Galatians 3:1-5
Chapter 3
1
The Law and Faith
How foolish you are, Galatians! How could you be deceived after Jesus Christ was presented to you as crucified?2
I will ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by obeying the law, or by believing the message?
3
How can you be such fools: you start with the Spirit and end up with the flesh!
4
So, you have gone through all this in vain! I wish it were not so!
5
Did God give you the Spirit and perform miracles among you because of your obedience to the law, or because you believed in his message?
Commentaries
The Law and Faith.
In contrast to the experience of living in Christ, Paul finds the Galatians’ attitude confusing. Guided by his rabbinic logic, he seeks to show them how far they can fall if they now accept the Law as a condition for salvation (3). For Paul, the mystery of the Scriptures has been revealed through Jesus’ death and resurrection. From this perspective, he sees Abraham becoming a friend and servant of God because of his act of faith, trusting and placing his destiny in his Creator’s hands (6). Whoever adopts this same attitude of the Patriarch is connected to him, is his descendant, even if from another race or people, because through him “all nations will be blessed” (8). Circumcision and the Law appeared later as a seal and confirmation of the faith response of Abraham and his descendants. But instead of leading them to depend on God for salvation, it made them believe they were self-sufficient. As a result, they fell into the “curse,” instead of the “blessing” promised to Abraham. Yet, Christ, who bears this curse, frees us from it and grants and extends to all the “blessing” promised to Abraham, which is now fulfilled in the gift of the Spirit.