Galatians ch. 3

[alon]

Galatians 3

[Note this is a heavily redacted version of my notes on a class Rav S of Synagogue Beith Aveinu did on the book of Galations. It is posted here with his generous permission.]

Galatians 3:1 (ESV) O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

The people in Galatia were mostly Gauls- that’s where the word Galatia comes from. The Gauls were a Celtic people who came from Europe going clear back to the Iron Age period. Their descendants were the majority of the people living in Galatia. That’s why the Church fathers and the Christian commentators all assume that the people in the “churches” in Galatia that Paul was writing to are the Gauls- Gentiles. However there were no churches yet- they were synagogues. Every time you read in the New Testament the word church, it’s talking about a synagogue. Secondly, we can’t assume automatically that everyone in the synagogues in Galatia were native Gentiles.

Let’s use some common sense. If you go to a Sikh Temple in Seattle, guess what kind of people you find there? Indians! Even though they live in America. Yet it didn’t even cross the Bible teachers’ minds that there might be Jews in the synagogues in Galatia; they automatically assume that they are full of Gentiles. We’re talking about two completely different cultures, two different languages and two completely different types of thinking. The culture of the Jew even if they are living in another country is vastly different. We have our own foods, our own way of dress our own lifestyle. We find the lifestyles of the parent country usually perverse, backwards and in direct violation of G-d’s Laws. This was certainly true in the case of the Gauls in Galatia. The Gauls were regarded as uncultivated barbarians. The ancient historian Strabo (63 BC – 21 AD) writes:

“The whole race is fanatically fond of warfare. They are vociferous and act on impulse. When they are upset, they immediately gather together in groups in the open, to urge on to warfare, without the slightest preparation or reflection. They are therefore quite easily deceived and overpowered.”

They were stupid, and stupidity is contagious; if you hang around fools, you’ll start to think foolishly. That’s what happened to some of our Jews who had immigrated to Galatia and Paul calls them on it; “you stupid Galatians.” They were Jewish Galatians. If you’re born a Jew here in the US you’re an American Jew; but people can also just call you an American right? They could call Jewish Galatians “Jews” or “Galatians.”

These Gauls in Galatia weren’t only brutes, they were drunks as well. The historian Diodorus from Sicily (@ 100 BC) writes :

“The Gauls are strongly addicted to the use of wine. They fill themselves up with the wine brought into their lands by our merchants. They drink it unmixed, and as they drink without moderation, they soon fall unconscious to the ground or become mad. Many merchants sees the Gauls’ love of wine as a blessing for themselves. For they transport the wine on the navigable rivers … and on wagons through the inland, and they obtain an incredible price for it – for a jar of wine they receive a slave in exchange.”

Note that he says they drink it unmixed. That means they didn’t mix it with water to make it thinner. The Jews mixed their wine and the Talmud even tells us what percentage to mix it: 50/50! That makes it a little more difficult to get drunk on.

So these Gauls were drunken brutes, very different from the Jews. Their language was different too, as the Jews spoke Hebrew. The commentators say that Hebrew was a dead language, but it wasn’t! More than 80% of the Dead Sea scrolls were written in Hebrew. Yeshua spoke to Paul in Hebrew. Every day letters were written in Hebrew. We have 2 letters sent by Bar Kochba in the first century which have been verified by the Department of Antiquities in the State of Israel. Bar Kochba was a Jewish leader who led the revolt against the Romans in 135 CE. Both of the letters are written in Hebrew in the cursive of that time. They were simple orders to some of his men. The Church doesn’t tell you about these things, as they are determined to make the New Testament a Greek original no matter what the truth is. Jews throughout the Diaspora all spoke Hebrew. It was taught in their schools, and the Chazzan had to speak Hebrew. Just like today, you’ll find the Rabbis in the Synagogues speak Hebrew. A different culture than the Guals, a different language than the Gauls, different food than the Gauls.

