Paul gives two basic conclusions about the law: (1) the law does not nullify or abolish God’s promise made to Abraham (Gal. 3:15-20); (2) the law is not opposed to the promise (Gal. 3:21-22). What role does the law actually play then? Paul writes that it was added “because of transgressions” (Gal. 3:19), and he expands on this … Continue reading –>
In Galatians 3:23, Paul writes that “before faith came, we were kept under the law.” By “we” Paul is referring to the Jewish believers in the Galatian churches. They are the ones acquainted with the law, and Paul has been speaking to them in particular since Galatians 2:15. This can be seen in the contrast between the … Continue reading –>
“Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?” (Gal. 3:21, ESV). Sensing that his comments might lead his opponents to conclude he had a disparaging view of the law or that his comments about the priority of God’s promises were just a veiled put-down of Moses and the Torah, Paul asks the very question … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 3:21-25; Lev. 18:5; Rom. 3:9-19; 1 Cor. 9:20; Rom. 3:1-2; Rom. 8:1-4. Memory Text: “Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:22, NKJV). Homing pigeons long have been known for their ability to fly hundreds of miles a day and arrive at … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “In their bondage the people had to a great extent lost the knowledge of God and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God sought to reveal to them His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him. He brought them down … Continue reading –>
“ ‘He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us’ ” (Acts 7:38, NIV). In Galatians 3:19-20, Paul continues his train of thought about the law not nullifying the covenant of grace; this is … Continue reading –>
Does Paul’s statement about the law being added at Mount Sinai mean that it did not exist previously? If not, what was the difference before and after Mount Sinai? Read Gen. 9:5-6; Gen. 18:19; Gen. 26:5; Gen. 39:7-10; Exod. 16:22-26. God did not need to reveal His law to Abraham with thunder, lightning, and a penalty of death (Exod. 19:10-23). Why, … Continue reading –>
In Galatians 3:19-29 Paul makes multiple references to “the law.” What law is Paul primarily referring to in this section of Galatians? Some, believing that the word until in verse 19 (ESV) indicates that this law was only temporary, have thought the passage must refer to the ceremonial law, because the purpose of that law was fulfilled at the cross and … Continue reading –>
Faith and Law (Romans 3:31) Paul has argued strongly for the supremacy of faith in a person’s relationship with God. He has repeatedly stated that neither circumcision nor any other “works of law” are a prerequisite to salvation, “because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16, ESV). Moreover, it is not … Continue reading –>
Law and Faith (Gal. 3:15-18) Even if his opponents conceded that Abraham’s life was characterized primarily by faith, Paul knew that they still would have questions about why God gave the law to Israel about four centuries after Abraham. Did not the giving of the law nullify any previous arrangement? What is the point of Paul’s … Continue reading –>
