Galatians Chapter 3

Law

vs. Trust

¹ Foolish Galatians! Who cast a spell on you? Right in front of your eyes I portrayed Jesus Christ crucified. ² This is what I’d like to know: did you receive the Spirit by working under law or by trusting the Person you listened to? ³ Are you foolish enough to start with spirit and try to finish with flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so much for nothing—if it was for nothing? ⁵ Does the one that provides you the Spirit and works miracles among you do it by working under law or trusting the Person he listened to? ⁶ In that way, Abraham “trusted God, and God considered him good” [Gen 15:6].                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Gal 3:1-6

⁷ Rest assured, then, the ones who “trust” are like Abraham. ⁸ The scripture looked forward to when God would make Gentiles good by trusting. So it “presented the good news” to Abraham, “In you I will bless all the nations” [Gen 12:3; 18:18]. ⁹ So God blesses people that trust like Abraham did. ¹⁰ Those who work under law are under a curse: scripture says, “Everybody’s under a curse that doesn’t do everything all the time that the Law requires” [Deut 27:26]. ¹¹ Obviously, law can’t make anyone good in front of God: “A good person will have life by trusting” [Hab 2:4]. ¹² Law doesn’t involve trusting: “The one that does them is the one that has life by them” [Lev 18:5]. ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse that law brings us under by becoming a curse on our behalf. Scripture says, “Everybody’s under a curse that hangs on a tree” [Deut 21:23]. ¹⁴ So the blessing associated with Abraham can come to Gentiles in Christ Jesus; and by trusting, we can receive the Spirit Christ promised us.     

Gal 3:7-14

Law

vs. Promise

¹⁵ Take an example from everyday life. Even with a human covenant, once it’s ratified, nobody annuls it or adds to it. ¹⁶ God made promises to Abraham and his seed. The text doesn’t say “seeds,” plural, but “seed,” singular, “to your seed” [Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7], that is, Christ. ¹⁷ Here’s the point: the Law, which came 430 years after the promise, didn’t annul the promise; it didn’t annul the covenant God had put in place earlier. ¹⁸ If inheritance comes by law, it doesn’t come by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by making a promise. ¹⁹ So, what was the Law for? God added it to deal with sins till the “seed” came that he made his promise to. Angels ordained the Law through a mediator. ²⁰ A mediator mediates between two parties, not one; but God is only one party.                                                               

Gal 3:15-20

Law Prepares for Trust

            ²¹ So, does the Law conflict with God’s promise? Goodness, no! If there could’ve been a law that gave life, the Law would make people good. ²² But scripture locks up everything under sin so trusting could directly deliver the promise to the ones who trust the promise.

²³ Till trust came into play, law held us in custody. ²⁴ It served as an attendant to lead us to Christ so trusting in him could make us good. ²⁵ Now that trust has come, we aren’t under an attendant anymore. ²⁶ We’re God’s children by trusting in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ Those of us who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ Jew-Greek, slave-free, male-female is irrelevant. We’re all alike in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If we’re Christ’s, we’re Abraham’s seed^sg and heirs by promise.                                                                           

Gal 3:21-29