So the Jews ate different than the Gauls. They were their own community as always, and there’s no reason to think that the people in the Synagogues in Galatia weren’t anything but Jewish. Now, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some Gentiles there. There were the G-d fearers of course- those who were keeping almost all the Laws except circumcision. There would‘ve been some of them at each synagogue. What about those who were just beginning to become interested in Judaism? We have to understand, one couldn’t just walk into a synagogue like they can a church here in the US. In many churches here, if a drunk comes in but he’s quiet and doesn’t cause any trouble and isn’t sitting by anyone generally they’ll let him sit through the sermon. Not so in the synagogue. He’d be thrown out.

Then how do they hear the gospel? During the week the Gabbay Tzedika was always available. The Gabbay was an older wise man learned in and the Oral Codes, and didn’t have a job that required his attention. If someone wanted to learn the truth, that’s who they could go to. The Gabbay would see if they were fit to join the community and then help them go on to the next step. There were also times when Rabbis would speak in public if it was allowed. Paul and some of the other apostles are seen doing that in Acts and the epistles. They wouldn't actually step foot in a temple to do so:

Acts 17:16-23 (ESV) Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

“See right there, he was in the Areopagus (Air-ee-opo-gus) Temple, see.” No, I don’t see because the Areopagus wasn’t a temple. It functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases. I’ve been there. My dad used to preach about 4 blocks from there. There was a temple just below it and Rav Shaul would’ve had to walk right by it to go to the Areopagus. He would’ve seen the alters without having to actually go inside. So, you can understand that there are many assumptions that are made by theologians simply because they haven’t been there. Paul never set foot in a pagan temple. If he would’ve it would’ve constituted breaking the Oral Codes and Paul said himself he never offended the traditions.

Galatians 3:2 (ESV) Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

By this time this new teaching of legalism has spread. These Synagogues that Paul had pioneered in Galatia were just getting on their feet. They weren’t very strong yet and they did have some, a few, Gentiles attending. New Gentile converts didn’t have a strong Biblical background and foundation. They were prone to false doctrines and the Rabbis left in charge weren’t the highest educated Rabbis in Judaism. There weren’t any Great Yeshivas in that area, and not all the Jews in Galatia were jumping on the Nazerene bandwagon. They had never met Yeshua. They had heard of him. They knew he was the crown prince and they heard of his miracles. But they hadn’t met Him face to face and if he was the messiah, why didn’t he destroy the Roman occupation as the promised Messiah is supposed to do in their thought? Many of them did believe but many did not. They weren’t like the Jews of Israel. They had had strong influences because of where they lived. Some compromises had been made, nothing major- they were still Jews. Religious Jews are very skeptical. They have to think things through. That is why this new sect traveling from place to place teaching legalism was targeting Gentile proselytes.

Acts 15:1-2 (ESV) But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

They were targeting new Gentile Believers. They’re not going to be teaching Jews that they needed to get circumcised. Right or wrong, it’s not really a problem for us. They weren’t talking to Paul about it, they were teaching believers there who didn’t know any better and when Paul found out about it, he disputed them sharply. This new sect had a modus operandi. They went after the weak, those who didn’t have a strong background of . Now these leaders of the new Synagogues that Paul had pioneered didn’t know what to do and were losing the battle to legalism in their congregations.

I’ve seen legalism take over Messianic Synagogues. Not only that, I’ve seen an entire movement, the Sacred Names movement- they’re not Messianic-lite, they’re more like Messianics on crack! They believe that you must pronounce the name of Yeshua exactly so or you’re committing a sin. And they all have different ways of pronouncing it. Some say Yehoshua, from the name Joshua in Hebrew. Some say Yehoshua’ah, some say Yehoshuyah and they are all broken into little sects of these Sacred Namers. If you say the name other than how they say it, most of them break fellowship with you. It’s absurd.

So Paul is trying to help these congregations and asks them, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” In other words, have you received the Ruach HaKodesh by the law or by faith?

Galatians 3:3 (ESV) Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by [Or now ending with] the flesh?

This affirms what we already believe, we’re Saved by faith and by G-d’s Grace. We’re not legalists. Paul then says “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Stern makes it more comprehensive and translates it as “Are you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit’s power, do you think you can reach the goal under your own power?”

