Galatians 3:1-14…notice how many times in the beginning Paul calls the Galatians foolish.  He is very upset that they have been taken off course.  This congregation began to be taught that the only way they can be “saved” or “converted” was through conversion to Judaism’s formal religion and accept all of the oral law that they taught as commandments of Elohim.  If we don’t understand what the problem is in the assembly at Galatia we will misunderstand Paul’s response to it. We will break it down verse by verse.

1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Yeshua Messiah was publicly portrayed as crucified? Yeshua was crucified on the Mount of Olives in Israel before the very ones who were now trying to convince Galatia of another way to salvation.

2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Can’t you just hear the aggravation in his tone? He is beginning with a line of reasoning that would remind them of the order and purposes of the covenants.  In the first century, although they had need to be reminded, they understood that which we have not understood since being so far removed from the purposes of the covenant through inherited lies (Jeremiah 16:19).  This will become clearer as we move through these verses.

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? At the time of this writing, and still today in Judaism, there are a few things that had and have to be done in order to be considered a part of the community.  They were teaching the congregation at Galatia that they were not actually “saved” or “justified” unless they did the ritual circumcision in their flesh and afterward they would be fully included.  THIS is what Paul is addressing.

4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Paul’s point is you, the Gentile, were given the Spirit by the faith that you had as a non-Jew, without ritual conversion into the religion.

6 Even so Abraham believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Abraham first believed and this is what brought him into covenant. Not his race or works…it was his faith to believe YHVH Elohim.

7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. Paul is letting them know that you, the Gentile, are already a son of Abraham through your faith and the receiving of Yeshua as the Messiah.  There is no other way to become included.

8 The Scripture, foreseeing that Elohim would justify [bring to salvation] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” At first glance this can seem confusing.  All Paul is saying here is that since Yeshua has come and made the perfect sacrifice for sin and salvation, that those who do not receive Him no longer have a sacrifice, because the blood of bulls and goats carried us to Yeshua.  Now that He’s come, if we try to enter another way, through ritual conversion, etc…we are cursed according to the law.

11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before Elohim is evident; for, “ The righteous man shall live by faith.” And this is the crux of the whole matter.  They were mixing up the purposes of the covenants.  The covenant made with Abraham at the beginning is what gets us justified, saved or in the race, not the one made at Sinai.  As they walked forward to Sinai then they received the covenant of Moses.  This covenant shows a redeemed people (one already in covenant through Abraham) how to live. We see this pattern with Abraham.  He received the covenant through faith and it was twenty-four years later when the covenant of circumcision was given to him. This would serve as a prophetic picture of entering into the covenant by faith through Yeshua and then learning through the Torah (teachings and instructions) how to live this faith out.  Faith without works is dead. (James 2:24-26).

12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE who practices them shall live by them.” Meaning, the covenant at Sinai will NOT get you justified. That is NOT its purpose.  If one tries to become “saved” or “justified” by obeying the Torah, rather than through the blood of Yeshua, that one is not in the faith at all.  This is what Paul wanted them to understand.  The purposes of the covenants are not to be confused!!

13 Messiah 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”— Yeshua redeemed us from the penalty one must pay for sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), therefore Yeshua died to pay this price so that the one who enters into covenant through Yeshua has a payment for the requirement of the law or also known as the curse of the law…that is, if we confess our sins.

14 in order that in Messiah Yeshua the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

May the Spirit of YHVH fill us with clarity and understanding as to the purposes He intended for each covenant made so that we can walk accordingly!!!

Have a blessed and shalom filled day!!

Tammy

Courtesy of

River of Life Tabernacle
Tammy McLendon
Great peace have they who love Your law. Psalm 119:165a