The Epistle to the Galatians
Chapter 3
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III. Justification by Faith. Chs. 3; 4 A. the threefold argument. Chs. 3:1 to 4:7 1. The Blessing Already Received. Ch. 3:1-14
The third and fourth chapters of the epistle form its central doctrinal section. In the preceding chapters Paul has established his authority as an apostle, but in so doing he has prepared the way for the doctrinal discussion which now follows. He had argued from three incidents in his own life. The last of these was his public rebuke of Peter, who had been guilty of countenancing the very error into which the Galatian Christians were being led by false teachers from Jerusalem. His rebuke of Peter gave Paul an opportunity for stating clearly the doctrine of justification by faith which is the theme of the following chapters and is indeed the central truth of the Christian gospel. It is this same doctrine which Paul sets forth in the five opening chapters of his Epistle to the Romans. Here in Galatians, however, there is a different emphasis and a new element in his discussion. In Romans he is setting forth justification by faith, as the way of salvation, in opposition to the endeavor to secure acceptance with God by obedience to law, whether that law is the rule of conscience or the requirements of the Mosaic system. In writing to the Galatians, Paul is insisting that justification is by faith alone. The Galatians were being urged to add the observance of the Mosaic ritual to their faith in Christ as a ground of acceptance with God. The false teachers had not actually denied the work of Christ, nor had they urged the Galatians to abandon Christian truth. They taught, however, that Christians would attain to a fuller salvation and a higher sanctity and a superior place in the Church if they would obey the requirements of Jewish law. Paul argues, however, that any attempt to thus supplement the work of Christ is in reality to supplant the work of Christ. He insists that there cannot be two ways of salvation, one through faith and the other through works. As he closed the narrative of his rebuke of Peter, he did so by stating his own personal experience. He had once trusted in the law and attempted to save himself by obeying its precepts. His failure to keep the law, however, had driven him to seek some power outside himself. He had put his trust in Christ and had died to the law. He had become convinced that to ascribe saving power to the law was really to annul the death of Christ and to deny its redeeming grace. This argument from the experience of the apostle forms the immediate introduction to his discussion of the doctrine of justification by faith. This discussion consists of a threefold argument and a threefold appeal. The first argument is from experience, however; in this case it is not the experience of the apostle but of the Galatian Christians. He reasons from the blessing which they have received by faith. This blessing consists of the gracious work which the Holy Spirit is doing for them. It is a blessing which has come through faith, and not by the observance of the law. Paul argues, therefore, that it is absurd for the Galatians now to turn away from Christ and to attempt by legal observance to seek for themselves an acceptance with God which faith in Christ had failed to secure. His tone of address is severe. "O foolish Galatians," cries the apostle, "who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified?" He regards them as senseless, as utterly bereft of reason, and as guilty of conduct which has no rational defense. They must have been bewitched. Some magic spell must have been thrown over them. The word "bewitch" implies a reference to the familiar superstition of the "evil eye." Some malign influence has turned their gaze away from Christ. This influence is that of the false teachers. They are, by some evil magic, diverting the eyes of their victims from the cross of Christ to the law of Moses. The Galatians, however, were without excuse, because Paul had plainly preached to them the efficacy of the cross, the full meaning of the death of Christ, and the complete salvation of those who put their trust in him. Before their eyes Jesus Christ had been "openly set forth crucified"; that is, he had been vividly depicted, graphically portrayed, as the Saviour who had died for the sins of the world, through whose atoning death believers were granted acceptance with God. Therefore the defection of these Galatians was senseless and inexcusable. It is not hard to imagine, however, the subtle reasoning by which the Judaizing teachers had beguiled the Galatians. It was not difficult for them to picture the sanctity and the divine origin and the long observance of the ancient law. Without much difficulty they could deceive their victims and make them believe that, without abandoning Christ, they might attain merit by observing those ceremonies which had been followed by the prophets and heroes of old and by Christ and his apostles as well. Nor is it hard for us to understand the fascination which rites and ceremonies have for men of modern days, particularly when these observances claim the sanction of antiquity and of Christian tradition. It seems natural, also, even for those who have accepted salvation through Christ, to seek to add their own good works and deeds of merit to the atoning work of Christ as a ground of acceptance with God. To those who are being thus misled, Paul continues his rebuke. He now appeals to their former experience. *T wish to ask you only one question," the apostle is saying in effect. "This only would I learn from you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" The Galatian Christians like other members of the Early Church had been granted miraculous spiritual gifts; such as prophecy, the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, the gift of healing. These gifts were the signs and seals of their conversion and of the new life which had been granted them. Paul asks whether these gifts had been secured by the observance of the ceremonial law or by believing in Christ. Had they received the Spirit through doing what the law demanded or through believ-ing the message which they had heard? Obviously these gifts of the Spirit had not come by "works of the law" but by "the hearing of faith." "Are ye so foolish?" asks the apostle, "having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?" If these astonishing spiritual gifts have come to them along the pathway of faith, is it not folly to seek now for perfection along the line of ritual observance? It is to such observance that Paul refers by his phrase "in the flesh." While the law was in itself holy and righteous, while it was divine in its origin, yet was regarded as a means by which men could save themselves, it was then a mere human expedient, a matter external and formal, in contrast with the activity of the indwelling Spirit. How absurd then it was for these Galatians to seek for higher sanctity by actually descending from the plane of the Spirit to the level of the flesh, to turn from that which was divine to that which was human. They were not on the pathway of advancement, but in the way of failure and of loss. If they were turning from Christ to the law, what advantage would remain from all that they had endured for the sake of Christ? "Did ye suffer so many things in vain?" asks the apostle. He refers to the persecutions and hardships which they had endured when they accepted the gospel. What advantage, then, would be theirs if they now abandoned the very principle of that gospel for which they had suffered so severely? Yet Paul adds, "If it be indeed in vain." He is not ready to abandon hope for his readers. He believes they may still see the folly of their course and may turn again to Christ in implicit faith. With this in view he continues to argue from their personal experience. He turns, however, from the past to the present. Their former spiritual gifts had been received in simple faith. How about the present manifestations among them of spiritual powder? "He therefore that supplieth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" The word "supplieth" indicates a generous and gracious and rich bestowal. Paul generously intimates that the defection of the Galatians has only threatened or begun. God is still bestowing upon them abundantly the gifts of his Spirit. He is manifesting among them works of divine energy. Yet all this is being granted not on the ground of ritual observance, but on the ground of their believing the message which they have heard concerning Christ and his redeeming grace. Faith in Christ has been the source of their new life, the channel through which have come to them all their abundant spiritual blessings. Nor is this principle of faith new or unique. It is the principle in accordance with which blessings have come to the people of God through all past ages, "even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." The reference to Abraham is significant. To him the Jewish teachers would point with pride as being the father of their race, the source of their spiritual blessings. They would claim that by their obedience to the Mosaic law they would become