Galatians Journal: Chapter 3, verse 17

Galatians 3:17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.

Paul now connects the spiritual principle he wishes to drive home to his original legal metaphor from verse 15. If a last will and testament – a promise of inheritance – cannot be revoked or changed, then how could the law, introduced nearly 5 centuries after Abraham’s time, replace the original covenant promise of God? The original, first covenant takes precedence.

Now, there is an implied notion here in this argument that the second covenant, the covenant or “last will” that came later in time, somehow contradicts the first. This is not true (though I am sure the Judiazers then (and now) played this for full effect). Paul will explain in verses 19-25 about the purpose of the law. But this issue of ostensible conflict between law and promise remains to this day in some people’s minds. But this section of Galatians helps put this matter to rest. God’s Word does not change. Its not that the law contradicts the promise to Abraham – Paul has already used the “last will” and covenant argument to show that God could never revoke the 1st Covenant of faith and replace it with a covenant based on works, But trying to understand that argument makes us realize that the reason why there was an issue at all is the Jews of that time (and its still true today) misinterpreted the true purpose of the law.

The law was never intended to be a promise regarding our standing with God, but rather to define evil, and act as a guide. If we continue to use a legal metaphor, we should view the covenant of Abraham as being like the law of citizenship. You are born a citizen of the United State, or you become naturalized, but once you are a citizen, it defines who you are. The law of Moses is like any statue or regulation that defines how we behave. E.g. speed limits, criminal conduct, industrial safety laws etc. If you drive your car faster than the speed limit, you could get a ticket, lose your license, or get into an accident and hurt yourself or others. But – you will not lose your citizenship! Your relationship with the government might become strained (i.e. you could go to jail), but you are still an American. Paul’s ultimate conclusion is this – as far as his legal argument goes, a binding covenant is irrevocable. God made a promise – an irrevocable promise – to Abraham (See Galatians 6:9). There is no need to behave a certain way, follow a certain set of rules, or be part of a particular ethnic or social group to partake of that covenant. All you must do is believe. The law of Sinai, which came centuries later, may define what good behavior is, give us guidelines to live by, and even define the penalty for disobedience, but it really has no relevance with regard to the earlier covenant. This is an apples to oranges comparison.

This truth helps diffuse one of the arguments used by Jewish folks I have known who refuse to believe in Jesus—they argue that Christians throw the law of Moses out the window. To look at it from their perspective, they argue “How could God change His mind?” Besides pointing out that modern Jews don’t follow the totality of the law either (there are no animal sacrifices these days), the essence of Paul’s arguments here in Galatians 3 lays this issue to rest. The law was never meant to make us right with God – only the promise to Abraham, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ!