OT: Gen 12:3; 15:6; Lev 18:5; Deut 27:26; Isa 53:4–5; Hab 2:4
NT: Rom 1:17; 4:16; 1 Cor 1:18–25; Eph 1:13
Catechism: only Jesus perfectly fulfills the law, 578, 580; Abraham’s offspring, 706
After verse 5 Paul stops posing †rhetorical questions. From 3:6 to 4:7 we have a doctrinal argument based on texts from the Old Testament. It is not easy to follow the logic of his presentation, because Paul is passionate and does not take time to indicate all the steps in his thinking. In addition, he does not always complete one topic before beginning another but moves unexpectedly from one to another and then returns to an earlier subject because his arguments are intertwined. For example, the topic of sonship appears in 3:7, suddenly disappears, and then returns as an aside in 3:16, only to be taken up again in 3:19, 26, 29.
Paul’s doctrinal presentation here (3:7–14—although it actually begins with 3:6) concerns the relationship between †faith and †law, and those are the words that appear most frequently. One can seek to base one’s relationship with God on either faith or law, but not both. Paul shows that these two principles are mutually exclusive and that the only valid principle is faith.
[3:7]
Having just quoted Genesis about Abraham (3:6), Paul draws a surprising conclusion: Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. The reference to those who have †faith (literally, “those who are from faith”) continues the theme of the previous section and refers to people whose relationship with God is based on faith. They stand in contrast to “all who depend on works of the †law” (literally, “those who are from works of the law,” 3:10). The second part of the sentence, however, introduces a new theme, that of being children of Abraham. Paul will return to it later using different language, speaking of the offspring or “descendant” of Abraham in 3:16, 19, and 29. Only then will it be clear why Paul brought it up, but we will state it right away: the underlying question is, Who gets to share in Abraham’s †inheritance? For first-century Jews, Abraham’s inheritance did not just refer to the land of Israel but also symbolized the blessings of the age to come (see the sidebar, “What Is Abraham’s Inheritance?”). The question of who shares in this inheritance was probably raised by the †Judaizers. Since God’s promises were made to Abraham and his children, the inheritance will be given to them, not to others. Consequently, the decisive question was, How does a person enter into Abraham’s family? According to Gen 17:13–14, for males the indispensable means of participating in the †covenant is circumcision, which brings with it the obligation to observe the law of Moses. In this way the position of the Judaizers—that †Gentile Galatian believers needed to be circumcised—was firmly established. Paul is in a hurry to refute that argument, and for this reason he immediately declares that faith rather than circumcision and works of the law is what makes people children of Abraham.
What kind of relationship with Abraham is Paul talking about when he speaks of Abraham’s “children”? In the Bible there are a variety of literal and metaphorical senses in which people can be referred to as the children of someone else. What kind of children is Paul talking about? For instance, the Wisdom books often use the term “son” to refer to a disciple of a teacher of wisdom (see, e.g., Prov 1:8, 10, 15). In Hebrew thought, “son of” or “child of” can mean one who resembles or acts like another. Jesus calls his opponents children of the devil, because their acts and intentions are like the devil’s (John 8:39–44). The context indicates that Paul has in mind a sonship of imitation: Abraham believed; whoever believes is like Abraham and is a son or daughter of Abraham in that sense. In Romans, Paul will insist that believers are children of Abraham because their faith is like his (see Rom 4:11–12, 16–18).
The question remains, however, whether a sonship of imitation, a kind of spiritual sonship, is enough to give a person access to the inheritance of Abraham. The Judaizers maintained it did not. They could argue that Scripture strongly insists on the necessity of a physical link. In the very promise God gave Abraham in Gen 15, it was specified that the heir would not be a foreigner but that “your own offspring will be your heir” (Gen 15:4). So Paul’s declaration in this verse that those who have faith are the sons and daughters of Abraham is not yet sufficient to settle the matter. Consequently, the Apostle will return to the question of Abraham’s children later and will take pains to show also a physical link between Abraham and Gentile Christians (see Gal 3:16, 29). For the moment, however, he simply affirms that faith makes people children of Abraham, without exploring this in detail.
[3:8]
Paul now shifts his focus to consider another link between †Gentiles and Abraham. He quotes God’s promise to Abraham: Through you shall all the nations (or “all the Gentiles”) be blessed. Instead of focusing on the problem of establishing a relationship between Gentiles and Abraham that the †Judaizers’ position presupposed, Paul presents a positive perspective. He is able to do this easily because the first statement in the Bible about the relationship between “the †nations” and Abraham is positive. At the very beginning of Genesis’s account of the story of Abraham, the Bible records God’s promise: “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Gen 12:3). This promise is repeated several times, with the word “families” replaced by “nations” (Gen 18:18; 22:18; 26:4), the same word commonly translated “Gentiles.”
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
What Is Abraham’s Inheritance?
In ordinary English usage the word “†inheritance” refers to property that is transferred to someone upon the death of the owner. When inheritance is spoken of in the Bible, however, the emphasis falls less on the transfer of ownership and more on the manner in which property is possessed by the one who inherits—that is, on its being the permanent possession of an individual or family.
