Verse by Verse

17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

And this I say (v.17) = And this I mean. Paul is about to explain what he just said in verses 15-16.

This statement of time “four hundred and thirty years,” is another ground on which Paul has been severely criticized. It is affirmed that he is here guilty of carelessness or of inaccuracy. As the sojourn of Israel in Egypt covered some four hundred years, it is evident that the time between Abraham and Moses must have been much longer.

One possible explanation is worthy of consideration. Reference is here made to “the promise,” by which it may fairly be inferred that Paul has in mind the repetition to the patriarchs of the promise first made to Abraham. This covenant promise is said to have been “confirmed … by God,” as indeed it was again and again. At the time that Jacob and his children were leaving Canaan for the long sojourn in Egypt, God confirmed His promise to the patriarch. The identical words are used which were first spoken to Abraham (Genesis 12:2; 46:2-3). It may not be unreasonable to suppose that it was from such a time, at which the promise was confirmed, that Paul is measuring the interval which extends to the giving of the law at Sinai. — Erdman, page 69.

covenant (v.17) — The Greek word translated “covenant” does not mean a joint obligation. It means an obligation assumed by one — a promise (as it is translated in verses 16 and 18). God’s promise to Abraham had no conditions attached. Circumcision was a token to show he accepted and remembered the promise (and there was punishment for not being circumcised) but it didn’t alter the promise.

confirmed before by God — The promise was given in Genesis 12 and confirmed by the vision of the furnace and torch (Genesis 15), Isaac (Genesis 21) and God’s oath (Genesis 22).

that it should (v.17) = with a view to. God did not give the law for the purpose of making the promise void.

inheritance (v.18) — what was promised

no longer of promise (v.18) — If the inheritance is given because of adherence to the law (in abstract, as a principle), then nobody can receive it as a gift.

gave (v.18) = has given (still in force) by an act of grace, unconditionally

The emphasis in verse 18 is on God. If law annulled the promise, God’s character (His word and oath) had failed.

When the law was given and God said, “If you obey this law and keep it perfectly, then you shall be my people,” what should the people of Israel have answered? They should have said, “Lord, on this basis none of us can be saved, because we cannot keep that law perfectly. Have mercy upon us. Surely you will not break your promise.”

But in their pride and folly the people all exclaimed together, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). “Yes, we will keep His covenant. We will keep the law.”

Before Moses arrived down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, the people of Israel were dancing like pagans around a golden calf, and Egyptian god. Moses reminded them that they were the only nation that ever heard the voice of God speaking to them. The mount of Sinai was engulfed in smoke, it quivered and shook, and the people backed away: “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God … Thou shalt have no other gods before Me!” (Exodus 20:1-3).

God enunciated those Ten Commandments, and the people said, “Everything He says we will do.” But before Moses could return they had broken the first commandment. So soon did God have opportunity to show them the impossibility of justification by the law.

If God did not mean to enforce the law, why did He make this covenant with Israel? Galatians 3:19, begins to answer — “It was added because of transgressions.”

“By the law is the knowledge of sin” and it was given “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Romans 3:20; 7:13). In Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, God is driving them back to the promise, to faith. This is what God had  in mind all the while, as we saw in Galatians 3:13 concerning the futility of salvation by good works. God was not playing games. It was at infinite cost that He made provision for the payment of sin. When God gave the law, which was bound to break fellowship between Him and Israel, He immediately began to make arrangements for a Tabernacle where He could restore fellowship with Israel. Now there is a paradox! He said, “If you will obey my voice in deed, then you will be my special people,” but they did not obey, so He made plans for a Tabernacle where He could meet with them in fellowship!

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Why? We see an inkling in the fact that the first article of furniture for the Tabernacle was the Ark. The word “ark” is simply the word “coffin.” It is translated “coffin” in the last verse of Genesis. So, when God commanded the building of a tabernacle, the first thing He said was “Make Me a coffin.” Why a coffin?

“And thou shalt put into the coffin the testimony [that is, the law] which I shall give thee” (Exodus 25:16).

God immediately put the law in a coffin. On top of the coffin was the blood-sprinkled mercy seat. There God said, “I will meet with My people.” The law in a coffin! God later nailed the law to the cross.

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross” (Colossians 2:14). — Stam, page 169-171.

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.

16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

Brethren (v.15) — Paul switches from lecture to persuasion, but with the same passion.

manner of men (v.15) — according to the standards accepted by men

a man’s covenant (v.15) — Nobody would alter a human-made covenant once it was confirmed, but the Judaizers were altering the covenant made by God to Abraham — and claiming Divine authority to do so. The law did not replace or change the promise.

covenant (v.15) —  here = gracious promise, determination of God to bless.

confirmed (v.15) — ratified

Seed (v.16) = Christ. The promise wasn’t to all Abraham’s seed, but only to those who believed, and therefore, were in Christ. So, to Christ and all who are in Him.

He does not say (v.16) — God didn’t say …

If the promise was Christ, and it was, the law couldn’t have annulled or altered it.

Perhaps it will help at this point first to notice what the verse does not say. It does not say that God would not bless Abraham’s multiplied seed, or through them the world. It does not say that God would bless only Christ, the single Seed, and make Him alone a blessing to the world, though in a sense this is true, for all blessing flows from Him. The apostle simply states that in making the promises to Abraham and his progeny, God used the word, “seed,” which is singular in form, and that He did this because He had Christ in view. In other words, God specially avoided the use of plural words which might have been used, such as “in thy children,” “in thy descendants,” etc., for there was no generation of Abraham’s offspring who, in themselves, could have proved a blessing to the world. — Stam, pages 182-183

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Does it follow, then, that God’s promises concerning the multiplied seed will not be fulfilled because they forfeited the blessing through failure and unbelief, and that therefore the nations will be blessed through Christ alone?

Not exactly. Are we hedging when we answer the question in this way? No, for God will indeed bless the world through the multiplied seed of Abraham. This has been proven, not only by the unconditional promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also by repeated prophetic confirmations both before and after Pentecost. However, Israel will never become the world’s blesser until she does so through Christ because the blessing of the world is wrapped up in Him alone. — Stam, pages 184-185.

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Thus Paul, in Galatians 3:16, does not mean to imply that God will not fulfill the promises to Abraham’s multiplied seed. He only points out that God used a compound or collective noun in making these promises since He knew that the multiplied seed could not in themselves prove a blessing to the world. It is redeemed Israel that will bless the world (Zechariah 8:13; Romans 11:26).

Thus, even the word “seed,” in Galatians 3:16, while singular in form (“Not many … but one”), is still plural in fact, for as we have said: we use the word “seed,” whether of one single seed or a a bagfull. Moreover, one seed contains much seed, potentially. This agrees with our Lord’s words in John 12:24:Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. — Stam, pages 184-185.

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

redeemed (v.13) — purchased (as a slave for the purpose of freeing him)

curse (v.13) — the unbending rigor of the law that condemns all who come under its jurisdiction

become a curse (v.13) — not in His life, only in His death on the cross

for us (v.13) — on behalf of us (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The quote in verse 13 is from Deuteronomy 21:23. In Deuteronomy, the quote includes the words “of God.” Paul excludes them because Christ wasn’t cursed by God but by the law. The law satisfied its demands for punishment upon Christ and so He was no longer under its jurisdiction. Believers, by faith, are in the same position in Him.

tree (v.13) = item made of wood —  here, the cross

In the Old Testament, the worst offenders were stoned to death and then their bodies were hung on a tree.