Now we get into four and five and we again have to apply what we learned about how the word law can also mean legalism:

Galatians 3:4-5 (ESV) Did you suffer[or experience] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

This is beginning to sound a little negative about the Law. Almost as if keeping the Law doesn’t have any effect on miracles that G-d does for us. But that can’t be can it? Yeshua said, in John 14:15 “if you love me keep my commandments.” G-d’s not going to do continual miracles for a community that doesn’t love him. The Spirit isn’t going to be moving among them either if they don’t love Him, right? So something is not fitting here and the Complete Jewish bible solves that problem by translating it correctly:

Galatians 3:4-5 (CJB) Have you suffered so much for nothing? If that’s the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing! What about God, who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you — does he do it because of your legalistic observance of commands or because you trust in what you heard and are faithful to it?

Now it makes sense and fits into the context of the rest of Scripture. Messianics have come to understand that the word law can also mean legalistic, legalism or legalist. That rule will help you understand Galatians and the other epistles much better.

Galatians 3:6-7 (ESV) just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

These verses have been completely misunderstood by the Church. They think that anyone who becomes a Believer is now a Jew. Just like that old Children’s song, “Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham, I am one of them and so are you.” So let’s just get our facts wrong …

First of all this verse isn’t talking about being a Jew by blood; not everyone is Jewish by blood. It’s also not saying every Believer is a Jew by faith. There are Christians out there who are saved and don’t keep very many of G-d’s Laws. They’re saved because they don’t know any better. If they know better that’s a different story. What this verse is saying is that if you come to the knowledge of the salvation of Yeshua AND you know to keep his laws and do them then you are counted as a Jew. That’s exactly what it is saying there: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”

The word translated as faith there, means more than just faith. Strong’s says this; (4102/pistis) universally, the religious belief of Christians. Well, we know now there were no Christians then, so what were the first Believers called? Nots’rim! So let’s look at this verse again “Know ye therefore that they which are of the Nazarenes, the same are the children of Abraham.” In other words, if you become a Nazarene, you’re a Jew. Epiphanius tells us exactly who the Nots’rim were:

"But these sectarians... did not call themselves Christians--but "Nazarenes," ... However they are simply complete Jews. They use not only the New Testament but the Old Testament as well, as the Jews do... They have no different ideas, but confess everything exactly as the Law proclaims it and in the Jewish fashion-- except for their belief in Messiah, if you please! For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and the divine creation of all things, and declare that G-d is one, and that his son is Yeshua the Messiah. They are trained to a nicety in Hebrew. For among them the entire Law, the Prophets, and the... Writings... are read in Hebrew, as they surely are by the Jews. They are different from the Jews, and different from Christians, only in the following. They disagree with Jews because they have come to faith in Messiah; but since they are still fettered by the Law--circumcision, the Sabbath, and the rest-- they are not in accord with Christians.... they are nothing but Jews.... They have the Goodnews according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was originally written." (Epiphanius; Panarion 29)

That’s who we are, we’re the sect of the Nots’rim, of which Paul was a ringleader (Acts 24:5). And that’s how you become a child of Abraham, you become a Jew who believes in Yeshua and you do that by keeping His holy Laws. His Laws are good for us and they allow us to live happy and fulfilled lives.

Galatians 3:8 (ESV) And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify [or count righteous] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

[alon]

[Again, this is a redacted version of a study done by Rav S of Synagogue Beit Aveinu and is posted here by permission.]

Galatians 3:9-10 (KJV) So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: 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.

The KJV does a good job at translating verse 9, but once it gets to verse 10 we hit some major confusion. This verse in English completely contradicts itself. It’s basically sounds like, “The Law is cursed but you’re cursed if you don’t do them.” You can see the problem here; the second part is a quote from the TNK.

Deuteronomy 27:26 (KJV) Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

But the first part seems to be saying that the Law is bad. That it’s something negative. So what rule do we apply? We have to understand the word law there might mean legalism. So let’s check it: “For as many as are of the works of legalism are under the curse: 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.” Now, this makes complete sense. We’re not supposed to be legalistic, and we’re supposed to keep G-d’s Laws.

