Gal. 4:4, ESV “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4, ESV). Paul’s choice of the word fullness indicates God’s active role in working out His purpose in human history. Jesus did not come at just any time; He came at the precise time … Continue reading –>
Having just compared our relationship to God with that of sons and heirs, Paul now elaborates on this metaphor by including the theme of inheritance in Galatians 4:1-3. Paul’s terminology evokes a situation in which an owner of a large estate has died, leaving all his property to his oldest son. His son, however, is still … Continue reading –>
Gal. 3:26-29 Keeping Galatians 3:25 in mind, read Galatians 3:26. How does this text help us understand what our relationship to the law is, now that we have been redeemed by Jesus? The word for at the beginning of verse 26 indicates that Paul sees a direct connection between this verse and the preceding one. In the same way that … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 3:26-4:20; Rom. 6:1-11; Heb. 2:14-18; Heb. 4:14-15; Rom. 9:4-5. Memory Text: “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7, ESV). Paul tells the Galatians that they should not live and act as slaves but as the sons and daughters of God, with all … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “I am asked concerning the law in Galatians. What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments. “Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan … Continue reading –>
Many have interpreted Paul’s comment in Galatians 3:25 as a complete dismissal of the law. This makes little sense, however, in light of Paul’s positive comments about the law elsewhere in the Bible. What does he, then, mean? First, we are no longer under the law’s condemnation (Rom. 8:3). As believers, we belong to Christ. As His, we … Continue reading –>
In Galatians 3:23, Paul describes the law as a guarding and protecting force. To what does he liken it in verse 24, and what does that mean? The word translated “schoolmaster” (KJV) comes from the Greek word paidagogos. Some versions translate it as “disciplinarian” (NRSV), “tutor” (NKJV), or even “guardian” (ESV), but no single word fully can encompass its meaning. … Continue reading –>
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 –>
