GALATIANS 1:13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. (NKJV)
In the Second Temple period, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Qumran sectarians, Nazarenes, etc. all considered themselves to be Jews. Judaism is a useful term insofar as it indicates that one worships the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, the different Jewish sects differed widely in belief and practice in the 1st century.
We know from the New Testament that Paul was a member of the sect of the Pharisees (Acts 23:6; 26:5; Phi. 3:5). The "traditions of the fathers" he mentions in verse 14 is a reference to the Oral Law of the Pharisees. The Pharisees (and later their successors, rabbinic Judaism) believed that Moses was given oral laws as well as the written Law while on Mount Sinai for 40 days. According to Jewish tradition, these oral laws were handed down through the generations from father to son to explain how the written Law was to be kept. Many of these oral laws were later recorded by the rabbis in the Mishnah and the Talmud.
Paul does not just mention the "traditions of the fathers" in passing here. His comment is intended to set up what he will write to the Galatians later in his letter about the teachings of the "false brethren."
GALATIANS 2:15 "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law [ergon nomou] but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law [ergon nomou]; for by the works of the law [ergon nomou] no flesh shall be justified. (NKJV)
Here we are introduced to the phrase "works of the law" for the first time in the letter to the Galatians. This phrase has been the foundation for much Christian doctrine and theological understanding. Most Christians believe that "works of the law" is a reference to observing the Law of Moses. They interpret Paul's words here to mean that obedience to the Torah is no longer required. In fact, some take Paul's statement to mean that obedience to the Law demonstrates a lack of faith.
However, this interpretation is unjustified based on Paul's prior comments to Peter. Could it be that Paul's use of the phrase "works of the law" was intended to refer to something other than the Law of Moses?
Due to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, new light has been shed on the heresy that Paul was combating in Galatia. In the fourth cave excavated at Qumran, a manuscript named Miqsat Ma'ase haTorah (4QMMT) was found. It was only translated and released to the public in 1994.
In the November/December 1994 issue of Biblical Archaeological Review, scholar Martin Abegg commented on the importance of this document to understanding Paul's letter to the Galatians:
MMT . . . stands for Miqsat Ma'ase Ha-Torah, which Strugnell and Qimron translate "Some Precepts of the Torah." This translation unfortunately obscures MMT's relationship to Paul's letters.
In this case, miqsat does not mean simply "some." The same word is used in Genesis 47:2, where Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Here the word could be understood to mean the most important of the brothers or perhaps the choice or select. In other words, when the word is used in MMT, it does not refer just to some random laws; these laws are important to the writer. A similar understanding of the meaning of the word can be gleaned from its use in the Talmud. Thus we might translate the word more accurately as "some important" or "pertinent."
More significant for our purposes, however, are the other two words, ma'ase ha-torah. Strugnell and Qimron translate this phrase as "precepts of Torah," while Lawrence Schiffman offers "legal rulings of Torah." These translations are accurate enough, but they nonetheless cloud the Paul connection.
A few minutes with a concordance of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, leaves little doubt that the Greek equivalent of ma'ase ha-torah is likely ergon nomou. Ergon nomou is commonly translated in English versions of the New Testament as "works of the law." This well-known Pauline phrase is found in Romans 3:20,28 and in Galatians 2:16; 3:2,5,10.
. . . Ma'ase ha-torah is equivalent to what we know in English from Paul's letters as "works of the law." This Dead Sea Scroll and Paul use the very same phrase. The connection is emphasized by the fact that this phrase appears nowhere in rabbinic literature of the first and second centuries A.D.—only in Paul and in MMT. (pp. 52-53, "Paul, 'Works of the Law,' and MMT," Biblical Archaeological Review, November/December 1994)
This ancient document is of great importance in understanding the heresy that Paul was combating at Galatia. As we will see by another of Paul's statements later (Gal. 4:10), the evidence is overwhelming that his opponents there were adherents to some of the same doctrines that those in Qumran held.
Several books have addressed this particular Dead Sea Scroll since it was first published. In a more recent work, Abegg speaks further about the significance of 4QMMT (which he calls A Sectarian Manifesto):
In all of antiquity, only the Manifesto and Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Romans discuss the connection between works and righteousness. For that reason alone this writing is of immense interest and importance. But the Manifesto has additional significance. While the sectarian documents found in the caves at Qumran fairly bristle with legal discussions on a variety of issues, only this work, commonly known as 4QMMT (an acronym from the Hebrew words meaning "some of the works of the Law"), directly challenges the position of another religious group.
. . . The Manifesto presents a well-reasoned argument couched in a homily, complete with applications, illustrations, and exhortations. Following a thesis statement that identifies the central problem—the impure are being allowed to mix with the pure (the profane with the holy)—the author lists some two dozen examples to prove his point . . . The addressee (and secondarily, the reader) is then encouraged to follow the author: separate from those who practice such things. . . . (p. 358, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Abegg's translation of the 4QMMT author's concluding statements shows that the Qumran sectarians were advocating obedience to their particular interpretation of the Tanakh:
[Indeed,] we [have written] to you so that you might understand the book of Moses, the book[s of the Pr]ophets, and Davi[d] . . . (p. 363, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Here is Abegg's translation of the final exhortation found in 4QMMT:
Now, we have written to you some of the works of the Law, those which we determined would be beneficial for you and your people, because we have seen [that] you possess insight and knowledge of the Law. Understand all these things and beseech Him to set your counsel straight and so keep you away from evil thoughts and the counsel of Belial. Then you shall rejoice at the end time when you find the essence of our words to be true. And it will be reckoned to you as righteousness, in that you have done what is right and good before Him, to your own benefit and to that of Israel. (p. 364, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Abegg succinctly summarizes the author's intention for a reader of 4QMMT:
. . . The final exhortation presses home the author's true point: to be accounted righteous, one must obey the Law as interpreted in the Manifesto.
This final exhortation is of great importance for a fuller understanding of statements the apostle Paul makes about works and righteousness in his Letter to the Galatians. The author of the Manifesto, probably thinking of Psalm 106:30-31 (where the works of Phinehas were "reckoned to him as righteousness"), is engaged, as it were, in a rhetorical duel with the ideas of the apostle. Paul appeals to Genesis 15:6 to show that it was the faith of Abraham that was "reckoned to him as righteousness" (Gal. 3:6) and goes on to state categorically that "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Probably the "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4) that Paul opposed held a doctrine on justification much like that of the present writing (i.e., 4QMMT). (p. 359, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
In his essay "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Historical Jesus," James H. Charlesworth speaks of the emphasis the Qumran Essenes placed on purity:
As we know from an unpublished letter ("Some of the Precepts of the Torah") . . . the Qumran group held to rules for purification that differed from other Jews (4QMMT). The Qumranic penal code, which included the death penalty, was closely aligned with the rules for purity. In terms of the concept of purity Jesus was categorically different from the Essenes. (p. 25, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
It was the issue of ritual purity as defined by the Oral Law that caused Peter to separate from Gentiles in Antioch. The relationship between the cause for Peter's hypocrisy and the "different gospel" being brought to Galatia by the "false brethren" is why Paul chose to use the story of Peter to launch his attack on his opponents there. Regarding the nature of the teachings found at Qumran, Charlesworth writes:
. . . The Essenes originated as a separate group because of their interpretation of legal issues (4QMMT). Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls are legalistic . . . (p. 32, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
The Essenes at Qumran were a subgroup of the majority of Essenes:
. . . The Essenes of Josephus cannot be simply equated with the Qumranites. The history of the Qumranites is long, covering three centuries, and there is considerable development at Qumran. Likewise the lifestyle of the "Qumran Essenes" would be more strict than those living, for example, in Jerusalem. There were at least two distinct types of Essenes in Palestine. (p. 42, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
As these quotations show, the teaching brought to Galatia by the sectarians went far above and beyond the requirements of the written Torah.
GALATIANS 2:17 "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. (NIV)
Now Paul, in an effort to head off any counter argument that he was opposed to obeying the written Law of Moses, goes on the offensive against lawlessness (I John 3:4). He states that justification through the sacrifice of the Messiah does not give us license to sin.
GALATIANS 2:19 For I through the Law died to the Law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NKJV)
The penalty for sin is death, as Paul states in his epistle to the Romans (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, those who have broken any of God's laws are under this penalty (cf. Jam. 2:10). Because of this requirement of the Law, Paul had to die. But instead of physically dying, Paul was able to substitute the Messiah's sacrificial death for his own. However, in order not to become a lawbreaker again after having been cleansed of his sins, Paul had to subject his will to that of Messiah Yeshua. He had to become a living sacrifice, living his life in obedience to God instead of obeying his own fleshly lusts.
GALATIANS 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died in vain." (NKJV)
Here Paul finishes his opening remarks and establishes the premise for his attack on the teachings of the "false brethren" in Galatia that follows in chapter 3. Paul's position is that legalistic observance of the Law (whether according to the sectarians' "Works of the Law," the Oral Law of the Pharisees, etc.) for the purpose of establishing one's own righteousness is worthless in the sight of God.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul contrasts the two ways for gaining righteousness: (1) Legalistic obedience to the Law versus (2) obedience to the Law due to faith in the Messiah. To understand Paul's comments about the Law in Galatians, we must realize his position about the PURPOSE of the Law. He speaks of this extensively in his letter to the Romans:
ROMANS 3:19 Now we know that whatever the Law says it speaks to those who are under the Law [hupo nomon], so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law [ergon nomou] no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the Law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (ESV)
Taken in context, Paul's words here show his true understanding of the purpose of the Law. The Law was intended to show the conduct God expected from mankind. Any deviation from that specified conduct was sin. As the apostle John tells us explicitly in the New Testament, "sin is lawlessness" (I John 3:4).
The Law speaks to those who are "under the Law" (Gr. hupo nomon). Here this phrase refers to the judging function of the Law. Paul is speaking of those who, because they have sinned, are under the PENALTY for breaking the Law (Rom. 6:14-15; Gal. 3:23; 5:18). This penalty is DEATH (Rom. 6:23). Lest anyone think that only the Jews are subject to this judgment, Paul tells us that through the Law the whole world will be held accountable to God (Rom. 3:19).
ROMANS 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law [ergon nomou]. (NASU)
By "works of the law" (legalistic observance of the Law to gain God's favor), no one will be justified in God's sight. The reason why this is so is because "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). However, God has provided a way for our justification other than through perfect observance of the Law. That way is through FAITH, by accepting the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua (Rom. 3:20, 28).
ROMANS 3:31 Do we then overthrow [katargoumen] the Law BY THIS FAITH? By no means [me genoito]! On the contrary, we uphold [histomen] the Law. (ESV)
Finally, to ensure that the Romans did not misundertand his stance on the Law, Paul summed up the relationship of faith to the Law. Paul first asks if our FAITH overthrows (Gr. katargoumen - "nullifies," "makes void," "destroys") the Law. Answering his own rhetorical question, Paul emphatically states "NO WAY!" using a strong negative Greek phrase (me genoito). Paul finishes by stating that instead of our faith nullifying the Law, it should motivate us to uphold (Gr. histomen - "establish," "make valid," "confirm") the Law. It's amazing that anyone could misconstrue the plain meaning of these words. But unfortunately, most of the Christian world has done just that.
--- extract from "Galatians Commentary" by Bryan T. Huie ---
Please see the full article by clicking here
In the Second Temple period, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Qumran sectarians, Nazarenes, etc. all considered themselves to be Jews. Judaism is a useful term insofar as it indicates that one worships the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, the different Jewish sects differed widely in belief and practice in the 1st century.
We know from the New Testament that Paul was a member of the sect of the Pharisees (Acts 23:6; 26:5; Phi. 3:5). The "traditions of the fathers" he mentions in verse 14 is a reference to the Oral Law of the Pharisees. The Pharisees (and later their successors, rabbinic Judaism) believed that Moses was given oral laws as well as the written Law while on Mount Sinai for 40 days. According to Jewish tradition, these oral laws were handed down through the generations from father to son to explain how the written Law was to be kept. Many of these oral laws were later recorded by the rabbis in the Mishnah and the Talmud.
Paul does not just mention the "traditions of the fathers" in passing here. His comment is intended to set up what he will write to the Galatians later in his letter about the teachings of the "false brethren."
GALATIANS 2:15 "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law [ergon nomou] but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law [ergon nomou]; for by the works of the law [ergon nomou] no flesh shall be justified. (NKJV)
Here we are introduced to the phrase "works of the law" for the first time in the letter to the Galatians. This phrase has been the foundation for much Christian doctrine and theological understanding. Most Christians believe that "works of the law" is a reference to observing the Law of Moses. They interpret Paul's words here to mean that obedience to the Torah is no longer required. In fact, some take Paul's statement to mean that obedience to the Law demonstrates a lack of faith.
However, this interpretation is unjustified based on Paul's prior comments to Peter. Could it be that Paul's use of the phrase "works of the law" was intended to refer to something other than the Law of Moses?
Due to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, new light has been shed on the heresy that Paul was combating in Galatia. In the fourth cave excavated at Qumran, a manuscript named Miqsat Ma'ase haTorah (4QMMT) was found. It was only translated and released to the public in 1994.
In the November/December 1994 issue of Biblical Archaeological Review, scholar Martin Abegg commented on the importance of this document to understanding Paul's letter to the Galatians:
MMT . . . stands for Miqsat Ma'ase Ha-Torah, which Strugnell and Qimron translate "Some Precepts of the Torah." This translation unfortunately obscures MMT's relationship to Paul's letters.
