COMMENTARY ON GALATIANS Chapter 1 Vs.1-2 “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me.” “To the churches of Galatia:” There is something very wrong. As the reader scans down the opening ten verses of this letter he can sense that the air is filled with tension. My mother often described similar situations as being, ‘able to cut the atmosphere with a knife!’ There are none of the opening pleasantries of other letters. Missing are words of thanksgiving and appreciation, and there are no promises of prayer. The apostle seems to be a man in a hurry; he wants to deal with the matter immediately. Right away he states who is writing -‐ Paul! Those who received the letter would have known the name and many of them would have met him in person. Because, as we will discover, it was from Paul they had first heard the life changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But why identify himself as “Paul an apostle”? Some might be unsure of the work and function of an apostle. An apostle has been described as: “one who has been sent with a commission,” in simple language, a messenger. In Paul’s case he was a messenger, an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ. Does such an office exist in the Church today? There is no New Testament evidence that the office continued after the death of these first apostles. Because his authority was being questioned and undermined by those whom he calls “false brethren” (2:4), Paul states very clearly that he was an apostle and had the qualifications to be an apostle. This apostleship, this authority was not given to him by any body of men. As Dr. John McArthur points out: “No human source, no human ceremony, no laying on of hands by any group in Jerusalem, Antioch (Acts 16:1-‐3) or anywhere else was involved in his call to apostleship …”. The opening words of verse one makes it abundantly clear that his authority was not man-‐given, but God-‐given. And it was with this God-‐given authority that he proceeded to deal with the serious situation among the Galatian churches. Churches, as you will have read in the introduction that had been established by Paul and Barnabas during their first missionary journey. These churches stretched across southern Galatia, which is modern day Turkey.
Vs.3, 4&5
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” In spite of all that had happened among the Galatian believers, and we shall discover the full extent of the trouble in the verses that follow, Paul had not written them off. He had not put them in the pigeon-‐hole marked ‘hopeless’. He extends “grace’” to them. This was not a formal, cold, meaningless greeting, it was pregnant with meaning. It would remind these confused believers of God’s loving kindness and unmerited favour for undeserving sinners. Not only that, this one word “grace” would challenge the false teaching that had crept into their churches. He immediately follows “grace” with “peace”. Not a passing, temporary peace, but a peace that only grace can give; “… peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” The peace that He promised in John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” The message of the false teachers, whom Paul will soon expose, could never bring peace to troubled hearts and lives -‐ a peace that brings calm when the storm is at its most fierce. Yes, Paul most sincerely wanted grace and peace for these Christians in Galatia.
In verse four, Paul turns the thoughts of those to whom he is writing to the cross
where their new life had begun. This is not the only time he will take his readers to the cross. In fact, as you read through the letter you will discover that he visits Calvary at least six times. It would be worthwhile to underline, in your Bible, each time you find a reference to the cross in Galatians. Why did the apostle find it necessary to do this? Simply to remind these wavering believers that Christ’s death on the cross was absolutely sufficient. Nothing needed to be added and their own righteousness was “like filthy rags”. Or in the words of the great reformer Martin Luther “These words (v4) are very thunderclaps from heaven against all kinds of righteousness” i.e. all kinds of self-‐ righteousness.
Let’s break the verse down into easy bites …
“Who gave Himself for our sins” … The Lord Jesus gave Himself as a sin offering “that He might deliver us from
this present evil age” … the Greek word translated here as “deliver” is better translated ‘rescue’ as in being rescued from some great danger. ...” this present evil age”… is best understood as the present satanic world system. “according to the will of our God and Father” … It was the Father’s purpose and plan that His Son would be the sin
offering. (See Acts 2:23).
With the words of verse five Paul closes his brief introduction to the letter.
William Hendriksen sums it up as follows: “So marvellous is this work (i.e. the work of salvation) it is worthy of never ending praise.” Have you experienced this marvellous work of salvation in your heart and life? Vs.6&7 “’I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.’”
Now we get to the crux of the matter. We find out the reason for the apostle
writing this letter. We discover the reason for his haste. The Galatians had turned away from Christ and had turned to a “different gospel”. The ANT translates the relevant phrases as “… turning renegade and deserting Him …” A strong allegation, a strong accusation by any standards. G.G. Findlay, in his commentary on Galatians, writes that these words; “… are like a lightning-‐flash which shows one to be standing on the edge of a precipice” –Let’s analyse them carefully.
“I marvel” … ANT … “I am surprised and astonished.” NAS … “ I am amazed …”
William Hendriksen writes about finding here “… not satisfaction but stupefaction: overwhelming amazement, painful perplexity”. We can sense here Paul’s complete and utter astonishment at what had happened among the Galatian believers. And it would seem to have happened soon after Paul’s visit to them, soon after the Churches had been established.
There is really only one word to describe what had happened - desertion! They
had deserted the One who had called them and the gospel message they had heard. However we must be careful not to write them off as those who had never been converted or as those who, to use common language, had been ‘saved and lost’. It is
important to follow Paul’s arguments carefully before daring to draw such as conclusion. The gospel message they would have heard from the apostle would have contained an explanation of Christ’s death and resurrection, the wonderful truth of ‘Justification by Faith’ (Acts 13:34), the fact that there is only one Saviour and that this salvation is received “… by grace … through faith” (Eph. 2:8&9). It can be summarized in the historic statement credited to the 16th century reformers; “By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.” Martin Luther called the gospel; “the treasure of the Church”. At this moment in time in the life of the Galatian Churches the true gospel was not being treasured by them. They had actually turned to an “opposition gospel”. Some may ask: ‘Why? How could such a thing happen?’ Paul will tell us in the following verses. Verse seven starts with what would appear to be a correction of what Paul had written as the closing words of verse six i.e. “…which is not another…”. The ANT states it very well; “Not that there is (or could be) any other (genuine Gospel) …” The NIV renders it as; “which is really no gospel at all…” The next phrase in verse seven reveals the source of the confusion; “some who trouble you...” These “some’”, and we will identify them in a moment, were “disturbing and bewildering” these comparatively new Christians to the point of agitation. But who were these “some”? In the letter from the Jerusalem Council to Gentile believers there is a clue – Acts 15:24a – “Since there were some who went out from us …” They are commonly called Judaizers, those who would try to persuade Gentile believers to follow Jewish customs and rights. These Judaizers, in fact false teachers, had come from Jerusalem, to the Churches in Galatia with a message totally opposite and opposed to the gospel of grace that the Galatians had heard from Paul and his fellow missionaries. It is worth pointing out that they had not been sent out with the blessing of the leadership of the Jerusalem Church (Act. 15:24b). Consider carefully what Paul charges them with – perverting the gospel of Christ or as the ANT renders it, they; “… want to pervert and distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah)”. This is a serious charge, because as Derek Thomas comments; “… the gospel itself is at issue. It is a matter of truth versus heresy”. But how were they perverting the gospel? They were preaching that faith plus works (in their case circumcision) was the way of salvation. In other words they were saying; “You must let Moses finish what Christ has begun”, and Paul was shouting back ‘heresy!’ A young C.H. Spurgeon wrote: “I became more and more convinced that to attempt to be saved by a mixed covenant of works and faith is, in the words of Berridge, ‘to yoke a snail with an elephant’! It just can’t be done.”
As John McArthur notes; “Whenever the gospel is perverted the church is
unsettled”. Ponder this statement well. Vs. 8&9 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”
A young Christian reading these verses for the very first time might be utterly
shocked by the strength of Paul’s words. Some critics might even label him as intolerant. But, please remember the comment of Derek Thomas on verses six and seven; “… the gospel itself is at issue”, Paul is worked up, Paul is ‘hot under the collar’ because he is defending the gospel of the grace of God. And in case anyone misses his ‘anathema’ (accursed) the first time, he repeats it in verse nine. Actually the Greek word translated “accursed” can also be translated; ‘devoted to destruction’ or ‘doomed to eternal punishment’ – strong words indeed.
Paul is stating very clearly that no one, whether it be a member of his missionary
team or an angel from heaven, of course he is being hypothetical here, should be tolerated or listened to if they preach any other gospel.
Beware of false teachers no matter what their credentials might be. There are great appeals in this 21st century for love, unity, harmony and tolerance, but false doctrine cannot be tolerated. For as Paul asks in 2 Cor. 6:14, “…what communion has light with darkness?” Follow the example of the ancient Bereans, they …”searched the Scriptures daily to find
out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) they
and persuade search men, the to to find Vs.10 “For do I now or Scriptures God? Or do I … seek please out men? For if I still whether things (are) were so”. Acts pleased men, I would not be a these bondservant of Christ.” 17:11
If a sceptic read these opening verses of this letter, what would he be thinking as
he approached verse ten? Let’s use our imagination for a moment. Would he be thinking; ‘This man is greatly concerned about his reputation’? Or would he think; ‘This man has a very high opinion of himself’? or maybe he would think; ‘This man is in a tight corner and he is trying to justify himself’. This also could have been the thought pattern of some of those Galatian believers because the Judaizers had so confused their thinking. But to halt such wrong thinking Paul commences verse ten with two powerful, thought provoking questions: (a) “For do I now persuade men or God?” The ANT throws further light on the question; “Now, am I trying to win the favour of men, or of God?” Paul is asking them to think about that. He is really asking, ‘Am I trying to win the applause of men, or the approval of God?’ An honest answer to this will help these confused believers put matters into proper context. (b) “Or do I seek to please men?” This question is similar to the first one. William Hendriksen loosely translates these questions as follows: “Is it not clear that it is not men’s but God’s approval in which I am interested…?” He once sought to please men when he ruthlessly persecuted the infant Churches, but now that has all changed, as we will discover in verse twenty three. The verse closes with an appeal to their reason – their common sense. He is asking them to think the matter through; “Look”, he is asking, “if I was a man pleaser, could I be a slave of Christ at the same time?” Their powers of reasoning would have to reply “No!” – “No one can serve two masters…” (Matthew 6:24). As Dr McArthur comments; “By nature, people pleasers are not martyrs”. Vs.11&12 “But I make known to you brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul always delighted, when the opportunity presented itself, to share his testimony, to tell of the working of God’s grace in his heart and life. This is exactly what we have in cameo in the remaining verses of this chapter.
There is a phrase that has crept into the vocabulary of politicians, in this
early twenty first century, when reporters press them for honesty in their answers to loaded questions. The phrase is this; “Let me be perfectly clear”. This is exactly what Paul is saying in the opening words of verse eleven. He wants to make it perfectly clear that the source of his message is heaven itself. In fact, as Dr John Stott suggests, “Paul could say, ‘I preached it, but I did not invent it.’” There is more than a hint in these verses that the Judaizers may have been spreading the rumour that Paul had ‘made it up’, or had got his message second hand. It had come to him via the Jerusalem Church and therefore he had no real mandate to preach it. In our imaginations we can hear Paul loudly responding – “Nonsense!” In the words of the ANT he is saying: … it is not “a human invention”. … it is not “patterned after any human standard”. … it is not “received from man”. Then he makes an astounding claim; “… it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This does not mean that Paul did not know about the Lord Jesus Christ before this moment of revelation, he surely did. After all, he was at the martyrdom of Stephen and would have heard his courageous testimony before his cruel death (Acts 7). It was he, as Saul of Tarsus, who had relentlessly persecuted the believers because of their witness for Jesus Christ (Acts 8:3). He therefore was not ignorant who Jesus was and who He claimed to be, but he was blind to the glorious truth of the gospel. There was a veil over his heart (consider 2 Cor. 3:14-‐16). Then came that glorious moment of revelation on the Damascus road. He saw the risen Lord Jesus Christ and heard Him say; “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. (Acts 9:5) This was not a dream, this was for real. The truth that had been hidden to him was now revealed. “He now saw the Christ as the really risen and exalted One …” (Wm. Hendriksen). That truth never left him, but burned brighter as the years rolled on. Vs.13&14 “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”
Paul now does something very courageous and possibly very painful to himself,
he reminds these believers of who he once was and what he once did. He is brutally
open and honest. Here is how the ANT renders the latter part of verse thirteen; “… I persecuted and abused the church of God furiously and extensively, and (with fanatical zeal did my best) to make havoc of it and to destroy it.” See Acts 9:1&2. Surely this statement must make the serious reader catch his or her breath. He wanted it to have this effect on these wavering believers in Galatia. They would have known the strength of the word translated for us as “destroy”. It has the idea of enemy soldiers ravaging a city. In the words of Dr McArthur: “He (Saul of Tarsus) was determined to utterly extinguish the church”. Not just a local group of Christians, but the church as a whole. Such was his pharisaical fury against and hatred for the Lord Jesus Christ and those who followed Him (Acts 9:5). Read his testimonial from his unconverted days, as outlined by the apostle himself in Philippians 3:5-‐6. It would have gained him entrance into any school of the rabbis. But his life and brand of Judaism at this time was completely without grace. He was bound by the law, and he wanted to impress this deeply upon the hearts and minds of the Galatians, those deserters of the “grace of Christ” (v6).
As we come to verse fourteen it would appear that Paul is adding fuel to the fire.
He wanted these deserters in Galatia to get a clear picture of the kind of person he once was. He covers up nothing, everything is exposed for consideration. The opening phrase of verse fourteen is very strong. The ANT shows something of the strength of these words: “… I outstripped many of the men of my own generation in (my advancement in study and observance of the laws of) Judaism …” Pause and let the power of these words sink in. Several Bible scholars suggest that they have the idea of chopping ahead, like blazing a trail through a forest. And there is no doubt that the old Saul of Tarsus blazed a trail in Judaism chopping down any obstacles that were in his path like those of “The Way” i.e. Jewish believers. He was the champion “for the tradition of my fathers”. Sadly they did not point to Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, nor salvation “...by grace …through faith …” William Hendriksen explains these “traditions” as follows: “… the Jewish religion in which Paul had been pushing his way forward was that in which God’s holy law was being buried under a load of human traditions … the entire halakah or body of Jewish oral law which supplemented the written law”. And it was widely understood that not even the most learned rabbis could master it. It tied people up in knots, yet the zealots among Jewish legalists pursued it with a passion. Dr Wiersbe points out that all of this combined to make Saul the most respected young rabbi of his day.
Vs.15, 16 & 17 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.”
“But when it pleased God …” ponder well these precious opening words of verse
fifteen – they are full of grace. John Stott paraphrases them beautifully; “All my raging fanaticism was no match for the good pleasure of God”. Consider what the young rabbi Saul was like, his fanaticism totally possessed him; it would seem that he was completely out of control. He was in no mood to change his mind or to have it changed – “But … God”. God stepped into the situation; God took control of the young fanatic’s life. God arrested him; God called “halt” and changed the whole course of his life. But this did not happen by chance or accident. Nor was there a hurriedly convened council meeting of Heaven’s hierarchy and a decision made to somehow stop this anti-‐Christian fanatic. It happened as part of a divine plan that had been in place before Saul was even conceived. The plan involved three very specific events taking place in Saul’s heart and life…: (a) separation…… “… who separated me from my mother’s womb …” NIV: “ … who set me apart from birth …” He is not writing here about his physical birth, being separated physically from his mother. No, he is explaining that he had been set apart, from birth, to serve the living and true God in spreading the gospel message. Oh the amazing grace of God! We find similar words in relation to God’s call to Jeremiah (Ch. 1:5). (b) calling….. “… called me through His grace …” i.e. ‘God’s undeserved favour and blessing’. Who can plumb the depths of election? Who can plumb the depths of effectual calling? I can’t and I don’t intend to try within the confines of this little commentary. But there is one thing we can be sure about, that on a certain day on the road to Damascus, God reached out in sovereign grace and drew His enemy, Saul of Tarsus, savingly to His Son, Jesus Christ. In the words of the apostle Peter, He called him out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
(c) Revelation … “to reveal His Son in me …” The ANT suggests that ‘unveil’ or ‘disclose’ could be used equally as well as “reveal”. What an unveiling, what a disclosing of Christ the bigoted, young Pharisee Saul experienced on the Damascus road! Can’t you hear those revealing words that have come down to us through the centuries: “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). The veil was lifted from his eyes and his heart. Jesus Christ was alive, He was the Saviour, and He was the Messiah. Not only did he see Him with his eyes, he saw Him, metaphorically speaking, with his heart and believed on Him completely and absolutely. This word of personal testimony from Paul is rolling on at a tremendous pace. He is on fire; he wants these Galatians to grasp what kind of person he once was, to contrast his past life with his present life, and to mark the enormous difference. It is time for you, the reader to pause, catch your breath and reflect a little. How was Paul called? … by God’s grace. Grace was not part of the Judaizers message. Why was Paul called? … so that Jesus Christ could be revealed or unveiled in Him. Before this the Saviour was anathema to him. Why was He revealed to him? … so he could preach Him among the Gentiles. This fact would not have been lost on either the Galatians or the Judaizers. He now comes back to the source of the message he preached. Paul is at great pains to show these wavering believers that his message is not man-‐made (see also vs. 11 & 12). The NIV makes it very plain: “I did not consult any man”. Some may wonder about Ananias (9:17), surely the newly converted Saul would have received instruction from him. However a careful reading of the relevant verses in Acts 9 would indicate that the role the Lord had for Ananias was simply that of helper and encourager, to help this new convert to get started in his new life and to encourage him to serve his new Master. And to put the matter beyond doubt he states very clearly that he did not even go up to Jerusalem to talk matters over with the apostles. The Gentiles couldn’t accuse him of preaching heresy propagated by a few misguided Jews in Jerusalem. His claim would stand up to scrutiny, because after a short period of time he went to Arabia, a fact that could not be denied. Why did he go to Arabia (the part of Arabia he went to was apparently close to Damascus)? Dr Wiersbe suggests that in Arabia; “Paul gave himself to study, prayer and meditation and met with the Lord alone”. He may also have evangelized during his time there. As a result of his time in Arabia, as Dr J. A. Alexander,
commenting on Acts 9:22, writes: “He increased, not only in the strength of his convictions, but in the force of his defence and in the power of his persuasion”. Vs. 18, 19 & 20 “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)”
It would be so easy to gloss over these three verses and class them as
insignificant, but that would be dangerous and we would miss a very important truth. Paul wanted to impress upon the hearts and minds of these confused Galatian believers that in the short time (fifteen days) he had spent in Jerusalem there would not have been enough time for him to be instructed fully in the gospel he now preached, as the Judaizers had been implying. He had already been instructed by the Lord Himself in Arabia (Vs. 11, 12 & 17). So he could not be accused of preaching a man manufactured message. We can almost hear him saying; ‘Now get that idea out of your mind’. And in verse twenty he uses a common Jewish vow to press home this fact, “….. before God I do not lie”.