Galatians 3:11 (ESV) Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[ or The one who by faith is righteous will live]

But wait a minute:

Romans 2:13 (ESV) For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Atheists are quick to jump on these verses and they point it out and say “See, the Bible contradicts itself so it can’t be the word of G-d!” They say that because they don’t want to try and understand what’s being said. If you believe that the Law is good, it makes perfect sense. If you’re a Believer who thinks that the Law is bad, then there’s no way to reconcile these verses. So let’s look at them from the perspective that the Law is good. “No man is justified by the law in the sight of God” is understood as no man is justified by the law alone; he must have faith. And “but the doers of the law shall be justified” is understood as “the doers of the law along with faith shall be justified.”

You have to keep the Scripture in context and you must have the right perspective. If you take it out of context and you are an anti-nomianist, nothing will make sense and you will have to spiritualize particular passages in order to make it fit your theology.

Galatians 3:12 (KJV) And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Galatians 3:12 (CJB) Furthermore, legalism is not based on trusting and being faithful, but on (a misuse of) the text that says, “Anyone who does these things will attain life through them.”[Leviticus 18:5]

Galatians 3:13 (ESV) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Let’s break this down into two parts. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” There is no curse of the Law. The curse is what we suffer from if we break the Law. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." There’s no curse of the Law- that’s a horrible translation and people have fallen for it for centuries. The Law is a blessing! Law in Hebrew is and it means Instruction. How can G-d’s Instructions be a curse? Do you see how silly that sounds? “G-d’s Instructions are a curse." I went through 6 years of Seminary and this is what I learned; is a curse! And now I’m going to tell this to those blind Jews? Oy vey. You tell a Jew that Paul said that the Law is a curse and they’ll say, well then your Paul is a moron, and they’d be right.

No wonder Jews don’t get converted by Christians very often and the few they do get are the weak ones at the back of the pack. I figured out there were some serious holes in Christian theology when I was 15, I could see things didn’t add up and I fell away from the L-d because I thought it was all nonsense. I came back when I was 20 when Messianic Judaism had gotten hold of a few more truths than it had when I was a kid. We didn’t know much when I was a child. We kept Pesach and Chanukah and a little of Yom Kippur and Sabbath, not much. It took some time for the movement to evolve. But once it all started to come together, then I was ready. I still did a few years in the church raising support but it’s hard for me to go to a church anymore and hear all the incorrect doctrine. I realized we need to expect more from those who claim to understand the Bible.

Second part of that verse says “being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”

Deuteronomy 21:23 (ESV) his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

The word for curse there in Hebrew is H7045 קללה qelâlâh kel-aw-law' From H7043; vilification: - (ac-) curse (-d, -ing).

It can mean cursed but as Rabbi Rashi points out it can also mean disgraced. I often hear teachings where they say that Yeshua was cursed. He wasn’t cursed, but he did feel disgraced. G-d doesn’t curse Himself, that’s theologically implausible. In order to be cursed by G-d, one has to have done something wrong. Yeshua didn’t do anything wrong. He took on our sins and G-d the Father couldn’t look on Him, but he did not go that extra step and curse Him. Yeshua was qelâlâh; in this context disgraced, not cursed.

Galatians 3:14 (ESV) so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit [receive the promise of the Spirit ] through faith.

One might look at this verse and use it to support the theology that Before Jesus came, G-d worked with Israel, but after Jesus came, G-d worked with the Gentiles. In other words the Gentiles didn’t get the blessing of Abraham till Jesus came. What we have to understand is that the promise of Abraham has ALWAYS been through Yeshua. People who were saved before Yeshua were saved looking forward to His death and resurrection, and those who were saved after Yeshua were saved looking back towards His death and resurrection. It’s not saying that before Yeshua came we were saved one way and then after Yeshua we were saved a different way. And that’s how the translation makes it sound. But that is a theological misunderstanding of how people were saved throughout history.

Then it says “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” That sounds like it’s saying that one didn’t receive the Spirit through faith before Jesus came. Not so. One always received the promise of the Spirit through faith. There’s no other way to do that.

This portion of the verse also makes it sound like the Spirit wasn’t active in the Old Testament and feeds the theology that He then suddenly came alive on Pentecost after Jesus. Again, that is an error. We see very clearly that the Spirit was alive and well in Genesis 1 when he moved upon the waters. The Spirit was just as much a part of people’s lives before Yeshua as He was after Yeshua! Understanding this correctly will help alleviate some anti-Semitic theology that we all have unbeknownst to us. It dispels the idea that the Jews didn’t really have that connection with G-d like we Christians do now. No, we don’t. The Holy Spirit has always interacted with man the same way. We don’t have a closer connection then Moses had. To think that the Jews didn’t have that special connection is anti-Jewish and thus anti-Semitic. Remember that anti-Semitism doesn’t only mean that they hate Jews, it means anything that is against the Jews.

