Galatians 3 v 17, 18 - Divine law does not negate God’s announced promise

 ‘Now I am saying this, the set arrangement has been confirmed in advance under God. Law, having come 430 years afterwards, is absolutely not invalidating or penetrating into to rendering the announced promise entirely idle. 18 Because if the inheritance is from out of law, [then it is] no longer from out of the announced promise. But God has shown favour to Abraham by means of an announced promise’, (Galatians 3 v 17, 18).

Paul clarifies what he has said in verses 14 -16 and anticipates a potential objection. He said that, ‘The announced promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed’, and the ‘seed’ is God’s Anointed, Jesus. ‘The benefit penetrating towards Abraham comes towards the Gentiles within Jesus, His Anointed. So that they receive the announced promise, the Breath, by means of faithful entrustment’ (verse 14). The potential objection is that Covenant Law, which came in later, overrides and invalidates the announced promise made to Abraham. 

Paul states that this is not the case. The set arrangement of faithful entrustment was confirmed in advance under the authority of God. The establishment of Covenant Law that was given some 430 years later, does not penetrate into rendering God’s promise idle. God promised a blessing, a divine inheritance. But if this blessing and inheritance is now from out of Covenant Law, by means of people expending energy and labour to observe its written injunctions, then this is a completely different arrangement. It would mean that the blessings and benefits of inheritance are no longer obtained from out of God’s announced promise. But the fact remains – ‘God has shown favour to Abraham by means of an announced promise’. Having established the set arrangement of an announced promise, the later establishment of Covenant Law did not and does not ignore it, negate it or add to it. God’s announced promise stands, and it is received by faithful entrustment.

Galatians 3 v 13 – 16 - Jesus and God’s announced promises to Abraham and his seed

 ‘His anointed has paid the price to rescue us from out of the law’s denouncement, having been denounced above and beyond us, because it has been written: ‘Denounced – all hanging on a tree’, 14 in order that the benefit penetrating towards Abraham comes towards the Gentiles within Jesus, His anointed. So that they receive the announced promise, the Breath, by means of faithful entrustment. 15 Brothers, I am speaking down from man, nevertheless, even man, having validated an agreed arrangement, no one sets it aside, negating it or adding to it. 16 The announced promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say ‘seeds’, on the basis of many, but on the basis of one – ‘and your seed’ – who is His anointed’, (Galatians 3 v 13 - 16). 

There is no individual human being who has the ability to fully construct all that is written in the book of law. Instead, everyone who seeks to observe the injunctions of the book of law finds that they are denounced by it. The law reveals that they incur self-forfeiture and loss, and that they face divine disapproval. 

So how can anyone obtain divine approval? How can they be delivered from divine condemnation? The answer is that God’s anointed – His only-begotten Son - ‘has paid the price to rescue us from out of the law’s denouncement’. The Messiah himself has been denounced above and beyond us, so that the benefit that penetrates towards Abraham also comes towards Gentiles, within Jesus. This means that Gentiles as well as Jews receive the announced promise, the Breath, by means of faithful entrustment. (Compare Joel 2 v 28, 29; Acts 2 v 16 - 21).

Paul says, ‘I illustrate this by a familiar example taken from common human practice. Even human beings, having established an agreement, don’t then ignore it, negate it or add to it without the consent of the other stipulating party’. This constitutes his next general statement. Namely that such an agreement is established and fixed. Nothing is going to come in from the side to make it invalid. 

Paul then explains what he means in more detail. ‘The announced promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed’, (verse 16). Paul refers to Genesis 22. ‘And Yahweh says, ‘I have sworn by Myself…17 that praising I will praise you, and increasing I will increase your seed according to the stars of the heavens, and according to the sand upon the sea shore. And your seed will take possession of the gate of his enemy. 18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed in consequence that you listened and obeyed My voice’.’, (Genesis 22 v 16a, 17, 18).

Paul comments on this text and says, ‘The announced promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say ‘seeds’, on the basis of many, but on the basis of one – ‘and your seed’ – who is His anointed’. In the first part of Genesis 22 v 17, the word ‘seed’ is intended to be understood in the plural sense – ‘according to the stars of the heavens and….the sand on the sea shore’. As with ‘stars’, the word ‘sand’ is to be understood in the same way. The reference is not to a single grain of sand, but to one body of sand made up of many grains.

