These are the key words "Justified by the law". And this is where most people get caught up. Over and over and over again Paul plainly states that trying to be saved by keeping the law is useless. But why? Well here is the key:Galatians 52 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, the Messiah will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Messiah, you who [attempt] [to] be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in the Messiah Yahushua neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love
Yahweh's standard is perfection. Only if a person keeps that law perfectly could the law ever justify them. But no one ever has kept it perfectly except Yahushua the Messiah. This is why he says that if one were to believe the way certain Jews were believing in those days, they would be "debtors to keep the whole law".
Therefore the law condemns them rather than justifying! The Law will not Justify us on Judgment day...but Yahushua will if we receive Him! Why is Paul so adamant on this point? Why is it stressed over and over again?
Let's think about the times that they were living in. Paul was constantly teaching in the synagogues and reasoning with both Jews and Greeks. Many Jews believed that they didn't need the Messiah for salvation because they had the law and they were sons of Abraham. This is what Paul was frequently up against. He had to teach them (along with Gentiles swayed in this doctrine) that the law can not save us. It can only condemn us. Paul is pointing out the need for a Savior! Yahushua did keep that law perfectly. Therefore, only HE can justify us. Reading Paul's writings with this mindset will reveal the truth that Yahushua never abolished the Torah, but the Torah demonstrates our need for forgiveness.
Let's start with the beginning of the 3rd chapter in Galatians:
Gala 3:1 (kjv) O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Yahushua the Messiah hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?Someone has bewitched (slandered) them so they won't "OBEY" the truth. Even though Yahushua was clearly shown to them as impaled.
The Gentiles who turned their lives over to Yahweh didn't receive the Holy Spirit because they had been keeping the law. They received the Holy Spirit because they repented and accepted Yahushua the Messiah. Kepha (Peter) also had been shown this truth:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Acts 10:44 (kjv) While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify Elohim. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?Yahweh even had to send a vision to prove this point to Kepha/Peter. I believe it was something very difficult for Jews to accept because it was so ingrained in their culture that a Gentile couldn't just come to Yahweh in one day...but had to go through a detailed process in which they were fully taught the law and ultimately circumcised in order to become "Jewish" and thus be saved. But the Gentiles received Yahweh's Spirit because their sins were forgiven and a beautiful inward change had taken place, not because they were circumcised and had known all about the law.
Speaking of the Jews' doctrine concerning circumcision. The Gentiles were starting to fall into this false doctrine that they were not saved unless they were circumcised. The Jews of that day taught that you were not a child of Abraham and therefore 'not Israel' until you were circumcised. They believed that one couldn't be saved or receive Israel's promises unless you were 'Israel' by being circumcised. They were putting all their faith in the fact that they were children of Abraham. But John the baptist rebuked them for this:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Therefore, when the gentiles were taught this doctrine, they were troubled.Matt 3:7 (kjv) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that Yahweh is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it be] yet in vain.5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?The gentiles are being reminded of all the things they suffered for Yahushua's sake. Those miracles did not come because they had kept the law or were circumcised. But Yahweh had purified their hearts by faith. And also the miracles that had been done among them as furthur evidence that they were indeed accepted by Yahweh.
Here it is pointed out that even Abraham 'believed' in Yahweh and it was considered righteousness. Note that Abraham's belief was backed up by his works. He was willing to even offer his own son unto Yahweh! Abraham spent much of his life not being circumcised, yet Yahweh accepted him.6 Even as Abraham believed Yahweh, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
If one has faith like Abraham, one is like Abraham. Therefore they are child of Abraham. Consider what Yahushua said to the scribes and pharisees on this same subject:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
So Paul is in total agreement with what Yahushua had taught on this.John 8:37 (kjv) I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Yahushua saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
So the Scripture quoted here, which is Genesis 22:18 says that all nations (even gentiles) would be blessed. How? Through Abraham's seed, Yahushua the Messiah!!8 And the scripture, foreseeing that Yahweh would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Gene 22:18 (kjv) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.And it is through faith in Him that we are blessed and justified/made righteous! More on this later..