heirs to the promises made to Abraham. To such supposed reasoning Paul makes a severe retort. He insists that all those who live by the principle of faith are the true children of Abraham and the heirs of the promised blessing: "Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham." Moreover, the inspired Scriptures testified to the fact that the blessings promised to ^Abraham were to be shared not only by Jewish believers but by Gentiles as well. Indeed, the promise to Abraham was in itself a gospel prediction, as it stated the "good news" of the blessings which those who believed would receive. As the apostle writes, "The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed." It is accordingly those who live by faith who share the blessing promised to Abraham, "they that are of faith," who "are blessed with the faithful Abraham." The folly of seeking for superior sanctity by legal observance is made still more evident as Paul now turns to another phase of his argument. Not only is it true that the blessings which his readers have experienced have been received through faith and not by obedience to the law, but furthermore it is true that while the law cannot bring blessing it can bring a curse. In fact, all who fail to keep its precepts and requirements perfectly are under condemnation. One must render an obedience which is complete and unfaltering, or else be subject to the curse which the law contains for all who fail to meet its perfect and exact requirements. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse:for it is written. Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them." Judged by such a standard, no man can be justified in the sight of God. Obedience not only must be free from all possible exceptions, but it must be continuous and unbroken. Paul further argues that even the Old Testament Scriptures, which demand such explicit obedience and which pronounce so inevitable a curse, do not make any promise of justification to those who keep the law, but these very Scriptures set forth the principle of justification by faith. "Now that no man is justified by the law before God, is evident: for, The righteous shall live by faith; and the law is not of faith; but, He that doeth them shall live in them." The quotation from Hab. 2:4, "The righteous shall live by . . . faith," referred to a situation in which the people of God were in great peril, but in which deliverance was assured to the righteous who put their trust in God. Paul employs it here as a statement of a great principle in accordance with which those who trust in God are accepted as righteous in the sight of God. He contrasts it with the principle which is involved in the law; namely, a principle of works. In accordance with this principle Paul quotes from the law: "He that doeth them shall live in them." Compare Lev. 18:5. When Paul declares that "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness," or when he quotes the words of the prophet that "the righteous shall live by faith," Paul does not mean that faith is a substitute for righteousness. Nor does he mean that righteousness is merely imputed to those who believe. Faith is a living principle, and through it righteousness is not only imputed; it is imparted and experienced. While the law cannot secure blessing, and while it pronounces a curse upon those w^ho fail to keep its requirements, it is further true that this curse must rest upon all, for none have rendered perfect obedience to the demands of the law. From this curse, however, Christ has delivered those who have put their trust in him. He did so by himself assuming the place of penalty and suffering and shame. Believers had been like prisoners under condemnation, but Christ died for them. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us." This is the strongest possible statement of vicarious suffering. Christ took the place of the guilty. By his death he purchased for them redemption and pardon. 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 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 requirement 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 would put their trust in Christ. The sum and the essence of all promised blessings were found in the gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift towards which all the promises pointed, a gift which could be received by faith alone. Thus, a third time within this paragraph, vs. 1-14, Paul reverts to the gift of the Spirit, a gift which his readers had experienced, and a gift which has come to all who have yielded themselves to Christ. If this supreme gift has been experienced through faith in Christ alone, it is surely foolish and senseless to seek for higher blessings by submission to rites and ceremonies imposed by men. None who have truly experienced the blessings of faith should submit themselves anew to the bondage of law. 2. The Character of the Covenant with Abraham. Ch. 3:15-22
Paul is defending the doctrine of justification by faith. He has argued from the blessing already received — namely, the gift of the Holy Spirit — that acceptance with God is through faith and not on the ground of legal observance While the law brought a curse for any disobedience to its demands, it had no power to bless. The principle of faith was illustrated from the case of Abraham, who "believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness." Vs. 1-14. Paul now proceeds to show that this principle which operated in the case of Abraham is abiding and changeless. It was not affected by the subsequent giving of the Mosaic law. The promise to Abraham and his seed was without conditions. It was like a covenant which, when once made, could not be changed. It was unaffected by the law which was many years subsequent to it in point of time. The object of the law was not to secure justification but to reveal sin, and to turn men to Christ in whom the promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Vs. 15-22. This step in the argument was necessary in view of the particular opponents whom Paul had in mind. The Jewish Christians who were troubling the Galatians were ready to admit that Abraham was justified by faith and that the Galatian Christians similarly through faith in Christ had been accepted of God. But they were insisting that the law of Moses, having been given subsequent to the promise to Abraham, was, therefore, binding upon the descendants of Abraham and upon all who expected to receive the promises which had been made to Abraham and his seed. These legalists granted that justification was by faith, but only in the case of those who had also observed the Mosaic law. They were insisting that, in addition to accepting the work of Christ, those who would be truly justified, surely those who would attain to the highest position as believers, must also obey the law which had been given through Moses. It is this contention which Paul now meets. He shows the abiding validity of the promises made to Abraham and to those who by faith were his rightful heirs. The tone of the apostle becomes less severe. He is now more intent than ever upon his argument, and is less concerned in rebuking his readers. ''Brethren, I speak after the manner of men"; he is to make clear his argument by an illustration taken from the customs of daily life. 'Though it be but a man's covenant, yet when it hath been confirmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto." It is commonly recognized, the apostle is claiming, that an agreement between men when once signed and sealed cannot be annulled or altered by any third party, much less can the gracious promise which God made to Abraham be affected in its conditions and provisions by any subsequent requirement or demand. The word "covenant," which Paul here employs, is somewhat difficult to translate, and has been the occasion of continuous debate. Possibly its strict meaning is that of a "disposition," or "a thing determined by expressed will." For this reason it has frequently been rendered by the term "testament," which is the common use in classical Greek, meaning a "testamentory disposition." This seems to be the best translation of the word in Heb. 9:16, 17, where it is definitely connected with the death of Jesus. On the other hand, the word "covenant" was used in the Old Testament to describe an agreement between man and man. Neither of these exact meanings should be attached to the word as here employed, or as it occurs throughout the New Testament. The sense here is that of a gracious promise, or of a free undertaking and engagement to bless. It defines the disposition, the intention, the determined purpose of God. The argument of the apostle is that if a human agreement, when once ratified, cannot be annulled or overlaid by new stipulations, much less can the gracious promises given by God to Abraham and his spiritual descendants be made void or altered by the subsequent giving of the Mosaic law. This argument, however, needs to be reenforced. Paul must show that the promise had not been fulfilled before the giving of the law, but that it found its true fulfillment in Christ and those who put their trust in him. If the promise had been fulfilled before the law was given, and if the blessings which Christians