Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLVI)

So, there is more than one way that gives one the right to be called a child of God, other than baptism. First, Paul explained this clearly to the Romans when he talked about how children of God after baptism are then led by the Spirit of God.[1] Furthermore, becoming a child of God is not by chance or some form of self-denial. We are all children of God because it was in His plans for us from the beginning.[2] For the Gentiles in Galatia who were hardly considered human by Jewish standards, and for the Jewish believers who believed that their standing before God depended on their complete obedience to Mosaic Law,  now being told they were both children of the Most High was incomprehensible. Jews were at best only children of Israel and descendants of their father, Abraham. But for Gentiles and converted Jews to be called “God’s children,” even though they no longer needed to be circumcised or observe religious rituals and regulations devoutly, it was unthinkable. This implied that their unique relationship with God directly, not as a grandchild or great-grandchild, but His immediate family. And it all came about because of their complete faith in Jesus the Anointed One and His obedience to God rather than their perfect obedience to Mosaic Law.

As such, God no longer existed as a deep, thunderous voice in the sky that looked for people to judge and condemn because they failed to meet His standards, but as a loving, caring, forgiving Father who carried them in His arms, close to His heart.  In the words of John: “To all those who accepted Him, He gave the right for them to be declared children of God; a guarantee to all who truly believed that He was who He said He was.”[3]

Secondly, Paul tells the Galatian believers that they were baptized into the Anointed One. There’s little reason to suspect that any of these believers were not baptized in water in obedience to the Anointed One’s mandate. After all, as His disciples went out into the world, they were to preach the Gospel to everyone and then baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But Paul adds that their baptism into water symbolized their baptism into union with the Anointed One. Water baptism typifies two main aspects of a believer’s experience in becoming a new creation in the Anointed One Jesus. Going down into the water and coming back up illustrates their cleansing from sin. “Go down dirty, come up clean.” Also, going down into the water and coming back up exemplifies their new birth. “Go down dead, come up alive.”

Since Paul did not emphasize “water” in his reference to baptism, many theologians believe that Paul saw an additional embodiment of the believer’s position in the Anointed One.  It not only signifies their union with the Anointed One but their communion with Him.  When Jesus commissioned His disciples to baptize in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew used the Greek noun onoma, translated as “name” that encompasses everything that name stands for; every thought or feeling aroused in the mind when that name is mentioned, heard, or remembered; involving the rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, character, and accomplishments that name represents.

Therefore, when the Galatians were baptized into union with the Anointed One, they received everything His name represents. It was a testimony that they received the fullness of His grace and the benefits of His sufferings, of His death and resurrection from the dead; by faith, they accepted the reality of their soul’s cleansing and the remission of their sins by His blood, and their justification by His righteousness; how He was delivered for their offenses, died for their sins, was buried in the grave taking their wrongdoings with Him and rose again for their justification; all of which baptism, performed primarily by immersion, is a powerful emblem of His redemption. For the Jews, circumcision served as God’s mark of ownership to set them apart from the heathen; now, Paul tells them that baptism is the new mark God wants all His children to wear as a sign of His ownership.

After you study this letter to the Galatians and then read Paul’s letter to the Romans, you’ll find many of these same points reiterated, only with more depth.  For instance, on being baptized into union with the Anointed One Paul said to the Roman believers, “Have you forgotten that when we were joined with the Anointed One Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with the Anointed One by baptism; and just as the Anointed One was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was.”[4]

Since Paul received his teaching from Jesus directly, we can assume that on this subject the Anointed One reiterated what He said before to Nicodemus: “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water as a human and again of the Spirit as a believer.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to the spiritual life”[5] Here, we see an engaging metaphor. A human’s first birth occurs as they emerge out of water in the womb, but they are only flesh and blood. However, to signify being born again, a person is returned to the water in baptism – representing the womb, but when they come up out of the water this time, it represents their emergence as a new spiritual creature in union with the Anointed One; born again in the spirit and of the Spirit.

It also serves as a public declaration that the believer is now a committed follower of Jesus the Anointed One. It served notice that God’s interests are their interests; that His manners are their manners; that His teachings are their teachings; that His will is their will; that His purpose is their purpose; that His goals are their goals; that His worldview is their worldview, and that His future is their future.

Thirdly, Paul tells the Galatians that all this becomes the same as putting on the Anointed One like a cloak. In other words, we wear Him daily as we go into the world. There’s a strong possibility that Paul was alluding to the necessity of changing out of wet clothes and putting on dry clothes after baptism; changing the dirty garb of the old creature for the pure robe of the new creature. To put on clothes that bear a strong identity with someone or something is to assume the person and character of that someone or something, and they who do so are bound to act the part, and sustain the character which they adopted.

For instance, I am proud that my cousin and one of my nephews were both in law enforcement at one time. Seeing them in their everyday clothes, they looked like average citizens. But when they put on the uniform of a police officer and state trooper, it radically changed their appearance. The same transformation takes place when a sinner is cleansed and then dons the garment of the Anointed One’s righteousness that marks them as one of His dedicated followers. People will notice the difference right away. If you’ve ever been to Thailand, you will recognize the Buddhist monks immediately by their dress. Paul was talking here about our being identified just as quickly as we go throughout the world, only he was referring to inner, not outer attire.

But it’s more profound than just appearance. When one wears a police uniform or armed forces uniform or fireman’s uniform, they display the attitude, characteristics, traits, and conduct identified with that uniform. But it becomes even more profound. They embody the heart and soul and spirit and nature of the uniform they wear. They are what they are not just on the outside, but through and through. The same is said of those who put on the Anointed One. You don’t just look like a Christian, you ARE a Christian. You don’t merely talk, act, think, perform, or live like a Christian; you ARE a Christian who speaks acts, thinks, performs, and lives like the Anointed One.

We all know what it feels like to dress up for an occasion, and how it makes us feel when we’re all decked out in our finery. Life also teaches us to dress appropriately for each occasion.  Paul is telling the Galatians that they need to dress appropriately when they go out into the world so people will recognize them as followers of Jesus. He was not referring to external clothing, but inner garments, even though outerwear will be affected by our spiritual fashion consciousness. That way, people can recognize your spiritual culture without asking. Oh yes, some skeptics may wonder if this may be nothing more than “dressing-up” or “putting on airs,” as some say, especially when you are trying to act holy.

Paul certainly did not suggest that Galatian believers try to create an illusion by the way they talked and acted; in other words, to imitate the Anointed One. No! He was speaking about the reality of being so dedicated to the Anointed One and everything He stood for and taught that it proved itself real and genuine. As the old saying goes: you can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. Sinners can spot hypocrisy and false Christianity sooner than some Christians can.

People do more than simply associate us with Jesus; they look for our Christian characteristics to identify us as being true children of God. That is not something one can fake. For when you pray, He answers; when you speak the truth, He anoints it; when you lay on hands, He heals; when you tell the devil to get behind you, he flees. And for sure, when we die, we will be raised to life again to meet Jesus in the air.

Hilary of Poitiers (310-367 AD) was a staunch defender of the divinity of the Anointed One, although he was a gentle and courteous man. He devoted his time to writing some of the most significant theological treatises on the Trinity, and was like his Lord and Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, he expressed openly both in debate and argument the things that were troubling the Church. Raised as a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met the God portrayed in the Holy Scriptures. He became the Bishop of Poitiers in France. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be Bishop. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of the Anointed One.

Marius Victorinus adds his thoughts here. For him, the metaphor of inheritance refers to receiving eternal life. But how does this come about? By faith in Jesus the Anointed One, when we believe in Him, that He is the Son of God and that He Himself saves us and that He accomplished every requirement of the Law on our behalf. All these things are reported in the Gospel. But what should be noticed here is that, while Paul is stating this fact, he addresses it to them personally, offering incentives to persuade them more eagerly. “You all,” he says, “are children of God.” Before, he had said, “We are under a custodian.” Now, as it were, he repeats them anew, saying, “You are children of God” – but children only through faith in the Anointed One Jesus as the only one who can save them.^[6]

[1] Romans 8:14-17

[2] Ephesians 1:5

[3] John 1:12

[4] Romans 6:4

[5] John 5:3-6

[6] Marius Victorinus: On Galatians, op. cit., Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). p. 50

Lynn Townsend White Jr.(1907-1987), an American historian from Princeton, argued that Judeo-Christian values are responsible for ecological disaster and climate change. He states, “The victory of Christianity over paganism was the greatest psychic revolution in the history of our culture…. By destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects.” That was back in 1967. That was 52 years ago. So, have things changed?

Yes, they have. Today, we can see the resurrection of paganism exerting itself through secular liberalism and has now become more overtly “religious.” For example, a liberal seminary encouraged its students to skip classes to pray and confess sins in front of potted plants; others gathered in the forest asking trees for forgiveness; and another group dressed in funeral garb, mourned the impending death of a glacier. And with the latest prediction that the earth will be destroyed in 12 years, even young children are brought to tears pleading with their elders to do something to stop the oncoming Armageddon caused by climate change.

Is all of this new? No! The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans where he talked about paganism in his day. He complained that they refused to believe that God created the heavens and the earth and controls them by His power. Said Paul, “They worship and serve created things rather than the creator who is forever praised. Amen.” So, this effort to control earth’s climate, it appears that some people want to take control of the earth’s atmospheric bad behavior when they cannot even control their own bad behavior.[1]

If nothing else, the last few years should be enough to prove that Western civilization, a product of more than 1,500 years of Judeo-Christian values, is facing its most significant and sustained challenge in centuries from tribalistic paganism, a force that seeks not only to turn back time but essentially to destroy the entire current structure. But first of all, they must somehow disprove the first verse in the Bible as being true, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”[2] – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

[1] Romans 1:25

[2] By Sumantra Maitra, The Federalist, September 2019

WILLIAM SAUTRE’S CHARIOT OF FIRE

 When Richard II, King of England, was deposed in 1399 AD and was succeeded by Henry IV, King Henry decided to schedule a meeting of the parliament at Westminster. Knowing that the new king wanted to get a grasp of what was going on in the kingdom, a parish priest named William Sautre, a good man and faithful servant at the Church of St. Scythe the Virgin, in London, and also known to be on fire with the zeal to transform the Church into one that was true to the Word of God, asked if he could speak to the parliament and the new king. But some bishops of the Church were aware of Sautre’s eagerness to reform the Church’s ways, were less than enthusiastic about his request.

So, on Wednesday, February 12, 1400, Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, in a meeting with his provincial council, spoke against letting Father Sautre speak. He pointed out that Sautre had once appeared before the bishop of Norwich, and after being asked about his objections to the way the Church was going, the bishop of Norwich put it this way, “Sautre renounced and abjured divers and sundry conclusions heretical and erroneous; and that, after such abjuration, he publicly and privately held, taught, and preached the same conclusions or such like, contrary to the catholic faith, and to the great peril and pernicious example of others.”

They spoke a different dialect of English in those days.  So, if you have trouble with this 15^th-century vocabulary, the bishop was saying that Sautre was being accused of speaking against many practices and beliefs of the Church that he considered heretical and inaccurate. His actions were considered to be detrimental and caused great trouble for the church since it encouraged other believers to think the same way. As a result, the archbishop of Norwich ordered that these charges against Sautre be written down on a scroll.

1. He will not bow down in front of a replica of the cross on which Christ suffered, but only to Christ, who suffered on the cross.
2. He would sooner bend a knee to an earthly king than to a wooden replica of the crucifix.
3. He would rather bow in honor in front of the bodies of the saints than to a wooden replica of the crucifix of Christ on which He hung if it were placed before him.
4. He would rather bow to a man truly contrite than to the wooden replica of the crucifix.
5. He would rather bow to a man that is predestined for heaven than to an icon of an angel of God.
6. That if any person vowed to visit the monuments of Peter and Paul, or go on pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas à Becket, or anywhere else, in order to obtain any temporal benefit, they should not be forced to keep that vow but feel free to distribute the expenses raised to fulfill his vow as a contribution to the poor.
7. That every priest and deacon should feel more bound to preach the Word of God than to recite the fixed prayers at regular intervals.
8. That, after the pronouncing of the sacramental blessing over the communion bread, the bread remains of the same nature that it was before because it is still only bread.

On Friday, February 14, 1400, after Sautre was confronted with these charges, and was asked to renounce or revoke them, he answered that he would not renounce any of them. His refusal only made the Church hierarchy even more uncomfortable, so they continued to interrogate him. Then on Wednesday, February 19, 1400, they demanded that Sautre be held accountable by the Church for his stance on these issues. The council decided to punish him gradually, so first, they took away his status as a Priest and demoted him to Deacon, then to Sub-deacon, then to Acolyte, then as an Exorcist, then as a Reader, then as a Sexton and then as a Greeter at the church door.  Finally, they considered him nothing more than a secular layperson.

While under the banner of the Church, Sautre was not subject to the civil laws of the land. But now King Henry saw this as an opportunity to gain the support of the Church hierarchy, and so he issued a warrant which was sent to all the sheriffs of London to be carried out. In the indictment, Sautre was denounced as a heretic because he caused great pain and suffering to the Church. Therefore, the police authorities were directed to arrest Sautre and prepare to have him burned at the stake in a public place and announce it to all the people so they could come and watch. If they failed to do so, they would also be punished.

But right up to the moment when he was tied to the stake, and the kindling wood was set on fire, Sir William Sautre, champion of the Word and soldier of the cross refused to take back any of his beliefs and died a martyr for the Christ he preferred to bow down to rather than a replica of a wooden cross.  A British historian noted that after William Sautre was martyred, that for King Henry, “Neither was the time of his reign very quiet, but. full of trouble, of blood and misery.” But Sautre went out rejoicing.  Knowing that the day would come when all those who plotted against him will be shown to have really been plotting against the Son of God. Therefore, they would have to stand before the eternal Judge and face the punishment for their rejection of the true Gospel. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLV)

On the subject of the Law being our schoolmaster, Martin Luther gives us an interesting example that not only illustrates the relationship between the pupil and the teacher but lets us see into the ethics and morals of education in his day from 1483-1546. Luther starts by saying that this image of the Law being our schoolmaster is striking. A school educates young students, making schoolmasters indispensable. But show me, says Luther, in the context of his era, a pupil who loves a stern and cruel schoolmaster. Likewise, little love existed between the Israelites and Moses in the wilderness. Their murmuring and complaining about Moses are proof enough. It would have made them happy to stone Moses to death.[1]

You cannot expect anything else. How can a pupil love a teacher who frustrates their desire to learn? And if the pupil disobeys, the schoolmaster applies a rod to their back or bottom, and the pupil must accept it and even kiss the rod with which they were beaten. Do you think the schoolboy feels good about it? As soon as the teacher turns their back, the pupil breaks the rod and throws it into the fire. And if they were bigger and stronger than the teacher, they would not take the beatings at all, but beat up the teacher. Nevertheless, teachers are indispensable; otherwise, children would grow up without any discipline, instruction, and training.[2] So it is with the Law and those who must obey the Law; otherwise, they will be severely disciplined. But God replaced the schoolmaster with a Good Shepherd who is patient with His sheep, even those who go astray.[3]

John Calvin adds another thought to this schoolmaster and pupil concept of the Law and the Jew. First of all, the schoolmaster is not appointed for the pupil’s whole life, but only for their childhood. We see this in Paul’s use of the Greek noun paidagōgos suggests this idea since it means “tutor, guardian, and guide.” They are with us for only a limited period. Besides, in training a child, the object is to prepare them through instruction for mature years. The comparison applies in both respects to the Law, for its authority was limited to a particular age, and its whole object was to prepare its scholars in such a manner, that, when its elementary instructions were over, they might make significant progress toward adulthood.

