Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Why then the law? - "—if the law cannot procure the gift of the Spirit, v. 2, if it does not give evidence of possessing any inherent power, v. 5, if no man is justified by it, if no man obtains life by its means, if no one is brought into the enjoyment of blessing by it, vv. 11, 12, 14, cp. v. 21, then what purpose was it intended to serve? with what object was it given? The question arises here naturally, for it cannot be supposed that God gave this law gratuitously, purposelessly, and yet the apostle had denied to the law every advantage claimed for it, or that might be claimed, and left it without any ostensible reason for its existence." (Vine)
because of transgressions - "I.e., to make sins known and to restrain them. The law was mediated through angels and Moses, whereas the covenant with Abraham was given directly by God (Gen 15:18). The presence of a mediator assumes two parties, and the need of a mediator shows the inferiority of the law." (Ryrie)
"My friend, you know that the law does not stop you from sinning, nor help you to be good. It rather stirs up in you that which is bad, so perverse is human nature. It makes you want to do the things that are forbidden (Rom 7:7-8). Some people teach that Paul wrote Romans Chapter Seven at one time, and that later he came out of the struggle against sin and wrote the Eighth Chapter. But I tell you that he wrote both chapters right at the same sitting. The same man that said, 'There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus' (Rom 8:1), also said, '...the things that I do not want to do I find myself doing, and the things that I should do, I do not do. There is a law within me that when I would do good, sin worketh in me, O wretched man that I am!' (Rom 7:15,16,17,24). Paul did not blame the law; he blamed himself. Surely your own conscience and your own experience must bear the same witness. 'The law was added because of transgression,' to show that by sinning you are transgressing the will of God, whether in thought or word or deed." (Stam)
by an intermediary - "The object of this section of the apostle's argument seems to be to demonstrate the inferiority of the old economy, glorious though it was, to the new, and to this end he enumerates four points of difference: 1, the law was given in order to justify God in His condemnation of men; b, it was a temporary expedient; c, it was given through the agency of angels; d, it was received by a human mediator. Whereas: a, the gospel of grace, wherein the promise is embodied and potentially fulfilled, is given for the salvation of men; b, it is final and permanent; c, it is ministered directly by God Himself, apart from angelic agency; d, it is received by men, apart from human mediation. Thus the words of the apostle, written in another connection, are true also in this: 'If the ministration of condemnation is glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory,' 2 Corinthians 3:9." (Vine)
an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one - "'The very idea of mediation supposes two persons at least between whom the mediation is carried on. The law, then, is of the nature of a contract between two parties, God on the one hand, and the Jewish people on the other. It is valid only so long as both parties fulfill the terms of the contract. It is therefore contingent, and not absolute ... Unlike the law, the promise is absolute and unconditional. It depends on the sole decree of God. There are not two contracting parties. There is nothing of the nature of a stipulation. The giver is everything, the recipient nothing.'" (Vine)
"Notice the emphasis. God is one, and long before the law had been given He alone made unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those promises did not consist of a contract between two persons. The contract was on God's side (Gen 22:17-18). There was no mediator needed for that. The law was different. God said that 'if' they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant which was the law, 'then' they would be His special people (Ex 19:5). This meant that two parties were involved in a contract—God and Israel. Moses was the mediator." (Stam)
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? - "The Apostle Paul brought up the next question, 'Is the law then against the promises of God?' He answers, 'God forbid.' The law is not against the promises, 'for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law' (Gal 3:21). In other words, if you could have saved yourself by fully obeying God's law, there would have been no problem at all. God would say, 'God ahead. You do not need Me; you can save yourself.' Ah, but that is not so! No such situation could be possible. No such law could be given. Any righteous legal standard would have to condemn us because every one of us has sinned, not only ignorantly but in many cases willfully. We did what was wrong when we knew it was wrong. This is why Paul argued in Galatians 3 that the law was a temporary institution or we should all perish (Gal 3:22)." (Stam)
Scripture imprisoned everything under sin - "The law shows the world to be under sin so that people will realize that works cannot save, only Christ can." (Ryrie)
we were held captive under the law - "The meaning may be expressed in a paraphrase: 'We were kept in ward under law, ... with the coming of Christ in view. The 'shutting up' was not an end in itself, it was necessary that they should know and feel the constraints of the taskmaster in order that they might welcome the Deliverer when He appeared." (Vine)
our guardian - "The Greek word used here means not a 'teach' but 'an attendant, custodian, or guardian,' usually a slave whose job it was to accompany the child, train him, and discipline him. The law was such a disciplinarian until Christ the teacher came." (Ryrie)
