The LAW was UNTIL the FAITH, which should AFTERWARDS be
REVEALED (Galatians 3:23)
The LAW was our SCHOOLMASTER to BRING us TO CHRIST (Galatians 3:24)
AFTER the FAITH IS COME there is NO LONGER the need for
the SCHOOLMASTER (Galatians 3:25)
NOW ALL (JEWS & GENTILES) are JUSTIFIED BY FAITH which
is IN CHRIST JESUS (Galatians 3:26 cf. Acts 13:38-39)
ALL HAVE SINNED and therefore HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF GOD'S
GLORY (3:23):
There is "NO DIFFERENCE" (3:22) -
for BOTH JEW & GENTILE have been proven to be "UNDER SIN" (3:9)
BEFORE the FALL mankind was "NOT ASHAMED" to
be IN the PRESENCE OF GOD (Genesis 2:25) being CLOTHED WITH the very LIGHT OF GOD'S GLORY (Psalms 104:1-2)
EVER SINCE the FALL mankind has HID FROM the PRESENCE
OF GOD (Genesis 3:6-8) having LOST both the IMAGE and LIKENESS OF GOD (Genesis 5:2-3)
The GOSPEL SHINES the LIGHT of the KNOWLEDGE of the GLORY
OF GOD INTO the HEART OF the BELIEVING SINNER (II Corinthians 4:6) and ASSURES the BELIEVING SINNER of being RESTORED BACK to both the
IMAGE (Romans 8:29) and LIKENESS OF GOD (Philippians 3:21)
God JUSTIFIES sinners FREELY (WITHOUT CAUSE) by their
RECEIVING the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE through CHRIST JESUS (6:23):
Sinners HATED Christ FREELY (WITHOUT CAUSE) - for no reason
except their EVIL HEARTS (John 15:24-25), which spawned their EVIL DEEDS (Mark 7:21-23 cf. John 3:19-21)
God JUSTIFIES sinners FREELY (WITHOUT CAUSE) - for no
reason except His HEART of LOVE (Ephesians 2:4), which prompted the GIFT of His GRACE (Ephesians 2:5,8)
The GIFT of God's GRACE is through the REDEMPTION that
is in CHRIST JESUS (Ephesians 1:7):
REDEMPTION speaks of the PRICE of salvation (deliverance)
- "for ye are BOUGHT with a PRICE" (I Corinthians 6:20)
Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of their responsibility
to feed the flock of God, "which He hath PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD" (Acts 20:28)
The word PROPITIATION (Greek, HILASTERION) is rendered
in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT) as MERCY SEAT (Hebrew, KAPPORETH), which was the COVERING of the
ARK of the COVENANT (Hebrews 9:5 cf. Exodus 25:20)
The BLOOD of CHRIST JESUS is God's RIGHTEOUS PAYMENT for
our sins and EXPLAINS WHY God's REMISSION (FORBEARANCE) of PAST SINS under the SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM of the LAW (Hebrews 9:12-15 cf. John 1:16-17)
CHRIST JESUS as "the LAMB SLAIN from the foundation
of the world" (Revelation 13:8) is "the LAMB OF GOD which TAKETH AWAY the SIN of the world"
(John 1:29)
For "therein is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD revealed"
(1:17;
4:24 -5:1)
The MESSAGE of GOD'S AMBASSADORS: The SINLESS ONE was
"MADE SIN" so that the SINFUL ONES "might be MADE the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:20-21)
If God has provided HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS for the remission
of sins, i.e. THE BLOOD OF HIS SON, then MAN CANNOT BOAST OF any of HIS own WORKS, BUT MUST TRUST the PROVISION
that GOD HAS GIVEN (3:24-26):
GRACE RECEIVED THROUGH FAITH ELIMINATES ANY BOASTING on
the ground OF WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The PRINCIPLES (LAWS) of GRACE AND WORKS are MUTUALLY
EXCLUSIVE (11:5-6)
GOD has MADE CHRIST TO THE SAINT that which THE SINNER
COULD NOT MAKE OF SELF and so ALL GLORY goes TO GOD (I Corinthians 1:30-31 cf. Jeremiah 9:23-24):
The ZEAL OF SAUL (THE PERSECUTOR) was FOR the TRADITIONS
OF HIS FATHERS (Galatians 1:13-14)
The ZEAL OF PAUL (THE PERSECUTED) was IN the CROSS OF
HIS LORD (Galatians 6:12-14)
Righteousness - by
Faith and apart from the Deeds of the Law(3:28)
The conclusion is that IF JUSTIFICATION is PROVIDED THROUGH
the REDEMPTION that is IN CHRIST JESUS BY the GRACE OF GOD (3:24),
THEN it is FAITH that RECEIVES IT APART FROM the DEEDS OF the LAW (3:19-21):
A corollary to this truth is that IF RIGHTEOUSNESS could
be had BY the KEEPING OF the LAW, THEN CHRIST would have DIED FOR NO PURPOSE (Galatians 2:21)
God - the Justifierof
both the Jews and the Gentiles(3:29-30)
The GENTILES are INCLUDED IN God's BLESSING as indicated
by the GOSPEL that was PREACHED TO the UNCIRCUMCISED ABRAM (Galatians 3:8 cf. Genesis 12:1-3):
The JEW is JUSTIFIED "BY" (Greek, "EK")
FAITH, i.e. a FAITH WHICH "WAITS" for that which is to come (1:17
cf. Habakkuk 2:3-4):
The LAW was "our SCHOOLMASTER to BRING us UNTO CHRIST,
that we MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH" (Galatians 3:24), i.e. "BY THE FAITH OF CHRIST" and NOT "BY THE WORKS
OF THE LAW" (Galatians 2:16)
"BEFORE" THAT "FAITH ... which should AFTERWARDS
be REVEALED" - "we were KEPT UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians 3:23)
The GENTILE is JUSTIFIED "THROUGH" (Greek, "DIA")
FAITH, i.e. a FAITH WHICH "RESTS" in what has been promised: