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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Galatians 3:6–18. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The apostle having reproved the Galatians for not obeying the truth, and endeavoured to impress them with a sense of their folly herein, in these verses he largely proves the doctrine which he had reproved them for rejecting, namely, that of justification by faith without the works of the law. This he does several ways.
I.From the example of Abraham's justification.
This argument the apostle uses, Rom. 4. Abraham believed God, and that was accounted to him for righteousness (Gal 3:6); that is, his faith fastened upon the word and promise of God, and upon his believing he was owned and accepted of God as a righteous man: as on this account he is represented as the father of the faithful, so the apostle would have us to know that those who are of faith are the children of Abraham (Gal 3:7), not according to the flesh, but according to the promise; and, consequently, that they are justified in the same way that he was. Abraham was justified by faith, and so are they. To confirm this, the apostle acquaints us that the promise made to Abraham (Gen 12:3), In thee shall all nations be blessed, had a reference hereunto, Gal 3:8. The scripture is said to foresee, because he that indited the scripture did foresee, that God would justify the heathen world in the way of faith; and therefore in Abraham, that is, in the seed of Abraham, which is Christ, not the Jews only, but the Gentiles also, should be blessed; not only blessed in the seed of Abraham, but blessed as Abraham was, being justified as he was. This the apostle calls preaching the gospel to Abraham; and thence infers (Gal 3:9) that those who are of faith, that is, true believers, of what nation soever they are, are blessed with faithful Abraham. They are blessed with Abraham the father of the faithful, by the promise made to him, and therefore by faith as he was. It was through faith in the promise of God that he was blessed, and it is only in the same way that others obtain this privilege.
II.He shows that we cannot be justified but by faith fastening on the gospel, because the law condemns us.
If we put ourselves upon trial in that court, and stand to the sentence of it, we are certainly cast, and lost, and undone; for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, as many as depend upon the merit of their own works as their righteousness, as plead not guilty, and insist upon their own justification, the cause will certainly go against them; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them, Gal 3:10, and Deu 27:26. The condition of life, by the law, is perfect, personal, and perpetual, obedience; the language of it is, Do this and live; or, as Gal 3:12, The man that doeth them shall live in them: and for every failure herein the law denounces a curse. Unless our obedience be universal, continuing in all things that are written in the book of the law, and unless it be perpetual too (if in any instance at any time we fail and come short), we fall under the curse of the law. The curse is wrath revealed, and ruin threatened: it is a separation unto all evil, and this is in full force, power, and virtue, against all sinners, and therefore against all men; for all have sinned and become guilty before God: and if, as transgressors of the law, we are under the curse of it, it must be a vain thing to look for justification by it. But, though this is not to be expected from the law, yet the apostle afterwards acquaints us that there is a way open to our escaping this curse, and regaining the favour of God, namely, through faith in Christ, who (as he says, Gal 3:13) hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, etc. A strange method it was which Christ took to redeem us from the curse of the law; it was by his being himself made a curse for us. Being made sin for us, he was made a curse for us; not separated from God, but laid for the present under that infamous token of the divine displeasure upon which the law of Moses had put a particular brand, Deu 21:23. The design of this was that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ - that all who believed on Christ, whether Jews or Gentiles, might become heirs of Abraham's blessing, and particularly of that great promise of the Spirit, which was peculiarly reserved for the times of the gospel. Hence it appeared that it was not by putting themselves under the law, but by faith in Christ, that they become the people of God and heirs of the promise. Here note,
1.The misery which as sinners we are sunk into - we are under the curse and condemnation of the law.
2.The love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ towards us - he has submitted to be made a curse for us, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law.
3.The happy prospect which we now have through him, not only of escaping the curse, but of inheriting the blessing. And,
4.That it is only through faith in him that we can hope to obtain this favour.
III.To prove that justification is by faith, and not by the works of the law, the apostle alleges the express testimony of the Old Testament, Gal 3:11. The place referred to is Hab 2:4, where it is said, The just shall live by faith; it is again quoted, Rom 1:17, and Heb 10:38. The design of it is to show that those only are just or righteous who do truly live, who are freed from death and wrath, and restored into a state of life in the favour of God; and that it is only through faith that persons become righteous, and as such obtain this life and happiness - that they are accepted of God, and enabled to live to him now, and are entitled to an eternal life in the enjoyment of him hereafter. Hence the apostle says, It is evident that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. Whatever he may be in the account of others, yet he is not so in the sight of God; for the law is not of faith - that says nothing concerning faith in the business of justification, nor does it give life to those who believe; but the language of it is, The man that doeth them shall live in them, as Lev 18:5. It requires perfect obedience as the condition of life, and therefore now can by no means be the rule of our justification. This argument of the apostle's may give us occasion to remark that justification by faith is no new doctrine, but what was established and taught in the church of God long before the times of the gospel. Yea, it is the only way wherein any sinners ever were, or can be, justified.
IV.To this purpose the apostle urges the stability of the covenant which God made with Abraham, which was not vacated nor disannulled by the giving of the law to Moses, Gal 3:15, etc. Faith had the precedence of the law, for Abraham was justified by faith. It was a promise that he built upon, and promises are the proper objects of faith. God entered into covenant with Abraham (Gal 3:8), and this covenant was firm and steady; even men's covenants are so, and therefore much more his. When a deed is executed, or articles of agreement are sealed, both parties are bound, and it is too late then to settle things otherwise; and therefore it is not to be supposed that by the subsequent law the covenant of God should be vacated. The original word diathēkē signifies both a covenant and a testament. Now the promise made to Abraham was rather a testament than a covenant. When a testament has become of force by the death of the testator, it is not capable of being altered; and therefore, the promise that was given to Abraham being of the nature of a testament, it remains firm and unalterable. But, if it should be said that a grant or testament may be defeated for want of persons to claim the benefit of it (Gal 3:16), he shows that there is no danger of that in this case. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, but the covenant is made with Abraham and his seed. And he gives us a very surprising exposition of this. We should have thought it had been meant only of the people of the Jews. "Nay," says the apostle, "it is in the singular number, and points at a single person - that seed is Christ," So that the covenant is still in force; for Christ abideth for ever in his person, and in his spiritual seed, who are his by faith. And if it be objected that the law which was given by Moses did disannul this covenant, because that insisted so much upon works, and there was so little in it of faith or of the promised Messiah, he answers that the subsequent law could not disannul the previous covenant or promise (Gal 3:18): If the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but, says he, God gave it to Abraham by promise, and therefore it would be inconsistent with his holiness, wisdom, and faithfulness, by any subsequent act to set aside the promise, and so alter the way of justification which he had thus established. If the inheritance was given to Abraham by promise, and thereby entailed upon his spiritual seed, we may be sure that God would not retract that promise; for he is not a man that he should repent.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
This means the one who follows the law will live and not die for the present. But the righteousness which is from faith makes one righteous in God’s sight, so that one may be rewarded eternally in the age to come.
Whether, then, Egypt and the land of Canaan be the symbol of the world and of deceit, or of sufferings and afflictions; the oracle shows us what must be abstained from, and what, being divine and not worldly, must be observed. And when it is said, "The man that doeth them shall live in them"
For the Law requires not only Faith but works also, but grace saves and justifies by Faith.
You see how he proves that they are under the curse who cleave to the Law, because it is impossible to fulfill it; next, how comes Faith to have this justifying power? for to this doctrine he already stood pledged, and now maintains it with great force of argument. The Law being too weak to lead man to righteousness, an effectual remedy was provided in Faith, which is the means of rendering that possible which was "impossible by the Law." Now as the Scripture says, "the just shall live by faith," thus repudiating salvation by the Law, and moreover as Abraham was justified by Faith, it is evident that its efficacy is very great. And it is also clear, that he who abides not by the Law is cursed, and that he who keeps to Faith is just. But, you may ask me, how I prove that this curse is not still of force? Abraham lived before the Law, but we, who once were subject to the yoke of bondage, have made ourselves liable to the curse; and who shall release us therefrom? Observe his ready answer to this; his former remark was sufficient; for, if a man be once justified, and has died to the Law and embraced a novel life, how can such a one be subject to the curse? however, this is not enough for him, so he begins with a fresh argument, as follows:-
(Vers. 11, 12.) But since no one is justified before God by the law, it is clear that the righteous shall live by faith. The law is not of faith, but the one who does them shall live by them. An example that proves the righteous live by faith and not by works is taken from Habakkuk, as the Seventy interpreters have rendered it: But the righteous shall live by my faith (Hab. II, 4). Aquila and Theodotion: But the righteous shall live by his faith, that is, by God's faith. Therefore, it must be considered that when it is said that a man or a person lives by faith, it is not to give occasion for the despising of virtuous works, but rather, that the just person lives by faith. So, whoever is faithful and lives by faith can only come to faith or live in it if they have first become just and ascended to faith through the purity of life as if by certain steps. Therefore, it is possible for someone to be just and yet not live without the faith of Christ. If someone reading is troubled, let them take the words of Paul, in which he says about himself: According to the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless (Philippians 3:6). Therefore, Paul was at that time righteous in the Law, but he could not yet live, because he did not have Christ speaking in him: I am the life (John 