Why did he go up to Jerusalem? – “to become (personally acquainted with
Cephas (Peter)” ANT. This was a very normal and natural thing for Paul to want to do. But, and this must be emphasized again, he did not go for three years, that is until after his time in Arabia. After he had truly come to grips with the gospel message and its theology had become embedded in his mind and heart. We can only imagine the rich fellowship these men had during these two weeks. Paul, who before his conversion, had regarded Jesus Christ as an upstart and an imposter was now eager to hear as much about His earthly life as he possibly could. Who better to tell him than Peter and James. Peter had been there, he had seen the miracles, he had heard the sermons, sadly, he had denied his Master, he had witnessed the crucifixion, he had marveled at the empty tomb. He had been restored to fellowship (with his Master) and had gazed up into heaven as the Lord Jesus returned to His Father etc… Paul wanted to hear this story first hand – from Peter.
Let’s look again at the phrase; “…I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter …” The ANT,
the NAS and the NIV translate the phrase “to see” as “to become acquainted with” or “to get acquainted with”. Dr John McArthur points out that the verb means; “to visit with
the purpose of getting to know someone”. So Paul did not visit Peter only to hear stories about the Lord Jesus, he wanted to establish a relationship with him, to establish a good working relationship with him. It was important for their future ministry that both men got to know each other. And oh, how Peter must have rejoiced at the story of Paul’s amazing conversion on the road to Damascus and of his time spent in Arabia.
I am wondering, during Paul’s discussion with Peter, if Peter suggested to Paul;
“It might be a good idea to also talk to James”, -‐ this is mere speculation. Whatever way it came about they did meet up. James could have added a lot of good additional information about the Lord Jesus, because he was the half brother of the Lord. The text states “brother”, but scholars agree that the proper term should he “half brother”. Initially he and other family members did not believe that Jesus was who He said He was. But later they believed that He was the Messiah and followed Him wholeheartedly (Acts 1:14). James played a prominent part in the Church in Jerusalem. You may remember that Peter, after his miraculous prison escape, requested the amazed believers at the prayer meeting in the home of John Mark’s mother to; “Go tell these things to James etc…” (Acts 12:17). Then at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) it was James who stood up and, with great wisdom, brought about a spirit of calm and reason to what was a very difficult situation. William Hendriksen remarks that; “He was a person of special gifts and wide sympathies”. So taking all of this into consideration, for Paul to not have met him on this visit to Jerusalem would have been unthinkable. In fact it would have shown a lack of wisdom and courtesy.
The opening phrase of verse nineteen may cause a little confusion. Paul states;
“But I saw none of the other apostles except James…” Does this mean that James was an apostle in the same way that Peter was an apostle i.e. one of ‘the twelve’? No, he is not included among the twelve listed in Matthew 10:2-‐4. He is probably referred to as an apostle in a more general sense as was Barnabas in Acts 14:14.
However, above all of this Paul was endeavouring to emphasize the fact that he
had met these two men on an equal footing, that is, before he went to Jerusalem he was already an apostle. He had received His apostleship from the Lord Jesus Christ. Vs 21 “Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;”
In this verse Paul answers the question of where he went to after his brief visit
to Jerusalem. Dr Luke tells us in Acts 9:30 that he actually had to make a quick and
secretive escape from Jerusalem because some Hellenist Jews had planned to kill him. The point Paul is making is that for some considerable time he was in the far North, far from Jerusalem, far from the influence of the Jerusalem church. We are told in Acts 9 that the believers brought him to the seaport of Caesarea and from there he set sail for his home city of Tarsus which was in the province of Cilicia. Indications are that Paul may have spent five or six years in this area in an evangelistic ministry, until Barnabas found him and invited him to assist in the growing Church in Antioch (Syria) Vs 22, 23& 24 “And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, ‘He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God in me”.
G.G. Findlay remarks, in his commentary on Galatians, that; “Paul was a stranger
to the bulk of the Judean disciples”. He was known to them only by reputation but not in person. In earlier days, as the arch persecutor of the early church, his activities were mainly confined to the Holy City itself. His short visit to Jerusalem to meet Peter and James would not have allowed him time to visit the believers in the surrounding Judean countryside. Nevertheless they were talking about him. They had heard that a dramatic change had taken place in his heart and life. The ANT gives us a very clear picture of that radical change; “… he who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled and which he set out to ruin and tried with all his might to destroy” (Vs 23b). What modern day word could we use to describe their reaction to such a change – ‘unbelievable’ – ‘incredulous’ – ‘staggering’ ? In fact Luke tells us in Acts 9:26 that the Christians in Jerusalem itself initially did not believe that this change had taken place. Actually Barnabas had to stand with him, and explain to the apostles that a wonderful change had indeed taken place in the heart and life of Saul of Tarsus later to be known as the beloved apostle Paul. William Hendriksen explains that God’s grace was marvellously shown; “… in saving a wretch, a relentless persecutor, and transforming him into a flame-‐tongued herald of the gospel!” Oh with what depth of feeling Paul must have written the words of verse twenty four; “And they glorified God (as the Author and Source of what had taken place) in me”. ANT. He knew what he had been and he knew what he had become – by the grace of God.
Several years later Paul wrote to the church at Corinth “Therefore if anyone is in Christ
he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul wrote this from personal
experience. Maybe you are reading this and you
have
not
yet
experienced
the
transforming power of the gospel in your
heart and life. Don’t resist the truth, believe
it and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
There is one overall impression that comes from this opening chapter and it is this; Paul is at great pains to stress that his call and commission had come from God and not from man – he was God’s man.
Chapter 2 Vs. 1&2 “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.”
Dr Warren Wiersbe gives this chapter a very telling title – ‘The Freedom Fighter’.
He continues with this comment: “To Paul, his spiritual liberty in Christ was worth far more than popularity or even security. He was willing to fight for that liberty”. As we work our way through the chapter you will discover just how willing he really was to fight for that liberty.
Ponder the opening words of the chapter; “Then after fourteen years I went up
again to Jerusalem…” That may have provoked a number of questions that are demanding some answers; for example … (a) Fourteen years from when?... fourteen years from Paul’s first visit to meet Peter and James (ch.1:19). (b) Was there not an earlier visit … Yes, but apparently it was very brief and did not than this one to deliver not involve any of the issues he was now famine relief – Acts 11:30? facing, so he has not included it. (c) What was the reason for the To attend the Council of Jerusalem, convened visit mentioned here?...
as a result of the arrival of some unwelcome
visitors to mainly Gentile churches in Galatia,
resulting in confusion.
We will discover later who these unwelcome visitors were and what they did to bring about confusion. You need now to be introduced to Barnabas and Titus. Barnabas … had been Paul’s dear personal friend for many years and also his mentor. We first meet him in Acts 4:36 and discover that the name Barnabas had been given to him by the apostles, meaning ‘Son of Encouragement’. When Paul, still known as Saul of Tarsus, arrived in Jerusalem on his first
visit after his conversion … “the disciples … were all afraid of him…” (Acts 9:26). However verse twenty seven tells us; “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles …” It was Barnabas who went looking for Paul (Saul) and got him involved in the ministry of the thriving, growing Church in Antioch (Syria) (Acts 11:19-‐25) and it was with Barnabas that Paul set off on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:2&3). Titus …
was probably led to faith in Christ by Paul himself during his first missionary journey. Here is how Paul describes him in Chapter 1:4 of his letter to him “… a true son in our common faith …” Paul had great confidence in him because he tells us in verse five of chapter one of his letter to him that he left him in Crete with two great responsibilities: (a) To “… set in order the things that are lacking …” (b) To “… appoint elders in every city …”
It would appear that the taking of Titus to the Jerusalem Council was Paul’s personal idea. The NIV renders the last words of verse one as follows: “… I took Titus along also”. Some may question the wisdom of taking Titus (a Gentile believer) to this great gathering of Jewish believers. Dr McArthur gives a clear answer: “As an uncircumcised Gentile, Titus was fitting proof of Paul’s ministry: Warren Wiersbe calls him “exhibit A” – sound evidence that God does work, by His grace, in the hearts and lives of uncircumcised Gentiles.
Is there a hint in the opening phrase of verse two that, for whatever reason, Paul
had initially been reluctant to go to Jerusalem for this great Council? The opening phrase of verse two in the ANT reads as follows; “I went because it was specially and divinely revealed to me …” Did the Lord have to give Paul a gentle push to send him on his way? It would appear that the Holy Spirit had to show Paul, beyond any doubt, that he was to be one of the representatives of the church at Antioch in Jerusalem. When Paul was sure that it was God’s will for him to go, he obeyed and went.
Paul shows great respect in his approach to the leaders of the church in
Jerusalem, he calls them; “those who were of reputation” other translations have “those of repute”. He was probably referring to Peter, James (the Lord’s brother) and John. He could have arrived full of fire and thunder, instead he approached the situation in a
spirit of humility, grace and wisdom. Before the public meeting of the Council Paul, possibly also with Barnabas, arranged a private meeting with these leaders. Not to make sure that the message he had brought to the Gentiles was the right one, he knew that it was the right one, but, in the words of Dr McArthur; “… to be certain that the teachers in Jerusalem agreed with his revelation of the gospel and would not be soft on legalism”. Vs. 3 “Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.” This may be a good place to pause and examine, a little more closely, the whole issue of circumcision in the early church. This exercise of circumcision goes right back to the days of Abraham. God instructed Abraham (Gen. 17:10) “…every male child among you shall be circumcised”. This was to be a sign of an agreement or covenant between God and Abraham. To this very day it is observed among the Jews. It is a small operation, performed on every Jewish male child when they are eight days old. Some might inquire; “Was Paul circumcised?” Most certainly, he states very clearly in his letter to the Philippians (3:5); “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel …” Then, you the reader might wonder; “Why all the fuss at the Council of Jerusalem?” Ah, that is the question.
Paul had no problem with males, born into a Jewish family, being circumcised.
What he did object to, and very strongly, was making circumcision a condition of salvation for Gentile believers. This was the issue at stake at the Council – “For by grace you have been saved through faith … not of works”. (Ephesians 2:8&9). It is exactly the same today, for both Jew and Gentile. Paul was willing to fight for this truth no matter what it might cost him personally. Actually Romans 2:25-‐29 is a very good commentary on Paul’s attitude on the whole question of circumcision. It is a little difficult to follow, so a modern translation might be helpful or the ANT. Well now, back to Titus. The comment under verse one tells us who Titus was and why he was in Jerusalem. The impression is given here that the Judaizers, fully expected the leaders of the Jerusalem church to insist on Titus being circumcised. And Paul makes it very clear in verse three that it did not happen. G. G. Findlay states the case very plainly; “If they insist on Titus circumcision, they disown Paul and the Gentile mission: if they accept Paul’s gospel, they must leave Titus alone”. Titus was left alone.
Vs. 4&5 “But this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you”. The battle lines were clearly drawn between the two camps, the camp marked GRACE (Paul and his friends) and the camp marked WORKS (the Judaizers). The Judaizers were determined to win, they even resorted to sending spies into the camp marked GRACE. John McArthur uses strong words to describe them; “… Satan’s undercover agents …” “… sham Christians …” and “… the devil’s agents …” It can be closely seen that neither the apostle Paul nor Dr McArthur, for that matter, held them in high regard! Their objective was sabotage.
The question now arises; “When did this spying mission take place?” There
seems to be strong evidence that it happened during the private meeting Paul and Barnabas had with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. And it is quite possible that it was at this meeting a decision was made not to circumcise Titus. On the other hand it could have taken place shortly after the Churches in Galatia were established because there was certainly a Judaizing Mission to Galatia to promote a gospel of works and so confuse these infant Christians. The important thing is that it did take place. Its purpose was to rob Gentile believers of their new found freedom in Christ and make them slaves to Jewish law keeping. William Hendriksen remarks that this is; “… like the fly in the spider’s web, the more one struggles, the more he also imprisons himself”.
In my home country of Northern Ireland, one of the political factions has a
strong, powerful defiant slogan – “No surrender!” That’s exactly what Paul is saying in verse five. There will be “no surrender” to the message preached by these Judaizers. Why? -‐ So “… that the truth of the Gospel might continue to be (preserved) for you (in its purity)” ANT. Some might react to that by saying; “Paul was really a stubborn, inflexible, hard hearted man”. That was not so, later on in this letter we will discover his warm pastor’s heart. In fact 1 Cor. 9:19-‐23 shows how flexible Paul was prepared to become in order to win souls for the Lord Jesus. The issue at stake was ‘the truth of the gospel’ (the same phrase appears in verse fourteen). This was what was being challenged by these ‘sham Christians’. Paul was prepared to give his life to defend “the truth of the gospel”. He would not move a centimeter on this issue. Are you, in this twenty first century, as prepared to defend “the truth of the gospel” as Paul was in the first century?
Vs. 6,7 & 8 “But from those who seemed to be something –whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favouritism to no man – for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles).”
At first reading, these verses would almost take the readers breath away. Was
Paul in open conflict with the ‘pillars’ of the Church in Jerusalem (Peter, John and James (the Lord’s brother)? Was he seeking to undermine their position and authority? No, he was defending his work and ministry against the accusations of the Judaizers. The Judaizers had been telling the churches in Galatia that what Paul was teaching was different from what the leaders of the Jerusalem church believed and taught. And because of the position that these men held they ought to be believed and followed rather than Paul. Paul’s response to this is very clear and very firm, verse six ANT; “Moreover (no new requirements were made) by those who were reported to be something … God is not impressed with the positions that men hold …” Let us remember that this was written in response to what the Judaizers had been saying. Paul was not being proud, boastful or sarcastic he was simply stating a fact.
Before we look further at these verses it might be helpful to clearly identify two
words that appear in verse seven: (a) uncircumcised … the Gentile world. You will recall that the shepherd boy David called Goliath; “… this uncircumcised Philistine …”
(1 Samuel 17:36)
(b) circumcised … the Jewish world. When the Israelites had crossed the
river Jordan after their escape from Egypt we read these words in Joshua 5:3; “So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel …”
So at this meeting in Jerusalem the ministry of Paul and Peter was clearly identified. And contrary to the propaganda that the Judaizers were spreading there was absolutely no disagreement about their fields of ministry. Paul went to the Gentile world because of his conviction and experience. Although he never neglected his own people the Jews. Time after time we read in the book of Acts words similar to the
following; “… they came to Antioch … and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day …” Acts 13:14 – to the Jew first. And who can forget his heart felt cry for his people in Romans 9:3 and 10:1. Peter was to lead the mission to the Jewish world. His years spent with the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry, the blessing upon his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, and his experience in establishing the Jerusalem church equipped him well for this responsibility. However, after a struggle, he also firmly believed in the conversion of the Gentiles without circumcision, read Acts 10 and the first eighteen verses of Acts 11.
Before we leave these verses there is an important matter that we must
firmly get a hold of. It is this; the message that these men brought, whether it was to Jew or Gentile was exactly the same. Paul expresses it very well in his letter to Titus (Ch. 3:5) “… not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us …” Vs. 9 & 10 “and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do”.
One word can be used to describe verse nine – Unity. Where the Judaizers tried
to bring about division, the grace of God brought about Unity. Some may feel they detect a little note of sarcasm with Paul describing James, Peter (Cephas) and John as those who “seemed to be pillars”. The sarcasm is not aimed at these three men but rather at the Judaizers. The tactics of these false teachers included presenting these three “pillars” as the true teachers and Paul as the false teacher. Paul was actually saying to the enemies of the gospel; ‘Think again, the leaders (pillars) of the church in Jerusalem have extended to us the right hand of fellowship and friendship. Yes, we have different fields of ministry – they will go primarily to the Jews, we primarily to the Gentiles. But we are united in our message and ministry’. This news must have been a devastating blow to the Judaizers! It is worth drawing to your attention an explanation John McArthur gives in relation to “the right hand of fellowship”. “In the Near East to clasp the right hand of a person was to make a solemn vow of friendship and was a mark of fellowship or partnership”. Here is an additional piece of information for you to digest. Four of the five men mentioned here were used by God to write twenty one of the twenty seven New Testament books! Proof, if proof was needed of unity and harmony.
Paul, and we can confidently include Barnabas, was more than willing to agree to
the request to remember the poor. The Jerusalem church had a great responsibility to care for the poor, and there were many, among its members. Any help they could get would be very much appreciated. Paul and Barnabas had already brought some help (see Acts 11: 27-‐30). Vs. 11 & 12 “But when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.”
Dr Derek Thomas calls the chapter on verses 11-‐14, in his commentary “Let’s
study Galatians”, “The Clash of the Titans”. As you will discover, it is very well named. The dictionary definition of a Titan is; “a person of very great strength, intellect or importance”. Does this whet your appetite to read on? However, before we examine verses 11 & 12 in detail it is important to set the scene more clearly, with the help of John Stott’s introduction to his comments on verses 11-‐16; “This is without doubt one of the most tense and dramatic episodes in the New Testament. Here are two leading apostles of Jesus Christ face to face in complete and open conflict”.
Please be patient with me for a few more minutes. There is a very important
question to which we need to get an answer, to complete our setting of the scene. Not where this ‘clash’ takes place, verse eleven tells us -‐ Antioch (in Syria) -‐ but when it took place. The answer to this question will show us why it took place at all. Some think it took place after this incident at Antioch. However many believe it took place following the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), among those who hold this are: Warren Wiersbie: John McArthur:
“Apparently sometime after the important conference described in Acts 15, Peter came from Jerusalem to Antioch” “In Galatians 2:11-‐21 the scene changes from Jerusalem and the Council there to Syrian Antioch…”
William Hendriksen “The incident in which Peter was involved may well have occurred during the interval between the Jerusalem Conference (Acts 15: 1-‐29) and the beginning of the second Missionary journey (Acts 15: 4ff)”.
The clue is in the opening words of verse eleven; “Now when Peter came to Antioch…” So chronologically this visit would have taken place after the events of the first ten verses.