had received were not in fulfillment of the promise, then the restriction of the law might have come in to limit the promise, and Gentiles night have been compelled to accept the legal obligations which rested upon the Jews. For this reason Paul insists that God's gracious promise to Abraham and his descendants is realized only in and through Christ. "Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." When Paul here argues from a word used in the singular in contrast with a possible plural, he is accused of rabbinical quibbling. It should be noticed rather that there is tremendous force in his argument. He is insisting that the promise was not to all the descendants of Abraham, it was only to the line of true believers; and the promise ever found its goal in Christ, yet not in Christ alone, but in that great body of believers who are one with him. Paul is, therefore, presenting the great truth which becomes more and more clear through the course of the Old Testament, that the covenant blessings were to be realized in One who should sum up in himself all those to whom the promises had been made. Since then the "covenant" was of such a character, since it was given long before the law, and since its fulfillment was found in One who appeared long subsequent to the giving of the law, it was evident that the law could by no means affect the covenant promise. "Now this I say," writes the apostle, as he applies the principle which he has already set forth: "A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect." 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. The difficulty must be recognized. However, it would hardly seem that Paul, with his careful training in the law, and his scrupulous exactness as a writer, was the man to make so glaring a mistake if he meant to measure, by four hundred and thirty years, the time between the first promise made to Abraham and the giving of the law at Sinai. One possible explanation is worth}^ 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. Gen. 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. It is, however, not necessary to remove this difficulty. The exact statement of the number of years does not determine the validity of Paul's argument. It is sufficient for his logic to insist that the covenant made so long before cannot possibly be affected by the subsequent giving of the law. The covenant was of the character of a gracious promise. To it no condition was affixed, save that of faith alone. The law proceeded on an entirely different principle. It was an agreement formed, involving the condition of implicit obedience. If the promises made to Abraham are now to be conditioned upon obedience to the law, then they cease to be a gracious bestowal and designation of God. As a matter of fact, however, the promise made to Abraham was a gift of grace. There cannot, then, be two ways of salvation. It must be either by grace or by obedience to the law. The nature of the promise made to Abraham and fulfilled in Christ is, however, that of grace associated with no conditions of legal obedience; or, as the apostle declares, "If the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise," v. 18. To this argument as to the inability of the law to affect the promise made to Abraham and to be received on the ground of faith alone two objections are named. They may have been made by Paul's opponents, or they may have occurred to him as he reasoned with himself as to the relation between law and faith. The first objection is that the law is thus declared to be useless; it has no real purpose; it is futile, vs. 19, 20. "What then is the law?" Paul answers that the law was never intended to secure righteousness. It was rather intended to reveal sin. It showed men their need of justification. It convinced men of their inability to save themselves. It measured the depth and the guilt of human disobedience. It was divinely ordained to lead men to Christ. As Paul declares, "It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made." It is difficult to determine the exact meaning of the phrase "because of transgressions." Does it mean that the law was intended to keep men from the sins which it expressly prohibited? Or, on the other hand, does it mean, as Paul argues in his Epistle to the Romans, that it was the design of the law to increase transgressions? Probably it signifies that the law was intended to make manifest the inward disposition or character of men as depraved and sinful. It was never designed to secure righteousness, but was ever intended to show the need of a Redeemer. As Paul declares, the law "was added." It was no part of the original promise made to Abraham. That promise was independent of the law. Whatever the purpose of the latter, it could not invalidate the promise which was conditioned upon faith. As further showing the inferior character of the law, Paul declares that "it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator." It might seem at first that this statement would glorify the law. It might remind one of the majestic scenes amid which the law was given, and of the divine sanctions under which it was enacted. On the contrary, the mention of "angels" and the reference to Moses intimate that the law was less gracious and permanent than the promise. The latter came directly from God, but the law was given through Moses. Nor did Moses himself receive the law directly from God. It was delivered to him on Mount Sinai by the ministration of angels. Thus in the giving of the law, God is twice removed; but in giving the promise, God stands forth alone, independent, and sovereign. Hence the promise rests on a higher plane than the law. "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one." V. 20. It must be admitted that the meaning of this verse is not plain. It is estimated that it has received as many as two hundred and fifty different interpretations. It is reassuring, however, to find that among modern commentators there is practical unanimity. It is understood to contrast the law of Moses with the promise to Abraham. A "mediator" implies two parties at least. It indicates conditions which must be fulfilled, and a contract to which persons have agreed. This, indeed, was the nature of the law, but its conditions were never kept, and therefore the blessings which it promised were never received. On the other hand, the promise depends for its fulfillment upon God by whom alone it was made; he gave it, and he will surely keep it, for all who trust in him. It was not related to the law, and its fulfillment was independent of the law's conditions and demands. A second objection may therefore arise. Vs. 21, 22. Is the law contrary to the promise? Does the one contradict the other? "Is the law then against the promises of God?" To this Paul solemnly objects. "God forbid," he replies. He will not entertain such a thought. The law and the gospel are not competitive or contradictory. The one is complementary to the other. Both have a part in the great economy of God. Surely the law itself was not sufficient to secure salvation. Much less is it superior to the promise which is now embodied in the gospel. It demanded righteousness but it had not power in itself to secure righteousness. It lacked any principle which could impart life. "If there had been a law given which could make alive, verily righteousness would have been of the law." Such, however, was not the case. Nevertheless, it had a part to play. It made men conscious of their sin and need. It, therefore, prepared the way for the fulfillment of the promise by making men conscious of their need of Christ. It was a strict, severe, yet necessary discipline to prepare men for the salvation which had been promised on the ground of faith. As recorded in the Scripture, it "shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." By "all things" Paul means all mankind. The very purpose of the law was to bring a universal sense of condemnation. It shows men their sinfulness. It puts them in the prison house of remorse and despair until they long for the gracious deliverance which Christ offers and which he grants to those that put their trust in him. The legal system is therefore subordinate to the gospel, but it serves the ends of the gospel. It secures the very promise which the law in itself could never offer or provide. The false teachers in Galatia were exalting the law as superior to the gospel. They were insisting that only by obedience to its precepts could men attain to the highest position as followers of Christ. Paul shows by way of contrast that the law is subordinate and inferior even though it has a real part in securing the promises of grace. There is a place for rites and ceremonies, if these are used to make Christ and his power more real. There is surely a place for conscience, and its commands must be obeyed; but the highest function of conscience is to reveal the need of a power outside of self and to lead a person to Christ who can impart power for right living. Obedience to conscience should not be regarded as a means to win his favor; but gratitude to him, who saves us by his grace, should inspire us to obey his holy will. 3. The Immaturity Under the Law. Chs. 3:23 to 4:7
