Gálatas 3:18

18 Porque si la herencia es por la ley, ya no será por la promesa; pero Dios por la promesa la dio a Abraham

Gálatas 3:18 Meaning and Commentary

Galatians 3:18

For if the inheritance be of the law
By the inheritance is meant, either the eternal inheritance, everlasting life and happiness in heaven, which is the gift of God through Christ, and not attained to and enforced by the works of the law; or particularly the blessing of justification, promised in the covenant to Abraham, and his spiritual seed; even to the Gentiles, and inherited by them; which is not obtained through obedience to the law of works, nor does it belong to those who seek for it by the deeds of the law, for these are not heirs of it; see ( Romans 4:14 ) . For was this the case,

it is no more of promise;
it cannot be by merit and by promise, by works and grace too; these can never be reconciled, and consist together; if it is by promise, then not of the law; and if it is of the law, it is not by promise: "but" nothing is more certain than this, that

God gave it,
freely, without any consideration of the works of the law,

to Abraham by promise;
wherefore justification is not by works, but by the free grace of God, through faith in the righteousness of Christ; and in this way men become heirs according to the hope of eternal life: all which is directly opposite to the notion of the Jews, who say, that, (Nde Ng wvry twum rkvb) ,

``for the reward of the commandments, men shall inherit paradise ^F11.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 152. 3.

Gálatas 3:18 In-Context

16 A Abraham fueron hechas las promesas, y a su simiente. No dice: Y a las simientes, como de muchos; sino como de uno: Y a tu simiente, la cual es Cristo

17 Esto pues digo: Que el Pacto previamente ratificado de Dios para con el Cristo, la ley que fue hecha cuatrocientos treinta años después, no lo abroga, para invalidar la promesa

18 Porque si la herencia es por la ley, ya no será por la promesa; pero Dios por la promesa la dio a Abraham

19 ¿Pues de qué sirve la ley? Fue puesta por causa de las rebeliones, hasta que viniera la Simiente a quien fue hecha la promesa; y fue ordenada por los Angeles en la mano de un Mediador

20 Y el Mediador no es de uno solo, pero Dios es uno