A Vindication of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith

Galatians 3: Vindication of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith

In Galatians Chapters 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul established the integrity of his apostleship and the authenticity of the gospel message for the express purpose of providing the theological content in Chapters 3 and 4. With the last few verses of Chapter 2, he made a transition to begin to lay down a theological treatise for the superiority of the gospel of grace. He is driving home that while the Judaizers had accused him of corrupting the gospel by omitting the Law of Moses, they had, ironically all the while, perverted the gospel by adding its works. The gospel is effective by obedience to Christ, and not to the work of the Law, which nullifies the work of Christ who had already secured our salvation. So, in Chapter 3, he defends the intrinsic truth of the gospel with a series of arguments grounded in experience, reason, Scripture, and ultimately the promises of God.

By the Galatians’ conversion experience (3:1–5)
The Apostle Paul begins by first vindicating the gospel of grace by appealing to the Galatians’ own conversion experience. So, he exclaims, “O, foolish Galatians” (Galatians 3:1). The emotive particle “O” reinforces the Apostle's sense of indignation and concern", as if to say: “O you dear idiots of Galatia … surely you cannot be so idiotic?” Why does the Apostle Paul uses such strong language? Because the Lord Jesus was “publicly portrayed as crucified” before their eyes through the preaching of Paul. This expresses the pains which Paul took to make known to them the crucified Christ and to bring Him as near as possible to them. For the Galatians to divert their eyes from the crucified Christ to return to the Law after having received “the Spirit by the hearing with faith” was an act of foolishness. The Galatians received their faith by the Spirit and suffered many things for their faith (Galatians 3:4). To put themselves under the bondage of the Law to be “perfected by the flesh” is foolish and suggests that their willful suffering for the cause of Christ was in vain. The Book of Acts (Acts 14) records the miracles that were done among the Galatians. So, Paul asks rhetorical questions to establish that the Galatians neither received the Holy Spirit nor are being sanctified by the works of the Law. But the absurdity of their apostasy continues. So, Paul asks one more question to remind them how when he first preached the gospel to them, God poured out His Holy Spirit on them and demonstrated His presence and power among them through “miracles” by “hearing with faith” and not “by the works of the Law” (3:5). None of the answers to these rhetorical questions is contingent on the counterfeit gospel of circumcision and obedience to the Law.

By the example of Abraham (3:6–9)
Using Abraham, Paul appeals to the Old Testament (OT) to establish why he is not contradicting the OT when he preaches the gospel of grace and to demonstrate that the redemption plan has been the same throughout history. God gave Abraham a promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). In response, Abraham believed God and it counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Like the gospel of grace, Abraham’s righteousness did not come because he fulfilled the requirements of the Law, which was 430 years later (Galatians 3:17), nor was it because he was circumcised which does not occur in the Genesis narrative until two chapters later (Genesis 17). Abraham “is righteous, not by doing, but by believing; not by works, but by faith alone in Christ alone (cf. John 8:56).” What is astonishing about this declaration regarding Abraham’s righteousness is that the Scripture records Abraham’s sin. Yet, because of his faith, he was considered righteous. Therefore, the implication to the Galatians is that the true sons of Abraham are not those who are necessarily related to him physically but those who are related to him by faith in Christ.
While the Judaizers had been telling the Galatians that they needed to be circumcised to be part of the Abrahamic covenant, Paul ironically informs the Galatians, just like Jesus told the Pharisees, that the Judaizers are not the true children of Abraham if they rely on the works of the Law instead of their faith in Christ. Moreover, the Abrahamic covenant itself, which the Judaizes are relying on, is an important capstone to the gospel of grace which had already indicated that “all nations will be blessed” (Galatians 3:8) through Abraham’s “seed”, namely the Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:16). In sum, the OT Scriptures had already included the Gentiles in the redemptive plan of God while the Judaizers’ scheme is circumventing God’s very own redemptive work.

