O Foolish Galatians!

By S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. *

An Exposition of Galatians 3:1-14 [1]

Introduction

“Men cannot be justified before God by their own strengths, merits, or works but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith,” says the Augsburg Confession, [2] adding that justification by faith was a doctrine long neglected at that time. [3] It is true that the document was composed by Philip Melancthon and that Luther complained that his protégé was too careful in his wording, [4] but the great reformer eventually admitted that he could not have done better himself (“I cannot tread so gently and lightly”). [5] The Confession was published in 1530 as the confessional stand of the Lutherans, and in that context the statement about the neglect of the doctrine of justification by faith is understandable. We, however, are living in equally difficult days. It is rare to hear the doctrine proclaimed in the established church in our time. It is crying for rediscovery.

And, if it is to be rediscovered, it would seem that it would most likely take place through the study of the writings of Paul.

Paul is not “your popular theologian” today, to use the slang of the day. In fact, most feel about Paul as did Pardoner in Sir David Lindsay’s Satire of the Three Estates (1552):

“By him that bore the crown of thorns,
I would St. Paul had never been born.”

It is in Galatians and Romans that Paul most clearly and forcefully expresses himself concerning justification by grace through faith. In the former epistle, which we are studying, his defense of the doctrine is undertaken from the negative standpoint. He tells his readers what the gospel is not, and in the process rules out all attempts at justification by human merit. His method is simple. The opening two chapters are a defense of his right to speak authoritatively to the Galatians. He argues that his apostleship and message are of divine origin. The proposition, stated in verses one, eleven, and twelve, is supported by seven arguments which terminate in chapter two, verse twenty-one.

The argument from theology, or Scripture, follows in chapters three and four. The arguments of the Judaizers, who were troubling the Galatians by insisting that salvation could only be had by the addition of the rite of circumcision to faith in Christ, are answered. Just as he does in his later Epistle to the Romans, Paul stresses the relation of the history of Abraham to the doctrine of justification. The descendants of Abraham’s faith are his “seed” because they have become heirs of the promise by believing God’s Word, not by doing the works of the Law.

Throughout the section, beginning in chapter three and concluding with chapter four, it is the principle of grace that the apostle emphasizes. It is grace, not works, that saves (cf. Eph. 2:5, 8–9), that sustains (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9), and that supplies the new principle of life by which the believer lives to the glory of God (cf. Rom. 5:2; 2 Cor. 8:9). To this part of the letter we now turn.

Salvation by Faith: The Argument from Early Christian Experience, verses 1-5

A Question Regarding the Reception of the Spirit, verses 1-2

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 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?

The refutation of the arguments of the Judaizers begins with an appeal to the early Christian experience of the Galatians. Did they come into possession of the Spirit of God by works of Law, or by the hearing of faith? The Galatians, of course, were Gentiles, and they well remembered that the apostle had not insisted on the observance of the Jewish Law for salvation.

The opening words of the first verse are very vivid. The verb translated by “bewitched” (ἐβάσκανεν, ebaskanen) in verse one has the force of “to slander,” “to envy,” and “to bewitch” in classical authors, [6] and the last sense is suitable here. [7] It was often used in connection with the practice of magical powers, and an allusion to magical arts may be implicit here. That figure would be very suitable to the reference to the portrayal of Jesus Christ before the “eyes” of the Galatians. In fact, the apostle may intend a play on words here and, if so, the Today’s English Version has caught it with the translation, “Who put the evil eye on you? Right before your eyes you had a plain description of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross!” The opening words of the verse are a severe — but concerned — rebuke of the Galatians, and J. B. Phillips’ rendering expresses the apostle’s feelings well: “O you dear idiots of Galatia, who saw Jesus Christ the crucified so plainly, who has been casting a spell over you?”

