Free Bible Commentary
“Galatians 3:6-9”
Categories: Galatians“Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
---End of Scripture verses---
Paul had asked the question in the previous verse, “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (verse 5). The obvious answer is that God administered His gifts from the Holy Spirit through faith, and not through works of the Law. “Even so,” Abraham was justified by faith as well.
In verses 1-5 Paul appealed to the Galatians’ personal experience to remind them that they were justified by God’s grace through their faith, and not by the works of the Law of Moses. In today’s verses he showed them that even Abraham, the father of all the faithful (Romans 4:12, 16), was justified in the same way—when he heard God’s commands and believed and obeyed them by faith.
We must stress that this exemplary faith of Abraham was not “belief only”. Abraham believed God, AND he also obeyed the Lord at His every command. The faith that saves always requires “works of obedience” even though “works of law” can never justify a person in the sight of God.
Consider what is said in James 2:21-23: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.”
Also consider what the Hebrew writer wrote about Abraham: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)
The fact that God told Abraham that He would bless “all the nations” though him was a proclamation of the Gospel itself (verse 8). The Good News was that “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3) would be blessed through the “seed” of Abraham (Christ – verse 16), when they believed in that “seed” and imitated Abraham’s good example of faith.
Two points of emphasis are made in this prophecy. First, “all nations” would be blessed—people from both Jewish and Gentile families. Secondly, the method would be through faith and not perfect obedience to the Law of Moses. It was because of Abraham’s faith that God “reckoned” or “accredited” righteousness to him. No matter how nice and upright someone might be, unless a person believes God’s word and exhibits obedient faith like father Abraham did, he is not considered “righteous” (in a right standing) with the Lord.
Please read Galatians 3:10-14 for tomorrow.
Blessings!
-Louie Taylor
