Chapter 3

1 He asketh what moved them to leave the faith, and hang upon the law? 6 They that believe are justified, 9 and blessed with Abraham. 10 And this he sheweth by many reasons.

1. Foolish Galatians. The Galatians had shown their lack of understanding by yielding to the influence of the false teachers. There was no valid reason for their decision to renounce salvation by faith.

Bewitched you. They had been grossly misled. Paul now writes them in the hope that they will see their inconsistency and turn from the evident error into which they have fallen. They must have been subjected to some influence besides reason, for reason would condemn such a course. Their choice cannot have been the result of sober judgment based on facts.

That ye should not obey the truth. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the omission of this clause.

Evidently set forth. Gr. prographoµ, “to portray openly.” The word was commonly used in Paul’s day of public notices or proclamations. The Galatians could not profess ignorance of the truths of the gospel, for Paul had made these so plain that it was as though they had seen Jesus with their own eyes.

Crucified. Not crucified among them, but represented among them as crucified. Paul gloried in the cross of Christ and made it the center of his preaching (see 1 Cor. 1:23; 2:1, 2; 15:3). The Galatians had understood the significance of Christ’s death. It had been made as real to them as though they had witnessed it with their own eyes. They had accepted this sacrifice as being necessary for their justification. How could they now turn to the false doctrines they had recently accepted, as though all Paul had taught them was sheer fantasy?

2. This only. One point would be enough to settle the matter. In the argument that follows (vs. 6–29), Paul explores and develops the question propounded in vs. 1–5. If the Galatians will answer the one question he now asks, in the light of the following discussion, it will be sufficient to convince them of their mistake.

Received ye the Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus ere His return to the Father (John 14:16, 17). The Spirit was to reprove of sin, to direct men to Christ, and to guide them into truth (see John 16:7–13). The Galatian believers had experienced the guidance of the Spirit in their lives and had witnessed the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:10–13). All this had come since their acceptance of the gospel of Christ as taught them by Paul. There could be no uncertainty as to the source of these spiritual blessings.

Works of the law. See on Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16.

Hearing of faith. That is, faith that results from hearing the gospel (Rom. 10:17), or hearing that is accompanied by faith. Through faith the Galatians had accepted salvation as provided by Jesus and had experienced the blessings of the Spirit that followed. Like Cornelius (Acts 10:44), they had believed what they heard and had received the “earnest of the Spirit” as evidence that God accepted their faith (see on 2 Cor. 1:22). They had accepted Paul’s instruction concerning justification by faith and had experienced it in their lives.

3. Are ye so foolish? See on v. 1.

Begun in the Spirit. See on v. 2. The Christian life is a spiritual experience, which begins with the Spirit convicting the heart of sin, and continues by His guiding the life into channels of righteousness (John 16:8). The Galatians had already received rich blessings from God and many evidences of His presence in their midst, but this was only a beginning. It was strange indeed that they should turn their backs on God just when He had begun to work out His plan for them. What rich blessings they would forfeit if they abandoned God’s way and set out on a path of human devising!

By the flesh. That is, by the materialistic concepts and legalistic practices of Judaism.

4. Suffered. Or, “endured.” Like other Christians, the Galatians had undoubtedly suffered much because of their attachment to Christianity, although there is no record of it in the book of Acts. The Thessalonians experienced persecution (see 1 Thess. 2:14). In Gal. 4:29 Paul refers indirectly to the suffering that Christians were then enduring for the sake of the gospel.

In vain. If their former, Spirit-guided life had been a mistake, then all the suffering they had encountered as a result of it had been in vain. It was because of their belief in the atonement provided by Jesus that they had suffered persecution. Paul sincerely hoped this suffering had not been in vain, and that, even yet, the Galatians would recognize their mistake and return to their former loyalty.

5. Ministereth to you. According to some commentators, the person here spoken of as ministering to the Galatians was Paul. His ministry among them had testified to saving faith and to the power of the Spirit at work in his own life (v. 5), and similarly their acceptance of his gospel was evidence of faith and of the Spirit operating in their lives (v. 2). If they faced the question of v. 5 sincerely, the Galatians would have no difficulty answering the questions of vs. 2–4. Other commentators explain that the word “he” refers to God, and that it is He who supplies the Spirit and works miracles among them. However, the last half of v. 5, when compared with v. 2, implies that a human being is in the writer’s mind. Paul was clearly the agent, or instrument, through whom God bestowed these remarkable endowments. Paul’s point is that his ministry, and their response to it, had been on the basis of faith, with no reliance on the provisions of the legal system.