The stress on the “eyes” emphasizes that the Galatians had “eye trouble”! Their eyes had lost contact with the doctrine of the Cross, and that always spells trouble. The lack of the article with the participle, translated “crucified,” indicates that Paul is stressing the character in which he preached Christ among them. He preached him as crucified not simply as a teacher, or as an example. He was presented as an atoning Savior. And Paul did this in a public way. The word rendered “publicly portrayed” (προεγράφη, proegraphē) describes the apostle’s preaching under the figure of the posting of a public announcement. [8] Thus, Paul’s words strike hard at the Judaizers, for he stresses that his message was a public placarding of Jesus Christ in his crucified character (incidentally, the perfect tense of the participle “crucified” [ἐσταυρωμένος, estaurōmenos] stresses the enduring significance of his crucifixion). The atoning sufferings formed the essence of his preaching, not legal works. It is a bold declaration that the heart of the message of salvation concerns the merits of the crucified Savior, not human good works — even of a religious type.

The Galatians, instead of coming under the spell of the Cross, have come under the spell of the evil eyes of the Judaizers. The crucified one, who bears the marks of the nails and the scars of the crown of thorns, is man’s only hope. If salvation came in any other way, then his cross would become a futile exercise (cf. 2:21). The Galatians’ difficulty is that of many today. Instead of being bewitched by the crucified Christ, they have instead been bewitched by modern Judaizers’ evil eyes, uncrucified men with baleful teaching. How appropriate is this reference to the eyes! May the Lord enable us to always keep our eyes on Calvary, our sole refuge.

The word “only” (μόνον, monon) in verse two indicates that the apostle is willing to rest his case upon one question, namely, “How did you receive the Spirit?” The question, of course, implies that the indwelling of the Spirit comes by faith (cf. Acts 5:32; 19:2; 11:17; Rom 10:16). Since the Galatians were without the Law when Paul came to them, it is clear that they would have to acknowledge that they received the Spirit by faith alone. Thus, it would seem that circumcision is ruled out as a necessity for salvation.

The Question Regarding Perfection, verses 3-4

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain?

The second question looks at the work of salvation as a two step procedure, beginning in faith, a faith produced by the Spirit, and finishing in the flesh by circumcision. There is a twofold antithesis in the verse, an antithesis between beginning and finishing and an antithesis between Spirit and flesh. The second verb, “being perfected” (ἐπιτελεῒσθε, epiteleisthe), is in the middle voice and probably should be rendered “are you now perfecting yourselves by the flesh?” In fact, the present tense here may be conative, expressing attempted action. [9] If so, the verse as a whole would be translated, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now trying to perfect yourselves by the flesh?” The work of salvation, then, would be a work of God and a work of man. The thought is unbearable. Their past experiences would be in vain (cf. v. 4).

The Question Regarding the Manifestation of the Spirit, verse 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?

The apostle reminds the Galatians of their experiences of the gifts of the Spirit, and asks whether these manifestations were the product of the Law or faith. Since the Law was unknown to these Gentiles, the answer to the question is obvious (cf. Acts 14:1–8; 2 Cor. 12:12).

The time reference of the fifth verse may be present (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV), but in the light of the context, I prefer a past reference. The preceding verses allude to past events and experiences. The verse would therefore be translated, “So then, does he who provided you with the Spirit and worked miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” [10]

It seems clear from this fifth verse that the Galatians had a full experience of the charismatic gifts at the first preaching of the gospel to them, and the verb rendered “provides” (ἐπιχορηγῶν, epichorēgōn) supports this, for it means “to supply abundantly,” literally meaning “to stand the expense of bringing out a chorus” for a public feast. [11] It suggests a wealthy benefactor of the public. The “miracles” are left undefined, but Acts 14:1–20 inclines the reader to think of the unusual works of power that accompanied the apostolic mission (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12).

Looking back over the early experiences of the Galatians, one finds no reason to believe that their spiritual blessings originated in human merit. They were the product of divine activity alone.

