Galatians - Chapter 3

Faith, Law, & the People of God

In the first two chapters of Galatians Paul addressed the problems of the churches by affirming the authority of the one Gospel.

The agitators who followed Paul caused added issues by teaching that the Gospel of Grace was insufficient for salvation and there were works that had to be done by the believers to assure salvation, works such as circumcision of the Gentile believers and some obedience in diet, such as were followed by the Jews.

Paul’s teaching was that ALL who profess belief in Christ were accepted into His family by Grace, not of works. Paul’s teaching on this matter was based upon the revelation given him by Jesus Himself and Paul consistently preached all are accepted and are equal in Christ.

The stakes in this argument were very high and were subject to all the strength of verbal combat Paul could muster. Paul in this chapter could barely hide his feelings of urgency, impatience, and even bitter irony toward those who would lead the recently converted believers astray.

Here is the structure of the thoughts Paul uses in Galatians 3 to make his case to those who might have been confused or misled by these false teachers:

3:1-5

Appeal to the experience of the Galatian Churches: How did you receive the spirit?

3:6-14

The blessing promised to Abraham has now come to the Gentiles.

3:15-29

To belong to Christ is to be the heir of Abraham and to no longer to be under the suppression of the law.

15-18

The law does not make the promise invalid. The promise made was fulfilled in Christ (“… as of one…”) who is the promised seed. The commands of the law arrived 430 years later.

19-29

Christ’s coming changes the status of the law and produces a new fellowship. The law had a temporary function as a custodian. Being in Christ brings God’s children (Abraham’s heirs) into a new unity.

Further thoughts on Galatians 3:

The Spirit comes into the believer with the preaching of the crucified Christ.

The Spirit is in strong opposition to the flesh. (Paul uses the word flesh to describe works of the law).

The Spirit is the power of the new age and therefore is the source of mighty works to come. 

The Spirit dwells within the entire community of believers, not just within a few leaders.

Abraham, not chosen because he believed, was counted righteous because of his faith that was later evident (Genesis 12:3 & 15:6) and here we see the scriptural beginning of the basis of Paul’s strong argument of justification by faith alone.

The true heirs of Abraham are related to him by their faith not by their family nor tribe. This is a HUGE change brought by Paul as Jews counted blood family and tribe as sacred above almost all other factors.

(Paul will later perfect this teaching in Romans 9:6 when he says that                                       

“… For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”)

Christ has freed believers from the law by His perfect obedience and has fulfilled it for all times, and now we are living under Grace.

All who believe and follow Christ are living in unity & equality in the dominion of Jesus Christ:

3-28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”.