In this case, miqsat does not mean simply "some." The same word is used in Genesis 47:2, where Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Here the word could be understood to mean the most important of the brothers or perhaps the choice or select. In other words, when the word is used in MMT, it does not refer just to some random laws; these laws are important to the writer. A similar understanding of the meaning of the word can be gleaned from its use in the Talmud. Thus we might translate the word more accurately as "some important" or "pertinent."
More significant for our purposes, however, are the other two words, ma'ase ha-torah. Strugnell and Qimron translate this phrase as "precepts of Torah," while Lawrence Schiffman offers "legal rulings of Torah." These translations are accurate enough, but they nonetheless cloud the Paul connection.
A few minutes with a concordance of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, leaves little doubt that the Greek equivalent of ma'ase ha-torah is likely ergon nomou. Ergon nomou is commonly translated in English versions of the New Testament as "works of the law." This well-known Pauline phrase is found in Romans 3:20,28 and in Galatians 2:16; 3:2,5,10.
. . . Ma'ase ha-torah is equivalent to what we know in English from Paul's letters as "works of the law." This Dead Sea Scroll and Paul use the very same phrase. The connection is emphasized by the fact that this phrase appears nowhere in rabbinic literature of the first and second centuries A.D.—only in Paul and in MMT. (pp. 52-53, "Paul, 'Works of the Law,' and MMT," Biblical Archaeological Review, November/December 1994)
This ancient document is of great importance in understanding the heresy that Paul was combating at Galatia. As we will see by another of Paul's statements later (Gal. 4:10), the evidence is overwhelming that his opponents there were adherents to some of the same doctrines that those in Qumran held.
Several books have addressed this particular Dead Sea Scroll since it was first published. In a more recent work, Abegg speaks further about the significance of 4QMMT (which he calls A Sectarian Manifesto):
In all of antiquity, only the Manifesto and Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Romans discuss the connection between works and righteousness. For that reason alone this writing is of immense interest and importance. But the Manifesto has additional significance. While the sectarian documents found in the caves at Qumran fairly bristle with legal discussions on a variety of issues, only this work, commonly known as 4QMMT (an acronym from the Hebrew words meaning "some of the works of the Law"), directly challenges the position of another religious group.
. . . The Manifesto presents a well-reasoned argument couched in a homily, complete with applications, illustrations, and exhortations. Following a thesis statement that identifies the central problem—the impure are being allowed to mix with the pure (the profane with the holy)—the author lists some two dozen examples to prove his point . . . The addressee (and secondarily, the reader) is then encouraged to follow the author: separate from those who practice such things. . . . (p. 358, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Abegg's translation of the 4QMMT author's concluding statements shows that the Qumran sectarians were advocating obedience to their particular interpretation of the Tanakh:
[Indeed,] we [have written] to you so that you might understand the book of Moses, the book[s of the Pr]ophets, and Davi[d] . . . (p. 363, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Here is Abegg's translation of the final exhortation found in 4QMMT:
Now, we have written to you some of the works of the Law, those which we determined would be beneficial for you and your people, because we have seen [that] you possess insight and knowledge of the Law. Understand all these things and beseech Him to set your counsel straight and so keep you away from evil thoughts and the counsel of Belial. Then you shall rejoice at the end time when you find the essence of our words to be true. And it will be reckoned to you as righteousness, in that you have done what is right and good before Him, to your own benefit and to that of Israel. (p. 364, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
Abegg succinctly summarizes the author's intention for a reader of 4QMMT:
. . . The final exhortation presses home the author's true point: to be accounted righteous, one must obey the Law as interpreted in the Manifesto.
This final exhortation is of great importance for a fuller understanding of statements the apostle Paul makes about works and righteousness in his Letter to the Galatians. The author of the Manifesto, probably thinking of Psalm 106:30-31 (where the works of Phinehas were "reckoned to him as righteousness"), is engaged, as it were, in a rhetorical duel with the ideas of the apostle. Paul appeals to Genesis 15:6 to show that it was the faith of Abraham that was "reckoned to him as righteousness" (Gal. 3:6) and goes on to state categorically that "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Probably the "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4) that Paul opposed held a doctrine on justification much like that of the present writing (i.e., 4QMMT). (p. 359, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation)
In his essay "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Historical Jesus," James H. Charlesworth speaks of the emphasis the Qumran Essenes placed on purity:
As we know from an unpublished letter ("Some of the Precepts of the Torah") . . . the Qumran group held to rules for purification that differed from other Jews (4QMMT). The Qumranic penal code, which included the death penalty, was closely aligned with the rules for purity. In terms of the concept of purity Jesus was categorically different from the Essenes. (p. 25, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
It was the issue of ritual purity as defined by the Oral Law that caused Peter to separate from Gentiles in Antioch. The relationship between the cause for Peter's hypocrisy and the "different gospel" being brought to Galatia by the "false brethren" is why Paul chose to use the story of Peter to launch his attack on his opponents there. Regarding the nature of the teachings found at Qumran, Charlesworth writes:
. . . The Essenes originated as a separate group because of their interpretation of legal issues (4QMMT). Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls are legalistic . . . (p. 32, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
The Essenes at Qumran were a subgroup of the majority of Essenes:
. . . The Essenes of Josephus cannot be simply equated with the Qumranites. The history of the Qumranites is long, covering three centuries, and there is considerable development at Qumran. Likewise the lifestyle of the "Qumran Essenes" would be more strict than those living, for example, in Jerusalem. There were at least two distinct types of Essenes in Palestine. (p. 42, Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls)
As these quotations show, the teaching brought to Galatia by the sectarians went far above and beyond the requirements of the written Torah.