So, says Calvin, the Law was our schoolmaster leading and introducing us to the Anointed One. After the Elementary School teacher is finished, they place them in the hands of the Middle School faculty. And when they complete that phase, they graduate to High School, then College, and so on to finish their education. In a similar manner, the Law was the schoolmaster for teaching the Jews theology, which, after carrying its scholars a short way, handed them over to lessons in faith to be completed. In that sense, Paul would be presenting the Jews as children, and Christians as advanced youth, ready to face the world and its challenges.[4]

Dutch theologian Jakob Arminius (1558-1602), in speaking about when Jesus said if you see me you have seen the Father,[5] concludes that in this theology, God truly appears in the highest degree, the best and the greatest of beings. The greatest, because He not only produced all things from nothing, but because He has also effected a triumph over sin, (which is far more poisonous than nothing, and conquered with greater difficulty), by graciously pardoning and powerfully putting it away. And because He “delivered everlasting righteousness,” by means of the second creation, and regeneration, which far exceeded the capacity of “the Law that acted only as a schoolmaster.”[6]

3:25 Consequently, now that we are set free through our faith in the Anointed One, we are no longer in custody under Mosaic Law.

Here comes the critical point Paul’s been trying to make for most of this letter. I’m sure he’s hoping that this will finally help the Galatian believers see how wrong the Judaizers were in trying to put them back under Mosaic Law custodianship. Wasn’t the work of the Anointed One on the cross enough? If the Son sets you free, aren’t you completely free? When you pick up your cross to follow Jesus, do you still need to pull a stone altar and a long line of animals behind you for sacrifice? No! No! No! Now that you are free in the Anointed One to live the kind of life He wants you to live, the Mosaic Law no longer possesses any authority over your spiritual life.

So, true believers are no longer trying to atone for their sins by performing good deeds in the flesh in order to gain God’s favor. They are now living by faith and no longer under Mosaic Law as their schoolmaster; not needing its instructions or its discipline, the Anointed One came as a prophet to teach and instruct; as a priest to make atonement for sin, and make intercession for transgressors, and as a King to rule and govern. We are now in the Anointed One’s loving hands, not under the rod of Moses. And instead of giving us a lifeless stone tablet to guide us in everyday conduct, He gave the living Holy Spirit to dwell in us as a Guide for daily positive living.

For Paul, the rulings of Mosaic Law are replaced by the teachings of the Anointed One. Sacrifices are no longer needed because He is the supreme sacrifice for all sin. A lamb’s blood no longer needs to be spilled because the Lamb’s blood cleanses every stain. The Holy of Holies is no longer functioning; the veil was torn in two; the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant is no longer sprinkled with animal blood.  It’s all been replaced by the Anointed One’s cross on Calvary, and God’s throne room of grace is our Holy of Holies. There we receive His mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most.[7]  We don’t need priests interceding for us because our Jesus stands at the right hand of the Father and is, therefore, able once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.[8] I can hear Paul now moaning over his parchment as though agonizing for the Galatian believers to finally see the truth and the light.

But that’s not all Luther wanted to say about this subject of being under the tutelage of the Law, says Johann Michael Reu (1869-1943) of Wartburg Seminary. Luther’s argument must have appeared to all thoughtful and earnest souls as a revelation when he so clearly amplified the proposition that only those works are to be regarded as good works which God commanded, and that, therefore, not the abandoning of one’s earthly calling, but the faithful keeping of the Ten Commandments in the course of one’s calling. This is the work that God requires of us. This is in direct contrast to a wide-spread opinion that God’s will, as declared in the Ten Commandments, refers only to the outward work mentioned. Remember, the Law is now written on our hearts.[9]

Luther’s argument must have called to mind the explanation of the Law which the Lord gave in the Sermon on the Mount, when He taught people to not rest in the keeping of the literal requirement of each Commandment, but from this vantage point to inquire into the whole depth and breadth of God’s will – positively and negatively – and to do His will in its full extent as the heart perceives it. Though this thought may have been occasionally expressed in the expositions of the Ten Commandments, which appeared at the dawn of the Reformation. Over against the deep-rooted view that the works of love must bestow upon faith its form, its content, and its worth before God, it must have appeared at the dawn of a new era when Luther declared, and with victorious certainty carried out the thought, that it is true faith which invests the works, even the best and greatest of works, with their content and worth before God.[10]

Vincent Cheung gives us a very clear and succinct point on justification by faith. There is a qualification to keep in mind. Since no one can save themselves by good works, nor can they justify themselves by faith, in a “name it and claim it,” fashion. Just as a sinner must depend on someone else to save them, they must rely on someone else to make them right with God. No person can depend on themselves alone to do either one. Therefore, the doctrine is teaching justification not by faith as such or by itself, but it is teaching that justification is by the Anointed One alone. It is the Anointed One who saves us, and not faith itself. Faith plays a role because it is the Anointed One who saves us by means of giving Himself in our place so that we might be made right with God through our faith in what He did on Calvary.[11]

3:26-27 So, as a result of putting your faith in the Anointed One, you are all now children of God; and, since your immersion into the Anointed One can be compared to water baptism. Then when you got dressed, you put on the Anointed One as clean clothes, so you look just like Him.

By their human nature, the believers in Galatia were Jews and Gentiles. But now Paul excitedly tells them that by their spiritual oneness with the Anointed One, they are all children of God because of their new birth through Jesus the Anointed One. He uses three metaphors (new birth, immersion, and clothed) to describe their transition from sinners to saints. he tells them that their becoming children of God came about through faith in the Anointed One Jesus. The Greek noun pistis for “faith” as used here, means “to be convicted of the truth of something.” So, in other words, they were convinced that Jesus the Anointed One was the Son of God, the Messiah; that He was who He said He was; that He was who God said He was; and that He was who the Gospels said He was; opened the door for them to receive eternal salvation, thereby being freed from condemnation under Mosaic Law, and setting them free to serve God as His children in the way He wants them to.

What Paul was telling them echoed the words of the Apostle John, who said, the Anointed One gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name. These children of God were not born of blood and of flesh and of man’s desires, but they were born of God.[12] How ironic that the days were not short in coming when the church through infant baptism could make a baby child of God through the flesh. Some even went to far as to say that if you are born into a Christian family, you are automatically a child of God, and base it on the Scripture that tells how the jailer in Philippi was covered by Paul and Silas’ after they were freed due to an earthquake. They believe that the words in Acts of the Apostles 16:33 mean that his conversion and baptism brought his whole family into the family of God.

[1] Exodus 17:4

[2] Martin Luther: On Galatians, op. cit., p 92

[3] Luke 15:3-7

[4] John Calvin: Biblical Cabinet, op. cit., loc. cit., pp. 87-88

[5] John 14:9

[6] Jakob Arminius: Vol. 1, Oration 2, Object of Theology, p. 55 (Also see Vol. 2, p. 336)

[7] Hebrews 14:6

[8] Ibid. 7:25

[9] See Jeremiah 31:33; Romans 2:15; Hebrews 10:16

[10] Martin Luther: Treatise on Good Works, The Importance of the Work, pp. 11-12

[11] Vincent Cheung: On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Location 1470-1481

[12] John 1:12-13

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLIV)

Flavel expresses the plea of a person who is facing certain death and punishment as a sinner and their eternal alienation from God. This is their confession: “Good works cannot save me, reformation cannot save me, nor angels nor humans can save me; I must have the Anointed One, or be condemned forever. I thought once, that a little repentance, reformation, restitution, and a restricted lifestyle might be a way to escape the wrath to come; but I found it was like trying to find peace and rest on a bed that is too short and the sheets and blankets are too narrow: everything will be lost, as worthless as manure, as wasted as trash in comparison with the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. Anything another person may offer me will not work. Certainly, it may injure me and leave me worse off than before. I see no hope on the horizon that makes any sense.”[1]

John Brown (1784-1858) notes that Paul says here in verses twenty-two and twenty-three that all people outside of God’s family are subject to the Law and its dictates and punishments. In fact, they are held by the Law as a prisoner. Sadly, the dictates of the Law were unachievable and, therefore, they were condemned to death for their failure to live up to them all. The Law uses a tyrant named “guilt” to make sinners bow their heads in obedience to the Law’s condemnation.[2] Such imprisonment is for death-sentenced criminals. They are not on death-row by accident; they were part of the fallen race of Adam from birth. To do wrong was already in them, in their human nature. Only one single act could save them, there was only one way out of imprisonment, and that was for a Savior to voluntarily come and take their place, suffer their penalty of death so they could be free. And it can only be done by the love, grace, and mercy of Almighty God. Now, for some reason, the Galatians want to go back into prison and try to earn their freedom through rites, rituals, and good works.