The very manner of His death involved the extreme of humiliation, disgrace, and shame. “For it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” This quotation from the Old Testament refers to the Hebrew custom, in accordance with which, after a criminal was put to death, his body was suspended from a tree or a post. Crucifixion was not a mode of capital punishment among the Israelites, but the disgrace of execution was intensified thus by hanging. The latter was regarded as a witnessing in the presence of God that a just and sufficient penalty had been paid, and it was furthermore a testimony of God’s abhorrence of sin. According to the requirements of the Jewish law, the body must be buried before nightfall, but while it remained exposed it was a public proclamation that sin had been punished. This reference to the ancient Jewish custom is made by Paul to indicate how truly Christ, in His death, endured the utmost ignominy and suffering for the sins of the world, even while He Himself was sinless. He innocently bore the curse which was deserved by sinful men. His suffering, however, was endured in order that the blessings which had been promised to Abraham might come to all, of every race and nation, who wold put their trust in Christ. — Erdman, pages 64-65.

blessing (v.14) — favorable attitude that results in kind acts.

blessing of Abraham (v.14) and not the blessing of Israel because Israel was also condemned by the law.

Since the Jews were shut out from blessing by the very law in which they gloried, Gentiles could not hope to obtain it by putting themselves under that law. But if to the Jews the blessing was secured by the death of Christ, and in response to faith, then on the same ground, and on the same condition, the blessing would extend to the Gentiles also. — Vine, page 186.

in Christ Jesus (v.14) — This was something new, established on the cross. The blessing of Abraham was now available to Jew and Gentile through faith in Christ.

promise (v.14) — a gift given by grace and not a pledge obtained by negotiation or obligation.

The promise to Abraham was general — a blessing, without mention of the Spirit. Later Scriptures (Isaiah 32:15; Ezra 36:27) reveal that the Spirit was included in the blessing. But the complete fulfillment of these later promises — and the time when the Spirit will fully control believers — is yet to come.

The curse/punishment due to the law must be suffered by everyone either personally or through a substitute.

Prior to the Dispensation of Grace, a Gentile could only be saved by becoming a Jew.

Verse 14 is dependent on verse 13. Christ became a curse so that the blessings of Abraham would come on Gentiles and both Jews and Gentiles could receive the Spirit.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

of the works (v.10) — Paul assumes that his readers know that complete obedience to the law is impossible (James 2:10-11)

curse (v.10) — failure to fulfill an intended purpose and, therefore, rejected. In mans’ case, rejected from heaven and judged worthy of, and sent to, hell.

it is written (v.10) — Deuteronomy 27:26; Deuteronomy 31;26; Joshua 1:8

cursed (v.10) — same as first usage, but stronger.

This curse is not merely the wrath of God in the form of the final banishment of the sinner from His presence, with all the sorrow and misery which that includes, but represents also a present condition of alienation from God caused by a violation of His law. The word continue is a figurative expression. it speaks of the law as a prescribed district or domain in which one remains or out of which one goes. — Wuest, page 95.

continue (v.10) — stronger form of the word “abide.”

all things (v.10) — the ordinances and the moral precepts to the most comprehensive sense.

book of the law (v.10) — Pentateuch, but also the whole Old Testament.

to do them — The apostle was well aware that the Galatians had not seen what is involved in submission to the Law of Moses; they had not realized that failure to do all, always and everywhere, just as it is written, involves the professed lawkeeper in eternal disaster. Law is unbending, it yields nothing to weakness, its standard is never lowered, not even by a hairbreadth; law makes no compromise, and finds no room for mercy; “a man that hath set at nought Moses’ law dieth without compassion” Hebrews 10:28 — Vine, page 183.

The law doesn’t bring a blessing (v.9) but a curse (v.10).

but (v.11) — Paul moves the argument forward. Even if a man appears to be justified by the law in the sight of other men … No one is justified by the works of the law before God.

just (v.11) — those in a right relationship with God. A legal, not a moral, term.

shall live (v.11) — spiritual life (Habakkuk 2:4; Leviticus 18:5; Romans 10:5)

yet (v.12) — “but” — shows contrast

law is not of faith (v.12) — The two are mutually exclusive and have no point in common.

Even if a man was obedient to the whole law (which is impossible), he still has original sin and so could not be justified before God. That can only be paid by blood (the result of death, which is the wage of sin). That blood was shed by Christ and can only be accessed by faith.