6. Abraham believed God. A citation from the LXX of Gen. 15:6, where the reference is to Abraham’s acceptance of the covenant promises by faith. Paul’s opponents had made it appear that Paul had no regard for the writings of Moses, to which they had attached an exaggerated importance. Meeting them now on their own ground, Paul quotes from Moses to prove his position. In fact, the experience of Abraham—in whom they boasted—is an example of what Paul believes should be the experience of all Christians. In Rom. 4:1–3 Paul quotes the same Scripture as evidence that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works. If that was true of Abraham, it must be true of his descendants (Gal. 3:7), and doubly so of his spiritual children (vs. 14, 26–29). The important point is the superiority of faith over the law as a means of attaining righteousness.

Accounted. Or, “counted,” “reckoned.” Abraham’s faith was credited to his account in heaven, thus balancing the account. Accordingly, God considered Abraham a righteous man. Works had nothing to do with his attainment of this favorable credit rating in the books of heaven. God simply offered it to him and he accepted it by faith, believing that God meant exactly what He said. His own efforts could never have purchased this blessed status. See on Rom. 4:9–13.

Faith does not satisfy the demands of the law, for the law requires perfect obedience. Therefore, if one is to be justified by faith, it must be on the basis of some other principle than the works of the law. To be credited as righteous means being forgiven and admitted to the favor of God. Man can do nothing to deserve the gift of Christ’s righteousness; he cannot claim it on the basis of merit. Divine grace makes it possible for a just God to consider repentant sinners righteous.

Righteousness. Gr. dikaiosuneµ (see on Matt. 5:6).

7. They which are of faith. That is, those who rely on faith in the saving merits of Christ, without “the works of the law” (see on ch. 2:16).

Children of Abraham. That is, his spiritual—not necessarily physical—descendants (see vs. 26–29). All who have the same unwavering faith that Abraham had are considered his spiritual heirs. They attain to righteousness as he did and are eligible to receive all the blessings promised him. In Rom. 4:10, 11 Paul stresses the fact that God imputed righteousness to Abraham before he was circumcised—the first so-called “work” of the law performed for every Jew and for every convert to Judaism. If Abraham could find justification apart from the works of the law, certainly Gentiles can do the same. This is the heart of Paul’s argument against the Judaizers, who were insisting on circumcision as a necessary prerequisite to justification. Paul argues that there is no difference between the way in which a Jew and a Gentile find favor with God; all are saved, if they find salvation at all, by faith (Rom. 3:22; 10:12). No Jew or Gentile was ever saved by “works.” The only way that any man can be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

8. Scripture. That is, the OT; here, particularly, the writings of Moses.

Foreseeing. The quotation is from Gen. 12:3. The promise to Abraham was a statement of the divine purpose to send the Saviour into the world (see on Gal. 3:16) and to save all who choose to come to Him in faith (v. 14).

Justify. Gr. dikaiooµ (see on Rom. 3:20).

Heathen. Gr. ethneµ, “nations”; in NT usage always non-Jewish, pagan, Gentile nations. NT writers use the word laos, literally, “people,” when referring to the Jewish nation. It was good news to the gentiles that God offered them justification on the same basis as that on which He offered it to the Jews, that is, by faith.

Preached before the gospel. Gr. proeuaggelizomai, literally, “to announce good tidings beforehand.” The promise of Gen. 12:3 was an advance announcement of the good news of salvation through Christ. The good news announced to Abraham was that the blessing of salvation—of justification by faith—would come to all nations through him. Abraham had no righteousness of his own. Christ’s righteousness was imputed to him by God, and he accepted it by faith. All who become righteous, or justified, do so by faith, as did Abraham. This ever has been, and always will be, the only way men can experience justification.

In thee. Or, “through thee.” Abraham and his descendants were made the custodians of the good news of salvation and were commissioned to be its heralds to all men. Furthermore, one of his descendants was to be the Saviour of mankind. Thus, it was in these two respects that all nations were to receive the blessings of salvation through Abraham.

All nations. For a summary of OT instruction concerning the manner in which God purposed to evangelize “all nations” through His chosen people see Vol. IV, pp. 26–30.

9. They which. That is, those who seek righteousness through faith.

Blessed. The blessing of righteousness came to the patriarch because he believed God, not because he was chosen to be the progenitor of the Messiah. All who believe as he did will be blessed as he was. Abraham’s faith led him to obey God (Gen. 26:5), and all who have the faith that Abraham had will likewise obey God’s voice and faithfully observe His commandments (see Gen. 26:5; see on Matt. 7:21–27).

10. As many as are of. Paul here refers to those who expect to have righteousness imputed to them as a result of their compliance with the ritual requirements of the ceremonial law. This group stands in contrast with the group of v. 9—“they which be of faith.”

Works of the law. Literally, “works of law.” See on ch. 2:16.

The curse. The law of Moses was accompanied by marvelous blessings for obedience (Deut. 28:1–14) and fearful curses for disobedience (chs. 27:15–26; 28:15–68). The slightest deviation from the requirements of the law was sufficient to incur the curse. Legalism eventually deteriorated into a laborious effort to avoid incurring the curse of the law (see on Mark 7:3). But even by avoiding the curse of the law a man could, at best, attain only to legal righteousness. He would still not necessarily have attained to a status of righteousness before God.

It is written. The form of the verb in the Greek implies not only that the following quotation was once written down as a statement expressing the divine will, but that the validity of the statement remains unaltered. Its binding force has not been diminished. The formula “It is written” was a common Jewish way of introducing a quotation from the canonical writings.

Book of the law. “The law” was the common title applied by the Jews of NT times to the writings of Moses (see on Luke 22:44). Here reference is probably to the book of Deuteronomy in particular, which was sometimes called the book of the law. The quotation is from Deut. 27:26, where it appears in a negative form: “he that confirmeth not.” Paul makes it positive: “as many as are of the works of the law.” Compare on Rom. 2:7. Those who turn their backs on God’s plan of salvation through faith can never meet the minimum requirements of the law. Their efforts are doomed to failure.

11. Just shall live by faith. A citation from Hab. 2:4 (see comment there and on Rom. 1:17). Having proved that all who depend on the works of the law for salvation are under a curse (Gal. 3:10), Paul now cites Scripture to show that it is faith—not law—that brings justification. In Hab. 2:4 the statement means that the upright, humble man will go forward in faith, trusting the wisdom and providence of God—in contrast with the proud man whose “soul … is lifted up” and who doubts the wisdom and justice of God’s dealings with men (see on vs. 1, 4). In other words, the man who is just will exercise faith. When Paul quotes Habakkuk, however, he does so to prove that the man who exercises faith will, as a result of his faith, be considered just (see Gal. 3:6–9). Paul declares that faith is the fundamental prerequisite to acceptance with God.

12. Not of faith. The law does not operate on the basis of faith; it does not require faith on the part of those who practice it.

The man that doeth. This is a quotation from Lev. 18:5. Paul now appeals to the law itself to prove to his Judaizing opponents that what he teaches concerning the law is simply an affirmation of what the law says of itself. The law demanded rigid compliance with all its requirements, but provided no means whereby men could comply. Law does not and cannot enable the sinner to attain to the standard of righteousness that it exalts. In fact, all men are sinners (Rom. 3:10, 23), including those who have sought to acquire righteousness through the legal system (v. 9). All that is prescribed by the law is works, but works of law are worthless in making a sinner righteous before God. This righteous status can be attained only through faith in the covenant promises (Gal. 3:6, 14).

Live in them. That is, live a righteous life, or be accepted in God’s sight as righteous. The facts were, however, that all who had ever sought perfection through the law alone had fallen short of the goal and thereby brought upon themselves “the curse” (see on v. 10).

13. Christ hath redeemed. The law made no provision for releasing men who had incurred its curse, and that included all who had ever sought justification by means of it. Release from the curse could be achieved only through faith in Christ. While under the tutorship of the law in OT times, all who chose to serve the Lord found salvation through faith in the promised Messiah. The law was not their savior, but only their “schoolmaster” (see v. 24) to lead them to the Saviour and to help them understand the provisions Heaven had made for their salvation. In and of itself the law was good, for God Himself had ordained it. But it was altogether without power to save anyone from his sins.

The curse. See on v. 10.

Made a curse. Our Lord Himself was “made under the law” (ch. 4:4) in order to be able to “redeem them that were under the law” (v. 5). His death upon the cross atoned for “the transgressions that were under the first testament” (Heb. 9:15) as well as those since the cross. Accordingly, He took upon Himself “the curse” incurred by those who, though living “under the law,” looked forward in faith to the atonement He would one day provide.

For us. See on Isa. 53:4–6.

It is written. The quotation is from Deut. 21:23. “It is written” was the common Jewish way of introducing a quotation from Scripture (see Matt. 2:5; Luke 2:23; etc.).

Cursed. The curse here referred to is not the same as “the curse” of v. 10 and the first part of v. 13. A criminal hanged by impalement, that is, by being transfixed on a sharp pole—the usual Jewish method of crucifixion—was considered under the curse of both God and man. In fact, this extreme manner of execution was a public display of the utter contempt in which he was held because of his crime.

Hangeth on a tree. The fact that Jesus was crucified, though in the Roman manner, reflected the opinion of the Jews and their leaders that He was accursed in God’s sight as well as in their own. With this in mind, Paul quotes Deut. 21:23 to illustrate the fact that Jesus died under “the curse of the law” (see on Gal. 3:10).

14. Blessing of Abraham. That is, the blessing promised to Abraham. This was the covenant blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ (see on vs. 8, 9).

Come on the Gentiles. That is, become available to the Gentiles (see on v. 8).

Through Jesus Christ. Israel’s dereliction of duty had rather effectively prevented the Gentiles from receiving the blessing God intended them to obtain through the witness of the chosen people (see Vol. IV, pp. 30–33). This was, at first, because the latter adopted heathen religious practices, and later because they erected what amounted to an impermeable wall of partition between themselves and the Gentiles. It was only through Christ that the gospel blessing of salvation promised to Abraham became freely available to all men.

We. Paul here considers himself one with the Gentiles, as in v. 13 he speaks as a Jew.

The promise. Receiving “the promise of the Spirit” is probably equivalent to receiving “the blessing of Abraham … through Jesus Christ” (see on vs. 2, 5). The Galatians had received the promised Spirit (Gal. 3:2; cf. John 16:7–14). Because the promise of the Spirit is received through faith (Gal. 3:2, 3), Gentiles are as eligible as Jews.

15. After the manner of men. That is, to use a human illustration, one taken from common civil relations between man and man (cf. Rom. 6:19).

Covenant. Gr. diatheµkeµ, generally in the NT and in the papyri “will,” or “testament,” meaning a unilaterally formulated plan or arrangement that the other party might accept or reject, but could not alter. The word for a compact, or agreement, in which two parties come together on equal terms was suntheµkeµ, a word that does not occur in the NT, however. Paul here uses diatheµkeµ, “man’s covenant”—“will,” or “testament”—to illustrate God’s “covenant” with Abraham (Gen. 15; Gal 3:6–9, 16–18). God ordained the provisions of that “covenant”; Abraham accepted them by faith and obeyed them.

Confirmed. That is, ratified, made binding, agreed to. Once an agreement has been formally accepted by those who enter into it, its provisions are legally binding and cannot be changed except by mutual consent. If the provisions of a human agreement are considered thus binding, Paul argues, would God capriciously alter His promise to Abraham to save men on the basis of their faith in the coming Messiah (see Gal. 3:6–9, 14; see on Gal. 3:16; Heb. 6:17, 18)?

Disannulleth. Or, “revokes,” “cancels.”

16. Promises. These promises included a son to be his heir (Gen. 15:4), possession of the literal land of Canaan (v. 18), the prospect of becoming a great nation (chs. 12:2; 15:5), progenitorship of the Messiah (Gal. 3:16), and the privilege of being God’s chosen instrument to proclaim salvation to the nations of earth (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:8, 14). These promises were repeated to Abraham upon several different occasions, over a space of nearly half a century (see Gen. 12:1–4, 7; 13:15, 16; 15:4, 5, 13–18; 17:1–8, 16–21; 18:10; 22:17, 18).

To seeds, as of many. That is, to all Abraham’s descendants.

Thy seed. The objective of God’s covenant with Abraham was the coming of the Messiah and the salvation of men. All the other promises were accessory to this. Great blessings were in store for the chosen people if they would cooperate with God (see Vol. IV, pp. 26–30), but unfortunately they failed to do so (pp. 30–33). Accordingly, they forfeited their role as the instrument of Heaven for the salvation of the world. Nevertheless, God overruled their failure to the extent that the Messiah came to earth in the fullness of time, as a Son of Abraham (see Vol. IV, p. 32).

Originally, the promise of posterity pointed forward in a literal sense to Isaac (see references cited above under “promises”; chs. 4:22, 23). But here, by inspiration, the apostle Paul points to a figurative truth deeper than that which the promise appeared, on the surface, to embrace (see on Deut. 18:15). The promise thus met its first and partial fulfillment in Isaac, but was to have a final and complete fulfillment in Christ. In here declaring that Christ was, in a special sense, the “seed” promised to Abraham, Paul does not excluded either Abraham’s lineal descendants through Isaac (see Gal. 4:23) or his spiritual descendants through Christ (see ch. 3:29). Accordingly, the promise met its supreme, but not exclusive, fulfillment in Christ.

17. Covenant, that was confirmed. Paul here alludes to God’s assurances to Abraham of the certain fulfillment of the covenant promise concerning a “seed” (see on Gen. 15:13, 16; 22:15–17; Gal 3:16; Heb. 6:13–18).

In Christ. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the omission of these words.

The law. That is, the entire legal system under which Israel was constituted a theocracy at Mt. Sinai, including the moral law, which was proclaimed by God in person, and the ceremonial system promulgated through Moses.

Four hundred and thirty years. See Vol. I, p. 184. This period spans the interval from God’s original call to Abraham, to the establishment of Israel as a nation at the time of the Exodus (see on Gen. 12:3, 4; see on Ex. 12:40). This was the time of sojourn, first in Canaan and then in Egypt, between the promise to make of the Hebrews a nation and to establish them in the land of Canaan, and the fulfillment of that promises. Paul is here concerned particularly with the covenant promise at the beginning of the period and the giving of the law at its close, the law under which Israel was to function as a theocracy until the crucifixion (see DA 737, 738).

Cannot disannul. See on v. 15.