Salvation by Faith: The Argument from the Faith of Abraham, verses 6-9

Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

The apostle, in a subordinate comparative clause, turns the argument to a consideration of the case of Abraham. He writes, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (v. 6). In fact, the whole discussion that follows revolves around Abraham until the conclusion of the fourth chapter.

The contention of the apostle in this short section (vv. 6–9) is that Abraham was justified by faith, and all who wish to inherit the blessing promised to his seed must likewise find God’s blessing by grace through faith (cf. John 8:33–44).

Burton succinctly points out:

The next two chapters, in which the argument revolves largely around Abraham and Abraham’s sons (see 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 29 22–31), show that this is no mere incidental illustration, but fills a vital place in his argument. The fact itself suggests, what an examination of the argument confirms, that Paul is here replying to an argument of his opponents. This argument, we may safely conjecture, was based on Gen. chap[ter]s. 12 and 17, especially 17:10–14, and most especially v.14, and was to the effect that according to [the] O. T. no one could participate in the blessings of God’s covenant with Abraham, and so in the messianic salvation that is inseparably associated with it, who was not circumcised. [12]

It is the same problem that Paul dealt with in Romans 4:9–12, and he resolves it in the same fashion, that is, by showing that “those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer” (v. 9).

Stott is right: “Paul’s allusion to Abraham was a masterstroke. His Judaizing opponents looked to Moses as their teacher. So Paul went centuries further back to Abraham himself.” [13] And three things are emphasized in the divine encounter with Abraham (cf. Gen. 15:1–6). First, God made Abraham a promise that the seed would come out of his loins. Second, Abraham believed the promise, casting himself upon the faithfulness of God to his Word. Finally, Abraham’s faith was the instrumentality of his justification, not works of any kind.

Abraham’s true sons, then, are men of faith (cf. v. 7). Further, the Scripture in Genesis 12:3 foresaw Gentile salvation by faith (cf. v. 9). The apostle’s reasoning here seems to be simply that Abraham was justified on the basis of faith before he was circumcised, and it is logical to see all the Gentiles justified on the same basis, for they were to be blessed in him, that is, according to the pattern of his blessing.

The last verse of the section (v. 9) concludes the preceding argument. Blessings come through “believing Abraham,” not “circumcised Abraham.”

Salvation by Faith: The Argument from the Curse of the Law, verses 10-14

The Condemnation of the Law, verses 10-12

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.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”

The for (γάρ, gar) at the beginning of verse ten confirms in an explanatory way the preceding, but by an e contrario argument. [14] He has shown that justification is by faith, using Abraham as an illustration. Now he shows that the believer’s righteousness is not by way of works. In fact, all who seek justification in this way lie under the curse of the Law. Just as in the preceding section, the apostle again supports his point by appeals to Scripture, specifically to Deuteronomy 27:6, Habakkuk 2:4, and Deuteronomy 21:23.

The Judaizers, if they were listening to the reading of the apostle’s letter to the Galatians, might well have been fuming by now with impatience. What is the point of all this talk about Abraham? Is not the real question this: that the way of salvation now is by way of Law-keeping? Even if God did use some other way with Abraham — for the Law was not yet given in his day — does he not use the Law for salvation today? [15]

So Paul turns to the negative side of the matter and shows that the Law curses, and the only cure lies in Christ’s redemption.

The citation from Deuteronomy 27:6 in verse ten very beautifully sets forth the insufficiency of the Law for salvation: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them.” There are four things in that text that should discourage every legalist. In the first place, if one seeks to win salvation by doing things, he must “continue” [16] everlastingly at it. There is no respite for the legalist. Second, he must continue in “all things” written in the Law. There is no picking and choosing among the commandments (cf. James. 2:10). Third, the poor man must continue in all things “written in the book of the Law,” that is, not simply in the ceremonial law, or the moral law, but in everything written in the entire Law. What a burden! And, finally, he must “perform” them, the tense of the verb suggesting a complete doing. [17] There is no stopping short of 100% performance (cf. Acts 15:10). It is easy to see why the apostle says that legalists die under a curse. Their expressed task and goal of keeping the Law is an impossible task, and the Law itself pronounces the judgment of the divine condemnation upon failure.