It is the function of the law to condemn, not to justify. Obviously, if everyone did what was right, we would not need law. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote by inspiration: “… the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient” (1 Timothy 1:9).

The function of  law is to put the finger on sin and condemn it. Remember that you do not have to break the whole law to be a law-breaker. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

That makes sense. How many links must you break in a chain to break the chain? Just one. How many murders do you have to commit to be a murderer? Just one. How many sins do you have to commit to be a sinner? Just one. And we have all committed one, and keep on committing one or more every day. — Stam, pages 157-158.

6 Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The answer to Paul’s question in verse 5 is so obviously “by faith” that he proceeds in verse 6 with that assumption.

believed God (v.6) — that God could and would fulfill His promise even though it was naturally impossible (Romans 4:19).

accounted (v.6) — reckoned, placed in his account in value as righteousness. Abraham’s faith wasn’t counted as a good work but as evidence that he cast off all dependence on works.

accounted to him (v.6) — not his originally.

for (v.6) = unto (Romans 10:10).

righteousness (v.6) — a condition of rightness the standard of which is God.

those who are of faith (v.7) —  those who seek justification by faith

only those (v.7) — these and no others — not those of natural descent or who adhere to the law

preached the gospel (v.8) — anticipated, without revealing, the gospel

in  you (v.8) — Abraham — it was through his descendants that the redeemer came, and he also began a line of those who are characterized by faith in God.

all nations (v.8) — Jews and Gentiles

It is true that all nations were to be blessed through Israel, Abraham’s multiplied seed (Genesis 22:17-18). It is also true that all nations were to be blessed through Christ, Abraham’s single Seed (Galatians 3:16). But the very first promise made to Abraham was that God would bless all nations through him, and the apostle quotes this promise in an argument that God justifies Gentiles through faith.

The original promise made to Abraham, then, holds out blessing to the world through Abraham himself. How has Abraham himself proved a blessing to all nations? There is only one answer: as God’s great example of FAITH. — Stam, page 150-151.

blessed (v.9) — salvation and all that results

with (v.9) — in fellowship with. Sharing Abraham’s faith, we also share what his faith received.

believing Abraham (v.9) — not because he was circumcised but because he believed.

The occasion for his argument is found in the fact that the Judaizers taught that the natural descendants of Abraham were his children, and thus accepted with God. All of which meant that only the circumcised could be saved. Thus, circumcision was a prerequisite of salvation. This teaching was based on a misapprehension of Genesis 12 and 17. They argued that no one could participate in the blessings of God’s covenant with Abraham, and so in the messianic salvation which was inseparably connected with it, unless he was circumcised. The mistake they made was in failing to distinguish between the purely Jewish and national covenant God made with Abraham, which had to do with the earthly ministry and destiny of the Chosen People as a channel which God would use in bringing salvation to the earth, and that salvation which came through a descendant of Abraham, the Messiah. Circumcision was God’s mark of separation upon the Jew, isolating him in the midst of the Gentile nations, in order that He might use the nation Israel for His own purposes. It had nothing to do with the acceptance of salvation by the Jew. Over against this contention, Paul argues that Abraham was justified by faith, not by circumcision. In Romans 4:9-10, he proves his case conclusively when he shows that Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised, which demonstrates that his circumcision had nothing to do with his acceptance of salvation. — Wuest, pages 88-89.

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Justification is the act of God removing from the sinner his guilt and the penalty incurred by that guilt, and bestowing a positive righteousness, Christ Jesus Himself in whom the believer stands, not only innocent and uncondemned, but actually righteous in point of law for time and eternity. This is what God did for Abraham when he believed Him. This is what the Judaizers were attempting to merit for themselves by their own good works.  — Wuest, page 92

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

4 Have you suffered so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain?

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

foolish (v.1) — not naturally stupid, but rather not using the sense they have. A reproach because of where they have allowed themselves to be led. One who does not reflect or use his powers of perception.

bewitched (v.1) — subjected to evil influence by occult practices. Lit. — “the evil eye.” The workings of Satan.

Christ was clearly portrayed (v.1) — by Paul’s preaching

Here, [portrayed] is probably used in a sense, unexampled in the Scriptures but not uncommon in the language of the day, = “proclaimed,” “placarded,” as a magistrate proclaimed the fact that an execution had been carried out, placarding his proclamation in a public place. The apostle carries on his metaphor of the “evil eye”; as a preventative of such mischief it was common to post up charms on the walls of houses, a glance at which was supposed to counteract any evil influence to which a person may have been subjected. “Notwithstanding,” he says in effect, “that the fact that Christ had been crucified was placarded before your very eyes in our preaching, you have allowed yourselves to be “overlooked,” you have been fascinated by the enemies of the Cross of Christ, when you had only to look at Him to escape their malignant influence. — Vine, page 174.

receive the Spirit (v.2) — new birth, salvation (Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:9). The Galatians were saved, therefore the following verses pertain to Christians.

works of the law (v.2) — obedience to the law

hearing (v.2) = receiving a message and the message itself

faith (v.2) — (Romans 10:17) — The answer to Paul’s question is “by faith.” (Colossians 2:8-10).

foolish (v.3) — not using your sense to the extent that you haven’t noticed the discrepancy.

having begun (v.3) — tense indicates the moment of salvation.

in the Spirit (v.3) — as opposed to “in the flesh”

made perfect (v.3) — completed. A process. Are you perfecting yourselves?

by the flesh (v.3) — by the works of the flesh — rites, ceremonies, obedience to the law

It is preposterous that a process begun in the higher sphere of the Spirit can be completed in the lower sphere of the flesh, that those who received the righteousness of God by faith should seek their own righteousness by works of the law.

suffered so many things (v.4) — Acts 14:1-7

in vain (v.4) — to no purpose, a mistake. They were persecuted by the Jews for their faith. Would they now buckle to the Judaizers?

if indeed it was in vain (v.4) — Paul holds out hope that they will see the truth.

therefore (v.5) — Taking up where verse three leaves off. Verse four is parenthetical.

He who supplies the Spirit (v.5) — God. The tense is continuous.

works miracles (v.5) = powers, supernatural in origin — whether outward miracles were still being performed in Galatia or sign gifts or simply God’s working in believers.

among you (v.5) — within you

does He do it by the works of the law (v.5) — in response to obedience to the law

or by the hearing of faith (v.5) — Again, the answer to Paul’s question is “by faith.”

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

I have been (v. 20) — the tense indicates “have been and still am.” A past completed action with continuous results.

Paul explained why and how he was dead to the law. Now (v.20), he explains why and how he lives.

The Judaizers shunned the reproach of the Cross; to them it was a “stumbling block,” (5:11; 6:12; 1 Corinthians 1:23). He [Paul] glorified in it and made it his own (6:14). Nor is it merely that he had “crucified” the grosser elements in his nature (5:24); he himself, his virtues and his vices, all that entered into and made the man, had been nailed to the Cross; henceforth he hoped nothing from the one, feared nothing from the other.

Christ, though He had fully discharged every obligation imposed by the law, endured the extreme penalty prescribed for “transgression and disobedience,” (Hebrews 2:2). When, therefore, a man believes on Christ, he acknowledges the judgment of God against sin to be just, and accepts the death of Christ as the execution of that judgment upon him for his own guilt. In thus believing the man becomes identified with Christ in His death, and since death nullifies all claims and all obligations, is “made dead to the law through the body of Christ,” (Romans 7:4) and ceases, finally, to be under the jurisdiction of the law — Vine, page 169

Christ lives in me (v.20) — by the Spirit (Romans 8:9-10)

the live which I now live (v.20) — by the power of the Spirit joined by association with Christ’s resurrection.

now (v.20) — since Paul’s salvation

in the flesh (v.20) — in his human body. Paul was still Paul, with his will, temperament, thoughts, hopes and fear — and sins. But through faith — and the faithfulness of Christ — he had new life.

I live by faith (v.20) — faithfulness, trustworthiness

Son of God (v.20) — “son” in the sense of eternal relationship and expression of character, not in the sense of deriving existence from.

The Bible refers to the love of God toward the world, but the love of the Son is only mentioned in relationship to believers.

gave Himself for me (v.20) — Christ died for each and He died for all.

set aside  (v.21) — make void, reject, nullify, do away with something established.

grace of God (v.21) — incompatible with works (Romans 11:6)

in vain (v.21) — without purpose or result

Paul was dead to his former life of legal righteousness and confidence in the law. Paul died to the law by dying with Christ who died under its penalty. The law’s demands were satisfied. Paul also died to self and his old life and now lived a Christ-centered life.

¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

¹⁸ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

¹⁹ For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

But if (v.17) — Paul is stating that this is the case.

we (v.17) — Jews who failed to find righteousness by the law so turned to Christ to find it.

sinners (v.17) — those who have “missed the mark”

Jews used the term “sinners” to refer to Gentiles, but in light of the life and death of Christ, they are in the same situation (Romans 3:9).

minister (v.17) = one who renders service. Since Christ revealed that the Jews were also sinners, does He further the interests of sin, or extend the dominion of sin (personified)?

Certainly not! (v.17) — God forbid. Literally “let it not be.”

If we Christians, who have regarded ourselves as justified by faith in Christ, now resort to legal methods, and Jewish rites and ceremonies, in order to be justified, is that not confessing that we are sinners and in need of being saved, and is not Christ then at fault for our present sinful state? Can this be possible? “Is Christ a minister of sin?”

Paul recoils from so monstrous a suggestion. “God forbid,” he cries, using a phrase he commonly employed to express horror and deprecation.

The real “sinner,” the actual transgressor, is the one who turns from Christ to the Law, who tries to add to justification by faith justification by works, who supplants Christ by supplementing Christ, and who offers self-righteousness in place of the righteousness of Christ. “For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor.” Paul here courteously puts himself in the place of Peter or his companions in error. He supposes himself guilty of taking so false a step. If he should go back to law as a means of salvation, then he would convict himself of sin in ever having renounced the law; or if it has been right to renounce the law, then it is wrong to return now to the law. In either case he would be not vaguely a “sinner” in condition, but a real “transgressor” in action. — Erdman, page 53-54.

if I (v.18) — If Paul did what Peter and the Judaizers were, in fact, doing …

build again (v.18) — labor to build in a figurative sense

things (v.18) — the law as a means of justification

destroyed (v.18) — as in the demolition of a building

transgressor (v.18) = one who oversteps a prescribed limit. If Paul attempts again to gain righteousness by the law, the law will once again show that he falls short.

I (v.19) — Paul, or anyone else

died to the law (v.19) — The law condemned Paul and so separated him from any hope of gaining righteousness by it. Sin is the killer (Romans 7:11), but the law brings the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20).

that I might live (v.19) — death was necessary for new life

live (v.19) — justified before God

The law makes us sinners and punishes us for being sinners.

Instead of finding in the law a way of salvation, by the very operation of the law Paul was led to abandon the law, that he might love and serve God. “For I through the law died unto the law, that I might live unto God.” When Paul realized what the law really demanded, in all its deep meaning and implication, he discovered that he never could secure justification by his endeavor to keep the law. Rather the law passed on him a moral sentence of death. It revealed the reality and the depth of his sin; but it gave him no power to overcome sin. Therefore he turned from the law as a means of salvation, or of acceptance with God. He did so once for all, as truly as though he had died to the law. He could never return to it. He could never again look to it, as the Galatians were looking to it, as a ground of acceptance with God.

His relation to the law was broken as completely as earthly relations are broken by death. Yet his purpose was not that he might act in a way contrary to the law, but that he might truly, “live unto God,” and attain that experience of holiness he had sought for in vain under the yoke of the law. — Erdman, page 54-55.

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Faith in Christ was the means whereby Paul’s complete and irreparable break with the law was effected. The Lord Jesus lived under the law, fully obeyed that law, assumed the guilt and penalty which the human race incurred by having violated the law, and in dying under the law satisfied its requirements. Thus He passed out of the realm where law in its legalistic aspect had control over Him. All believers were identified with Christ in His death and also in His resurrection, and thus have passed out of the realm of divine law so far as its legalistic aspect is concerned. — Wuest, page 80-81.

¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

¹⁶ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

we who are Jews (v.15) — Paul reminded Peter of their shared heritage

Jews (v.15) — originally those of the tribe of Judah, but now, and here, used for the race of Israel as opposed to Gentiles.

by nature (v.15) — by origin, not by conversion

sinners of the Gentiles (v.15) — Paul uses the terminology of the Judaizers who despised Gentiles in order, in the next verses (v.17), to show that the Jews are equally guilty of sin.

The Jews did form a holy nation and had inherited the covenants and promises of God. They had attained a certain sanctity in contrast with sinful Gentiles. Paul reasons from this fact, and he turns against the Judaizers their familiar language. He declares that in spite of all their privileges and regardless of their arrogant pretensions to superior holiness, even Jews, even men like Peter and Paul, had found that they could not be justified by works of the law, and had been compelled to turn to Christ for salvation. If, then, even Jews could not be justified by their attempt at keeping the law, why bind the law upon Gentiles who had been saved, like Jewish believers, by faith in Christ? — Erdman, page 52-53.

knowing (v.16) — understanding the truth of the gospel

a man (v.16) — any human, Jew or Gentile

justified (v.16) — declared to be right, righteous before God.

is not justified (dikaioo) = to show, or declare, to be right (Luke 7:29; 10:29; 1 Corinthians 4:4). In the majority of its New Testament occurrences dikaioo = “to declare a person to be righteous before God.” All doers of the law are justified (Romans 2:13), with this proviso, that if a man “shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10; Galatians 3:10). As a matter of fact, however, no such doers of law have yet been found among men, and “there is no distinction,” i.e., as between Jew and Gentile, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,” i.e., fail to secure the approval of the sole Lawgiver and Judge. Clearly, then, by works of law shall no flesh be justified or accounted righteous, in His sight (Romans 3:22-23), the conclusion here, as in the more extended argument of the Epistle to the Romans. And this the converted Jews had themselves acknowledged when they sought justification through Christ. — Vine, page 165.

works of the law (v.16) — Hebrews 6:1; 9:14. Law is the Mosaic law, but, by extension, any law — so — Nobody, Jew or Gentile, has ever been declared righteous by God based on his obedience to law.

even we (v.16) — Jews

for (v.16) = because — followed by a paraphrase of Psalm 143:2 — Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.

no flesh (v.16) — no human, with the emphasis on “no.”

faith in Christ (v.16) — should be “faith of Christ.” The character that makes Him worthy of our faith. Our faith in Christ is effective because of the faith (faithfulness/worthiness) of Christ.

… The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

How believers need to learn this blessed truth! We are kept, while in the flesh, not by “our faith” but by His faithfulness. Our God-given faith is but the channel through which we appreciate and enjoy His never-failing faithfulness.

Our “faith” would be vain were it not for “the faith (fidelity) of the Son of God.” The best of us would utterly fail were it not that “He ever liveth to make intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25) and “now appears in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). — Stam, page 133.

Verses 15-21 are probably part of what Paul said to Peter at Antioch.

¹¹ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;

¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

This incident probably occurred shortly after the meeting in Jerusalem mentioned in the previous verses.

Antioch church — Acts 11:19-26

withstood (v.11) — gives the sense that Peter was the aggressor and Paul maintained his position.

to his face (v.11) — openly, as an equal

blamed (v.22) — Peter’s conduct could be seen as wrong to himself and to other observers. The Antioch Gentile Christians would have thought so.

certain men (v.12) — Perhaps those of Acts 15:1. (Perhaps Barnabas was swayed by Peter but then changed his mind and went to Jerusalem with Paul, but it probably refers to another occasion.)

from James (v. 12) — James probably charged the men with the mission.