Make the promise. The legal system ordained by God at Mt. Sinai (see p. 933; see on ch. 2:16) cannot replace, or in any wise alter, the provisions of the covenant (see on ch. 3:15). Specifically, “the law” did not provide a new means of salvation; it did not establish a system of righteousness by works to take the place of, or to compete with, the promise of righteousness by faith in the coming Messiah (vs. 6–8, 14). Accordingly, men were saved by faith between Sinai and the cross. For the relation of the law to the covenant see on v. 19.

18. The inheritance. That is, the promises of the covenant (see on v. 16). In a material sense this refers to the land of Canaan; in an ethnic sense, to Israel’s role as God’s chosen people; and in a spiritual sense, to the blessings of salvation through the Messiah. Although it is true of the first two that their basis was the covenant promise and not the law, Paul is here concerned more particularly with “the inheritance” of salvation by faith in Christ. In other words, God gave and they received “the inheritance” by virtue of their faith in God’s covenant promise, and not by their promise to fulfill the requirements of the legal system (see on Ex. 19:5, 8).

The law. Literally, “law” (see on Rom 2:12; Gal. 2:16).

No more of promise. That is, on the basis of the promises incorporated into the covenant made with Abraham (see on vs. 16, 17).

By promise. The record is clear. The inheritance came by promise, not by law. Abraham had nothing but God’s promise. His literal descendants were accorded the status of being God’s chosen people and were given possession of Canaan by virtue of that promise. It is true that they were to retain their status and possession of Canaan only if they complied with the law, but they did not earn title to their inheritance. Title was theirs only by virtue of faith in the promise; their fitness to retain that title was to be measured by their compliance with the will of God as expressed in “the law” (see Vol. IV, p. 34). Thus it is with the inheritance of salvation in this life (see on Heb. 5:9) and with the eternal inheritance of the saints in heavenly Canaan.

19. Wherefore then? This passage and Paul’s whole line of reasoning from here onward through v. 25 have sometimes been mistakenly interpreted to mean that all the divinely revealed codes of laws in the OT ended with Calvary. Growing out of this interpretation is the view that in the pre-Christian era men were saved by the keeping of the law, and in the Christian Era by grace through faith. But such a view is contrary to the whole body of Scripture. God has had only one means of saving man, from Adam onward; that is, by faith in the sacrifice of our Lord. The good news of that salvation has been proclaimed to man in all ages (see Heb. 4:2). Paul has elsewhere emphatically repudiated the idea that he felt some might hastily and mistakenly draw from his writings, that grace and the gospel abolished law: “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid” (Rom. 3:31).

It is evident, therefore, that whatever Paul is teaching in Gal. 3:19–25 he is not teaching the doctrine of a pre-Christian era of salvation by law versus a Christian Era of salvation by grace. What he is truly teaching becomes evident when two points are kept clearly in mind. First, to all Jews and those trained in the Jewish viewpoint, as were the Galatians under the Judaizing teachers, the beginnings and the heart of God’s whole revealed religion for His chosen people were the series of events at Sinai. It was at Sinai that God most literally called them out for His own and made them His peculiar people, His holy nation. The distinctive mark of that initial experience at Sinai was the announcing to Israel of the great moral code that was ever to be the standard of their lives, plus (a) civil statutes that were an interpretation and application of the moral code to the Jewish state and (b) certain statutes that were to govern the symbolic ritual of sacrifices and offerings pointing forward to the great sacrifice of Christ. The Lord had told the Israelites at Sinai that if they would be obedient to all His laws, they would eat the good of the land and be His people forever. They mistakenly though that they were able of themselves to give such obedience, and that therefore their hope of acceptance by God and of receiving an inheritance forever lay in their own efforts at keeping these laws.

The second point that must be remembered, if we are rightly to understand vs. 19–25, is this: Paul has just declared to the Galatians that long before Sinai, Abraham had received the inheritance simply by believing the promise of God, and he has emphatically added, in order to illustrate again the main premise of his epistle, that salvation is by faith alone, that nothing that happened “four hundred and thirty years after” Abraham could change the terms by which he was assured of the inheritance. Paul’s reasoning is summed up in the words: “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise” (v. 18).

Now, to all those steeped in the Jewish viewpoint, this reasoning of Paul would seem to make pointless and meaningless the awesome drama of Sinai—the great codes of law, and the declaration of God that if they would obey these laws they would eat the good of the land. In other words, Paul’s readers would immediately ask, “Wherefore then serveth the law?”

Added. Gr.prostitheµmi, literally, “to place alongside,” “to append.” And why was the law “added” if the Abrahamic covenant was adequate to salvation? The answer is: “Because of transgressions.” The difference between the times before Sinai and those afterward was not a difference as regards the existence of great laws from God, but as regards the explicit revelation of them—at Sinai there was a concrete presentation of the moral law in two tables of stone and of other laws in “the book of the law.” But in the centuries before Sinai God’s patriarchs possessed, in some marked measure, the moral law written in their hearts, and were thus conscious of God’s high moral standards (see Gen. 17:9; 18:19; 26:5). They also possessed, in embryo, the laws of sacrificial ritual. During the long, dark bondage in Egypt, where they dwelt amid the blackest paganism and the most depraved immorality, they well-nigh lost their understanding or awareness of God’s moral standards, and of even the most rudimentary ideas of sacrifices. And when men come to such a state, they are insensitive to sin, for it is by “the law” that we have the knowledge of sin. As Paul declares elsewhere, “I had not known sin, but by the law” (Rom. 7:7).