It is important to establish just when the ‘open conflict’ took place so that we can
more clearly understand why Paul took up arms against Peter. Peter had taken part in this great conference at Jerusalem. He had spoken on behalf of Gentile believers and had agreed with the decision that it was not necessary for Gentile christians to be circumcised, nor to follow Jewish rules and customs. He had been there, he had agreed with the decision and the contents of the letter sent to Gentile believers. But now at Antioch he had taken an enormous step backwards. He had retreated into his Judaism. No wonder Paul “withstood him to the face” (“I protested and opposed him to his face” ANT) Why? – Because he was to be blamed, in other words he stood condemned. Condemned for what? … For doing something that he knew was wrong. For doing something that was completely against the spirit of the Jerusalem Council agreement. Verse twelve makes it abundantly clear what that was. His actions are hard to understand. God had taught him a powerful lesson (Acts 10) about having fellowship with and preaching to the Gentiles. He had obeyed the Lord and preached the gospel in the house of Cornelius – a Gentile. And he had defended his actions, upon his return to Jerusalem, when challenged by the ‘circumcision party’. But now, when faced with these “certain men … from James” – Judaizers, members of the circumcision party – he gradually withdrew from eating with the Gentiles, holding himself aloof, eating separately or possibly with the Judaizers. This eating probably refers to fellowship meals or love feasts. Such meals were common in the early Church, and were often followed by the Lord’s Supper (Communion). If we follow Peter’s action through logically, this would mean that Peter was no longer sharing the Lord’s Supper with Gentile believers. Now that was serious!
Possibly you are thinking; “If this incident took place after the Council of
Jerusalem, and considering the important part James played in that meeting, why did he send (Vs. 12a) these trouble makers to Antioch to cause havoc?” He didn’t, they were lying, and they were, as Paul describes them in vs. 4 – ‘false brethren’. With reference to them Dr McArthur asks us to consider if James would; “… have sent a delegation of heretics to Antioch to undermine the true gospel and cause the Church there nothing but trouble?” The simple answer is “No!”
Then why did Peter do what he did? He was afraid, afraid of those who belonged
to the circumcision group, that is “… fearing the party of the circumcision” NAS. But what had Peter to be afraid of from men like these? They had not been sent out by Sanhedrin to arrest, imprison or murder him. Then why was he afraid? In spite of Peter’s undoubted courage, and wholehearted devotion and love for the Lord Jesus, there were times when this dear man feared and failed – this was one of them. I am sure that his denial of his Master is deeply imprinted upon our hearts and minds (Matt. 16: 69-‐75) -‐ another occasion when he feared and failed. How like Peter we all are.
John McArthur is very blunt as to why Peter feared on this occasion; “Peter was
afraid of … losing popularity and prestige with a group of self-‐righteous hypocrites whose doctrines were heretical and whose tactics were deceitful”. His motives were not pure and the repercussions of his actions were very serious. Vs. 13 “And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy”.
As I read this verse my heart cried out; “Oh Peter, Peter, look at the
consequences of your actions!” Let us remember that Peter was a natural leader. He was one of the leaders (‘pillars’) of the great, thriving church in Jerusalem, and people naturally followed him and that is exactly what happened here in Antioch. The first part of verse thirteen reads as follows in the ANT; “And the rest of the Jews along with him also concealed their true convictions and acted insincerely …” In other words he led them into hypocrisy! – Oh Peter! But it didn’t stop there. This had a ‘domino effect’, because “… even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy”. Can you really believe that this godly, good, kind and faithful man had been carried along on this tide of hypocrisy?! It was he who had befriended Paul when he went up to Jerusalem shortly after his conversion. They had prayed together, served together, preached together and indeed suffered together. Their friendship was very, very close. Now Paul was classing him as a hypocrite – this was serious.
We need to look at this word hypocrite. It comes from the Greek word
“hupokrites” meaning actor. The idea is that of an actor wearing a mask to depict a mood or a particular character. Here in Antioch these Jewish believers, including Peter and Barnabas, were pretending to be something they were not. They were pretending to accept the teaching of the Judaizers when in actual fact they were preaching the gospel of God’s amazing grace. Someone has said that they were “not walking straight”. Is it any wonder that Paul exploded in righteous anger?!
Can you see yourself in Peter? You love the Lord Jesus; you endeavour to serve Him faithfully, but …? Just like Peter, there are times when you fear and fail. You find yourself in situations when pressure is put upon you to compromise your faith and standards. You become afraid of being thought different or peculiar and you fail. Listen to the words of the Lord to Joshua; “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid …” Joshua 1:9. And if you do fail, there is a very precious promise in 1John 1:9; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins…” Vs. 14 “But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?”
What have we here? Anyone, christian or non-‐christian, reading these words for
the first time must feel a deep sense of shock at the venom of Paul’s verbal attack against Peter. This did not happen in private, it happened “before them all” or “before everybody present” (ANT). This probably took place before a public meeting of the church. The membership of the Syrian Antioch church was primarily made up of Gentile believers. Consider their reaction to this very public dispute between these two leading apostles. In describing it afterwards they probably used one word, “unbelievable!”
This very public row was more than a clash of temperaments. It was certainly
not an outward show of jealous rivalry. And it was much more than Paul gratifying his passion for a good debate. Nor was it simply a case of Peter being a bad example (and he was) or showing bad table manners. No! No! There was much more at stake – “the truth of the gospel”. We have already come across this phrase in verse five. Paul was willing to give his life for “the truth of the gospel”. And he was determined to stop the weakening of it in this vibrant, strong church at Antioch. The teaching of the Judaizers could have spread throughout this church like a cancer and brought division. You might still be wondering ‘why did the row have to take place in public?’ Augustine, one of the early church fathers, has some wise words for us; “It is not advantageous to correct in secret an error which occurred publicly”.
What ignited this public verbal explosion from the apostle Paul? G. G. Findlay
puts it very well; “I saw”, Paul says, “That they were not holding a straight course, according to the truth of the gospel”. They had strayed from the plain path of the gospel
of grace. The Judaizers had put up a bogus diversion sign that would lead the believers into a swamp called ‘works’. There they would lose the freedom that they once enjoyed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
With this parting, searching questions in the latter part of verse fourteen Paul
charges Peter with inconsistency. And that’s exactly what he was – inconsistent! Consider carefully Paul’s argument. “Peter you were born a Jew”
imagine Peter’s response, “Yes, and circumcised the eighth day”.
Peter you have been living like a Gentile and imagine Peter’s response; eating with them “Yes by God’s grace”. Then Peter why do you compel Gentiles to imagine Peter’s response, -‐ SILENCE live as Jews?” He knows better than to try and answer that question. Vs. 15 & 16 “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified”.
Paul now gets to the crux of the matter and begins his defense of the great
doctrine of Justification by Faith. Here he answers a question asked by Job centuries before: “… how should a man be just with God?” (Job 9:2b – KJV), his friend Bildad asks a similar question in chapter 25:4a; “How then can a man be justified with God?” (KJV). This is the question that has occupied the minds of serious people through the centuries.
Before we look closely at these verses we must define what is meant by
justification. John Stott points out that; “Nobody has understood Christianity who does not understand this word”. Actually we need to be more specific; we need to define what is meant by “Justification by Faith” -‐ because at Antioch there were two camps. One was called ‘Justification by Faith’, possibly Paul was the only soldier in that camp. The other camp was ‘Justification by Works’. That camp included the Judaizers, Peter,
Barnabas and the rest of the hypocritical Jews (vs. 13). The battle lines were clearly drawn.
Here is a rather technical definition of Justification by Faith found in the
Westminster Shorter Catechism, drawn up in the seventeenth century. It is the best definition that I can find: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone”. Let us break this down into smaller bites: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace” …
“Wherein He pardons all our sins…” …
“… and accepts us a righteous in His sight …”
“… only for the righteousness of Christ
it is important to note that it’s an ‘act of God’, not a process. It takes place the moment a sinner puts his trust in Jesus Christ. It is an act of God’s free grace, it is not earned. What a wonderful sound the word ‘pardon’ must be in the ear of a condemned criminal or a convicted sinner. Charles Wesley expressed it very well when he wrote; ‘No condemnation now I dread”. In some countries when a citizen breaks the law a ‘charge sheet’ for that individual is started. Each time he breaks the law, it is recorded on the charge sheet. If God had a charge sheet for you or me, think of how long it might be! When God justifies a sinner, He, metaphorically speaking, tears up and destroys the charge sheet and declares the justified sinner – ‘NOT GUILTY’. Warren Wiersbe declares “… he can never be called GUILTY again!” This is how God can declare
imputed to us…”
“… and received by faith alone”. …
the guilty sinner righteous or put him in right standing with Himself. He takes the righteousness or the goodness of the Lord Jesus and puts it to our ‘account’ to pay the debt we could never pay. He can then look at us through the perfect goodness of the Lord Jesus -‐ amazing! The little phrase; “by faith alone” was the key to the whole debate in Antioch and the key to our right standing with God. Nothing needs to be added to what God has done for us.
Having looked at the definition of Justification by Faith, let us return to the
verses, and we find that they almost explain themselves. Paul is asking the Judaizers and those who have followed them; ‘If we Jews cannot be saved by the law how can we expect ungodly Gentiles to be. It is neither possible nor logical?’ Verse sixteen is probably one of the most powerful statements in all of Scripture against a works salvation i.e. justification by works. Let me highlight the key phrases: “… a man is not justified by the works of the law …” “… that we might be justified by the faith in Christ and not by the works of the law …” “… by the works of the law no flesh *(mankind without exception) shall be justified “ *Added by the author
It could not be clearer. The ANT puts it very well “… we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses”. Dr John Stott, in summarizing his comments on verse sixteen, writes; “It would be hard to find a more forceful statement of the doctrine of justification than this”. You might well ask “was that the end of the story?” Sadly not, the false teachers followed Paul everywhere he went. And as the centuries rolled by similar battles continued to be fought. Let us pause at sixteenth century Germany and meet Dr Martin Luther an Augustinian friar. As he studied the Scriptures the truth of Justification by Faith dawned on his darkened soul. “A living faith in Christ filled his heart and his life”, *Merle d’Aubigne. This of course was totally opposed to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church -‐ a church that dominated the
religious life of Europe during the Middle Ages. The message preached by the Roman Catholic Church was a message of works, justification by works. As Luther taught the doctrine of Justification by Faith in the University of Wittenberg and from the pulpit of the University church, he set the religious life of medieval Europe alight. Just as Paul had a fight on his hands in Antioch, as he defended this great truth, so Martin Luther had a fight on his hands in Wittenberg. The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rose up against him in great fury, so much so that often his life was in danger. The light ignited by Martin Luther on the 31st October 1517, the day he posted his ninety five theses on the church door at Wittenberg, heralded the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther in his lectures on Galatians said; “If we lose the doctrine of Justification by Faith, we lose simply everything …” *J.H. Merle d’Aubigne was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1794 and converted under the ministry of Scotsman Robert Haldane, as he expounded Paul’s letter to the Romans to a group of divinity students from the Theological Faculty of Geneva. Merle d’Aubigne wrote thirteen volumes on the history of the Reformation. It is from these great works that information on Luther, as mentioned above and also in chapter three has been gleaned. We in this twenty first century benefit from the battles that Paul and Luther fought and won. We can rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ by faith. And we must protect and preserve this freedom. However, after all is said and done, there may be a doubt in your mind and you are wondering; “Can someone who is justified by faith alone ever be unjustified?” I think we should let the apostle Paul himself answer that question; “… whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” Romans 8:30b. And we must never forget that the Lord Jesus: “… was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God]” Romans 4:25b ANT. I trust any lingering doubt has been put to rest. Vs. 17, 18 & 19 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.”
In order to understand his argument against ‘justification by works’ Paul, in
these verses, is asking Peter, Barnabas and the others to do one thing – think! Think the issues through logically. He is asking them to consider the possibility of the Judaizers being right. If they are, then, he Paul, Peter and Barnabas and the others are all sinners. Why? – Because they ate and had fellowship with Gentiles – this is against the Law of Moses. He then follows this up with a very powerful thought-‐provoking question; “… does that make Christ a minister (a party and contributor) to our sin?” ANT. I can imagine their thoughts being frozen by such a question. But before those thoughts have an opportunity to thaw Paul supplies the answer – ‘certainly not!’ The ANT has; “Banish the thought!” the NAS renders it “May it never be!” and the NIV “Absolutely not!” It is as if Paul is saying; ‘Don’t dare think the unthinkable! Such a thing is not possible’. But he is not finished, he wants them to think some more. He continues; ‘Since my conversion, since I came to understand this truth of justification by faith and have preached against this false doctrine of justification by works and have endeavoured to destroy it, can I start to build it again?’ Oh note the power of Paul’s logic. He has more to say. Let us translate it loosely; ‘Now if I tried to re-‐build what I have torn down, what would I be? – A hypocrite, a transgressor, a sinner. I would have abandoned grace for law’. Consider what you know of Paul. Surely, if ever there was a man who could have been saved by strictly obeying the Law of Moses, that man was Saul of Tarsus – Paul. But look at the opening phrase of vs. 19 “For I through the law died to the law …” William Hendriksen expresses it very well “Through the law he had discovered what a great sinner he was …” We will look at this in more detail when we come to chapter three. The law had no further claim on Paul. He was now free, by grace, to live as God wanted him to live.
To quote the title of one of William Shakespeare’s plays, was this outburst of Paul’s at the church meeting in Antioch, “Much ado about Nothing!? No, not at all! If Paul had kept quiet, the consequences, for the church of Jesus Christ, as a whole, are unthinkable. Years before this incident at Antioch, the Lord Jesus said to some believing Jews; “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. John 8:32 It is your responsibility and my responsibility to “know the truth” and to rejoice in the freedom that it brings. Also to know the truth, to such an extent, that we will recognize error when confronted with it and oppose it as faithfully as Paul did at Antioch and Luther at Wittenberg.
Vs. 20 “ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”.
What a climax to a chapter so full of ‘blood and thunder’! You can sense a
tenderness in Paul’s voice, coming from a heart overflowing with love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He brings these would be deserters back to the cross, and emphasizes once again that it is Christ and Christ alone who provides their salvation. If you follow the Judaizers ‘law teaching’ through to its logical conclusion you will realize that its most destructive effect is to cancel the work of the cross. This can never be allowed to happen. In fact it cannot be done. If it were possible to cancel the cross work of Christ we would all be lost. The words of an old hymn describe Paul’s thinking very well;
‘I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me’
L H Edmunds
At this point, in commenting on this verse, it is worth quoting from Dr Wm.
Hendriksen; “Paul starts out by saying ‘I have been crucified with Christ’. What a startling assertion! Something marvelous had happened to Paul in the past, with abiding significance for the present and for all future time. We can well imagine the shocked silence in the meeting place when Paul spoke these six words with heartfelt conviction. How shocking, but what did he mean? Simply, the old Paul, the old Saul of Tarsus was dead. The cross barred all return to a legalist life style. G.G. Findlay explains it very well; “The law that put Him, the sinless One, to death, could give no life to sinful men. The world to which he (Saul) had belonged died, self-‐slain, when it slew Him.” In making this startling statement, Paul was ‘nailing his colours to the mast’, and clearly identifying with the death of the Lord Jesus and all that it meant. The old had gone the new had come (2 Cor. 5:17).
But Paul had still more revelations for, what by this time, must have been a
shocked and stunned congregation. And in time, a shocked and stunned readership, as the Galatian letter was read to the relevant churches. Read the words carefully; “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me …” *italics inserted by author. The “I” most certainly refers to that zealous, self-‐righteous young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus. In those
days when he ruthlessly persecuted the infant church his hope of heaven was based on strict law keeping. But things had changed, changed remarkably. Now the living Lord Jesus, the One he once despised and rejected was dwelling within him by the Holy Spirit. The “I” had died, he was under new ownership. His hope and confidence was completely in the Lord Jesus Christ. If alive today he would join in singing Edward Mote’s beautiful hymn:
“My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand”.
And just in case there were any lingering doubts about all of this in the minds of
his now silent and rapt audience Paul explains; “… and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God …” The change that had taken place in his heart and life affects every part of his being. It is a life of faith in the Son of God. It affects the way he thinks. It affects how he worships. It affects where he serves. It affects what he says and so on. No longer does he feel the whip of the law crashing down on his shoulders demanding that he does this, that and the other. Now he lives in complete reliance on and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. I can almost hear him saying; “Be gone you Judaizers!” Yet in chapter three he teaches us the true meaning of the Law.
Paul now climaxes this very precious personal testimony with those immortal
words; “…Who (i.e. the Son of God) loved me and gave Himself for me”. There must have been a deep stillness in the meeting place that day as Paul closed his address. Every eye would have been fixed on him. Did they see a tear in his eye? – Possibly! Was there a quiver of emotion in his voice? – Possibly! Paul was just overwhelmed by the thought that the Son of God could love him. He who had despised Him, blasphemed Him and had persecuted and put His followers to death. But not only that, had proved His love for him by giving Himself up for him. That is giving Himself up to shame, whipping, the taunts of the crowd, cruel excruciating crucifixion and “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Such a thought blew Paul’s mind and melted his heart. Does it do the same for you?
