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3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you? 3:2 This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now
made perfect by the flesh? 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in
vain? if it be yet in vain.
3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith? 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.
3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of
Abraham.
3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In
thee shall all nations be blessed.
3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written,
Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it
is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall
live in them.
3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a
tree: 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.
3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a
man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth
thereto.
3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not,
And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ.
3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
3:18 For if the
inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:
but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was
made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if
there had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness should have been by the law.
3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise
by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto
the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
3:24 Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.
3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster.
3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
3:27 For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on
Christ.
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Galatians
Book: Galatians
Chapter: 3
Overview:
The
Galatians reproved for departing from the great doctrine
of
Justification alone, through
Faith in
Christ.
(1-5) This
doctrine established from the
Example of
Abraham.
(6-9) From the
tenor of the
Law and the severity of its
Curse.
(10-14) From the
Covenant of promises, which the
Law could not disannul.
(15-18)
The
Law was a school master to lead them to
Christ.
(19-25)
Under the
Gospel state true believers are all one in
Christ.
(26-29)
1-5 Several things made the folly of the Galatian Christians
worse. They had the doctrine of the
Cross preached, and the
Lord's
Supper administered among them, in both which
Christ
crucified, and the nature of his sufferings, had been fully and
clearly set forth. Had they been made partakers of the Holy
Spirit,
By the ministration of the
Law, or
On account of any
Works done
By them in obedience thereto? Was it not
By their
hearing and embracing the doctrine of
Faith in
Christ alone for
Justification? Which of these had
God owned with tokens of his
favour and acceptance? It was not
By the first, but the last.
And those must be very unwise, who suffer themselves to be
turned away from the ministry and doctrine which have been
blessed to their spiritual advantage. Alas, that men should turn
from the all-important doctrine of
Christ crucified, to listen
to useless distinctions, mere moral preaching, or wild fancies!
The
God of this world,
By various men and means, has blinded
men's eyes, lest they should learn to trust in a crucified
Saviour. We may boldly demand where the fruits of the Holy
Spirit are most evidently brought forth? whether among those who
preach
Justification By the
Works of the
Law, or those who
preach the doctrine of
Faith? Assuredly among the latter.
6-14 The
Apostle proves the doctrine he had blamed the
Galatians for rejecting; namely, that of
Justification By Faith
without the
Works of the
Law. This he does from the
Example of
Abraham, whose
Faith fastened upon the
Word and promise of
God,
and upon his believing he was owned and accepted of
God as a
righteous
Man. The
Scripture is said to foresee, because the
Holy
Spirit that dictated the
Scripture did foresee. Through
Faith in the promise of
God he was blessed; and it is only in
the same way that others obtain this privilege. Let us then
study the object, nature, and effects of
Abraham's
Faith; for
who can in any other way escape the
Curse of the holy
Law? The
Curse is against all sinners, therefore against all men; for all
have sinned, and are become guilty before
God: and if, as
transgressors of the
Law, we are under its
Curse, it must be
vain to look for
Justification By it. Those only are just or
righteous who are freed from
Death and wrath, and restored into
a state of
Life in the favour of
God; and it is only through
Faith that persons become righteous. Thus we see that
Justification By Faith is
No new doctrine, but was taught in the
Church of
God, long before the times of the
Gospel. It is, in
Truth, the only way wherein any sinners ever were, or can be
justified. Though deliverance is not to be expected from the
Law, there is a way open to escape the
Curse, and regain the
favour of
God, namely, through
Faith in
Christ.
Christ redeemed
us from the
Curse of the
Law; being made
Sin, or a
Sin-Offering,
for us, he was made a
Curse for us; not separated from
God, but
laid for a time under the Divine
Punishment. The heavy
sufferings of the
Son of God, more loudly warn sinners to flee
from the wrath to come, than all the curses of the
Law; for how
can
God spare any
Man who remains under
Sin, seeing that he
spared not his own Son, when our sins were charged upon him? Yet
at the same time,
Christ, as from the
Cross, freely invites
sinners to take
Refuge in him.
