Galatians Chapter 3 – Commentary & Explanation
Sometimes when I open Galatians 3, I almost feel Paul’s voice shaking. Not in anger only, but in a kind of hurt, like when you watch someone you deeply love walk toward a cliff without realizing it. The chapter begins so suddenly, so straight-to-the-heart, it almost knocks the breath out of you. And honestly… it’s one of the most emotional, raw confrontations in all of Paul’s letters.
And maybe that’s why this chapter feels so strangely close to real life. Because so many times we start our Christian walk with such pure trust in Jesus, and slowly, without even noticing, we drift into trying to make ourselves “holy enough” by our own efforts. And that’s where Galatians 3 comes like a wake-up call.
Verse 1 – “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”
The moment I read this, I always pause. Paul doesn’t usually talk like this unless something serious is happening. “Foolish” here isn’t an insult like we use today, but more like, “Why are you acting without thinking? Why are you falling for something so obviously wrong?”
And that phrase “who has bewitched you?” — wow. It feels almost like Paul thinks some kind of deception spell has been cast over them. And honestly, spiritual confusion can feel like that sometimes. Like your mind gets cloudy, and simple truths become complicated, and the joy you once had in Jesus feels far away.
Paul reminds them that Christ was clearly portrayed before them as crucified. Meaning: You saw the gospel so clearly. How did you forget it this fast?
It’s a painful question… one that hits me personally, because I know how easily I forget what Jesus did for me. Not forget like memory loss — forget like the heart gets distracted.
Verse 2 – “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?”
This is such a gentle, simple question. Almost like Paul is taking their chin, lifting their face toward the truth. He basically asks:
“How did this whole thing begin for you? Through your effort? Or through faith?”
And honestly, we all know the answer. No one ever prayed, “Lord, I deserve salvation, give it to me.” We came empty. And God filled. We came broken. And God healed. We came guilty. And God forgave.
No law ever gave the Holy Spirit. No rule ever changed a heart. Only grace does that.
Sometimes I think back to when I first truly felt God’s presence. It wasn’t during a perfect moment. It wasn’t on a day when I had everything together. It was during a season where I felt like I was falling apart. And yet — God came close. Not because I earned it, but because He loved me.
That’s Paul’s whole point.
The beginning was grace.
So why would the middle become something else?
Verse 3 – “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
This verse hits like a soft punch in the chest. It’s so real. So relatable.
Paul is basically saying:
“Why are you trying to finish by human strength what God started by His Spirit?”
How many times we do this too?
We start our walk with joy, freedom, awe… and then slowly we start adding pressure:
“I should pray more.”
“I should read more chapters.”
“I should be more holy.”
“I should never struggle again.”
And the moment we fail, we feel ashamed, like God is disappointed.
It’s like trying to run a marathon while carrying a backpack full of bricks.
The Galatians didn’t stop believing in Jesus — but they stopped believing that Jesus was enough. And there’s a big difference between those two things.
Verse 4 – “Have you suffered so many things in vain?”
This one feels almost sad.
Paul is reminding them of the sacrifices they already made for their faith. Their early days of following Jesus weren’t easy. There were persecutions, misunderstandings, losses.
And now… they’re walking away from the very truth they suffered for.
It’s like training for a race for months and quitting right before the finish line. Or like building a home brick by brick and then walking away before putting the roof. You look at it and think, “Why stop now? Why waste all that pain you’ve already gone through?”
Sometimes spiritual confusion doesn’t erase our past — it erases our direction. And Paul is trying to pull them back.
Verse 5 – “Does He who supplies the Spirit… do it by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?”
Here Paul gently brings the conversation back to God’s generosity.
God supplies the Spirit — meaning He keeps pouring, keeps giving, keeps filling, keeps strengthening. And why? Because we performed well? No. Because of faith.
Grace doesn’t stop once we’re saved.
It keeps flowing.
Like a spring that never runs dry.
One of my favorite things about walking with God is how unexpectedly He comforts us sometimes — like a warm breeze in a cold evening, or like a sudden peace in the middle of chaos. These little touches from God aren’t rewards for spiritual perfection. They’re expressions of His heart.
