3:15–22 Paul anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his use of Abraham to prove the doctrine of justification by faith, that the giving of the law at Sinai after Abraham brought about a change and a better method of salvation. The apostle dismissed that argument by showing the superiority of the Abrahamic Covenant (vv. 15–18), and the inferiority of the law (vv. 19–22).
3:15 Brethren. This term of endearment reveals Paul’s compassionate love for the Galatians—which they may have begun to question in light of his stern rebuke (vv. 1, 3). manner of men…man’s covenant. Even human covenants, once confirmed, are considered irrevocable and unchangeable, how much more a covenant made by an unchanging God (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17).
3:16 Seed. Cf. v. 19. The quote is from Gen. 12:7. The singular form of the Heb. word, like its Eng. and Gr. counterparts, can be used in a collective sense. Paul’s point is that in some OT passages (e.g., Gen. 3:15; 22:18), “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ. promises. Those associated with the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:3, 7; 13:15, 16; 15:5, 18; 17:8; 22:16–18; 26:3, 4; 28:13, 14). Because they were made both to Abraham and his descendants, they did not become void when Abraham died, or when the law came.
3:17 four hundred and thirty years. From Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (cf. Ex. 12:40) to the giving of the law at Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). The law actually came 645 years after the initial promise to Abraham (ca. 2090 B.C.; cf. Gen. 12:4; 21:5; 25:26; 47:9), but the promise was repeated to Isaac (Gen. 26:24) and later to Jacob (ca. 1928 B.C.; Gen. 28:15). The last known reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob occurred in Gen. 46:2–4 (ca. 1875 B.C.) just before he went to Egypt—430 years before the Mosaic law was given. the covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant (see note on v. 16). For a discussion of the biblical covenants, see notes on Gen. 9:16; 12:1–3; Rom. 9:4. confirmed before by God. See note on v. 15. The term means “ratified.” Once God ratified the covenant officially (see notes on Gen. 15:9–21), it had lasting authority so that nothing and no one could annul it. The Abrahamic Covenant was unilateral (God made the promise to Himself), eternal (it provided for everlasting blessing), irrevocable (it will never cease), unconditional (in that it depended on God, not man), but its complete fulfillment awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.
3:18 Paul again emphasized that there is no middle ground between law (works) and promise (grace); the two principles are mutually exclusive ways of salvation (cf. Rom 4:14). An “inheritance” by definition is something granted, not worked for, as proven in the case of Abraham.
3:19–22 Having shown the superiority of the promise to Abraham (vv. 15–18), Paul described the inferiority of the law, and its purpose.
3:19 was added because of transgressions. Paul’s persuasive argument that the promise is superior to the law raises an obvious question: What was the purpose of the law? Paul’s answer is that the law reveals man’s utter sinfulness, inability to save himself, and desperate need of a Savior—it was never intended to be the way of salvation (cf. Rom. 7:1–13). Seed. See note on v. 16. through angels. The Bible teaches that angels were involved in the giving of the law (cf. Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:2), but does not explain the precise role they played.
3:20 mediator. Paul’s point is apparently that a “mediator” is required when more than one party is involved, but God alone ratified the covenant with Abraham (see notes on Gen. 15:7–21).
3:21 Paul uses the strongest Gr. negative (see note on 2:17) to disdain the idea that the law and the promise are at opposite purposes. Since God gave them both and does not work against Himself, law and promise work in harmony; the law reveals man’s sinfulness and need for the salvation freely offered in the promise. If the law could have provided righteousness and eternal life, there would be no gracious promise.
3:22 confined all under sin. The Gr. verb translated “confined” means “to enclose on all sides.” Paul portrays all mankind as hopelessly trapped in sin, like a school of fish caught in a net. That all people are sinners is the express teaching of Scripture (see note on Rom. 3:19; cf. 1 Kin. 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Eccl. 7:20; Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:9–19, 23; 11:32).
3:23 before faith came. From the viewpoints of both the history of redemption and through all times in the area of individual salvation (cf. vv. 19, 24, 25; 4:1–4), only saving faith unlocks the door of the prison where the law keeps men bound. kept under guard by the law. Paul personifies the law as a jailer of guilty, condemned sinners, on death row awaiting God’s judgment (Rom. 6:23). the faith which would afterward be revealed. Again Paul was looking at the coming of Christ, historically and at each believer’s salvation, individually. Faith in Christ alone releases people from bondage to law, whether the Mosaic law, or the law written on the hearts of Gentiles (Rom. 2:14–16).
3:24 tutor. The Gr. word denotes a slave whose duty it was to take care of a child until adulthood. The “tutor” escorted the children to and from school and watched over their behavior at home. Tutors were often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to yearn for the day when they would be free from their tutor’s custody. The law was our tutor which, by showing us our sins, was escorting us to Christ.
3:25, 26 Believers, through faith in Jesus Christ, have come of age as God’s children. Thus, they are not under the tutelage of the law (Rom. 6:14), although they are still obligated to obey God’s holy and unchanging righteous standards which are now given authority in the New Covenant (6:2; Rom. 8:4; 1 Cor. 9:21).
3:26 sons of God. While God is the Father of all people in a general sense because He created them (Acts 17:24–28), only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are God’s true spiritual children. Unbelievers are the children of Satan (Matt. 13:38; John 8:38, 41, 44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10; cf. Eph. 2:3; 1 John 5:19).
3:27 baptized into Christ. This is not water baptism, which cannot save (see notes on Acts 2:38; 22:16). Paul used the word “baptized” in a metaphorical manner to speak of being “immersed,” or “placed into” Christ (cf. 2:20) by the spiritual miracle of union with Him in His death and resurrection. See notes on Rom. 6:3, 4; cf. 1 Cor. 6:17. put on Christ. The result of the believer’s spiritual union with Christ. Paul was emphasizing the fact that we have been united with Christ through salvation. Positionally before God, we have put on Christ, His death, resurrection, and righteousness (see notes on Phil. 3:8–10). Practically, we need to “put on Christ” before men, in our conduct (Rom. 13:14).
3:28 you are all one in Christ Jesus. All those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with each other. This verse does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions among Christians, but it affirms that those do not imply spiritual inequality before God. Nor is this spiritual equality incompatible with the God-ordained roles of headship and submission in the church, society, and at home. Jesus Christ, though fully equal with the Father, assumed a submissive role during His incarnation (Phil. 2:5–8).
3:29 Abraham’s seed. See note on v. 7. Not all physical children of Abraham are the “Israel of God” (cf. 6:16), that is, true spiritual children of Abraham (Rom. 9:6–8). Gentile believers who are not physical children of Abraham are, however, his spiritual children in the sense that they followed the pattern of his faith (see note on Rom. 4:11, 12). heirs according to the promise. All believers are heirs of the spiritual blessing that accompanied the Abrahamic Covenant—justification by faith (Gen. 15:6; cf. Rom. 4:3–11).
Galatians 4
4:1–7 Paul expands on the analogy of a child’s coming of age (3:24–26), contrasting believers’ lives before salvation (as children and servants), with their lives after salvation (as adults and sons). Both Paul’s Jewish and Gentile readers readily understood this imagery, since the Jews, Greeks, and Romans all had a ceremony to mark a child’s coming of age.
4:1 child. The Gr. word refers to a child too young to talk; a minor, spiritually and intellectually immature and not ready for the privileges and responsibilities of adu
lthood.
4:2 guardians and stewards. “Guardians” were slaves entrusted with the care of underage boys, while “stewards” managed their property for them until they came of age. Along with the tutor (3:24), they had almost complete charge of the child—so that, for all practical purposes, a child under their care did not differ from a slave.
4:3 when we were children…in bondage. Before our “coming of age” when we came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. the elements of the world. “Elements” is from a Gr. word meaning “row,” or “rank,” and was used to speak of basic, foundational things like the letters of the alphabet. In light of its use in v. 9, it is best to see it here as a reference to the basic elements and rituals of human religion (see note on Col. 2:8). Paul describes both Jewish and Gentile religions as elemental because they are merely human, never rising to the level of the divine. Both Jewish religion and Gentile religion centered on man-made systems of works. They were filled with laws and ceremonies to be performed so as to achieve divine acceptance. All such rudimentary elements are immature, like behaviors of children under bondage to a guardian.
