Christ Crucified, Man Justified

This literally seems to be saying against your face, or in your face. In other words, there was no other way than faith in Christ for justification that was preached to you.

Locative

as being crucified.

Some have tried to use the Greek προεγράφη to suggest that Paul preached Christ in a theatrical way; that is, intended to portray Christ as an entertainer would portray his character as true and real. But the connotation is simply that the gospel (justification by faith) was unambiguously proclaimed.

Manner

The Galatians Foolish Stance on Justification

The Denial of Justification by Faith

Let me ask you only this:

This section begins the rhetorical questions: (1) did you receive the Spirit by works? (2) are you being perfected by your flesh? (3) does God give & work miracles by works? and (3b) just like He did with Abraham?

Did you receive the Spirit

by works

The preposition 'by' is from the Greek ἐκ, indicating the point of origin or source. In other words, Paul's question gets at the heart of the matter: is the origin of your forensic standing (justification) before God found in the Mosaic Law or faith in Jesus Christ?

Means

of the law

Source #1

or by hearing

with faith?

Source #2

Are you so foolish?

This is the exact same word Paul uses at the opening of the chapter. This word differs from μωρός which means stupid or just plain foolish. Thayer defines this word as, 1. not understood, unintelligible; 2. generally active, not understanding, unwise, foolish: Ro. 1:14 (opp. to σοφοί); Lk. 24:25; Gal. 3:1, 3; Tit. 3:3. ἐπιθυμίαι ἀνόητοι, 1 Tim. 6:9. (Prov. 17:28; Ps. 48 (49):13; and often in Attic writ.; [cf. Trench § lxxv.; Ellic. on Gal. 3:1; Schmidt Ch. 147 § 20].) The Galatians were foolish (unwise) in their understanding of how they were to be made right before God.

Having begun

by the Spirit,

Agency

are you now being perfected

by the flesh?

Did you suffer so many things in vain—

It seems as if this question is genuine instead of rhetorical. It is almost as if Paul is lamenting their sufferings, whatever they may have been, completely useless while they depended upon the Law for their righteousness.

if indeed it was in vain?

Conditional

Does he ... do so

The entire clause "Does He supply the Spirit" is actually a single word in the Greek and a participle. Technically, a participle cannot stand as the main verb. The English translation was a bit tricky and I decided on using the English supplied does He do so as the main verb while keeping the participle within the relative clause.

who supplies the Spirit

to you

Destination

and works miracles among you

This is the second use of the contrastive phrases ἐξ ἔργων νόμου...ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως (works of the law...or hearing with faith). The two ἐκ phrases can indicate the point of origin and show the stark contrast of Paul's argument. The dichotomy is either the Galatians are justified through their keeping of the Mosaic Law or with simple faith in Christ. Paul leaves no room for other choices, hence this is a dichotomy in the truest sense.

by works

of the law,

Source #1

or by hearing

with faith—

Source #2

just as Abraham “believed God,

The Greek conjunction καθwς is a subordinate conjunction and is indented under its succeeding clause. However I chose to subordinate the entire clause to the main clause, as it seemed to be a continuation of Paul's thought process.

Comparison

and it was counted to him

It is not clear why the ESV puts a question mark after this. It appears that this is the only English translation other than the CSB that does include it.

Result

as righteousness”?

Advantage

Inferential Justifcation

The Result of Justification by Faith

Know then

vv. 7-8 begins Paul's inferential conclusion on justification. He bookends the end of the previous section by alluding to Abraham's justification and then solidifies it by citing the Scripture of his calling and the blessing of faith to follow.

that it is those

Reference

of faith

Possession

who are the sons

The idea of being a son is tied with kinship and inheritance rights. Later in the chapter, Paul uses the illustration that those who are sons of the slave (i.e., the Law) received no inheritance; that is, they had no ground upon which to stand for righteousness, while the sons of the freewoman received not only the inheritance but the promise of blessing (justification) as well.

of Abraham.

Relationship

And the Scripture ... preached the gospel

foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles

by faith,

beforehand to Abraham,

This English word is not in the original Greek. It has been supplied by the translators for clarification.

saying,

Explanation

“In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

Resultive Justification

The Blessing of Justification by Faith

So then, those ... are blessed

This is the result of the first nine verses. It is interesting to note that Paul begins with the declarative of Christ's atoning work as the basis for justification, supports his argument with three (possibly four) rhetorical questions, gives the inference by alluding to and citing Scripture, and closes out his argument, ending with the expected ὥστε (hōste), a typical way of expressing the result of an argument.

who are of faith

along with Abraham,

Accompaniment

the man

Apposition

of faith.

Ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν, οἷς κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς προεγράφη ἐσταυρωμένος;

τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν ἀφ’ ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως;

οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε;

τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῇ; εἴ γε καὶ εἰκῇ.

ὁ οὖν ἐπιχορηγῶν ὑμῖν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἐνεργῶν δυνάμεις ἐν ὑμῖν ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως;

καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

Γινώσκετε ἄρα ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσιν Ἀβραάμ.

προϊδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ ὅτι ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοῖ τὰ ἔθνη ὁ θεὸς προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη.

ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως εὐλογοῦνται σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ.

phrasing

Phrase (Greek-SBL)

Galatians 3:1-9

sbl

Ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν,

Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς προεγράφη

οἷς κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς

... ἐσταυρωμένος;

τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν

ἀφ’ ὑμῶν,

τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε

ἐξ ἔργων

νόμου ...

ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς

πίστεως;

οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε;

ἐναρξάμενοι

πνεύματι

νῦν ... ἐπιτελεῖσθε;

σαρκὶ

τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῇ;

εἴ γε καὶ εἰκῇ.

ὑμῖν

ὁ οὖν ἐπιχορηγῶν ... τὸ πνεῦμα

καὶ ἐνεργῶν δυνάμεις ἐν ὑμῖν

ἐξ ἔργων

νόμου ἢ

ἐξ ἀκοῆς

πίστεως;

καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ,

καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ

εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

Γινώσκετε ἄρα

ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως,

οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσιν

Ἀβραάμ.

προϊδοῦσα

ὅτι ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοῖ τὰ ἔθνη ὁ θεὸς

δὲ ἡ γραφὴ ... προευηγγελίσατο

τῷ Ἀβραὰμ

ὅτι

Ἐνευλογηθήσονται

ἐν σοὶ

πάντα τὰ ἔθνη.

ὥστε ... εὐλογοῦνται

οἱ ἐκ πίστεως

σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ.

Ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν, οἷς κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς προεγράφη ἐσταυρωμένος;

τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν ἀφ’ ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως;

οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε;

τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῇ; εἴ γε καὶ εἰκῇ.

ὁ οὖν ἐπιχορηγῶν ὑμῖν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἐνεργῶν δυνάμεις ἐν ὑμῖν ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως;

καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.

Γινώσκετε ἄρα ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσιν Ἀβραάμ.

ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως εὐλογοῦνται σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ.

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