What better news could be brought to such individuals than the Gospel of Jesus the Anointed One?  Our Lord said that when a person feels desperate, come to me, give me your burden, and I will give you rest. Let us walk side-by-side so that you can learn from Me, I am a gentle person and humble enough to assist anyone who needs help. This will take away your fear, despair, discouragement, depression, desperateness, and wanting to give up. I just want to let you know that you can exercise power over all these things through Jesus, who loves you so much. For there is nothing that can keep you from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Government cannot! Foreign powers cannot! Neither heartaches and hardships now or those in the future cannot! Angelic powers cannot, and demonic powers cannot! No living thing can keep us away from the love of God, which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord and Savior![3]

Kenneth Wuest reminds us that the correct understanding of the expression, “Before faith came,” is found in the fact that the definite article “the” is used before the word faith, namely, “before the faith came.” The article here identifies the faith mentioned in this verse with the faith spoken of in verse twenty-two, personal faith in Jesus the Anointed One as Savior, exercised in this Age of Grace. That faith is fundamentally alike to the faith Abraham exercised, so far as its character goes, but different in that it looks back to accomplished salvation at the Cross, whereas the faith of Abraham looked forward to the accomplishment of that salvation at Calvary. The former is faith in a historic Anointed One, whereas the latter was faith in a prophetic Anointed One. Faith has been the appointed means of obtaining the salvation of God since Adam’s time. Faith itself did not begin to be exercised on the occasion of the Cross. Faith, as such, did not come then. But the particular faith in Jesus the Anointed One, as applied in this Age of Grace, arrived at the beginning of the Anointed One’s resurrection.[4]

Thomas Lancaster believes that verse twenty-three here in Galatians received an unfortunate translation in many English versions of the Bible. For instance, in the KJV, it reads: “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed.” The NIV renders it, “Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.” And the Complete Jewish Bible reads: “Now before the time for this trusting faithfulness came, we were imprisoned in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism, kept under guard until this yet-to-come trusting faithfulness would be revealed.”

The reason Lancaster feels this way is because, in the very next verse, Paul says the Law was our guardian until the Anointed One came. You don’t find guardians in prison. The key is the Greek noun paidagōgos that Paul uses to describe the person in charge. So instead of the Torah being a cruel prison guard, it sounds like the Torah was keeping people away from finding faith and freedom; it was a caretaker or tutor. In Strong’s Concordance, we find this definition: Among the Greeks and the Romans, the name paidagōgos was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the elite class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without their accompaniment before arriving at the age of manhood.[5]

To make it even more confusing, this same Greek word was anglicized to mean a pedagogy, which refers to the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept. The German and British school systems back in the 1600s were often run by schoolmasters who treated the students as though they were in reform school. Lashes with whips and spanking with paddles were not unusual. In fact, when I attended grade school in Germany in the late 1940s, our teacher carried a long stick that he used to lead us in songs, point to the chalkboard, or crack over our knuckles when we were not behaving or studying as we should. Even a wrong answer could get a pop on the head.

But if we leave this word in its Greek context, it should be understood as a caretaker or guardian, entrusted with supervising and directing a child’s conduct and moral behavior. They were responsible for overseeing the child’s activities, particularly as the child became a teen and then a young adult. So, when we see the Torah in this light, it was not only teaching the children of Israel social skills and manners but also their responsibility to God and each other. They were not the teachers of the subject, but they served in the role of a principal who was in charge of the operation. And as Paul indicated here, it was all designed to make them ready when the Messiah came, and they could become men and women in His service.[6]

3:24 As a result, Mosaic Law served as our custodian until our Messiah came to set us free.  That’s why we are now right with God because of our faith in Him.

At this point, Paul summarizes his lesson on the role of Mosaic Law by providing instructions and offering illustrations on how the Messiah would complete salvation’s plan. Jewish literature uses the term paidagōgos in reference to Moses. Paul thereby indicates that those under such a custodian were there only for a specific period during childhood, until they reached a proper age and took on the greater responsibilities of adulthood. So, Paul was not introducing some new expression unfamiliar to his readers. What he attempted to do was show the Judaizers and Gentile believers that the Mosaic Law’s existence was not its end purpose. Its greater mission was to get everyone ready for graduation, or as used earlier of prisoners, to prepare those in confinement for their day of freedom.

When Paul first arrived in the city of Antioch in the country of Pisidia (in SW Turkey today), he told the Jews who came to hear him that they could be forgiven of their sins by the one he was telling them about because everyone who puts their trust in the Anointed One will be made right with God. This will set them free from those things the Law of Moses could not make them free from.[7] He shared with the Romans the same truth.[8]

I don’t know how many of you reading this lesson served in the military service of your country.  I was given that privilege and am proud of it to this day. But when I enlisted, I was sent to “boot camp.” There, we spent thirteen weeks learning to fire a rifle, throw a grenade, discipline, and most crucial: learning to react to any danger on a moment’s notice; to be obedient to command, often a one-word command like, “Drop!” or “Fire!” It was only temporary in preparing us for combat. Once we faced enemy fire and the whistle of incoming mortar shells or wanting to cheat a bullet from taking our lives, there would be no time to ask for explanations.

If Moses never existed, including no Law, or no commandments on how to live right before God until the Messiah came, anything done by humans in the future would have all been in vain. God knew what He was doing. Obedience to Mosaic Law in order to earn temporary forgiveness was just a forerunner of justification by the Anointed One in order to receive salvation and everlasting life. Theodoret puts it this way: Now, it was necessary that the law is given, as it fulfilled our need for a custodian. And it freed us from our previous unrighteousness, taught us knowledge of God, and then brought us to the Anointed One the Lord as our wise teacher so that we might be instructed by Him in perfect learning and acquire righteousness in Him that is through faith.[9]

Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, answered the question concerning “The Old Law” of Moses. Was the Old Law good? Was the Old Law from God? Whether the Old Law should have been given to the Jews alone? Whether all men were bound to observe the Old Law? Whether there was any need for a Divine Law? Whether there is a Human Law? Whether there is in us a Natural Law? Whether there is a Divine Law? Whether there is an Eternal Law? And whether there is but one Divine Law? Aquinas’ answer to this last question was that things may be distinguished in two ways. First, as those things that are altogether specifically different, such as, a horse and an ox. Secondly, as perfect and imperfect in the same species, namely, a colt or an adult stallion, a calf, or an adult bull. In this way, the Divine law is divided into First and Final. That’s why the Apostle Paul says here in verse twenty-four that the Law was used to lead us to the Anointed One. It was our teacher, and so we were made right with God by putting our trust in the Anointed One. From this, we can see that the person under the First Covenant was like a child who needed a teacher. But the person under the Final Covenant is a full-grown adult, who now becomes a teacher.[10]

[1] John Flavel: The Methods of Grace, Sermon on Saving Faith-Continued, Text, John 1:12, Ch. 7, p. 129

[2] John Brown: On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., pp. 165-166

[3] Matthew 11:28, 29; Romans 8:35-39

[4] Kenneth Wuest: Word Studies on Galatians, op. cit., loc., cit.