There is a lovely story told about the famous Swiss theologian Karl Barth (1886-‐
1968). Admittedly he did hold some liberal views. However on one occasion he was asked this question during a press conference at the University of Chicago; “What is the
greatest thought you ever had?” I can imagine the elderly theologian (he was 76) smiling before he answered. His answer was a line from a children’s hymn; “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so”. I can add nothing more. Vs. 21 “’I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain”’
In concluding this powerful heart searching address Paul brings his hearers,
including Peter and Barnabas, and we might also say his readers, back to the grace of God. He states very clearly that he does not regard God’s amazing grace as something of little importance. You may recall that he wrote to the Ephesians, “for by grace you have been saved …” (Ch. 2:8). Grace is an essential ingredient of God’s wonderful plan of salvation it cannot be disregarded. He then takes this opening statement one step further. We can loosely translate the closing words of the verse as follows, ‘If righteousness, justification, comes about through keeping the ritual of the Law then Christ died for nothing’. Did humbled hearts, nod heads in agreement? I think so, because years later Peter could write of “our beloved brother Paul” (2 Peter 3:15). Chapter 3 Vs. 1 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” The unsuspecting reader might catch his or her breath and wonder in amazement at the strength of Paul’s words in this opening statement of chapter three i.e. “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you …” In fact they might be even more amazed if they read it in the ANT; “O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians!” On one occasion I had the privilege of teaching, through interpretation, the Galatian letter to students taking the *Child Evangelism Fellowship Leadership Institute in an Eastern European country. As we commenced chapter three, I emphasized the strength of Paul’s language, quoting the above phrase from the ANT to add weight to what I was saying. Suddenly my gifted interpreter stopped in mid-‐sentence. I enquired what was wrong. With a shocked look on her face she apologized and said; “I cannot translate that, Paul would never use such strong language!” The students faces said it all; “How are you going to answer that?” One of the students had a Greek New
Testament beside him, so I asked him to check out verse one of chapter three. He confirmed that Paul’s language was as strong as the ANT indicated. In chapters three and four you will find some of the strongest language Paul ever penned. The question easily presents itself “Why?” The simple answer is, he was engaged in a battle. He was engaged in a battle “for the truth of the gospel” (Ch. 2:5&14). This was a time for warm-‐hearted courage. Courage like the reformers showed in the sixteenth century. Courage like we need to show as God’s truth is attacked in this twenty first century. We now need to examine the verse more closely. Was Paul really saying that the Galatians were fools? Was he really accusing them of some kind of mental deficiency? No! Dr McArthur explains it very well; “The believers in Galatia were not stupid; they simply failed to use their spiritual intelligence when faced by the unscriptural gospel-‐destroying teaching of the Judiazers. They were not using their heads.” *This is now called; “Children’s Ministry Leadership Course” There are many ‘new’ ideas floating around in our evangelical world in this twenty first century. These are thoughts and ideas that could bring confusion to our hearts and minds. If we had the opportunity to ask Paul for his advice, I think he would say “search the scriptures” (Acts 17:11), “use your heads”.
The word “bewitched” appears in all five translations that I am using for the
purpose of writing this commentary. Had the Galatians come under the spell of some evil witch? Had they been deceived by witchcraft? Not as in fairy tales. They had become fascinated by the teaching of the Judiazers, to such an extent that they were spellbound by it. They couldn’t think for themselves any more. Oh, they knew better, they knew the truth of the gospel, but it seemed as if the Judaizers had hypnotized them and Paul was incredulous. And he had good reason to be, because; “Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you (them) as crucified”. The phrase “clearly portrayed” has the idea of ‘posting of official notices in public places’. In other words the preaching of the gospel, presenting a crucified Christ as the only saviour, was not done undercover but publicly. Wm. Hendriksen adds; “So clear and vivid had been the presentation of this Christ that they had formed a mental picture of him …” Visualize them, standing in their town square
gripped by Paul’s powerful, dynamic and possibly dramatic preaching. Verbally, he may have painted a horrific picture of the physical agony Christ endured as He hung on the cross. Then, imagine him turning to the crowd, possibly pointing a finger at them, and with all the warmth in his heart crying out; “But He was wounded for *your transgressions, He was bruised for *your iniquities”. Isaiah 53:5. The Holy Spirit had applied the truth of a crucified Saviour to their hearts and lives.
This is the third time, since the commencement of the letter, that Paul has drawn
the attention of these confused believers to the cross (Ch. 1:4; Ch. 2:20). And again we ask why? Simply to remind them that what Christ accomplished on the cross is sufficient to meet the need of their sin – “It is finished!” was His cry.
Vs. 2&3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
*included by the author for emphasis
One word could be written across these two verses – ‘think’! Paul is simply
asking them; “Think! – how did you start your new life in Christ?” The questions, as originally asked, are rhetorical, that is a question asked, not for information but to produce effect. And the effect Paul wanted these questions to have on the confused Galatians was to make them ‘think’. The ANT puts the question in vs. 2 very clearly; “… Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit [… from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?] You and I might be tempted to push them a little more by asking ‘Well did you? ...did you?’ Of course the answer is obvious: “… by the hearing of faith”. Dr Wiersbe points out that the Holy Spirit is mentioned eighteen times in this Galatian letter, therefore He plays an important part in Paul’s defense of the gospel of the grace of God. The clear teaching of Scripture is that the indwelling Holy Spirit is the evidence of a person’s new life in Christ (Romans 8:16) -‐ a new life that is received by faith. This had been the experience of these Galatian believers. Therefore Paul is incredulous that they had been tricked into thinking that the Holy Spirit had come to them, or would indeed yet come to them, “… by the works of the law…”. We can imagine him shaking his head in disbelief.
As verse three commences we find that he is still having difficulty coming to
terms with what has happened; “Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly?” (ANT) What they were endeavouring to do (having commenced their new life in the Spirit) they were now aiming for perfection by doing the works of the flesh (circumcision etc.), just did not make sense. The NIV translates the last part of verse three very well; “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Dr Hendriksen adds; “What tragic irony!”
If you have been carefully following the reasoning of verses two and three you
might be thinking; ‘Hold on a moment, there is something wrong here, surely James wrote; “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”’ (James 2:14). An excellent question! To get an answer to the question the verses that follow verse fourteen must be read carefully, pausing to consider very carefully verse eighteen “But someone will say, ‘you have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Good works are the evidence of a truly justified life, not a requirement for it. Vs. 4 “Have you suffered so many things in vain – if indeed it was in vain?”
After Paul’s initial outburst, I think we can detect a softening in Paul’s tone as we
read the words of verse four. Actually, you will find this change of tone in other places throughout the letter. The first question we must ask ourselves, as we approach verse four is; ‘What was in Paul’s mind when he used the word “suffered”?’ “Suffered” or “suffer” appears in all five translations with which I am working. Was he therefore referring to tough, challenging times that the believers in Galatia had suffered for the sake of Christ? Possibly, but both John McArthur and William Hendriksen put a strong case for translating the Greek word ‘pascho’ as ‘experience’. Dr McArthur writes; “Since the context suggests nothing of suffering or hardship, it seems best to take the word here to refer to experience, the believers’ personal experience with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father.” So taking everything into consideration what Paul is really asking is; ‘After all you have been through, after all the blessings you have received, has it been for nothing? Or maybe not, maybe there is still hope for you.’ Vs. 5 “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Another thought provoking question. Oh if he could only get these foolish
Galatians to think things through logically! He now asks them to consider God the Father, the great Provider who supplies abundantly and with great generosity. He reminds them, first of all, that God the Father supplied the Holy Spirit to them, the evidence of their new life in Christ (Rom. 8:16) and as promised by the Lord Jesus in Luke 11:13. Then he reminds them that God the Father also worked miracles among them – miracles that everyone could see such as the healing of the lame man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-‐11). On the other hand He had worked the miracle of the new birth, new life in Christ in their hearts and in their lives. These miracles they could not deny. If they did, they would be even more foolish than Paul thought. But the question is, did these amazing things happen on the grounds of them doing what the law demanded or because they had trusted in and relied on the message they had heard? In their heart of hearts they must have known it was the latter.
In these opening five verses of chapter three Paul uses the personal pronoun
“You” ten times. His questions, or we could maybe say his arrows, were well aimed. He is saying I want ‘you’ to ‘think’ this through. Vs. 6&7
“just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness. Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”
Let us use our imaginations for a moment. Listen to the chant of the Judaizers;
‘What about the law? What about father Abraham?’ And Paul replies; ‘Well, what about the law? What about father Abraham?’ John Stott, in his commentary tells us that; “Paul’s allusion to Abraham was a master-‐stroke”. These Judaizers wanted to take the Galatians back to the law and as we work our way through these verses (6-‐14), we will discover that Paul refers to the law five times. Of course the Judaizers also held father Abraham in high esteem and quoted him as proof that circumcision was necessary to please God. Then Paul launches this missile that we call verse six; “… Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness”. The ANT has; “… trusted in and relied on God …” It also enlarges on “accounted” as follows; “… placed to his account and credited as righteousness …” There is not a mention of law or works. Paul is actually quoting Genesis 15:6. Let us refresh our memories regarding the story of Genesis 15. God had promised Abraham a son. In chapter fifteen of Genesis we find Abraham an old man and without a child. Maybe his faith was wavering a little. Then we read these words in verse five of Genesis 15;
“Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’”.
What an enormous promise! Abraham could only look at that night sky in utter
amazement. Can we hear him saying with absolute conviction; ‘I believe! I believe! I believe!’? Neither the Judaizers, nor the confused Galatians would have any answer to this Old Testament fact. Let the NIV sum it up for us; “He believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness”.
Verse seven is the application of the truth taught in verse six. The Jews, including
the Judaizers, were proud of their relationship to Abraham. They, with great reverence, called him father Abraham! How shocking then for them to read the words of verse seven. This was another attack on their theology of works. Consider carefully, what Paul was really saying, that Jews who had not put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Messiah were not true sons of Abraham. This must have been met with a stunned silence, or maybe an explosion of rage. Romans chapter four is a wonderful commentary on verses six to fourteen. Vs.8&9 “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham”.
Before we examine these two verses in detail we should remind ourselves what
‘justify’ or ‘to justify’ means in this context. It is God declaring the guilty sinner righteous and putting him in right standing with Himself. The battle in Galatia was whether this took place as an act of faith or as a result of works.
There is an old saying, which is actually very sound advice, it goes something like
this; “We should never judge the Scriptures by our experience, we test our experience by the Word of God.” This was exactly what Paul was asking the Galatians to do. He brings them back to the Scriptures, back to the Old Testament. The Scriptures is the Word of God, and as Dr McArthur says; “… when it speaks God speaks.” Here in verse eight Paul refers them back to Genesis 12:3 and 18:18. The Scriptures are speaking so God is speaking; therefore it is the responsibility of the Galatians to pay attention. These Old Testament Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the Gentiles would be justified by faith. This fact could not be disputed otherwise they would be in conflict with what God
had made clear, and that is that. He; “… would justify the Gentiles by faith …”. Dr Wiersbe observes; “The logic here is evident; if God promised to save the Gentiles by faith, then the Judaizers are wrong in wanting to take the Gentile believers back into the law.” Can’t you imagine how thrilled, even surprised Abraham would have been when God promised; “In you all the nations shall be blessed”, but that blessing would only come by faith. In this age when equality is being preached it is good to remember that no-‐one is saved or not saved because of their culture or ethnic background. The Jew has no more privileges than the Gentile. All are sinners before God and can only be justified by faith in Christ.
Derek Thomas sums up his comments on these verses very well by reaching this
conclusion; “The Judaizers have had the ground taken away from under their feet.” I think we would all agree with that. Vs.10 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’”
The Judaizers have been arguing from the Old Testament. Paul’s response is; ‘Let
us go back to the Scriptures, let us go back to the Old Testament.’ And he does so by making a startling statement at the beginning of verse ten. The ANT really makes very clear what Paul was endevouring to make both the Judaizers and Galatians understand; “And all who depend on the Law (who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals) are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction…”
What could be more clear? And before they ask for evidence that this statement is true he gives it to them by quoting from Deut. 27:26. People must keep the whole law or they are doomed. Dr Wiersbe, commenting on this verse, makes a wise observation; “The Law is not a ‘religious cafeteria’ where people can pick and choose.” This is exactly what James makes plain in his epistle, chapter 2:10&11. The sad thing is, if man, even in this twenty first century and even among the Jewish people, insists on living by the law, it will, in the words of Dr McArthur; “… curse them, not save them, because they cannot possibly live up to it.” The curse which Paul writes about here is very, very real. John Stott, in summing up his comments on verse ten, reminds us that; “The dreadful function of the law is to condemn, not to justify.”
Vs. 11 & 12
“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the
just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’”
Paul continues to press home his point by quoting again from the Old Testament.
He seems to be asking; “Have you not read the Scriptures? If you had you would have discovered that; no one is justified by the law in the sight of God…”. Then he quotes from Habakkuk 2:4; “the just shall live by faith.” To try to be justified by good works or some kind of self effort will end in complete and absolute failure. However to be justified by faith alone will result in forgiveness, pardon and right standing with God.
Dr Martin Luther, to whom we were introduced under the comments of chapter
two verse sixteen, was seeking to be justified by works. This was the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church in whose ranks he served as a monk. On one occasion in Rome he was trying to reach the top of what was known as Pilates Staircase on his knees in the hope of gaining more favour with God. As he made his painful way up the steps he thought he heard a voice of thunder crying from the bottom of his heart, “The just shall live by faith.” Now Merle D’Aubigne (we have already been introduced to him in chapter two), one of Luther’s biographers takes up the story; “These words twice before had struck him like the voice of an angel from God. They now resounded unceasingly and powerfully within him.” What was the outcome of this powerful truth dawning on Luther’s heart and mind? Let us read his own testimony; “Well then, I, Dr Martin Luther, unworthy herald of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, confess this article, that faith alone without works justifies before God …” This was the truth that Paul wanted the Galatian believers to grasp in the first century.
As we move into verse twelve we find that Paul continues to press the point that
law keeping does not amount to a ticket of admission into heaven – “The law is not based on faith …” (NIV). And he backs this up by quoting from Leviticus 18:5. What more can he do to warn them against the dangers of the false teachers of the Judaizers? With all of his heart he wanted them to enjoy a life of love and freedom by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Vs. 13&14
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse
for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’) that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Paul, once again, brings us and these wavering Galatians back to the cross. It is
almost as if Paul is saying; ‘If you doubt, look to the cross and the One who died there, and remember what He did for you.’ He states, very clearly, in the opening phrase of verse thirteen exactly what Christ did on the cross, He; “… redeemed us from the curse of the law.” What hope this statement should have brought to doubting, fearful hearts. The word redeemed has the idea of buying a slaves freedom. The Lord Jesus was the only one who could pay a high enough price to redeem us (buy us back) from the slave market of sin. Peter, in his first letter, chapter one, verse nineteen tells us what that price was; “… the precious blood of Christ …”
John McArthur observes that; “… for those who trust in Him, the two words ‘for
us’ become the two most beautiful words in all of Scripture.” Can you imagine? Can you take it in, that the blessed Lord Jesus Christ became a curse for you? We are on holy ground in verse thirteen. However, before we discover what it meant for the Lord Jesus to become a curse for us, we should find out where this idea of a ‘curse’ comes from. Paul’s quotation; “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” comes from Deuteronomy 21:22 & 23. Jews did not crucify wrong doers. It is my understanding that crucifixion was not known among the Jews until Roman times. The death penalty in Israel, among Jewish people, was usually carried out by stoning. The person referred to in Deut. 21:22 & 23 is already dead and is somehow hung, either by ropes or spikes, on a post or a tree. This was a warning to all who passed by and as a symbol of that person’s rejection by God. You will note that the opening phrase of verse twenty three in Deut. 21 reads as follows “… his body shall not remain overnight on the tree …” Immediately our thoughts go to the story of Joseph of Arimathea and his request, to the Roman authorities, for the body of the Lord Jesus following His crucifixion. We read these words in Matthew 27:57 & 58; “Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph… This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus…” We can safely assume that this request was made in accordance with Deut. 21:23.
Now, we must consider prayerfully, and carefully the meaning of Paul’s words in
verse thirteen; “Christ … having become a curse for us.” Dr McArthur writes; “That truth was extremely hard for most Jews to accept, because they could not imagine the Messiah being cursed by God and having to hang on a tree.” For those of us, in this twenty first century, who love the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, the words of the governor Pilate echo down through the centuries; “… I have found no fault in this Man …” When we allow those words to reach our heart, surely we must step back in horror when we realize that
this faultless Man, God the Son, became a curse for us. Oh the wonder of it all! Scholars tell us that crucifixion was one of the most cruel, painful, wicked forms of execution ever invented by man. In fact it was reckoned to be so degrading by the Romans themselves that, by law, Roman citizens could not be crucified, unless in cases of serious betrayal of their country. Dr John Stott, in his book, “The cross of Christ” (Inter Varsity Press), quotes Cicero, a great Roman Philosopher, as saying; “To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination (*an object of disgust), to kill him is almost an act of murder: to crucify him is – What? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed.” It is said that in the early days of the Church when Christ crucified was preached, Jews would sometimes shout back; “Jesus is accursed.” They said this based on Deut. 21:22 & 23. *Added by the author for emphasis
But there is a deeper meaning to all of this. Yes, according to the teaching of the Old Testament, Christ was cursed. As previously noted, the body that is written about in Deuteronomy 21 was already dead before it hung on a tree. However the body, of the Lord Jesus, that was nailed to Calvary’s tree (cross) was very much alive. And that was necessary, because as the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 5:21); “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…” I cannot fully grasp that. He was made so much a curse that His Father abandoned Him. (Matt. 27:46). G G Findlay sums it up very well; “He hung there abhorred of men, forsaken of His God; earth all hate, heaven all blackness to His view. Are the Apostle’s words too strong? Delivering up His Son to pass through this baptism, God did in truth make Him a curse for us.” Are we not lost in wonder, love and praise?! Surely our response must be found in the words of Katherine Kelly’s lovely hymn;
“O, make me understand it, Help me to take it in, What it meant to You, the Holy One To bear away my sin.”? We must never forget the blessings and benefits that flowed from Calvary. Verse
fourteen sets some of them out very clearly. The blessings and benefits of Calvary were not only for the Jews, the children of Abraham, but also for the Gentiles. My heart responds; “Thank you Lord.” And among these blessings is the promise of God the Holy
Spirit Who; “… bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). And these blessings are received by faith.
As the words of verses thirteen and fourteen were read out to the believers in
southern Galatia a solemn stillness must have come over the meetings. Hearts must have been moved as once again they pictured in their minds the One who was wounded for their transgressions – read Isaiah 53:5.
Vs. 15&16
What will you do with the Lord Jesus Christ? Surely your heart must have been deeply moved as you thought your way through verse thirteen and the comments that followed. If you are not a Christian, by now you must know that Jesus Christ has done all that is necessary for your salvation, nothing more needs to be done. Accept Him now by faith and all of the blessings that flow from Calvary will be yours. And if you are a Christian, your only response to verse thirteen must be; “Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord to Thee.” Frances R Havergal
“Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s
covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now in Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed’, who is Christ.”
As we approach the second half of the chapter, Paul is asking his first century and
his twenty first century readers to think. He commenced the chapter (verses 2 & 3) by challenging them to think and now he is closing the chapter by asking them to think. His reasoning at times is a little difficult to follow. Some would suggest that he is contradicting himself. However if we look at the verses prayerfully and carefully we will understand his arguments. Our understanding will be helped if we look out for the word “promise” in verses 15-‐18. It appears four times. In verses 15-‐25 the phrase “the law” is repeated eight times. Think carefully and prayerfully how Paul uses it and you will come to appreciate the true value of the law.
