Commentary on Galatians 3.1–4.3

“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Christ Jesus was proscribed, and crucified in you?” Only those suffer bewitchment who are strong in some good, and they suffer it from the malicious and envious; and since they had received good from the true gospel, and believed in Christ, and hoped for his promises, now that they have begun to add also the discipline of Judaism, “who,” he says, “has bewitched you,” so that you withdrew from your good? You are therefore foolish, that is, not understanding. And what did they commit, from which they are foolish? That they were persuaded to practice Judaism. So Christ was proscribed, that is, his goods, which were surely in us, were broken up and sold, and by the persuasion of Judaism were proscribed, sold, and lost. So you are foolish, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was proscribed, so that those goods perished in you while you were present, as things perish that are proscribed: because you did not resist, did not fight back, and therefore you are foolish. Then in this sentence there is also this: that Christ was crucified in you; for those Jews who persuaded you to follow Judaism did in you too what they did to Christ when they raised him on the cross: so by persuading you to the discipline of Judaism they crucified Christ in you too. Foolish, then, you Galatians, you have lost Christ and his goods from your souls. I do not know who, then, has bewitched you in your goods.

“This only I wish to learn from you.” I will raise nothing, I will rebuke nothing; this only, he says, I wish to learn, and to learn from you: “did you receive the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith,” by which you began to be better toward the knowledge of God? From where, he says, did it come to you to receive the spirit, from the works of the law, or from the hearing of faith? When I preached the gospel to you, you received the spirit from the hearing of faith: so not from the works of the law. Or, if not from the works of the law, why do you now add the Jewish discipline, so as to believe that you receive the spirit from the works of the law, and think rightly of God, and hope in God, when you have already received the spirit from the hearing of faith? that is, that you heard that faith in Christ must be followed? And if from hearing, it is against faith when you believe that you receive the spirit from the works of the law, since by this faith alone in Christ the spirit is given and was given to you.

“Are you so foolish that, having begun in the spirit, you are now being finished in the flesh?” He has expressed what “from the works of the law” is and what “from the hearing of faith” is: for the works of the law do nothing else but satisfy the flesh, suffer affection from the flesh, come to the aid of the flesh. So one is wise according to the flesh who believes he is justified by the works of the law. You, then, he says, are so foolish, so lacking in understanding, while you add works for your justification—which is to be wise according to the flesh—that, having begun in the spirit through the gospel given by me, having received the spirit from the hearing of faith in Christ, you will now finish the end of your conduct and life in the flesh; that is, with works taken up for the flesh and according to the flesh?

“Have you suffered so much without cause?” Such speech easily leads to patience, which rebukes and admonishes, and yet rebukes its own rebuke in turn: for he rebukes what he said, “have you suffered so much without cause,” adding, “if indeed without cause.” He admonishes when he says, “you have suffered so much,” since they had bravely endured much when they received the faith, so as also to live spiritually; for necessarily one who begins to live spiritually, while he casts off worldly things, while with his new man he bears the envy of the Greeks and ignorant Gentiles, must suffer many things, which he says the Galatians surely suffered. But since you have suffered so much, this is all the more to be grieved: that, having suffered without cause, you have not reached the reward from faith, for which you suffered so much. Yet so that he would not seem to despair in saying “without cause,” he corrected his rebuke by saying, “if indeed without cause”: for they can be corrected, so that what they suffered is not without cause, but they have, as cause of persevering in faith, the reward and the confirmation of the promises from faith in Christ.

“He, then, who supplies the spirit to you and works powers in you, does he work by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Since he said above, “you have suffered so much,” and set out what they seemed to have suffered, or such things and of that kind, yet in that they endured they surely had powers for endurance; he therefore joins: “he who supplies the spirit to you works powers in you,” by which powers you suffered and endured so much. From this he surely makes them understand that God worked very many powers in them: and if he worked powers, he supplied them the spirit. So, having confirmed that the spirit was given to them, the question rightly proceeds whether God worked the powers in them by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Surely not by works; for no works came forth from you, but you heard the faith and obeyed the faith; and therefore God worked powers in you: and if he worked them, he supplied you the spirit: and he did work, and supplied the spirit, since you suffered so many and such great things. And this without reason? Without cause? Which, however, he corrected, that it was not without cause: for he hopes they can be corrected. He returns, then, to the confirmation that all these things came to them from the hearing of faith: and he proves this, that nothing marvelous and incredible ever happens unless the faith of the gospel is obeyed. He gives, then, a likeness from the reading which contains marvels of sufferings, which the Galatians suffered and endured through faith, and therefore through the spirit given and the power worked in them by God.

