Galatians 3 Study Notes

3:14 The Gentiles receive the blessing of Abraham through faith (see note at vv. 7-9) in Christ Jesus. This places them in a position to receive the promised Holy Spirit.

3:15 Paul made his point by using an illustration of a human will. When executed legally, such a document cannot be changed.

3:16-17 The use of the singular seed (Gk sperma) is Paul’s biblical basis for saying that Christ is the one who fulfilled God’s promises . . . to Abraham. However, the Jews are still the physical seed of Abraham, and those in Christ are his spiritual seed (v. 29). Because of the nature of a covenant (v. 15), the Mosaic law—and “the works of the law” (2:16)—cannot override the role of Christ in fulfilling the Abrahamic covenant or Abraham’s example of justifying faith.

3:18 The exalted position of the law with the Jewish teachers who had come to the Galatians did not fit the biblical teaching. God’s earlier promise given to Abraham was the proper basis for their spiritual inheritance.

3:19-20 The divine purpose of the law was to clarify sin until Christ (the Seed; see note at vv. 16-17) came. Acts 7:38 says that an angel was involved as a mediator (a “go-between”), which was needed because the law was a two-party contract, with both God and Israel responsible for keeping it. The Abrahamic covenant was a one-party contract, as seen in the way the Lord ratified the covenant as the only active party (Abram was asleep) in Gn 15:9-12. Such a covenant is unconditional.

3:21-23 Paul clarified that the law was never in conflict with God’s promises to Abraham. The law played the necessary role of convicting people of sin during the almost 1,500 years between Mount Sinai and the gospel of justification by faith in Jesus Christ. The law is pictured here as a jail cell.

3:24-25 Here the law is portrayed as a guardian. A guardian (Gk paidagogos) was a slave who took a young pupil for instruction and protected him from harm until he came of age. When the gospel of Christ came on the scene, the guardian role of the law was no longer needed.

3:26 Not only are those who have faith in Christ Jesus “Abraham’s sons” (v. 7), but they are also adopted sons of God (4:5-7; Rm 8:14-17).

3:27 On baptized into Christ, see Rm 6:3-4. On clothed with Christ, see Eph 4:20-24; Col 3:9-10. Paul used the image of a person emerging from the water after being baptized and putting on new clothes.

3:28 The equality and unity spoken of here is of a spiritual nature—in Christ. Paul had just discussed at length that the Jew has no spiritual advantage over the Greek (Gentile), and now he says the same equality is true for social and gender distinctions. No people group or gender is to be exalted above others.

3:29 To be Abraham’s seed is the same thing as being his “sons” (v. 7), but now the additional element of being heirs is introduced, previewing 4:7 (Rm 8:15-17).