"The word 'schoolmaster' [guardian] in the original language does not refer to the schoolteacher which we have in our public and parochial schools, but rather to a sort of child-trainer. It was the individual who, in Bible times, was given strict supervision over little boys' conduct and morals. It is a rather stern word. If a boy did not obey, or if he misbehaved, he felt the schoolmaster's wrath. The trainer was expected to discipline the child as necessary with penalties imposed ... The sense of verse 24 is that the law was our tutor until Christ, 'that we might be justified by faith. Verse 25 points out that after faith is come we are no longer under a tutor. It points out again that the law was only a temporary institution. God is now dealing with men in pure grace (2 Cor 5:18-19). God's part has already been done! He has paid for your sins and says, 'I hold nothing against you now.' He pleads with you to put away your enmity and to be reconciled to Him." (Stam)
baptized into Christ - "Not water baptism but Spirit baptism, which brings believers into a living union with Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13)." (Ryrie)
"Having spoken of the Galatians in the previous verse as 'in Christ,' referring to that mystical and vital union which exists between the Lord Jesus and the believer, Paul now reminds them of how they became united with Christ. When they put their faith in Him as Saviour, the Holy Spirit baptized (introduced or placed) them into vital union with Christ (Rom 6:3; 1 Cor 12:13). The reference cannot be to water baptism, for that never put a believing sinner in Christ. The Greek word baptize means 'to put or place into.'" (Wuest)
you are all one in Christ - "In the unity of the Body of Christ, differences of race, status, and gender lose their significance. Spiritual position is the same for all, but that does not mean that distinctions cease to exist, nor that all have the same functions within the body (1 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:12)." (Ryrie)
Abraham's offspring - "Christ is the seed of Abraham (v. 16); being in Christ makes the believer a descendant of Abraham and heir of the promise of justification by faith (v. 8). National promises made to Abraham as the father of the Jewish people are not in view in this verse, only the universal promise (v. 8)." (Ryrie)
"This takes us back to the promise referred to in verses 6 to 22 where we saw that Abraham's offspring could be blessed and become a blessing to others only through Christ. By grace God has given us Gentiles a position in Christ, and He calls us Abraham's seed. We are not his physical seed, but we are his spiritual seed in Christ. A Gentile the seed of Abraham? Christ was Abraham's seed, and God has baptized us into Christ. We have a position in Christ." (Stam)
Why then the law? - "—if the law cannot procure the gift of the Spirit, v. 2, if it does not give evidence of possessing any inherent power, v. 5, if no man is justified by it, if no man obtains life by its means, if no one is brought into the enjoyment of blessing by it, vv. 11, 12, 14, cp. v. 21, then what purpose was it intended to serve? with what object was it given? The question arises here naturally, for it cannot be supposed that God gave this law gratuitously, purposelessly, and yet the apostle had denied to the law every advantage claimed for it, or that might be claimed, and left it without any ostensible reason for its existence." (Vine)
because of transgressions - "I.e., to make sins known and to restrain them. The law was mediated through angels and Moses, whereas the covenant with Abraham was given directly by God (Gen 15:18). The presence of a mediator assumes two parties, and the need of a mediator shows the inferiority of the law." (Ryrie)
"My friend, you know that the law does not stop you from sinning, nor help you to be good. It rather stirs up in you that which is bad, so perverse is human nature. It makes you want to do the things that are forbidden (Rom 7:7-8). Some people teach that Paul wrote Romans Chapter Seven at one time, and that later he came out of the struggle against sin and wrote the Eighth Chapter. But I tell you that he wrote both chapters right at the same sitting. The same man that said, 'There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus' (Rom 8:1), also said, '...the things that I do not want to do I find myself doing, and the things that I should do, I do not do. There is a law within me that when I would do good, sin worketh in me, O wretched man that I am!' (Rom 7:15,16,17,24). Paul did not blame the law; he blamed himself. Surely your own conscience and your own experience must bear the same witness. 'The law was added because of transgression,' to show that by sinning you are transgressing the will of God, whether in thought or word or deed." (Stam)
by an intermediary - "The object of this section of the apostle's argument seems to be to demonstrate the inferiority of the old economy, glorious though it was, to the new, and to this end he enumerates four points of difference: 1, the law was given in order to justify God in His condemnation of men; b, it was a temporary expedient; c, it was given through the agency of angels; d, it was received by a human mediator. Whereas: a, the gospel of grace, wherein the promise is embodied and potentially fulfilled, is given for the salvation of men; b, it is final and permanent; c, it is ministered directly by God Himself, apart from angelic agency; d, it is received by men, apart from human mediation. Thus the words of the apostle, written in another connection, are true also in this: 'If the ministration of condemnation is glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory,' 2 Corinthians 3:9." (Vine)