GALATIANS 2:17 "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. (NIV)
Now Paul, in an effort to head off any counter argument that he was opposed to obeying the written Law of Moses, goes on the offensive against lawlessness (I John 3:4). He states that justification through the sacrifice of the Messiah does not give us license to sin.
GALATIANS 2:19 For I through the Law died to the Law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NKJV)
The penalty for sin is death, as Paul states in his epistle to the Romans (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, those who have broken any of God's laws are under this penalty (cf. Jam. 2:10). Because of this requirement of the Law, Paul had to die. But instead of physically dying, Paul was able to substitute the Messiah's sacrificial death for his own. However, in order not to become a lawbreaker again after having been cleansed of his sins, Paul had to subject his will to that of Messiah Yeshua. He had to become a living sacrifice, living his life in obedience to God instead of obeying his own fleshly lusts.
GALATIANS 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died in vain." (NKJV)
Here Paul finishes his opening remarks and establishes the premise for his attack on the teachings of the "false brethren" in Galatia that follows in chapter 3. Paul's position is that legalistic observance of the Law (whether according to the sectarians' "Works of the Law," the Oral Law of the Pharisees, etc.) for the purpose of establishing one's own righteousness is worthless in the sight of God.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul contrasts the two ways for gaining righteousness: (1) Legalistic obedience to the Law versus (2) obedience to the Law due to faith in the Messiah. To understand Paul's comments about the Law in Galatians, we must realize his position about the PURPOSE of the Law. He speaks of this extensively in his letter to the Romans:
ROMANS 3:19 Now we know that whatever the Law says it speaks to those who are under the Law [hupo nomon], so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law [ergon nomou] no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the Law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (ESV)
Taken in context, Paul's words here show his true understanding of the purpose of the Law. The Law was intended to show the conduct God expected from mankind. Any deviation from that specified conduct was sin. As the apostle John tells us explicitly in the New Testament, "sin is lawlessness" (I John 3:4).
The Law speaks to those who are "under the Law" (Gr. hupo nomon). Here this phrase refers to the judging function of the Law. Paul is speaking of those who, because they have sinned, are under the PENALTY for breaking the Law (Rom. 6:14-15; Gal. 3:23; 5:18). This penalty is DEATH (Rom. 6:23). Lest anyone think that only the Jews are subject to this judgment, Paul tells us that through the Law the whole world will be held accountable to God (Rom. 3:19).
ROMANS 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law [ergon nomou]. (NASU)
By "works of the law" (legalistic observance of the Law to gain God's favor), no one will be justified in God's sight. The reason why this is so is because "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). However, God has provided a way for our justification other than through perfect observance of the Law. That way is through FAITH, by accepting the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua (Rom. 3:20, 28).
ROMANS 3:31 Do we then overthrow [katargoumen] the Law BY THIS FAITH? By no means [me genoito]! On the contrary, we uphold [histomen] the Law. (ESV)
Finally, to ensure that the Romans did not misundertand his stance on the Law, Paul summed up the relationship of faith to the Law. Paul first asks if our FAITH overthrows (Gr. katargoumen - "nullifies," "makes void," "destroys") the Law. Answering his own rhetorical question, Paul emphatically states "NO WAY!" using a strong negative Greek phrase (me genoito). Paul finishes by stating that instead of our faith nullifying the Law, it should motivate us to uphold (Gr. histomen - "establish," "make valid," "confirm") the Law. It's amazing that anyone could misconstrue the plain meaning of these words. But unfortunately, most of the Christian world has done just that.
--- extract from "Galatians Commentary" by Bryan T. Huie ---
Please see the full article by clicking here