God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as their permanent possession (Gen 15:7, 18; Exod 32:13), and Scripture speaks of this promised land as Israel’s inheritance (Deut 1:38; 4:21; Josh 11:23) and each tribe or family’s allotted portion as their inheritance (1 Kings 21:3; NABRE, “heritage”).
By the time of Jesus many Jews understood that the promise of “the land” to Abraham and his descendants encompassed not only Canaan but ultimately the whole world at the end of history (Rom 4:13; see Matt 5:5; the Hebrew word for the “land” also means the “earth”). The first Christians understood that God began to fulfill his promise by bestowing the whole world on Abraham’s descendant, †Messiah Jesus, the king and embodiment of faithful Israel (Matt 28:18; Gal 3:16), who will take full possession of the earth when he returns in glory. Jews and †Gentiles who believe in Christ have become coheirs through their union with him in †faith and baptism (Gal 3:26–29). They will enjoy the fullness of the inheritance at the resurrection, when they fully possess eternal life in the kingdom of God. In the meantime, many of the benefits of the inheritance—life, righteousness, peace, joy, blessing (Rom 14:17)—are available now through the gift of the Spirit, “the first installment of our inheritance” (Eph 1:13–14; see 2 Cor 1:22).
Paul interprets Gen 12:3 in a surprising way. Although †justification is not even mentioned, Paul introduces his quotation of Genesis by declaring that Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Thus Paul identifies the blessing promised to the nations with their justification by †faith.
To understand Paul’s thinking here, it is necessary to remember that blessing in the Bible never refers merely to good wishes. Rather, God’s blessing always entails his bestowing some real benefit. Consequently, “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Gen 12:3) promises that the Gentiles will participate in some way in Abraham’s privileged relationship with God.
To clarify this relationship, Paul implicitly links Gen 12:3 with Gen 15:6, which he quoted at Gal 3:6 above (“Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’”). In Gen 12:2, God says to Abraham, “I will bless you.
” It is not yet an actual blessing but only a promise of blessing. Paul sees the first fulfillment of this promise in Gen 15:6, which affirms that God counted Abraham’s faith as righteousness. And this blessing of righteousness is based not on any work of Abraham’s but on the fact that he believed in the word of God. The person who obtains a good and right relationship with God in Gen 15:6 is “Abraham who had faith” (Gal 3:9); he does not rely on his own ability to accomplish something but on the absolute trustworthiness of God.
Since the blessing promised to the Gentiles is a share in Abraham’s relationship with God (Gen 12:3), that blessing will consist in God’s accounting them righteous through faith, just as he did for Abraham. This explains how Paul can declare that the promise in Gen 12:3 was prophetic of God’s plan to justify the Gentiles through faith (Gal 3:8). His declaration is based on the relationship of these two texts (Gen 12:3; 15:6) and on the experience of his apostolic ministry among Gentiles, which manifested the fulfillment of the ancient promise. God’s promise that “all the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Gen 12:3) meant that they would come to share in Abraham’s harmonious relationship with God, and this was perfectly fulfilled when the forgiveness of sins and all the other benefits of justification were offered to all nations through faith in Christ, who died for the salvation of all. Paul thus recognizes Gen 12:3 as an early announcement of his †gospel: God foretold the good news to Abraham, or more literally, “God evangelized Abraham in advance.”
[3:9]
Paul’s conclusion reinforces the point: Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. Since in Gen 15:6 the one who is blessed by God is Abraham, who believed, the way to share in his blessing is to be a believer like him.
[3:10]
At first glance one might think that Paul changes the subject between verses 9 and 10, since the vocabulary is completely different. In reality, however, there is a close connection expressed through antithesis. “Those who have faith” in verse 9 stand in contrast to all who depend on works of the law in verse 10. Those who “are blessed” (v. 9) stand in contrast to those who are under a curse (v. 10). With this contrast Paul returns to his polemic against the †Judaizers, who want to impose the †law of Moses on the Galatians.
Paul distinguishes two mutually exclusive categories. On one side are those who have †faith, whether they are Jews or †Gentiles, and are blessed with Abraham. On the other side are all those who rely on the works of the law, whatever their ethnic origin, who are under a curse. It is clear that Paul is warning about the perilous situation of the Judaizers and the Galatians who are inclined to follow them.
A few nuances in the text should be noted. Paul does not say, “Those who keep the law are cursed,” which would directly contradict the Old Testament (e.g., Deut 28:1–14). Rather, he says, “all who depend on [literally, are from] works of the law are under a curse.” The difference is crucial.
The phrase to be “from works of the law” reveals the crux of the issue, which has to do not with one’s behavior but with the principle on which one hopes to be saved. It is possible to practice the law without depending on the works of the law. The issue is the starting point of one’s relationship with God. From what, or on what basis, do I seek to be accepted by God? From my works in keeping with the law? Or from my faith in the person and work of Christ? Paul’s warning in verse 10 is aimed at those who make their conduct the foundation of their relationship with God.
