14. The Failure of Legalism: From Old Testament Teaching - 3:6-14

The Failure of Legalism: From Old Testament Teaching - 3:6-14 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (3:6)

Now Paul comes to the second proof. He uses the example of Abraham. Abraham was, of course, a proof text for these Judaizers. They would in their arguments go back to Abraham and so Paul went back to Abraham, but he went back to him to show God’s thoughts, that Abraham believed and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:1-21), not on the basis of his circumcision, for that was much later (Genesis 17:1-27). Having received the Holy Spirit the Galatians needed to go on in faith, this they could learn from Abraham, the father of believers (Romans 4:11). So we today should learn from Abraham. Although we do not live in the beginning of Christianity when the Church was being established, accompanied by these signs and miracles that took place, then we can also follow Abraham’s example, he believed God, “and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”Here we have an important principle that justification is always by faith and not by works of law. This very important argument Paul proves from the Old Testament.

“Know then that they that are on the principle of faith, these are Abraham’s sons …” (3:7)

It is not “children,”as the King James Version says, it is “sons.”There were those who were literal descendants of Abraham (his children), but the emphasis here is on those who were his ‘spiritual children,’or ‘sons,’those who were characterized by the faith that Abraham had. This would also be an extensive theme to study, the characteristics of Abraham’s children and Abraham’s sons, but I leave that with you.

“…and the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations on the principle of faith, announced beforehand the glad tidings to Abraham: In thee all the nations shall be blessed.” (3:8)

Here the Scripture is equated with God, because it was God foreseeing. We have a similar expression in Hebrews 4:1-16 about the Scriptures. “For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight”(Hebrews 4:12-13). The Scriptures are equated with God, they are the living Word, God’s Word, that is why the Scriptures could foresee that God would justify the nations on the principle of faith, that is why the Scriptures announced beforehand the glad tidings to Abraham. This is perhaps difficult for us to understand. This is not the gospel that we know, but it certainly was the communication of a good message to Abram. In the King James Version we read, “foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached - that is, to communicate a good message - before,”it is just that. It is not that the gospel of God’s grace as we know it now had been literally preached to Abraham but that God brought a good message to Abraham because he believed. Therefore on this basis God could promise to Abraham, “In thee all the nations shall be blessed”(Genesis 12:3). Abraham is the father of all believers, and so the blessings that belonged to Abraham are accounted to all believers, in whatever dispensation they live.

“So that they who are on the principle of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” (3:9)

We who are living in the day of grace have something more than Abraham but we also have something in common with him, and that is the point here. For example, the Old Testament believers did not have the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, this is a difference, yet we have many things in common with Abraham as this verse shows.

“For as many as are on the principle of works of law are under curse. For it is written, Cursed is every one who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them …” (3:10) This is a very solemn point. If we try to approach God on the basis of works of law we are under the curse. Why is this so? This is explained in Deuteronomy 27:1-26 where we find twelve curses and at the end it says, “If you do not continue in all things which are written.”The people of Israel were to be divided on two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim (this actually happened in the book of Joshua, chapter 8), six tribes on Mount Ebal to curse, and six on Mount Gerizim to bless, but there were only curses uttered in connection with the people under the law. This brings home another point, “all things”means that if a man fails in one thing he is guilty of having transgressed the whole law, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”(James 2:10). The Jews had six hundred and thirteen laws in the Old Testament, not only the Ten Commandments, and if a person failed in one of these, he was guilty and had transgressed the whole law. Suppose you have a chain composed of a number of rings and someone is hanging on that chain above an abyss. His whole life depends on this chain. If one link of this chain breaks, will the rest of the chain hold him? No, he plunges into the abyss. And so if one commandment is broken, the whole law is broken, the offender comes under the curse. This is James’argument and this is Paul’s argument here too.