Then, in the second part of verse 17, the word ‘seed’ refers to one individual, one seed out of many, who ‘will take possession of the gate of his enemy’. This phrase indicates conquest and victory. Similarly in verse 18, the word ‘seed’ refers to one individual within whom ‘all the ethnic groups of the earth, (not only Jews), will be blessed’. Paul says that this individual is God’s Anointed - Jesus.

Galatians 3 v 10 – 12 – Working to observe divine law is not out of entrustment and leads to condemnation

 ‘Because as many as are existing from out of law-works are existing under denouncement, because it has been written, ‘Denounced – all who are not continuing in all the writing within the book of law, constructing them’. 11 But because no one is judicially approved or made right-wise in the presence of God within law, it is clear that the judicially approved will live from out of entrusting persuasion, 12 and law is not from out of faith, on the contrary, they will live within having constructed them’, (Galatians 3 v 10 – 12).

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Paul continues to construct support for his general statement that Christians receive the Breath from out of hearing and entrustment. He has shown that Gentiles or non-Jews are connected to the Jewish patriarch Abraham by means of hearing and entrustment. Paul now contrasts this with seeking to maintain divine approval by putting energy and effort into observing the written codes of Covenant law. He says that everyone who is trying to earn and maintain divine approval by putting energy and effort into observing the written codes of Covenant law, exists under denouncement, under a curse. The curse is that those who are following this path have to obey every single injunction in the book of law. Those who fail to do so, even within just one instance, are not judicially approved. They incur self-forfeiture and loss.  

No one is judicially approved by putting their energy and work into obeying the written codes of Covenant law. So as a result, it is clear, it is evident, that those who are judicially approved will live from out of entrustment and persuasion – faith. It is also clear that divine law is not from out of faith. These are two completely different paths. Those putting their energy and work into obeying the written codes of Covenant law will live IF they have fully and completely constructed all the writing, all the injunctions, in the book of law. ‘Do this and you will live’, ‘they will live within having constructed them’, (verse 12), but ‘no one is judicially approved in the presence of God within law’, (verse 11). People are not able to stand acquitted before God on Judgement Day by means of observing Covenant Law. Nor are Christians able to maintain divine judicial approval day-by-day by means of seeking to keep the written codes of Covenant law such as the Ten Commandments. 

Galatians 3 v 5 – 9 - God’s announced promise and Abraham’s entrustment

 ‘Therefore, the provision of the Breath to you, and the working activity of power within you - from out of law-works or from out of hearing and entrustment, 6 just as Abraham entrusted God and he reasoned it to a logical conclusion into judicial approval and right wise-ness. 7 Therefore perceive and know that those within entrustment, these are Abraham’s sons. 8 But the Scripture foresaw that the Gentiles are being judicially approved and made right wise from out of entrustment, because God declared beforehand to Abraham: All the ethnic races will be within benefit within you. 9 So then, those from out of entrustment are benefiting and spoken well of in company with persuaded Abraham’, (Galatians 3 v 5 – 9).

Paul continues to chastise the Galatian Christians who were turning to observing the written codes of Covenant law, and he begins to logically reason things through to a conclusion – ‘Therefore…’.  He expands on the contrast expressed in verse 2, ‘Did you receive the Breath [Pneuma] from out of law works, or from out of faithful hearing?’ Building on what he has just said about receiving the Breath through hearing and persuasion, and about the Breath and flesh being opposed to one another, he repeats the question. ‘Therefore, the provision of the Breath to you, and the working activity of power within you - from out of law-works or from out of hearing and entrustment’? (verse 5). 

Paul is primarily writing to Hebrew Christians – to Jews who have become Christians – so as part of his question he brings in the example of the Jewish patriarch, Abraham. ‘….from out of law-works or from out of hearing and entrustment, 6 just as Abraham entrusted God and he reasoned it to a logical conclusion into judicial approval and right-wiseness’. Paul leads his readers to an answer. He asks the question but then adds, ‘This is what our revered Jewish patriarch did’. What did Abraham do? He ‘entrusted God and reasoned it to a logical conclusion into judicial approval and right-wiseness’. In other words, Abraham did not follow Covenant law – indeed, there was no Covenant law at that time, the Sinai Covenant had not been given or established. So Abraham listened, entrusted God, and used his mind to reason things through to a logical conclusion. He became correct or right in his wisdom and thinking. Paul is suggesting that this is the process that the Hebrew Christians in Galatia should be following, not expending energy and labour to observe the written codes of divine law.  

