INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS 3 In this chapter the apostle reproves the Galatians for their disobedience to the Gospel, and departure from it; confirms the doctrine of justification by faith, by various arguments; shows the use of the law, and the abrogation of it, and makes mention of several privile... [ Continue Reading ]
O FOOLISH GALATIANS,.... Referring not to any national character, as some have thought, by which they were distinguished from others for their rudeness in knowledge, their ignorance and folly, as the Cretians for their lying, c. nor to their former state in unregeneracy, it being common to all men,... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS ONE THING WOULD I LEARN OF YOU,.... Though there were many things he could have put to them, yet he would only ask this one question, which, if rightly attended to, and honestly answered, must expose their folly, and put an end to the controversy upon this head: RECEIVED YE THE SPIRIT BY THE W... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE YE SO FOOLISH?.... Is it possible you should be so stupid? and do you, or can you continue so? HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT; that is, either in the Spirit of God, whom they had received through the preaching of the Gospel. They set out in a profession of religion in the light, under the influence... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE YE SUFFERED SO MANY THINGS IN VAIN?.... These Galatians had suffered great reproach, many afflictions and persecutions for the sake of the Gospel, as all that embrace it must expect to do; and which to them that persevere in the faith of the Gospel will not be in vain, they will be followed wit... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THEREFORE THAT MINISTERETH TO YOU THE SPIRIT,.... By whom he means not himself, nor any other minister of the Gospel, in whose power it does not lie to minister the Spirit, either the ordinary or the extraordinary gifts of it unto men; but either God or Christ who had ministered, and still contin... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD,.... The apostle having observed, that the special grace and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were received not through the preaching of the law, but through the doctrine of faith; by an easy transition, passes on to a further confirmation of the doctrine of justificati... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE THEREFORE,.... Or "ye know"; this is a thing known by you, at least may, or should be; it ought not to be contradicted or disputed, it is so plain a case, and so clear a point: THAT THEY WHICH ARE OF FAITH; of the faith of Abraham, as in Romans 4:16 have the same faith as he had, for nature... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SCRIPTURE FORESEEING,.... This seems to agree with the Jewish forms or citing passages of Scripture, מה ראה הכתוב, "what does the Scripture foresee?" and מה ראתה תורה, n "what does the law foresee?" The Scripture here, by a "prosopopeia", is represented as foreseeing an event that would come... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEN THEY WHICH BE OF FAITH,.... This is the apostle's conclusion upon the whole, from the instance of Abraham, and, the promise made to him; and is an explanation of the preceding clause, and shows that it must be taken in a limited sense, and understood not of every individual; only of those wh... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR AS MANY AS ARE OF THE WORKS OF THE LAW,.... The apostle does not say, "as many as were of the law", to whom it belonged, who were born and brought up in it, and to whom it was given, the Jews; for there were some of them who believed in Christ, were blessed with Abraham, and not under the curse... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THAT NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED,.... There are some that are justified, as all God's elect are, in his own mind and will from eternity; which will of his to justify them, upon the righteousness of his Son, undertook by him to bring in, is their justification in the court of heaven; and all that believe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LAW IS NOT OF FAITH,.... The Arabic version adds, "but of man"; which as it is an addition to the text, so it contains false doctrine; for though the law is not of faith, yet not of man, but of God; the law does not consist of faith in Christ, nor does it require it, and that a man should li... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW,.... The Redeemer is Christ, the Son of God; who was appointed and called to this work by his Father, and which he himself agreed to; he was spoken of in prophecy under this character; he came as such, and has obtained eternal redemption, for which h... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM,.... The same blessing Abraham enjoyed, even justification by the righteousness of Christ; and what was promised to Abraham, that in him, his seed, that is Christ, the Gentiles should be blessed, or justified; for though this blessing may in general comprise every spirit... [ Continue Reading ]
BRETHREN,.... Whereas in Galatians 3:1, he calls them "foolish Galatians", which might seem too harsh and severe, therefore, to mitigate and soften their resentments, he styles them brethren; hoping still well of them, and that they were not so far gone, but that they might be recovered; and imputin... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW TO ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED WERE THE PROMISES MADE,.... The promises design the promises of the covenant of grace mentioned in the next verse, which are exceeding great and precious, better than those of any other covenant; and which are all yea and amen in Christ, and are chiefly of a spiritual nat... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS I SAY,.... Assert and affirm as a certain truth, that is not to be gainsaid; THAT THE COVENANT THAT WAS CONFIRMED BEFORE OF GOD IN CHRIST, THE LAW, WHICH WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS AFTER, CANNOT DISANNUL; by "the covenant" is meant, not the covenant made with Adam, as the federal he... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF THE INHERITANCE BE OF THE LAW,.... By the inheritance is meant, either the eternal inheritance, everlasting life and happiness in heaven, which is the gift of God through Christ, and not attained to and enforced by the works of the law; or particularly the blessing of justification, promised... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE WHY THEN SERVETH THE LAW?.... If this be the case, might an objector say, why was the law given? what ends and purposes are to be served by it? of what use can it be? there had as good been no law at all, if the inheritance is not of it, and there is no justification by it. To which it is... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW A MEDIATOR IS NOT A MEDIATOR OF ONE,.... A mediator supposes two parties he stands between, and these at a distance from, or disagreeing with each other; where there is but one party, there can be no need of, nor any reason for, a mediator; so Christ is the Mediator between God and men, the days... [ Continue Reading ]
IS THE LAW THEN AGAINST THE PROMISES OF GOD?.... If the law was added because of transgressions, and curses for them, and if the inheritance is not of it, but by promise, were it, it would not be by promise, then, says an objector, it is against the promises: these are contrary to one another, and G... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE SCRIPTURE HATH CONCLUDED ALL UNDER SIN,.... By the "Scripture" is meant, either the writing of the law in particular, the killing letter, or the whole Scripture, or God in it; and who by and in it has shown, declared, and proved, that all the individuals of human nature, Jews and Gentiles, a... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT BEFORE FAITH CAME,.... This is to be understood, not of the grace of faith, which was under the former dispensation, as now; the Old Testament saints had the same Spirit of faith, and the same grace of faith, as for its nature, object, and use, as New Testament saints have; Adam, Abel, Enoch, No... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE THE LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER UNTO CHRIST,.... So the words should be read, as they are by the Syriac and Ethiopic versions; for the words "to bring us" are a supplement of our translators, and have nothing to answer to them in the original; and the sense of the passage is, that the law per... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AFTER THAT FAITH IS COME,.... That is, since Christ the object of faith is come in the flesh, and has fulfilled the law, and redeemed them that were under it from its bondage, curse, and condemnation: WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER; under the law as such; as no longer under it as a milit... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD,.... Not by nature, as Christ is the Son of God, for he is the only begotten of the Father, and in such sense as neither angels nor men are the sons of God; nor by creation, as Adam and all mankind, and the angels are; but by divine adoption by an act of God's rich... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST,.... Not that it is to be imagined that these churches of Galatia, or any of the primitive churches, consisted of baptized and unbaptized persons; for this would be acting contrary to the commission of Christ and the order of the Gospel: but this... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK,.... Not but that there were such in being; and in the churches of Christ, for the primitive churches consisted of both; but the meaning is, that there is no difference between them, the middle wall of partition being broken down, and that, in the business of justifica... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF YE BE CHRIST'S,.... Or seeing ye are his, not by creation only, but by the Father's gift to him, by the purchase of his own blood, by the power of his grace, making them willing to give up themselves to him; not only his by profession, saying they are the Lord's, calling themselves by his nam... [ Continue Reading ]