an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one - "'The very idea of mediation supposes two persons at least between whom the mediation is carried on. The law, then, is of the nature of a contract between two parties, God on the one hand, and the Jewish people on the other. It is valid only so long as both parties fulfill the terms of the contract. It is therefore contingent, and not absolute ... Unlike the law, the promise is absolute and unconditional. It depends on the sole decree of God. There are not two contracting parties. There is nothing of the nature of a stipulation. The giver is everything, the recipient nothing.'" (Vine)
"Notice the emphasis. God is one, and long before the law had been given He alone made unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those promises did not consist of a contract between two persons. The contract was on God's side (Gen 22:17-18). There was no mediator needed for that. The law was different. God said that 'if' they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant which was the law, 'then' they would be His special people (Ex 19:5). This meant that two parties were involved in a contract—God and Israel. Moses was the mediator." (Stam)
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? - "The Apostle Paul brought up the next question, 'Is the law then against the promises of God?' He answers, 'God forbid.' The law is not against the promises, 'for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law' (Gal 3:21). In other words, if you could have saved yourself by fully obeying God's law, there would have been no problem at all. God would say, 'God ahead. You do not need Me; you can save yourself.' Ah, but that is not so! No such situation could be possible. No such law could be given. Any righteous legal standard would have to condemn us because every one of us has sinned, not only ignorantly but in many cases willfully. We did what was wrong when we knew it was wrong. This is why Paul argued in Galatians 3 that the law was a temporary institution or we should all perish (Gal 3:22)." (Stam)
Scripture imprisoned everything under sin - "The law shows the world to be under sin so that people will realize that works cannot save, only Christ can." (Ryrie)
we were held captive under the law - "The meaning may be expressed in a paraphrase: 'We were kept in ward under law, ... with the coming of Christ in view. The 'shutting up' was not an end in itself, it was necessary that they should know and feel the constraints of the taskmaster in order that they might welcome the Deliverer when He appeared." (Vine)
our guardian - "The Greek word used here means not a 'teach' but 'an attendant, custodian, or guardian,' usually a slave whose job it was to accompany the child, train him, and discipline him. The law was such a disciplinarian until Christ the teacher came." (Ryrie)
"The word 'schoolmaster' [guardian] in the original language does not refer to the schoolteacher which we have in our public and parochial schools, but rather to a sort of child-trainer. It was the individual who, in Bible times, was given strict supervision over little boys' conduct and morals. It is a rather stern word. If a boy did not obey, or if he misbehaved, he felt the schoolmaster's wrath. The trainer was expected to discipline the child as necessary with penalties imposed ... The sense of verse 24 is that the law was our tutor until Christ, 'that we might be justified by faith. Verse 25 points out that after faith is come we are no longer under a tutor. It points out again that the law was only a temporary institution. God is now dealing with men in pure grace (2 Cor 5:18-19). God's part has already been done! He has paid for your sins and says, 'I hold nothing against you now.' He pleads with you to put away your enmity and to be reconciled to Him." (Stam)
baptized into Christ - "Not water baptism but Spirit baptism, which brings believers into a living union with Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13)." (Ryrie)
"Having spoken of the Galatians in the previous verse as 'in Christ,' referring to that mystical and vital union which exists between the Lord Jesus and the believer, Paul now reminds them of how they became united with Christ. When they put their faith in Him as Saviour, the Holy Spirit baptized (introduced or placed) them into vital union with Christ (Rom 6:3; 1 Cor 12:13). The reference cannot be to water baptism, for that never put a believing sinner in Christ. The Greek word baptize means 'to put or place into.'" (Wuest)
you are all one in Christ - "In the unity of the Body of Christ, differences of race, status, and gender lose their significance. Spiritual position is the same for all, but that does not mean that distinctions cease to exist, nor that all have the same functions within the body (1 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:12)." (Ryrie)
Abraham's offspring - "Christ is the seed of Abraham (v. 16); being in Christ makes the believer a descendant of Abraham and heir of the promise of justification by faith (v. 8). National promises made to Abraham as the father of the Jewish people are not in view in this verse, only the universal promise (v. 8)." (Ryrie)
"This takes us back to the promise referred to in verses 6 to 22 where we saw that Abraham's offspring could be blessed and become a blessing to others only through Christ. By grace God has given us Gentiles a position in Christ, and He calls us Abraham's seed. We are not his physical seed, but we are his spiritual seed in Christ. A Gentile the seed of Abraham? Christ was Abraham's seed, and God has baptized us into Christ. We have a position in Christ." (Stam)
No comments:
Post a Comment