Verse 6 – “Abraham believed God…”
And now Paul shifts the whole argument to Scripture.
He brings Abraham — the big spiritual father — into the conversation. And he says something shocking: Abraham wasn’t blessed because of works. Abraham wasn’t righteous because of rules. There wasn’t even a Law yet.
Abraham simply believed God’s promise.
And God said, “That’s righteousness.”
It’s so simple that we almost want to complicate it. Faith looks too small, too soft, too easy. But that’s the beauty of it. The moment we believe God… truly believe Him… something changes inside our soul.
Sometimes late at night, when the world gets quiet, the only thing keeping us standing is one small belief leftover: “God is still with me.”
And that tiny belief — even if trembling — is enough. It’s faith. And God honors that kind of faith more than any performance.
Verse 7 – “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”
This was a huge shock to the Jewish teachers. They believed Abraham’s family was only physical. But Paul says something revolutionary:
The real children of Abraham are the people who trust God, not the people who follow rules.
That means you… me… anyone who believes.
We’re part of that ancient promise.
Not by blood.
Not by heritage.
But by faith.
It’s wild when you think about it. You and I are part of a story God started thousands of years ago, long before we were born, long before our country existed, long before our problems even began.
Faith ties us into God’s family in a deeper way than biology ever could.
Verse 8–9 – The Gentiles included
Scripture predicted this long ago — that God would call people from every nation. And Paul gently reminds the Galatians:
“You are blessed with Abraham because of faith.”
This is one of those verses that almost feels like a hug. It tells us we were always on God’s mind. Always included. Always wanted.
Sometimes Christians feel like they’re “outsiders” or “less spiritual” because they don’t come from a religious family or they don’t have long years of church history behind them. But God’s blessing was never tied to bloodlines — only to believing hearts.
Galatians Chapter 3 – Commentary & Explanation
As we move deeper into Galatians 3, something interesting starts happening. Paul shifts from emotionally shaking the Galatians awake to building this detailed, layered argument — kind of like stacking blocks one by one so no one can knock the truth down again. And what I love about Paul (even though he can be soooo intense sometimes), is that he doesn’t just shout “You’re wrong!” but he explains why the gospel stands unshakeable.
And honestly… it makes me think how many believers today fall into confusion not because they hate the truth, but because they never understood it deeply. And Galatians 3 kinda untangles that knot.
Verse 10 – “All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse…”
This one sounds harsh at first glance, but it’s not meant to crush anyone. Paul is showing a simple reality:
If someone tries to be saved by the law, they have to keep every single part of it perfectly. Not 60%. Not 80%. Not “mostly good.”
Every. Single. Command.
And nobody (except Jesus) can do that.
It’s like trying to walk across a tightrope suspended over flames… with no safety net… and you’re half-asleep. Even one slip means falling. That’s the curse Paul is talking about — the weight of perfection. The impossible pressure of trying to earn God’s approval through rule-keeping.
Sometimes in my own life, when I fall into that mindset — like thinking God loves me more on my “good days” — I feel that curse too. It’s heavy. It steals peace. It steals joy. It steals even the desire to come close to God.
Paul is saying:
“Why choose a path that is impossible to walk?”
Verse 11 – “The righteous shall live by faith.”
This is one of those verses you could tattoo on your soul, honestly.
The righteous live by faith.
Not by performance.
Not by rituals.
Not by perfect behavior.
Faith is the heartbeat of Christian living.
And somehow, faith feels lighter. Not lazy, not careless — just lighter. Like when you exhale after holding your breath for too long. Like when rain finally falls after a long dusty summer. Faith lets us breathe because it tells us we don’t have to carry ourselves. God carries us.
Living by faith isn’t always easy, but it’s always freeing.
Verse 12 – “The law is not of faith…”
Paul is drawing a line here.
Not an angry line — a clarifying one.
The law says, “Do this and live.”
Faith says, “Believe and live.”
Two different roads.
Two different foundations.
Two different ways of relating to God.
