Week 8
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers, to take from a human analogy, I say: even if it is a human covenant that has been ratified, nevertheless, no one can annul it or can add to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. It does not say “and to seeds” as in many people, but as in one person, “and to your Seed”, who is the Anointed. 17 Now I say this; the law, which came after 430 years, does not cancel the covenant that had been established earlier by God, in such a way as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, then it is no longer a promise; but God has given it as a gift to Abraham through a promise.
19 What is the purpose of the law then? It was added for the purpose of transgressions, having been ordered through God’s messengers by the hand of a mediator, until the time when the Seed to whom it has been promised came. 20 Now the mediator is not of one party, but God is one.
21 Therefore, is the law against the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law was given, one that was able to bring about life, then righteousness was indeed from the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, so that the promise may be given to the ones who believe through faith in Jesus the Anointed. My Translation
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. NIV11
Comment
There are three sections to this part of the letter. We will break it up into those parts. They are 15-18, 19-20, and 21-22.
15 Brothers, to take from a human analogy, I say: even if it is a human covenant that has been ratified, nevertheless, no one can annul it or can add to it. My Translation
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. NIV11
Up onto now, Paul has appealed to the Galatians’ experiences as well to Old Testament Scripture. He now appeals to how the promise to Abraham, which pushes the promise to the Gentiles, i.e., the Galatians, can not be annulled by anyone.
Paul uses κατὰ ἄνθρωπον (according to a man/human) to introduce what he is about to write. The idiom means that Paul is about to write something that pertains to human beings; something that occurs among humans. The NIV11’s dynamic translation “let me take an example from everyday life” is a very good way to describe the idiom. I translate it as “from a human analogy”.
Paul uses a word here that has a double meaning. Διαθήκη means “a last will and testament”, but it is also used in the LXX for the covenant between God and Abraham and later between God and Israel the nation. It is that double meaning that Paul uses in this passage.
Paul’s main point is that even if it is a human covenant/will that has been put into effect, no one can annul it or add any conditions to it thus changing it. Of course, this is setting up the next two verses. We will discuss the verb κυρόω (to give sanction to something, confirm, ratify, validate, make legally binding) at the conclusion.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. It does not say “and to seeds” as in many people, but as in one person, “and to your Seed”, who is the Anointed. My Translation
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. NIV11
Paul now uses a quote from Genesis 12:7 LXX. The quote in the LXX refers to the promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham, but Paul just focuses on the promise part. Even though σπέρμα (seed) is used as a collective singular in the LXX, Paul stresses the singular. Paul in fact does understand that σπέρμα (seed) is used as a collective singular as he uses it that way in verse 29: εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς Χριστοῦ, ἄρα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐστέ, κατ᾿ ἐπαγγελίαν κληρονόμοι (Now if you are of the Anointed (Christ), then you are Abraham’s seed (singular), heirs according to the promise). But instead of the “seed” being Isaac or even the people of Israel, Paul says that it is Christ thus inferring that the Galatians are offspring (seed) of Abraham due to their faith in Christ. Note Paul’s Christology. Jesus was the decedent of Abraham so that the Gentiles and everyone else who believe in him could be pronounced righteous.
The promises spoken to Abraham were not only for the land of Canaan, but that the nations (Gentiles) would be blessed through him. The way the Gentiles would be blessed is by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul has built upon that here.
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. My Translation
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. NIV11
Paul now explains what he is trying to say in verses 15-16 by using τοῦτο δὲ λέγω “Now I am saying this” or “What I mean is this”. The 430 years represent the time that Abraham and his family (descendants) were in Canaan and Egypt until the Exodus. It is taken from the Exodus 12:40 LXX.
