Galatians 3:19-29 – Pondering Legalism and Faith

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁹Then what is the law? It was added on account of the deviations, until the Seed to whom it was promised should come, being arranged through angels in hand of a mediator. ²⁰But the mediator is not of one, but God is one.”

²¹Therefore, [is] the law against the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law was given [which was] able to impart life, then truly the righteousness would have been out of law. ²⁰But, on the contrary, the Scripture bound together the all under sin in order that the promise might be given to the ones believing out of faith of Jesus Christ. ²³But we were all being kept under guard [as] ones bound under law before that faith came, kept for that faith about to be revealed; ²⁴so that the law became our pedagogue into Christ that we might be justified out of faith, ²⁵but we are no longer under a pedagogue coming of that faith.

²⁶For [you] all are sons of God through that faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For whoever of you were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. ²⁸There is not Jew nor Greek. There is not slave nor free. There is not male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus; ²⁹but if you [are] of Christ, then you are seed of Abraham, heirs according to promise.

Up to this point, Paul has been arguing forcefully for the superiority of faith over law, of the Abrahamic promise over the Mosaic law. One might rightfully start to wonder, then what good was the law at all? Or perhaps Paul’s opponents could make the case that he was denigrating the Mosaic Law, in spite of the fact that it came from God Himself.

So Paul wisely anticipates these questions and pauses to address them. “Then what is the law?” he asks.

If someone wants to trace the flow of logic through these verses, there are of course thousands of commentaries. Of the ones I read, I found William Hendriksen the best. He explains the truth of this passage in a very clear yet reasonably short presentation.

The short of it all is that the purpose of law was to show people their need of a Savior. It was never intended to be that Savior. It served the Jewish people in much the same way John the Baptist served them in Jesus’ day. “Are you the Christ?” they asked him. “No,” he replied, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’” To know God’s law is to see that I fall hopelessly short. My response should then not be, “I’ll try harder,” but rather, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there not another way?” Obviously I need a way of salvation that can somehow supersede the law I cannot keep. Enters the Savior, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The law and faith become rivals only when law itself is viewed as a means of salvation. But the law was never intended for that. When it is seen in its rightful place, that of, like John the Baptist, pointing people to Christ, then law can be seen as a very good thing.

Since this is my blog and since other far more able men have provided commentaries on these verses, I will record some of my own perhaps random thoughts.

All this discussion of law and its place raises a question I would like to ponder. It concerns the whole matter of legalism. I believe over the years I have heard men assert that the issue of legalism in Galatians concerns only the event of salvation itself. In other words, they would hold that this book and all it says is only applying to how one becomes a born-again Christian to begin with, that it has nothing to do with Christian living. Such men would typically be those of the fundamentalist camp who particularly like the whole gamut of rules for which they are known. They feel there is great value in all the rules they teach and so they can’t accept that Galatians is calling such teaching legalism and that Paul is actually arguing against it.

So is Galatians only addressing legalism in the event of salvation itself?

I would suggest the answer is no, that the problem of legalism is not only present in salvation but it continues to compete with faith all through a believer’s life. The principles being presented apply not only to salvation itself but to the totality of a believer’s existence. The passage says, “… the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law … you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according the promise.”

We are “no longer under the supervision of the law.” And what does Paul say later in the book? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

The true life of faith is not a life of “keeping the rules.” It is a matter of faith. It is a relationship. It is a business of promises. Here is what I’m thinking: Every time my mind ponders what is the “right” thing to do, it should be a matter of faith. First of all, since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, I ought to be asking myself where in the Bible is this matter addressed. If I can’t find it in the Scriptures, then I need to admit that it isn’t a matter of “right” and “wrong” but simply some other human invention that I may or may not choose to embrace. If there is a Scriptural directive involved, then I ought to immediately realize I cannot do it myself. I need a Savior. I need my Savior, my God, my Jesus to help me choose the right and do the right. I can in fact do the right because of the promises of my God. I want to do the right because I love Him.

Do you see what has happened? We moved from the typical legalistic cold “right and wrong” to a matter of relationship and love – faith.

That is, in a sense, why we are all “one in Christ.” No one can “do” faith any better than anyone else. All who own Christ should be filling their minds not with “the rules” but with a real, living relationship of faith in Him and His promises.

I suppose it is an advantage to me that my own children are grown and gone, but I think this whole matter would be worth some deep thought as it bears on child-rearing. I wonder if it isn’t easy to simply teach children “the rules” and hope they grow up to be “nice” Christians, rather than, even in our own minds, be realizing that all “rules” should be pointing to Christ, pointing to faith and a relationship? It is of course important to understand “the rules” and to grow up able to live under rules. But Jesus is a redemptive God. And simply seeing “the rules” so easily misses seeing Him. Hmmmm. I think I’m glad my children are raised. This seems to me a very deep, but very important business.

I guess I can turn it all even from family and let it bear on how I see the whole world around me, how I see other people and the choices they are making. Do I simply see whether people are keeping “the rules” or do I see people as ones desperately needing redemption? Of course they break “the rules.” Since the Fall, we humans are broken “rule-keepers.” Like the Prodigal, we die a thousand deaths breaking “the rules.” People should keep “the rules.” The world would be a better place if people kept “the rules.” But God has something far better for them (and us). He wants to redeem them, reclaim them, restore them. And that is not a business of rule-keeping. It is a business of faith and love and a real relationship with the Redeemer.

I hope as I try to learn these things myself, as I see it’s not about “the rules,” but about myself embracing the Redeemer, I hope I can more and more see people through His eyes. I hope it can be true of me that I really have a redemptive heart.

That is what I think. I think the issue of legalism, and all that is said here in Galatians, goes far beyond the simple (though eternally important) matter of salvation itself. It is the very life of a child of God. Faith, not law, is the heart of a true believer.

This brings me to the end of chapter 3. I think it is a good place to take another break. I think I’ll go study a Psalm then come back.

“Oh to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer.”