11:25). Believing in Him, he began to live. Let us also do something similar to this which is said, the righteous lives by faith; and let us say: the chaste lives by faith, the wise lives by faith, the strong lives by faith, and let us bring forth a similar sentence against those who, not believing in Christ, consider themselves to be strong, wise, temperate, or righteous: so that they may know that no one can live without Christ, without whom all virtue is faulty. The present testimony can be read as follows: the just person lives by faith, as is inferred afterwards. But when he says, 'The law is not of faith, but he who does it shall live in it,' it is very clear that not just any life is being spoken of, but rather one that is referred to something. For the just person lives by faith, and it is not added 'in them' or 'in those.' But the one who lives in the law and does it, lives in them, that is, in those things that he has done, which he considered to be good. He receives the reward of his labor, only those works that he has done, whether it be the length of his life (as the Jews believe) or its decline, which is the punishment by which the transgressor of the law is killed. However, we cannot consider these words to be those of the Apostles, but of the prophet Ezekiel, who said: 'I led them into the wilderness and gave them my commandments and showed them my statutes, which if a man does, he shall live by them.' (Ezek. 20:10-11).' And when he said that those who walked in the commandments and statutes would live, he added: 'I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live' (ibid., 25). What a consideration in these words! Where he said: I gave them precepts and justifications in which they could live, he did not add goods. But where he placed, in which they could not live, he added: And I gave them precepts that are not good, and justifications in which they will not live. But these things are explained more fully in Ezekiel: now let us return to the order of the Letter.
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Summary
Galatians 3:12 succinctly articulates the fundamental antithesis between two distinct principles for achieving righteousness and life before God: the Law and faith. Paul asserts that these two systems are mutually exclusive, with the Law demanding perfect human performance to attain life, while faith operates on the principle of divine grace and trust in God's provision, particularly through Christ's redemptive work. This verse serves as a critical pivot in Paul's argument, emphasizing that salvation is not a reward for human effort but a gift received through belief.
Context
Literary Context
Galatians 3:12 is a direct continuation and crucial counterpoint to the preceding verses in Paul's impassioned defense of the gospel against the Judaizers. Paul has already established in Galatians 3:1-5 that the Galatians received the Spirit not by works of the Law, but by hearing with faith. He then appeals to Abraham, whose faith was "counted to him as righteousness" (Galatians 3:6), demonstrating that the true children of Abraham are those who live by faith. Verse 11 declares, "The just shall live by faith," quoting Habakkuk 2:4. Verse 12 immediately follows, presenting the Law's principle as diametrically opposed to this truth, setting up the subsequent discussion on the Law's purpose and Christ's work in Galatians 3:13-14.
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul is writing to churches in Galatia (likely South Galatia), a Roman province in Asia Minor, where Jewish Christians (Judaizers) were insisting that Gentile converts must be circumcised and observe the Mosaic Law to be fully righteous and saved. This teaching directly contradicted Paul's gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. The Judaizers would have appealed to the Law as God's revealed will, promising life to those who obeyed it. Paul's argument in Galatians is deeply rooted in Old Testament theology, particularly the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic Law. His quotation from Leviticus 18:5 in verse 12 is a strategic move, using the very scriptures the Judaizers revered to expose the Law's true demands and humanity's inability to meet them.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several major themes in Galatians. The most prominent is the incompatibility of Law and Faith as means of justification. Paul argues that these are two distinct and opposing principles for relating to God and receiving life; one cannot mix them. Another key theme is the Law's demand for perfect obedience, highlighted by the quote from Leviticus 18:5. This demand, while righteous, reveals humanity's inability to achieve righteousness through its own efforts, thus underscoring the necessity of God's grace and Christ's work. The verse also implicitly points to the Law's purpose as a revealer of sin (Romans 3:20) and a guide to Christ, rather than a path to salvation.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term, derived from a word meaning "to parcel out," refers to a prescriptive usage or regulation. In this context, it specifically denotes the Mosaic Law, the comprehensive body of divine commands given through Moses to Israel. Paul uses it here to represent a system of obtaining righteousness through adherence to commandments, contrasting it sharply with faith.
Derived from a word meaning "persuasion," this term signifies credence, moral conviction of religious truth, and especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. It embodies trust, belief, and fidelity. In Galatians 3:12, Paul emphasizes that faith is the opposite principle to the Law, representing a reception of God's grace rather than an earning of His favor.