After Paul’s explosive opening to the chapter; “O foolish Galatians …” You may be
surprised by the opening word for verse fifteen; “Brethren …”, or as some other translations have, “brothers”. Paul simply wanted to remind these wavering Galatians of his sincere love for them. When he used the phrase “O foolish Galatians” it was as if he was a parent, scolding a son or daughter, who had seriously stepped out of line. When I was punished as a child, for disobedience, I was often told; “I still love you, but I am doing this for your own good.” This was exactly the case with Paul and these Galatian believers. We must not doubt Paul’s love for them. To help them understand the promises of God to Abraham he gives an illustration from everyday life. He asks them to consider a person making a will (or covenant); often called in English ‘last will and testament’. A will is written legal instructions, made by a person, for how his or her property and goods are to be distributed after death. Everyone would or should understand to what Paul was referring. And they would have agreed with the closing words of verse fifteen; “…no one annuls (cancels) or adds to it.” In other words, it cannot be changed. To do so would be illegal. In English law the only way it could be changed would be by the person who originally made the will adding to it or taking from it before death. However, Paul is probably thinking of ancient Greek law which did not allow for any change once the will was agreed and signed.
Having made that point clear he now (vs.16) moves on to God’s promises made to
Abraham. He seems to be saying; “If human covenants (wills/promises) cannot be changed how much more God’s covenants or promises. They will not and cannot be changed.” Then he takes them back to the dawn of Jewish history, to the promise (Gen. 12:7) made to father Abraham. God promised Abraham that the land of Canaan would belong to his descendants, his seed, and his offspring. It was God’s land for God’s people. However Paul takes this fact one step further and brings to our attention a very precious truth. Genesis 22:18 reads; “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed My voice.” Both Genesis and Galatians were written by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. So there is no conflict between what Moses wrote in Genesis and what Paul has written here in Galatians. He is simply pointing out that the seed is singular and should have a capital ‘S’ because it refers to Christ the Messiah. The ANT phrases the last part of verse sixteen very well; “And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is (none other than) Christ (the Messiah).” How else could the nations of the earth be blessed if it wasn’t through the Lord Jesus Christ?!
Vs. 17&18
“And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later,
cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
How good are your mathematics? Before we take a closer look at verse
seventeen we must solve a mathematical problem. The verse opens with these words; “And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later …” Paul seems to be saying that from the time God made the promise to Abraham until the law was given to Moses was four hundred and thirty years. If you are familiar with this period of Old Testament history, your reaction will be “impossible!” and you will start doing your sums. Let’s do them with you;
*(1) Abraham was 75 years old when God called him and 100 when Isaac was born. This gives us ……………………………………………………………..25 years (2) Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born ………………………………………………………………………….60 years (3) Jacob was 130 when he arrived in Egypt …………………………………………………………………..130 years (4) Israel was in Egypt ……………………………………………………………….430 years Total 645 *Taken from Dr Wiersbe’s commentary on Galatians “Be Free”. So the total number of years from God’s promise to Abraham to the giving of the law to Moses is 645 years. How then did Paul arrive at 430 years? We will ask Dr Wiersbe to supply the answer. “The 430 years is the time from God’s confirmation of His promise to Jacob until the giving of the Law at Sinai.” Now that we have got this problem solved we need to look more closely at what Paul is saying in relation to the promise made to Abraham and the law as given to Moses at Mount Sinai. For the benefit of the Judaizers and the doubting Galatian believers he is asking and answering the question; “Does the law given to Moses cancel the promise of faith given to Abraham?” The answer is “No!” “….cannot annul the covenant…” Vs.17a. Verses fifteen and sixteen sets out his reasoning very clearly. Once a covenant/will is agreed and signed it cannot be changed. Dr McArthur adds; “Because the covenant with Abraham was permanent … no amount of time could nullify (cancel) the promise.” As we reach verse eighteen Paul is continuing to challenge his readers to think. They will have to make up their minds once for all. If they decide that their “inheritance (justification) is of the law” they will have chosen man’s way of salvation. In their minds they will have cancelled God’s promise of faith to Abraham, and put the law as given to Moses in its place. Paul writing to the Romans
(4:3) quotes Genesis 15:6; “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” The Judaizers had conveniently decided to forget this Old Testament statement. Paul hadn’t; consider carefully the closing words of verse eighteen; “…but God gave it (*righteousness/justification) to Abraham by promise (*faith).” As John Stott he reminds us; “God has not gone back on His promise. It is as binding as a man’s will; indeed, more so.” After all of this careful reasoning the message remains, justification is by faith alone.
*Added by author by way of explanation.
Vs. 19&20
“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of
transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.”
Paul has very skillfully shown the weaknesses in the Judaizers thinking and
teaching. They have probably been left frustrated and angry. We can almost hear them saying; ‘There is no room for the law in your gospel, you are impossible!’ Has Paul, by this stage in his letter, totally written off the law as completely out of place in God’s plan of salvation? -‐ No, not at all. Verse nineteen commences with a question; “What purpose then does the law serve?”
Here is the beginning of a wonderful explanation (verses 19-‐25) by Paul of the true purpose of the law in God’s plan of salvation and in His justifying the sinner by faith. The little phrase; “It was added because of transgressions …”, not only explains the purpose of the law but hides a gold-‐mine of evangelical truth. Let us use the ANT and the comments of others to bring to the surface some of this valuable truth: ANT; “…It was added (to make men more conscious of the sinfulness) of sin…” John McArthur; “It was given to drive him (man) to desperate guilt and the awareness of
his need for the Deliverer.”
John Stott; “It was intended to make plain the sinfulness of sin as a revolt against
the will and authority of God.”
William Hendriksen; “… it was given to man … to bring about within his heart and mind
an awakened sense of guilt.”
G.G. Findlay; “It (the law) aggravates the disease (*sin) in order to bring it to a crisis.” As we consider what we have brought to the surface of the gold mine we can clearly see why Paul did not write off the law completely. He did not throw out the good with the
bad. The law had a clear purpose in relation to the gospel and we will look at this further when we reach verse twenty four.
*Added by the author.
We need to pause for a moment or two to allow the opening words of verse
nineteen to burn themselves deeply upon our hearts and minds. Then we need to pause a little more and think carefully about the last part of verse nineteen and the whole of verse twenty. They are difficult to understand; even Dr John Stott admits their difficulty. However let us try.
It would be easy to jump over the phrase; “… till the Seed should come to whom
the promise was made …” But we cannot do that because it helps us to understand the real purpose of the law. Leon Morris (former principal of Ridley College, Melbourne) tells us, in his commentary on Galatians, that; “The addition did not indicate a permanent change. Paul says it was there only until the Seed…should come.” When we looked at verse sixteen we discovered that the Seed was the Lord Jesus Christ. So the very fact that this promise was made to Abraham (Genesis 22:18) proves that it had always been God’s plan to send a Saviour who would be received by faith. The giving of the law through Moses did not or could not change this promise. Many stumble at the last phrase of verse nineteen; “… and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.” It seems to be wrapped in mystery. To help unravel the mystery take time to read the account of the giving of the law to Moses in Exodus 19:18-‐24. You will be struck by the splendid, awesome manner in which it was given. Therefore we cannot write it off as unimportant. In fact it was so important that Paul tells us here that angels were present, as did Stephen the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:53. We are not exactly sure what part they played but it would appear that they somehow helped Moses in the receiving of the law. A simple definition of the word ‘mediator’ is ‘go-‐between’. So Moses, with the help of the angels, acted as a ‘go-‐between’, he represented God before the people. He brought God’s message, the law, to the people.
What precious truth is hidden in verse twenty! A ‘go-‐between’ has to do with
more than one person. Therefore Moses served as a human link between God and the people. However, as Paul points out here, there can be no mediator, no ‘go-‐between’ with just one person. God is only one Person, He was the only party involved in giving the wonderful promise of a Saviour to Abraham. As William Hendriksen points out; “He was speaking from the heart to the heart.” This adds strength to the promises. Let me remind you that this was a personal covenant between God and Abraham that could not be broken.
Vs. 21&22
“Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had
been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
Paul knows the thinking of the Judaizers very well. He is always one step ahead
of them. It is almost as if he is reading their mind as he asks the question in the opening part of verse twenty one; “Is the law then against the promises of God?” He is sure that this will be their next question. His answer leaves no room for doubt; “Certainly not!” Other translations emphasize the strength of this reply; KJV: “God forbid!” ANT: “Of course not!” NAS: “May it never be!” NIV: “Absolutely not!” There is no argument with that. Paul is trying to correct their thinking concerning the law and the promises of God. He wants them to understand that there is harmony not conflict between the law and the promises of God and each have their part to play in man’s salvation. We can almost hear Paul saying; ‘Let us assume for a moment that a law had been found that could give a person eternal life. If that were true then we could be put in right standing with God by the law.’ However as we move into verse twenty two Paul shows how wrong this kind of thinking is; “But the Scripture has confined all under sin …” All mankind without exception. In other words the whole world is a prisoner of sin, securely locked up to sin and the law is helpless to free them. In fact a true knowledge of the law only shows man how hopeless his situation is. But there is hope. This is the point that Paul has been trying to make. The hope is in the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who is received by faith. Or as William Hendriksen so graphically puts it; “This wonderful Redeemer does something for sinners that law was not able to do. He sets the prisoners free, delivering them from the curse * (of the law) by taking it on Himself …” Vs. 23&24
“But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the
faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
What a hopeless picture Paul paints in the opening words of verse twenty three,
of a sinner without the Lord Jesus Christ. He commences; “But before faith came …”. He is not thinking here primarily of the faith exercised by Old Testament saints such as Abraham. He is writing here about the Lord Jesus Christ the promised Messiah, the great Deliverer. However before this great event he makes clear that “… we were kept under guard by the law …”. I think we can safely say that the “we” includes both Jew and Gentile. The phrase “kept under guard” is full of meaning. Paul seems to be saying, ‘The
law keeps you a prisoner, keeps you in custody, keeps you locked up.’ The unconverted sinner is bound by the chains of the law. What a situation to be in!
*Added by the author
There was no hope of escape, no hope of release. Dr John McArthur pictures him as being; “on death row, sentenced to execution for his sin …” And yet, as we reflect on what we have studied so far, there is hope. There was hope for those ‘prisoners’ of the first century, and there is hope for the ‘prisoners’ of the twenty first century. For as Dr Wiersbe comments; “During the centuries of Jewish history, the law was preparing for the coming of Christ. The demands of the law reminded the people that they needed a Saviour.” And in the twenty first century those demands still remind sinners that they need a Saviour.
In verse twenty four, Paul reaches the climax of this wonderful paragraph on the
true purpose of the law. Up to this point he had clearly hinted at the true purpose of the law, but now he states it in language that cannot possibly be misunderstood. Neither deceitful Judaizers nor confused Galatians can be left in any doubt concerning the true purpose or function of the law. In fact this verse is so important to Paul’s argument concerning the true purpose of the law that we should pause, break it down into two small bites, and chew them slowly…
“… the law …” When we consider the law in this context, we are thinking of the
moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments.
In Romans 7:7 & 8, Paul states very clearly the effect of the law in his own heart
and life: “… I would not have known sin except through the law … I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said; ‘You shall not covet …’ apart from law sin was dead.” And as Dr McArthur observes “The impossible demands of the law are not designed to save but to condemn sinners and drive them towards the Saviour.” Someone has compared the law to a dentist’s mirror. That little mirror can spot the cavities; it shows the bad parts and the work that needs to be done. The dentist doesn’t drill with the mirror. He doesn’t pull teeth with the mirror. He has the proper tools for these jobs. The mirror can only reveal, it can never fix. In the same way the law can only point out sin, it can never deal with it.
“… our tutor …” This term has puzzled many. Sometimes the Greek word pedagogue
has not been very well translated. For example in the KJV we have it translated as ‘schoolmaster’. John Stott says that this is an ‘unfortunate translation’. The picture here is that of a slave, often an older, educated slave, employed by Greek or Roman families to
help with the supervision of the sons. Their work was to take their master’s son/s to and from school. The slave was the son’s escort, attendant, or guardian or conductor. I like the word escort, so the slave escorted the boy or boys to and from school. He often exercised severe discipline, using a whip or stick to keep them in order. The son/s were under the guardian (slave) from six years of age until their late teens. He spent a lot of his time pointing out the boy’s faults. How they must have longed for their day of freedom! The slave was not the boy’s teacher but his disciplinarian. So as the slave escorted the boy to school, so the law escorts the sinner to Christ that he may be justified by faith. Or in the stronger language of Dr McArthur; “Not until the law has arrested and imprisoned him and sentenced him to death will he be driven to despair in himself and turn to Jesus Christ.” Vs. 25 “But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
There is a real note of joy, freedom and liberty in verse twenty five. G.G. Findlay
catches the mood very well in his opening comments on this verse; “Faith has come!” he exclaims. “At this announcement Law the tutor yields up his charge; Law the jailor sets his prisoner at liberty. The age of servitude has passed.” Oh the joy and freedom that faith in Christ brings! Charles Wesley expresses it very well in his testimony hymn: “My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose went forth, and followed thee.”
And then in the following verse of the hymn he almost shouts;
“No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!”
That is the assurance of a sinner truly justified by faith.
Before we leave this discussion on the true function of the law, let us remind
ourselves of the three fold purpose of the law as set out in the New Testament; (a) The law declares our guilt (Romans 7: 7 & 8) (b) The law drives us to Christ (Galatians 3:24) (c) The law gives the believer a standard to live by (Galatians 5: 13 & 14) However the law is powerless to save. Martin Luther, the sixteenth century German reformer, once said: “God first used the law to beat me, but later I used it to walk with."
W.B. Sprague in his book “Lectures on Revivals” writes; “It was the law that made the jailor tremble. It was the gospel that brought peace and gladness to his soul.” Whether you evangelize children, teens or adults or maybe all three, you must make clear to them why they need to be saved. The law, as summarized in the ten commandments, is the ‘weapon’ that God has given you to use, with the help of the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of the unconverted. When they steal, they are breaking God’s law, when they lie, they are breaking God’s law, when they covet they are breaking God’s law. So when the heart has been melted and conviction has come you can then point them lovingly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Who, if received by faith, can put them in right standing with God and bring about cleansing and forgiveness.
Vs. 26 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
These words must have made the wavering Galatians think again and brought
assurance to their hearts. Dr John Stott reminds us that; “God is no longer our Judge, who through the law has condemned and imprisoned us. God is no longer our Tutor, who through the law restrains and chastises us. God is now our Father, who in Christ has accepted and forgiven us.” How this realization should have brought joy to the hearts of the Galatians and it should cause our own hearts to rejoice also. We must be careful here and not misunderstand the phrase, “… all sons of God … as meaning that God is the Father of all in a general sense because He created them. And of course He is, but Paul is not thinking about that here. He is thinking of God’s true spiritual children who have become His children through faith in Christ Jesus (John 1:12). Vs. 27 & 28
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
You may puzzle a little over verse twenty seven and ask; ‘Is Paul contradicting
himself? He has spent half of his letter condemning justification by works and now he is speaking about the Galatians being “baptized into Christ!” Surely that is a works
salvation’. That is a good question. Let me say clearly, Paul is not contradicting himself. Paul is using picture language to highlight our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. In the words of Professor Derek Thomas; “The language of baptism is … expressive of our union with Christ by faith.” And the amazing thing is, that when God the Father looks at the sinful believer He sees His sinless Son, the union, the relationship is that close. And those who have this union have; “put on Christ” or they have clothed themselves with Christ. Their lives have been changed and transformed. Their life styles are in stark contrast to the life styles of the unbelievers all around them. They are shining like stars in a black sky. As the old theologians used to say, their lives were “essentially different.” In writing these words Paul wanted to remind the Galatians of this truth.
Paul continues this theme of unity into verse twenty eight. This time it is unity
between believers, no matter what culture, social standing or gender they come from. In the society of the first century slaves were considered as only pieces of property. Women were confined and not respected and Gentiles were constantly sneered at by the Jews. And of course the law had created differences and distinctions, but now all of that had changed. Christ had replaced Moses, faith had replaced works, and they were now “all one in Christ Jesus.” Warren Wiersbe exclaims; “What a tremendous claim!” and he continues; “This must have been glorious news for the Galatian Christians.” Why? – because their society was full of the distinctions mentioned in the verse. Physically the distinctions still existed, but now they didn’t matter because they were “all one in Christ Jesus.” Oh the unity our Saviour brings! This is an important truth for the twenty first century believers to remember. Vs. 29 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” My Gentile mind finds it difficult to grasp what Paul has written here. What blessings and benefits every true believer enjoys through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! It is clear that Paul does not mean that every Christian is a physical child of Abraham, but rather a spiritual child of Abraham. We are in God’s family through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8:17 enlarges on the privileges we have as members of God’s family. This is a theme we will return to in Galatians chapter four. Consider how believers, in the twenty first century, are enriched spiritually because of God’s promises to Abraham. A careful reading of Romans 9:6-‐11 will show that, sadly, not all of the physical children of
Abraham, that is his descendants, will receive the promises of salvation. It is only those, both Jew and Gentile, who have been justified by faith who will benefit from God’s promises to Abraham.
To end Paul’s wonderful discussion on the true purpose of the law, I think we
couldn’t do better than to use the words that John Stott used to finish his comments on Chapter three; “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ.”
Chapter 4 Vs. 1-2
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a
slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.”
Paul is trying, so very hard, to help these misguided Galatian believers
understand all of the blessings and benefits that they have through faith alone in Christ. In these opening verses of chapter four he uses an illustration, from his day, of a Roman ceremony whereby a boy would officially come of age. At this ceremony he would take on the privileges and the responsibilities of an adult. The son may have been heir (a person who inherits) of all of his father’s wealth, position and power. However, under Roman law, he could not touch it until he reached the age set down by his father. G.G. Findlay suggests that this could have been eighteen, twenty one or thirty. Up until this ‘coming of age’ he was in the care of capable and trusted slaves called in verse two “guardians” and “stewards”. You may remember that in chapter three, verse twenty four the son also had a slave (tutor) to bring him to and from school. So, in his whole growing up period he was under the care and guidance of slaves. The master of the house commanded the slave, and the slave commanded the son so “he is no different from a slave” NIV. So until that ‘coming of age’ ceremony he was not looked upon as having grown up. Was Paul telling the Galatians ‘it’s time you had grown up (spiritually)?’ – ‘Yes!’ Vs. 3 “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.”