“Just as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” In Genesis (chapter 15:6) this is set down, that Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness; so God works powers when faith has arisen in human souls, and faith that they should believe in God. It was reckoned, he says, to Abraham as righteousness, because he believed God. So you too have suffered and endured so much and conquered, and God has worked and works powers in you, because through the hearing of faith you believed God. “Understand, then, that those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham.” For many things were promised to Abraham’s seed; and he himself was accepted for righteousness from faith. So whoever are of faith, these are sons of Abraham, as we have often reminded. The whole mystery that was done by our Lord Jesus Christ seeks faith alone: for it was done for us, and done for our resurrection and liberation, if we have faith in the mystery of Christ and in Christ. For the divinity prefigured and sent ahead this, that man should be justified by faith. As, then, it was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness because he had faith, so we too, if we have faith in Christ and his mystery, shall be sons of Abraham, that is, our whole life will be reckoned to us as righteousness. Then he adds thus: and the mystery concerning Abraham was done for this reason, that people should be justified by faith, by faith, namely, in Christ.

“But Scripture, foreseeing that God justifies the Gentiles by faith, foretold to Abraham,” that is, to the prophet, so that what was being done concerning one should be proclaimed concerning others for future ages. “Scripture foreseeing,” he says, that is, seeing what is to come; “Scripture,” that is, the prophecy that was written. Foreseeing what? That God was to justify the Gentiles by faith; therefore the same Scripture foretold it to Abraham. And what did it foretell? That the Gentiles are justified by faith. Then he adds the example from Scripture, that they will be blessed; that is, in that in which Abraham was reckoned for righteousness, namely, from faith. This example is from Genesis. So those who are of faith will be blessed, which means it will be reckoned to them as righteousness, and they will be blessed by God; and they will be blessed by God as justified; and to be justified is to be freed from the law of slavery. So those who are of faith will be blessed, because Abraham was blessed from faith. Faith, then, is everything. How is this brought back to the Galatians? Namely, since blessing and justification come only from faith, not from works. They, then, erred who thought that besides the faith they had received in Jesus Christ our Lord, the law and the precepts of the law must also be added, that is, so as to believe in justification from works. Then he adds, so as also to teach the contrary, what comes from works; lest the Galatians think so, and believe they keep faith in Christ and yet that it can profit them more if they do something also from works. But on the contrary the Apostle denies that blessing comes from works; but, what is even graver and contrary to blessing, that those who act from works are under a curse.

“For whoever are of the works of the law are under a curse.” He added forcefully, then, that not only are those who are of works not blessed, but those who are of the works of the law are even under a curse. And as to his saying “of the works of the law,” let us understand that there are also works of Christianity, above all those which the Apostle often commands, as he says it was commanded him, that “we be mindful of the poor,” and the other precepts for living that are kept in this Apostle, and the works which the Apostle commands every Christian to fulfill. Let us understand, then, that the works of the law are other: namely observances, sacrifices of the lamb, when the Passover has already been fulfilled through Christ, and the other works which they also do concerning circumcision and foods, whether to be kept or to be offered. Since, then, we do not know the works of the law, Christ, who is in the heavens and came down even to the flesh, couples and joins both churches. He is, then, the mediator, and by his mystery arranged through angels, as mediator he frees this church, that is, the members of the church, and calls them back to the higher church. So, since Christ is mediator.

“But a mediator is not of one; but God is one.” It is Christ who calls back and joins his members to the church. Does the law, then, do this? Is the law a mediator? If, then, the law is not a mediator—for since it is a law of deeds, it does not join things that are separated; it judges only of deeds—it was therefore interposed, he says, until Christ should come, that is, the seed to whom the inheritance was promised, in whose hand was arranged what was arranged through angels, who is the mediator, and a mediator surely between two. I said two; but God is one: so the mediator cannot be of God alone, because God is one. So in no way does the law justify, in no way does the law of deeds obtain the inheritance: because the heirs are those who draw their origin from there, and receive the spirit from there, whence the inheritance will come; namely with Christ joining what is separated, and freeing the part of the church that is held here by the errors of the world, and calling it back to the heavenly church: for he alone is the mediator. And the mediator, as we have taught, is not of one: for the rest, after God, are not one: God alone is one: so whatever is outside God is many things, which can be joined, because they are from there, or are separated, because so the mystery was, and so it is even now, that they should be joined; because they are far different and divided and hostile and perishing. Since, then, God alone is, besides God there is the mediator, who yet is not the mediator of one. He, the mediator, reconciles and joins by a certain mystery other things which by a certain mystery are separated from each other. And we are those who were separated through our ancestors, and joined again through ancestors indeed, but according to Christ, that is, according to faith: from which it appears that without a mediator we cannot be freed. If this is so, it is a vain hope to believe in justification and salvation from the law of deeds, which, as we said, is not a mediator. For Christ alone is mediator, who joins those between whom he is mediator. So justification and liberation are through Christ, not through the law of deeds. The whole of this letter to the Galatians, as we said, works at this and attacks this: what the Galatians thought they should take on, so as to keep the faith of Christ and guard the gospel together with the Jewish discipline and observance. The Apostle teaches that this is not so, nor did he command it so, and that what is hoped for from the law, justification and salvation, is altogether in vain. For all things come from faith: for the promise of liberation, justification, and inheritance in heaven and above heaven was given to Abraham from faith, and so to his seed. If this is so, he teaches that from the law and from its works fulfilled according to the precepts no justification, no liberation, no inheritance comes; and since for this reason he seems to attack the law, a question is rightly put forward.

