3:6-9The main argument of the Judaizers was that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians. Paul exposed the flaw in this argument by showing that real children of Abraham are those who have faith, not those who keep the law. Abraham himself was saved by his faith (Genesis 15:6). All believers in every age and from every nation share Abraham's blessing. This is a comforting promise, a great heritage for us, and a solid foundation for living.
Life Application Study BibleGalatiansChapter 3
Galatians 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1987, 1988, 1989
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3Galatians 3
The Law and Faith in Christ
1Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4Have you experienced* so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”* 7The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”* 9So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. 10But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”* 11So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”* 12This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”* 13But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”* Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised* Holy Spirit through faith.
The Law and God's Promise
1518Dear brothers and sisters,* here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.* And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,*” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. 19Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. 21]s there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?* Absolutely not! If the law could give us new tife, we could be made right with God by obeying it, 22But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. God's Children through Faith 23Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 241 et me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26For you are all children* of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes.* 28There is no longer Jew or Gentile,* slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children* of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
Textual footnotes
- through verse 21.
- (Greek version).
- also in 3:16c, 19. See notes on Gen 12:7 and 13:15.
- Jew or Greek.
- 3:4 Or Have you suffered.
- 3:6 Gen 15:6. 3:8 Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18. 3:10 Deut 27:26. 3:11 Hab 2:4, 3:12 Lev 18:5. 3:13 Deut 21:23
- 3:14 Some manuscripts read the blessing of the.
- 3:15 Greek Brothers.
- 3:16a Greek seed,
- 3:16b Greek seeds.
- 3:21 Some manuscripts read and the promises? 3:26 Greek sons.
- 3:27 Greek have put on Christ.
- 3:28 Greek
- 3:29 Greek seed.
Life Application Notes 11 notes
3:10Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 to prove that, contrary to what the Judaizers claimed, the law cannot justify and save— it can only condemn. Breaking even one commandment brings a person under condemnation. And because everyone has broken the commandments, everyone stands condemned. The law can do nothing to reverse the condemnation (Romans 3:20-24). But Christ took the curse of the law upon himself when he hung on the cross. He did this so we wouldn't have to bear our own punishment. The only condition is that we accept Christ's death on our behalf as the means to be saved (Colossians 1:20-23).
3:11Trying to be right with God by our own effort doesn’t work. Good intentions such as “I'll do better next time” or “I'll never do that again” usually end in failure. Paul points to Habakkuk’s declaration (Habakkuk 2:4) that by trusting God—believing in his provision for our sins and living each day in his power— we can break this cycle of failure.
3:17In the same way that we claim Jesus’ death as God’s provision for our salvation, Abraham believed in God and his promises. although they would not be made fully evident until centuries later on the cross. God promised, and Abraham answered in faith, even during the trial of God asking him to sacrifice his son. This is the heart of Christian faith. God promises to save us when we trust in Christ and take him at his word, just as Abraham did. We know in greater detail how God worked out his plan of grace in Christ. We have much less excuse for our unbelief!
3:18,19The law has two functions. On the positive side, it reveals the nature and will of God and shows people how to live. On the negative side, it points out people’s sins and shows them that it is impossible to please God by trying to obey all his taws completely. God's promise to Abraham dealt with Abraham’s faith; the law focuses on actions. The covenant with Abraham shows that faith is the only way to be saved; the law shows how to obey God in grateful response. Faith does not annul the law: but the more we know God, the more we see how sinful we are. Then we are driven to depend on our faith in Christ alone for our salvation.
3:19,20When God gave his promise to Abraham, he did it by himself alone, without angels or Moses as mediators. Although it is not mentioned in Exodus, Jews believed that the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses by angels (Stephen referred to this in his speech, see Acts 7:38, 53). Paul was showing the superiority of salvation and growth by faith over trying to be saved by keeping the Jewish laws. Christ is the best and only way given by God for us to come to him (1 Timothy 2:5).
3:21,22Before faith in Christ delivered us, we were imprisoned by sin, beaten down by past mistakes, and choked by desires that we knew were wrong. God knew we were sin’s prisoners, but he provided a way of escape—faith in Jesus Christ. Without Christ, everyone is held in sin’s grasp, and only those who place their faith in Christ ever get out of it. Look to Christ—he is reaching out to set you free.
3:24,25The picture of the law as a guardian is similar to a tutor giving a young child supervision. We no longer need that kind of supervision. The law teaches us the need for salvation; God’s grace gives us that salvation. The Old Testament still applies today. In it, God reveals his nature, his will for humanity, his moral taws, and his guidelines for living. But we cannot be saved by keeping that law; we must trust in Christ.
3:28Some Jewish males greeted each new day by praying, “LORD, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” The role of women was enhanced by Christianity. Faith in Christ transcends these differences and makes ail believers one in Christ. Make sure you do not impose distinctions that Christ has removed. Because all believers are his heirs, no one is more privileged than or superior to anyone else.
3:28it’s our natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around people who are different from us and to gravitate toward those who are similar to us. But when we allow our differences to separate us from our fetlow believers, we are disregarding clear biblical teaching. Make a point to seek out and appreciate people who are not just like you and your friends. You may find that you have a lot in common with them.
3:29The original promise to Abraham was intended for the whole world, not just for Abraham’s physical descendants (see Genesis 12:3). All believers participate in this promise and are blessed as children of Abraham.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1989
DO WE STILL HAVE TO OBEY THE OLD TESTA-
MENT LAWS?
When Paul says that non-Jews (Gentiles) are no longer bound by these laws, he is not saying that the Old Testament laws do not apply to us today. He is saying certain types of laws may not apply to us. In the Old Testament there were three categories of laws:
This kind of law relates specifically to Israel’s worship (see, for example, Leviticus 1:1-13). Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ. Therefore, these laws were no longer necessary after Jesus’ death and resurrection.While we are no longer bound by ceremonial laws, the principles behind them—to worship and love a holy God—still apply. The Jewish Christians often accused the Gentile Christians of violating the ceremonial law.
Ceremonial law
This type of law dictated Israel's daily living (see Deuteronomy 24:10, 11, for example). Because modern society and culture are so radically different, some of these guidelines cannot be followed specifically. But the principles behind the commands should guide our conduct. At times, Paul asked Gentile Christians to follow some of these laws, not because they had to, but in order to promote unity. This sort of law is the direct command of God—for example, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). It requires strict obedience. It reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies to us today. We are to obey this moral law, not to obtain saivation, but to live in ways pleasing to God.
Civil law
Moral law
Study feature · page 1989
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