[5] D. Thomas Lancaster: On Galatians, op. cit., loc., cit., p.160

[6] See Galatians 3:25-29

[7] The Acts of the Apostles 13:38-39

[8] Romans 3:20-22; 7:7-9,24,25; 10:4

[9] Edwards, M. J. (Ed.): Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 50)

[10] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Part (2a), Question (91), Answer (5), p. 1015

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLIII)

3:23 Now, before we found out anything about getting right with God through faith, Mosaic Law put us into protective custody. It kept us under guard until the day the Anointed One would come and set us free through faith.

The Syriac version reads this as, “the Law kept us shut up,” as in prison, the Arabic text reads the same way. This shows the state and conditions the Jews were in under the Law, and how they were treated by it. There are two ways of looking at this state of being held in isolation, so to speak: Was it for punishment or for protection?

As some scholars see it in a negative sense. Descendants of Jacob were not treated as good and righteous persons, but as persons in debt, as criminals and troublemakers. So, a prison was made, called the Law, for such persons. This was necessary because the Law saw them as sinners, as criminals convicted and condemned to die. The Law became the judge and jury by accusing, convicting, pronouncing them guilty, and sentencing them to eternal separation from God. They were detained as prisoners in a dark dungeon of hopelessness, with little expectation, if any, of being freed.

They were treated like Joseph by his brothers, thrown in a pit without food or water. There they laid as prisoners with no optimism of ever being released. This is a picture of the custom in the eastern nations in how they treated slaves and captives, who in the daytime used to grind grain at a mill in the prison yard, and at night-time were thrown down into a pit and a millstone placed over the mouth of the pit.

But other Bible scholars see it in a positive way. They were being protected from heathenism while waiting for the Messiah’s coming; who was to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, and to say to the prisoners, come forth, and to them that sit in darkness, come out into the light. So, the state of Jews being in bondage as servants differed from that of slaves. They were still God’s children tied to the Law, being kept safe until they could become children of God freed by faith. And in this uncomfortable condition, they continued, looking for the faith which would be revealed.

That is, until the Anointed One, the object of faith came, who was to be revealed or made manifest in the flesh. The one who, before His incarnation, not only rested on His Father’s shoulder but was, in large part, already hidden in the types and prophecies of the First Covenant. The prophets tried to give some hints about Him, yet did not describe His appearance in human form. That would come by the testimonies of His Father by a voice from heaven, of angels, of John the Baptizer, and others. His true nature as the Son of God would also become apparent through His teachings and miracles, and by the spirit of wisdom and omniscience revealed by His divine knowledge.

Apparently, Paul saw an excellent opportunity to illustrate the idea of Mosaic Law as being somewhat akin to a warden, and every potential believer was locked up in this garrison until they were miraculously freed.  God used that time to speak to the prisoners about the coming Messiah. Fellow inmates like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and so on also spoke of a coming day of deliverance.

During their era, faith in God was expressed through the sacrifices, offerings, and ceremonial laws. But these only foreshadowed what was to take place. The writer of the Book of Hebrews explores this very well. He says that God honored that faith and credited it to them as accrued righteousness that would be validated when the Messiah, they believed in, arrived. It was, as we would say today, made retroactively.

Those imprisoned under Mosaic Law were not necessarily considered criminals but were sentenced by the Law because they were unable to produce the proper identification that showed them to be free citizens of God’s kingdom. They were, in fact, in protective custody. Yet, God in His mercy turned the confinement into homeschooling so that the coming full and glorious revelation of salvation by faith in the Messiah could be taught.

Mosaic Law was doing mankind a favor by keeping them anchored in a safe haven until they were redeemed and their ransom paid. Look at the heathen world and the mess they got into without God’s Law. Mosaic Law also condemned every other attempt to be justified in any other way by any other god. But the LORD designed a real purpose and reason for keeping mankind from finding any other possible way to get free. You see, God was planning to give humanity a pardon, not just let them out on parole.

It reminds me of how potential astronauts are taught to cope with weightlessness. They are put in containment, and the effect of weightlessness is artificially produced. Some of their training is in water tanks that give the feel of being weightless. Another training is done in simulators that reproduce one-sixth the pull of gravity. There is also the Micro-gravity Wall and Five Degrees of Freedom trainer. The one that qualifies as the closest emulator to weightlessness is the KC-135 Stratotanker that flies in a pattern similar to a car going over a small hill and produces 20 to 25 seconds of zero-gravity conditions.  It is called the “trajectory maneuver.”

So, astronauts are not simply taken into space and turned loose. They must learn to cope with the sensation of floating free without the effects of gravity. So it was that God knew one day true believers would be free from the gravity of sin. But they needed training and learning how to cope without becoming disoriented and someone constantly having to rescue them because they were out of control. Don’t you think God is more pleased when we show Him how much we love Him of our own volition and by our free will, then finishing some demanding exercise or completing some difficult task to Him smile and make us proud?

No wonder when the Messiah came and spoke to a woman in Samaria, who told how some worshiped God in the mountains and some in Jerusalem, He told her emphatically that the day was not far away when true worshipers would not need the old methods of sacrifice and offerings on altars, either up in the mountains or down in the cities. Still, they will truly worship the Father in spirit, not by physical means. That’s the type of believer the Father is looking for.[1]

Amazingly, others were not listening as carefully. To the Romans, who possessed little knowledge, experience, or involvement in the Jewish religion, Jesus was a zealot in a Jewish cult called “The Way.”  To the Jewish leadership, Jesus was a rebel who spoke of doing away with their method of salvation and holy living, and they were not going to stand by and let that happen without a fight. And now, the believers in Galatia were having doubts about what constitutes true salvation and spiritual worship. No wonder Paul was so unyielding about getting the truth out.

Medieval Dutch theologian Jakob Arminius (1560-1609), was writing about whether or not the faith of Abraham by which he was justified, was faith in Jesus the Anointed One who was still to come? Arminius could find no proof of Abraham having understood the promises of God in no other way than that he should be the heir of the world. There are two factors to consider here. First, why should anyone be criticized for bringing up this point? Arminius was ready to debate anyone who challenged his right to do so. Secondly, faith in the Anointed One can be both direct and indirect. Indirect faith in the Anointed One, according to the promise of a seed who would come as Savior of the world, can be seen among the ancients of Israel put their trust in types, figures, shadows of words, and things that suggest such a thing.

On the other hand, direct faith is faith according to the Gospel of the Anointed One. There is little doubt that He is presented there as the Son of God and Savior of the world. So, the difference between the two is the differences between Jews and Christians. Here in verse twenty-three, Paul states clearly that before it was possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by putting our trust in the Anointed One, we were held under the Law. It was as if we were being kept in prison. We were kept this way until the Anointed One came.

And to the Corinthians, Paul explained that they can speak without fear because their trust is in the Anointed One. We are not like Moses. He put a covering over his face so the Jews would not see that the bright light was fading away. Even to this day, when the Law is read, there is a covering over their minds. They do not see that the Anointed One is the only one who can take that coverage away.

How true this proved to be true in the case of the Sanhedrin member named Nicodemus. When he came to Jesus to inquire about getting a better understanding of the Kingdom of God, Jesus said that it cannot happen until you are born again.[2] It is sad to say, but now the Galatians could not see that after having their eyes opened because the Anointed One took off the veil, so to speak, that they could see His glory they are now putting the veil back so they can look at the Law instead. When Jesus came, the reason the Jews rejected Him was that He didn’t fit any of their types and figures they imagined Him to be. So how could the Galatians who now know exactly who He is, go back to putting their trust in rites, rituals, and regulations, forgetting what He looks like?[3]

John Flavel (1628-1691), English Presbyterian pastor and puritan thinker, preaching about how Grace operates, made it abundantly clear that saving faith in the Anointed One is the only way to escape the horrible ending facing unforgiven sinners. When confronted with such a future with no power or ability to change course through one’s own effort, then self-despair from the total and absolute loss as to any way to escape or seek deliverance becomes a reality, it leads one to the cliff of despair.

