The Run Down
Galatians 3:10-18
Above this passage Paul established the doctrine of justification by faith in a positive manner.
Now he will turn to the negative counterpart.
The impossibility of justification by the law.
Vs. 10 The law demands perfection. Deut. 27:26
A curse is attached to those that don’t fulfill the law in full.
Since all fail, all are cursed.
There is indeed another way to avoid the wrath of God, and that is by the mercy of God in the work of Christ.
Vs. 11 No one is justified by the law…. Impossible. Even through the provisions of atonement, Passover, sacrifice… the law reveals the impossibility to obey perfectly.
Habakkuk 2:4 “The righteous will live by faith.”
Vs. 12 Include implied “rather… the law says the who does them shall live by them.” Doing them you will live by them… obeying the law is good…but in its most complete fullest since… perfection… no one can reach… thus no one will live. Really setting them as opposed to one another… as the means via which we “live” and are “saved”.
Lev. 18:5 Yet Lev. Speaks from a stand point of doing it… living it.. expectation.
But I think as Paul has tried to live the reality… he knows personally the fruitlessness of attainment perfection as according to the law.
Vs. 13 So all are under the curse of disobedience under the law.
And Christ,… wow… “redeemed” us…. And became a curse for us.
“Us” here is both Jew/Gentile… because the point is all can be redeemed through Christ. Not through the law.
To redeem means to “buy out of slavery” by paying a price.
1 Peter. 1:18,19. Acts 20:28.
Deut. 21:23 “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”.
Prophetic. Technical…in sense of breaking law not of his own… but being hanged on a tree… and guilty of it all.. all by his purpose and plan… in are stead.
Jesus is the final OT sacrifice for us. Our atonement.
He is the best.. perfect… without spot or blemish… firstborn… to die as a sin sacrifice.
He is forsaken on the cross by God… Matt. 27:46 for us.
He is our scapegoat Lev. 16:5.
Vs. 14 The blessing of justification through Abraham might come to the Gentiles too.
And that all might receive the Holy Spirit. Joel 2.
Both received through faith… not the law.
Vs. 15 Back to brothers.
Paul will anticipate and answer the argument that an addition came to faith… the law.
Word can mean agreement or will.
Just been thinking of covenant as agreement with God and Abe.
But both still make sense.
Gen 15 the formal act of the covenant.
God makes this unilateral covenant.
Animals cut in 2 parts along backbone, placed in rows, with a space in between, walk through and speak the promises to each other. Shed blood. God alone passes through the slain animals.
Vs. 16 Is not an easy verse. But the idea.. is not to his immediate offsprings.. plural… that could be seen as possibly fulfilled… but more towards a “one”… the “offspring” singular in the since of Jesus… fulfilled promises in him… and all those thru that one offspring by faith.
Vs. 17 430 years from Ex. 12:40 period from Abraham to Moses.
The law can’t add to or annul. The promise is through faith.
Vs. 18 Inheritance not by law. By promise.
But God “Gave” it to Abraham by a promise.
God saves through promise… inherit by promise… not law!