An additional argument is introduced in verse eleven. The Scripture itself has stated that justification is by faith, not by the works of the Law. Thus, righteousness does not come by the Law, at least as far as God is concerned. Habakkuk 2:4 (“The righteous man shall live by faith”) is sufficient proof of that. Further, since the two principles are opposed to one another, one cannot have both faith and works. That is made plain by verse twelve, which expressly says that the Law is not of faith. That is, legalism and grace are mutually exclusive as bases of human salvation. “No doubt,” Burton comments, “there were those who sought to combine them, admitting that justification was by faith, but claiming that obedience to law was nevertheless requisite to salvation; as a modern Christian will affirm that religion is wholly a spiritual matter, yet feel that he is surer of salvation if he has been baptised.” [18]

The citation in verse twelve (“He who practices them shall live by them”) is from Leviticus 18:5, and is the counterpart to the quotation from Deuteronomy 27:6 in verse ten, which says that the legalist is under the curse if he fails. This citation states that the legalist lives only if he does the Law. It should be noted that it is the Law that says that a man must do the Law to live. There is no hint from the text or from the Bible that a man, other than Jesus Christ, might actually do the Law. The way of salvation by works is strictly a hypothetical one.

The Curse of Christ, verse 13

Christ 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.”

The question might have come to the minds of the readers, “If the Law brings a curse, and surely faith considered by itself cannot lift the curse, how can the blessing of Abraham be obtained?” Paul introduces the redeeming work of Christ as the answer. It is Christ, not faith, who saves, and he saves by bearing the curse of the Law himself.

The use of the term “redeemed” (ἐξηγόρασεν, exēgorasen), a word that means to buy back someone from something, introduces the thought of a ransom, although the price is not specifically mentioned (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; Rev. 5:9). Contrary to Burton, [19] we cannot help but think of both deliverance from the penalty of the broken Law and of emancipation by the satisfaction of violated justice (cf. Exod. 21:30). [20]

The method of redemption is substitution or penal satisfaction by substitution. He became a curse for us, that is, he bore the personal judgment of God (cf. Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21). The apostle does not say “having become accursed for us” but “having become a curse for us.” “Not some part of our curse affected him through his contact with us,” Lenski says, “but our whole curse was on him so that He was all curse.” [21] Thus, in the text there are the important doctrinal ideas of condemnation, penal satisfaction, substitution, and redemption by ransom.

That the Lord did become a curse is inferred by Paul in verse thirteen from Deuteronomy 21:23 (“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), a text that refers, not to our Lord’s death on a cross, but to the hanging of executed persons on a tree of shame. Criminals executed under the Law of Moses, usually by stoning, were then fixed to a stake, or “hanged on a tree,” as a symbol of the divine rejection of them. Such a hanged person was called, “God’s accursed.” It is this that Paul sees as applicable to Christ. He hung on the cross after dying as a condemned and executed criminal (cf. Phil. 2:5–11). The cross emphasizes the reality of the curse; it is no fiction, as many contemporary theologians would have it.

The Blessing of Abraham, verse 14

In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

In verse fourteen we have the divine paradox. A curse becomes a blessing, of all things! Christ hung between heaven and earth as if unworthy of either, but by doing so he has brought down the blessing of heaven to earth. The blessing of Abraham includes justification (v. 8), life (v. 11), and the Holy Spirit (v. 14; cf. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; 26:6; Heb. 9:15). The Spirit is the pledge of the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. The last three words of the verse in the original text (διὰ τῆς πίστεως, dia tēs pisteōs, KJV, NASB, “through faith”) are emphatic, and form a fitting conclusion to the section. The blessings come by faith, quite apart from legal works.

Conclusion

At the conclusion of his exposition of this section of Galatians, John Stott makes the following five applications in summary. [22] First, in verses 1–14 Paul tells his readers (both then and now) what the gospel is. The gospel is the message of Christ crucified, his finished work on the cross. The gospel is not the story of the baby in the manger, the young man at a carpenter’s bench, the preacher in the villages of Galilee, or even the man raised from the empty tomb. “Only when Christ is ‘openly displayed upon his cross’ (NEB) is the gospel preached.” Second, the apostle tells the Galatians what the gospel offers. The gospel offers a double blessing, namely, justification (v. 8) and the gift of the Holy Spirit (vv. 2–5). God accepts us as righteous in his sight, and he puts the Holy Spirit within us. Third, he tells his readers what the gospel requires; what must a person do to receive the gospel blessings. The answer of the inspired apostle is, “Nothing!” The whole point of the passage is that “we do not have to do anything. We have only to believe.” We are not called to obey the law, but to believe the gospel. Fourth, he tells them of two destinies. The two destinies of man are either a “blessing” or a “curse.” Finally, he tells his readers of the two roads that lead to the curse or the blessing. The first road is the Law, and those who travel it are those who rely on the works of the Law for salvation (v. 10). The second road is the road of faith and those who travel it put their trust in the finished work of Christ.

* Lewis Johnson regularly ministered the Word at Believers Chapel in Dallas for more than thirty years. During his academic career he held professorships in New Testament and systematic theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is currently Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Dallas Seminary.

Notes

1. This is article seven in a sixteen-part series, “Expositional Studies in the Epistle to the Galatians.”
2. Augsburg Confession, Article 4.1: “Justification.” The translation given here is of the Latin text and is found in Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, Part 4: Creeds and Confessions of the Reformation Era, eds. Jaroslav Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss (New Haven: Yale, 2003), 2:60.
3. “Everybody must grant that there has been profound silence concerning the righteousness of faith in sermons” (Augsburg Confession, Article 20.8: “Faith and Good Works” [71]).
4. “Melancthon referred to ‘faith,’ but did not modify it with ‘sola’ (‘faith alone’), as Luther would have preferred” (Pelikan and Hotchkiss, Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, 2:50).
5. Letter from Martin Luther to Philip Melancthon, dated May 15, 1530. Quoted in Pelikan and Hotchkiss, Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, 2:50.
6. LSJGL, s.v. “baskaivnw,” 310 (“bewitch by the evil eye”).
7. BDAG, s.v. “baskaivnw,” 171 (“to exert an evil influence through the eye, bewitch”).
8. BDAG, s.v. “progravfw,” 867 (“to set forth for public notice, show forth/portray publicly, proclaim or placard in public”).
9. On the conative present, see Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 534–35.
10. Ernest De Witt Burton, The Epistle to the Galatians, ICC (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1921), 151. The two present participles translated “provides” (ejpicorhgw'n) and “works” (ejnergw'n) are “qualitative in the durative sense. They refer to any and every furnishing and giving, whether it occurred at the time when the Galatians were converted or since then.” R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, and to the Philippians (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961), 130.
11. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, and to the Philippians, 130.
12. Burton, The Epistle to the Galatians, 153–54.
13. John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians, BST (London: Inter Varsity Press, 1968), 72.
14. Herman N. Ridderbos, The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia, trans. Henry Zylstra, NICNT, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), 122. An e contrario argument is an argument that is opposite in nature or character. The apostle has shown that justification is by faith; he will now show that it is not by works.
15. Alan Cole, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, TNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), 94.
16. The KJV has “continueth;” the NASB reads “abide.”
17. The aorist infinitive poih'sai (“to do,” KJV; “to perform,” NASB) “denotes complete doing” (Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, and to the Philippians, 142).
18. Burton, The Epistle to the Galatians, 167.
19. Burton, The Epistle to the Galatians, 168–71.
20. Ridderbos, The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia, 126.
21. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, and to the Philippians, 151.
22. Stott, The Message of Galatians, 74–75, 82–83.