When God took Israel out of the darkness and defilement of Egypt, His first contact with them was in terms of a presentation of the moral laws that are the standard of His government, and of the ceremonial statutes designed to provide Israel with a pattern of ritual service that would make the promised sacrifice of our Lord most clear to them. The law “was added because of transgressions” (Gal. 3:19), “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Rom. 7:13). It was only by having God’s moral law brought into sharp objective focus that the Israelites, sadly adapted as they were to the gross viewpoint of the Egyptians, could be made conscious that they were sinners, and thus needed salvation. And it was because the ceremonial statutes were presented in clear detail that the Israelites were enabled to see the way God had devised to save them from their sins. Compare on Eph. 2:15.

Till the seed should come. That is, till Christ should come (see on vs. 16, 24).

To whom the promise was made. Or, “with respect to whom the promise was made.”

Ordained by angels. The Exodus record is silent concerning the presence of angels at Sinai. According to Deut. 33:2 there were “ten thousands of saints [literally, “holy ones”]” present at the giving of the law. In the LXX the last clause of that verse reads, “On his right hand [were his] angels with him” (cf. Ps. 68:17). Stephen (Acts 7:53) and Paul (Heb. 2:2) both speak of angels as participating in the giving of the Mosaic code (cf. PP 364).

Mediator. Or, “arbitrator,” “middleman,” one who intervenes between two parties to reconcile divergent views or interests, or who brings them together in a compact. In v. 20 Paul makes clear his purpose in mentioning the mediate, or indirect, way in which the ceremonial law was given. Being given through a mediator, Moses (see Ex. 20:19; 21:1), the ceremonial and civil laws came from God indirectly. The covenant and its promises, however, were given to Abraham directly, without the assistance of a human mediator.

20. Not a mediator of one. Literally, “not of one,” that is, a mediator does not represent one person only. Mediation presupposes two or more parties, with the middleman representing the interests of both. The people of Israel dealt with Moses in the ratification of the old covenant and in the implementation of the series of statutes that accompanied it.

God is one. The relation of this statement to its context is not clear, a fact reflected in the more than 250 different explanations that commentators and others have given it. The context precludes considering it a restatement of Deut. 6:4, “The Lord our God is one Lord,” and suggests that Paul here refers back to the covenant promise mentioned in Gal. 3:18. The entire chapter deals with the difference between salvation by faith in the covenant promise and salvation by the “works of the law.” The “but” in v. 20 implies a contrast between the law of vs. 19 and 20, and the covenant promise of v. 18. The covenant promise was not “added” to anything; it was delivered by God Himself. Accordingly, v. 20 might be paraphrased as follows: “Now a mediator implies an agreement between two parties, but the covenant promise was unilateral—it was contingent upon God alone and thus required no mediator.” Whereas the old covenant (see on Eze. 16:60) was in the form of a contract between God and the chosen people, mediated by Moses (see Ex. 19:3–8; 20:19–21; 21:1; 24:3–8; see on Gal. 3:15, 19), the new, or everlasting, covenant vouchsafed by God to Abraham was simply in the form of a promise. With the old covenant there was an agreement on the part of the people to obey, whereas with the new covenant it is necessary only to accept the promise by faith, and obedience follows naturally (Gen. 26:5).

21. Against the promises. The law appears to be incompatible with the covenant. It may even seem to have replaced the promise of salvation by faith with a program of salvation by works.

Of God. Important textual evidence may be cited (cf. p. 10) for the omission of this phrase.

God forbid. Perish the thought! Such a thing could never be. God was the author of both “the law” and the “promises,” and He would not repudiate His unconditional promise of salvation by faith in Christ (see Heb. 6:17–20)! To do so would be a denial of His integrity as God. It would prove Him inconsistent and unreliable.

Have given life. The law was never intended to impart righteousness and provide eternal life (see on v. 19). Only through Christ can men have access to righteousness, the more abundant life in the present, and in the world to come, life eternal (Luke 18:30).

Verily righteousness. Had it been possible to attain righteousness by the “works of the law” (see on ch. 2:16), the covenant promise would thereby be rendered superfluous. To the carnal heart a program of righteousness by works has infinitely more appeal than God’s plan of righteousness by faith. It is always more flattering to the human ego to do something to earn righteousness, than simply to accept it by faith as a gift. To accept righteousness as a gift is an acknowledgment that there is nothing one can do to achieve it on the basis of personal merit. It injures carnal pride to accept charity, whether it be material or spiritual.

