Galatians

Ver 1. Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

Basil of Caesarea writes, "If all those upon whom the name of our God and Savior Jesus Christ had been invoked had preferred not to tamper with the truth of the gospel and to content themselves with the tradition of the apostles and the simplicity of faith, there would be no need for our present treatise... But the enemy of truth ceaselessly proliferates evil, adding to the weeds he sowed in the church of God at the beginning." (Against Eunomius, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation, vol 122, pg 81).

Jerome comments, "Christ is rightly said to be portrayed clearly before us because the whole chorus of the [Old Testament] prophets foretold his torture, suffering, and the blows and whippings he would receive. As a result, we know about the cross not only from the Gospel, which relates the story of his crucifixion, but also [from writings penned] long before he deigned to come down to earth and assume the form of a crucified man. It is much to the Galatians' credit that they believed in Christ crucified as he had previously been portrayed for them. They of course had been led in due course to this belief by continually reading the prophets and by knowing all of the ordinances of the old Law." (Commentary on Galatians).

Ver 2. I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

Sulpitius Severus writes, “What could well be clearer than the assertion that both our good will and the completion of our work are fully wrought in us by the Lord? And again 'For it is granted to you for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him.' Here also he declares that the beginning of our conversion and faith, and the endurance of suffering is a gift to us from the Lord. And David too, as he knows this, similarly prays that the same thing may be granted to him by God's mercy. 'Strengthen, O God, that which Thou hast wrought in us:' showing that it is not enough for the beginning of our salvation to be granted by the gift and grace of God, unless it has been continued and ended by the same pity and continual help from Him.” (Conference III. Of Abbot Paphnutius, ch XV).

Claudius of Turin comments, "And in so far as one progresses in God's work and love, by so much the more will he have in himself the mighty works of the Holy Spirit which hearing with faith, not works of the law, brings to completion. Not that works of the law should be despised and simple faith be grasped apart from them, but that the works themselves are adorned by faith in Christ." (Commentary on Galatians, Library of Christian Classics: Early Medieval Theology, 1957, pg 224).

Debie Hunn comments, "The introduction of the Spirit is not a movement away from justification. Instead Paul ties it to the Galatians' experience of the Spirit by equating justification of Gentiles with the blessing of Abraham in 3:8, and the blessing of Abraham with the sending of the Spirit in 3:14." (Pistis Christou in Galatians 2:16: Clarification from 3:1-6, Tyndale Bulletin 63.1, 75-91).

Ver 3. Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

Basil of Caesarea writes, "This is complete and perfect glorying in God, when a man is uplifted, not because of his own justice, but because he knows he is empty of true glory, and made just only through his faith in Christ. In this Paul gloried, that he thought nothing of his own justice; that he sought that justice alone which comes through Christ, which is from God, justice in faith (Phil. iii. 9); and that he might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the sharing of His sufferings, and be made like Him in His death, if by any means he might himself attain to the resurrection which is from the dead. It is here that the whole top-loftiness of arrogance falls down. Nothing is left to you to glory in, O man; whose true glorying and whose hope is in mortifying yourself in all things, and in seeking for that future life in Christ..." (On Humility, 3).

Herman Ridderbos comments, "That was the tragic end of the glorious beginning. They were engaged in falling back from the divine power of the Spirit into the impotence of man." (The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia, Eerdmans, 1953, pg. 114).

Ver 4. Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

Archelaus writes, "And, indeed, I do not make this statement on the bare authority of my own words, but I confirm it by the authority of that Scripture which has been our instructor. For the apostle addresses the following words to us: 'That you may be lights in this world, holding the word of life for my glory against the day of Christ, seeing that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain' [Phil 2:15-16]. For the meaning of this saying is, that our Lord Jesus Christ, when He comes, will see that his doctrine has proved profitable in us, and that, finding that he, the apostle, has not run in vain, neither laboured in vain, He will bestow on him the crown of recompense. And again, in the same epistle, he also warns us not to mind earthly things, and tells us that we ought to have our conversation in heaven; from which also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts of the Disputation with Manes, 38).

