made right with God.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Again, faith is short for faith in Jesus Christ. And the tutor is the law. Therefore, this is another way of saying that Christians are no longer under the law.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Because we, that is all believers whether Jew or Gentile, have faith in our savior Jesus Christ, we are adopted by the Father and made His sons.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Being baptized into Christ means that in baptism we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is not a church-specific act, but a universal Christian rite. Symbolically the old sinful man is buried and a new creation is resurrected from the water. Being clothed with Christ is putting on the new man who is like Christ, becoming more and more like Him.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. There is no division into groups. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all Christians, even if we disagree on disputable matters, we are all one in Jesus. This verse is a direct contradiction and repudiation of intersectionality, CRT, group identity philosophies, and any other racist belief system. We are individuals making our own choice whether to follow Jesus or reject Him.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. Those who believe in Jesus and follow Him belong to Him. And therefore we are sons of Abraham regardless of our genetic heritage. We have become heirs of Abraham and of God, which was the purpose of the covenant and it's supplement, the law.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

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