Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Galatians 3:15

Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Galatians 3:15 - 3:22

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Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Galatians 3:15 - 3:22

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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gal_3:15-22

¹⁵Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. ¹⁶Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. ¹⁷What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. ¹⁹Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. ²⁰Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. ²¹Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. ²²But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Gal_3:15-17

NASB, NKJV       "a man's covenant"

NRSV     "a person's will"

TEV      "that covenant"

NJB      "If a will"

Paul proceeds with his argument by means of a common human illustration. He uses a term in Koine Greek which may be translated as either "will" or "testament," in connection with one's inheritance. In Classical Greek it is translated "covenant." In the Septuagint this term is always used of a covenant between God and humanity. Due to this ambiguity, Paul used this legal metaphor as an example for God's covenanting or contracting with Abraham and his descendants. This contract cannot be changed! The same type of argumentation using the concept of a last will and testament is found in Heb_9:15-20.

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Gal_3:15

NASB     "yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it"

NKJV     "yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it"

NRSV     "once a person's will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it"

TEV      "when two men agree on a matter and sign a covenant, no one can break that covenant or add anything to it"

NJB      "has been drawn up in due form, no one is allowed to disregard it or add to it"

Paul responds to the Judaizers' claim that the Mosaic Law superseded the Abrahamic promise. The promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 was ratified by both God's promise (i.e., the Exodus) and a sacrifice in which Abraham had no covenant responsibilities, only faith (i.e., an unconditional divine covenant, cf. Gen_15:12-21).

Gal_3:16 "the promises" "Promises" is plural because of the number of times God repeats His promise to Abraham (cf. Gen_12:1-3; Gen_13:14-18; Gen_15:1-5; Gen_15:12-18; Gen_17:1-14; Gen_22:9-19).

▣ "his seed" The use of "seed" is a word play on a common idiom for descendant. Although singular in form, it can be singular or plural in meaning. In this case, Paul used it as a reference to Jesus, not Isaac—thus, God's promise was not linked to the Mosaic Covenant. "Seed" could be understood in the corporate sense of God's children by faith, like Abraham (cf. Rom_2:28-29).

Gal_3:17 "the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later" Paul gives another reason for the superiority of the Abrahamic promise, it preceded the Mosaic Law in time. There has been much discussion about the number four hundred and thirty years, which comes from Exo_12:40-41 and relates to the Egyptian captivity. Some scholars use the Septuagint translation and the Samaritan Pentateuch of Exo_12:40 which adds "and in the land of Canaan" (F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions, p. 170). Gen_15:13 and Act_7:6 record that Israel was in captivity in Egypt for 400 years. Others assert, however, that the promise was not to Abraham alone, but was repeated to all of the Patriarchs, and simply refers to the time from the last repeated promise to the Patriarchs to the time of Moses' receiving the Law. In context, Paul's explanation concerns not the duration of time, but the long interval between the promise to Abraham and the Law to Moses.

▣ "as to nullify the promise" This word (katargeô) is translated so many different ways but its main meaning is to make something useless, null and void, inoperative, powerless but not necessarily non-existent or destroyed.

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▣ "by God" This is the reading of the best ancient manuscripts (P⁴⁶, à , A, B, C, P) to which UBS⁴ gives an "A" rating (certain), but wait, several tenants of biblical criticism come into play.

1. on the positive side

a. usually the shorter reading is to be preferred (scribes tended to add and clarify, not remove)

b. the older and most widespread geographical reading is probably original. The longer reading is first found in MS D (sixth century)

2. on the other side

a. the most unusual reading is probably original. Paul normally has "in Christ" (en Christô), not "into Christ" (eis Christon)

b. the author's normal usage affects how one views a variant. However, Paul uses the same unusual form in Gal_2:16; Gal_3:24.

See Appendix Two: Textual Criticism.

Gal_3:18

NASB     "but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise"

NKJV     "but God gave it to Abraham by promise"

NRSV     "but God granted it to Abraham through the promise"

TEV      "However, it was because God had promised it that he gave it to Abraham"

NJB      "and it was precisely in the form of a promise that god made his gift to Abraham"

This perfect middle (deponent) indicative emphasizes what God Himself has done in the past with results that abide into the present. The basic root of "granted" (charizomai) is "gift" or "grace" (charis). It emphasizes the free nature of God's acts, solely on the grounds of His character through the work of the Messiah.

Gal_3:19

NASB, NRSV       "Why the Law then"

NKJV     "What purpose then does the law serve"

TEV      "What was the purpose of the Law, then"

NJB      "What then was the purpose of adding the Law"

Paul returned to his rhetorical style of Gal_3:1-5. He began with two questions through which he tries to explain the purpose of the Mosaic Law in the plan of God (cf. Gal_3:19; Gal_3:21). He engages in this contrasting approach because he had so devastated the purpose of the Law in his previous argument that some readers might think he was advocating antinomianism. The OT still functions in sanctification but not (and never did) in justification!