Ritualism is a sign of spiritual Immaturity. The same is true of the self-righteousness which trusts in its own good works for acceptance with God, and the dogmatism which seeks salvation by defending a creed. Such, too, according to the apostle, was the condition of those legalists, who, in order to secure a superior sanctity, were adding to their Christian faith the observance of the Mosaic law. Paul insists that the law had kept the Jews in the state of children under age, or at best had served as a tutor to prepare them for the acceptance of Christ. On the other hand, faith in Christ had brought them into the position of full-grown sons, to whom belonged the privilege of free access to the Father, into whose hearts God had sent the Spirit of his Son, and who had indeed entered upon their rightful heritage. How foolish and senseless, then, for these Galatians to seek for superior sanctity by submitting to the law! Instead of making an advance, this would be turning back to a state of spiritual immaturity and bondage. Paul is defending the doctrine of justification by faith. He has snown that the legal system mediated through Moses was merely parenthetic or preparatory. It could not affect the covenant with Abraham and his seed, which was of the nature of a gracious promise to be received by faith alone. This promise was fulfilled in Christ and in those who were united with him by faith. Christian believers were the true heirs of Abraham. The law, however, had a function to perform. It revealed the need of righteousness and prepared for the acceptance of Christ. All who came under its influence were made prisoners of sin that they might long for the gracious deliverance which Christ freely offers to those who trust in him. "But before faith came," continues the apostle, "we were kept in ward under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." Thus the law is described as a stern jailer. Under it men were kept prisoners. Its restraints and limitations prepared them for the faith which was to be made manifest, and by which they were to attain the glorious liberty of the sons of God. "Before faith came," that is, before the coming of Christ, before the new dispensation, before faith in the Redeemer, the Jews ' 'were kept in ward under the law." Paul does not mean that faith was a new principle. It had always been the instrument by which the people of God were justified. He does mean, however, to contrast the position of the Jews who had accepted the legal system with the freedom from the bondage of law enjoyed by the followers of Christ. The purpose of the law, however, was to lead to the acceptance of Christ and thus to fulfill the very end of the gospel. By it men were imprisoned, but they were ''shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." The intent of the law was, therefore, gracious and friendly. Paul is not content to describe the legal system merely by the picture of a jailer by whom men were kept in confinement until they should be delivered by Christ. The law introduced not only a period of imprisonment but one of preparation. Therefore Paul adopts another figure of speech: "So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law is subordinate to the gospel. It is inferior to the gospel, yet it makes men ready for the gospel. Its function is that of a "tutor." Probably this is the best translation of the Greek word "paidagogos" which Paul here employs. For this word there is no exact equivalent in English. It defines an office which does not exist in modern life. The "pedagogue," in the days of Paul, was a trusted servant, usually a slave, whose duty was not merely to lead his young master to school but in some measure to supervise his manners and morals. He was not qualified to instruct, nor was he given authority to control, but he was appointed to attend and to safeguard the child until his charge attained maturity and was no longer in need of guidance and discipline. Such, according to Paul, was the place and function of the Mosaic law. It was a stern tutor intended for the guidance of the Jewish race. It regulated outward actions. It prescribed right conduct. It imposed certain checks upon evil until those under its guidance were ready for the spiritual freedom to be found in Christ. When Paul declares that "the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ," he does not regard Christ as a school-master. What he means is that the law has prepared us for faith in Christ. As Paul here intimates, Christ is the Object of our faith. The law prepares us to trust in him. We were brought to him "that we might be justified by faith." Thus the apostle adds, "But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor." v. 25. When one trusts Christ for his salvation he ceases to be in the condition of spiritual immaturity which needs the care and discipline of the law. He now enjoys the liberty of a full-grown son, as the apostle adds, "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus." It may be noted that the Revised Version helpfully corrects the more familiar translation of the Authorized Version, which reads, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." It is well to observe the distinction between the term "children" and the term "sons." It is true that all Christians are the "children of God," as well as being "sons of God," but the two Greek words embody very different conceptions. "Children of God" denotes those who have been born again and who share the nature of God. The word "sons." which Paul here employs, denotes a legal status. It indicates the fact that Christians have certain rights and privileges, and that to these they are admitted through faith in Christ. It is possible that the revisers have also improved the translation by the punctuation which they have introduced. By separating with a comma the phrases "through faith" and "in Christ Jesus," a new shade of meaning is revealed. The older translation is more simple and obvious, but the present rendering gives a deeper significance and specially prepares the reader for the statement which follows. If Paul here affirms that through the operation of faith we are all "sons of God . . . in Christ Jesus," he indicates that the sonship upon which we enter is enjoyed in view of that peculiar and intimate relationship with the Saviour which is denoted by the phrase "in Christ Jesus." Into such a relationship with him we are brought by baptism: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ." Baptism here denotes a confession of faith. Without faith baptism would be an empty form. Unless Paul meant to denote an outward rite which expressed an inner yielding of the heart, he would have been guilty of the very error which he is attempting to correct in the Galatian believers. They were being taught that there was merit and saving efficacy in forms and in ceremonies; but the apostle was endeavoring to show them the sufficiency of faith. What he means, therefore, is to say that, when they accepted Christ, and when in baptism they expressed their devotion to him, they then "put on Christ." This last phrase denotes the taking upon oneself of the very virtues and excellencies of Christ. Faith is not merely an intellectual assent to certain doctrines. It is the going forth of the whole being toward a divine Person. It is the submission of the will to Christ. It implies devotion and obedience to Christ. It results here in a spiritual maturity which is manifested to the world by a likeness to the character of Christ. There are some who feel that Paul is here connecting with the rite of baptism a figure of speech borrowed from Greek and Roman customs. When a Greek or a Roman youth passed from boyhood to manhood, the transition was marked by a change of costume. Instead of the toga prætexta he assumed the toga virilis. Formerly he had been under the rule of the family. He now took upon himself the responsibility of citizenship. It is possible that when Paul declared that in baptism the believer "put on Christ," he may have had such a custom in mind. There is no question, however, but that he here wished to indicate that one who was truly united to Christ by faith would manifest a likeness to Christ, and would enter upon a spiritual maturity quite in contrast with his previous state of tutelage and moral discipline under the dictation of the Mosaic law. Spiritual maturity was, therefore, secured by faith in Christ. It was this which brought a man into a right relationship with God. It was this which made him in all reality a son of God. His standing, therefore, was dependent upon no human relationships or conditions. "There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus." Paul does not mean that these differences have ceased to exist. He continually recognized them. He insisted on the duties of citizenship and the proprieties of sex. This verse should not be employed to indicate that for men and women there should be no distinction of functions and duties either in the family or in the Church. Paul is here discussing a relationship to God, which is dependent wholly upon our faith in Christ and can be affected by no human distinctions or relations. He is arguing against the endeavor on the part of the Galatians to attain a higher standing by observance of the Mosaic law. He is insisting, however, that the very highest relationship, the full enjoyment of sonship, is dependent, not upon accidents of birth or of social standing, but upon faith in Christ alone. Those who are "in Christ" form one great brotherhood. They are all "one man," one son; and therefore all are heirs of the blessing promised to faith. They are all "Abraham's seed." As Paul concludes, "If ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise." The force of the argument is that advantages of birth, of social position, or of human relationships, do not secure the promises made to Abraham. His distinction lay in the fact not that he was a Jew but that he was a man of faith, and therefore, whatever one might be by birth or social position, he would inherit the blessings promised to Abraham if only, like Abraham, he was possessed of faith. Believers are Abraham's true descendants and heirs of the blessings promised to him and to his seed. Ch. 3:23-29. "But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all." Paul is still illustrating the spiritual immaturity of those who lived under the Jewish law. They were like children under tutelage who were being prepared for faith in Christ. He now shows that they are no better than slaves in comparison with those who, through faith in Christ, have been granted the position of full-grown sons, enjoying their rightful heritage as the seed and heirs of Abraham. In connection with this illustration various subtle questions have been asked. Is Paul referring to Gentiles as well as to Jews? Does he regard the father of the heir as living or dead? Is the illustration taken from the provisions of Greek or Roman or Galatian law? As to the first question, it may be said that the same principles apply to Jews and Gentiles. While Paul is referring especially to the condition of Jews before they found Christ, Gentiles were also "under the law," and in Christ were given the full liberties of the ''sons of God." The second question need not be debated, and was probably not in the mind of Paul. He is fixing the thought of his readers upon the relations of the heir to his inheritance as determined not by the death of a father but by his attaining his legal majority. As to the third question, the illustration does not correspond exactly to either Greek or Roman law, and it is improbable that the apostle concerned himself with the details of the obscure provincial code of Galatia. Most of the answers to these questions, and the inferences based upon them, are more subtle than sound. The meaning of the apostle is perfectly clear. He wishes to picture the difference between the condition of a slave and that of an heir who has entered upon the enjoyment of his inheritance. His purpose is quite plain. He desires to guard the Galatians from the temptation to become entangled again in the bondage of Jewish law and to encourage them to enjoy the spiritual liberty which they have been granted through faith in Christ. The message has its immediate application to believers' in the present day. It raises the question as to whether, in their religious experience, they may be likened to slaves who stand in fear of God and are continually dreading the punishments of his broken law, or whether they stand in the relation of sons and enjoy loving fellowship with their Father. "But I say," writes the apostle, indicating that he is to express his thought further in reference to the spiritual immaturity of those who are living under the tutelage of the law, "so long as the heir is a child," that is, a child under age, an infant at law, one who has not attained his maturity, "he differeth nothing from a bondservant," in respect, that is, to any possible control over his destined estate. He can no more enter upon its actual possession than could a slave in the household. In this regard he is in the exact condition of a bondservant, "though he is lord of all." He is an heir de jure, but not de facto. He is no more in the enjoyment of the promised possession than is a slave. "He is under guardians and stewards." During his period of subjection he is controlled and restrained by "guardians" who have charge of his person and trustees to whom is committed the care of his property. This subordinate and limited condition continues "until the day appointed of the father." This does not necessarily mean that the father is dead, or has made a specification in his will. Paul is about to compare the limitation of time imposed by human law and authority with the divine providence and purpose of God in whose hands all destinies repose. Here the phrase simply indicates the time at which the supposed heir attains his destined inheritance. "So we also," writes the apostle, having especially in mind Jewish believers, "when we were children," that is, while we were in a state of spiritual immaturity, as those who were living under the tutelage of the law. "were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world." They were kept, while under the law, in a process of preparatory training. The "rudiments of the world" refer to those elementary religious observances which, as interpreted by the legalist, were merely outward and formal and material and temporary, as contrasted with the abiding spiritual principle of faith in Christ. These Jewish believers, while indeed having a great inheritance, were being instructed by the legal system, as children might be trained by simple symbols, by elementary object lessons adapted to immature minds. This phrase, "the rudiments of the world." is one about which there may properly be diversity of views, but it can hardly be wrong to suppose that by it Paul is making a reference to that whole system of legal rites and observances which he has regarded as belonging to that period of discipline through which the Jews were brought in preparation for their acceptance of Christ. Of course there was another aspect of the law. It was divinely given, and for those high purposes to which Paul had previously referred. But he is wishing to show his Galatian readers that their desire to adopt these Jewish rites, as grounds of acceptance with God, would be merely a proof and an indication that they lacked the maturity which belonged to the tiue followers of Christ. There are some Christians to-day who fail to realize that trust in ritual observances or in moral achievement or in doctrinal orthodoxy may indicate merely a relapse into second childhood on the part of those who should know the freedom of full-grown sons. It was the coming of Christ which brought the great crisis in the history of the people of God. His coming marked the period of release from the state of spiritual infancy and servitude, and of the entrance upon the promised possession. ''When the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son." The preparation for the coming of Christ was mature and world-wide. It is needless to dwell upon the providences by which the Jewish race, and indeed the entire world, had been made ready for the advent of the Redeemer. Much might be said as to the conditions which favored his coming, such as the establishment of Roman law, the universal diffusion of Greek culture, and the wide dispersion of the Jews with their knowledge of the one true God and their belief in the coming of the Messiah. However, from what has preceded, Paul probably had in mind a different kind of preparation; namely, the universal sense of need, of moral helplessness, and of condemnation. It was in this respect that even the Jews, according to the apostle, had been "shut up . . . under sin," that by their very sense of guilt, which the law had produced, they might be ready for the acceptance of the Saviour when he appeared. "God sent forth his Son," forth from his throne on high, forth from the estate of his heavenly glory, "born of a woman," with all the limitations and weakness and helplessness of a human babe, "born under the law," subject to all its restrictions, requirements, and demands, yet born "that he might redeem them that were under the law." The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. The birth at Bethlehem looked forward to the cross of Calvary; but the ultimate purpose of redemption was "that we might receive the adoption of sons." Until Christ came, until redemption was accomplished, the state of spiritual immaturity continued; but when redemption had been achieved, then, through faith, believers might be received into the state, and might enjoy the privileges, of full-grown sons of God. Faith brings them into that blessed relationship. "And because ye are sons," writes the apostle, "God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." The filial consciousness of the fatherhood of God was not possible until the Redeemer had appeared, and until, through faith in him, believers had entered upon the enjoyment of the promised inheritance. Under the legal system represented by the Old Testament, the idea of divine sonship was veiled and indistinct. It is not altogether strange that men could not know God as their Father until the Son of God appeared. The words of our Saviour are true in their strictest sense, "No one cometh unto the Father, but by me." He revealed the Father. He could say with all sincerity. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." He it was who, by his redeeming work, could bring men into a filial relationship with God. It is because we are sons of God that he has "sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts." The heart is especially the seat of the emotions, and it is because we are the sons of God, by faith in Christ, that his Spirit enables us to address the Father with accents of confidence and love. It is, indeed, the Spirit himself who cries within our hearts, "Abba, Father." The repetition of the Aramaic and of the Greek words for "father," the expression "Abba," our "Father," is a familiar form indicating loving and trustful entreaty. The Holy Spirit is here well designated, "the Spirit of his Son." Since redemption has been accomplished, the Spirit of God has been so truly identified with Christ and his work that he is called the Spirit of Christ. The designation here assumed, "the Spirit of his Son," may rightfully be understood to indicate that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son as from the Father, that he is one with the Father and with the Son; but more particularly it intimates that it is his influence in the heart of the believer which awakens the consciousness of sonship, and which brings such a one into intimate filial relationship with God. Thus in arguing for the great doctrine of justification by faith, as Paul began by reasoning from the blessings which faith had already brought to the Galatians, and as he found the chief and sum of these blessings to consist in the gift of the Holy Spirit, so here he attains the climax of his threefold argument by referring to this supreme blessedness which the Holy Spirit secures for the believer by assuring him of his divine sonship and thus bringing him into the enjoyment of his promised inheritance. "So that thou art," concludes the apostle, "no longer a bondservant, but a son." How foolish, then, for the Galatians to fall back from their high position of spiritual privilege as sons of God to the standing of slaves under bondage to the law! Here Paul addresses each one of his readers as an individual, as he says, "Thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." All that has been accomplished is "through God." It is all due to his grace, his mercy, and his love. He "sent forth . . . his Son"; he granted us the grace of adoption,* he has brought each one of us into the position of a son who has entered upon the privileges of his inheritance. Redemption was in order to adoption, and because of adop tion there has been the gift of the Holy Spirit. Even this gift, however, is but the "earnest of our inheritance"; for while, indeed, we now enjoy access to God and fellowship with him, there remains yet a fuller glory when the body itself has been "redeemed," when we shall dwell in the "Father's house," when we shall enjoy all that has been promised us as heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ. Ch. 4:1-7. B. THE THREEFOLD APPEAL. Ch. 4:8-11 1. An Appeal to Pride. Ch. 4:8-11
Ritualism is baptized heathenism. Rites and ceremonies may be helpful. Like the requirements of the Jewish law to which Paul has been referring, they may be of divine origin and gracious in their purpose. The sacraments established by Christ may be channels of grace. However, if these observances are practiced without faith in Christ, they may be empty forms. If they are regarded as means of obtaining divine favor, if they are offered to supplement or to supplant the redeeming work of Christ, they are no better than forms of pagan worship. To depend for salvation upon a ceremony which a man may perform is little better than trusting in an idol which a man may make. Such at least seems to be the contention of Paul as he endeavors to restrain the Galatian Christians from adopting the ritual of the Jews. Paul has been defending the doctrine of justification by faith. In his threefold argument he has shown that the blessings promised to Abraham have been received through faith in Christ. The Jewish law had been added long subsequent to the promise as a discipline preparatory to the coming of Christ, and after redemption was accomplished believers in Christ enjoyed the liberty and the privileges of sons of God. Still further to establish his doctrine he now makes to his readers a threefold appeal. He appeals first of all to their pride. Most of them had been converted to Christianity from paganism. Their Christian faith had set them free from the bondage of idol worship. Now they were being tempted to place themselves under the servitude of the Jewish law. They were being assured that the observance of this ancient ritual would make them more acceptable to God and would enable them to occupy a higher place in the Christian Church. Paul tells them that, on the other hand, to adopt these ancient rites which had long since served their purpose and were to these converted heathen mere meaningless forms would be in reality a relapse into pagan idolatry. The Judaizing teachers were priding themselves upon a superior sanctity. Paul here gives a severe thrust at their vanity by likening the Jewish ritual to the practices of heathenism. He has prepared his readers for such a comparison and is now linking his appeal with his preceding argument, in which he had designated the Jewish observances as ''rudiments of the world," and here again he describes them as ''weak and beggarly rudiments." It must be insisted that Paul is not intending to reflect upon the sacred character of the Jewish law. He is intimating, however, that this legal system may be abused. It had its high function and purpose, but this had been served; and now to observe these ancient ceremonies as a ground of salvation was really to abandon the gospel of Christ. He here addresses his readers not as Jewish but as Gentile converts. "Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods." In the first word, "howbeit," he is intimating the pitiful contrast which he is about to suggest of a return to paganism from the liberty which his readers had secured in Christ. In their former state they had been ignorant of the one living and true God. They had been subject to cruel bondage as worshipers of gods which in reality did not exist. They had known the fear and the dread of idolaters, who worshiped deities which were not really such. Through Christ, however, they had "come to know God," v/ith all the blessedness and joy which such a knowledge involves. However, Paul at once changes his figure of speech and insists that the experience of these heathen converts had been rather that of being "known by God." Paul will give none of the credit to man. He always insists that the benefits of faith are matters not of human achievement but of divine bestowal. Thus, the very knowledge of God was due to his gracious revelation. They had been recognized by God; they had been accepted by him as his sons. Paul is distressed at the thought that they should now turn from all the blessed privileges of sonship, back to a state of religious slavery and bondage. "How turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again?" He refers to the Jewish rites as being feeble and poor. They once had a divine power and value, but, since Christ has come with his redeeming work, to adopt these ceremonies as a means of salvation is to turn back to mere elementary religious observances, to rudimentary notions and disciplines, which for the Galatian Christians could fairly be compared to the bondage under which they once had suffered as worshipers of idol gods. "Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years." The reference is to the Jewish system of feasts and to the Hebrew sacred calendar. Not only did it specify the observance of special days and annual festivals; it had also its sacred month, its sacred year, and its sacred cycle of years. In connection with this calendar a burdensome ritual had been brought into being. It would seem that the defection of the Galatians had gone at least this far, that they had undertaken to secure divine favor as Chi'istians by observing the Jewish cycle of sacred days. Xo wonder that Paul is filled with consternation I Such a step can indicate little less than the speedy adoption of the whole Mosaic law. It will be abandoning the freedom which is in Christ for a yoke of legal bondage. "I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain." He is really solicitous and anxious lest in effect they should repudiate that Christian faith which they had accepted in consequence of his faithful missionary labors among them. Nothing that Paul has here been teaching should be interpreted as condemning order and beauty in religious worship, or as denying the efficacy of Christian services and sacraments. However, his words addressed to these Galatian Christians may be a warning to the followers of Christ lest the multiplication of forms and the reliance upon ceremonies may place a yoke of bondage on the hearts of believers and may rob them of the spiritual liberty which belongs to the sons of God. 2. An Appeal to Affection. Ch. 4:12-20
