Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: GALATIANS #3 - 3:1-22)
D. 3:1-6 A DEFENSE FOR THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE
a. 3:1 DECEPTION LEADS US FROM BASIS OF CHRIST'S DEATH
OaNOe-toi[453] GaLAtai, tis huMAS eBASka-nen [940],
O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you,
hois kat' oph-thalMOUS IeSOUS ChrisTOS pro-eGRAphe[3788]es-tau-roMEnos [4717]?
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified?
b. 3:2 THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT: ON BASIS OF FAITH, NOT WORKS OF LAW
TOUto MOnon THElo maTHEIN [3129]aph' huMON,
This only would I learn from you,
ex ERgon NOmou to PNEUma eLAbete, eex a-koES [189]PISte-os [4102]?
Did you receive the Spirit from works of law, or from hearing of faith?
c. 3:3 Are you so foolish? having begun in Spirit, are you now perfected in flesh?
HOUtos aNOeTOI [453]es-te? e-narXAme-noi p1728]PNEUma-ti, nun sarKI [4861]e-pi-teLEISthe [2006]?
d. 3:4 Did you suffer so many thingsin vain? if indeed in vain.
toSAUta ePAthe-te [3958]eiKE [1500]? ei ge kai eiKE.
e. 3:5 MIRACLES ARE WROUGHT BY FAITH, NOT BY WORKS
ho oun e-pi-cho-reGON [2023]huMIN to PNEUma, kai e-nerGON [1754]duNAmeis [1411]en huMIN,
Who therefore supplies you the Spirit, and works miracles among you,
ex ERgon NOmou, eex a-koES [180]PISte-os [4102]?
is it from works of law, or from thehearing of faith?
f. 3:6 Even as Abraham believed :God,and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.
kaTHOS A-braAM ePIsteu-sen toTheO, kai e-loGISthe[3049]auTOeis di-kai-oSUnen [1343].
E. 3:7-22 BLESSING OF FAITH AND PURPOSE OF LAW HARMONIZED
1. 3:7-9 FAITH: THE BASIS OF SPIRITUAL SONSHIP WITH ABRAHAM
a. 3:7 Know then that who arefrom faith, these are sons of Abraham.
GiNOSke-te [1097]Ara HOti hoi ek PIS-te-os, HOU-TOI huiOI ei-sin A-braAM.
b. 3:8 GOD FORESAW GENTILES IN THE CHURCH BY FAITH
pro-iDOUsa [4275]de hegraPHEHOti ek PISte-os di-kaiOI [1344]ta ETHne[1484]ho TheOS,
And the scripture, foreseeing that :God justifies the nations by faith,
pro-eu-eg-geLIsa-to [4283]toA-braAM, [HOti] E-neu-lo-geTHEson-tai [1757]en soi PANta ta ETHne.
preached the gospel afore to Abraham, saying, [that] In you shall all the nations be blessed.
c. 3:9 So then who arefrom faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
HOSte hoi ek PISte-os eu-loGOUNtai [2127]sun topisTOA-braAM.
2. 3:10-14 FAITH IN CHRIST: THE ONLY WAY OF DELIVERANCE FROM THE LAW
a. 3:10 SCRIPTURES PRONOUNCE A CURSE UPON LAW-KEEPERS
HOsoi gar ex ERgon NOmou eiSIN huPO kaTAran [2671]EIsin: GEgrap-tai gar [HOti],
For as many as are of works of law are under a curse: for it is written [that],
Epi-kaTAra-tos [1944] pas hos ouk emMEnei [1696] PAsin tois
Cursed every one who continues not in all the things
ge-gramMEnois en to bibLIo [975] tou NOmou, tou poiEsai [4160] auTA.
written in the book of the law, to do them.
b. 3:11-12 CONTRAST BETWEEN FAITH WAY AND LAW WAY OF JUSTIFICATION
HOti de en NOmo ouDEIS di-kaiOUtai [1344] paRA to TheO, DElon [1212]:
Now that no one is justified by law before :God, is evident:
HOti, Ho DIkai-os [1342]ek PIste-os [4102]ZEse-tai [2198];
because, The righteous shall live by faith;
ho de NOmos ouk EStin ek PIste-os: all', Ho poiEsas auTA ZEse-tai en auTOIS.
12 and the law is not of faith: but, Who does them shall live in them.
c. 3:13-14 CHRIST'S REDEMPTION PROVIDES THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT
ChrisTOS heMAS e-xeGOra-sen [1805]ek tes kaTAras [2671]tou NOmou,
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
geNOme-nos [1096] huPER heMON kaTAra; HOti GEgrap-tai,
having become a curse for us; because it is written,
E-pi-kaTAra-tos [1944] pas ho kreMAme-nos [2910] ePI XUlou [3586]: HIna eis ta ETHne
Accursed every one hanging on a tree: 14that unto the nations might come
heeu-loGIa [2129] tou A-braAM GEne-tai en ChrisTOIeSOU;
the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus;'
HIna ten e-pag-geLIan [1860] tou PNEUma-tos LAbo-men diA tes PIste-os.
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through :faith.
3. 3:15-18 BASIS OF PROMISE: ABRAHAMIC COVENANT, NOT LAW
a.. 3:15a Brethren, I speak after man's manner.
A-delPHOI, kaTA ANthro-pon LEgo.
b. 3:15b A COVENANT PROPERLY ENACTED CANNOT BE VOIDED
HOmos anTHROpou ke-ku-roMEnen[2964] di-aTHEken [1242], ouDEIS a-theTEI [114],
Though but man's covenant, no one makes it void,
ee-pi-di-aTASse-tai [1928].
or adds to itwhen confirmed.
c. 3:16a Now to :Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his :seed.
tode A-braAM erREthe-san [4483]hai e-pag-geLIai [1860], kai to SPERma-ti [4690]auTOU.
d. 3:16b THE PROMISE TO BE VALIDATED THROUGH THE DEATH OF ONE SEED: CHRIST
ou LEgei, Kai tois SPERma-sin, hos ePI polLON;
He says not, And to seeds, as of many;
all' hos eph' heNOS, Kai to SPERmaTI sou, HOS es-tin ChrisTOS.
but as of one, And to your :seed, which is Christ.
e. 3:17 THE LAW, FOLLOWING ABRAHAMIC COVENANT, DID NOT VOID IT
TOUto de LEgo: di-aTHEken [1242]pro-ke-ku-roMEnen [4300]huPO tou TheOU,
Now this I say: A covenant confirmed before by :God, the law,
ho meTA te-traKOsi-a kai triAkon-ta Etege-goNOS,
which came to be four hundred and thirty years after,
NOmos [3551],ouk a-kuROI [208], eis to ka-tarGEsai [2673]ten e-pag-geLIan.
does not disannul, to make the promise void.
f. 3:18 THEREFORE INHERITANCE DEPENDENT ON PROMISE, NOT LAW
ei gar ek NOmou hekle-ro-noMIa [2817], ouKEti ex e-pag-geLIas:
For if the inheritance is of law, it is no more of promise:
tode A-braAM di' e-pag-geLIas keCHAris-tai [5483]ho TheOS.
but :God has granted it to :Abraham by promise.
4. 3:19-22 PURPOSE OF LAW: TO SHUT UP TO FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE
a. 3:19a What therefore is the law? Ti oun ho NOmos?
b. 3:19b TO HOLD TRANSGRESSORS DOWN TILL THE PROMISE FULFILLED
ton pa-raBAse-on [3847]CHArin pro-seTEthe[4369],
It was added because of transgressions,
Achris an ELthe to SPERma hoePEGgel-tai[1861]:
till the seed come to whom the promise has been made:
di-a-taGEIS [1299]di' agGElon [32]en cheiRI meSItou [3316].
ordained through angels by a mediator's hand.
c. 3:20-21a LAW, NOT THE COVENANT, HAD A MEDIATOR
ho de meSItes heNOS ouk EStin; ho de TheOS HEIS es-tin.
Now not of one is the mediator; but :God is one.d. 3:21a IS LAW CONTRARY TO PROMISE?
ho ouv NOmos kaTA ton e-pag-ge-liON tou TheOU?