Ver 5. He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

Ambrose writes, "He has not heard what was read to-day: 'That a man is not justified by the works of the law,' or 'I, through the law, am dead to the law, that I may live unto God,' that is, by the spiritual law he is dead to the carnal interpretation of the law. And we, by the law of our Lord Jesus Christ, are dead to this law, which sanctions such perfidious decrees. The law did not gather the Church together, but the faith of Christ. For the law is not by faith, but 'the just man lives by faith.' Therefore, faith, not the law, makes a man just, for justice is not through the law, but through the faith of Christ. But he who casts aside his faith and pleads for that, the claims of the law, bears witness that he is himself unjust; for the just man lives by faith." (Sermon Against Auxentius on the Giving up of the Basilicas, 24).

John Chrysostom comments, "Have ye been vouchsafed, he says, so great a gift, and achieved such wonders, because ye observed the Law, or because ye adhered to Faith? plainly on account of Faith. Seeing that they played this argument to and fro, that apart from the Law, Faith had no force, he proves the contrary, viz., that if the Commandments be added, Faith no longer avails; for Faith then has efficacy when things from the Law are not added to it. 'Ye who would be justified by the Law, ye are fallen away from grace:' (Gal. 5:4)." (Commentary on Galatians).

Haimo of Auxerre comments, "For the one who granted you the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, works mighty deeds among you, deeds of miracles and tongues. Does he do this by works of the Law or by the hearing of faith? In other words, God did not give us this Spirit because we observe the Law but on account of our faith. It is through faith that we are acceptable in God's sight as justified." (The Bible in Medieval Tradition: The Letter to the Galatians, Ian Christopher Levy, Eerdmans, 2011).

Ver 6. Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”

John Chrysostom comments, "Even the miracles done by themselves, he says, declare the power of Faith, but I shall attempt if you will suffer me to draw my proofs from ancient narratives also. Then, as they made great account of the Patriarch, he brings his example forward, and shows that he too was justified by Faith. And if he who was before grace, was justified by Faith, although plentiful in works, much more we. For what loss was it to him, not being under the Law? None, for his faith sufficed unto righteousness." (Commentary on Galatians).

Daniel Whedon comments, "But, as Prof. Lightfoot has fully shown, Abraham had long been a standing model of faith in Jewish literature, both among the Greek-Jews of Alexandria, of whom the chief representative was Philo, and among the Rabbinical Jews of the Babylonian school, who retained much of ancient tradition. Thus, in the Apocrypha, ( 1Ma 2:52 ,) Mattathias, father of the Maccabees, enumerating a line of Hebrew worthies, begins with 'Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness?' And so in the Rabbinical school it was said, 'Great is faith, whereby Israel believed on Him that spake and the world was. For as a reward for Israel's having believed in the Lord, the Holy Spirit dwelt on them… In like manner thou findest that Abraham, our father, inherited this world and the world to come, solely by the merit of faith, whereby he believed in the Lord; for it is said, And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.' A doctrine of faith essentially, yet not wholly, true, existed, therefore, in the pre-Christian Jewish Church." (Whedon's Commentary on the Bible).

Ver 7. Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.

Jerome comments, "Moreover, what deeds did the Lord expect from his contemporaries other than belief in the Son of God whom the Father had sent and who said, 'He who believes in me does not believe in me only, but in him who sent me'? In another place he replied to Jews who applauded themselves for the antiquity and nobility of their ethnicity, 'Do not say, We have Abraham as our father, for God is capable of raising up children for Abraham out of these stones.' There is no question that the stones here symbolize the Gentiles' hardened hearts, which were later softened and received the seal of faith." (Commentary on Galatians).