The ANT commences verse three as follows; “So we (Jewish Christians) also …”,
the NAS reads; “So also we …”. These translations agree perfectly with the NKJV; “Even so we …”. So it is clear that Paul is using the illustration in verses one and two to impress upon these mainly Gentile believers in Galatia that; “Under the law the Jews were children in bondage, not sons enjoying liberty” Dr Wiersbe. And we can almost hear him asking, ‘under his breath’, “Do you want to return to that?” But what does he mean by “the elements of the world”? Commentators struggle to agree on a good interpretation. It may help if we consider the background in which it was written. Up to this point Paul has been having this great debate on works versus faith, law versus grace. So it is in this context that Paul refers to “the elements of the world”. Keeping this in mind, I think we would be safe in saying that Paul is referring to the idea of trying to gain
acceptance with God by our own good works. Or in the words of the ANT by; “… a system of external observations and regulations”. Dr McArthur in his commentary outlines the conversion story of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. John Wesley had tried to get right with God by means of good works. Still unconverted he went to America to be a missionary and returned to England a failure. Eventually he was wonderfully converted. Thinking back to his unconverted days, he once said; “I had even then the faith of a servant, though not of a son”. That is exactly the condition Paul is describing in these first three verses of chapter four. Vs. 4-5 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
If slavery and bondage were the theme of verses 1-‐3, freedom and deliverance is
most certainly the theme of verses four and five, spilling over into six and seven. The use of the word “but” tells us that a change is coming. It is almost like Paul striking a note on a musical instrument. And that note is called ‘freedom!’ He starts off with a little piece of history; he takes his readers back to Bethlehem, back to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can recall the words of Dr Luke; “… she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger…” Luke 2:7 – the fullness of the time had come. Or as we read in the ANT “… when the proper time had fully come …” Dr Wiersbe makes this observation; “Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was not an accident; it was an appointment: Jesus came in; ‘the fullness of the time’”. Man may have been caught unawares at His coming, but He came according to God’s timetable, when everything was ready. The Romans had built a brilliant road network that made it comparatively easy for the early evangelists to travel from country to country, city to city. Because of the conquests of the mighty Greek and Roman empires, the languages of these two empires – Greek and Latin – were widely used across the whole region. This made it easier for the early preachers to communicate the gospel message. The Roman legions had brought about political and economic stability to the region, so for the most part; those who left Jerusalem to spread the good news of Jesus Christ could travel safely and freely. Yes, God’s timing was perfect. The phrase; “God sent forth His Son” is mind boggling. As we ponder the depths of that phrase we recall what Paul wrote to the Philippians (2:7); “… but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men”. Here we have a picture of the enormous cost this sending forth was to the Lord Jesus. He left behind the splendour of Heaven and His glorious majesty to
identify with sinful mankind. Yet He remained God. Consider for a moment, that He existed in Heaven before being born as a baby in Bethlehem. G.G. Findlay observes that; “He was the Son of God before He was sent out”.
Oh, feel the weight and the importance of this next phrase; “…born of a woman,
born under the law …” Ponder the mystery of the incarnation! Yes, the virgin birth is hinted at in this phrase, but there is something more for us to wonder at and to thank God for. William Hendriksen explains it very well “… in order to save us Jesus Christ has to be in one person both divine and human … human because since it was man who sinned it is also man who must bear the penalty for sin …”. Paul’s great argument in this letter to the Galatians is that justification is by faith alone and not by works that is by the keeping of the law, yet we clearly read in verse four that our Lord Jesus Christ was “born under the law.” Is Paul somehow contradicting himself? – No! The ANT makes it very clear that He was; “… born subject to (the regulations of) the law.” That is He was born of a Jewish mother (Mary) and of course He was born into the Jewish nation and naturally He was subject to the Jewish law. He perfectly obeyed His Father in everything. So, in the words of John Stott, “He perfectly fulfilled the righteousness of the law” and this “… uniquely qualified Him to be man’s redeemer.” Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer of early Methodism, captures the truth of verse four very well in the second verse of his Christmas carol, “Hark the herald angels sing.” The words are not modern English, but it is worth trying to understand them in order to grasp the ‘wonder of it all’. “Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord: Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the God head see, Hail the incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with men to appear, Jesus our Immanuel here. Hark the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new born King’”
As we move into verse five Dr Stott asks us to notice; “… that God’s purpose was
to both ‘redeem’ and ‘adopt’; not just to rescue from slavery, but to make slaves into sons.” That is exactly what verse five is telling us. Most will be familiar with the word
‘redeem’. The simple dictionary definition is ‘to buy back’. The Bible presents the Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, buying the sinner back from the slave market of sin. The apostle Peter tells of how much our redemption cost (1 Peter 1:18-‐19).
The word “adoption” however presents a little more difficulty. On one occasion I
was teaching Galatians to a class of German speaking students through interpretation. On mentioning the word adoption and having it translated, a student asked; “If we have already received the new birth why do we need to be adopted?” An excellent question! It sent my very able translator to check the five translations of the German Bible that she had with her, and not once was the Greek word translated ‘adoption’. English translations vary on their interpretation of the original Greek word. You might well ask ‘Where does that leave me?’ Are you ready for a short Greek lesson? Keeping in mind the illustration Paul used in verses one and two of a son in a Roman family ‘coming of age’. You will remember that the son may have been heir of all of his father’s wealth, position and power but could not touch it until the age set down by his father. Our heavenly Father has an inheritance for every one of His children. We will, to some extent, enjoy it on earth but will only experience its full blessing in Heaven. The Greek word that is often translated into English as ‘adoption’ is ‘huiothesia’. You must be patient with me as we break the word down and step by step try to understand its real meaning.
Adoption, as we understand it in the English language, means “to take another’s
child as one’s own”. Of course it’s a legal process. However, ‘huiothesia’, while having legal overtones, is something entirely different. Let’s break it down; ‘huios’ means a son, while ‘thesis’ means a placing. So it has to do with placing or our position as mature children in God’s family. As someone has said; “We enter God’s family by regeneration, we enjoy God’s family by adoption.” We receive this adoption at the moment of conversion. W.E. Vine, the excellent Hebrew and Greek scholar states very plainly: “God does not adopt believers as children. Adoption is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons; it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons.” (Remember Paul’s illustration in verses one and two of this chapter). Wm. Hendriksen reminds us of some of the privileges given to the believers because we have the “adoption as sons”; (a) a new name (b) a new legal position – we are legally His,
(c) a new family relationship (d) a new image, the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). In other words we are; “… heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ …” (Romans 8:17). On one occasion a student asked if our adoption was complete on planet earth. The simple answer is “No!” Our adoption will reach its full realization when we enter Heaven and claim our inheritance (see Romans 8:23). As Joel Beeke writes in his book; “Heirs with Christ” (Reformation Heritage Books); “God’s adopted children are all royal heirs apparent and coheirs with Christ (Rom. 8:16-‐17).” I don’t think we should try to take this Doctrine of Adoption any further. Rather, let us, in the words of Dr Beeke, consider; “What a stupendous wonder adoption is!” Other references you may want to check out are; Romans 8:15 and 23, Romans 9:4 and Eph. 1:5. Vs. 6-7 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Paul continues to work very hard to show these confused Galatian believers the
wonderful blessings and privileges that freedom in Christ brings. He wants them to stand in awe and wonder at their relationship to God through Christ. The opening phrase of verse six, “And because you are sons …” continues the closing thought of verse five, stating very clearly our relationship to God the Father. It would seem as if Paul was saying to the Galatians; “Welcome to the family!” – That is – God’s family. And because we are in the family of God there are special blessings and privileges such as a close intimacy with our heavenly Father. Every true believer in Christ is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. He performs many functions for the Christian, among those functions is that of assuring believers that they are truly children of God; “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16). The Law can never bring such assurance. The phrase; “… the Spirit of His Son …” really refers to God the Holy Spirit. Look what the Holy Spirit helps us to do; He helps us to cry out “Abba Father!” That is something very personal and very intimate, so let us take time to look at it more closely. The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word that could be translated ‘papa’ or ‘daddy’. But here we must be cautious. On one occasion I heard someone pray (not a child); “dear daddy God.” My heart froze! Yes, the phrase, “Abba Father!” does mean ‘Father dear Father’, but it is a term of intimacy not familiarity. We cannot equate our heavenly Father with our earthly father. We need to be careful because there is no doubt that reverence and awe, accompanied by a deep sense of the majesty and holiness of God are becoming rare in this twenty first century. However the amazing thing is that those of
you who are Christians can call our majestic, holy God, “Father” and use the phrase “Father dear Father.” We can tell Him things that we may not be able to tell those who are dearest to us on planet earth. W. E. Vine points out that the word “Abba” is a word of ‘unreasoning trust’, expressing the love and intelligent confidence of a child. The Lord blessed my wife and me with two precious, feminine little daughters. However I tried to engage them in “boy games”. On one occasion the older of our two daughters and myself were having a pretend boxing match. For a moment her guard dropped, my big fist came closer, but of course stopped short. She never moved. I said, “Judith I could have hurt you.” “But Daddy” she replied, “I trust you”. Now that’s the spirit of “Abba Father” – “unreasoning trust.” The old Puritan preacher Thomas Watson once said;”The name Jehovah carries majesty in it; the name Father carries mercy in it.” Dr John McArthur sums up his comments on this phrase very well; “The fact that a believer has an intimate relationship with God, and can confidently cry out to Him as Father, is beautiful and magnificent proof of sonship.” You may want to check out other references where we find the phrase “Abba Father” – Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15.
Verse seven is almost breathtaking. G.G. Findlay exclaims; “… a destiny like this
overwhelms thought! …” It is difficult to grasp what Paul is actually saying. Again he is referring back to the illustration used in the opening two verses of the chapter, when the son comes into his full inheritance and takes his rightful place as a son. So everyone who has come to Christ by faith is no longer a slave no longer under the law. They are true sons, true children of God. But there is more. We are heirs of God through Christ. Just think about that, and Paul wanted the Galatians to think about it also. What a truly amazing truth! By putting our trust in Christ, by faith, God gives us, His children everything His Son promises. To use a modern day phrase, that is ‘mind blowing!’ And it is ours, not by any efforts of our own, but by God’s amazing grace. What privileged people we are! The Galatians must have given this serious thought.
As you read these opening verses of chapter four are you lost in wonder, love and praise? If you are a Christian that should be your natural reaction. When you consider all of the blessings and privileges that are yours through faith in Christ there can only be one reaction – Worship. Imagine, a joint heir with Christ! If you are not a Christian, God is not your heavenly Father consider how poor you are in comparison with those who can say “Abba Father!”
Vs. 8-9 “But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?”
As Dr Hendriksen commences his comments on these verses he writes; “There is
thunder in the sky, and the lightning flashes again as it had done in 1:6-‐10 …” G.G. Findlay writes; “ ‘Foolish Galatians’, we seem to hear again, ‘Who has bewitched you into this?’” Paul has returned to the attack. Reading through verses eight to sixteen it almost seems as if Paul has put the Galatians on the witness stand in a court of law. He fires three powerful questions at them. And again he is challenging them to think (see also comments on chapter 3:2-‐3 and 15-‐16). He is asking; “Think where you have come from.” “Think of the message you heard”. And then in verse fifteen he asks them to; “Think of the special affection we had for each other.” He starts off by asking them to think about their past. He brings them back to their state before Paul and his missionary team had visited southern Galatia. You can read about one situation that developed in the town of Lystra in Acts 14, where the people cried out; “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” They had been pagan Gentiles without any knowledge of the true and living God. And in the words of the ANT he reminds them that they “… were in bondage to gods who by their very nature could not be gods at all (gods that really did not exist).” So you can see the sorry condition Paul found them in – completely without hope.
As we move into verse nine Paul launches the first of his attacks. Actually as you
read you can detect the shock Paul feels as he writes. Once they had been slaves to these pagan gods because they did not know anything better. Now they were choosing to become slaves again, this time to the teaching of the Judaizers. Paul could not understand why. We can almost hear him saying “How can you do this?” He is totally bewildered. They had come to know the living and true God through faith in Jesus Christ. Then Paul adds, what William Hendriksen calls; “… an expression full of glorious significance” – “or rather are known by God.” This led the reformer John Calvin to comment; “that God had visited them in mercy.” They had gained their freedom through God’s mercy, now they were heading for slavery again. Warren Wiersbe writes; “No wonder Paul weeps over these believers, as he sees them abandon liberty for bondage …” Oh beware of new ideas and false teaching.
Vs. 10-11 “You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.”
Can’t you feel Paul’s despair as he writes these words? He has clear evidence, as
John Stott suggests, that their religion had become a dreary routine of rules and regulations. It does not really matter if their observance of “days and months” etc. refer to their former pagan life style and worship or to the keeping of the Sabbath days, festival seasons, as introduced by the Judaizers, the point is they were becoming slaves again. This fact drove Paul almost to the point of despair as clearly shown by the words of verse eleven. In fact Dr Hendriksen calls these words; “… one of Paul’s gloomiest utterances in the entire epistle …”. The ANT renders the opening phrase of verse eleven as; “I am alarmed (about you) …”. That exactly catches the feeling of the apostle’s heart. Was all of his sacrificial service, his illness (v 13) the stoning he endured at Lystra (Acts 14) and so on, was it all for nothing? We cannot fault Paul for feeling like this. He had poured his life into bringing these Galatians the gospel of God’s free grace. He had seen them wonderfully liberated; now they were turning their back on it all.
You may be wondering, after considering verse ten, if it is wrong for the twenty
first century Christian to keep Christmas day, Easter day and Pentecost. No! – We keep these days because of the joyful freedom we have in Christ. The Galatians were keeping the days mentioned by Paul because they had entered or were entering into spiritual slavery, or becoming prisoners to legalism. Vs. 12, 13 & 14 “Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me, as an ‘angel of God’, even as Christ Jesus.”
G.G. Findlay observes that; “The reproof of the last paragraph (verses 8-‐11)
ended in a sigh”, -‐ so true. But now the apostle’s tone changes. He commences verse twelve with the word “brethren”. He accepts them as being in the family of God. As we consider these verses and those that follow, up to verse twenty, we can feel something of the warmth of Paul’s pastors heart. Warren Wiersbe writes that the apostle; “turns from ‘spanking’ to ‘embracing’”. He is not so much preaching and teaching as pouring out his heart in genuine affection. He only wants God’s best for them. Wm Hendriksen writes; “this paragraph (verses 12-‐20) is one of the most gripping in all of Paul’s epistles.” So let us look at it carefully.
It is interesting how other translations commence verse twelve, KJV – “Brethren,
I beseech you …” ANT – “Brethren, I beg you …”; NIV – “I plead with you, brothers …”. So we can easily see that what he is about to write comes with heart-‐felt emotion. However the words that immediately follow this opening phrase may cause you to think that Paul is a little bit conceited – “… become like me …”. No, Paul is not being conceited or proud. Here the ANT is very helpful; “… become as I am (free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism) …”. Surely this is in keeping with the whole theme of this letter to the Galatians. He, with his whole heart, wanted them to be free from trying to earn salvation by struggling to keep the law. And he also wanted them to be free from having to live by its outward feasts, ceremonies, rituals and so on. Then he makes a startling statement; “… for I became like you …” What does he mean? Once he was a proud Jew, depending on his good works and self righteousness to gain acceptance with God. Then God stepped in, stripped him of his self righteousness, and showed him that he was condemned before Him with nothing, absolutely nothing of self to appeal to. He was therefore on level ground with these gentile Galatians. In this respect he had become like them. The next phrase; “You have not injured me at all” seems unrelated, and to have dropped into the verse from nowhere. Look at it carefully, and then read verse thirteen. I think you will see that it actually should be the opening statement of verse thirteen. He is actually recalling his first visit to their area. He had been well received by them. It was actually the Jews who had come from Antioch and Iconium to Lystra who had stoned him (Acts 14:19). Some might say that the people of Lystra also stoned him. But let us remember that stoning was a Jewish form of execution. And Paul makes it very clear that the people of Galatia, the Lyconians included, had not injured him.
In verse thirteen he reminds them why he had arrived in their area. He was
appealing to their heart, to their affections. Yes, they would remember how he had arrived with them feeling very unwell. It may have been that while he and his missionary team were in the area Pamphylia (Acts 13:13) he had contracted malaria. This area was probably below sea level and very swampy and a real breeding ground for mosquitoes. So this may have been the reason why they decided to go up to the higher, healthier region of Galatia. For example Antioch in Pisidia is 3,600 feet above sea level! If it was malaria that troubled Paul at this time it would have been accompanied by high fever and severe headaches. However, between bouts of pain and fever, he would have been able to preach and teach.
Verse fourteen indicates that whatever Paul’s illness was malaria, or otherwise,
the Galatians had every reason to despise and reject him. Immediately we ask “Why?” Dr McArthur points out that; “In ancient times, without benefit of good medicines, sterile bandages … diseases were often disfiguring and their stench nauseating… To most ancients, including Jews, physical affliction was considered a form of divine judgment” – consider John 9:2. The ANT renders “despise” as “scorn” and “loathe”. So, probably to Paul’s surprise, he was not scorned or loathed but; “received … as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” John Stott notes that this is; “an extraordinary expression” and it surely is. However John Stott goes on to point out that “… in receiving Paul, the Galatians … recognized him as an apostle or delegate of Christ”. That was then, during his first missionary journey. What about now, when this letter was written? Vs. 15-16 “What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”
When we considered verse nine we found that Paul fired a very powerful
question right to the very hearts of these wavering Galatians. Here in verses fifteen and sixteen he fires two more searching questions, possibly not with the same amount of force as the one in verse nine, his tone has changed. Nevertheless he asks them with the same objective; to get them to think. The ANT phrases the first question (15) very well; “What has become of that blessed enjoyment and satisfaction … that once was yours?” It seems that when they received the Lord Jesus as their Saviour by faith alone their joy knew no bounds and they were completely satisfied with the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had been justified by faith and put in right standing with God. Dr Hendriksen writes; “The Galatians had experienced a season of thrilling discovery, of joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Then he goes on to ask; “What had become of it?” That’s exactly what Paul was asking. In fact their joy and happiness, and their appreciation of Paul extended to the point that they would have given him their very eyes. Consider for a moment and you will realize the depth of their love for him. In the words of John McArthur they were willing to give up; “… their very eyesight, the most precious and irreplaceable of the physical senses …” I cannot help but exclaim; “Wow!” There is something that we must try to clear up at this point before we move to verse sixteen. When Paul uses the phrase; “… you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me”, was he simply using a figure of speech? Did he mean; “Once upon a time you would have done anything for me. You would even have taken your eyes out (?!) and
given them to me to show how much you loved me.” Or was he referring to an actual serious eye condition? In verse thirteen we wondered if the “physical infirmity” was malaria. If this was so, the medical experts tell us that it is not unknown for Malaria to attack the optic nerve causing all kinds of complications, including blindness. Therefore, when we follow this through, if he had an eye problem, resulting from the malaria, during his time in Galatia it would have affected his eyesight as well as how he looked. And there is ample evidence to support the suggestion that Paul did have defective eyesight. However, whatever way we interpret the phrase, one thing is sure, once upon a time the Galatians would have done anything to help God’s faithful messenger. Now, at the time of writing this letter, he is not so sure.
