What is the meaning of Galatians 3:18? For if the inheritance depends on the law Paul begins by raising a hypothetical: what if the promised “inheritance” of salvation and blessing actually rested on our ability to keep Mosaic regulations? • Immediately this clashes with earlier Scripture showing human inability to meet God’s perfect standard (Romans 3:20). • In Exodus 19–24 Israel accepted the law, yet soon failed (Exodus 32), proving the law’s purpose was to expose sin, not to earn life (Galatians 3:19). • The “inheritance” had already been described as eternal and unchanging (Hebrews 9:15), something the law—given 430 years after Abraham—could never cancel (Galatians 3:17). then it no longer depends on a promise If works of law could secure the inheritance, God’s earlier word of promise to Abraham would be pointless. • Promise and performance are mutually exclusive systems (Romans 4:14). • A promise places the responsibility squarely on the giver; law places it on the receiver. Mixing them would make God’s word unreliable, something Scripture consistently denies (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). • For believers, resting on promise brings assurance; resting on performance brings uncertainty and bondage (Galatians 4:24–25). but God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise Here Paul anchors everything in God’s gracious initiative. • Genesis 12:2-3; 15:5-6; 17:7 show God unconditionally pledging land, descendants, and universal blessing. Abraham “believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). • The word “freely granted” underscores grace—no payment required, echoing Ephesians 2:8-9. • The promise anticipated Christ: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed…meaning one person, who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Everyone “in Christ” therefore becomes an heir (Galatians 3:29). • Because God swore by Himself (Hebrews 6:13-18), the promise is irrevocable; faith simply receives what grace secures. summary Galatians 3:18 declares that the believer’s inheritance—eternal life, righteousness, and full covenant blessing—rests entirely on God’s gracious promise, not on human law-keeping. The law exposes need; the promise provides remedy. In Christ the promise to Abraham is fulfilled and freely offered to all who believe, ensuring a secure, unchangeable salvation grounded in God’s unfailing word. |
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