Is the law then against the promises of God?
e. 3:21b LAW A TEMPORARY NECESSITY THAT CANNOT MAKE PERFECT
Be it not so: meGEnoi-to:
ei gar eDOthe NOmos ho duNAme-nos [1410]zo-o-poiEsai [2227],
for if a law had been given which could make alive,
ONtos en NOmo an en he di-kai-oSUnen.
truly :righteousness would have been by law.
f. 3:22 LAW SHUTS UP HOPELESS MAN TO CHRIST ALONE
alLA suNEklei-sen [4788]he graPHE[1124]ta PANta huPO ha-marTIan [266],
But the scripture shut up :all thingsunder sin,
HIna he e-pag-geLIa [1860]ek PIste-os IeSOU ChrisTOU doTHE tois piSTEUou-sin [4102].
that the promise from faith in Jesus Christ might be given to the believing.
NOTE: Do you have friends who have strayed from the straight and narrow way, and ended up in a cult, etc.? We all have. What do you then do? Pray? More?
Paul did. When the Galatians were bewitched with the Judaizers, and forsook “grace” and returned to “law” - he was heart-broken. He prayed. But he also wrote. Galatians is one of the finest letters written in an attempt to reclaim wandering souls.
Note what he says to them first, “O foolish Galatians, who bewitchedyou, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified”(3:1)?
The “cults” do not know Jesus Christ crucified! They are bloodless cults. With them there is no atonement - no redemption. Their leaders are dedicated to the self-life, self-pleasure, self-enrichment - without seeking to please God the Father, Christ His Son, or Their teachings in the Bible, God's Word.
Sure - they quote verses here and there, taken out of context, and in line with their life lacking self-denial, taking up their cross in identification with Christ crucified - and failing to follow Him (Mark 8:34).
The day will come, that with a bitter cry, they will confess that they were “deceived - bewitched,” by false teachers of “another Gospel.” In the “Unity Cult,” and many others of like ilk - the teachers number in women up to 80% - hardly the proportion we find in either the Oldor NT.
Then see what Paul repeats twice concerning such false teachers - Galatians 1:6-9 - “I marvel that you are so quickly removing from him that called you in Christ's grace unto a differentgospel. 7which is not another: only thereare some that trouble you, and wish to pervertthe gospel of the Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel other thanwhat we preached to you, let him be anathema. 9As we have said before, so say I now again,if any preaches to you a gospel other than what you received, let him be anathema.” This must be our attitude also towards all false teachers who depart from Paul's Gospel, as he so clearly set forth in his 14 letters.
God made Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, the nations - all non Jews. Indeed, he saw God's mysteryof Jew and Gentile together as the One New Man, and the relationship of both in Romans 11. He is adamant in protecting us non-Jews from the Judaizers. We should be equally protective in defending all believers from the false cults, who all teach “another” Gospel, and bring down upon themselves the “curse” of God.
Does this sound too strong? Notif you consider the value of souls in God's sight! For is it worth it to play fast and loose with your soul under false teachers, when the end is to end up under a curse with them? Hardly!
The heart of Paul and the heart of God clearly shines through in this letter to the Galatians. Here Paul clearly sets forth the stark division between law and grace, and the danger and penalty of following teachers who have departed from the latter.
It is good to remember that in the Greek and English NT texts I have chosen above, they form God's Bible Numeric Outlined Greek Interlinear NT. God's signature is numbers. He chose the only 2 languages in the world (Greek and Hebrew) with no numerical equivalents - to write His Bible in - 66 books through 33 spelled-out writers. It can be mathematically proven that this Greek Text set forth by God through Ivan Panin, is the “original” Greek text, and the English translation of it is based on a 10-year production of a Numeric Greek Lexicon, before Panin ever started producing the Greek text.
Those who hate God and His Bible standards, don't have a leg to stand upon in the light of this extraordinary text. Those who hate what the Bible says about them - again - haven't a leg to stand upon. This should give courage - encourage all believers, to stand boldly but lovingly with God in His Word. Speak the truth in love. Persecuted for this? Of course! But with “Eternity's Values in View” - who could then hesitate?
I am committed to proclaim God's Word like Paul. Read 2 Corinthians 6 to see what it caused him. But from his lips - “These light afflictions are not worthy to be comparedwith the glory to be revealed!”I join Paul in glorifying the Father through Jesus and His Word! Will you join me? Brother Yun, “The Heavenly Man” of China, certainly has! - J.A.W.