Galatians 3:15 (ESV) To give a human example, brothers:[ brothers and sisters] even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

It sounds a little confusing here but Stern clears it up:

Galatians 3:15 (CJB) Brothers, let me make an analogy from everyday life: when someone swears an oath, no one else can set it aside or add to it.

He’s not saying 100% that whenever someone makes a vow no one can add to it or take away from it. We know that the Cohen HaGadol, the High Priest, could annul some vows. We learned that in the case of Yiftach, also known as Jephthah. If he would've tried to sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering, the Cohen HaGadol would’ve stopped him. He thus would’ve “taken away” from Yiftach’s vow if that was the case. Rabbi Shaul was speaking in general terms.

Galatians 3:16 (CJB) Now the promises were made to Avraham and to his seed. It doesn’t say, “and to seeds,” as if to many; on the contrary, it speaks of one — “and to your seed” [Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7] — and this “one” is the Messiah.

Here Rabbi Shaul is refuting a popular doctrine among the Essenes at that time. It still is a popular doctrine among some Jews like the Karaites. The Essenes believed that there was going to be a Priestly Messiah and a Royal messiah, a political Messiah. The priestly Messiah would have precedence over the political messiah in their view. So Rabbi Shaul was saying, no, there is one Messiah, one seed, not seeds and that seed is Yeshua.

Galatians 3:17 (ESV) This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

So we see here that new laws that are given do not nullify any of the previous laws or promises. Again, it’s progressive revelation. G-d gives Laws and promises (covanants etc); and any new laws, covanants, or promises He gives don’t nullify the previous laws or promises. In other words the new laws and promises are added to the previous ones and not abolished or done away with.

Galatians 3:18 (ESV) For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

So he’s saying here we shouldn’t continue to focus on the legal part of this promise. Understand it as God doing something out of love.

When you’re a new Believer, sometimes you do have to focus, at first, on the rules. But you shouldn’t always stay at that level. As you grow in the L-rd you begin to see why he’s given us these Laws and we come to understand more about the love of the promise than the legality of it. It’s the same when we’re children. I tell my son Jacob “don’t touch that knife.” He has to keep that law. But when he gets a little older he’ll learn why I said don’t touch that knife and understand that I do it from love. But right now it’s more along the lines of rules and consequences.

Most people in the church see Messianics keeping G-d’s Laws and they understand it only as us keeping rules. They’ll say things like “oh, you’re under the Law.” And they feel that the Law is something they want to be “free” from. Like some teenagers, they just want to do whatever they want to do with no consequences. Christians say they want to be free because they’re still in the child stage of their faith. They can’t see past the rules and understand the Bible as instructions for how to live. It’s their immaturity and rebellion against rules that keeps them in this child-like state, and they find it difficult to grow in the faith. Many of the pastors allow this and even promote these kinds of sentiments in their members so that reinforces the members’ belief that rules from G-d are a bad thing. They say the Law binds us, when in fact it’s just their immaturity showing through.

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

Stern doesn’t do this verse any justice. He puts it this way:

Galatians 3:19 (CJB) So then, why the legal part of the ? It was added in order to create transgressions, until the coming of the seed about whom the promise had been made. Moreover, it was handed down through angels and a mediator.

No part of the was given in order to create transgressions. That is just defunct theology. We have to understand that Stern didn’t have the time to go through every verse and really look at it. Some of the verses he translates are great and way better than the other translations out there. But for those who don’t know, he followed the Revised Standard Version when he wrote his complete Jewish Bible. So a lot of his translation is just a mirror of that.

So, this theology that The Law was added to create transgressions is the old Christian idea that G-d is out there trying to trip us up. It’s like G-d saying, “I’m going to give you so many rules that you can’t keep them all and then you’ll see how much you need Jesus. I’ll even add legal parts to the just so I can create transgressions and make it impossible for you since you’re born into sin anyway.”

The Church doesn’t realize this, but that kind of theology is actually from the Greeks. The Greek god Hermes, the son of Zeus was known as the trickster god and that’s the kind of thing he would do. We don’t worship a trickster god, we worship Yehova, the G-d of the Hebrews. G-d doesn’t give us rules that we can’t keep. He doesn’t ask us to do things that He knows we can’t do. He’s a Father to us and He loves us and He gave us instructions on how to live a good life. Instructions in Hebrew is and that’s what He gave us, He gave us .

So what is this verse really saying? It’s certainly not saying that the was added in order to create transgression. It’s not even saying that in Greek! That’s the Church Father’s doctrine mixed with paganism. Let’s see what it’s really saying in Greek. The first thing we want to notice is that there’s a word missing in the translations of this verse and the word is “grace.” But this isn’t a real question, it is rhetorical. Paul’s not doubting the Law here.

Galatians 3:19 (YLT) Why, then, the law? on account of the transgressions it [grace] was added, till the seed might come to which the promise hath been made, having been set in order through messengers in the hand of a mediator –

Because of transgressions, GRACE was added! Now that makes sense. Because of transgressions against the Law, grace was added. Now that sounds like the G-d I know! We slip sometimes, but if we’re doing the best we can and we mess up, that’s when Grace comes into play. Grace isn’t there so we can do whatever we want and then say, yeah, I’m covered. That verse isn’t saying anything close to “ was added so that we would transgress.”

One of the most common questions put to Messianics is, “haven’t you read Galatians?” However once we become knowledgeable, most pastors won’t even talk to a Messianic. We have a way of making people look at Scriptures that they’ve tried to ignore for the duration of their pastoral careers. We Messianics can be a pastor’s undoing. We can expose their lies or untruths about the Law and they don’t want that information uncovered. If they are true Believers, G-d will lead them to us. The Holy Spirit has made clear that He will draw us into all truth if we allow Him to.

...

Galatians 3:26-28 (ESV) for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave [bondservant ] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament. It’s taken to mean that after we’re saved, we’re all the same. I don’t know which fascist came up with that idea first but it certainly wasn’t a Jew. This concept completely contradicts the fact that the Jews are G-d’s chosen people. One can’t be chosen if we’re all the same. We have been persecuted since we first became a people because G-d set us apart. And now they want to say we’re all the same?

That’s not what this passage is talking about. It’s saying we’re all the same concerning salvation. We all come to G-d as sinners. It doesn’t matter if we’re bond or free Jew or Greek we all come to Him as worthy of death. It’s not saying we’re all the same after salvation. After salvation we all have different callings and different roles. We’re not supposed to all meld into one kind. The Gentile Church in general doesn’t truly want that either. They don’t want us to all meld. When they say we’re all the same in Christ Jesus, what they’re really saying is, “Ok Jewboy you need to be like us!” They want to stay exactly how they are. They’re not looking for some kind of melting pot, they’re already cemented into their pagan holidays and pig feasts and crab festivals. They want us Jews to do all the changing. The reality of it is they need to become like us Jews. Forsaking paganism and consumption of unclean animals, they need to embrace the Laws that G-d gave to His people and adjust to the traditions that have been set by the tzedikim, the righteous Jews throughout history.

Kehillah in Galatia 3:29 (OJB) And, if you belong to Moshiach (YESHAYAH 53:10), then you are of the ZERA of Avraham Avinu, you are yoreshim (heirs) according to the havtachah (promise).

Zera, often translated as “seed” also means “children of moral quality.” You could read it in English like this, “And if you belong to Yeshua then you are morally a child of Abraham our father. You are heirs according to the promise.”

It’s not saying you become a Jew by blood. It’s saying you become a Jew by faith, a proselyte, provided you keep the Law. No Law, no child of Abraham. Any churches which have taken a stand against G-d’s Laws are NOT children of Abraham. They have another name, apostates. Remember we’re talking about those who have taken a stand against G-d’s Laws. Not those who don’t know any better. G-d doesn’t hold anything against people who don’t know. But if they’ve heard the truth they are now responsible and it only takes a blink of an eye to reject the truth.