The Book of Galatians

Chapter 3

With chapter 3 Paul changed the conversation from validating his message and his apostleship to the main teaching of the epistle. Namely, that justification is by grace through faith and not by keeping the law.

Salvation by law or faith are mutually exclusive approaches to salvation and only the faith option can save. People are justified before God by their faith in Jesus Christ and it has nothing to do with any works that they do.

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Foolish Galatians

Foolishness: Not stupidity. The idea is one of not using your head. The right information is available but is not being used to make good decisisons.

The Galatians embraced the teachings of the Judiazers. They should have known better.

Wisdom: should characterize the Christian life.

The Galatians had the good stuff. Why would they go back to waste (dung), as Paul described his former way of life in Philippians?

Phil 3:4-9

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

What's going on here in Galatia is that false teachers are trying to convince the gentile Galatians that it is cool to be Jewish in practice. As Paul shows in Philippians that way is trash compared to having the excellency of Christ.

Bewitched

Bewitched: deceived, led astray by false teachers. The false teachers had taught them that grace needed to be fortified with works. But when grace is fortified with works, it is no longer grace, but a debt owed.

It is not enough to know the truth, and to say we believe it, but we must submit to it, obey it and stedfastly abide by it.

It's the epitome of folly to turn from Christ to the law and the works of the flesh for one's spiritual walk. Christ came to set us free from that kind of madness.

It was madness that for those who knew such sacred mysteries, and had access to such great spiritual privileges, not to obey the truth that was preached to them, and signed and sealed in that ordinance. If we truly value the honors and privileges we have received as Christians it should shame us out of the folly of apostasy and backsliding.

Evidently Set Forth

The Galatians needed to get back to basics and focus on what the crucifixtion did for them.

The phrase "evidently set forth" could be translated "openly portrayed". Paul had clearly taught the truth that the crucifixtion of Jesus paid for our sins and by it we can have a righteousness that comes from God.

Christ had also been openly portrayed to them in the Lord's Supper.

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Now Paul is appealing to their personal experience.

In Acts chapter 10 (see below) the Holy Spirit "fell on" some gentiles who "heard the word". So no, we do not receive the Spirit by the works of the law but rather by the hearing of faith.

Acts 10:44-45

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Perfect: mature, complete. Can we improve upon the gospel by our own efforts or additions to it?

They had begun their new life in Christ by the power of the Spirit. Did it make sense now to abandon the Spirit and walk in the power of their own flesh?

Believers cannot be made mature by the works of the flesh.

Our efforts to serve God should be directed and empowered by the Spirit.

Instead of being an improvement upon the gospel, this was really a perversion of it; and, while they sought to be justified in this way, they were so far from being more perfect Christians that they were more in danger of becoming no Christians at all.

We are his workmanship. How are imperfect believers going to add anything to that. He said "it is finished" and he meant it.

How can we say that "Now we graduated from the spirit. We'll take over from here Jesus." We do not graduate from the Holy Spirit.

4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Some Galatian church members had suffered persecution. If they turned to the works of the flesh that would all be for nothing.

Paul still held out hope by saing "if it yet be in vain". The risk here is that the teaching would become so perverted that there would not be any NT churches in Galatia. The cause of Christ would be lost there and all there suffering would be in vain.

Give an example of what "in vain" would mean to our church: suppose we experience suffering at the hand of government, individuals (homosexuals), cults, atheists.

Then imagine we stopped having a NT church and instead focused on keeping the law. The pastor stops preaching the freedom that we have in Christ and instead stands up and tells us to keep dietary law, that we are not allowed to shave off the corners of our beards, etc. IF that happened, then all of our efforts in this local assembly would have been in vain.

5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

In verses 1 and 2 Paul reminded the Galatians that they had been saved through faith and that they were to serve God through faith.

Now he says the the gifts of the Spirit came through faith, not law.

Ministereth To You The Spirit

Ministereth: to supply. Men in Galatia were used by the Spirit to impart spiritual gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, interpretation of tongues.

And how were men able to do this? Did they build up their spiritual muscles to the point that they were able to accomplish these feats?

