Bible Study Galatians 3: 15-29

 

Bible Study Galatians 3: 15-29

Our text:

The Promise by Faith

15 Brothers, I speak in human terms: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 And what I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to abolish the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is by law, it is no longer by promise, but God has granted it to Abraham through promise.

19 Why the Law then? It was added because of trespasses, having been ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not]for one person only, whereas God is one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up [z]everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 15: “ Brothers, I speak in human terms: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.”

By the word “Brothers,” Paul reveals his compassionate love for the Galatian, which they may have questioned in light of his stern rebuke (vv. 1, 3).  Regarding the importance of covenants, Paul drives the point that once a covenant (think contract) has been cut (made), the terms are not changeable without all parties consent. In the ancient world, even if one party breached the covenant, the other party would not. This explains in part God’s faithfulness to Israel even though they broke the covenant with God. God did not breach His part, but will continue to honor His Words of promise. Human covenants, once ratified (means agreement finalized), are considered irrevocable and unchangeable, how much more a covenant made by an unchanging God.

Verse 16: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.”

Paul’s point is that in some Old Testament passages (e.g., Gen. 3:15; 22:18), “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ. He is affirming that Christ is the Seed (descendant) to whom the promise finally refers. Everything in the Scriptures regarding salvation finds its roots in the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of the gospel is found in Christ. God called Abraham and promised to make him a blessing to the world. He made him a blessing to the world through the Lord Jesus Christ, a physical descendant of Abraham. Christ is the One who paid for the salvation of the world.

Verse 17: “And what I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to abolish the promise.”

From Israel’s time in Egypt  to the giving of the law at Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). The law came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham, but the promise was repeated to Isaac (Gen. 26:24) and later to Jacob (ca. 1928 B.C.;) Gen. 28:15. The last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in Gen. 46:2–4  just before he went to Egypt; 430 years before the Mosaic law was given. The point to grasp is that the promise made to Abraham concerning Christ was made centuries before the Law. The Law came after the promise of grace, and obviously could not alter the previous promise.

Verse 18: “For if the inheritance is by law, it is no longer by promise, but God has granted it to Abraham through promise.”

God promised saving blessings to the nations through Abraham “and his offspring,” i.e. Christ, descended from Abraham in His human nature. That covenant promise was not canceled by the later giving of the law through Moses. The central idea is that the gift of salvation was just that, a gift. If salvation was by works, it would no longer be by grace. Grace was promised through Abraham and would be manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 19: “ Why the Law then? It was added because of trespasses, having been ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

The Law was added “because of [meaning for the sake of] transgressions. It was given to reveal not remove sin. The Law did not have the power to stop sin, only expose sin for what it was, a transgression of God’s Law. It was not given to keep man from sin because sin had already come into existence. It was to show man himself as being a depraved, lost, and hopeless sinner before God. Any honest man looks at himself in the mirror and sees himself guilty. It was not given to prove that all men were sinners, nor was it given (as many liberals are saying today) as a standard by which man becomes holy. Oh, my friend, you would never become holy through the Law , because, first of all, you can’t keep the Law in your own strength. You never could and you never will.

Verse 20: “Now a mediator is not for one person only, whereas God is one.”

If there was only one contracting party, and he made an unconditional promise, requiring nothing from the other party, there would be no need for a mediator. The fact that the law required a mediator implied that man had to keep his part of the agreement, which was impossible because man was born a sinner. This was the failure of the law; it called for obedience from those who did not have the power to do it. When God made His promise to Abraham, He was the sole contracting Party. This was the strength of the promise: everything depended on God and nothing on man. Our mediator is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of Him that we can be saved. “Jesus paid it all” as the old hymn states.This is why we must teach and preach that “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) Man cannot and will not try to save himself. Until God in His mercy sends grace to the repentant heart, no soul will come forward to be saved. It is all of grace. Some think that “mediator” refers to Moses or in a general sense that mediators always act between two parties. Some  believe it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Whatever the details of the interpretation, the general thought seems to be that the promise is unilateral; humankind is not a party to it. Man does not come to spiritual rebirth on his own, he needs help. Man is depraved and without the grace of God operating in his life, he would never come to Christ in repentance. This thought reinforces what Paul has said earlier about the unconditional and unilateral nature of the promises. Many think this verse is the most obscure in Galatians and perhaps in the New Testament. 

Verse 21: “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law.”

Having shown the superiority of the promise to Abraham (vv. 15–18), Paul described the inferiority of the law, and its purpose.The law was necessary to reveal sin, but was powerless to save. Paul is driving the point home about salvation through grace. Man only brings his sin to Christ to be saved. Remember this key point: Man meets God at the Mercy Seat and God meets the sinner in repentance. 

Verse 22: “ But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

Can the Law bring life? My friend, the Law cannot bring life, only reveal death as a result of sin. The purpose of the Law was never to give life. It was given to show us that we are guilty sinners before God. Too often, people make church rules, a new type of law, to separate themselves from other groups in the body of Christ. Now don’t misunderstand me, I see value in rules that apply Scripture to the culture and our times. However, those rules must be Biblically based. For example, the Bible says “I will make a covenant with my eyes.” (Job 31: 1) Job was promising not to look lustfully at another woman. It would be consistent with this principle to make a rule as follows: “Church members shall not look at pornography.” That is very much in line with the Bible verse. Contrarily, if the church group based on Deuteronomy 22: 5 (“A woman shall not wear men's clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God.”) made a rule that women could not wear pants, that would be an example of an improper rule. First, at the time verse 5 was written pants did not exist. Second, it is a very unbiblical approach to interpretation to create one that the original audience would never have considered. The pants rule is an example. Since pants did not exist, no one who heard the verse read aloud could think it meant what some modern folks say it means today. Stay Scriptural and interpret in context.

Verse 23: “But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed.”

The faith that came was faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Until the Lord Jesus Christ came as our substitute, the Law did have mercy because it had a mercy seat. It had an altar where sacrifices for sin could be brought and forgiveness could be obtained. There was forgiveness in the Old Testament.  Mercy could be found there. All the sacrifices for sin pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Before faith came, Paul says, we were kept under the Law—“being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed.” The Law reveals our sin. The Law was a blessing in ancient times. Other cultures believed in a “god” that was arbitrary and capricious. The people acted not knowing what their god wanted them to do. When our God gave the Law to Moses, it was a blessing to people. Now, the people knew what God expected of them. They were no longer in the dark. The problem was that the Law lacked power to save, it only could expose sin. Without Christ, there could be no eternal redemption.

Verse 24: “Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

Paul makes it very clear that the Mosaic Law could not save. Roman. 4:5 reads, “But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” God will not accept the works of man for salvation. God says that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). God refuses to accept man’s works as part of the salvation equation. It is all of Christ. The Law cannot save; it can only condemn. It was not given to save sinners but to let them know that they were sinners. The Law does not remove sin; it reveals sin. It will not keep you from sin, because sin has already come. The Law proves man a sinner; it never makes him a saint. The Law was given, that every mouth might be stopped and the whole world would become guilty before God.

Verse 25: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have come of age as God’s children. Thus, they are not under the burden and tutorage of the law, although they are still obligated to obey God’s holy and unchanging righteous standards which are contained in the New Covenant. The moral law, e,g. Thou shalt not steal, murder, bear false witness, are still standards for our conduct. The first four commandments involve your relationship with God and the last six, your relationship with people. While we are not saved by obedience, we are saved to obey. God has given His children a new heart that causes them to want to obey.

Verse 26: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Only saving (heart knowledge, not just mental ascent) faith in Christ can make us legitimate sons of God. The only sons God has are legitimate sons. There are no illegitimate children in the kingdom, nor are their grandchildren in the kingdom. You stand or fall on your individual faith, not the faith of your dad or mom. You are made a true son of God by faith in Christ, and that is all it takes. There are no “plus 1’s” in the equation. Salvation is through Christ alone with nothing added. “Plus 1’s” become the major message of those that advocate adding to Christ. When you see that happen, e.g. charismatic (possession of gifts especially speaking in tongues), pentecostal, some holiness churches (second experience of sanctification), Church of Christ (baptism) but faith plus nothing makes you a son of God. Nothing else can make you a son of God. “For ye are all sons of God.” How? “By faith in Christ Jesus.” Be careful never to add a plus 1 because if you do, I guarantee that in the process, you will devalue Christ and His sacrifice for the elect.

Verse 27: “ For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

This is not speaking of water baptism, which cannot save. Paul used the word “baptized” in a metaphorical manner to speak of being “immersed,” or “placed into'' Christ by the spiritual miracle of union with Him in His death and resurrection. 1 Corinthians 12: 13 instructs us that we are baptized into one body, being Christ. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is not a second experience, but is the initial experience that occurs at salvation. It is the act that occurs when we are converted that places us in the universal body of Christ.

Verse 28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

All those who are in the body of Christ are one with one another. There are no color or cultural distinctions. However, this verse does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions among Christians, but it affirms that those do not imply spiritual inequality before God. The path to salvation is the same for all, both Jew and Greek (the rest of the world). It is the narrow way for all, no exceptions and no free passes.

Verse 29: “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.”

This completes the thought from the preceding verse. All those in the body of Christ are an heir according to promise and they are Abraham’s seed, regardless of their race, creed or color. Not all physical children of Abraham are the true Israel, that is, true spiritual children of Abraham. Gentile believers who are not physical children of Abraham are, however, his spiritual children in the sense that they followed the pattern of his faith.