6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned 7 unto him for righteousness. Know therefore that they who are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. 1 Or, Ye perceive. 'worketh miracles in you,' see 1 Cor. 12: 28 and Matt. 14: 2. Thus understood, Paul must refer to spiritual gifts, such as speaking with tongues, interpretation of tongues, discerning of spirits, propheysing, and the like, which were bestowed by the Holy Spirit according to his own will. Yet bodily cures of an extraordinary character in answer to prayer might perhaps be described in these terms. If, however, the versions are correct in translating the words 'among you,' the principal reference may be to miracles in the world of sense, though others would not of necessity be excluded. At all events, the apostle here appeals to miracles as unquestionable facts in the history of the Galatian churches, and founds upon them an argument against the Judaistic teaching, that men could not be acceptable to God through faith in Christ, without obeying the Jewish Law. Doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? The subject of the whole sentence is without any doubt God, and the manifest assumption of the apostle is, that the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Galatians, and his marvelous working in them, had depended in no degree on their obedience to the Jewish Law, but altogether on their faith in Christ. Indeed, there is no evidence that they had yet observed the Jewish rites to any considerable extent, or, if any of them had done this, Paul was certain that they could not ascribe this working of the Holy Spirit in them or among them to their legal works. Hence he presses the question boldly as one that must receive an answer which would refute all possible arguments for keeping the law as a condition of justification with God. 2. CONFIRMATION OF THIS VIEW BY AN APPEAL TO THE BIBLE ACCOUNT OF ABRAHAM'S JUSTIFICATION. (6-9.). 6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted (reckoned) to him for righteousness. The answer of the previous question is left to be supplied by the reader. It must be: 'surely of faith,' and with this in mind the apostle adds: 'Even as Abraham believed God,' etc. The phraselogy of the quotation is borrowed from the Septuagint Version of Gen. 15: 6, which, however, fairly reproduces the sense of the Hebrew original. That original is translated in the Canterbury Revision: "And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." The same passage is quoted by the apostle in his Epistle to the Romans (4:3) with the important comment: "Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness." (Ver. 4 and 5.) Clearly, then, according to Paul, Abraham's faith was accepted by God, in place of righteousness, or a perfect life, as a condition of justification. "Because of this faith in Christ," says Martin Luther, “God seeth not my doubting of his good-will toward me, my distrust, heaviness of spirit, and other sins which are yet in me. For as long as I live in the flesh, sin is truly in me. But because I am covered under the shadow of Christ's wings, as is the chicken under the wing of the hen, and dwell without fear under that most ample and large heaven of the forgiveness of sins, which is spread over me, God covereth and pardoneth the remnant of sin in me-that is to say, because of that faith wherewith I began to lay hold upon Christ, he accepteth my imperfect righteousness even for perfect righteousness, and counteth my sin for no sin, which notwithstanding is sin indeed." 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. With equal propriety the verse may be rendered: Ye know therefore that they who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham. The word 'these' is emphatic, these and no others. Though the imperative 'know' is more animated than the indicative 'ye know' or perceive, it seems less natural in a passage so argumentative as this has now become. The readers are presumed to see that only persons of the same religious spirit as Abraham can be properly called his sons. Compare the same apostle's words in Rom. 4:11, seq., and the Saviour's words in John 8:8, 39. Lightfoot explains 8 And the Scripture, forseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God 1 would justify the 2 Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the 9 nations be blessed. So then they who are of faith 1 Gr. justifieth......2 Gr. nations. the phrase 'who are of faith' (oi èk níσrews) as | Compare 1 Cor. 7: 14." But this seems to put meaning, "they whose starting-point, whose Abraham very nearly in the place which Paul fundamental principle is faith," and SieffertMeyer says that it "designates the believers according to their specific peculiarity genetically. Faith is that from which their spiritual condition springs. Compare Rom. 2:8; 3: 26; 4: 14; John 18: 37." 8. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, the Gentiles by faith. 'The Scripture' is here personified as having divine foresight, doubtless because it is conceived of as being the word, and therefore, virtually, the intelligence of God. Compare Rom. 4:3, 9, 17; John 7:38, where it is spoken of as saying that which God says in and by it. The verb would justify' is in the present tense to denote the rule of action fixed in the mind of God and followed by him. And the words 'by faith' are emphatic, containing the principal thought of the participial clause. Preached before the gospel unto Abraham. See Revised Version. · Of course, it was God, whose words were subsequently recorded and are preserved in Scripture, who did this. In the personification, the Scripture is simply said to do what God, the Supreme Author of it, really did. Saying, In thee shall all (the) nations be blessed. "That promise was an evangel before the evangel." (Sieffert.) It is to be found in Gen. 12: 3, according to the Septuagint, though the apostle has substituted 'all the nations' for all the families of the earth.' In Gen. 18: 18 the same promise is repeated with reference to Abraham: "And all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him." The precise sense of 'in thee' cannot be easily fixed. Lightfoot says: "In thee,' as their spiritual father"; but we ask, In what sense is Abraham the spiritual father of believing Gentiles? Ellicott says a little more: "In thee' as the spiritual father of all the faithful, -the preposition with its usual force specifying Abraham as the substratum, foundation, on which, and in which, the blessing rests. everywhere else assigns to Christ. Sieffert remarks: "In thee,' that is, in this fact, that thou art blessed, is contained (as a consequence) the being blessed of all the heathen, in so far, namely, as all the heathen were to attain through faith to justification and through justification to the reception of the Holy Spirit, but in the blessing of Abraham, the father of all believers (Rom. 4), the connection of faith and justification was revealed and established for all future time." This is better. Jowett thinks that 'in thee' is equivalent to "in thee as their type," or "in thy faith," adding that "the general meaning is as follows: It was not a mere accident that it was said, 'In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed'; but because Abraham was justified by faith, as the Gentiles were to be justified by faith." It may then be sufficient to say that Abraham was the primary and palmary example of justification by faith, in whom were made known to mankind the principle and condition on which all men in subsequent ages were to find acceptance with God. Therefore all who resemble him in faith are called his sons, and their justification is conceived of as but a repetition or amplification of his. There does not appear to be any explicit reference to Christ in the word 'thee'; that reference is to be found in the added words of ver. 16, "thy seed." 9. So then they which (that) be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Here, by way of general conclusion, Paul affirms that believers are blessed with the believing Abraham. 'With Abraham' the apostle now writes, not 'in him'; by which the joint participation in the blessing of God on the same terms is simply and strongly affirmed. The spiritual attitude toward God which was acceptable in the case of Abraham is acceptable in every man, whether Jew or Gentile. Compare Rom. 4: 23. Paul has now appealed, (a) to the early ex 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 10 are blessed with the faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the 1 Or, works of law. perience which the Galatians enjoyed of the Holy Spirit's work in their hearts, (b) to the great sufferings which they had been enabled to bear for Christ's sake, and (c) to the extraordinary spiritual gifts which they had received-all coming to them through faith in Christ, without the performance of legal works, as proof that not such works, but rather faith, is the condition of acceptance with God. This truth he has also confirmed by showing through the testimony of Scripture (a) that Abraham was justified by faith, and (6) that all the nations are to be partakers of the grace of God on the same terms with him. His next step is to prove from the Holy Scriptures: 66 way, by showing from the same divine word that they cannot be justified by obedience to the law. Compare Rom. 4:15. By those who are of works of law' are meant those whose character is founded on works of law." Their spirit is the legal spirit, a spirit which is fostered by legal observances when these are looked upon as the ground of acceptance with God. The exact shade of thought intended here is probably "those who depend on them for justification." (Boise.) For it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. See Deut. 27: 26. Quoted freely from the Septuagint which, in turn, is a free translation of the Hebrew. For the Hebrew reads: "Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them"; the Septuagint, "Cursed be every man that continueth not in all the words of this law to do them"; and Paul, as above, inserts the words, 'in the book of,' and substitutes 'the things written in' for 'the words 3. THAT NO SINNER CAN BE JUSTIFIED AND BLESSED BY GOD ON THE GROUND OF HIS OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW. (10-12.)-Lightfoot's summary or paraphrase is excellent: “Having shown by positive proof that justification is of faith, he strengthens his position by the negative argument derived from the impossibility of maintaining its opposite, jus-of.' But these changes do not affect the sense tification by law. This negative argument is twofold: First, it is impossible to fulfill the requirements of the law, and the non-fulfillment lays us under a curse (ver. 10); secondly, supposing the fulfillment possible, still the spirit of the law is antagonistic to faith, which is elsewhere spoken of as the source of life. (Ver. 11, 12.)" Compare the analysis of Hackett before the notes on ver. 1. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the (a) curse. This is introduced by 'for,' because it is meant to be a confirmation of the conclusion just stated, that men are justified through faith. The general premise admitted by all Christians was that men may be justified. The special premise here assumed is that this must be effected in one of two opposite ways, through faith or through obedience to law. Having produced evidence from the experience of the Galatian believers, and from the word of God, that men have been from of old until now justified through faith, he confirms his position that this is the way, and indeed the only of the passage. They merely serve to bring out more distinctly the meaning contained in the briefer original. The word 'cursed' signifies "condemned and suffering God's just displeasure." The effect of that condemnation was not, in the case of the chosen people, reserved altogether to a future state. It often took the form of temporal calamities. Yet under the clearer light of the Saviour's teaching we learn that it will eventuate in eternal ruin. The final clause, ‘to do them,' describes the way in which one must 'confirm' or 'continue in' all the requirements of the law, in order to escape condemnation. Perfect obedience, obedience in all things, is demanded. Transgression in one point is sin. James refers to the same fact: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all." (2: 10.) Paul's statement, then, means that all who depend upon works of the law for justification are condemned; for every one who fails to obey that law perfectly is condemned, and every man has failed and will fail to obey it thus. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 11 law to do them. Now that no man is justified 1 by the law in the sight of God, is evident: for, The 12 righteous shall live by faith; and the law is not of faith; but, He that doeth them shall live in them. 1 Gr. in. dent; it is demanded by a clause in the preceding verse: "wait for it." (Hab. 2:3.) Hence justification by legal works is impossi-liance or faith is meant in our passage is evible, and as many as rely upon them for it are under a curse. To make this doubly certain he presents the matter in another light, as follows: And the law is not of faith. That is, according to the apostle, faith is not the working principle of the law, the idea from which it proceeds and upon which it depends for its efficacy. Compare Rom. 10: 5. But, the man that doeth (or, hath done) them shall live in them. An abbreviated quotation of Lev. 18:5: "Ye shall keep my statutes, and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them." Hence obedience is the condition of true life under the law. Doing, not believing, is the central idea of the legal system. He that has done what the law requires shall have life in and by the works which he has performed. By epitomizing the words of Leviticus so freely, Paul shows that he believed the Galatians to be familiar with this part of the Old Testament. It is possible that he had himself used it for a similar purpose when with them, and equally possible that it was 11. But (now) that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just (righteous) shall live by faith. Compare Rom. 1:17; 3: 21, seq.; Heb. 10:38. The cogency of this reasoning depends on the assumption that justification by legal works cannot blend with or be co-ordinate with justification by faith. The methods differ radically; one excludes the other. And this is the more evident after what is said in the preceding verse, which really shows that the only persons to be justified are sinners. 'By the law' might be rendered 'in the law,' that is, in its sphere and domain, where it determines the standing of every one. 'The righteous shall live by faith.' See Hab. 2:4. Another rendering which is adopted by many scholars, connects 'faith' with the adjective 'righteous' instead of the verb 'shall live,' | frequently used by the Judaizing teachers who thus: 'He, who is righteous by faith, shall live.' This rendering suits the argument of Paul better than the ordinary one, but it is not so natural a translation of the original text. For that appears to mean: The righteous man will live through his steadfast trust' (in God). "The word rendered 'faith'," says Cook, in the "Bible Commentary," "has the fundamental sense of steadfastness, hence trustworthiness, faithfulness in the discharge of all duties, especially of promises; as a personal quality, truth in deed and word, and in man's relation to God, firm belief and reliance on the divine promise, the special sense in this passo.' sage; whatever may betide others who "will not believe" (Hab. 1:5), the righteous who believes and trusts will live. That the word is properly rendered 'faith,' taken in the full, true sense of trustful faith, is clear from the usage of the word in the palmary text: "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Gen. 15:6.) That such re had come among them since his last visit. To infer from the apostle's free manner of citing the Old Testament in this instance that the Galatians were known by him to be well acquainted with the entire Old Testament would be going too far; yet a similar usage meets us in the Epistle to the Romans, and it is perfectly safe to conclude that he was in the habit of appealing to the Old Testament in his preaching, and that the churches founded by him, as well as those founded by the apostles of the circumcision, were taught to search the Scriptures to see whether these things were (Acts 17:11.) A good example for all to follow! No part of the Bible has become antiquated and useless, and no class of men is excused from the direct examination of the sacred record. It was given to the people originally, and was adapted to their capacity. It is suited to them now, for their intelligence is not inferior to that of men in the apostolic age. Having shown that all who rely upon legal 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. works for justification before God are under a curse, the apostle now explains how it is4. THAT SOME THROUGH THE EXERCISE OF FAITH HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THAT CURSE. (13, 14.) 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made (having become) a curse for us. The sense would be truly expressed if the last clause were translated by becoming a curse for us.' For the participle shows how the redemption was effected, rather than something which preceded that redemption. And the word 'redeemed' signifies, literally, 'bought out from,' in this case from the curse or condemnation of the violated law. It is most frequently applied to the act of ransoming one from slavery. The particular way in which Christ hath redeemed us,' by becoming a curse for us, is explained by the following quotation. And the sense in which he became a curse for us is explained in some measure by the apostle's language in 2 Cor. 5:21: "Him who knew no sin he made to be sin in our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." He suffered death, as though he were a sinner, in behalf of those who were sinners. He bore the punishment due to them for their sins. The noun 'curse' is more forcible than the adjective 'cursed.' Besides, in the Jewish ritual "the victim is regarded as bearing the sins of those for whom atonement is made. The curse is transferred from them to it. It becomes in a certain sense the impersonation of the sin and of the curse. This idea is very prominent in the scapegoat." (Lightfoot.) For it is written-or, 'because it has been written.' That is to say, in the Sacred Script ures. When this formula is used in the New Testament it always refers to something which stands written in the Old Testament. So high was the character of that volume, so absolutely unique its position and authority, that it alone was suggested when anything was spoken of as written, unless some qualifying statement was added. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. This expression is taken from the Septuagint of Deut. 21: 23, 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is 14 every one that hangeth on a tree: that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. with an omission of the words 'by God,' thus: "For every one hanged upon a tree is cursed by God." The Hebrew of Deut. 21: 22, 23, is thus translated in the Revised Version: "And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt bury him the same day: for he that is hanged is accursed by God." Hanging was a public exposure after death in the case of great criminals, which added to the ignominy and shame of their punishment. Jesus Christ, then, suffered death in a form prescribed for the worst criminals, and was treated after a manner which signified that the curse of God rested on him. His body was not allowed to remain upon the cross over night, but was treated as something accursed. The clause is a parenthesis, and the next verse is to be connected with the first part of this; namely, 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.' 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through (in) Jesus Christ. That blessing, as before shown, was obtained through faith, and not by obedience to the law-a thought which was now burnt into the minds of the Galatians. That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. The 'we' is here comprehensive of all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who have true faith in Christ. For this blessing, the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, or the promised Spirit, was bestowed on believing Gentiles as well as believing Jews, and it is scarcely natural to suppose that the apostle here thinks of Jews only, especially as he began his argument with the Galatians by appealing to the Spirit's work in them, when and after they believed. "The Holy Spirit is the divine power of that life in which the blessing promised to Abraham consists; he founds it, regulates its development, and pledges its completion; therefore he is called the Spirit of life. (Rom. 8: 2.)" (Sieffert.) 'Through faith'-faith is the organ by which the Spirit is received. From these |