No, it was through the Spirit. That is why they are called "spiritual gifts" or technically "spirituals". Not "fleshly accomplishments".

Miracles were done to get the NT churches through that incubation period when the NT was being written (1 Cor 13:8-13). Then the gift of miracles ceased. God is still able to do miracles but today the spirit is supplied by the preaching and teaching of the word.

The Hearing Of Faith

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17).

This is a hearing that responds to the message. Remember the house of Cornelius: "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

In order to build an argument that would be compelling to support the idea that justification comes from faith rather than the works of the law, Paul cites the case of Abraham who was one of the most respected and beloved men in the Old Testament and whom the Jews considered to be the father of their nations.

Abraham was a Chaldean from a city called Ur: He was from what is Iraq today.

God called Abraham to leave his home and to go to a new land that he would show him. Abraham's role was to believe God and to accept the promises made to him.

Accounted: to count or compute, to reckon, to credit. This is an accounting term.

When we are saved we have the righteousness of Christ applied to our account.

In verse 6 Paul quotes from Genesis chapter 15:

Gen 15:1-6

1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham became saved when he first believed God before this, before he left Ur. He received this righteousness before he was circumcised. He was also accounted righteous before the law was given.

Therefore Paul has proven that the Law was not necessary to justification; for if it had been, Abraham could not have been saved. If it was not necessary in the case of Abraham, it was in no other; and this showed that the false teachers among the Galatians were wrong even according to the Old Testament.

Abraham became righteous through simple faith, not be keeping rituals or ceremonies. There always has been only one way of salvation: through faith, not in performing rituals or by adhering to legal requirements.

Promises: Righteousness is about accepting the promises, not the works of the flesh.

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

The Children Of Abraham

God promised Abraham that his seed would be as the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16), as the stars of the heavens(Gen 15:15) and as the sand on the seashore (Gen 22:17).

There is a fourfold fulfillment of the promise:

A natural seed in Isaac.
A national seed in Israel.
A specific seed in Christ.
A spiritual seed in all those who believe in Christ.

Verse 7 refers to this spiritual seed.

They Which Are Of Faith

"They which are of faith": believers in Christ. The Jews of Paul's time wanted to be associated with Abraham. But Jesus rejected the idea that physical descent from Abraham entitled anyone to claim to be one of Abraham's children:

John 8:39-44

39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

So according to Jesus, being the seed of Abraham, that is being a descendent of Abraham is not necessarily a physical relationship, but rather is a spiritual one.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

And The Scripture Foreseeing

Forseeing: God has always had a plan. The law was an important part of that plan, but it was not designed to get people saved.

God does not make our choices for us. God's respects our free will in the accomplishment of his plan. When God "foresees" something, that does not necessarily impy that he is making it happen.

Shall All Nations Be Blessed

Verse 8 is a quote from Genesis chapter 12 where God calls Abraham:

Gen 12:1-4

12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Essentially, the promise was that Abraham would be the vehicle by which God would bring the Messiah to the world who would provide salvation for all who trust him. That's how the gospel or "good news" was preached to Abraham.

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

"Blessed with faithful Abraham" means:

Salvation
Live a blessed spiritual life.

Anyone who seeks to be justfied by the law is not truly a descendant of Abraham, even though they might be physically descended from him.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Under The Curse

What Is The Law?

In a very basic sense the term "law" refers to the expression of a lawgiver. With respect to God as the lawgiver his law refers to his will. Specifically as it is used here the law refers to the law that God gave to the nation of Israel through Moses.

The Works Of The Law

To be of the works of the law is to try to live according to the law. The last part of verse 10 is a quote from the Book of Deuteronomy:

Deut 27:26

26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

The law demanded perfect obedience: "all the words of this law to do them". Every violation was punishable.

Notice that at the conclusion of the giving of the law a curse is pronounced, not a blessing. The law isn't a happy thing. The Lord never said "now let me bless you greatly by giving you the law". The sentiment is not "there you have the law, now have a nice day". Why would God lay such a burden on his people? Does God ever do anything that is bad for his people? Is the law a bad thing because it places people under a curse?