As we read verse sixteen the Galatians are still in the witness stand. Yes, Paul’s
tone is softer, but he is still looking for answers as he fires his third question at them; “Have I then become your enemy by telling the truth to you and dealing sincerely with you?” ANT. As you read these words you can almost detect a sob in Paul’s voice for the question is asked from an aching heart. We have already discovered that those confused believers had once greatly admired Paul, but their minds had been poisoned against him by the Judiazers. They were poisoned to such an extent that they now looked on him as their enemy – almost unbelievable! G.G. Findlay explains it very well; “Because he crossed their new fancies and tells them unwelcome truths, they rush to the opposite extreme and even think him their enemy!” Oh how foolish they really were! A good friend will always tell you the truth, never resent it.
Vs. 17-18 “They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you.”
Suddenly Paul fires a missile at the Judiazers (“They …”). What a strong,
powerful, direct accusation! Here is how verse seventeen commences in the ANT “These men (the Judaizing teachers) are zealously trying to dazzle you … but their purpose is not honourable or worthy …”. And we can almost hear Paul asking, under his breath; ‘Why can’t you see what they are doing to you?’ The phrase; “… zealously court you …” (NKJV) has the thought of taking a serious interest in someone, as a young man taking a serious interest in a young lady. He is out to impress the young lady or in the words of the ANT; “to dazzle her.” If a young man was taking a serious interest in your daughter you would hope that his intentions were honourable. However the intentions of the Judiazers were far from honourable. Paul, in a few swift words, exposes how dishonourable their
intentions really were. In the words of G.G. Findlay; “They pretend to be zealous for your interests; but it is their own they seek.” The Judiazers were putting a barrier between these Galatian believers and the one who had brought them the gospel message. They wanted to isolate these wavering believers from any further influence Paul and his fellow missionaries might have on them. They wanted to put a wedge between them. Why? -‐ So that they might win them over to their side -‐ in other words to have them completely to themselves. This is something like a young man who had the dishonourable intention of turning his young lady against her family.
In case the Galatians misunderstand him, Paul makes it perfectly clear that it is
alright to be sought after or courted. Here again the ANT is very helpful; the opening phrase of verse eighteen reads as follows: “It is always a fine thing (of course) to be zealously sought after …” Then the proviso; “(… provided that it is) for a good purpose …”. When Paul and his missionary team arrived in Galatia they had eagerly sought these needy people. What was their motive in doing this? Did they want to start some kind of popularity cult? No, not at all, they zealously sought after them out of love for the Lord and a deep desire to see them saved. Their motives were pure. But times had changed after Paul and the others had left the area. The Judiazers had moved in, their motives were not pure. In the absence of sound teaching their affection for Paul had cooled. Their zeal for the truth had weakened. They had been deceived by these false teachers who opposed the glorious, saving gospel of Jesus Christ. In Paul’s absence the Galatians had not taken their stand for the truth. Vs. 19-20 “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.”
You may have been surprised and shocked by Paul’s opening words in chapter
three. However his tone had been changing and as we read verses nineteen and twenty we can detect a real tenderness. As Dr McArthur notes; “He was not arguing like a lawyer before a skeptical jury but pleading like a parent to a wayward child.” From the very depths of a loving heart comes this phrase; “My little children …”. Oh how he loved these confused Galatian believers. He had given his all to win them to Christ – to see them born again of the Spirit of God and become children of God. He had been like a birth mother to them. The bond between them had been something very special, but they had broken the bond. Paul was feeling like a mother who had to deliver the same baby twice! He was probably also feeling like the mother who said; “When they are little,
they step on your toes; but when they are grown, they step on your heart.” Paul’s desire for these dear believers was honourable; he longed to see them grow more like the Lord Jesus Christ – more like Him in their thoughts, in their desires, in their speech and in their everyday living.
As we read verse twenty we can again sense something of the brokenness and
tenderness of Paul’s heart for these Galatians – “I would like to be present with you now …” or “Would that I were with you now …” ANT. But he could not be with them; he was probably hundreds of miles and at least one sea journey away – in Corinth. But oh, he so wanted to be with them. Why? So that he might change his tone of voice. So that he might plead with them tenderly face to face. Yes he had called them “foolish Galatians” (3:1), and it had probably hurt him to do so, but he had wanted them to see the error of their ways. Now he simply wanted to sit down and talk to them as a Pastor to his wandering flock, as a parent to a heedless child. He did not know what more to say to them that is why he wrote; “… I have doubts about you.” This can be translated “I’m at my wits end.” G.G. Findlay closes his comments on these verses very graphically; “Paul stands before us as an injured friend, a faithful minister of Christ robbed of his people’s love.”
There is an important lesson for all of us to learn from these nine verses (12-‐20). Up to this point Paul can be pictured as a prosecuting barrister in a courtroom or a brilliant theologian in the lecture room. Anyone who dared oppose him has been quickly silenced by strong, powerful arguments. But now he changes. He seems to be saying; “I really do care about you, I love you dearly”. In 2 Timothy Ch. 2 verse 24 Paul informs Timothy that there must be a gentle side to every faithful servant of Jesus Christ. You may be called upon to take a strong stand for truth, or to deal with some serious matter of morality. In dealing with such matters you must be faithful to God’s Word. However learn from Paul, deal with the issue with compassion in your heart and love in your voice. And even though the matter may require the exercise of discipline, exercise the discipline with great sensitivity.
Vs. 21 “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?”
The opening phrase; “Tell me …” would seem to indicate that Paul is continuing
to reach out to these bewildered believers, and maybe even to the Judaizers. Here is another attempt, by Paul, to get the Galatians to think through this whole concept of living under the law. In more colloquial language he is saying something like this: ‘OK, you want to live under the authority of the law. That’s fine, but if you do you must listen to what the law is really saying.’ Then he proceeds to tell them a story. Vs. 22-27
“For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the
other by a free-woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free-woman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar – for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children – but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: ‘Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labour! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband’”
We now come to probably the most difficult and most challenging part of the
whole Galatian letter. Paul uses a very Jewish Old Testament story taken from Genesis 16 to illustrate his point. It will help your understanding of these verses if you read this Old Testament passage. Some may wonder why Paul uses this very Jewish story when the majority of these Galatian believers come from a Gentile background. What Paul is actually doing in these verses is, he is meeting the Judaizers on their own ground, the ground of the Old Testament and their reliance on their forefather Abraham. He exposes, for the benefit of the Galatians, how inconsistent these Judaizers are. They teach one thing and believe and do another. He wants his ‘Galatian children’ to see that if they think through the Judaizers teaching it just does not make sense. John Stott helpfully divides the closing paragraph of this chapter into three, he calls them stages. Stage one is history (verses 22 & 23), here Paul reminds his readers that Abraham had actually two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Stage two is narrative (verses 24-‐27) or to use technical language, allegorical. In these verses Paul points out that the two sons with their mothers represent two religions Judaism (bondage/slavery) and Christianity (freedom/grace). The third stage, which we will deal with when we comment on verses 28-‐31, is personal, showing how it applies to our Christian lives.
Rather than comment on these verses individually it may be more helpful if I
summarize them in the form of a chart. Drawing on work already done by Dr Warren Wiersbe and Dr Derek Thomas I have come up with the following chart of contrasts: two covenants v24
The Old Covenant (law)
The New Covenant (grace)
two mothers v22
Hagar the slave
Sarah the freewoman
two sons v22
Ishmael (conceived after the Isaac(conceived flesh)
two cities v25
miraculously)
The earthly Jerusalem (in v26 The Heavenly Jerusalem bondage)
(which is free)
two mountains v25
Mount Sinai (law)
Mount Zion (grace)
two conditions v25
Slavery
v26 Freedom
Careful consideration of the chart will show you that the two mothers and their sons represent two covenants. Hagar and Ishmael clearly illustrate the covenant of law and works, and Sarah and Isaac stand for the covenant of grace and faith. This is what Paul wanted the Judaizers to grasp. He wanted them to open their eyes and to see what the Old Testament taught. And he wanted the Galatians to see this and to understand that what they had heard from the Judaizers was false. He wanted them to get a hold of the truth that even from the days of Abraham right standing with God (justification) could only be obtained by faith. And he strengthens his argument by quoting Isaiah 54:1 (v27). These words were originally intended to cheer up the Jews who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. They were eventually released and returned to their homeland with great joy. The last two lines of the quotation refers to the fact that when those Jews, who had been captives in Babylon, returned to Jerusalem, the population expanded to the point that it was greater than it had been before the captivity. Paul is implying that there was a day coming when those who followed the Covenant of Grace would outnumber those who followed the Covenant of Works and so it proved to be. Vs. 28-29
“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who
was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.”
We now come to what Dr Stott calls the third stage in this whole argument -‐ the
stage where Paul applies these truths to our hearts and lives. After all he had been through with these Galatian believers, and the heartache they had caused him, he still
loved them. Note how he commences verse twenty eight; “Now we, brethren …”. He calls them brethren and counts himself as one of them. He refers them back to what he has written earlier, reminding them that Isaac was a child of promise. When, humanly speaking, it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a child God honoured His promise to them. Read this amazing story as you find it in Genesis 17, 18:1-‐5 & 21:1-‐7. Having established that fact he makes it clear that both they and he are also children of promise, miraculously born again of God the Holy Spirit. Then he reminds them of an incident that took place between Ishmael and Isaac in Genesis 21:8-‐9. It was on the occasion of the feast held for the weaning of Isaac, which is when he would no longer be dependent on his mother’s milk – when he would pass from infancy to childhood. We read in Genesis 21:9 that Ishmael scoffed at Isaac or mocked him. Paul goes on to write that it is exactly the same now, in his day in the first century. But dear reader it is exactly the same in the twenty first century. We have illustrations of this all around us. Dr McArthur writes; “Throughout history, and still today, the physical and spiritual descendants of Hagar and Ishmael have, respectively, opposed and persecuted the physical and spiritual descendants of Sarah and Isaac.” Vs. 30-31
“Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the bondwoman and
her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman.’ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”
Paul continues with his application by once again referring to the story of Sarah
and Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael (Read Genesis 21:10-‐21). This demand of Sarah’s may seem very hard and harsh. We can hear it echoing down through the centuries; “Cast out the bondwoman (Hagar) and her son (Ishmael) …” We may want to step back from it and think; ‘I would never demand that.’ But reading through the relevant verses in Genesis 21 we discover that it was part of God’s plan. And also it clearly shows that law and grace cannot live in the same camp. Each has its purpose but they can never be married. So after all of this reasoning, the conclusion that Paul reaches is well summed up in verse twenty one; “So brethren, we (who are born again) are not children of a slave woman (the natural) but of the free (the supernatural)” ANT. We will invite John Stott to have the last word on this chapter; “So we must seek to be like Isaac, not like Ishmael. We must put our trust in God through Jesus Christ. For only in Christ can we inherit the promises, receive the grace and enjoy the freedom of God.”
Chapter 5 Vs.1
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
As we come to the concluding chapters (5 & 6) of this letter we discover that Paul
changes from Argument to Application and from Doctrine to Practice. This is the usual way Paul works out his letters. First he lays a good foundation of solid doctrine, and then he shows his readers how this doctrine is worked out in everyday living. It is almost as if he is now saying to the Galatians; “You have been reminded of the truth, here is how you work it out in everyday living.”
The opening words of verse one; “Stand fast …” are almost like a military
command. I feel like halting and coming to a smart, military “attention!” The NAS renders it; “…standing firm…” and the NIV; “Stand Firm…“. In colloquial English; “Don’t move an inch, stand your ground.” G. G. Findlay tells us that those opening words are a ‘ringing summons’ to the defence of freedom. These believers in Galatia, coming from a pagan background, had experienced unthought-‐of freedom, from a works religion, when they trusted Jesus Christ by faith. And we have ample evidence to show that they really rejoiced in the liberty they had in Christ. So Paul was urging them not to move from that position – “Stand fast, stand firm.” In the words of the ANT “… do not be hampered and held enslaved and submit again to a yoke of slavery…”. Vs. 2-3 “Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
What startling statements! And Paul makes them with the full authority of an
apostle – “I Paul”. We have noted several times throughout this commentary Paul’s endeavours to get these misguided Galatians to think. Well here is another attempt, he is asking them to think about the consequences of becoming circumcised. Consequence number one is found in verse two. To help us to get the full weight of what Paul is writing it will be helpful to look at how different translations phrase it … ANT
“Notice … if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you…”
NAS
“Behold … if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you”.
NIV
“Mark my words … if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.”
Paul certainly states his case very clearly. The Galatians could not possibly misunderstand the seriousness of the consequences if they allowed themselves to be circumcised. But what did Paul mean exactly by the phrase; “… Christ will profit you nothing?” At one time the Lord Jesus was everything to these Galatians. It was Christ alone. Their salvation depended alone on the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Christ plus nothing. But now the Judaizers wanted them to add to what they already had in Christ. And Paul is telling them; ‘you can’t do that, you can’t add anything to God’s wonderful salvation in Christ, Christ is all sufficient you cannot mix law and grace.’ We must understand if they tried to, that is mix law and grace, their profession of faith would be reduced to mere ritualism with just a slight tinge of Christianity, and the Lord Jesus Christ would be banished to the sidelines. No longer would He mean everything to them. No longer would they, in the words of Paul to the Colossians; “… Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him …” (Col. 1:10).
The second consequence is in verse three. Paul clearly states that any man who
is circumcised; “… is under obligation and bound to practice the whole of the Law and its ordinances.” ANT. They could not pick and choose, it is all or nothing (consider Romans 2:25). Surely this statement would have made the Galatians stop and think. Let us remind ourselves again that the majority of these Galatian believers had come from a Gentile, pagan background. They had not been brought up in Judaism; therefore the “whole law” was something completely foreign to them. Paul was saying; ‘Look, the logical outcome of your being circumcised is that you must keep the whole Jewish law. Now think seriously about that.’ In my imagination I can see them turning to each other and saying ‘What is that? What does that involve?’ And even they did know what the whole law was, and understand what was involved in keeping it, they could never keep it perfectly. James wrote in his letter (2:10); “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” So you see, for the Galatians, or anyone, to go down the path that the Judiazers were urging them to go down would lead to hopelessness, despair and slavery.
Vs. 4 “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by
law; you have fallen from grace.”
If verses two and three were written to make the Galatians think, then verse four
was written to stop them in their tracks. What searching thought provoking, solemn words! We must be careful not to diminish the full force of these words in order to win points for some particular point of doctrine. Let us examine them carefully in the context in which they were written. The context in which they were written was Paul’s defence of the doctrine of Justification by Faith. The battle that was raging in the Galatian churches was Law versus Grace. So it was against this background that the words of verse four were written.
The question that many students wanted an answer to, as we examined verse
four in class was; ‘Is it possible for a person once justified to be unjustified?’ If this is your question I would suggest that you read again the comments written for verses fifteen and sixteen in chapter two. Also, consider for a moment, what Paul wrote to the believers at Rome (Chapter 8:30); “… whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” However we must now look at what Paul was really emphasizing in verse four.
Paul was stating very clearly and plainly that they (the Galatians) had to choose
between a religion of law and a religion of grace, between Christ and circumcision. It had to be one or the other, because, as mentioned under verses two and three law and grace cannot be mixed. If the Galatians tried to mix them it would bring about spiritual disaster. Look at the situation logically. Can a person live by both law and grace? And the simple, clear answer is, “No!” They cannot and never will be ‘bedfellows’, because attempting to be justified by law, means that an individual is rejecting being justified by faith. But possibly the stumbling block for you in this verse is the phrase; “… you had fallen from grace.” Let us get help from some other commentators: Warren Wiersbe suggests that it means; “…. falling out of the sphere of God’s grace …” John McArthur tells us that it; “… has to do with a person who genuinely trusts in Christ for salvation but then outwardly reverts to a life of legalism …” William Hendriksen reckons that if the Galatians continued to follow the Judaizers teaching; “They would then have fallen away from the domain of grace…” G.G. Findlay compares these wobbly Galatians “… to a ship driven out of her course…”
This comparison captures the meaning of the verse very well. The strong wind called ‘Judaizer’ had driven them off course but not to destruction. They had lost their way but would eventually reach their eternal destination. If you struggle with this interpretation of the verse please consider the fact that throughout this letter Paul calls the Galatians, “brethren”, at least nine times. And he also clearly identified himself with them on two previous occasions (Galatians 4:28, 31) by using the pronoun “We”. If the Apostle had known Edward Motes great hymn of assurance and hope he would certainly have taught it to these unsteady Galatians. Verse two would have had particular significance for them;
‘When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every rough and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.’
Vs. 5-6 “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
Just in case the false teachers deliberately misrepresent him to the confused
believers in Galatia, by accusing him of replacing law with freedom to sin, Paul again introduces God the Holy Spirit into the debate. For not only in the Christian life a life of faith, it is also a life lived in the power of God the Holy Spirit. As the Christian yields to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces good works in the life of the believer. We will look at this in more detail when we reach verses twenty two and twenty three.