And the key thing here is that the law CAN’T give life. It can show the standard. It can expose sin. It can guide externally. But it can’t transform the heart. It’s like a mirror — it shows the dirt on your face but gives you no water to wash it off.
Faith, though… faith is like water, soap, and the gentle hand of God cleaning us from the inside out.
Verse 13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law…”
This one always makes me stop, breathe, and just sit for a second.
Jesus didn’t just forgive us.
He didn’t just make salvation possible.
He freed us from an impossible burden.
And how?
By becoming a curse for us.
That part is wild when you slow down long enough to feel it.
He took the weight.
The failure.
The punishment.
The impossibility.
The spiritual exhaustion.
The shame.
The broken commandments.
The expectations nobody could meet…
All of it, He took on Himself.
Sometimes when I think of that, I remember being a kid trying to carry a heavy bucket of water. It was too big for me, too heavy, it kept spilling and hurting my fingers. And then an older cousin, stronger than me, came by, lifted it with one hand, and said, “I got it.”
That’s Jesus in Galatians 3.
Taking the unbearable bucket.
Carrying it for us.
Verse 14 – “That the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles…”
Here Paul connects everything together.
Why did Christ redeem us?
So that the blessing — the promise God gave Abraham — would flow to everyone. Not just Israel. Not just one nation. But every nation. Every background. Every person who believes.
The blessing wasn’t land.
It wasn’t wealth.
It wasn’t a big family tree.
The blessing was the Spirit.
The inner life of God placed inside us.
And there’s something so beautiful about that. God’s promise wasn’t about giving us things — it was about giving us Himself.
Sometimes on quiet evenings, when the world slows down and you smell the faint dusty scent in the air or hear a dog barking somewhere far off, you can almost feel the Spirit’s presence reminding you, “You belong to God.” Not by bloodline. Not by culture. Not by the law.
But through Jesus.
Verse 15 – “Even with a human covenant…”
Paul uses a simple example.
When people make a covenant (like a legal agreement), no one just changes it randomly afterwards. You can’t add terms later and say, “Oh, by the way, you owe me more now.”
If humans respect their own agreements, how much more God?
Paul’s building to something big:
The promise came before the law.
And nothing that comes later can cancel what God already promised.
Verse 16 – “The promises were made to Abraham and his Seed…”
Now he goes deeper.
He points out that God didn’t say “seeds” (plural) but “seed” — which, according to Paul, points to Christ.
This means the entire promise, the entire blessing, the entire redemption plan wasn’t about many saviors or many options. It was all focused on one person: Jesus.
This is Paul’s gentle way of saying:
“You can’t add Moses to Jesus.
The whole promise is fulfilled in Jesus alone.”
And honestly, that brings so much clarity. It’s like when you finally clean a foggy pair of glasses and realize you’ve been squinting at life for too long.
Verse 17 – The law cannot cancel the promise
This is a huge theological moment.
Paul says the law came 430 years after Abraham. That means the promise was already in effect, unchangeable, unbreakable.
So the law was never meant to be a replacement.
It was never meant to be the foundation of salvation.
This must have been shocking to the Galatians who were being told they “needed the law to be complete.” But Paul cuts through the noise:
Grace came first.
Grace stands.
Grace remains.
Sometimes in our own spiritual journey, we forget this and treat grace like a small doorway into the Christian life, and the law like the big hallway we must walk through. But Galatians flips that idea upside down.
We start with grace.
We continue with grace.
We end with grace.
Verse 18 – “If the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on a promise.”
This verse almost feels like a sigh — like Paul is trying to calm their hearts.
A promise is a promise.
Imagine a dad telling his daughter, “I’ll take you to the beach this weekend.”
And then suddenly saying, “But only if you wash the dishes perfectly every day this week.”
That’s not a promise anymore.
That’s a contract.
God didn’t give us a contract.
He gave us a promise.
And a promise from God is stronger than human weakness, stronger than our failures, stronger than our inconsistencies. Paul wants the believers to feel that assurance again — that warmth in the soul that says, “God’s promise doesn’t depend on me.”
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