No, the law has an important place in God's eternal plan of salvation. But the purpose of the law was never to save people, but rather was to expose sin and show it for what it is.

Everyone who pleads not guilty before God, who attempts to stand on their own self-righteousness will be condemned by the law.

Yet the law is good. The problem with it is when people try to use it to be saved. Since we are sinful, we cannot be saved by the law as Paul also explained in Romans chapter 7:

Rom 7:12-16

12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

God used the law to teach his people, the nation of Israel some spiritual lessons.

Have you ever wanted to get something that somebody else had? Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? Have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you? What does that make you?

You might say that the law is just too hard. Adam had only one law to obey. Yet he fell. So it's not a matter of how hard the law is or how volumnous it is. The issue is that we have sin in our hearts that makes us rebellious toward God.

Jer 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Since the heart is deceitful above all things, we cannot simply "follow our hearts" which is the popular self-guided philosophy these days. Our hearts will lead us astray. They are not good moral compasses.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Live By Faith

The law can condemn but it cannot acquit. The law has no provision to undo the consequences of one's wrongdoing.

The last part of verse 11 is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4. Habakkuk's point was that people are made just by faith, not by works and that once justified they are to live for God and serve him by faith.

When living by faith believers can have the power of sin broken in their lives. That is the same point that Paul is trying to make here. Paul makes the same point, that salvation is by faith, not the works of the law.

By Grace Through Faith

The same point of salvation by faith, not works is taught in Ephesians chapter 2:

Eph 2:4-10

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

The Law Is Not Of Faith

The law is of works, not faith. Faith and the law are exact opposites of each other. The law is all about "do this and don't do that". Faith on the other hand is about believing, trusting and accepting the promises of God.

The law cannot be added to faith to produce salvation. It's like trying to mix oil and water.

Doeth Them: A Dismal Picture

Verse 12 is a quote from Leviticus 18:5 and the idea is "do this and live".

Since no one can keep the law perfectly enough to earn justification it is impossible to be saved by the law. When you read all this business about the curse of the law and that no one is justified by the law it should paint a very bleak dismal picture for you. You should become overwhelmed with a sudden sense of fear and dread. But there is hope and that hope is expressed in verse 13.

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Verse 13 is a "woo hoo!", "hallelujah shoutin'" verse. Have you ever been in a movie theatre watching an action flick where when the hero came in and saved the day, the audience in the movie theatre literally cheered out loud? That is the sentiment of verse 13. It presents relief that is in stark contrast to the dismal picture of the burden of law in verse 12. How do you spell relief?

Slave Markets

The word "redeemed" is a term from the slave markets of the first century when this was written. It means "to purchase out of a marketplace". The idea is to ransom a person.

Redeemed comes from the Greek word 'exagorazo'. The 'exa' is a prefix which means "out". Gorazo means to buy. The term literally means to buy out. It is especially used of buying a slave with a view toward giving them their freedom.

A Steep Price

Redemption is a transaction in which a price is paid and the price has to be equal in value to what is purchased. Life for life. We were purchased with the most precious substance in the entire universe.

1 Peter 1:18-19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Vain conversation means useless manner of life.

To whom was the price paid? To whom was the debt owed?

A Curse For Us

Deut 21:22-23

22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Jesus had no sin. He was holy, lovely, pure, spotless, innocent.

Jesus died the shameful death of the worst kind of malefactor, dying naked hanging on a cross. Nakedness is associated with shame in the Bible. Note what happened with Adam and Eve when they sinned. The first realization of it that they sensed was the fact that they were naked. Then God covered them up.

The Jews had a particular disgust for any execution that involved public hanging. It was considered repulsive and was resevered for the vilest of offenders.

What made the atonement so wonderful, so glorious, so benevolent; what made it an atonement at all, was that innocence was treated AS IF it were guilt; that the most pure, and holy, and benevolent, and lovely being on earth should consent to be treated, and should be treated by God and man, AS If Jesus were the most vile and ill-deserving. This is the mystery of the atonement; this shows the wonders of the divine benevolence; this is the nature of SUBSTITUTED sorrow; and this lays the foundation for the offer of pardon, and for the hope of eternal salvation.

