TEXT [Commentary]

  2.   A biblical example: Abraham (3:6-9)

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[*] 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[*] 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

NOTES

3:6 For the contemporary reader to perceive the logic of Paul’s discussions here and later in such passages as the Hagar argument (4:21-31), it is essential to have some understanding of Jewish thought and rabbinic exegetical logic. I will supply some brief background comments at relevant points, but those interested in pursuing rabbinic logic further are encouraged to consult other discussions (e.g. Barrett 1976:1-16; Longenecker 1975:19-50, 104-132; Sanders 1983:18-29). The arguments that follow are based on Paul’s exegesis of Scripture and challenge the arguments of the Galatians and their erroneous teachers (Barrett 1985:22-24; Bruce 1982:155, Longenecker 1990:109-110).

3:7 In Gr., this verse begins with the phrase “you know, then.” It might be taken as a signal that an announcement is being made, such as, “know then!” (which I tend to prefer), or it could be a simple statement of fact: “you know, then.” The NLT seems to take this second view, omitting the phrase for smoother English.

3:8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” This statement is not meant as an explanation of the argument of 3:7 but as an addition to it, joined to it by the conjunction de [TG1161, ZG1254] (“what’s more”). This addition asserts that the real children of Abraham are not restricted to Jews but include Gentiles who, like Abraham, accept God’s promise in faith. The Scripture is personified as having the ability to “look forward.” Scripture is not detached from God, however; it is identified with God’s will and God’s ability to foresee the future (cf. TDNT 1.754). As such, Paul expressed a very high view of Scripture.

COMMENTARY [Text]

In this section, Paul uses the example of Abraham, a man of faith, to show that this Jewish forefather’s example would not support an argument that human activity could make a person accepted or justified by God. As the starting point for his argument, Paul cites Genesis 15:6 to emphasize Abraham’s faith (cf. Rom 4:3) in an exemplary proof-text that confirms the difference between works of the law and the hearing of faith discussed in the previous section. In contrast to Paul’s understanding of Abraham’s faith, the rabbis would have argued that Abraham was judged righteous because he had been faithful in the time of testing and was consequently rewarded (cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Gen 15:6; Exodus Rabbah 3:12; see also Longenecker 1990:113-114). The rabbis understood the reward as the establishment of the everlasting covenant of Genesis 17:1-8 with its unbreakable sign of circumcision (Gen 17:9-14; cf. Sir 44:19-21; 1 Macc 2:52; Jubilees 17:15-18). James, who also comments on Abraham’s faith (Jas 2:22-24), has a different starting point. He assumes Christian faith and then questions the actuality of that faith if it does not evidence the reality of a transformed life. To understand James correctly, one needs to consider Christians who assume that nothing more is needed than faith—Christians who misunderstand Paul.

Paul had been brought up with a rabbinic perspective, but when he became a Christian, he realized that Abraham did not merit the covenant. Instead, the covenant was a promise from God that Abraham accepted by faith. This distinction was foundational for Paul; it went to the heart of his conflict with the Galatians and their misguided teachers because they had undoubtedly relied on Abraham as their role model for the place of both circumcision and human effort in being justified (see Lightfoot’s classic comparison of Paul and Philo at this point; 1865:159-163). Not only did Paul assert that circumcision and human effort were of no avail, but he also presented faith not as an alternative type of good work but simply as the acceptance of God’s generosity. Abraham did nothing to warrant the promise; rather, he became a model for all time as one who heard the promise and believed God. Abraham’s faithfulness flowed from and did not precede the promise uttered by God.

In complete harmony with the scriptural prediction, all authentic children of Abraham, whether Gentiles or Jews, are accepted by God, not on the basis of their human status or activity, but on the basis of their faith. Paul clearly identified the issue at 3:7 as going beyond Abraham to those who would be his authentic descendants.

One important issue in this entire argument is how often Paul uses the concept of faith or believing; the people of faith, not the legalists, were the genuine children of Abraham. Moreover, Paul’s use of the generic huioi [TG5207, ZG5626] (sons, children) is obviously used in contrast to “seed” (spermati [TG4690, ZG5065]), both because of his concern for the Gentiles who did not need to be circumcised (3:8), and his basic thesis that there was only one legitimate “seed” of Abraham (namely, Christ; see comments on 3:16).

The Galatians and their misguided teachers (3:8) undoubtedly viewed themselves as being true heirs of the promise to Abraham (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4). But their view of being children of Abraham was dependent on their reformulation of the promise in Genesis 12:3 and on their understanding that both circumcision and the law were required. Paul emphatically declared that these requirements were outside the scope of acceptance by faith. He staunchly rejected the idea that the blessing to “all the nations” (panta ta ethnē [TG1484, ZG1620]) meant that all Gentiles had to become Jews in order to be accepted by God. Instead, the promise was extended to all persons who were united with Christ by faith.

In 3:9, Paul concludes his argument with a general declaration that places all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, into the same universal community. This community has its origin and existence in faith (ek pisteōs [TG1537/4102, ZG1666/4411]; cf. Rom 1:17), together with the forefather of faith, Abraham (cf. Rom 4:1-3, 16-17). Not only did Paul reject the idea that Gentiles had to become Jews, but he also rejected the idea that Jews had to deny their Jewish heritage to become Christians (Rom 11:1-2). Instead, he firmly maintained that all were called to faith as Abraham was, and all those of faith should be included in the blessing that came to Abraham.

Paul was neither anti-Jewish nor anti-Gentile; he was an advocate of faith in Christ, and he found in Scripture an ideal model of what faith and believing really mean. Abraham’s faith was a positive response to God’s promise. He heard and believed. Everyone must understand that faith is the fundamental basis for Christianity; a person does not need to have faith plus something else. Faith alone—sola fide—makes a person right with God.