Galatians 3: The Promise to Abraham

v.1 The righteousness we have through Christ is complete; it cannot be improved upon.

v.2 We come to God on the basis of what He is, not on the basis of what we are. The door is always open to us when we approach Him on the basis of His grace, but rarely open when we approach Him on the basis of our righteousness. If we can fellowship with God in a love relationship, why would we ever choose a legal relationship instead? The gift of the Holy Spirit isn’t an earned blessing.

v.3 Paul relates the spirit to our faith and the flesh to our works. Our faith produces fruit, not fleshly works. Fruit is the natural result of relationship (1 Corinthians 11:28–31; Matthew 12:33; John 15:8). God doesn’t require us to do works we hate to do. He endows and equips us for a particular ministry in the body of Christ. When we fulfill our ministry, it’s natural and comfortable for us (2 Corinthians 5:14). God doesn’t acknowledge or reward the works of our flesh. He wants to see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, which is the product of believing and abiding in Jesus (John 15:1–8). When we received Jesus, God justified us and imputed the righteousness of Christ to us. Our works of the flesh do not add anything to our relationship with God. He is pleased by our faith (Hebrews 11:6).

v.5 The fruit is produced in our lives not because of our righteousness, but because of faith (Acts 3:1–16; Matthew 5:16; James 5:17, 18).

v.6 Abraham is acknowledged as the father of those who believe. Righteousness was imputed to him because of his faith, not because of his actions. What Abraham believed was demonstrated by what he did. Our actions must also be in harmony with what we believe.

v.7 Abraham is the father of a spiritual race of people, rather than a physical race.

v.8–9 The covenant blessings God gave to Abraham are ours also through faith.

v.10–11 The law condemns the man who tries to be justified by it.

v.12 The law is concerned with works, not with faith.

v.13 The New Testament emphasizes what God has done for us. The church has made the mistake of emphasizing what we should do for God. We have moved from the life of faith, grace, and spirit to the life of law, works, and flesh. We’ve gone from blessing and victory to a life of rejection and defeat 1 Peter 1:3–5). The law was intended by God to show us our inadequacy and our need of Him; it was never intended to make men feel righteous (Romans 7:7; Galatians 3:24).

v.14 We cannot receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the law. We receive the Holy Spirit by our faith in Jesus Christ.

v.15 God confirmed His covenant with Abraham. The law, which was added 430 years later, didn’t void the original covenant (v. 17).

v.16 The blessing of Abraham is Jesus Christ and the fellowship with God that He makes possible.

v.17–18 God’s covenant with Abraham concerned the Gentiles. The law was for Israel. Therefore, the covenant with Abraham wasn’t affected by the law.

v.19 The law is good and holy. Obedience to the law provides a life of blessing. The law is the standard that God is conforming us to. Our relationship with God is established on faith, not on our obedience to the law. Our faith is a constant while our experience (obedience) is a variable. The law was necessary before Christ came to give man a covering for his sins so he could relate to God.

v.21 If the law could make us righteous, God wouldn’t have sacrificed His Son (Luke 22:42).

v.22 Romans 3:23.

v.23 The law kept people at a distance from God with the priest as mediator.

v.24 The schoolmaster in the Greek culture was the household servant who escorted the child safely to the place of instruction. The law taught us where we failed to meet God’s standards. It made us realize how our sins separated us from God and how impossible it was for us to be righteous on our own. The law showed us our need for Christ. When we’re justified, God imputes righteousness to us just as if we had never sinned.

v.25 After the law has driven us to Christ, it has finished its work in us (Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:48; John 16:7–11; Matthew 12:31–32; Isaiah 53:6). The power of the Spirit and our love for Christ combine to keep us on the path of righteousness now.

v.26 Children here means “placed as a son” (John 1:12).

v.27 When we’re baptized, we bury the old life of the flesh and begin a new life in Christ (Romans 6:3–7; John 3:6–7).

v.28 Jesus Christ removes the distinctions that divide people into superior and inferior groups.