Galatians 3 Breakdown

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?

Paul asserts that the Galatians have been bewitched, indicating that they have been misled by teachings that distort the truth about Christ’s crucifixion. Specifically, these individuals are advocating for salvation through adherence to the works of the law rather than through the grace bestowed by YHWH.

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?

Paul comes right out and asks, if the Spirit had come to them because of their works, or before those works through the faith they already had to begin doing the works.

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

Again, Paul is calling them out telling them they already had the Spirit which would guide them to perfection. It is not the law which makes them perfect, because in the flesh, they will fail to keep the law as required.

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

These people had been persecuted for their beliefs. Persecuted by friends, family, and possibly others because they were no longer in alignment with their customs and traditions. Paul is saying, did you go through all that for nothing? If you now believe salvation is acquired through works, which it is not, it was for nothing because you will fail.

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?—

YHWH supplies His Spirit to you and works miracles in and among you, but not because you keep His law, but because you have faith in His Word. Keeping this law is not what makes you righteous, but because you are righteous, you keep the law. You do not gain faith by keeping the law, but rather you keep the law because you have faith. One must come before the other or it doesn’t make sense. Paul goes on to give examples.

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

First up is Abraham. It was not because he did all of YHWH’s law that he became righteous, although he did keep His law. It was because he believed and had faith in the Word of YHWH that he kept those commands, such as sacrificing Isaac.

Genesis 15:6                          

And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

If Abraham had not placed his faith in the Word of YHWH, he would not have ascended the mountain with his son. To assert that obedience to the commandments alone generates faith and salvation implies that Abraham acted without trust in YHWH’s command, only discovering his faith through his actions. Such a claim is fundamentally flawed and undermines the essence of true faith.

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

It is those of us who have faith His Word is better than ours, His commands are in our best interest and that’s why we keep them, these are the 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.”

This is a verse in which Paul claims Abraham was preached the Gospel. That’s right, the Gospel. This should really make the reader think, because I, like most other Christians, had always believed the Gospel was about Christ dying for everyone in the world’s sin. But, that does not seem to be what is indicated by Paul in this verse which specifically mentions the Gospel. So, let’s take a look at Abraham and what Paul believed was the forthcoming Gospel given to Abraham.

Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Based on these verses, it is evident that all nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham. This raises important questions: How is this possible? How does Yeshua facilitate this blessing? In what ways do nations across the globe come to accept YHWH’s Word as truth?

I propose that the dispersion of the Northern Kingdom of Israel throughout various nations and their subsequent assimilation into local cultures plays a crucial role in this process. Yeshua's death has the potential to impact the entire world because, if He is indeed YHWH in the flesh, His sacrifice would annul the marital covenant between Him and all of Israel. Once this covenant is annulled, the scattered Israelites can return to Him with a clean slate, free from sin, and make a renewed choice to follow Him.

The Northern Kingdom retained some knowledge of their heritage even after their exile. This understanding may explain why so many Gentiles in the Middle East readily accepted a Jewish Messiah, despite historical animosities toward the Jewish people and their own established religious practices. The acceptance of Yeshua as the Messiah can be attributed to the fulfillment of prophecies, which resonated with these nations and drew them toward the hope embodied in Him.

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

Paul goes on to say those who have faith are blessed like the believing Abraham was blessed.

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.”

Paul says here that those who are trying to keep the law in order to obtain salvation will run into a problem. When Christ died on the law, He nailed the curse of the law to the cross. Therefore, by accepting Him as our Messiah we no longer need to worry about the curse that comes from breaking the law. Paul was quoting Deuteronomy in this statement.

Deuteronomy 27:26

‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

Colossians 2:14

having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

The only part of the law in which was contrary to men was the curse which came upon men when they broke the commandments. That’s it. All other portions of the law were not contrary to us but benefitted us. Christ’s death does not eliminate the law itself, nor does it suggest we no longer keep it. It simply nullifies the curse against those who broke it, meaning the New Covenant comes with better promises, as suggested in Hebrews.