4:4 the fullness of the time. In God’s timetable, when the exact religious, cultural, and political conditions demanded by His perfect plan were in place, Jesus came into the world. God sent forth His Son. As a father set the time for the ceremony of his son becoming of age and being released from the guardians, stewards, and tutors, so God sent His Son at the precise moment to bring all who believe out from under bondage to the law—a truth Jesus repeatedly affirmed (John 5:30, 36, 37; 6:39, 44, 57; 8:16, 18, 42; 12:49; 17:21, 25; 20:21). That the Father sent Jesus into the world teaches His pre-existence as the eternal second member of the Trinity. See notes on Phil. 2:6, 7; Heb. 1:3–5; cf. Rom. 8:3, 4. born of a woman. This emphasizes Jesus’ full humanity, not merely His virgin birth (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:20–25). Jesus had to be fully God for His sacrifice to be of the infinite worth needed to atone for sin. But, He also had to be fully man so He could take upon Himself the penalty of sin as the substitute for man. See Luke 1:32, 35; John 1:1, 14, 18. under the law. Like all men, Jesus was obligated to obey God’s law. Unlike anyone else, however, He perfectly obeyed that law (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). His sinlessness made Him the unblemished sacrifice for sins, who “fulfilled all righteousness,” i.e., perfectly obeyed God in everything. That perfect righteousness is what is imputed to those who believe in Him.
4:5 to redeem. See note on 3:13. those…under the law. Guilty sinners who are under the law’s demands and its curses (see notes on 3:10, 13) and in need of a savior (see note on 3:23). the adoption as sons. “Adoption” is the act of bringing someone who is the offspring of another into one’s own family. Since unregenerate people are by nature children of the devil (see note on 3:26), the only way they can become God’s children is by spiritual adoption (Rom. 8:15, 23; Eph. 1:5).
4:6 Spirit of His Son. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to confirm to believers their adoption as God’s children (see note on Rom. 8:15). Assurance of salvation is a gracious work of the Holy Spirit and does not come from any human source. Abba. An Aram. term of endearment, used by young children to speak to their fathers; the equivalent of the word “Daddy” (see note on Rom. 8:15).
4:8–11 While salvation is the free gift of God (Rom. 5:15, 16, 18; 6:23; Eph. 2:8), it brings with it serious responsibility (cf. Luke 12:48). God requires believers to live a holy life because they are children of a holy God and desire to love and worship Him (Matt. 5:48; 1 Pet. 1:15–18). That obligation was to the unchanging moral and spiritual principles that forever reflect the nature of God; however, it did not include the rituals and ceremonies unique to Israel under Mosaic law as the Judaizers falsely claimed.
4:8 when you did not know God. Before coming to saving faith in Christ, no unsaved person knows God. See notes on Eph. 4:17–19; 2 Cor. 4:3–6. by nature are not gods. The Greco-Roman pantheon of non-existent deities the Galatians had imagined they worshiped before their conversion (cf. Rom. 1:23; 1 Cor. 8:4; 10:19, 20; 12:2; 1 Thess. 1:9).
4:9 known by God. We can know God only because He first knew us, just as we choose Him only because He first chose us (John 6:44; 15:16), and we love Him only because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). turn again. See notes on 3:1–3. weak…elements…again… bondage. See note on v. 3.
4:10 days…years. The rituals, ceremonies, and festivals of the Jewish religious calendar which God had given, but were never required for the church. Paul warns the Galatians, as he did the Colossians (see notes on Rom. 14:1–6; Col. 2:16, 17), against legalistically observing them as if they were required by God or could earn favor with Him.
4:11 labored…in vain. Paul feared that his effort in establishing and building the Galatian churches might prove to be futile if they fell back into legalism (cf. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:5).
4:12–20 Having sternly rebuked the Galatians, Paul changes his approach and makes an appeal based on his strong affection for them.
4:12 become like me, for I became like you. Paul had been a proud, self-righteous Pharisee, trusting in his own righteousness to save him (cf. Phil. 3:4–6). But when he came to Christ, he abandoned all efforts to save himself, trusting wholly in God’s grace (Phil. 3:7–9). He urged the Galatians to follow his example and avoid the legalism of the Judaizers. You have not injured me. Though the Jews persecuted him when he first went to Galatia, the Galatian believers had not harmed Paul, but had enthusiastically received him when he preached the gospel to them (cf. Acts 13:42–50; 14:19). How, he asked, could they reject him now?