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▣ "It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made" There are several different readings in the MSS tradition, but the one printed in NASB is rated "A" by the UBS⁴. Four elements regarding the Law's inferiority to the promise may be discerned here.

1. it was added later

2. it increased transgressions

3. it was only until the Messiah, "the seed," came

4. it was given through an intermediary

The phrase "increased transgressions" can be interpreted "limit transgressions." This translation is possible syntactically. However, according to Paul's full exposition in the early chapters of Romans (cf. Rom_3:20; Rom_5:20; Rom_7:1), the Law was given to clearly show humans their sins. Before the Law sin was not counted (cf. Rom_4:15; Rom_5:13).

Php_3:6 and Rom_7:7-11 pose a paradox. Paul felt that he had fulfilled the requirements of the Law in his life. However, covetousness, which was later made obvious to him, showed him that he was a sinner and in need of spiritual salvation.

The rabbinical view of angels as agents in the mediation of the Law can be seen in the translation of Deu_33:2 in the Septuagint. The angel(s) who are related to the giving of the Law are also discussed in Act_7:38; Act_7:53 and Heb_2:2; Josephus'Antiquities of the Jews, 15.5.3; and the non-canonical Book of Jubilees, 1:27-29. Paul may have had in mind the Angel of the Lord who continued with the people when YHWH did not (cf. Exo_23:20-33; Exo_32:34; Exo_33:2).

Gal_3:20

NASB     "Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one"

NKJV     "Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one"

NRSV     "Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one"

TEV      "But a go-between is not needed when there is only one person; and God is one"

NJB      "Now there can only be an intermediary between two parties, yet God is one"

This verse presents the interpreter with many different possibilities. In context, an obvious reading would be that the order of the Law's transmission was from God, through angels, to Moses, to the people. Therefore, the promise is superior because it was given face-to-face between only two persons, God and Abraham, while the Mosaic covenant involved four parties. The promise to Abraham required no mediation.

It could also refer to God's unconditional promise to Abraham in Gen_15:12-21. Only God participated in its ratification. Now, although God's initial contact with Abraham was conditional (cf. Gen_12:1), Paul is using the Genesis 15 passage to make his point. The Mosaic covenant was conditional for God and mankind (see Special Topic at Gal_3:15-17). The problem was that since the Fall (cf. Genesis 3) mankind was incapable of performing their part of the covenant. The promise, therefore, based on God (i.e., "God is One") alone, is superior!

Gal_3:21 "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God" The Greek text does not have the article with the term "law," which would have implied the Mosaic Law. The use of "law" with no article occurs three times in Gal_3:21; Gal_4:5. Often "law" in Galatians does not have the article in which case it refers to mankind's attempt to earn God's favor by means of the performance of religious guidelines or cultural norms. The key is not which guidelines, but the belief that a human being cannot earn acceptance with a holy God (cf. Eph_2:9). Here is where a careful reading of Romans 7 is crucial.

The phrase "of God" has some variations in the Greek manuscripts.

1. some have "of God" – MSS à , A, C, D, F, G

2. some later minuscule manuscripts (104, 459) have "of Christ"

3. some omit the words – MSS P⁴⁶, B

The UBS⁴ cannot decide on the wording ("C" rating) and puts "of God" in brackets, which fits the context best.

▣ "For if a law had been given" This second class conditional sentence which expresses a concept "contrary to fact." An amplified translation would read: "if a law had been given that was able to impart life (which there never was), then right standing would have come through law (which it does not)." The Law was never the way to be right with God. It is a true revelation from God (Mat_5:17-19; Rom_7:12). The Law is inspired revelation and valuable but not in the area of right standing or salvation.

▣ "righteousness" See Special Topic at Gal_2:21.

Gal_3:22

NASB     "But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin"

NKJV     "But the Scripture has confined all under sin"

NRSV     "But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin"

TEV      "But the Scripture has said that the whole world is under the power of sin"

NJB      "Scripture makes no exceptions when it says that sin is master everywhere"

To which OT text Paul was alluding is uncertain, though one possibility is Deu_27:26, referred to earlier in Gal_2:16; Gal_3:10. The fall of humanity and their estrangement is the first point of Paul's gospel (cf. Rom_3:9-18; Rom_3:22-23; Rom_11:32).

Literally this is "all things" (neuter), not "all men" (masculine). Some see here the cosmic significance of Christ's redemption (cf. Rom_8:18-25; Eph_1:22 and the entire book of Colossians whose theme is cosmological redemption in Christ). However, in this context, it refers to all mankind, including Jews, Judaizers, and Gentiles.

▣ "that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe" This is a summary of the entire discussion that God's grace and favor come through His promise to Abraham and his "Seed" (i.e., Messiah), not through human merit or performance! Notice the repetition of the term, pistis, translated as "faith" and "believe." See Special Topic at Gal_3:6.

For a discussion of how to understand and translate "by faith in Jesus Christ" see note at Gal_2:16.