22. The scripture. The thought here is evidently drawn from Ps. 14:1–3.

All under sin. That is, the Jews, who trusted in the works of the law to save them, as well as the Gentiles (Gal. 2:15, 17; see on Rom. 3:9, 22).

The promise by faith. That is, the covenant promise of salvation by faith (see on vs. 6–9, 14).

Of Jesus. That is, in Jesus (see on ch. 1:12).

To them that believe. In other words, not to those who practice the requirements of the ritual law as a means to salvation.

23. Before faith came. That is, before the mystery of how God could save men by faith alone was clearly revealed in the incarnation, perfect life, vicarious death, and glorious resurrection of our Lord (1 Tim. 3:16; see on John 1:17; Gal. 3:14, 19; cf. on Luke 16:16). Note the emphasis on time in Gal. 3:23, 25.

Kept. Literally, “guarded,” so as to prevent escape.

Under the law. That is, under the legal system (see on ch. 2:16). “Under the law” here means to be under its jurisdiction, not its condemnation (see on Rom. 6:14).

The faith. See above under “before faith came.”

Afterwards be revealed. The faith of OT times was rewarded at the first advent of Christ (see Rom. 16:25, 26; Heb. 1:1, 2). Previous to the incarnation, the promise of a coming Redeemer required faith that God would fulfill the promise. With the coming of Jesus, faith met reality.

24. The law. That is, the entire legal system, consisting of moral, ceremonial, and civil statutes (see on ch. 2:16).

Schoolmaster. Gr. paidagoµgos, a “tutor,” or “guardian,” of children; literally, “a leader of children,” but not a “teacher” (didaskalos). In Greek households thepaidagoµgos was a supervisor of, and companion to, boys. He accompanied them to school, protected them from harm, kept them from mischief, and had the right to discipline them. In Greek art he is generally represented with a stick in his hand. If qualified to do so, he may also have assisted them in the preparation of their lessons.

The role of thepaidagoµgos is an apt illustration (see on v. 19). “The law” served as the guardian, supervisor, or custodian of the chosen people in OT times, and like the paidagoµgos, was charged with their moral training.

Unto Christ. That is, until Christ should come, as the context requires (vs. 19, 23). According to v. 19, “the law … was added [to the covenant] … till the seed [Christ, v. 16] should come” (see comment there). Or to restate the matter, Israel was “kept under the law” (v. 23) until God’s provision for salvation by faith should be “revealed” with the coming of Christ.

Paul here refers very particularly to the ceremonial system, which pointed forward to Christ (see on chs. 2:16; 3:19). It is also true that the moral law was designed of God to lead men to Christ, for it reveals to men their sins and thus their need of cleansing from sin.

25. After that faith is come. Paul here speaks of the provision for salvation by faith in Christ alone.

No longer. Note the emphasis in vs. 23, 25 on the time element—“before,” “afterwards,” “after,” “no longer.”

Under a schoolmaster. That is, under the law (v. 23; cf. v. 24). Some have interpreted this phrase to mean being “under the condemnation of law.” It is true, of course, that the words themselves could be so explained; however, such an explanation does not accord with the context and is clearly not the sense Paul here intended them to convey. It is not the function of a “schoolmaster” to condemn, but to exercise jurisdiction, to guard, to protect (see on v. 24). Paul’s argument is in no wise concerned with the condemnation that results from lawlessness, but with the possibility of attaining righteousness by compliance with law (see vs. 1–3, 7, 11, 14, 21; etc.). See on Rom. 6:14.

We should remember that Paul is using a figure of speech, and that therefore his words should not be too closely pressed in every detail. There is one essential point that he is seeking to stress; namely, the unique significance of the important event that occurred “four hundred and thirty years after” (v. 17) Abraham—God’s formal announcement to Israel of His moral law and God’s giving to them, through Moses, civil statutes and a code governing their religious ceremonies. Holy men before Sinai had, in some degree, the moral law written in their hearts, and knew at least the rudiments of a ceremonial system. When God called Israel out of Egyptian bondage He gave objective reality to all these laws, that they might see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, as revealed by the Decalogue, and the means whereby God purposed to save them from sin, as disclosed by the ceremonial service (see on v. 19). The very laws, so distinctive of the Jewish economy, were a continuing exhibit of man’s lost state and of a divine plan for pardon. Those very laws hemmed men in, as it were, caused them to be “shut up” (v. 23), kept in custody, against a day of spiritual deliverance. Paul describes the children of God who lived before the advent as being, in figure, “under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father” (ch. 4:2). “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (v. 4).

