Life-giving

Greetings everyone.

Today we will continue our examination of Galatians 3, moving into 21-22. Here is my translation:

21 So then, is the law opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! If the Law really had the ability to give life, then righteousness would also come from the Law.  22 However, the Scripture locked everything up under sin, so that the promises of faith in Jesus Christ might be given to the faithful.

Paul has just asked in verse, "Why have the Law""  Now, he asks another question that would naturally follow from his line of reasoning.  “Is the Law opposed to the promises of God?” This question makes sense, as Paul has been consistently showing the Law to be inferior to God’s promises.  

Paul’s answer: Μὴ γένοιτο (mē genoito) meaning 'May it never be.'  Paul is emphatically stating that the Law and the Promise are not opposed to each other.  I translated this as “Of course not!”  Both the Law and the Promise came from God, and Paul rejects the idea that they are at odds with each other.  He has been making the case that the Law existed for a time and for a purpose, but Jesus brought that to an end, and now faith in Jesus and acceptance of God’s grace is the path toward God.

The Law has value.  It shows us God’s holiness, and that doesn’t change under grace.  It also shows us our inability to measure up, and that also doesn’t change under grace. But under grace our inability to measure up does not condemn us.  We are fortunate to live under God's grace.

Paul’s response here could indicate that these Judaizers were holding up the Law as something that was life-giving.  Paul tells us that the Law was not life-giving and therefore could never lead us to righteousness.  The point has already been made that the Law functions to expose us as sinners,=. Being exposed as sinful, is certainly not life-giving. Discouraging is more like what that does. John Stott says, “Turning hypothesis to reality, the fact is that nobody has ever kept the law of God.  Instead, we sinners break it every day.  Therefore, the law cannot justify us,” (Stott, 91.)  Stott is right.  Law-keeping is not a real path to justification (or life), when that law is impossible to keep. 

Certainly my own experience of trying to keep all of the rules has led to self-doubt and discouragement rather than life, because I am just not able to live up to that standard.  Paul's statement, in my view, is 100% correct. The Law is not life-giving.  However, God’s grace is. 

Then in verse 22, Paul tells us that what it does do, is it locks everything up under sin.  The Greek word he uses is συνέκλεισεν (sunekgeisen), from the Greek verb συγκλείω (sugkleio). It means to shut up together or enclose.  What does Paul mean by this?  Moo says “The demands of the Law, because they are ultimately impossible for sinful humans to fulfill, serve to ‘confine’ all things under sin.” (Moo, 239.)So, we see can what the Law does compared to what the Law doesn’t do:  It shows us our sinfulness, but it does not give us life or make us righteous.  

It is true that we do need to see our sinfulness, so the Law does serve its purpose, but fortunately the promise supersedes the Law and allows us to have what we really need, God’s life-giving grace. 

Paul follows his phrase about everything being confined or locked up under sin with a statement about faith.  There is a reason for it, so that then the promises of faith could be given to those who are faithful. God works through “the imprisoning and condemning effects of Scripture to accomplish his ultimate purpose.”  (Moo, 240.)  Again, we see that the Law was necessary to show us our sinfulness, in order to understand the greatness of God’s promise, the promise that He gave to Abraham and that he now extends to us.  

Moo quotes what John Calvin has to say here.  “This sentence is full of the highest consolation.  It tells that, whenever we hear ourselves condemned in Scripture, there is help provided for us in Christ, if we betake ourselves to him.”  (Moo, 240.) Calvin’s thoughts help to clarify.  Sometimes we feel condemned by the Scriptures, but our faith in Jesus should in those moments bring us hope.  The promise is made to the faithful, not to the obedient.