4:13 physical infirmity. Some think the illness Paul refers to was malaria, possibly contracted in the coastal lowlands of Pamphylia. That could explain why Paul and Barnabas apparently did not preach at Perga, a city in Pamphylia (cf. Acts 13:13, 14). The cooler and healthier weather in Galatia and especially at Pisidian Antioch (3,600 ft. above sea level), where Paul went when he left Perga, would have brought some relief to the fever caused by malaria. Although malaria is a serious, debilitating disease, its attacks are not continuous; Paul could have ministered between bouts with fever.
4:14 you received me. The Galatians welcomed Paul in spite of his illness, which in no way was a barrier to his credibility or acceptance. as Christ Jesus. See notes on Matt. 18:5–10.
4:15 blessing you enjoyed. “Blessing” can also be translated “happiness,” or “satisfaction.” Paul points out that the Galatians had been happy and content with his gospel preaching (cf. Acts 13:48) and wonders why they had turned against him. plucked out your own eyes. This may be a figure of speech (cf. Matt. 5:29; 18:9), or an indication that Paul’s bodily illness (see note on v. 13) had somehow affected his eyes (cf. 6:11). In either case, it reflects the great love the Galatians had initially expressed for the apostle.
4:16 your enemy. The Galatians had become so confused that, in spite of their previous affection for Paul, some had come to regard him as their enemy. The apostle reminds them that he had not harmed them, but merely told them the truth—a truth that had once brought them great joy (see note on v. 15).
4:17 They. The Judaizers (see Introduction: Background and Setting). zealously. With a serious concern, or warm interest (the same word is used in 1:14 to describe Paul’s former zeal for Judaism). The Judaizers appeared to have a genuine interest in the Galatians, but their true motive was to exclude the Galatians from God’s gracious salvation and win recognition for themselves.
4:18 not only when I am present. Paul encouraged the Galatians to have the same zeal for the true gospel of grace that they had had when he was with them.
4:19 My little children. Paul’s only use of this affectionate phrase, which John uses frequently (1 John 2:1, 18, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21). until Christ is formed in you. In contrast to the evil motives of the Judaizers (see note on 3:1), Paul sought to bring the Galatians to Christlikeness. This is the goal of salvation (see notes on Rom. 8:29).
4:20 doubts. The verb means “to be at wits end.” C
f. v. 6.
4:21—5:1 Paul, continuing to contrast grace and law, faith and works, employs an OT story as an analogy or illustration of what he has been teaching.
4:21 under the law. See note on 3:10.
4:22 two sons. Ishmael, son of Sarah’s Egyptian maid Hagar (Gen. 16:1–16), and Isaac, Sarah’s son (Gen 21:1–7).
4:23 according to the flesh. Ishmael’s birth was motivated by Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith in God’s promise and fulfilled by sinful human means. through promise. God miraculously enabled Abraham and Sarah to have Isaac when Sarah was well past childbearing age and had been barren her entire life.
4:24 symbolic. The Gr. word was used of a story that conveyed a meaning beyond the literal sense of the words. In this passage, Paul uses historical people and places from the OT to illustrate spiritual truth. This is not an allegory, nor are there any allegories in Scripture. An allegory is a fictional story where real truth is the secret, mysterious, hidden meaning. The story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac is actual history and has no secret or hidden meaning. Paul uses it only as an illustration to support his contrast between law and grace. two covenants. Paul uses the two mothers, their two sons, and two locations as a further illustration of two covenants. Hagar, Ishmael, and Mt. Sinai (earthly Jerusalem) represent the covenant of law; Sarah, Isaac and the heavenly Jerusalem the covenant of promise. However, Paul cannot be contrasting these two covenants as different ways of salvation, one way for OT saints, another for NT saints—a premise he has already denied (2:16; 3:10–14, 21, 22). The purpose of the Mosaic Covenant was only to show all who were under its demands and condemnation their desperate need for salvation by grace alone (3:24)—it was never intended to portray the way of salvation. Paul’s point is that those, like the Judaizers, who attempt to earn righteousness by keeping the law receive only bondage and condemnation (3:10, 23). While those who partake of salvation by grace—the only way of salvation since Adam’s sin—are freed from the law’s bondage and condemnation. Mount Sinai. An appropriate symbol for the old covenant, since it was at Mt. Sinai that Moses received the law (Ex. 19). Hagar. Since she was Sarah’s slave (Gen. 16:1), Hagar is a fitting illustration of those under bondage to the law (cf. vv. 5, 21; 3:23). She was actually associated with Mt. Sinai through her son Ishmael, whose descendants settled in that region.
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