Flavel then points to a message by the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost about King David as an example. Despite all that happened to him, King Saul’s persecution for years, the rebellion of his son Absalom, his despicable adulterous with Bathsheba, the plagues that followed his ill-advised census, etc. Yet he never lost his trust in God. David testified: I can see the Lord before me all the time. He is on my right side so that I do not need to be troubled. I am glad, and my tongue is full of joy. My body rests in hope. You will not leave my soul in death. You will not allow Your anointed king to be destroyed. You showed me the ways of life. I will be full of joy when I see Your face.[4]

Those are the words of a person who came out of the self-despair because they found an escape provided by God. Flavel then addresses what the Apostle Paul writes here in verse twenty-three. Paul said that before it was possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by putting one’s trust in the Anointed One, we were all held under the Law. It was as if we were locked up in prison. We were restrained this way until the Anointed One came. One can imagine a group of people on an island, locked in a small room while a terrible hurricane bears down upon them. The only way to be rescued is if a ship shows up and takes them off the island before the storm hits. Paul says here in verse twenty-four that the Law was being used to lead those who were in despair into realizing their need for a Savior.

[1] John 4:19-24

[2] John 3:1-12

[3] The Apology or Defense of James Arminius, Article 3, p. 244

[4] Acts of the Apostles, 2:25-28

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLII)

Paul shows clearly that the Promise given to Abraham and the Law given to Moses are not competing for attention, they are mutually exclusive because they were meant to accomplish two different things.  He now proceeds to explain how the Promise to Abraham alone does what Mosaic Law could not do.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, they led all humanity from the Garden of Eden to the Garrison of Evil. But God already possessed a plan to set mankind free, and He chose Abraham to be the one through whom the Deliverer would come. That’s why we must never mix the Promise and the Law together as one commandment, especially for Christians.

It appears that there were some in the Church during the time of Origen of Alexandria (184-253 AD), that took what Paul said here in verse twenty-two about all people are slaves in the bondage of sin to mean that people’s souls descended to such a degree of degradation that they forget their rational nature and dignity, and sank to the same level as irrational animals. To justify their assertions, they generally misused Scriptures to validate their points. For instance, they exploited laws against having sex with animals in Scripture,[1] and gave Balaam’s donkey speaking with a human voice as an example.[2] Origen says that all of these assertions are not acceptable but go contrary to his belief.[3]

Never, from the time sin entered the world through Adam and was exaggerated by the giving of the Law to Moses, did the soul of mankind deteriorate to that of animals. To use a modern example, the poison of sin caused the soul to become comatose, where it no longer responded to the voice of God. The only response came when God awakened the soul to hear Him speak, for example, Methuselah, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. But only when the Word came in the flesh and made it possible for believers to live in Him and He in them was the soul completely awakened for eternity. Sinners today cannot respond to God’s voice through His Word or the preaching of His Word until the Holy Spirit awakens it to hear, understand, and respond.

Thomas Aquinas gives his view on this subject of the Law versus the Promise. For him, Paul is saying that although the Law was put in place because of wrongdoing, nevertheless, just because the Law could not remove our guilt for those wrong-doing does not negate the Promise God made to Abraham. If the Law were able to remove sin’s guilt, then it would be in violation of the conditions laid down in God’s promise. In such a case, justice would be obtained by some other means than what God promised. That means Justice would be through the Law and not through Faith. That’s why it is said, The just will live based on their faith.[4] The justice of God is by faith in Jesus the Anointed One.[5] That’s why Paul said, if Law were to be given the power to forgive and bring eternal life, then justice would be obtained by the Law and faith will play no role. But the Law does not give life because the letter of the Law kills.[6] [7]

All this time, the Jews existed in a state of spiritual imprisonment, unable to attain their freedom by having their sentence annulled by the same Mosaic Law that imprisoned them. They were found guilty and remained guilty with all the evidence clearly against them. Even though Mosaic Law was sympathetic by revealing what they did wrong and convicting them of their sinful ways, it could not offer them a reprieve. Mosaic Law provided ways for mankind to be remorseful and to show how apologetic they were through the appointed sacrifices and ceremonial purifications. Still, it was only trying to help the sinner make up for their sin and give them some sense of personal pride, knowing they obeyed God.  But it could not wash the sin away and cleanse the sinner white as snow so they could begin life anew in freedom. Model prisoners are still prisoners; they are not free with a clean record.

It took a Deliverer, a Savior, to make a radical change, but not through jailbreak or introducing new evidence that might bring an acquittal, but by that Savior trading places with the prisoner, then serving out the whole sentence by accepting the death penalty. But God in His mercy brought Him back to life again, so the prisoner for whom He died could start all over on the outside with a clean slate; furthermore, not just a new life here on earth, but a new life that will go on into eternity. How wonderful is that!

So, says Paul, the fulfillment of the promise did not come through any work on sinful man’s part, but through the work of a sinless the Anointed One. By putting one’s faith in the Anointed One, the believer’s faith that the faithfulness of the Anointed One met all of God’s demands is confirmed. Whenever I pray with sinners who come forward for salvation, I always make sure I included the phrase, “I now accept Jesus the Anointed One as my Lord and Savior.” Too often, the sinner’s prayer leads convert to believe that by simply repeating the prayer, salvation is automatically granted them. Being sorry for one’s sins is not enough. The new believer must never walk away from the altar, thinking, “I just got saved!” It’s too easy then to lose it, to fall short, to backslide. Rather, to walk away from the altar believing “Jesus the Anointed One just saved me,” and it’s impossible for Him to fail, to fall short, thereby annulling my salvation.

The Apostle Paul knew from his own experience that if the Israelites really knew that Mosaic Law was incapable of saving them unless it was kept to perfection, their souls might cry out for a permanent redemption from sin. However, they exhibited a far different attitude when the true Messiah came. But by thinking they were given the sacrifices and ceremonies in order to make them holy by going through the motions, they missed the whole purpose of Mosaic Law in preparing them for the Anointed One.

As we know, some forty years after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Temple in Jerusalem was razed, along with the altar and Holy of Holies, never to be rebuilt to this day. So gone was their opportunity to lay their sins on the heads of animals to make restitution for their sins. And since then, no human high priest entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur to splash the blood on the Mercy Seat for the forgiveness of sins. It is still practiced, but only as a ceremony. Paul’s message in Galatia brought believers freedom through the Anointed One, but now these Judaizers wanted to take them back to the old way of doing things. No wonder Paul felt so disappointed with these people.

Believers must realize that church rituals and regulations are only there to guide, not to save. To depend on them for salvation is to throw away the suffering and death, Jesus went through on our behalf. If we decide to throw anything away, let it be our dependence on religious rituals and regulations designed to govern our lives, which may end up driving us away from God. This, no doubt, led Martin Luther to expound on this subject of works.[8]

In one of his instructional courses for personal study, Adam Clarke (1760-1851), starts out by saying that people, by their individual transgressions, open themselves to eternal punishment. And as a consequence of the impurity or infection of their nature, they are incapable of enjoying eternal glory; and, therefore, to be saved. Consequently, they must be able to testify that they were delivered from the guilt of all their sins and from its impurities so that their soul can take its place in God’s presence through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Only then will they be qualified to enjoy an eternal union with Him in the realms of glory.

So, asks Clarke, how, therefore, are these purposes proven to be accurate by believing on the Lord Jesus the Anointed One? The Apostle Paul tells us here in verse twenty-two that the Holy Scriptures say that all people are guilty of sin. Then that which was promised might be given to those who put their trust in the Anointed One. It will be because their faith is in Him. Now, the promise not only focuses on the incarnation of the Anointed One but also the blessings to be communicated through that incarnation. These blessings may be all summed up in these three particulars: Pardon of sin; Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit for the purification and sanctification of the heart; and Eternal Life as a result of that pardon, purification, and sanctification.[9]

Theologian Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) focuses on the striking and solemn figure of a person who is locked up in the literal sense of being confined. So, then, we are to conceive of a vast prison-house in which mankind is imprisoned. And then, very characteristically, the Apostle passes at once to another metaphor when he goes on to say “loaded down with sin.” What a sight to see, a person carrying a weight almost too much for them is found guilty of violating the Law and is locked up and forced to stand in a dungeon with this enormous weight still on their shoulders. Who in such a condition would not dream of having someone come to pay their fine and set them free, both from the prison and the heavy weight on their shoulders? This sure does make the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened down, and I will give you complete relief,”[10] sound even more comforting.