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Blessing Of Abraham

"The blessing of Abraham" is not a blessing that comes from Abraham, but rather is a blessing that comes from God to Abraham and to those who are blessed along with Abraham.

Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. God promised him that through his seed all nations would be blessed. So they that are of faith in Christ have the blessing of Abraham. That blessing includes both salvation and the privilege of serving God.

The Promise Of The Spirit

There are two primary aspects of "the promise of the Spirit".

1. Every believer in Christ has the Spirit dwelling within them. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Rom 8:9).
2. But the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of the Spirit comes through his empowering of the church.

Just prior to his crucifixtion Jesus promised his church that he would send them another Comforter, The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers the church to fulfill its mission. Like all promises of God, the promise of the Spirit had to be received by faith, not by the keeping of the law.

15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

A Deal Is A Deal

Here Paul uses an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human contract that has been duly established, so it is in this case.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Christ Is "The Seed"

The primary reference to "the seed of Abraham is Christ". We have already mentioned that there are other seeds such as Isaac, the nation of Israel and believers in Christ. But none of those designations of the seed of Abraham would have any meaning if it were not for that one all important seed: Christ.

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The Inheritance Is By Promise

What Paul means is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside or invalidate the covenant previously established and ratified by God and thus do away with or nullify the promise.

For if the inheritance depends on the law or is based on the law, then it no longer depends on, or is based on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

Once a testator dies, their will is not subject to change. It's often subject to interpretation, especially if it isn't clear; but the terms themselves are not changed. So God did not change his promises to Abraham after Abraham died by repacing those promises with the law.

You don't earn an inheritance by working for it and earning it. Instead you receive an inheritance by virtue of being a son or daughter of the testator. So God made a promise to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through him. That promise

19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Because Of Transgressions

The Israelites did not receive the law when the first left Egypt. They did not need to wander in the wilderness for forty years. They were given the law because of their transgressions. Refer to Exodus chapters 14 through 19.

Wherefore Then Serveth The Law?

We have stated that one cannot be saved by keeping the law. Salvation comes by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What then was the purpose of the law?

20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

God's law and his promises are not contrary to one another. Instead they are complimentary to each other. The law points out sin and the promises save from sin.

22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Rope A Dope

The term "hath concluded" comes from the Greek word 'sugkleio' (soong-kli'-o). It means to enclose something or someone, thus restricting an escape. The same word is translated "inclosed" in Luke 5:6 where it says that "a great number of fish were caught in a net."

Notice that this doesn't say that it's sin that ropes us. No, it is "the scripture" that ropes us. It's true that lost people are "slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6, 16). But Paul's main point here is that it is by the scripture that we gain a knowledge of our sin. The scripture rounds up the suspects and corralls us. It incarcerates us and declares us to be guilty in the eyes of God.

Jesus told his disciples:

John 15:22-25

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin <they would not be guilty of sin> : but now they have no cloke <no excuse>for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works <miracles> which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

The word "cloke" in John 15:22 means to make a pretense.

Cloke: from the Greek 'profasin'. From pro meaning "before, in front of," and feemi, "to say or affirm." Hence, something which is "placed in front of" the true cause of a thing, a "pretext." "Pretext" carries the same idea, Latin, 'protextum', something "woven in front," with a view to concealment or deception.

This is the same word in Acts 27:30 where it says that "in an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow."

Without the scripture roping all the dopes under sin, it's just a matter of opinion. Without the scriptures we all would just be a bunch of pretenders or posers like those Jesus described in John 15.

There were people in the world in Jesus' time who claimed to love God. They were pretenders, phonies. Over the course of history the Lord had reached out to them again and again with goodness and mercy. Finally, he came down to them in human form, face-to-face. Then they got a chance to prove that they hated him right to his face.

If the scripture has not shown you your sin, then you are just a criminal at-large. The scripture is like the FBI. It conducts a worldwide manhunt and aprehends the perpetrators.

