Chapter Three
Gal. 3:1. O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you not to obey the truth,
Having shown first that he is an apostle not from men nor through men, and having presented himself as worthy of trust, he then speaks with greater authority. Intending to compare faith and the law, he calls the Galatians foolish, in no way violating the law of Christ, but on the contrary, fully observing it (Matt. 5:22), since it is not the one who rightly calls his brother a fool who is condemned, but the one who does so without cause. The Galatians, however, are quite justly called senseless, since they remained insensible to such great blessings and rendered the death of Christ useless. And notice, after his proofs he proceeds to reproach and immediately ceases it. For he did not say, "who deceived you?" but "who bewitched you?" (έβάσκανε) Who envied you? — thereby showing that in the beginning they were doing things worthy of envy. He also shows that those who incline them to this act not out of concern for them nor to supply what is lacking, but to destroy what already exists. For such is the nature of envy. And he says this not because envy in itself has the power to harm, but because those who teach these things came to it out of envy.
Gal. 3:1. You, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified among you?
But He was crucified in Jerusalem. How then does he say "before your eyes" and "among you"? Because with the eyes of faith they saw the Cross far more clearly than those who were present at the time and saw it. For while many of those who saw with bodily eyes derived no benefit for themselves, they, without having seen with their eyes, saw very clearly through faith. So Christ was "openly portrayed," that is, vividly depicted through preaching, but you, having believed the preaching, saw Him as though He were present. This is both praise for them and a reproach: praise because they received it with such full assurance, and rebuke because they abandoned the One whom they had seen stripped, crucified, and dying, and turned to the law. Notice how he, setting aside everything else, speaks of the Cross of Christ alone.
Gal. 3:2. This only I wish to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit through the works of the law, or through the instruction of faith?
Since you do not listen to lengthy instructions and do not wish to see the greatness of the dispensation, I will tell you briefly. Answer me this small question: from where did you receive the Holy Spirit and manifest such power and signs? From the works of the law, or from faith? It is clear that it was from faith, since it was not at the time when you adhered to the law that you had the Spirit and performed miracles. How then, after this, having abandoned faith, do you cling again to the law?
Gal. 3:3. Are you so foolish that, having begun with the Spirit, you now end with the flesh? (τελεΐσθε)
Again he opportunely resorted to reproach. You ought, he says, to have progressed toward perfection with the passage of time, but you have not only failed to advance, you have even gone backward. For performing signs is a spiritual matter, and this you were doing in the beginning, but being circumcised is a fleshly matter, which you have now chosen. And he did not say τελειΐτε — you yourselves finish — but τελεΐσθε — you are being forced to finish, showing that those who teach circumcision were ensnaring and slaughtering them like irrational animals.
Gal. 3:4. Have you suffered so many things in vain? If indeed it be in vain!
They struggled through many trials for the sake of Christ. And have you, he says, suffered so much in vain? For if you are circumcised, all of this is in vain, and the deceivers have deprived you of so many crowns. Then, offering them hope of return, he says: "if only it were without benefit," that is, if you wish to come to your senses, then not in vain, not futilely did you labor. Let those who deny repentance be ashamed after this. Behold, they performed signs, were confessors and martyrs, but when they fell away, Paul does not reject them, but receives them with joy.
Gal. 3:5. He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do this through the works of the law, or through instruction in faith?
God, he says, who supplies you with the Spirit so that you may prophesy and speak in tongues, and who grants you the power to perform signs and wonders — did He do this because of works of the law, as though by fulfilling them you pleased Him, or because of the faith in Christ that you demonstrated? Obviously, because of faith. How then can you, having abandoned the faith through which you were glorified, return to the abolished law?
Gal. 3:6. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Although, he says, you ought to have learned the power of faith primarily from the fact that you performed signs, yet if you also turn your attention to the forefather, about whom you speak so much, you will find that he too was justified by faith. And if one who lived before grace is justified by faith, then all the more must those who have been deemed worthy of grace hold fast to faith.
Gal. 3:7. Know then that those who believe are sons of Abraham.
So since they were afraid that by departing from the law they would lose their kinship with the patriarch (for they took great pride in it), he, on the contrary, shows that faith most of all makes sons of Abraham of those who possess it.
Gal. 3:8. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham: "In you shall all the nations be blessed."
Having shown in what way believers are children of Abraham, he also brings forward testimony from Scripture: "in you shall all nations be blessed" (cf. Gen. 12:3), that is, through imitation of your faith. And he also shows that faith is more ancient than the law, since before the law it justified Abraham, and that what is being accomplished now is being accomplished according to prophecy.
"The Scripture," he says, "foreseeing," that is, God Himself who gave the law predetermined that people are justified not by the law, but by faith. And he did not say "revealed," but "preached the gospel beforehand," so that you might learn that Abraham too rejoiced in this manner of justification and desired its fulfillment.
Gal. 3:9. So then, those who believe are blessed with faithful Abraham,
Since they were afraid that for not observing the law they would be subjected to a curse (for it is written: cursed is he who does not observe what is written in the law), he shows the complete opposite, namely, that blessed are those who leave the law and come to faith, just as the faithful Abraham received the blessing.
Gal. 3:10. And all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: cursed is everyone who does not continually fulfill everything that is written in the book of the law.
Lest anyone object, saying: Abraham was quite naturally blessed and justified by faith, since there was not yet a law, but you show me that after the law was given, faith justifies and makes blessed — the apostle now shows not only that faith justifies and imparts blessing, but also that the law is the cause of sin and curse, because no one can fulfill what is written in the law, and the one who does not fulfill it is cursed. Thus, blessing belongs to faith, and in vain do you fear the curse for departing from the law. For by holding to it, you are more likely to fall under the curse, being unable to fulfill it.
Gal. 3:11. But that no one is justified by the law before God is evident, because the righteous shall live by faith.