The tone of the apostle becomes more tender. He appeals to the affection and sympathy of his Galatian converts and to the sacred memories of the past. The paragraph contains no statement of doctrine. It is wholly personal, but its sole purpose is to establish in the minds of his readers the truth of the gospel which false teachers are seeking to pervert. Paul wishes that the Galatians might come to his point of view. He reminds them of the devotion they had shown him when he first came to them with the good news concerning Christ. He warns them that the Judaizers are not seeking their good, but are zealous only to further their own mistaken cause. His desire is wholly for the Christian growth of the Galatians. His anxiety is for their spiritual welfare. "I beseech you, brethren," he writes, sounding a note of more tenderness than has yet been struck, "become as I am, for I also am become as ye are." V. 12. He pleads with them to take his position in the matter even as he has taken theirs. The matter is that under discussion; namely, that of the necessity of observing Jewish law. When he first came among them as a messenger of Christ he refrained from observing his ancestral customs and his national traditions. He made no claim of superior sanctity, but, though he was a Jew, he had been glad to enter into fellowship with his Gentile converts. He now entreats them to assume no superiority to him on the ground that they are observing rites which for their sakes he himself has been willing to abandon. He wishes them to regard these rites as he does, to see that they are not necessary to secure favor with God and that they are of no avail in advancing their spiritual life but rather are endangering their Christian liberty and bringing them under a needless and burdensome bondage. He implores them to exercise and maintain the same freedom which he has shown and is still defending. He has claimed no superiority on the ground of Jewish ceremonial or legal observance. He has gladly placed himself on a level with Gentile converts, regarding himself as one with them in Christ Jesus. He feels no ill will against them. "Ye did me no wrong." He cherishes no grudge. He has been, and is, deeply solicitous as to their spiritual state. He fears that they are relapsing into a condition of legal servitude, yet he harbors no resentment. Indeed, as he looks into the past, it is only with a feeling of gratitude and of deep obligation to them because of the affection which they manifested when first he brought to them the gospel message. "But ye know," he writes, "that because of an infirmity' of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time." It is rather difficult to reconcile these words with the widely accepted theory that the churches to which Paul is writing were located in southern Galatia and were in reality the churches of Antioch in Pisidia of Iconium and Lystra and Derbe. When on his First Missionary Journey Paul visited those cities and established there communities of Christians, he was apparently working with vigor and in accordance with a definite purpose. It is true that at Lystra he was stoned and left for dead; but it is improbable that he would describe this stoning by the phrase "an infirmity of the flesh"; and as we read the story as recorded by Luke there seems to be no place for such a bodily illness as is here defined. The statement of the occasion of his preaching to these churches seems quite as probably to indicate that his sojourn in Galatia was an unexpected experience, and, as is more commonly supposed, occurred during his Second Missionary Journey, when passing westward through Galatia proper he was detained by a serious illness and, thus providentially detained, proclaimed the gospel message with such power that it resulted in the establishment of the churches to which he now writes. Whichever view may be taken, there is no possible doubt that his first visit to the Galatians was attended by an illness, so severe and of so repulsive a character that the Galatians might readily have rejected the message because of the weakness and unattractiveness of the messenger. On the contrary, as Paul now writes, "That which was a temptation to you in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but ye received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." They had shown to the ambassador of Christ as glad a reception and as ardent an affection as they could have shown to Christ himself. All this has now been changed. What has become of their former gladness, of their boasted blessedness, of their loud assertions of joy and gratitude? "Where then is that gratulation of yourselves?" So gratified were they then that the apostle had come, so thankful were they to him for his service, so deeply did they appreciate his message, that no sacrifice for his sake would have been accounted too great. "For I bear you witness," he writes, "that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me." This statement has often been interpreted to indicate that the malady from which the apostle suffered was that of ophthalmia, or some other painful affection of the eyes. This, of course, is quite possible, but the interpretation has been made popular possibly because of the translation of the verse in the Authorized Version which reads, "Ye would have plucked out your own eyes." There is, however, no real reason for inserting the word "own," and Paul may simply have been using a figure of speech to indicate that his hearers, in gratitude for his message, would have been willing to offer for his relief that which was surpassingly precious. They would even have sacrificed their sight as an expression of their indebtedness to this messenger of Christ. Why, then, this change in their attitude toward him? Is it because he is still proclaiming that selfsame gospel which formerly brought them such delight? "So then am I become your enemy, by telling you the truth?" He has not changed; the gospel is not changed. Why then do they treat him like an enemy? Why does he need to appeal <'or sympathy and to plead with them to retain the truth which he has proclaimed? He can himself make answer. The change has been due to real enemies, to false teachers who are seeking to corrupt the gospel. Unlike the apostle, these teachers are purely selfish in motive. They have not at heart the good of the Galatian Christians. They are indeed showing for them deep concern, but the motive which moves them is not an eagerness to advance the interests of these Galatian believers. "They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, they desire to shut you out, that ye may seek them." Their purpose and plan is to exclude the Galatian Christians from their fellowship on the ground that they are on a lower spiritual level than these new teachers themselves, because they fail to observe the Mosaic ritual; the intention is, by thus excluding the Galatians, to compel them to adopt the ritual and to follow these false teachers with deferential zeal. Paul does not deprecate such zealous attachment of disciples to teachers, nor such eagerness on the part of teachers to affect the belief and conduct of their followers. Such mutual affection between teachers and taught is ever highly desirable; only it must be in a good cause and with right motives. "It is good to be zealously sought in a good matter at all times, and," Paul adds, "not only when I am present with you." He wishes that the passionate devotion to him which the Galatians showed on his first visit might be continued when he is separated from them. It would fill his heart with joy to know that they still trust and love him. What distresses him is the news that false messengers have so easily stolen away their hearts and turned them in bitterness against the apostle whose love for them is so true. ''My little children," writes Paul, using a phrase not found elsewhere in his writings, but quite common in the epistles of John — it is here employed to deepen the tenderness of his appeal — "I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you." The very pain and anguish of soul which the apostle endured in bringing the Galatian churches to birth he is again suffering because of their present failure and peril. He longs to have these Christians transformed into the likeness of Christ, but their development seems to be arrested. The very life of the churches is in peril. No wonder the apostle is in pain and distress! He would that he were with them. He wishes that he could speak to them even now while absent with a tone more tender: "I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone; for I am perplexed about you." It is true that he is here concerned with the purity of the gospel. He is, indeed, bent upon establishing the great doctrine of justification by faith. Yet aside from this deep and real concern, he is in anguish of soul because of the love and affection which he feels for his Galatians friends. Can it be possible that they will resist an appeal so affectionate, so loving, and so sincere as this? For his sake as well as their own, will they not turn from all those influences which will lead them astray, and will they not now seek for salvation and for spiritual growth by a new abandonment oi themselves to the will and service of Christ? 3. An Appeal to Intelligence. Ch. 4:21-31.