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Kept Under The Law

The words "kept" and "shut up" in verse 23 are correctional system terms. The law is for lawbreakers. We were kept in ward not for our protection, but rather to keep us from escaping.

"Kept," Gr. 'phroureo' (froo-reh'-o), means to keep by guarding.

The same Greek word is used in 2 Corinthians 11:32:

"In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me."

In a similar way the power of God keeps us saved as described in 1 Peter 1:5: "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Unto The Faith

"Unto or for" expresses the purpose of keeping in ward. It is not temporal, "until", but "with a view to our passing into the state of faith."

Shut Up

"Shut up" in verse 23 comes from the same Greek word as "hath concluded" does in verse 22: 'sugkleio' (soong-kli'-o); which means to enclose something, thus preventing an escape.

We were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. The law is a jailer who holds us in custody until we come to Christ. We were

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

A Paidagogos

The word "schoolmaster" is an unfortunate translation. It does not refer to a teacher or a school principal. The word means an overseer or guardian. A breakdown of the original language reveals the author's intended meaning.

The term comes from the Greek 'paidagogos'. Paidagogos is compound word composed of the words 'pais' and 'ago'.

Pais (paheece), a boy (as often beaten with impunity), or (by analogy,) a girl, and (genitive case) a child; specifically, a slave or servant (especially a minister to a king; and by eminence to God):

In its verb form pais is rendered 'paio' (pah'-yo), to hit (as if by a single blow and less violently than NT:5180); specifically to sting (as a scorpion). Thus the noun form pais implies un unruly child who is subject to physical discipline.

According to The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, the name carries with it the idea of severity (as of a stern censor and enforcer of morals).

ago (ag'-o); a primary verb; properly, to lead; by implication, to bring, drive, (reflexively) go, (specially) pass (time), or (figuratively) induce:

"The law is here represented, not as one who conducts to the school of Christ; for Christ is not represented here as a teacher, but as redeemer; but rather as an "overseer or guardian," to keep watch of those committed to its care, to accompany them with its commands and prohibitions, and to keep them in a condition of dependence and restraint, thus continually bringing home to them the consciousness of being shut up in sins, and revealing sin as positive transgression" (from Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft).

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

The picture here in the context of these verses is not one of a caring, nurturing nanny who leads innocent little children to Christ's kindergarten.

The law brings us to Christ, not to go to school, but rather to be justified. Christ is presented here, not as a teacher, but rather as a redeemer. The law doesn't bring us to Christ to go to school. Instead it is a guard, a probation officer who brings us lawbreakers to Christ for a pardon.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Verses 25 through 27 are transitional verses. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we go from being unruly transgressors imprisioned by God's spiritual correction officer to being the children of God. Faith results in our sentence being commuted.

Baptized Into Christ

The new order had a new way of being identified with God. Under the law, circumcision was the sign of the covenant between God and man. Circumcision was not a means of salavation because as Paul showed earlier in Galatians, Abraham was saved before he was circumcised. In the same way baptism does not save us. In baptism an already saved person is identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rom 6:3-4

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

When a believer is baptized they are symbolically telling the world that they now belong to Christ or "have put on Christ" like a military uniform. They are declaring to the world that they are reckoning themselves dead to their sinful lives and they have been raised to walk in newness of life. Baptism does not create that new life. The new life comes first: through faith by trusting in Jesus as one’s savior. Salvation always precedes baptism. Baptism is a visible action picture of the salvation that has already taken place invisibly inside the believer. Baptism symbolizes the believer's earnest expectation of resurrection. Sin is not completely removed until we are resurrected in new glorified bodies. We still have a sin nature after we are saved, but we are no longer willful, practicing sinners.

So baptism also pictures the believer’s ultimate sure confidence that they will literally, physically be raised with Christ in an eternal, sinless body called a "glorified body."

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

National, social and gender distinctions do not influence our status in Christ. We are all children of God and brothers and sisters to each other.

This is why we have to be careful not to confuse our patriotism with our service to Christ in his church. God does not specially favor an American church. When we all get to heaven, the Lord is not going to say "Now those of you who are members of American churches line up here in front".

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

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