15-18 The
Covenant God made with
Abraham, was not done away
By
the giving the
Law to
Moses. The
Covenant was made with
Abraham
and his Seed. It is still in force;
Christ abideth for ever in
his person, and his spiritual seed, who are his
By Faith.
By
this we learn the difference between the promises of the
Law and
those of the
Gospel. The promises of the
Law are made to the
person of every
Man; the promises of the
Gospel are first made
to
Christ, then
By him to those who are
By Faith ingrafted into
Christ. Rightly to divide the
Word of
Truth, a great difference
must be
Put between the promise and the
Law, as to the inward
affections, and the whole practice of
Life. When the promise is
mingled with the
Law, it is made nothing but the
Law. Let
Christ
be always before our eyes, as a sure argument for the defence of
Faith, against dependence
On human
Righteousness.
19-22 If that promise was enough for
Salvation, wherefore then
serveth the
Law? The Israelites, though
Chosen to be
God's
Peculiar people, were sinners as
Well as others. The
Law was not
intended to discover a way of
Justification, different from that
made known
By the promise, but to lead men to see their need of
the promise,
By showing the sinfulness of
Sin, and to point to
Christ, through whom alone they could be pardoned and justified.
The promise was given
By God himself; the
Law was given
By the
ministry of angels, and the
Hand of a
Mediator, even
Moses.
Hence the
Law could not be designed to set aside the promise. A
Mediator, as the very term signifies, is a friend that comes
between two parties, and is not to act merely with and for one
of them. The great design of the
Law was, that the promise
By
Faith of
Jesus Christ, might be given to those that believe;
that, being convinced of their guilt, and the insufficiency of
the
Law to effect a
Righteousness for them, they might be
persuaded to believe
On Christ, and
So obtain the benefit of the
promise. And it is not possible that the holy, just, and good
Law of
God, the standard of duty to all, should be contrary to
the
Gospel of
Christ. It tends every way to promote it.
23-25 The
Law did not teach a living, saving knowledge; but,
By
its rites and ceremonies, especially
By its sacrifices, it
pointed to
Christ, that they might be justified
By Faith. And
thus it was, as the
Word properly signifies, a servant, to lead
to
Christ, as children are led to school
By servants who have
the care of them, that they might be more fully taught
By Him
the true way of
Justification and
Salvation, which is only
By
Faith in
Christ. And the vastly greater advantage of the
Gospel
state is shown, under which we enjoy a clearer discovery of
Divine
Grace and
Mercy than the Jews of old. Most men continue
shut up as in a dark
Dungeon, in
Love with their sins, being
blinded and lulled asleep
By Satan, through worldly pleasures,
interests, and pursuits. But the awakened sinner discovers his
dreadful condition. Then he feels that the
Mercy and
Grace of
God form his only
Hope. And the terrors of the
Law are often
used
By the convincing
Spirit, to show the sinner his need of
Christ, to bring him to rely
On his sufferings and merits, that
he may be justified
By Faith. Then the
Law,
By the teaching of
the Holy
Spirit, becomes his loved rule of duty, and his
standard for daily self-examination. In this use of it he learns
to depend more simply
On the
Saviour.
26-29 Real Christians enjoy great privileges under the
Gospel;
and are
No longer accounted servants, but sons; not now kept at
such a distance, and under such restraints as the Jews were.
Having accepted
Christ Jesus as their
Lord and
Saviour, and
relying
On him alone for
Justification and
Salvation, they
become the sons of
God. But
No outward forms or profession can
secure these blessings; for if any
Man have not the
Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. In
Baptism we
Put On Christ; therein
we profess to be his disciples. Being baptized into
Christ, we
are baptized into his
Death, that as he died and
Rose again,
So
we should die unto
Sin, and walk in newness and
Holiness of
Life. The putting
On of
Christ according to the
Gospel, consists
not in outward imitation, but in a new
Birth, an entire change.
He who makes believers to be heirs, will provide for them.
Therefore our care must be to do the duties that belong to us,
and all other cares we must cast upon
God. And our special care
must be for
Heaven; the things of this
Life are but trifles. The
City of
God in
Heaven, is the portion or
Child's part. Seek to
be sure of that above all things.