And what, indeed, happened for the child of God when Christ came, as touching the matter of “the law,” which had been “our schoolmaster”? As regards the ceremonial laws, they ceased by a divine statute of limitations, for Christ’s sacrifice took the place of animal sacrifices, and thus the laws governing such sacrifices ended. As regards the civil statutes, they lost their significance for the simple reason that Israel ended as a nation, or state, and spiritual Israel took its place. As regards the moral law, the Decalogue, it no longer stands out on two tables of stone, as something apart from man. Instead, those who are “justified by faith” (v. 24) in Christ become new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17), with the law of God written in their minds and hearts (Heb. 8:10). And thus “the righteousness [or “requirements”] of the law” is “fulfilled” in them (Rom. 8:4). Rightly does Paul, employing his figure, declare that we are no longer “under a schoolmaster.” It is difficult to understand how anyone ever concluded that Paul is here announcing the abolition of the Decalogue, God’s great moral law. So long as the new hearts and minds of the children of God endure, the divine law, in living characters, is engraved upon them.

26. Ye are all. That is, both Jews and Gentiles (see v. 28).

Children of God. Literally, “sons of God,” having been “born again” as members of God’s family in heaven and on earth (see on Matt. 5:9; John 1:12, 13; 3:3, 5; Rom. 8:15, 16; 9:8, 26; Eph. 3:15; John 3:1, 2).

By faith. See on Rom. 1:5, 17; Gal. 3:11. Jew and Gentile alike are to be saved by faith, not by the “works of the law” (see on ch. 2:16)

27. Baptized into Christ See on Matt 3:6; Rom 6:3, 4.

Put on Christ. See on Rom. 13:14; cf. on Matt. 22:11. The word here translated “put on” is commonly used with reference to clothing. To “put on” Christ means to adopt His principles, to imitate His example, to accept His guidance, to become like Him (see on 2 Cor. 5:17). Greek writers speak of putting on Plato, Socrates, etc., meaning thereby to accept them as instructors and to follow their teachings. See on Gal. 5:22, 23. To “put on Christ” implies putting off self and the old nature.

28. Jew nor Greek. That is, Jew nor Gentile (see on Rom. 1:16). Christianity subordinates the role of race and nationality to the principle of the brotherhood of all men (Acts 17:26). Here, however, Paul speaks of the standing of Jew and non-Jew before God (see on Acts 10:34; cf. on Matt. 20:15). In Christ’s kingdom all are covered with the same garment of Christ’s righteousness, which they receive by faith in Jesus Christ. But to the Judaizing Christians of Paul’s day such an idea was rank heresy. They maintained that the only way into the Christian church was through Judaism, that a Gentile must first be circumcised—become a Jew, as it were—before being accepted into the Christian communion.

Bond nor free. In the sight of God there is no difference between the soul of a slave and the soul of a free man. The slave is eligible to salvation on the same basis as the nonslave. Both may be saved by faith in Jesus. Christianity alone eliminates distinctions based on race, nationality, and social standing. Here, however, Paul is not dealing with the subject of slavery as such.

Male nor female. In the ancient world women were commonly considered as little more than chattels, and thus infinitely inferior to men. Pagan philosophers sometimes argued as to whether a woman even had a soul. In some pagan societies a father or husband had authority over the women of his household to the point of ordering their execution. The elevation of woman to equality with man is the direct result of Christian teaching and practice. Here, however, Paul is thinking of the status of women before God as sinners in need of salvation.

One in Christ. As the divine precepts of love for God and for one’s fellow men are made operative, men’s hearts are united in a close bond of fellowship, each with others, under their heavenly Father (see on Matt. 22:36–40).

29. Abraham’s seed. As a son of Abraham, Christ became, in a special sense, heir to the covenant promises (see on v. 16). By baptism we acquire kinship to Christ, and through Him acquire the right to participate in the promises made to Abraham (vs. 7–9). Concerning the importance attached by the Jews to literal descent from Abraham see on Matt. 3:9; Rom. 9:4.

Heirs. As spiritual children of Abraham, Christians become “joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). As Son of God, Christ is likewise heir to the honor and glory of heaven, and those who believe in Him fall heir to a position of honor in the universe that would never have been possible for created beings to enjoy had the Word not become flesh (John 1:1, 14). At the incarnation, divinity and humanity were united by ties never to be broken (DA 21, 25, 26). As heirs with Abraham to the covenant promises, all who emulate his lofty example of faith will enter the “city which hath foundations,” to which he himself ever looked forward in faith (Heb. 11:10). See on Gal. 3:9, 14.

The promise. That is, the “promise” of God to Abraham to justify both Jews and Gentiles on the basis of faith alone, without the “works” of “the law” (see on vs. 8, 14, 16).

Ellen G. White comments

1    FE 332; 5T 142

1–4FE 196

1–5AA384

2     AA 208

7     DA 556; PP 153

8     DA 193; PP 154, 370

13   DA 741; PP 63; SR 225

16   AA 222; PP 169, 370

26   AA 208

27   3T 365; 4T 41; 6T 97

28   COL 386; DA 403; PP 370; 7T 225

29   PP 170