Galatians 3
3
1You Galatians, you've lost your heads!#3:1. The word used here is usually translated as “foolish”; however today that has become more of an epithet. Paul's point is that they are not thinking—the word really means “mindless.” The same word is used again in verse 3. Who has put you under a spell? The death of Jesus Christ on a cross was clearly presented to you so you could see! 2So tell me—did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law, or by placing your trust in what you heard? 3You really have lost your heads! You began living#3:3. Meaning, “You began your Christian lives.” in the Spirit. Do you really think you can now make yourselves perfect by your own human efforts?#3:3. Or “by human means.” 4Did you go through so much suffering for nothing? (It really wasn't for nothing was it?) 5Let me ask you: does God#3:5. Literally, “the one.” give you the Spirit and do so many miracles among you because you keep the law, or is it because you trust in what you heard?
6It's just like Abraham who “trusted God, and was considered to be right.”#3:6. Quoting Genesis 15:6. 7So you should acknowledge that those who trust in God are the children of Abraham. 8In Scripture it was foreseen that God would make right the foreigners who trusted in him. The good news is revealed to Abraham beforehand with the words, “Through you all the nations will be blessed.” 9Consequently those who trust in God are blessed along with Abraham who trusted God. 10All those who rely on keeping the law#3:10. As a means of salvation. are under a curse, for as Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who doesn't carefully obey everything that's written in the book of the law.” 11Clearly nobody is made right with God by attempting to keep the law, for “Those who are made right will live by trusting God.”#3:11. Quoting Habakkuk 2:4. 12Obedience to the law has nothing to do with trusting God. Scripture only says, “You will live if you observe everything the law requires.”#3:12. Quoting Leviticus 18:5. 13Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.#3:13. “By becoming a curse for us”: meaning by experiencing the consequences of sin. The idea that this was an imposed curse by God is not the meaning here. It is sin itself that brings the curse (see Romans 6:23). As Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”#3:13. Quoting Deuteronomy 21:23.— 14so that through Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham could come to the foreigners as well, and we could receive the promise of the Spirit by trusting God.
15Brothers and sisters, here's an example from daily life. If a contract is drawn up and agreed, signed and sealed, nobody can ignore it or add to it. 16Now the promises were given to Abraham, and to his son.#3:16. Literally, “seed.” See Genesis 12:7 and Genesis 13:15. It doesn't say, “sons” as if plural, but singular: “and to your son,” meaning Christ. 17Let me explain. The law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, doesn't cancel the previous agreement#3:17 Or “covenant.” that God made, breaking the promise. 18If the inheritance is derived from obedience to the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham by means of the promise.
19What was the point of the law, then? It was added to show what wrongdoing really is, until the son came to whom the promise had been made. The law was put in place by angels through the hand of a mediator. 20But a mediator isn't needed when there's only one person involved. And God is one!#3:20. The idea here is that the Old Testament law needed a mediator (Moses). But in the case of the promise this was made directly to Abraham, and according the argument that Paul is developing here, directly fulfilled that promise through Jesus Christ. In this way, says Paul, the promise and its fulfillment are superior to the law.
21So does the law work against God's promises? Of course not! For if there was a law that could give life, then we could be made right by keeping it. 22But Scripture tells us that we all are prisoners of sin. The only way we can receive God's promises is by trusting in Jesus Christ. 23Before we trusted in Jesus we remained in the custody of the law until this way of trusting was revealed. 24The law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we could be made right by trusting him. 25But now this way of trusting Jesus has come, we no longer need such a guardian. 26For you are all God's children through your trust in Christ Jesus. 27All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There's no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's children, and you are heirs of the promise!
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Galatians 3
3
Faith is the only way to be saved
1You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross. Has someone now put an evil spell on you?#Dt 27.26 (LXX). 2I want to know only one thing. How were you given God's Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him? 3How can you be so stupid? Do you think that by yourself you can complete what God's Spirit started in you? 4Have you gone through all this for nothing? Is it all really for nothing? 5God gives you his Spirit and works miracles in you. But does he do this because you obey the Law of Moses or because you have heard about Christ and have faith in him?
6The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith.#Gn 15.6; Ro 4.3. 7And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham.#3.7 a child of Abraham: God chose Abraham, and so it was believed that anyone who was a child of Abraham was also a child of God. See the note at 3.29.#Ro 4.16. 8Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That's why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him.#Gn 12.3. 9This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.
10Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn't obey everything in the Law is under a curse.” 11No one can please God by obeying the Law. The Scriptures also say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”#3.11 The people God accepts because of their faith will live: Or “The people God accepts will live because of their faith.”#He 2.4.
12The Law isn't based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands.#Lv 18.5. 13But Christ rescued us from the Law's curse, when he became a curse in our place. This is because the Scriptures say that anyone who is nailed to a tree is under a curse.#Dt 21.23. 14And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.
The Law and the promise
15My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.#3.15 Once someone…cancel the agreement: Or “Once a person makes out a will, no one can change or cancel it.” 16That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant.#3.16 descendant: The Greek text has “seed”, which may mean one or many descendants. In this verse Paul says it means Christ. The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ. 17What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God's promise that was made 430 years before the Law was given.#Ex 12.40. 18If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God's blessings, those blessings don't really come to us because of God's promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise.#Ro 4.14.
19What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant#3.19 that descendant: Jesus. who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people. 20There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from him.
Slaves and children
21Does the Law disagree with God's promises? No, it doesn't! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law. 22But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God's promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.
23The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith. 24In fact, the Law was our teacher. It was supposed to teach us until we had faith and were acceptable to God. 25But once a person has learnt to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher.
26All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. 29So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family,#3.29 you are now part of Abraham's family: Paul tells the Galatians that faith in Jesus Christ is what makes someone a true child of Abraham and of God. See the note at 3.7. and you will be given what God has promised.#Ro 4.13.
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