Let us pluck two words from verse five and put them together to help us
understand more clearly, what Paul was writing about in verse five. The two words are; “we wait”. Paul again uses the personal pronoun “we”, identifying himself with these believing yet unsteady Galatians. Now what were they waiting for? –“the hope of righteousness”. What did Paul mean by using a term like that? -‐ Very simply the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and spending all eternity with Him in heaven. But he points out very clearly that “… we eagerly wait …” with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is
He who raises the expectation in the believers’ heart and life not any works of the flesh. And we anticipate this wonderful day “by faith”. In summing up this section on Christian liberty Paul makes it very clear in the opening words of verse six that “… in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value …” NIV. If we use our imaginations a little, we can almost hear some of those who heard these words read out, catch their breath and gasp ‘Never!’ If these words are true, they may have thought, then our theology of faith, plus works is in ruins. Of course we know that these words of Paul are absolutely true. To be circumcised or not to be circumcised is not really the question, because neither condition can improve the sinners standing before God. The question is and the issue is, were these Galatians “in Christ Jesus” by faith? If they were, then what is of real value is “… faith working through love.” This is the evidence of true saving faith, or as Wm. Hendriksen describes it; “The works are fruits not roots.” G.G. Findlay takes this thought a little further, he writes; “Love gives faith hands and feet …”. Someone has said that ‘Saving faith proves its genuine character by works of love.’ The person who does not ‘ring true’ is not showing these works of love in his heart and life. Consider for a moment that the man who wrote Galatians 5:6 also wrote 1 Corinthians 13:2. Check it out.
Where do you stand in relation to these unsteady Galatians? Have you lost sight of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you allowing yourself to become “entangled again with a yoke of bondage”? Have you been blown off course by some wind of false enslaving doctrine? Maybe at this moment you feel as confused as these ancient Galatians. Stop, read carefully, again these opening six verses of Chapter five. Heed Paul’s warnings, respond to his wise advice, ask your heavenly Father to give you victory. Is your testimony found in the words of this twenty first century hymn by Stuart Townsend …? “In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; this cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled; when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.”
Vs. 7 “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
Paul often uses illustrations, in his letters, from the world of athletics, to show his
readers how to live the Christian life. (I Cor. 9:24, Phil. 2:16; Hebrews 12:1) Paul and his readers would have been familiar with the many athletic contests that took place in the ancient world – contests such as the Olympic and Estonian games. Paul, from time to time, may even have been a spectator at some of these track and field competitions. So, as he considers the situation among the Galatian believers, he draws from these running events to ask a very important question. First he commends them. He writes “You ran well …”. Or as the ANT phrases it; “You were running the race nobly…” or “You were running a good race …” NIV. In other words they had got a good start. As a young man, in the early nineteen sixties, I ran 400 and 800 meter races. And to this present day I can still hear the voice of the coach saying to me at the end of a race; ‘You ran well, but …’ or ‘You got a good start, but …’. That is exactly what Paul is saying to these Galatians. They had entered the Christian race through faith in Christ. They had set off well. They were running with confidence. ‘Coach’ Paul was very encouraged with their early progress, but someone or some people had hindered them. They had started off well in the lane marked ‘grace’, but another competitor had crossed lanes and cut in on them and knocked them off course. William Hendriksen suggests that we should not be so concerned about the identity of this other competitor or competitors; we know they are the Judaizers, but rather with their character. Let us discover why. In normal athletic races, if the race is run in lanes, and a competitor breaks lanes, running across another competitor’s lane and hindering his progress he is disqualified. He has possibly prevented the other athlete from winning the race. But here is verse seven Paul is writing about something much more serious. Not simply hindering a runner from winning a race, but; “from obeying the truth” – that is serious! They were being hindered from living out their lives in obedience to God’s Word and God’s Spirit. They had been
deliberately knocked off course by the Judiazers who wanted to gain a following for themselves (Gal. 4:17).
Vs. 8&9 “This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Paul continues to drive home his argument. In case anyone was still in doubt
Paul makes it abundantly clear that; “this persuasion”, that is this belief, that salvation is by works is not from God. It could not be clearer. God had called them from their sin, paganism and darkness. He had made them new creatures, new creations in Christ Jesus. It was entirely God’s work. And it was completely and absolutely sufficient for time and all eternity. The Judaizers’ message was not from God. As Paul moves into what we call verse nine he seems to be reflecting a little bit wondering to himself how this trouble all started among the Galatian Churches. We can almost hear him saying; ‘Um, a little leaven leavens the whole lump’. This is an old Hebrew proverb. The use of ‘leaven’ in the Bible is generally used to picture power that spreads. Especially power that is bad or evil. For example the Lord Jesus warns against; “the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:6&12). In the world of cooking even a little leaven or yeast spreads very quickly through a loaf of bread. So Paul is thinking; ‘It took just a tiny piece of false doctrine to lodge in the heart and minds of a few believers in Galatia, and it has spread throughout the Churches.’ It only takes one spark to start a destructive forest fire. It only takes one bad cell in our bodies to cause a destructive cancer to spread, at times uncontrollably, and bring about death. Paul would say to us in this twenty first century as he said to the Galatians in the first century – ‘Beware’!
Vs.10 “I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is”.
It may be that you have been somewhat shocked by Paul’s strong language throughout this letter. Not only has he condemned the Judaizers, but he has also strongly condemned the Galatian Christians. However, there have also been words of tenderness and encouragement and the opening words of verse ten is an example of that. Consider them carefully and slowly; “I have confidence in you …”. Contrast them with the words of verse two for example. What has brought about this change of attitude? We must remind ourselves that his confidence was not misplaced; it was “in the Lord.” Paul was confident, borrowing the words that he wrote to the Philippians (1:6), that he who had begun a good work in the hearts and lives of these Galatians would continue with it until the day of Christ’s return. But he goes further. He tells them that they will come round to his way of thinking or “… will come to think with me” ANT. After all that had happened it took great faith to write that. The verse closes with a word of warning. He seems to be saying; ‘I haven’t forgotten about those who trouble you, neither has God.’ He makes it abundantly clear that they will have to bear the penalty for their false teaching. But why did he use the singular; “…he who troubles you” when he uses the plural everywhere else when referring to these false teachers, even in verse twelve of this chapter; “… those who trouble you”. Had Paul suddenly identified the ringleader of this troop of travelling Judaizers? No, not necessarily. Wm. Hendriksen loosely translates it as follows; “There are several disturbers. Be on your guard, therefore, so that if one – anyone at all … approaches you … he will have to pay the penalty.” Vs. 11 & 12
“And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer
persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!”
The apostle Paul had to endure a lot. He had been stones, thrown in prison and
now in verse eleven he implies that he had been accused of preaching circumcision. How ridiculous is that!? Yes, you and I might be tempted to laugh at it, because we know the
whole story. But in the ‘melting pot’ of debate in which the apostle found himself in could have been very serious. He was actually being accused of being inconsistent in his presentation of the gospel. Yes, before his conversion he certainly belonged to ‘the circumcision party’. Everyone knew that, but now things had changed. What is possibly being referred to here is the time he circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3). Timothy was a child of a mixed marriage (Acts 16:1). In order to make him more acceptable to those Jews among whom he would preach the gospel Paul circumcised him. And it was for that reason and that reason alone that Timothy was circumcised. It was not to complete his salvation, as the Judaizers had been teaching. Once again he asks the Galatians to think. Thinking is a good exercise. Putting his questions in everyday language, Paul was saying something like this; ‘Look, if I was still in the circumcision camp, still preaching circumcision would the Judaizers be persecuting me? Of course not, because I would be one of them’. But he has more to say; ‘If what they say about me were true, then the cross would no longer be a stumbling block to them, it would be meaningless. But the cross continues to be a stumbling block to those legalistic Jews.’ As we have already discovered in this commentary, these Jews just could not get their head around a crucified Messiah. Dr Hendriksen has them saying ‘What the Messiah crucified, perish the thought!’ Through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, the burden of obedience to the law as a pre-‐condition of salvation had been lifted. And they could not grasp or understand that – in Paul’s day or in this twenty first century. The words of Deuteronomy 21:23 still rang in their ears; “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”, (see also Galatians 3:13).
At this point we can sense Paul’s frustration with these ‘agitators’. He just seems
to explode in verse twelve. No one could blame you for being startled by what Paul has written here. I must confess that this is one of the harshest statements the apostle has even written or even spoken. If you are thinking that Paul desires that these Judaizers should castrate themselves, you would be thinking correctly. The desire may well have
come from what he knew of a popular, pagan nature cult called Cybele. Its priests were self-‐made eunuchs. Some may want to cry out; ‘Shame on you Paul for desiring such a thing!’ However it might be shame on us for not taking an uncompromising stand against the watering down of the gospel in this twenty first century.
Vs. 13-15
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!’
Freedom is the heart’s desire of the prisoner. Freedom is the longing of an
oppressed people, like the Hebrews in ancient Egypt. Freedom from alcohol is the burning desire of the poor tortured alcoholic. True freedom is priceless, but brings with it responsibilities. Paul commences verse thirteen by announcing; “For you brethren were (indeed) called to freedom …” ANT. Throughout his letter he reminds these faltering Galatian believers of this fact time after time. He is almost shouting at them; ‘You are free! Free from the guilt of sin, free from the penalty of sin, free from the power of sin and free from following Jewish law and tradition. You have been called to liberty!’ How this should have put a song in their hearts. But he adds a word of warning; “… do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature” (NIV). A truly justified person, enjoying the blessings that freedom in Christ brings will seek to live a godly and good life. He will hate sin and love that which is right and true. He was telling these Galatian believers that their life styles should be essentially different from those of their pagan family, friends and neighbours. How different? -‐ “… through love serve one another”. And we have the perfect example of this kind of love in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. One example that illustrates this very clearly is the incident in John 13: 4 & 5. The Lord Jesus is at supper with His disciples. He rises from the table, takes a towel
and a basin of water and washes the disciples’ feet. A perfect illustration of “… through love serve one another”. The washing of feet was the servant’s job.
But Paul has more to write about Christian love (v 14). To strengthen his point
he quotes from the law. Oh yes Paul was convinced that the moral law of God had a part to play in the Christian life. It gives the Christian a standard to live by. He takes his readers right back to Leviticus (19:18) and summarizes the whole law in one sentence; “You shall love your neighbor as (you do) yourself” (ANT). Now that’s a high standard. The Lord Jesus also quoted Leviticus in Matthew 22. And Paul again uses this quotation in writing to the Romans (13:8-‐10). So we can clearly see from this, the important part that true Christian love plays in the life of a sinner justified by faith. Dr McArthur makes an important point; “… When a Christian genuinely loves others he fulfills all the moral elements of the Mosaic law”.
In verse fifteen Paul pulls back the curtain a little bit to let us see what was
actually going on between these Galatian believers; “But if you bite and devour one another (in partisan strife) be careful that you (and your whole fellowship) are not consumed by one another” (ANT). Hence his earlier emphasis on loving each other. Obviously he had heard that there was a lot of bitterness and ‘in-‐fighting’ going on in the Churches. It wasn’t simply a mild difference of opinion; it was serious, very serious. The two words translated “bite” and “devour” are very strong in the original Greek. Dr McArthur explains them as follows; “These two words speak of wild animals engaged in the fury of a deadly struggle”. This was not a mild disagreement, far from it. There were probably strong verbal battles of the ‘rights and wrongs’ of circumcision. And even the extent of the freedom the Christian enjoys in Christ. Maybe old inter-‐city rivalries had resurfaced following the confusion left by the teaching of the Judaizers. Any one of a number of reasons could have caused this ‘madness’ as John Calvin describes it. It was
threatening to destroy the Christian witness in the whole region. Oh let us remember that the ruling principle of Christian freedom is always love.
Vs 16-18
“I say then: ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law’”.
G. G. Findlay commences his closing comments on this chapter with two thought
provoking principles; “Love is the guard of Christian freedom. The Holy Spirit is its guide.” Ponder these principles well. If you follow through on them, they will help you to live the life that is ‘essentially different’. He then follows up these principles with the following statement; ‘These principles accomplish what the law could never do.’ That is absolutely true. And in contrast to the biting and devouring that the apostle mentions in verse fifteen, he commences verse sixteen with a clear cut command; “Walk in the Spirit.” He means that this should be the normal, habitual lifestyle of every true Christian. The truly justified (by faith) sinner should be responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. The whole idea is that the believer is moving forward in his or her Christian life. This was exactly what Paul wanted these Galatian believers to do – to move forward. John McArthur puts it very well; “Step by step the Spirit moves him (the Christian) from where he is toward where God wants him to be.” And the promise is that; “… you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh …” ANT. The Galatians lived in a fleshly, sex dominated society, as we do in this twenty first century. So they needed, as we do, God the Holy Spirit to help them to be over comers.
In verse seventeen the apostle describes just how fierce the battle with the flesh
is. The Amplified New Testament uses words such as; “antagonistic”; “withstanding” and
“conflict” to highlight the intensity of the battle. And it is a continuous battle. The flesh never gives up. Warren Wiersbe points out that; “The Spirit and the flesh have different appetites and this is what creates the conflict.” And in fact the apostle himself tells of firsthand experience of this conflict. He writes about it in his letter to the Romans (chapter 7:18-‐19, 21-‐23). We will continue to experience this battle until we reach heaven. But until then the battle rages and there are moments in every christian’s life when; “the wishing is present but the doing is not”, so Paul writes; “… you do not do the things that you wish.” At this point it is worth pointing out that the non christian knows nothing of this battle because the Holy Spirit does not live in his heart and life (Romans 8:9). To bring to a close (v18) his discussion on walking in the Spirit, Paul makes it very clear that the way to victory over the flesh is not to battle against it in our own strength but to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit. Victory will never be gained by keeping the law but by being led willingly by God the Holy Spirit. True children of God are led by the Spirit of God. How he longed for these Galatians to live Spirit filled, Spirit controlled lives. Vs 19-24 “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissension, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
There is absolutely no doubt that Paul has a Pastor’s heart. His desire is that
these Galatian Christians would live the kind of life that would be a marked contrast from the lives of the Juadizers and their unconverted fellow citizens. In these verses he
contrasts very graphically the products of a life lived in the Spirit. He trusts that this will motivate them to godly living. Rather than comment verse by verse I have drawn a comparison chart that I trust will help you to see the start contrast between the two life styles. To help with this I have taken ideas from various commentators.
Contrast Chart
Life lived in the flesh
Life lived in the Spirit
“The flesh is able to manufacture
“The fruit of the Spirit is the
sin but it can never produce the
outward indicator of salvation”
righteousness of God.” W Wiersbe
John McArthur
Wm. Hendriksen groups these
Warren Wiersbe groups these
“works of the flesh” under four
nine fruit (singular) of the Spirit
Headings:
under three helpful headings:
Immorality v19 … this refers to
Godward v22 … “love, joy,
all unlawful sexual intercourse.
peace …” These three qualities
Idolatry v20 … this refers not
express the Godward aspect of
only to the worship of images,
the Christian life. Dr McArthur
but also to any evil practice in
remarks that ; “True agape love
connection with such worship.
is a sure mark of salvation.”
Rivalry vs 20 & 21 … this refers to
Manward v22 … “… longsuffering,
people acting from selfish motives
kindness, goodness …” The
craving honour for themselves.
christian who is longsuffering will
Inebriety v21 … this word is not
not avenge himself or wish
often used in the twenty-‐first
difficulties on those who oppose
century. It simply refers to
him.
drunkenness and all associated
Selfward vs 22&23 …
with it.
“… faithfulness, gentleness, self-‐
We must not forget Paul’s warning
control …” “Meekness” (KJV) is
In the last part of verse twenty one;
often translated “self-‐control”,
“… those who practice such things will
such a person does not throw
not inherit the kingdom of God.”
his weight around.
Those who bear the fruit of the
Spirit show that they “have
crucified the flesh with its
passion and desires”. v 24
As you study this comparison chart you will see that there is a world of difference
between those who walk in the flesh and those who walk in the Spirit. That difference should also be seen in our lives. Paul wanted the general public in Galatia to see the difference, for good, in the lives of those who professed to follow Jesus Christ. V 25
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Walking in the Spirit simply means keeping in step with the Spirit. Soldiers on
parade are expected to keep in step with each other. If a soldier is out of step with his comrades he will be noticed. If the Christian is out of step with the Spirit the non-‐ christian will notice. The christian must not run ahead of the Spirit or lag behind Him; rather he or she must keep in step with Him. This will involve spending time in prayer, studying God’s Word and attending God’s house on a regular basis to worship, to enjoy Christian fellowship, and to have our spiritual appetite satisfied. Paul’s desire, expressed here in verse twenty five, was also his desire and prayer for the believers in Colosse; “… that you may walk worthy of the Lord … being fruitful in every good work…” (Colossians 1:10). We must make progress in our Christian lives, advancing step by step towards; “… the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
V 26
“Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
This verse has the flavour of verse fifteen. Again he expresses the desire that the
Galatians, including himself (“us”) live lives that are different from the lives of those among whom they live. The ANT uses phrases like; “Let us not become vainglorious … competitive … irritating to one another … jealous of one another.” A life free from these things would surely bring honour to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There must have been a need for Paul to issue this warning. If we take a clue from verse fifteen it would seem that at this particular time there was a great lack of love and kindness among the Galatian believers. Paul wanted them to be salt and light (Matthew 5: 13-‐16) in the situation in which they found themselves. William Hendriksen sums up Paul’s thinking very well; “Allow the fruit of the Spirit to expel the works of the flesh!” I remember hearing the testimony of a young woman from a non-‐ christian background. She went to work in a large office in London. She was not there very long when she noticed that one of her colleagues stood out as different from other staff members. Not because of how she dressed, nor how she looked. She certainly wasn’t odd, but she was different. She had a beauty that her other colleagues didn’t have. Eventually curiousity got the better of the young woman who was giving her testimony. She asked her colleague; “Your lifestyle is different from the lifestyles of the rest of us. What makes you different?” Of course, this presented the other young woman with a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with her ‘curious colleague’. And through this witness this ‘curious colleague’ became a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul longed that the Galatian believers through the power of God the Holy Spirit, would become different enough to shine -‐ different enough to make a difference. How different (not odd) are you? Is your lifestyle so different from that of the non-‐christian that it arouses their curiousity and they are prompted to ask; “Why are you so different?” If it is not that different praying this little prayer would help?
‘To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus
All I ask to be like Him.
So poor and holy, so meek and lowly
All I ask to be like Him.’
Is this the desire of your heart? If this prayer was answered it would make you different enough to make a difference.