Galatians 3:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"If the promise were given by the law, then you might rightly fear that, by falling away from the law, you would also be deprived of justification. But if the law was given to shut up all, that is, to expose and disclose their own transgressions, then it not only does not hinder you from receiving the promises, but even assists that reception."

Pointing to this, he said: "But the Scripture shut up all under sin, that the promise might be given to believers through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 3:22).

In reality, however, as we said above, it was given because of transgressions. It rather exposes sinners, to whom it was given after the promise as a kind of guard, and, so to speak, as a prison. Those who did not wish to await the promised fulfillment in innocence by freedom of will were hindered by the bonds of the Law. They were brought into service to the commandments, so that they might be preserved until the coming faith in Christ, which represented the fulfillment, the finem, or end, of the promise.

But Scripture must not be regarded as the cause of sin because it appears to have shut up all under sin. The commandment, proceeding from lawful right, reveals and exposes sin rather than causing it. Likewise a judge is not the creator of crime when he puts chains on criminals. He shuts them in prison and declares guilt by his authoritative sentence, so that afterward, if he wishes, he may free those liable to punishment by higher clemency.

Yet He did not call even these commandments evil, but not good, as wholly unsuitable for the perfect. Thus mother's milk is unpleasant to those who have reached mature age, but suitable for infants. The divine Apostle says the same here: "For if a law had been given which could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law." For the superfluities of the law stirred wonder in the divine temple.

This law, Paul says, was not given so that it could raise to life. If it had been established for this, then justice would truly have been accomplished from this law. But now it was not established in this way. It was not given so that life might be found in it, but so that, through the tablets, every kind of sin might be made known and shown to be avoided. Therefore justice does not come from the law, that is, there is in it neither justification nor salvation. Rather, it comes from faith, as was promised.

Blessed Jerome writes: "It must not be thought that the law excludes the promise. On the contrary, since it could not give life or supply what the promise had promised, it is clear that the law itself was given to guard the promise, not to destroy it. If a law had been given that could supply life and fulfill what the promise had promised, then the promise would truly have been excluded by the law. But since it was given because of transgressions, it rather exposes those sinners to whom it was given after the promise as a guard. Since they did not wish to await the promised thing in purity by free will, they were bound by the bonds of the law and, as it were, handed over to slavery under legislation. Thus they were preserved for the coming of Christ, for faith in Him, in which are the fulfillment and end of the promise."

And St. John Chrysostom says: "God gave the Jews the law so that it would reveal their wounds and urge them to seek the Physician. It brought a double benefit. First, it guided those who heeded it toward such virtue as was possible. Second, it awakened in each a consciousness of his sins, which especially disposed them to seek the Son of God. By holding them in fear and in life according to the law, as within certain walls, the law thereby preserved them for faith."

"And the fact that they proved to be transgressors of the law served not to harm, but to benefit those who believed. For knowledge of a most dangerous disease makes one desire the Physician more strongly and love Him more fervently. For he to whom more is forgiven loves more" (Blessed Augustine).

It is not immediately clear how this conclusion follows from the given proposition. The holy Apostle explains it at once. If a law had been given that could give life, it would have been against the promises. But since this cannot be said (Gal 3:22), neither can it be said that it is against the promises.

The force of the holy Apostle’s thought lies in the word “give life.” The promise pledges enlivening. The law does not give this enlivening. Therefore it neither annuls nor replaces the promise.

If it gave life, then after it there would no longer be any need to await the fulfillment of the promise. The power of the promise would have passed into the law. But since this cannot be said of the law, the promise remains in force.

That the promise truly pledged spiritual enlivening, the Apostle said above (Gal 3:14). He expressed that the blessing of the nations promised to Abraham is the reception, through faith, of the Life-giving Spirit of grace.

This is the essence of the whole divine economy of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him all promises and all prophetic proclamations of good tidings are concentrated.

The Lord came. Those who cleave to Him by faith are spiritually made alive by the grace of the Holy Spirit and begin to live a new life.

If the law did this, there would have been no need for the Lord’s coming, nor His sufferings, nor His ascension and sitting at the right hand of the Father. There would have been no need for the sending down of the Holy Spirit or the establishment of the New Covenant Church.

All this took place because the law did not have power to give life. To make this clearer, let us recall what was said earlier. The law only restrained, holding men back from criminal deeds by fear. It did not extinguish inward passion and did not give spiritual life.

Through this, it intensified the feeling of sinfulness and compelled men to seek the promised Deliverer. From these two sides of the law it follows that it is not against the promises. It not only does not replace or annul them, but demands their fulfillment.

It is worth noting the terms used by the Apostle. According to the course of the argument, one would expect him to say: if the law could give life, then it would be against the promises. But the Apostle says: if the law could give life, then righteousness would be from the law.

According to the principles of the holy Apostle, the gift of righteousness is the fulfillment of the promise in all its power. The fulfillment of the promise (Gal 3:14) is the reception of the Spirit of grace, Who gives life and regenerates.

Consequently, righteousness in the Apostle means gracious regeneration. It gives inward rectitude to the whole structure of a person’s spiritual life. Having been cleansed from sins and received power to resist sin, men serve God in righteousness, in the exact fulfillment of His commandments.

They also have boldness to look upon Him as sons, with confidence in His good pleasure and in the expectation of eternal blessedness in Him. This is in Christ Jesus the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Jerome writes: “It must not be thought that the law excludes the promise merely because, having been given after it, it seems to annul it. On the contrary, from the fact that it could not give life and could not provide what the promise pledged, it is clear that it itself was given for the protection of the promise, not for its destruction. If a law had been given that could provide life and thus fulfill what the promise pledged, then indeed the promise would have been excluded by the law. But since it was given because of transgressions, it rather convicts those sinners to whom, after the promise, it was given for safekeeping. Since by free will they did not want to await the Promised One in purity, they were bound by the bonds of the law and, as it were, handed over into the servitude of ordinances. Thus they were kept for the coming of Christ, for faith in Him, in which lies the fulfillment and end of the promise.”

Let us also add the words of wise Photius. “If the law could give life, then someone might rightly think that it was against the promises and seized their right, claiming the power to justify. But since it has no strength to do any such thing, neither to give life nor to justify, it is clear that it was not given in place of the promises. The latter preserve their power, since they alone save and justify him who is of faith. And the law was not only not against the promises, but in a certain way even cooperated with them and served them. By not saving and not justifying, it directed men toward faith. By directing them toward faith, it cooperated in the fulfillment of the promises” (in Oecumenius).