This primary verb means "to make or do" in a very wide application. In the context of "The man that doeth them," it emphasizes active human performance and obedience to the Law's commands. This word highlights the Law's demand for human effort, which stands in stark contrast to the passive reception inherent in the concept of faith.
A primary verb meaning "to live," literally or figuratively. In the phrase "shall live in them," it refers to spiritual life, righteousness, and acceptance with God. The Law promises this life to those who perfectly "do" its commands, but Paul's argument implies that such perfect doing is impossible for fallen humanity.
Verse Breakdown
"And the law is not of faith:"
Paul makes a categorical declaration that the Law and faith operate on entirely different principles. The Law is not "from" or "out of" the principle of faith (G1537, ek). This means that the Law's system of achieving righteousness is fundamentally distinct from and opposed to the system of faith. The Law demands human performance and obedience, while faith requires reliance on God's grace and Christ's work. One is based on human effort, the other on divine provision.
"but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."
This clause, introduced by "but" (G235, allá), presents the contrasting principle of the Law. It is a direct quotation from Leviticus 18:5, which states that life is promised to those who perfectly obey the Law's commands. Paul uses this quote not to affirm the Law as a viable path for sinful humanity, but to underscore its absolute standard. For the Law to grant life, one must perfectly and consistently fulfill all its requirements, a feat impossible for fallen humanity. The phrase "live in them" implies that life is found within the sphere of perfect obedience to the Law.
Literary Devices
Paul employs a powerful Antithesis in this verse, directly contrasting "the law" with "faith." This stark opposition highlights the mutually exclusive nature of these two paths to righteousness. He further utilizes Quotation, specifically from the Old Testament (Leviticus 18:5), to establish the Law's own stated principle, which then serves as the foundation for his argument that no one can truly "live" by it due to human sinfulness. The use of the verb "doeth" in the quote emphasizes the Conditionality of the Law's promise of life, setting it against the unconditional nature of grace received through faith.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Galatians 3:12 is a cornerstone of Pauline theology, asserting the fundamental difference between legal righteousness and imputed righteousness by faith. The Law, though holy and good, was never intended to be the means by which fallen humanity achieves justification. Its purpose was to reveal sin and to lead people to Christ, who alone could perfectly fulfill its demands and bear its curse. The verse underscores that attempting to mix Law and faith as paths to salvation corrupts both, as one requires human performance and the other requires humble reception of God's grace. True life and acceptance with God are found solely in relying on Christ's perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice, not on our own imperfect efforts to keep the Law.
Reflection and Application
Galatians 3:12 offers profound liberation for believers today. It serves as a vital safeguard against legalism, the insidious belief that our standing with God depends, even in part, on our performance, adherence to rules, or religious rituals. This verse reminds us that the gospel is not about what we do for God, but what God has done for us in Christ. Our salvation, our righteousness, and our access to life are entirely gifts received by faith, not wages earned by works. Embracing this truth frees us from the burden of trying to "do enough" to please God, allowing us to rest in the finished work of Jesus. It cultivates a spirit of gratitude and empowers us to live out of love and grace, rather than fear and obligation. This understanding should lead to deeper humility, greater assurance, and a more profound appreciation for the radical grace of God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Galatians 3:12 mean that the Law is bad or evil?
No, Galatians 3:12 does not imply that the Law is bad or evil. Paul explicitly states elsewhere that "the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12). The issue is not with the Law's inherent goodness or divine origin, but with its purpose and humanity's inability to perfectly fulfill its demands. The Law was given to reveal sin, to demonstrate humanity's need for a Savior, and to serve as a temporary guardian until Christ came (Galatians 3:19-25). It is a perfect standard, but fallen humanity cannot perfectly keep it to earn life. Therefore, it cannot be the means of justification for sinful people.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Galatians 3:12, by starkly contrasting the Law and faith, powerfully sets the stage for the Christ-centered fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. The Law's principle, "The man that doeth them shall live in them," highlights humanity's inescapable predicament: no one can perfectly "do" the Law to earn life, thus bringing all under a curse (Galatians 3:10). Christ, however, perfectly fulfilled the Law's righteous demands on our behalf, living a life of impeccable obedience that no human could achieve (Matthew 5:17). More profoundly, He became a curse for us, dying on the cross to redeem us from the Law's condemnation (Galatians 3:13). Thus, the life promised by the Law, which was unattainable through human effort, is now freely given through faith in Christ, who is "the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). In Him, the righteous requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4), allowing us to truly "live" by faith in the One who perfectly "did" all that was required.