40 ἡ δὲ κατοίκησις τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ, ἣν κατῴκησαν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ἐν γῇ Χανααν, ἔτη τετρακόσια τριάκοντα, LXX
40 Now the dwelling of the sons of Israel, which was dwelt in Egypt and in Canaan, 430 years My Translation
Paul’s point is just not that the law came much later (430 years) than God’s promise to Abraham, but that the coming of the law could never annul the covenant with Abraham, thus it couldn’t do away with God’s promise to Abraham. Paul now applies the double meaning of διαθήκη (will/covenant) where here it has the LXX meaning of “covenant”. The covenant with Abraham was put into effect/ratified (κυρόω) and can’t be taken out of effect or unratified (ἀκυρόω). The difference between these verbs is the alpha at the beginning of the latter verb. The Greeks would set up an antithesis by placing the alpha in front of Greek words making the word opposite in its original meaning.
18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, then it is no longer a promise; but God has given it as a gift to Abraham through a promise. My Translation
18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. NIV11
Since the promise to Abraham came before the law, there is no way for the inheritance to be based on the law. If the promise comes from the law, then one must earn the promise by performing the law. Therefore, performing the law would be some type of merit system. Paul says that this is not how Abraham received the promise. Paul uses the verb χαρίζομαι here in the perfect tense (κεχάρισται). The verb means “to give freely as a favor” or “to give as a gift as the result of grace/favor”. The promise was given to Abraham freely. Abraham was not required to earn the promise by performing the Jewish law which came much later.
19 What is the purpose of the law then? It was added for the purpose of transgressions, having been ordered through God’s messengers by the hand of a mediator, until the time when the Seed to whom it has been promised came. My Translation
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. NIV11
Paul now moves into the law’s purpose. What Paul says probably shocked the Galatians. What Paul says probably shocks modern readers as well. The English translation just doesn’t do the Greek justice. Paul uses the preposition χάριν. This word was used to either indicate “the goal”, or to indicate “the reason”. The latter part normally came in the form of questions. Is Paul stating that the law was given to bring about sin, or was it given in order to point sin out? It was given to cause people to sin and to expose that sin.
Also, the law was not added to the promise. It was added to the human existence until the promised “seed” was to come. Once Jesus came, the law was no longer in effect. If we were to look ahead at verse 22, then we could state that “the law was given to enslave everyone under sin until the promised seed/Christ came to redeem everyone under the enslavement of the law and under the enslavement of sin”. That is Paul’s meaning here. He just hasn’t stated it in full yet.
Paul also reveals later Jewish thought on how the law was actually given to Moses and then to the people of Israel. Although the text in Exodus doesn’t say that Angels (God’s messengers) were involved in the transmission of the law, Jews developed this thought later, which was either based on the LXX translation of Deuteronomy 33:2 and Psalms 67:18 (68:18 in modern Bibles from the Hebrew) or was developed before the rendering of the LXX which led to the readings of the LXX. It is probably the latter. Let’s make a comparison.
Deuteronomy 33:2:
2 καὶ εἶπεν
Κύριος ἐκ Σινα ἥκει
καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἐκ Σηιρ ἡμῖν
καὶ κατέσπευσεν ἐξ ὄρους Φαραν σὺν μυριάσιν Καδης,
ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ ἄγγελοι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. LXX
2 and he said
The Lord has come from Sinai
and has appeared to you from Seir
and has hastened from mount Paran with ten thousand of Kadesh,
angels with him on his right hand. My Translation from the LXX
2 He said:
“The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned over them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones
from the south, from his mountain slopes. NIV11
Psalms 68:17 (67:18 LXX)
18 τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ θεοῦ μυριοπλάσιον,
χιλιάδες εὐθηνούντων·
ὁ κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν Σινα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ. LXX
18 The chariot(s) of God are ten-thousand fold,
thousands flourish:
The Lord is among them in Sinai in the holy place. My Translation from the LXX
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. NIV11
It is easy to see the later Jewish influence on the LXX. Paul states that Moses was the mediator between the Angels and the people of Israel. This is a setup for the next verse.
20 Now the mediator is not of one party, but God is one. My Translation
20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. NIV11
As one would expect, what Paul says here is somewhat baffling. On the surface level, it is obvious that Paul is using “mediator” in some type of negative way, especially as he compares the mediator to God, who is one. But why? What does God being one have to do with the Jewish law? The only thing that could make sense is this: The law was not given to the people of Israel directly from God. It passed from God to the Angels, then from the Angels to Moses, and then to Israel’s people. On the other hand, God’s promise came directly to Abraham which required no mediator. In other words, the law is twice removed from God, while the promise to Abraham was directly given.