Paul has appealed to the pride and to the affection of his readers; he now appeals to their intelligence. He addresses in particular those who were inclined to yield to the Judaizing party. They claim to understand the Mosaic law and are willing to be bound by its precepts. Surely, then, they can see the force of an illustration drawn from the books of Moses. The case of Abraham furnishes an admirable parallel to that of the Galatian Christians who are hoping to be saved by adding legal observances to faith in Christ. Thus Abraham attempted to secure the promised blessing by the fleshly expedient of taking a slave girl in marriage in addition to Sarah his wife; but his real heir proved to be not the child of the slave girl but the son of the freewoman. The child of the slave was rejected; the child of the freewoman obtained the inheritance. So those who trust in Christ are the true sons of God, not those who seek his blessing by placing themselves under bondage to the law. The promised inheritance can be received by faith alone. For no other portion of his writings has Paul been criticized so severely. He is accused of using a "rabbinical argument" to establish the doctrine of justification by faith. However, the allegorizing method of interpreting Scripture, brought into disrepute by the rabbis, and followed by many modern Christians who endeavor to "spiritualize" Bible history, differs essentially from the use of the illustration here introduced by the apostle. He does not use the Old Testament story as an argument to establish a doctrine but as a picture to make more plain a point already proved. The fault of rabbinical allegory and of modern "spiritualizing" lies in the endeavor to extract from historic narratives principles utterly foreign to the events recorded. In the case of Paul, however, he is recalling a story the very essence of which consists in the contrast between the false sonship of Ishmael with the true sonship of Isaac, the child of promise and of faith. How could he rebuke more severely the Judaizers who thus are put plainly in the place of Ishmaelites? How more impressively could he illustrate the contrast between the results of legal bondage and of Christian liberty? "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" By hearing the law, Paul means understanding it, heeding it, appreciating its message. Those who desired to adopt it as a religious necessity should be the first to understand its true import. V. 21. "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. Howbeit the son by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the son by the freewoman is born through promise." This is not a quotation from the Old Testament, but it is a brief summary of the story the principle of which Paul wishes to apply. The two sons of Abraham are, of course, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, and Isaac, the son of Sarah. The former "is born after the flesh"; that is, according to the ordinary course of nature. "The son by the freewoman is born through promise." The birth was according to the promise of God, through the faith which Abraham reposed in that promise, and by a miraculous intervention which brought the promise to pass. "Which things contain an allegory." No doubt is raised as to the historical truth of the story by regarding it as an allegory. It is given a higher value as it is shown to embody a spiritual reality and to typify the abiding relation between those who are under spiritual bondage and those who enjoy Christian liberty. "These women are two covenants." That is to say, Hagar and Sarah typically represent the two covenants, of law and of grace. "One from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar." The first of these covenants is from Mount Sinai. It was there at the foot of the quaking mountain that the people of God bound themselves to observe the requirements of the law. All those who accepted such bondage are properly pictured as children of Hagar. Thus Hagar rightly stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, the country to which the literal descendants of Hagar belong. Hagar, therefore, rightly represents "the Jerusalem that now is," those who are still subject to the law, the existing Judaism, the advocates of which are troubling the Galatian church. This present Jerusalem "is in bondage with her children." On the contrary, "the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother." The heavenly Jerusalem, the spiritual city of which all Christians are members, is not under bondage of the law, and all its citizens should claim and maintain the liberty secured by Christ. By a quotation from Isaiah, Paul pictures the joyful spirit and the rapid growth of the heavenly Jerusalem, the true Church of God.
Isaiah, the great prophet of the Exile, was describing the restoration of literal Jerusalem, the enlargement of her borders, and the coming greatness of the rebuilt city. The prophet is employing the figure of a wife long deserted but now accepted again by her husband and fruitful in children. Of this predicted blessedness the experience of Sarah had been a type. In contrast with Hagar she had long been childless, but ultimately rejoiced in the birth of a son through whom all the families of the world were to be blessed. The ultimate fulfillment of type and prophecy, as Paul indicates, is to be found in the joy and blessing and fruitfulness of the Christian Church. Its blessing may seem long delayed, but all those who are citizens of the Jerusalem that is above will rejoice in the increasing prosperity and in the ultimate glory of this heavenly city. As Paul applies the allegory, he plainly declares, "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise." We who by faith belong to Christ are those who are destined to receive the inheritance. For the time being we may be afflicted, persecuted, despised, but the ultimate blessing is assured. The Galatian Christians who were true to the gospel of grace might be scorned and excluded by those who were zealous for the Jewish law and wished to bring them under its bondage, but nothing should persuade them to forfeit the liberty which was theirs by right as followers of Christ. "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so also it is now." Ishmael's persecution of Isaac as recorded in the ancient story consisted in his insolent derision, but it was indicative of the attitude and conduct of an elder son who was jealous of the heir and felt enmity toward him. It was typical of the Judaizing teachers who wished to take from the Galatians their birthright of spiritual liberty. "Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." The expulsion of Ishmael from the patriarchal home brings a stern rebuke to those who seek to secure a place in the Church both for the bondage of the law and for the freedom that is in Christ. Paul here indicates clearly that there can be no place for legalism in the Christian Church. He indicates that the true children of Abraham are those who inherit the promises by faith. "Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman." He will now urge his readers so to live. He will enjoin them to maintain their liberties. The closing portion of the epistle will exhort them to hold fast to their freedom. Its keynote is sounded in its opening verse: "For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage." The peril of the Galatians confronts the Church of the present day. There are many insidious influences which would incline the followers of Christ to accept some form of legal bondage and to forfeit the freedom of faith. Christians should be on their guard lest they seek for salvation by any other means than that of faith in Christ alone. As grounds of acceptance with God, no human expedients or efforts are needed or can avail. We must be careful not to put our observance of ceremonial rites, our defense of orthodox beliefs, our propriety of conduct, or our deeds of charity, in place of the redeeming work of Christ.
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