Hebrews 8:6

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

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

Again, Paul reiterates no one is justified by keeping the law. Keeping the law comes after having faith. Keeping the law is to show our love for the father, not to be saved. Paul quotes Habukkuk here.

Habakkuk 2:4

Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

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

This verse I have a bit of an issue with. The word “of” here can also be translated as “away from”. That being the case, it would change the meaning of the entire sentence. I believe it absolutely should be translated as away from. Considering everything Paul is saying previous to this, and what the meaning is, he is now saying “but” or “yet” as in even though im saying all this, the law is not separate from faith. Again, you just have to have faith first. He quotes Leviticus here.

Leviticus 18:5

You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

Considering the amount of Torah Paul is quoting in this verse, one cannot plausibly believe Paul is teaching against the Torah laws.

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”),

Here is Paul stating outright, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. That is not to say the law in itself, but the curse which we read already that comes from not keeping the law. Then he again quotes from Torah.

Deuteronomy 21:23

his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accused of God.

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.

Christ became the curse, and hung on a tree for all to be released from the curse of the law. This allows us to obtain the prophesied promise of the Spirit of YHWH, because we have faith. With that faith, the Spirit will cause men to desire to keep His commands.

Ezekiel 36:27

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

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.

Now Paul goes on to try to explain the situation by using an example the men might be able to understand. He says even a man’s covenant or contract is not added to or ended until its designated time has run its course. Basically, once the contract is agreed upon by both sides, it cannot be changed.

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.

Paul specifically states outright it is to Abraham’s seed, not seeds, the promise is given, but specifically Yeshua. He is quoting from Genesis again.

Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants (seed) forever.

The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants (seed) I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

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.

Now we can see Paul claims the law given after the promise made to Abraham, does not take away that promise. So we can understand once YHWH says something is forever, it stays forever. Meaning, when YHWH says His law is forever, that means the New Covenant does not remove the law, just the curses which had come along with that law.

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

To receive Abrahams inheritance does not require keeping the law because that would nullify His given promise. That would mean you would be entitled to that inheritance.

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

Paul asks the purpose of the law. He then states it was because of sin the law came about. YHWH was instructing His people by giving them best practices to stay healthy, and live Holy. But once the Seed (Yeshau) came the law no longer had the authority. This does not mean it no longer has a purpose. There definitely still is a purpose for the law, that is to define sin and to bring blessings through YHWH.

20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

The law was the mediator between YHWH and man.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.

Here we go, the law is absolutely not against the promises YHWH gave. The only way righteousness could have been gained through the law was if the law could give life, and it doesn’t and never could. Therefore, if the law never could give life, it was never meant for salvation. If it was never meant for salvation, it cannot be meant for salvation now, as some Jews were teaching.

22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

The Torah limited all men under sin, so faith in Yeshau can bring the promise to all who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

The law was also given to help keep men in the ways of YHWH until Yeshua was revealed and showed how to keep the faith.

24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Added thought: What is the purpose of a tutor, or school master? It is to guide and teach a thing. What does a man need a tutor or teacher/schoolmaster for? It is to pass the test. A man will no longer need a tutor once he knows the material. The same goes for the Law of God. The reason we no longer need a tutor is because the Law will be written on our hearts. This means we will already know it. We do not need to refer to the written Laws, because those Laws are now on our hearts. All who are called will go out and desire to keep these Laws. 

The law was a tool used to keep man walking in YHWH’s ways until Christ came along helping bring back some of those who needed the chance to be justified by faith. That is the scattered sheep of the Northern kingdom of Israel.

25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The law is no longer the main tool used to keep us in YHWH’s way. Yeshua is our example, and he undoubtedly followed all the Torah. Knowing that, He showed love, kept the commands, and did exactly what should be done to please YHWH, we should strive to do the same.