Paul also avoids saying that followers of the law are cursed. He says they “are under a curse,” which is a more nuanced statement. Paul would not say that the law curses those who observe it, because that would be false. The law promises them multiple blessings (see Deut 28:1–13). However, Paul is pointing out that the law contains the threat of curses and that people who live under the regime of the law find themselves exposed to that danger.
To prove his point, he quotes Deut 27:26, which concludes a series of no less than twelve curses. Paul quotes from the †Septuagint version, which gives the verse a broad scope by its use of two words that express completeness: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law (italics added).12 Incurring curses is practically inevitable for those who live under the law, for according to the text, to avoid a curse one needs to be faithful to all the numerous prescriptions of the law. James 2:10 observes, “Whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it” (see also Gal 5:3). To maintain continual, perfect observance of the whole law seems humanly impossible. Paul’s argument is forceful.
[3:11–12]
If verses 11–12 were skipped, the reader could pass smoothly from verse 10 to verse 13, since both verses talk about curses. According to verse 10, the †law sets out a curse, and according to verse 13 Christ has set us free from this curse. However, in between, Paul felt the need to return to the theme of †justification and to give scriptural proof of what he asserted in 2:16 but did not demonstrate—namely, that the law does not bring justification. The proof he offers is also useful to complete the discussion on the blessing and the curse. If the law is incapable of making a sinner righteous, it will not be able to bring blessings to anyone, since the law promises blessing only to righteous people who keep God’s commandments (Deut 28:1–2).
His demonstration occurs in a long sentence that contrasts the principle of †faith with the principle of works. We can express the logic of the sentence in this way: “It is clear that no one can be made righteous before God (i.e., justified) by the law, because the righteous †live on the basis of faith, whereas the law operates on the basis of works.”
Paul’s argument is based on a contrast of two statements in the Old Testament that share the phrase “shall live”:
You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, by doing which a man shall live. (Lev 18:5 RSV [italics added])
Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, / but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Hab 2:4 RSV [italics added])
These verses establish different foundations for life. According to Leviticus the foundation is keeping the law, doing rather than believing, while for Habakkuk the foundation is faith, from which comes righteousness.13 This contrast of foundations serves to demonstrate Paul’s thesis that there is a fundamental difference between the principle of law and that of faith, and since righteousness comes through faith, it cannot be attained by relying on the law.
Paul has distinguished two different approaches to relationship with God. On one side there is that of the law, in which people attempt to establish their worth on the basis of their own works but cannot get beyond their limitations. On the other side there is that of faith, in which people transcend themselves since they renounce trusting in what they can do and accept instead the foundation God offers, which is Christ the Son of God, who died and rose for our salvation.
From this we can see that the system of the law is not only a dangerous system because of the risk of a curse if one does not succeed at keeping all the requirements of the law. It is also intrinsically defective because it confines human beings within the limits of their own striving. Paul summons his readers to make a clear choice.
[3:13–14]
Verses 13–14 express the mystery of redemption with typical Pauline boldness. Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. The sentence is long and overloaded because Paul wanted to insert a proof from Scripture; it is paradoxical because redemption is achieved by someone “becoming a curse.” One might think that someone who becomes a curse could contaminate others. How is it then that Christ, by becoming a curse, has thereby freed us from the curse? The paradox continues in the clause that follows. Christ became a curse so that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through him. It seems completely illogical: blessing comes from a curse?
Paul’s paradoxical description of Christ’s achievement evok
es amazement and wonder at the plan of God, which completely surpasses human invention. The meaning of the cross of Christ comes to our attention not as a carefully balanced philosophical insight but as a fact that overturns every merely human idea. It is the divine foolishness that is wiser than human calculations, a stumbling block to human wisdom; it is the divine weakness that alone is capable of bringing salvation, while all human acts of virtue taken together fail (see 1 Cor 1:18–25).
“Christ ransomed us.” The Greek verb Paul uses14 belonged not to the religious vocabulary of the †Septuagint but to the language of the marketplace. It meant “to buy back or to purchase”; “redeem” would be a more exact translation. Who is redeemed? The first-person plural “us” refers to Paul and his fellow Jews who were “bought back” from the curse of the †law because they were subject to it. However, the effect of this ransom is far-reaching: it was so that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the †Gentiles. This shows that the situation of the Jews was decisive for all †nations. As long as they remained under the curse of the law, it was impossible for the blessing of Abraham to reach the nations. If, however, a way out could be found for the Jews, then a solution would be available for the Gentiles as well.
The boldest and most difficult point of Paul’s declaration is the way this freedom from the curse of the law comes: it comes through Christ himself “becoming a curse.” Paul offers scriptural proof from Deut 21:22–23, which concerns the practice of hanging the corpse of an executed criminal on a wooden pole in the sight of all to dissuade others from imitating his conduct: it is written, “Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree.”15 Deuteronomy did not originally refer to crucifixion since the Israelites did not inflict that torture. However, the final state of a person whom the Romans crucified was the same: a corpse hanging on “a tree” (in Hebrew the same word means both “tree” and “wood”), and Jews of Jesus’ day understood Deut 21:22–23 to speak of crucifixion.16
Galatians Page 13