 

‘Therefore perceive and know that those within entrustment, these are Abraham’s sons’, (verse 7). Having presented the Hebrew patriarch Abraham as a primary example to Jews of entrustment in God, and knowing that for Jews, being a descendant of Abraham is important, Paul says to these Jewish Christians that Abraham’s sons are those within the sphere of entrustment. Abraham’s true sons are not those by physical descent, but those living within the sphere of entrustment. Paul says a similar thing in his letter to the Romans in chapter 2 v 28, 29. 

Paul then adds further support to his general statement that Christians receive the Breath from out of hearing and entrustment. He says ‘the Scripture foresaw that the Gentiles are being judicially approved from out of entrustment, because God declared beforehand to Abraham: ‘All the ethnic races will be within benefit within you’,’, (verse 8). Paul connects Gentiles – those who are not Jews – to Jews by means of Abraham. Gentiles are not judicially approved by God by means of the energy and work that they invest in keeping Covenant law. Indeed, Covenant law was not given to Gentiles. ‘In the past, He let all ethnic groups go their own way’, (Acts 14 v 16). Gentiles are judicially approved from out of entrustment, from out of faith leading to obedience. God declared this to Abraham when He said ‘All the ethnic races will be within benefit within you’, (verse 8b).

Paul then reaches a sub-conclusion – ‘So then…’. His conclusion is this – ‘those from out of entrustment are benefiting and spoken well of in company with persuaded Abraham’, (verse 9). Those who are benefiting and spoken well of are not those who are turning to Covenant law, but those who are from out of faith.

Galatians 3 v 1 – 4 - The law, flesh and the Breath

 ‘Oh! Thoughtless Galatians. Who has fascinated you not to be persuaded of the truth, that mind’s eyes down, Jesus His Anointed was announced having been impaled on the cross? 2 I am only wishing to learn this away from you – Did you receive the Breath [Pneuma] from out of law-works, or from out of faithful hearing? 3 So are you not thinking and understanding? Having begun in Breath are you being made complete at this present time within flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much without basis, if indeed also without basis?’ (Galatians 3 v 1 – 4).

As I said earlier, Paul does not mince his words. He chastises the Hebrew Christians who were turning back to observing the written codes of Covenant law, and he says that they are not thinking. They seemed to initially embrace the gospel but Paul says that the gospel was announced to them and their ‘mind’s eye’, their perception and thoughtful insight, was ‘down’. ‘Who has distracted you’, says Paul, ‘Who has occupied your mind away from the gospel? I just want to know one thing, did you receive the Breath from out of your efforts and energies that you put into observing the written codes of divine law, or did you receive the Breath from out of hearing the gospel and being persuaded to the point of obedience?’ This is a rhetorical question because in his next statements Paul implies that they did not receive the Breath from out of their efforts to observe the written codes of Covenant law. This effectively constitutes Paul’s first general statement – 

Christians receive the Breath from out of hearing and entrustment

Paul continues his questioning of the Galatians. He says, ‘Given that you did not receive the Breath from out of your efforts to observe the written codes of Covenant law, is it that you are not thinking and understanding? You know that you began within Breath. So are you now being brought to completion within flesh?’ Paul is not merely talking about the Christian’s ultimate standing before God on Judgement Day. He is not merely talking about ‘justification’. He says that they ‘Began within faith’, but now Paul is concerned about how they are being brought to completion. In other words how are these Christians growing and maturing? How are they living their lives day-by day? 

Paul places Breath in contrast to flesh. As he says elsewhere, these oppose one another, their impetus and movement is in opposite directions. There we see his implied second general statement –

The movement of Breath and the energies of flesh oppose one another

The Hebrew Christians in Galatia had obviously experienced many things since they turned towards the Messiah, but Paul expresses his concern that such experiences may have been without purpose, that they are empty and without value because they do not have a proper basis. The proper basis is persuasion and entrustment in the Messiah. Seeking to maintain divine approval by expending energy and labour in observing the written codes of Covenant law is not a proper basis for divine approval or for maintaining cleanliness.