eat with the Gentiles (v.12) — Eating with Gentiles is not forbidden in the Mosaic law, only by the Pharisees. The food eaten might have been forbidden by the Mosaic law.

withdrew (v.12) — vacillated, inconsistent. A military word suggesting a strategic retreat to shelter, cautious and gradual.

separated (v.12) — indicating that he thought the Gentiles were inferior

circumcision (v.12) — Judaizers

rest of the Jews (v.13) — Probably the believing Jews who had been fellowshipping with the Gentiles in the Antioch church.

played the hypocrite (v.13) — Pretended to act from one motive while actually acting from another. Peter pretended to honor the law but was really afraid of the Judaizers. The word “hypocrisy” was originally used of the role of an actor in a play.

Barnabas (v.13) — this, perhaps, let to his separation from Paul, which would be further support for the position that this took place after the Jerusalem Council.

carried away (13) — influenced

not straightforward (v.14) — didn’t walk a straight path that could be followed by others.

truth of the gospel (v.14) — that salvation is by faith in Christ alone without works of any sort.

before them all (v.14) — perhaps before the entire church at Antioch

being a Jew (v.14) — born and bred

Peter’s decision not to eat with the Gentiles seems like a small issue, but Paul saw it for what it was — a rejection of the gospel of grace.

This incident also emphasizes Paul’s independence from the apostles in Jerusalem.

The issue here seems to be that, in the Jerusalem church, the believers were following a gospel that still included some adherence to the Mosaic law and separation from the Gentiles (Galatians 2:9), but in Antioch, the believers followed Paul’s gospel of grace and unity between Jew and Gentile.

This is the second time that Peter got into trouble over the Gentile question, and there is a significant connection between this incident at Antioch and the previous one at Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the headquarters of the Jewish church; Antioch was the headquarters of the Gentile church. When Peter returned to Jerusalem after ministering to Cornelius, they that were of the circumcision contended with him (Acts 11:2). At Jerusalem he was called to account for eating with the Gentiles (verse 3). At Antioch he was rebuked because he stopped eating with the Gentiles (Galatians 2:12).

At Jerusalem he had rightly defended his action; he had done right by eating with the Gentiles. At Antioch, he had no defense to offer for he was wrong; he should have continued to eat with, and have fellowship with the Gentiles. — Stam, page 119

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It is clear that these men [verse 12] were sent by James, men of importance as is shown by the deference with which Peter treated them, and the obsequiousness with which he bowed to their requests. They were not from the ranks of the Judaizers, for James would not send men of that stamp, but Jewish Christians of Jerusalem who like James were still most scrupulous in their obedience to the Mosaic law. James, even after the decision of the council at Jerusalem regarding the relation of the law to Gentile converts to Christianity, still held to the view that the Jewish converts were under the law. James was the occasion of Paul’s lapse when the apostle at his request took upon himself a Jewish vow to show the Jews in Jerusalem that he was still a strict Jew (Acts 21:18-26). Here he was the occasion of Peter’s lapse when he sent this mission to Antioch with the purpose of enforcing the Mosaic law so far as the Jewish Christians were concerned. — Wuest, page 70.

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It was bad enough for Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles and the champion of Gentile liberty from the law, to have Peter act as he did. But the hypocrisy of Barnabas was the cruel blow. With the single exception of Paul, Barnabas had been the most effective minister of the gospel in the conversion of the Gentiles. He had been deputed with Paul by the Antioch church to the council at Jerusalem as its representative. He had come back with the news that the position held by Paul and himself with regard to Gentile freedom from circumcision had been sustained by the Jerusalem apostles. Now, his withdrawal from social fellowship with the Gentiles, came with the force of a betrayal to Paul and the church at Antioch. The defection of Barnabas was of a far more serous nature with regard to Gentile freedom than the vacillation of Peter. Barnabas was Paul’s chief colleague in the evangelization of the Gentiles, and now to have him play the hypocrite and deserter, was a bitter blow to the great apostle. This may well have prepared the way for the dissension between them which shortly afterwards led to their separation (Acts 15:39). — Wuest, page 73.