The agitators could have referred to how awesome the giving of the law was on Mount Sinai with all of the glorious angels. In Jewish thought, the more the angels, the bigger and more glorious the event. Yet, Paul turns that idea on its head by putting the many angels with God in a negative light.
Also, since God is one, it is fitting that he provide one way of salvation to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Since the law divided the two groups, God provided one way to salvation which is by faith.
21 Therefore, is the law against the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law was given, one that was able to bring about life, then righteousness was indeed from the law. My Translation
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. NIV11
Of course now the question must be asked if the law takes away the promise. Paul states “of course not”. It is still God’s law. But the law was not brought about to bring life to those who performed it. In fact, since the law brought about sins, it could only cause death. Therefore, righteousness can’t come from a place that causes people to sin. If the law could produce righteousness, then there would have been no need for Jesus nor faith in him.
Note Paul’s use of ζωοποιέω (to make life, to bring about life, or to bestow life) in this verse. Paul has been dealing with how one is pronounced righteous before God. Now, Paul moves into the realty of what the Spirit in a person produces: life! It is faith in Jesus that produces righteousness and the seal of acceptance is the Holy Spirit given to that person which empowers them to live.
22 But the Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, so that the promise may be given to the ones who believe through faith in Jesus the Anointed. My Translation
22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. NIV11
Paul now explains why the law is not against the promises of God. God’s law had a purpose, but it was not to bring righteousness. It was brought about so the ones who were under it can realize that they have no hope, but must put their faith in God as the only way out. In other words, the law imprisoned all things under the power of sin, therefore the only hope for human beings was the grace of God. This would allow the people to look at the promise to impart life since the law couldn’t provide it. People who were trying to rely on the law for righteousness, were misusing the law as that was not the law’s intent. The Galatians are to look to God’s promise to Abraham for righteousness, because the law only brings sin, which leads to death.
“Scripture” is used here as if it were God himself. This is another instance of what Paul thinks about the Old Testament. Since ἡ γραφὴ was produced by God (God-breathed), then there is no doubt as to how Paul felt about it.
The Gentiles were to be blessed through Abraham. Abraham had faith in God. In order for Gentiles (and Jews alike) to have righteousness, and be given the promise of the Holy Spirit, they must believe in Jesus in order to receive it.
Conclusion
The Gentiles would be blessed through Abraham through his “seed”, who is Jesus. No one can add to a covenant (the promise) after it has been ratified. The law was inferior to the promise as it was 2 times removed from God in its delivery. The law caused sin, thus death until Jesus came because the law couldn’t make life, but the Spirit of God does!
Additional Study
Paul uses the Greek verb κυρόω in verse 15 which means “to give sanction to something, confirm, ratify, validate, make legally binding” (BDAG). What is not normally taught is that one of this verb’s cognate nouns is κύριος which is translated into English as “lord”. Another cognate is κῦρος (supreme power), but it is not used in the NT. Kύριος has a wide range of meanings in the NT, but it mostly given as a title to Jesus.
In the Greek OT (LXX), κύριος is the main word that replaces Yahweh (God’s name) from the Hebrew. This was done in the LXX because the Jews were afraid that they would take God’s name in vain (or blaspheme), thus breaking the law of Moses.
I would have to say that κύριος is a fitting title for God. If the verb means to ratify, to validate, to make legally binding, then κύριος is the one who ratifies, validates and make something legally binding. By example, God spoke the creation into existence. By speaking it, he ratified it, thus making it happen, thus putting it into existence.
This very idea could have been in John’s thoughts when he penned “In the beginning, there was the word/message”. When the word is spoken by the one who makes it legally binding, it comes into existence. The message about Jesus is the message that redeems all humans from their sin by putting their faith in him. When he speaks it, we are truly pronounced righteous before him and thus sealed with his empowering Holy Spirit.
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