The book of Galatians is commonly quoted off point and out of context to demonstrate that the Law of God is abolished.  This simply is not true, rather, Galatians proves that the law of God still exists and should be followed. 

         If you have not read the article on Galatians Chapters 1-2 please read it first.  This article will start at Galatians chapter three.  Please read Galatians chapter three before you continue.

          Galatians chapter three starts out with a reminder, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith" (Gal. 3:1-2).  The Galatians, as all true believers, received the Holy Spirit by faith and not the works of the law.  Paul continues, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh" (Gal. 3:3-4).  This verse is often used to show that following the law after faith is foolish, but it says no such thing.  The Galatians were going back to the "circumcision" requirements of the Pharisees.  Remember, they were "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4), who "seemed to be somewhat" (Gal. 2:6), they were "of the circumcision" (Gal. 2:7-9), they were from Judea (Acts 15:1), they were of the "sect of the Pharisees" (Acts 15:5), they claimed to be believers (Acts 15:5), they believed you must be circumcised prior to salvation (Acts 15:1), and they did so that they may "glory in their flesh" (Gal. 6:12-13).  The Galatians were being influenced by these Pharisees and the end result is giving up faith for the practicing of the law.  Instead, they should use faith to practice God's law.
 

What is faith?

          Paul continues, "He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith" (Gal. 3:5).  All of the miracles among the Galatians came by the Holy Spirit through their faith, not through their works.  Paul then quotes Gen. 15:6 to use Abraham as an example of faith, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham" (Gal. 3:6-7).  The Galatians have become children of Abraham through their faith, not their works.  This is their justification.  Their faith has given them their righteousness.  Though Abraham was the epitome of faith, he was also the epitome of works.  In Genesis 26:4-5, God tells Isaac where the place of works is in salvation; "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."  Abraham was justified (accounted to him for righteousness) by his faith (Gen. 15:6), but the blessings came because he "obeyed [God's] voice, and kept [God's] charge, [God's] commandments, [God's] statutes, and [God's] laws" (Gen. 26:4-5).  This is the difference between justification and sanctification.  Justification is by faith alone, but sanctification comes by works (read more on justification and sanctification).

          The Messiah also adds to this understanding when answering the Pharisees in John 8:39, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."  You see, faith comes first, then the works of the law.  This is what James was speaking of in James 2:17-18 when he said, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."  The end result of true faith will be the desire to follow God's law (works of the law).  James sums up his arguments by saying, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God" (James 2:22-23).  James put justification and sanctification in its rightful place.  The Galatians started this way, but were now being influenced by the Pharisees to put sanctification in front of justification.  This Gospel was even preached back in Abraham's day to show God's plan to forgive the Gentiles through Abraham's faith (Gal. 3:8).
 

The Mosaic Law penal clause:

          Now Paul moves to a difficult topic to understand, the penal clause to God's law.  God's law has a penal clause contained primarily in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.  This penal clause contains over thirty benefits and over one hundred curses.  Paul states, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal. 3:10).  Many would say that any who seek to follow God's law are under a curse, but this could not be true.  That would be like saying all those who seek to honor their father and mother or refrain from committing adultery will be cursed, but God's law provides a blessing for doing such things.  God's curses come when we do not continue to practice God's law, but through faith, we have grace to learn God's law.  In Gal. 3:13 it states, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."  Since Christ has become a curse for us, there is now grace to learn how to practice God's law.  Since "no man is justified by the law in the sight of God ... The just shall live by faith" (Gal. 3:11).  The law will never justify a man, only faith will, for "the law is not of faith" (Gal. 3:12).  The flip side to grace/faith is works.  As we grow in sanctification we are required to practice God's law.  The writer of Hebrews says, "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26-27).  This fear of judgment is the curse of the law.  If we know to follow a certain law, but do not, the curse of that law will fall on us.

          We need to remember, God's standard for our living is His law.  We cannot be saved by the works of the law because, "all have sinned, and come short" (Rom. 3:23) and "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).  This is why we need grace.  Our faith in the Messiah provides the grace we need, but this does not excuse the practice of God's law.  Remember, Paul sums up the book of Galatians by saying "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16) and again "if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25).  But what does it mean to "walk in the spirit?"  Ezekiel answers this by quoting God saying, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Eze. 36:27; Is. 42:4-5).  The result of faith in the Messiah is, "that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ" (Gal. 3:14).  The blessings of Abraham were from practicing God's law (Gen. 26:4-5).  The Messiah was, "made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13) to give us grace to learn how to follow God's law, but we cannot take advantage of grace by ignoring the practice of God's law.
 

What is a covenant?

          Paul now explains the basics of contract (covenant).  It is still the same today.  "If [a contract/covenant] be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto" (Gal. 3:15).  Once a covenant is made, no one can remove it.  God made a contract with Abraham (Gal. 3:16) four hundred and thirty years before the Mosaic law (Gal. 3:17-18).  This contract/promise was to Abraham's "seed" singular, not seeds plural.  This contract made to Abraham was the promise of a Messiah.  The law cannot "disannul" the promise made over four hundred years earlier.  Just as Abraham was saved by grace and received blessings based upon practicing God's law, so we are saved by grace and can receive blessings for practicing God's law.  The Gospel was preached to Abraham (Gal 3:8).  This was the gospel of faith in the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins.  The Old Covenant was to be mixed with faith.  Hebrews chapter four says, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Heb. 4:2).  Later, the writer to Hebrews said, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Heb. 8:7-8).  The Old Covenant failed because the people lacked faith.  The Old Covenant failed because they did not mix it with the Covenant of Promise.  The New Covenant is the Old Covenant mixed with the Covenant of Promise.  This is Paul's point in Galatians.  The Old Covenant "disannulled" the Promise, which is why it failed. 

          What is the place of the law then, "It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19).  At first glance it appears the law would only last "till the seed should come," but we need to remember, there is more than one law in the Old Testament.  For example, California has a Mandatory Seat Belt Law (V C Section 27315).  There is also another law enforcing this Mandatory Seat Belt Law called a fine and carries a minimum set penalty and court fees.  So there is the first law (Mandatory Seat Belt Law) and the second law (Fines) enforcing the first.  Scriptural law is the same.  There is a law that we are to follow called God's law and there are laws enforcing God's law called the penal clause, or as Paul puts it, curses.  The law Paul is speaking of here is the penal clause to God's law.  The subject matter of this book is the "curse of the law" (penal clause) and it is this law that would last "till the seed should come."  As already stated, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).  For those who have faith in the Messiah, the penal clause (curses) are gone.

          It is also worth noting that a judge can wave the fine, even today, but he cannot repeal the Seat Belt Law.  Someone can pay my fine for me, but the law will always remain.  God's law is the same.  Someone can pay for my fine (which is what the Messiah did), but God's law will be forever (Deut. 12:28).  Those who practice faith in the Messiah need not fear the curse of the law because through the Holy Spirit they are "walk[ing] in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16, Eze. 36:27).  This in no way implies that the Law of God would end when the Messiah came.  The Messiah has replaced the "curse" of the law, not the law.  This only describes the purpose of God's penal clause, until the Messiah came.  Once the Messiah came, did He remove the law?  On the contrary, the Messiah endorsed the law (Matt. 5:17-18) and He "magnif[ied] the law, and [made] it honourable" (Is. 42:21).
 

The place of the Law:

          Now the Messiah has become our "mediator" to God (Gal. 3:20).  He is our "High Priest" who represents us before God (Heb. 2:17).  The place of the law was not "against the promises of God," but was to address sin (Gal. 3:21).  That is exactly what the law did, it "concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe" (Gal. 3:22).  "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed" (Gal. 3:23).  Before we had faith, we were under the curse of the law, but now after we have faith, we have grace to learn God's law and follow it (walk in the Spirit - Eze. 36:27).  Paul then provides another example of the same thing by stating, "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:24).  The Greek word for "schoolmaster" is paidagōgos which means "a boy leader, that is, a servant whose office it was to take the children to school" (Strong's Concordance G3807).  This word referred not to a teacher or tutor, but to an office given to "slaves or freedmen" whose main duty was to "watch over the boys; to restrain them from evil and temptation; and to conduct them to the schools" (Albert Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible, Galatians Chapter Three).  The Schoolmaster was "one who was entrusted with the supervision of a family, taking them to and from the school, being responsible for their safety and manners. Hence the pedagogue was stern and severe in his discipline" (M.G. Easton, M.A., D.D., Easton's Bible Dictionary, Gal. 3:24, Thomas Nelson, 1897).  The main duty of the "schoolmaster" was that of disciplining the children in their care, just as the law's main duty was towards us.  God's law disciplines us with blessing and curses to bring us towards the Messiah.  This is echoed in Heb. 12:6-8 where the writer quotes Prov. 3:12 saying, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."  God disciplines us to bring us to the Messiah to receive forgiveness.  Those who practice faith in the Messiah can expect discipline (curses) if they "sin willfully" (Heb. 10:26-27).

          "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:25-27).  After we place our faith in the Messiah, we become sons and no longer need discipline to keep us following God's law (walking in the Spirit - Eze. 36:27).  For, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28).  Faith in the Messiah has made "of twain one new man, so making peace" with Jew and Gentile alike (Eph. 2:15).  This is all received by faith in the Messiah.  "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29).  The promise of God is faith in the Messiah of Israel to forgive us of our sins.  This does not remove the law, for the law is for our benefit.  What it does do is provide grace to learn how to "walk in the Spirit" (practice God's law), so we will not "fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).  To continue reading into chapter four, click here.

By Steve Siefken

Chapter:   <--   1-2    3    4     5-6    -->

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV