Galatians 3:1-18

Galatians 3:1-18

I.                   V. 1-6

a.       V. 1

                                                              i.      Translated literally, “who has cast the evil eye upon you”

                                                            ii.      They are being criticized not for a lack of knowledge, but for a lack of moral judgment, they are foolish, not ignorant

                                                          iii.      Anoetoi, or “foolish”, is also used in Luke 24:25 where Jesus refers to the disciples on the road to Emmaus as “foolish, and slow of heart”

b.      V. 2

                                                              i.      A hearing that is faithful, or a hearing that leads to faith

                                                            ii.      Cf. Isa. 53:1

c.       V. 3

                                                              i.      This is as much about how they live in the present and future, as it is how they entered the Christian life.

                                                            ii.      Cf. Phil. 1:6

d.      V. 4

                                                              i.      “experience” or “suffer”?

e.       V. 5

                                                              i.      Compound form of verb implies “bountifully supplies”

f.       V. 6

                                                              i.      Believed God, not believed in God.  This is more than intellectual assent to God’s existence, this is trust

                                                            ii.      Cf. Gen. 15:6

                                                          iii.      The Spirit=justification in order for the comparison to Abraham’s faith=righteousness to hold

                                                          iv.      Cf. Psalm 106:30-31 for “reckoned as righteousness”

g.      The Spirit is mentioned for the first time in these verses

                                                              i.      The Spirit comes in and with the preaching of the crucified Christ

                                                            ii.      The Spirit is set in opposition to the flesh

                                                          iii.      The Spirit is the new age, and thus the source of life and vitality

1.      Cf. Acts 14:8-10

                                                          iv.      The Spirit comes to the whole community, and not a select few

1.      Cf. Joel 2:23-32

2.      Cf. Acts 2:38-39

II.                V. 7-14

a.       Vv. 7-9

                                                              i.      Cf. Gen. 12:3, 22:18

                                                            ii.      Paul redefines the definition of who is Abraham’s offspring

                                                          iii.      Those who believe as Abraham did, are blessed as he was

                                                          iv.      By invoking the example of Abraham, Paul is actually closer to the source, or beginning of faith in God than the Judiazers, commonalities with Abraham pre-date the Law

b.      Vv. 10-12

                                                              i.      V. 10

1.      Cf. Deut. 27:26

                                                            ii.      V. 11

1.      Cf. Habakkuk 2:4 (which is also used in Rom. 1:17)

2.      Paul ties living to “being righteous by faith”

                                                          iii.      V. 12

1.      Cf. Lev. 18:5

2.      Law and faith are diametrically opposed

3.      Human-weakness and salvation history uphold “justification by faith”

c.       Vv. 13-14

                                                              i.      V. 13

1.      Paul had to refute his own former position, which during the time he persecuted the church was surely that Jesus’ death proved that he was cursed

2.      Cf. Num. 25:4 and II Sam. 21:6

d.      The Rabbis saw two aspects of the law at work:

                                                              i.      Haggadah- Who are we?

                                                            ii.      Halakah- What are we to do?

                                                          iii.      Paul argues that the emphasis lies on the first, and that it has been misinterpreted

III.             V. 15-18

a.       V. 15

                                                              i.      No one changes an agreement that has already been made, ex post facto

b.      V. 16

                                                              i.      “Issue” or “offspring” is singular.  This is not a strained interpretation, as it was historical reality with Isaac

                                                            ii.      The seed is Christ when it comes to faith, the topic of discussion here

c.       V. 17

                                                              i.      The ratification of the covenant, or promise, began long before the law, with the stories of Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes

                                                            ii.      The law cannot change the pre-existing promise

d.      Paul may be confronting here a rabbinic idea that the Law was pre-existent.  By fixing it in its historical context, Paul shows that in fact the promise predates the Law