Now if we took the stance of many on this scripture, we would say that anyone who tries to keep the law is under a curse. But that isn't what is being said here at all!! Look at the scripture that is being quoted here. It is Deut. 27:26-9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10 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.
Deut 27:26 Cursed [be] he that confirmeth not [all] the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.Does this scripture say that those who do them are under a curse? Certainly not. It is saying those who DO NOT do them are under a curse!!! So how does this fit in with what Paul said? It is those Jews who did not accept Yahushua's good news of salvation who are not of faith because they are relying on their obedience to Yahweh's law to save them. Those who teach salvation by doing the 'works of the law' are under a curse because they have broken that law that they are relying on to save them! No man has kept it perfectly, this is why ALL men need Yahushua the Messiah!
No one is justified by the law because the just must live by faith. Let's look at the scripture quoted here:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of Yahweh, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
One cannot live or be justified by trusting in his own righteousness. This scripture says "his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him" To claim that we'll live (have eternal life) by our own righteousness is to boast in something that isn't even true. Pride is an abomination to Yahweh. Here is how the NKJV translates this:Haba 2:4 (kjv) Behold, his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
So just because a person claims to be "upright" does not mean he is. We cannot be justified by our claims of righteousness because all men have sinned at some point in their life. We are left with no choice but to live by faith! Faith and hope for mercy from Yahweh Almighty!! We must come to Yahweh and trust in Him to forgive us of our sins and make us righteous through Yahushua the Messiah if we expect to have any hope whatsoever. Any other claim to righteousness is pure pride!Haba 2:4 (NKJV) "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
This is once again a quote from the law. Let's examine it:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
If a man will do the law, he will certainly LIVE and have eternal life. This man would be justified by the law. But again, NO MAN has ever done this except Yahushua the Messiah. Therefore no man can LIVE or have salvation because they kept them. We all must rely on Yahushua!Levi 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the YHWH.
Is the law a curse? Some would love to quote this verse to you to tell you that. But as we learned earlier, it isn't those who KEEP the law that are under the curse, but those who have BROKEN it! Yahushua redeemed us from the curse that comes when you break the law(For He was cursed for us by being hung on the tree.)13 The Messiah hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
Yahushua was hanged on a tree, yet He committed no sins. We have committed sins (transgressions of the law) that are worthy of death (the wages of sin IS death) yet were never hanged on a tree. So Yahushua has redeemed us from this curse!! Yahushua was made a curse FOR US. We deserved what He endured but He did it for us, HalleluYah!!! So if we claim to have salvation because we have kept the law, we are surely under that curse! If we do not accept Yahushua's offer of salvation and we instead reject what He has done for us (became the curse) then we are putting ourselves "under the law" which means we are cursed forever. For we have not obeyed the law as Yahushua did!! Let us all accept what Yahushua did for us so that:Deut 21:22 (kjv) And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of Elohim;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Yahweh thy Elohim giveth thee [for] an inheritance.
We see this promise fulfilled when we saw how the Gentiles received the Spirit in Acts 10. So now the blessing of Abraham would also come to the Gentiles when they recieve the promise of the Spirit through faith. What is meant by this verse is explained in the following verses:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Yahushua the Messiah; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Even in covenants of men, noone can take away or add to that covenant. Therefore the same is true of Yahweh's covenants.15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though [it be] but a man's covenant, yet [if it be] confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He doesn't say "To seeds" but rather "To his SEED" (Gen. 22:18) that seed being Yahushua would all the nations be blessed!!16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is the Messiah.
Now here is where it gets very confusing. Even the law, which was given 430 years later cannot annul the covenant to Abraham that in Yahushua would all the nations be blessed. So the law covenant does not make this promise and covenant void. So the law never took away the promise of the blessing through Abraham's seed, Yahushua17 And this I say, [that] the covenant, that was confirmed before of Yahweh in the Messiah, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
For if the inheritance (which is the promises of Yahweh to Abraham) comes from Yahweh's law then it is no longer a promise but rather a condition!18 For if the inheritance [be] of the law, [it is] no more of promise: but Yahweh gave [it] to Abraham by promise.