“…but that by law no one is justified with God is evident, because ‘The just shall live on the principle of faith …’” (3:11) The Old Testament brings this out clearly. It is not taught in the Old Testament but the principle is illustrated in these words that on the basis of works of the law no one is declared righteous with God; it is only on the basis of faith. This is confirmed in Habakkuk, which is quoted here, “The just shall live on the principle of faith.”There are three elements, just, live and faith. “The just”is an element that is developed in Romans, how the repentant sinner can be declared righteous and just by God and may receive life. The question of life is developed in Hebrews. In Hebrews 10:38 the same verse is quoted and there the emphasis is on the life lived on the principle of faith. In the context of Galatians the emphasis is on faith because it is works of faith, the works that are produced by faith. This is not our doing something in our own strength by keeping the law of Moses but it is on the basis of faith that we live and are declared righteous. So this is a very important principle which is already contained in the Old Testament and so Paul says in verse 11 that by law no man is justified with God.

“…but the law is not on the principle of faith; but, ‘He that shall have done these things shall live by them.’” (3:12)

Law and faith are mutually exclusive. If you are under the law of Moses then you cannot be under faith. If you are under faith then you cannot be under the law of Moses. It is that simple. Leviticus 18:5 says that if a man could fulfil the law he would live, so when the rich young ruler came to the Lord and asked what he could do to obtain eternal life this is what the Lord told him. The law promised life for obedience but no one could ever fulfill the demands of the law, no man was righteous (Romans 3:1-31) except for One, and that was the Lord Jesus. That is the stage that Paul arrives at in verse 13. Only Christ ever kept the law to its full extent, He said in Matthew 5:1-48 that He had come to fulfill the law. He fulfilled the law in His perfect life but then also in His substitutionary death; this could never be repeated, but it was accomplished in order to give us life and to bring us salvation.

“Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one hanged upon a tree,) …” (3:13) This implies that He has bought us, that He has delivered us from the curse. It was especially the Jews who were under the law and therefore under the curse, but Christ has redeemed them from the curse of the law. How did the Lord do that? Christ accomplished redemption by becoming a curse for them (also for us), by becoming the Substitute. It was not that there would be any compromise, that God as it were would shut His eyes for a moment and overlook a few demands of the law, no, the law had to be satisfied in full and maintained; indeed, thus it was in the life of the Lord and in His death. His life He lived in complete accordance with the law of Moses. The Lord had a conflict with the Pharisees with their interpretation of the law, but He was never in conflict with the law of Moses. The conflicts that we read of in the Gospels were with the interpretations and traditions that the Pharisees had made of the law. But during His life the Lord fulfilled the law completely!

Then in His death as our Substitute the law was fulfilled with regard to us, as Christ took our place, as we have seen already in Paul’s words, “I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live I but Christ lives in me”(2:20). This is now the result. So here in verse 13 we come to a very important point and this in itself would be a subject of further study and I commend it to you. What a blessed fact that the only One who was ever perfect, who never did anything wrong became a curse for us and died in our stead as our Substitute. This is the wonderful truth that is presented here. Then Paul quotes from the Scriptures, “For it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs upon a tree.”Here we see the Lord Jesus in His perfection, the One who never sinned (1 Peter 2:22), He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), in Whom is no sin (1 John 3:5) and being apart from sin (Hebrews 4:15) was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). What a topic for meditation and even for our worship. In the Lord’s words to Nicodemus in John 3:1-36, that He would be lifted up, we see a similar thought, the Lord Jesus would be the sin offering and He would take our place. I repeat, it is really a great study in itself.

“…that the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (3:14)

What is the result of the Lord taking the curse upon Himself? There is blessing. It sounds contradictory, but this is the truth. God is satisfied because the Lord was raised from among the dead and seated at His right hand crowned with glory and honour, and now we are in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham has come to us through Him. This is a wonderful result of His work. The “we”here is now Jewish and Gentile believers, “That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”Again, this is something that Abraham did not have. There were promises fulfilled in Abraham’s life and there are also promises that God made to Abraham that will be fulfilled in the millennium, when the nations on this earth will enjoy blessings and Israel also will enjoy special blessings as the result, but they are all based on this work that the Lord Jesus has accomplished. However, we have even greater blessings than believers had in other dispensations.