—Galatians 3.19–21—

¹⁹ What, then, was the purpose of the law? 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.

The law and Promise
What was the purpose of the law? The law was put in place to bring us to Christ so that we might believe and trust in God. We can’t live by the law alone,but by faith in Christ and believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross. Threw faith we can receive the promise of the Spirit. By faith we have been set free from the law and no longer have to be a prisoner because Jesus took our sin. Jesus died on the cross so that we may be set free in order to receive God’s promise. The ultimate sacrifice so that we might live and have eternal life.

—Galatians 3.15–18—

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.


In this book, Paul is responding to an important controversy that was developing in the church at Galatia. Some people were telling the members of this church, mostly Gentiles, that faith in Christ was not enough. They said that to be truly saved and enter the kingdom of God, a person also had to follow the old Jewish Law. Paul has been striving for the last three chapters to correct this misunderstanding.

Here, Paul tries to explain that the Law does not matter by taking an example from the legal world. He said that the salvation offered through Jesus was not something new, but a fulfillment of the ancient covenant, or legal contract, that God had made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that he and his offspring would be God’s children, and that all nations would be blessed through them. This is fulfilled in Jesus. The Law did not change that promise or that plan.

Think of it this way: when a family adopts a child, they enter into a legally binding agreement that they will love and care for that child as if s/he were their own, and that that child will forever be a part of their family. If, later on, they assign that child a list of chores or a curfew, the child’s performance or neglect of those duties does not change the adoption agreement. No matter what, the child is promised a place in the family. God’s covenant with Abraham allowed him to adopt all people into his family as his children through what Jesus did. The Law set curfews and boundaries to protect the people and gave them chores to develop their characters. However, doing or not doing our chores does not affect our position in God’s family. God drew up the contract, Jesus paid the fee. Once we sign on the dotted line, we’re in. God loves us no matter what. We cannot earn that love, it is freely given. Rejoice in that today.

—Galatians 3.10–14—

¹⁰ All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." ¹¹ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because "the righteous will live by faith." ¹² The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, "Whoever does these things will live by them." ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole." ¹⁴ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.


You are a carpenter. Your father and grandfather were both carpenters, establishing the family trade. Everyone knows your talent and customers flock to your name and reputation. Carpentry is your life and your identity.

One day you and your father are reflecting on the family business. “I built 2 houses in the same city block one year,” you remember. “Termites moved through the whole block the next year, ate ‘em up one by one.”

With a knowing “sigh,” your father offers a suggestion. “We should’ve known son. Wood rots. It just can’t do anything else.”

Just as the limitations of wood undermine the work of a carpenter, the Apostle Paul can look at his people (he was a Jew, after all) and see that their own scriptures spoke of a “curse”, a ticking time bomb of sorts that was embedded in their Law. But unlike the carpenter and his wood, Israel’s problem was not their Law—it was themselves.

Paul could see that the entire history of Israel told the story of a people who fell short of their goal to be God’s light to the world—a people who missed what God wanted of them amid the cursed and rotted ruins of their religion—a people who believed they had God in their pocket. And yet, miraculously, God still accomplished his purposes...not according to any law, but according to a promise made to Abraham.

We would do well to pray not to make the same mistakes.

—Galatians 3.1–9—

¹ You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort? ⁴ Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by your observing the law, or by your believing what you heard? ⁶ So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

⁷ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸ Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." ⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The beginning of Galatians three talks about the fact that works aren’t enough, you have to have faith. As is the case today, many of the people were trying to earn their way into heaven and that just isn’t possible.

Of course actions are important to, as James 2:26 says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” It is impossible to have faith without deeds, but what Paul is saying is that you can have deeds without faith.

We like the Galatians sometimes need to be reminded that the deeds are only important if we have the faith to back it up, because we are saved through faith. It is also much harder to strengthen your faith that your deeds. Faith requires a long-term commitment to wanting to know and follow God’s plan and there are several ways that we can do this. Reading, memorizing and meditating over God’s word is a great way to see His faithfulness and begin to build up more trust in Him. The biggest thing you can do is to pray, how can you have a relationship without communication? God is always there and he loves to talk to you.