MacLaren also believes that many sinners are surprised when we tell them that sin is incarceration because it is contrary to the notion that many unconverted people hold. As they see it, why should they be chained to antiquated restrictions of the Bible and Church? Why can’t they just break those chains and live like they want to? And they laugh at Christian people who willingly submit to the moral limitations under which God’s law placed them. This causes them to poke fun at such old-fashioned, strait-laced, stern-looking people who never enjoy fun as they walk down a dark narrow pathway. They contrast it with their own brightly lit broadway with so many opportunities to satisfy whatever passion they feel at the moment.

But they got it all wrong, says MacLaren! The person who is constantly doing what’s wrong is a slave to sin to the level they sinned. That’s why Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin… So, if the Son sets you free, you surely will be free.”[11] Sinners are the slaves to their own passions, and no one is free who is still hindered by immoral desires that go against what their conscience is telling them is wrong. The tempter comes to you and says, come on, do it only once. Now you can quit anytime you want to. If you don’t like it, then you don’t need to do it again. Unfortunately, when you do it again just for fun before you know it, you are addicted and can’t quit. On the other hand, all the things that bring Christians joy, peace, and hope they are encouraged to do it again and again.[12]

[1] Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 18:23

[2] Numbers 22:28

[3] Works of Origen, Origen de Principiis, Bk. 1, Ch. 8, p. 513

[4] Habakkuk 2:4

[5] Romans 3:22

[6] 2 Corinthians 3:6

[7] Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Galatians, loc. cit.

[8] Martin Luther: A Treatise on Good Works, The Importance of the Work, p.18

[9] Adam Clarke: Salvation by Faith Proved, A Discourse, Text: Acts of the Apostles 16:30, pp. 34-35

[10] Matthew 11:28

[11] John 8:34, 36

[12] Alexander MacLaren: Exposition of Scripture, op. cit., On Galatians, loc. cit., pp. 117-118

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLI)

3:22 Doesn’t the Scriptures teach that we are all prisoners of sin?  Therefore, the only way to become an heir to God’s promise of freedom is by having faith in Jesus the Anointed One to set us free.

When speaking of Scriptures, since there was no other written document that was considered the Word of God in Paul’s day, he, of course, was referring to the Tanakh – Jewish Bible. Paul’s quote is from a prayer of King David: “Adonai, hear my prayer; listen to my pleas for mercy. In your faithfulness, answer me, and in your righteousness. Don’t bring your servant to trial, since in your sight, no one alive would be considered righteous.”[1] This was an accepted part of Jewish theology. But Paul saw the origin of what caused this universal sinfulness. It spread to all humanity through the sin of Adam and Eve.[2] But there’s more, that inherent tendency to sin became a part of human nature. But it became epidemic because of the Law.[3] In other words, those with little knowledge of God became infected when they came into contact with the Law. But Paul brought Good News. All along, God intended it this way so that He might show how loving and kind He really was.[4]

Was God being sinister? Was He playing games with man’s eternal soul? No! Not at all! He wanted to show people they couldn’t save themselves, that they needed help, and He would provide them a Savior. And when the Savior came, He was crucified on a cross and raised from the dead, He told His disciples to go out and tell everyone that whoever came to listen could put their trust in Him and be baptized would be saved from the punishment of sin. But those who do not put their trust in Him are guilty and will be punished forever.[5] This message began with John the Baptizer.[6] Jesus made that part of His message wherever He went.[7] It was especially needed when He went to raise Lazarus from the dead.[8] And so it is no wonder that Paul made it a central point in his Gospel.[9]

Paul shows clearly that the promise that was given to Abraham and the Law that was given to Moses are not opposed or in conflict with one another, but simply that they are mutually exclusive because they were meant to accomplish two different things.  He now proceeds to explain how the promise to Abraham alone does what Mosaic Law cannot do. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, they led all humanity from the Garden of Eden to the Garrison of Evil. But God already possessed a plan to set mankind free, and He chose Abraham to be the one through whom the Deliverer would come.

Since that time, Jews existed in a state of spiritual imprisonment, unable to attain their freedom by having their sentence annulled by the same Mosaic Law that put them there. They were found guilty and remained guilty with all the evidence clearly against them. Even though Mosaic Law was sympathetic by revealing what they did wrong and convict them of their sinful ways, it could not offer them any reprieve through salvation.

The Mosaic Law provided ways for mankind to be remorseful and show how sorry they were through appointed sacrifices and purifications. Still, it was only trying to help the sinner make up for their sin and give them some sense of personal pride, knowing they obeyed God. But it could not wash the sin away and cleanse the sinner white as snow so they could begin life anew in freedom. Model prisoners are still prisoners; they are not freed with a clean record.

It took a Deliverer, a Savior, to make a radical change, but not through jailbreak or introducing new evidence that might bring an acquittal, but by the Savior trading places with the prisoner, then serving out the whole sentence by accepting their death penalty. But God in His mercy brought Him back to life again, so the prisoner for whom He died could start all over on the outside with a clean slate. Furthermore, not just a new life here on earth, but a life that will go on into eternity. How wonderful is that!

So, says Paul, the fulfillment of the promise did not come through any work on sinful man’s part, but through the work of a sinless Anointed One. By having faith in the Anointed One, the believer also accepts the faithfulness of the Anointed One as meeting all of God’s demands. In my own ministry, whenever I prayed with sinners who came forward for salvation, I always made sure I included the phrase, “I now accept Jesus the Anointed One as my Lord and Savior.”  Too often, the sinner’s prayer leads the convert to believe that by merely praying such a prayer, salvation is automatically granted them. Being sorry for one’s sins is not enough. The new believer must never walk away from the altar, thinking, “I just got saved!”  It’s too easy then to lose it, to fall short, or to backslide.  Rather, to walk away from the altar believing “Jesus the Anointed One just saved me,” and it’s impossible for Him to fail or fall short, thereby annulling their salvation.

The Apostle Paul knew from his own experience that if the Israelites really knew that the Mosaic Law was incapable of saving them unless it was kept to perfection, their souls would cry out for a permanent redemption from sin. Consequently, they might see things differently when the true Messiah came. But by thinking they were given the sacrifices and ceremonies in order to make them holy by going through the motions, they missed the whole purpose of the Mosaic Law in preparing them for the Anointed One.  Paul’s message in Galatia brought believers freedom through the Anointed One, but now these Judaizers wanted to take them back to the old way of doing things. No wonder Paul felt so demoralized by these unfaithful people.

There used to be what was called a “foxhole confession.” Soldiers in battle would pray, “Oh God, save my soul, and if You get me out of this, when I get back home, I’ll serve you the rest of my life.” If God did save them, it wasn’t because of their vow, but because of His vow that whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. He stands ready to keep His promise; all they needed to do was believe that He wouldn’t fail and put their complete faith in Him.

Believers must realize that church rituals and regulations are only there to guide, not to save. To depend on them for salvation is to throw away the suffering and death, Jesus went through on their behalf. If we decide to throw anything away, let it be our dependence on religious rituals and regulations designed to govern our lives, which may end up driving us away from God.

Canadian college professor Dyson Hague M. A. (1857-1936), makes an interesting point, especially for those who do not accept the doctrine of original sin beginning with Adam. He points out that with regard to our redemption, the third chapter of Genesis is the basis of our Doctrine of Salvation. If Adam did not fall, there would be no condemnation of sin, no separation from God, and no need for reconciliation. If there was no need for reconciliation, there was no need for redemption; and if there was no need for redemption, the Incarnation of the Son of God was a farce and the crucifixion a folly. That’s what the Apostle Paul was trying to explain to the Galatians here in verse twenty-one.

Paul links the fall of Adam so closely to the death of the Anointed One, says Hague, that without Adam’s fall, Christian theology would be stripped of its most spectacular feature, the atonement. If God did not create the first man Adam as a living soul who then fell, there’d be no reason for the work of the Second Man Adam, the Lord from heaven to be incarnated into Adam’s likeness so He could lead humanity back to their relationship with God in the Garden of Eden. The rejection of the Genesis story as a myth will force the rejection of the Gospel as a reality. One of the chief cornerstones of the Christian doctrine will be removed if the historical reality of Adam and Eve is abandoned. That’s why the fall of Adam and Eve will forever remain as the starting point of God’s revelation of salvation by grace, and of the need for personal regeneration. In it lies the origin of the entire Gospel preached by the Apostles.[10]

3:22 But the Holy Scriptures say that all men are guilty of sin. Then that which was promised might be given to those who put their trust in the Anointed One. It will be because their faith is in Him.

If there was anything that got the Jews’ attention, it was the Holy Scriptures. In Hebrew, they call it the Tanakh, which is an acronym for the three Hebrew letters of its three components: Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).[11] The one portion that Paul selected was from the Psalms (Ketuvim) that says: “…no one alive would be considered righteous.”[12] Obviously, Paul is giving his paraphrase of this verse, as we can see from what he said to the Romans.[13] God knew His purpose for it all.[14]

So, when the Apostle reminds them of what the Tanakh says, it makes them more attentive to what he said, especially when he mentions the Promise. God promised to give the world to Abram and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God. If those who obey the Law are able to inherit the world, then a person putting their trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would then be worth nothing.[15]

But the promise God made was backed up by His infallible reputation. In the Book of Hebrews, we find an explanation of this. When people make a promise, they use a name greater than themselves. They do this to make sure they will do what they promise. In this way, no one argues about it. And, therefore, God made a promise showing Abraham that He would never change His mind. So, He made the promise based on His own reputation.[16] With that in mind, the Apostle Peter was able to declare that we will receive the great things promised to us. They are being kept safe in heaven for us. They are pure and will never pass away. They will never be lost![17]

[1] Psalm 143:1-2

[2] Romans 5:12-13

[3] Ibid. 5:20

[4] Ibid. 11:32

[5] Mark 16:16

[6] John 3:36

[7] Ibid. 5:24; 6:40

[8] Ibid. 11:25:26; 12:46; 20:31

[9] Acts of the Apostles 16:31; Romans 10:9

[10] Biblical Illustrator: R. A. Torrey (Ed)., The Fundamentals, Vol. 1, Ch. 14, The Doctrinal Value of the First Chapter of Genesis – By Vicar Dyson Hague M. A., M. A. Church of the Epiphany; Professor of Liturgics, Wycliffe College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, pp.238-239

[11] The Ketuvim, (Writings) included the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, in that order.

[12] Psalm 143:2

[13] Romans 3:10-12

[14] Ibid. 11:32

[15] Ibid. 4:13-15

[16] Hebrews 6:16-17

[17] 1 Peter 1:4

Steven Jacobs, a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, submitted his dissertation that included his findings after interviewing 2,899 American adults whose background and training made the excellent candidates to answer the question: When does human life begin. Even pro-choice individuals said it came at conception. They were then asked who they thought would be the best the most qualified to answer the question of when human life begins. 81% of them said, biologists.

So, Jacobs then interviewed thousands of biologists, including pro-choice individuals, asking them three questions: (1) Does the development of a mammal begin at the moment of fertilization? Over 90% said yes. (2) Does fertilization mark the beginning of a human’s life? Over 75% said yes. (3) When does life begin? 90% of respondents who described themselves as “very pro-life” said life begins at the moment of fertilization, as did 75% of those who called themselves “pro-choice” and around 60% of those who identified themselves as “very pro-choice.”

How clearly this tells us that all the propaganda we read in newspapers, magazines, on radio and television shows, as well as “very pro-choice” politicians and judges that declare abortion is a human right, fail to recognize that the majority of Americans, even some of their fellow pro-choice comrades, believe that the real human right is to be free to live. Sadly, we live in a day and age when killing a newborn puppy or kitten can get a person a fine or even jail time, but killing a new human being is the mother’s or doctor’s right.

How quickly they had forgotten what God said in His word: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.”[1] Not only that, but the Psalmist wrote: “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”[2] So the taking of a helpless, innocent child before birth is an insult to our Creator. Punishment may not be given here on earth, but I would hate to stand before God and tell Him why I purposely killed one of His children whom He destined to be a great contributor for mankind’s benefit and a soul-winner for Christ. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

[1] Jeremiah 1:5

[2] Psalm 127:3; See also Psalm 139:13-16

SOMETIMES ANGELS LOOK DIFFERENT THAN WE IMAGINED

A well-known evangelist from India named Ravi Zacharias, tells this story in his book “Deliver Us From Evil.”  When Ravi went to Vietnam in 1971, his interpreter was a fine Christian young man named Hien Pham.  After Ravi left, he did not have further contact with Hien for the next 17 years.  Then one day, Hien called him and shared that he was now out of Vietnam.  When Ravi asked how did he escape, Hien told him this story.

He was arrested by the Communist authorities and charged with helping the Americans during the war.  While in jail, he was not allowed to read anything except Communist propaganda.  As time went on, he began to soften against this godless doctrine, and as a result, he started doubting his own Christian beliefs.  He wondered if those who taught him Christian doctrines had somehow deceived him.  So, he decided to stop praying and cease thinking about Christianity from then on.  But the very next day, he was assigned to cleaning the prison toilets.  As he emptied the trash cans, he noticed a piece of paper with English writing on it.  He quickly put it in his pocket.  Later on, after his roommates had fallen asleep, he used a flashlight to read the paper.  As he began to read, he was overcome with emotion by what it said:

“And we know that in all things work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[1]

Hien was weeping as he finished reading. So, he silently cried out to God, asking forgiveness. He discovered later that a camp official was using pages from a confiscated Bible as toilet paper. For some unknown reason, Hien was soon let out of prison. That’s when, along with some friends, he began to make plans to escape from Vietnam. By the time they were ready to make their getaway, some 53 people had joined the group. But just days before their departure, four Communists agents showed up and interrogated him about the rumored plot. Hien vehemently denied it and was let go. But his dishonesty troubled him, and he became disgusted with himself. So, he vowed never to lie again. The escape date was reset, and just before they were getting ready to leave, the same four men came back and started questioning him again. This time he confessed to the escape plan. To his great surprise, they wanted to escape too.

So, at the appointed time, all 58 people boarded a boat and sailed away. However, they soon ran into a fierce storm. At first, Hien thought God had arranged all this for them to escape, but now he began to doubt because it looked like they would sink and be lost at sea. But he would quickly discover God had, in fact, planned it, by making sure that these four Communist men who joined them were well-trained seamen, and with their talent and abilities, they were able to weather the storm and land safely in Thailand. From there, Hien was able to make it to the United States. There may be some who would scoff at this and say it was just good luck or timing, but for those of us who believe that God guides us and knows every step, this was no coincidence. So the next time things don’t go your way, think about this story, and it may help you keep the faith.

Sometimes we tend to dismiss people who come unexpectedly into our lives because we hold the right to choose those we want to interact with. But sometimes God allows people to join us on the highway of life to carry out His purpose for our lives. This was certainly the instructions we find in the Scriptures where it says: Remember to welcome strangers because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it.[2] The best way to find out if they are there for our good is to greet them with love and a smile. Their reaction will tell you all you need to know. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Romans 8:28-39

[2] Hebrews 13:2