What is the purpose of the law? It was added because of disobedience to Yahweh's will! Yahweh had to show everyone what His will is, what His way of Righteousness is so that when Yahushua would come, we would all realize we are sinners. And the promise of Yahushua's coming (through Yahweh's declaration to Abraham) said that "all nations would be blessed" so this promise was made to Gentiles also.19 Wherefore then [serveth] the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; [and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
This is a confusing verse, but I believe it is saying that a mediator is not a mediator of one person, but of many. However Yahweh IS one. So in reality, Moses was mediating not just for Jews but for Gentiles also because the law would also show the Gentiles a need for Yahushua. Also a human mediator is not in oneness with Yahweh because he also is a sinner. But Yahweh and Yahushua are one. Therefore Yahushua is a a better mediator than any Moses or any High Priest.20 Now a mediator is not [a mediator] of one, but Yahweh is one.
How can the law be "against" Yahweh's promises of eternal life thru Abraham's Seed, Yahushua? It certainly does not take precedent over the promise to Abraham. The law itself doesn't give us life. If the law gave eternal life, then righteousness would have been by the law and not by a promise.Gala 3:21 (NKJV) [Is] the law then against the promises of Yahweh? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
The scriptures in His law show us that we all are in sin so that the promise (by faith in Yahushua) would be given to those who believe. So the promise that Yahushua would bless us and give us life was there because the law shows us that we are sinners. So the purpose of the law was to lead us to the promise!! He gave us the law so that we would realize we are sinners and have faith in the promise of eternal life in YahushuaGala 3:22 (NKJV) But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Yahushua Messiah might be given to those who believe.
But until this promise of Yahushua's coming came to fulfillment, we were guarded by the law and kept there for the faith in the promise (Yahushua blessing us and giving us eternal life) which would be revealed.Gala 3:23 (NKJV) But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
Because we were guarded and kept by the law, the law was our teacher to bring us to Yahushua, in whom is the promise of Abraham that all Gentiles would be blessed. HERE IS THE QUESTION: And what did it teach us?? It taught us that we are sinners!Gala 3:24 (NKJV) Therefore the law was our tutor [to] [bring] [us] to Messiah, that we might be justified by faith.
So now that we have faith in Yahushua, in whom is the promise of Abraham that all Gentiles would be blessed, we no longer need to be taught that we have sinned because now we are forgiven of all those sins! The law has done what it always does. It brings us to the realization that we have sinned so that we would turn to Yahushua. So now we are not under the law (which condemned us) but under grace. Does this mean that once we have been forgiven for breaking that law that now it is okay to go out and break it again?25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Sin is transgression of the law. (See 1john 3:4) Or breaking any sort of His commandments. Now what would happen if we continue to sin or break his law? We would then be back under the law's curse and once again we would need the law to "teach or tutor" us to come to Yahushua. And this is what the law does. It doesn't save us. It shows us our sins so that we will repent and come to Yahushua.Roma 6:15 (NKJV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
So once again, we are left to conclude that the law shows us our
sins but does not save us from them. Yahweh's plan of salvation has been
distorted by those who despise His law. Yahweh's plan was to promise all
of us eternal life through Abraham's seed, Yahushua. First by showing us
the path of righteousness which is in His law. And Yahweh, being ever so
merciful gave His only Son to redeem us from the curses that result from
our disobedience to Him. The standard of righteousness DOES NOT CHANGE
when we accept Yahushua, but our standing before Yahweh does! It is a total
distortion to teach that everyone else in the world is expected to refrain
from sin (transgression of the law) but those who receive Yahushua
are free to transgress the law all day long!! This is not Yahweh's glad
tidings!! Why would we ever want to go back and break that law again? It
was for forgiveness of breaking it that Yahushua had to die in the first
place!!
Gala 3:26 (kjv) For ye are all the children of Yahweh by faith in the Messiah Yahushua.27 For as many of you as have been baptized into the Messiah have put on the Messiah.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in the Messiah Yahushua.29 And if ye [be] the Messiah's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So in conclusion I would like to admonish all that Yahweh does not change. His standard and His love is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let us remember the words of Yahweh in Malachi 3:6. "I Yahweh, CHANGE NOT".