Bruno the Cathusian comments, "Because Abraham had righteousness through faith, know therefore that those who exist by faith and not by the Law-which Abraham did not live by at that time-they are children of Abraham through faith, that is, they are righteous inasmuch as they are imitators of Abraham's faith, just as we read here. Not only are the Spirit and righteousness grasped through faith, but the blessing is also obtained in faith, just as we read here. O Abraham, in you, that is, in the likeness of your faith, they will be blessed, not only Jews even all gentiles." (The Bible in Medieval Tradition: The Letter to the Galatians, Ian Christopher Levy, Eerdmans, 2011).

Ver 8. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”

Origen writes, "These points now being briefly established, viz., regarding the deity of Christ, and the fulfilment of all that was prophesied respecting Him, I think that this position also has been made good, viz., that the Scriptures themselves, which contained these predictions, were divinely inspired, — those, namely, which had either foretold His advent, or the power of His doctrine, or the bringing over of all nations (to His obedience). To which this remark must be added, that the divinity and inspiration both of the predictions of the prophets and of the law of Moses have been clearly revealed and confirmed, especially since the advent of Christ into the world...

If any one, moreover, consider the words of the prophets with all the zeal and reverence which they deserve, it is certain that, in the perusal and careful examination thus given them, he will feel his mind and senses touched by a divine breath, and will acknowledge that the words which he reads were no human utterances, but the language of God; and from his own emotions he will feel that these books were the composition of no human skill, nor of any mortal eloquence, but, so to speak, of a style that is divine. The splendour of Christ's advent, therefore, illuminating the law of Moses by the light of truth, has taken away that veil which had been placed over the letter (of the law), and has unsealed, for every one who believes upon Him, all the blessings which were concealed by the covering of the word." (On First Principles, 4.1.6).

John Chrysostom comments, "They said that he who kept not the Law was cursed, but he proves that he who kept it was cursed, and he who kept it not, blessed. Again, they said that he who adhered to Faith alone was cursed, but he shows that he who adhered to Faith alone, is blessed. And how does he prove all this? For it is no common thing which we have promised; wherefore it is necessary to give close attention to what follows. He had already shown this, by referring to the words spoken to the Patriarch, 'In you shall all nations be blessed,' [ Genesis 12:4 ] at a time, that is, when Faith existed, not the Law;" (Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians).

Peter Abelard writes, "It chanced, moreover, that one day, after the exposition of certain texts, we scholars were jesting among ourselves, and one of them, seeking to draw me out, asked me what I thought of the lectures on the Books of Scripture. I, who had as yet studied only the sciences, replied that following such lectures seemed to me most useful in so far as the salvation of the soul was concerned, but that it appeared quite extraordinary to me that educated persons should not be able to understand the sacred books simply by studying them themselves, together with the glosses thereon, and without the aid of any teacher. Most of those who were present mocked at me, and asked whether I myself could do as I had said, or whether I would dare to undertake it. I answered that if they wished, I was ready to try it. Forthwith they cried out and jeered all the more. 'Well and good,' said they; 'we agree to the test. Pick out and give us an exposition of some doubtful passage in the Scriptures, so that we can put this boast of yours to the proof.' …However, this lecture gave such satisfaction to all those who heard it that they spread its praises abroad with notable enthusiasm, and thus compelled me to continue my interpretation of the sacred text." (Historia Calamitatum, trans. Henry Adams Bellows, MacMillian, 1922).

John MacArthur comments, "Justification: This legal term comes from the Greek word for 'righteous' and means 'to declare righteous.' This verdict includes: pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, as well as the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer's account, which provides for the positive righteousness man needs to be accepted by God. God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ's righteousness. God imputes a believer's sin to Christ's account in His sacrificial death. The sinner receives this gift of God's grace by faith alone. Justification is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner—wholly apart from human merit or work." (Galatians: The Wondrous Grace of God, 2007).

Ver 9. So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

Irenaeus writes, "Thus, then, they who are of faith shall be blessed with faithful Abraham, and these are the children of Abraham. Now God made promise of the earth to Abraham and his seed; yet neither Abraham nor his seed, that is, those who are justified by faith, do now receive any inheritance in it; but they shall receive it at the resurrection of the just. For God is true and faithful; and on this account He said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Against Heresies, Book 5, ch 32).