“What, then,” he says, “is the law against the promises?” For if the law does nothing by its works, and it is later—for the promises were made earlier to Abraham (since the law given through Moses holds the righteousness of deeds)—the law seems in a way either to have been given in vain or to be contrary to the promise. For if the works from the law accomplish nothing and bestow nothing, the law is against the promises: for since the promises pledge an inheritance and justification, this law, which is from works, while it calls away from faith, while it keeps souls occupied in something else, so that the promises are expected not from faith but from something else, that is, from works, is against the promises. But it is not likely that, when God gave the law, that same law should seem to have been given against the promises: which it surely is, if it occupies us in something else, namely in fulfilling the precepts from the law as works, and not expecting from faith what is promised, that we should obtain the inheritance of the heavens by faith in God. But what he answers to this we shall take thus: for he says first generally, “God forbid”; that is, it is not fitting that God should seem to have done this, and that it should be against the promises that he gave the law, which, when it keeps man occupied in other things, empties the promise and makes it merit, not faith; that is, that we should obtain justification by merit, having done all works, not by faith alone. So “God forbid,” he says; then he supplies the reason: “For if a law had been given that could give life, righteousness would truly be from the law.” We have said that the law given by Moses teaches nothing else than the sins that have been committed, and warns how they are to be avoided, and Scripture concluded nothing else but to place all the precepts under sin and concerning sin. This law, he says, was not given as one that could give life: for if it had been so given, righteousness would truly be from the law; but now it was not so given, that life should be sought from it, but it was given so that, as written, it should both teach all its sins and show that they must be avoided. So righteousness is not from the law, that is, justification and salvation do not come from there, but from faith, as was promised. Then he adds thus: “But Scripture has shut up all things under sin, so that the promise might be given by the faith of Jesus Christ to those who believe.” This, he says, was done through Moses: that he himself should establish a law about sin, and all Scripture should be shut up about sin and the things under sin; so that what it would promise should come about from faith, and the inheritance should be given by the faith of Jesus Christ to those who believe. So by all these things what does he do or has he done? That faith alone in Jesus Christ suffices for our justification and liberation.

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up for the faith that was to be revealed”: lest the law should become empty, or opposed to the promises. How does he call it necessary? Because the expectation was of faith to come, and the promise was through faith. Before, he says, faith came, “we were kept,” that is, in a way, with the law as guide and guard, we cultivated an upright life by sin avoided and recognized; so that when Christ should come, we, as it were shut up for that faith which was to come, might await his coming: believing in faith in him, prepared by the law, since we avoided sins and did the works of the law, we could easily have what was promised from his coming, namely faith in Christ. So we ought not to have faith in the law but in his coming: for we were shut up, he says, through faith; “for that faith,” he says, “which was to come,” that is, Christ’s; so that this same faith might be revealed when he came. “So the law was our pedagogue in Christ.” For as those who teach boys point out the way of living, as far as they can, and show it, yet they themselves are not masters of the full life: so the law too was like a pedagogue, but not … nor a full pedagogue for teaching life: but “in Christ,” he says, that is, until Christ: and so the law kept us by warning about sins, so that we might have all hope of salvation and life in Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. Not from the law, but from faith, he says, so that we may be freed, that is, justified, and take the inheritance and the promise.

“But when faith came,” that is, Christ himself (for then faith arose, that is, the time began for there to be faith and for us to believe in him, in whom is all salvation; and contrary to the Jews, who did not believe), “we are no longer under a pedagogue,” that is, we no longer live under the law, because we kept the precepts of the law that look toward faith itself, we who were being prepared by the pedagogue of the law. Now that Christ himself has come, that is, faith itself, we no longer live under a pedagogue, but live, or shall live, by faith.

“For you are all sons of God, by faith in Christ Jesus.” For this is the inheritance, that we obtain eternal life: for then we are sons of God. But from where does this come? “By faith in Christ Jesus.” We have faith in Jesus Christ when we believe in him, that he is the Son of God, that he himself saves us, that he did that mystery for us, and all the things we spoke of in the gospel. But here this must be noted: that while he was speaking of things, he turned to persons, where he shows a gentleness by which he might persuade more easily. “You are all,” he says, “sons.” Above, “we are under a pedagogue”; now he turns, as it were, in an apostrophe to them: “you are,” he says, “sons of God”; but sons by faith in Jesus Christ.

“For whoever of you have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ”: that is, in Christ you are sons of God. What is that “in Christ”? Since whoever is baptized in Christ is now a son of God: for whoever is baptized is baptized into Christ; and baptized in Christ, he puts on Christ. For whoever is baptized has Christ; and he is now in Christ while he has Christ: while he has Christ, he is a son of God, because Christ is the Son of God.

“For in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” He removes, then, the other distinctions of persons among human beings, which can arise either from condition, or from human nature, or from nation. For by these we can be separated among ourselves, so that one is a Jew, another a Greek, one a slave, another free. These by condition or law; but that by nature: “there is neither male,” he says, “nor female.” What, then? All these removed, “you are all one,” he says, “in Christ Jesus”: since you are one, having received the spirit from Christ, you are Christ. So you are sons of God in Christ.

“Then you are the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.” If this is so, what was promised to Abraham’s seed has been fulfilled; hence you too are the seed of Abraham, according to faith; and you are in Christ, and therefore you are the seed of Abraham: you are “heirs according to the promise,” because the inheritance was promised to Abraham’s seed. And you, baptized in Christ Jesus, have received Christ, and are Christ; so you are the seed of Abraham. If the inheritance was promised to the seed, the inheritance will be given to you too, and you are heirs according to the promise.

“But I say: as long as the heir is a little child, he differs nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all.” He continues with an added likeness, to teach what we were before the coming of Christ, under the law, and what after he came. For, solving that question, whether the law was against the promises, he says that the law was given for a time, to keep us in custody, and by handing down precepts to guard us from sins, until the time came for the coming of Christ, so that we could be heirs of the promises. So, he says, when heirs are little children—which is the time under the law before the coming of Christ—when, I say, heirs are little children, they differ nothing from slaves: for although they are to be lords of all, since they are to be heirs, yet while the time has not come at which they may exercise the full name of lord, they are held as it were in a kind of servile duty; but not forever: until they are of their own age and freedom, and can fulfill both the name and the power of an heir. This is what he adds.

“But he is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” Every heir, he says, while he is a little child, is under guardians. That law of Moses kept the future heirs, or those who already were heirs but were not full heirs because of their age, as if under a guardian and steward; since they cannot act by themselves, nor take possession or the full name of heir. Yet at that time they are not slaves in such a way as truly to serve, but they live under custody, so as to be slaves until the time appointed by the father. For so the steward, or guardian, or tutor has force by the father’s arrangement, so that when the heir has come of age he may act by his own right, by free will, and govern the inheritance he has received. This likeness, as I said, refers to those to whom the law was given.

“So we too, when we were little children, were serving under the elements of this world. But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son.” The question was about one thing; and in returning to the likeness, he adds another, that is, something more than what had been set down before. For when the subject was the law, which had been given as if interposed after the promises, and it was being said that the law was inserted before the coming of Christ because we were still little children and placed under the custody of the law—as he himself said, “we were kept under the law,” and the law was our pedagogue; although, he says, the law was a pedagogue, but in Christ (the whole previous discourse had been about the law, until the time should come for us to be heirs according to the promise)—this, as I said, he pursued with a consistent sense while he was speaking of the law and adding a likeness. But now, in the conclusion, he has drawn it back not to the law but to the elements: “and we,” he says, “when we were little children.” What should have followed? “We lived under the law.” But this was not added; rather, “we were serving under the elements of this world.” This is either something other than what precedes, or it depends on what precedes. We must ask how it is not foreign. Without doubt it is what was said above, that “whoever of us were baptized in Christ have put on Christ.” And we who have put on Christ are neither Jews nor Greeks. And if we who have put on Christ are neither Greeks nor Jews, we are no longer of the world: for before the coming of Christ the world had a man either as a Jew or as a Greek. Whether Jew or Greek, while he acted by his own laws, his life was led under the elements of the world. For among the Jews the sacrilegious, the thief, the false witness, and the rest are punished. In the same way among the Greeks too, that is, among the pagans, these things were and are punished by laws. But the elements of the world carry with them both their own motions and, as it were, certain necessities arising from those motions; as in the stars, by whose revolution human life is led into necessity: and so people serve the elements, as the stars have ordered, as the course of the world has commanded. From all these is freed whoever, having faith in Christ, has received from Christ the spirit as lord of his life, so that he flees and avoids every necessity of the world and the force of the elements, and does not serve the world, but, serving the Lord Christ, has freedom in his actions with the spirit ruling. More than was expected, then, has been brought in, so that the Galatians may understand that the Jewish law, with its precepts, observances, and works, must be abandoned in every way, since they see that even the law of the world itself and of the elements has been overturned and has no force under Christ, and that the force of the world’s revolution is utterly overthrown.