By contrasting the effect of the Law to the work of Christ (3:10–14)
The Apostle Paul contrasts the effect of the Law to that of the work of Christ as he continues to build his case for justification by faith alone (Galatians 3:10–14). The Judaizer foolishly taught that the Law justifies. Paradoxically, however, “no one is justified by the Law before God” (Galatians 3:11). The effect of the Law was to put “everyone who does not abide” by it completely under a curse. Those who seek to be justified by “the works of the Law” are “under a curse” (Galatians 3:10). The implication for the Galatians was that they had to choose, either faith or Law. They could not add anything else to the gospel of grace, not even the holy and perfect Law. However, while the Law brought a curse, Christ “redeemed us from” that curse, “having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). In his ministry, Paul was “determined to know nothing among” those he ministered to “except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). That is the gospel of grace which declares that “in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham [was made available] to the Gentiles” (Galatians 3:14). Thus, the Galatians did not need to get circumcised to be part of the blessing. In Christ, they “would receive the promise of the Spirit” but only “through faith”, and necessarily, apart from the works of the Law (Galatians 3:14).

By the permanence of faith (3:15–18)
The Judaizer had argued that the law supersedes the coming of Christ, so it remains binding on the believers. Paul refutes their argument by appealing to the nature of covenants and how once it has been ratified, it is immutable. He makes an argument for the permanence of faith based on God’s promise of salvation by faith to Abraham and his seed, the Christ. And since it is a promise, it cannot be based on the works of the Law. Abraham was saved by faith 430 years before the Law was given to Moses proving that the gospel of grace is superior to the Judaizers’ message of righteousness through the works of the Law.

By the purpose of the Law (3:19–25)
Paul anticipates the objection of his opponents as to the purpose of the Law if the Law:

• could not give the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2),
• could not justify (Galatians 3:8),
• could not alter the covenant ratified by faith (Galatians 3:17),
• but instead brings a curse (Galatians 3:10).

Paul answers by giving the purpose, the scope, and the nature of the Law. The Law was given “because of transgressions” (Galatians 3:19). It served to restrain sin by revealing the wrath of God, His standard of holiness, and the righteousness of His upcoming judgment. Second, Scripture makes it clear that God never gave the Law to the Gentiles (cf. Rom 2:14; Acts 15:24). It was temporary and only for Israel “until the seed would come”, namely Christ.
The Judaizers might have objected that Paul is creating a conflict between the Law and the promise of God. However, Paul responds that God gave both the Law and promise. The Law was given to convict us of sin but never to save us from sin. The Law, although could not justify, it prepared the way “so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe”. The Law shows us our need for the gospel of grace. The Law places all under sin, which means that all can be saved by grace through faith.
The Law prepared the way for Christ by keeping us “in custody…being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.” The Law was God’s “tutor” for the Jews in their national infancy to protect them from the paganism of the nations around them. The Law kept the Jews in line, so to speak, until Christ came, and the full revelation of the Gospel was given to both Jews and Gentiles. Now that Christ is here, Paul is not rejecting the revelatory, but the regulatory, use of the Law. If we seek Christ in Scripture, we will see that we ought not to seek to fulfill our salvation by obeying the Law, but that the righteousness of Christ in His fulfillment of the law on our behalf already secured our salvation. We will not look for the sacrifices in the Law as something to do ourselves to earn favor with God, but instead, recognize that Christ is our perfect sacrifice.

By the Believer’s present position (3:26–29)
Paul ends the chapter by vindicating the gospel of grace by highlighting three aspects of the believers’ present position in Christ against that of the person under the works and, in effect, the curse of the Law. Each aspect cuts into the Judaizers' argument. First, believers, “through faith in Christ Jesus” become “sons of God” (Galatians 3:26). Second, the believers in Christ “are all one in Christ Jesus” for “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free man, male nor female" (Galatians 3:28). No one is spiritually superior over another. Third, by faith, the believers in Christ “are Abraham’s descendants” and “heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29).