No. 24. >> How does Paul structure his response to the arguments about the issues confronting the Galatians? And what does this tell us about how Paul interpreter interprets Scripture? Did Jesus interpret Scripture differently? >>DR. ARTHUR A. JUST, JR.: Eric, the question you ask is one of the most important questions for understanding this next section of Galatians, Galatians 3 and 4. Because what we're going to be seeing now from this moment on is the way in which Paul interprets Scriptures over and against his opponents. The arguments from Scriptures now begin. And I think we need to reflect for a moment on the way in which Paul understands the Scriptures and argues from them. The way Jesus does. And the way his opponents do. Remember what we said about Paul. He was brought up in the most conservative Pharisaical school in Jerusalem, the No. 1 school, the school of Gamaliel and he learned a Pharisaical way of interpreting the Scriptures. It's a rabbinic manner. And by rabbinic we simply mean that they use proof texts. They go back to the Scriptures. And they pick out passages that they use to mount an argument. They do what we call Midrash, which means interpretation of the Scriptures oftentimes by stringing together a number of Scripture passages. Now, this is typical. This is the way Paul learned. And this is in a sense the way Jesus argues Scripture. Remember I said Jesus was closer to the Pharisees and their conservative interpretation of Scripture than he was to anyone else. And so Jesus and Paul would be very much at home with one another in the way in which they interpreted Scripture. So also would Paul's opponents. They all went to the same school. They all have the same teachers. They all learned the same method. In fact, this is the method that endures after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD when you have the rabbinic traditions developing in what is called the Mishnah, which is a great huge volume of rabbinic literature, interpretations of the scriptures and the ordering of Jewish life after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. So we have a great window into the mind of those who would have followed in the tradition of Paul and Jesus. Now, we learn a lot about how they interpreted Scripture here from Galatians. And I think it's important to recognize that Paul is up against some people who know how he argues Scripture. And he knows how they argue Scripture. Now, it's probably difficult to say this with 100% surety. But we need to look at the passages and ask ourselves: Which ones did Paul choose and which ones did his opponents choose? Sometimes we'll see Paul responding to passages that he might not have chosen in his argument about what the Gospel is. But we know that his opponents have been there. That they have been using arguments in their own effort to bring about an understanding of the Gospel plus the law. So it's a very helpful thing to try to read between the lines as best we can. Now, the most intense use of Scripture is in the next paragraph. Verses 6 through 14. And look at it with me. And I want to list out the passages for you because I want you to see in doing that how many times Paul quotes Scripture. In Chapter 3 Verse 6 Paul is citing Genesis 15:6. Exactly as Abraham believed in God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now this is going to be an important passage. I think this is a passage that his opponents have cited. And I think we need to unpack that a little bit in a minute. Then if you drop down to Verse 8, this is two verses later, you will see that it says that: The Gospel was preached before him to Abraham that all nations will have their blessing in you. That's Genesis 12 Verse 3. Genesis 12 Verse 3. Important to recognize that that comes before Genesis 15. Then if you drop down to Verse 10 when we talk now about the curse of the law, Paul is citing here Deuteronomy 27:26. Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all the things written in the book of the law in order to do them. And it's important to see that this is the only place in the Pauline corpus -- and I think this is important to point out I'll make this again the only place in the Pauline corpus where he cites this verse. And he talks about a curse. This is also the only place in the Old Testament where the law and a curse are put together in the same verse. Now, that's an interesting phenomena, too. Paul didn't have a computer where he could go through the whole Old Testament and look at where law and curse come together. But he knew it. And that's part of his argument. I think this is one of Paul's quotations. Just as I think Genesis 12:3 is as well. Then in Verse 11 he quotes Habakkuk 2 Verse 4. The righteous will live by faith or the righteous by faith will live. Depending on your translation there. In Genesis 15:6 -- I didn't mention that before because I wanted to wait until this moment -- and Habakkuk 2 Verse 4, these are the only two places in the Old Testament where faith and righteousness are linked in the same verse or in the same context. Now, that's amazing, too. Genesis 15, Habakkuk 2, the only place those are mentioned. I think that shows you that Paul is choosing one of the two texts, I think it's this one that he's choosing in order to counter the argument of his opponents. In the next verse, Verse 12, Paul -- and I think this is a Pauline verse -- quotes Leviticus 18:15 which we would translate: The one who does them shall live by them. And of course I think he's thinking there of the law. The one who does the law shall live by the law. That's Leviticus 18:15. And then finally, Verse 13, Deuteronomy 21:23: Cursed is everyone who hangs upon the tree. There the word curse is used again. And I think this is a uniquely Pauline verse. Going back to Verse 12, the Leviticus one, that could be his opponents verse, as well. And Paul may be having to cite it in order to respond to it. But I think when we get to it, we can discuss whether or not that is the case. Now, look at that: Genesis 15, Genesis 12, Deuteronomy 27, Habakkuk 2, Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 21. Six citations from the Old Testament within eight verses. Now, that's extraordinary. What we call that is a ***catana, in other words, a string of Bible passages in which he's mounting an argument by means of the text that he cites. Now, what's going on here? Well, first of all, in Verses 6 to 9, the issue here is descent of Abraham. And we're going to put on the table right now at the beginning of this exegetical argument the fact that identity is the key. Whose are you? To whom do you belong? And I think you can see his opponents are going to be using the covenant of circumcision with Abraham as a key -- as a key in their argument to promote circumcision. And they are going to trump the covenant that was given to Abraham by means of circumcision. And so Paul has to begin there. And so as I said, I think this is a passage that Paul would not have normally cited. But he cites it because it's a passage his opponents cite. And that is that Abraham believed in God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now, there's always been a problem for some in this verse because it looks as if Abraham's faith is the means by which he's reckoned his righteousness. But I think it's important if you go back to Genesis that the promise comes before this and the promise is assumed. And so Abraham believes the promise. And it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now, I think his opponents, Paul's opponents, are playing fast and loose with the text. Because what they are trying to claim is the covenant of circumcision trumps the promise that all nations would be blessed in Abraham. That precedes the covenant of circumcision. And Paul wants to make that very clear. And so that's why in Verse 7 he goes to the question of identity. This is a question not only for the Galatians but for us. And again, he uses that language that I referred to before. And this is very important. You know he says, you know Galatians, because we've talked about this. I've preached on this. I've catechized on this. You know then that those who are by faith -- it's a very simple statement -- they are the sons of Abraham. Okay. Now, I think by faith here, we have to now see that when faith is used, it begins with Christ's faith, which means his suffering, death and resurrection. And our faith in Christ. Now, this is a unique statement in the Pauline corpus. That our identity is by faith. How do we know who we are? Because we are like Abraham. We are defined by faith. Faith in the promise. The promise that God would send a Messiah. Not by circumcision. But by faith. Now, you can see he's working off that works of the law hearing that -- hearing of faith, proclamation that elicits faith. He's working off that now by going to identity is faith. And then Verse 8 he really begins to mount his own exegetical argument. And Verse 8 is a really interesting passage for those who are interested in how Scripture is to be understood. Knowing that, he says, the Scripture -- and here this is actually a difficult passage to translate because Paul goes back and forth between clauses here. In the Scripture foreseeing that God would declare righteous -- would make right what's gone wrong. There's justification -- would declare righteous the Gentiles by faith, preach the Gospel before them to Abraham saying in you shall all the nations be blessed. Now look at what it says. First of all, it says that Scripture has foresight. Scripture is like kind of like a being here. It's not kind of like a disembodied word. But Scripture is like alive. It preaches the Gospel ahead of time. And what it does is it preaches the Gospel that all nations will be blessed in Abraham. And that includes Gentiles. And that God is going to declare righteous. God is going to make right what has gone wrong not only in the world for Jews but for Gentiles, as well. Now, this precedes the covenant of circumcision. That's Paul's argument. And it's really quite brilliant. He's going to bring it up later, too, because it is such a great argument. But you can see that his opponents are ignoring a part of Scripture. And Paul needs to bring out the full context of Genesis so that they fully understand what it is that's happening there. And then in Verse 9 he goes back now to identity. So that those whose identity is by faith will be blessed with the faith of Abraham or with faithful Abraham. Now, notice how do you become a child of Abraham? Remember that's the big thing about the Jews. We are children of Abraham the Pharisees say to John the Baptist. And John of course says God can raise from these stones children of Abraham. And stones there is a reference to Gentiles. You know, being a child of Abraham is what a Jew is all about. Paul is saying that it's not by circumcision which the Jews would have claimed as being the way in which one has descended from Abraham. It's by faith. It's Abraham's faith. He believed in the promise. And that was reckoned to him as righteousness. So those whose identity is by Christ's faith and our faith in Christ, they are the ones who are blessed in the same way as Abraham was blessed because he was the faithful one. And then Verse 10. Verse 10 in a sense starts a new section. But let's look at that and then we'll take another question. Verse 10 says: For all those who are relying-- I guess we would say -- on works of the law. They are under the power of a curse. Now, I want you to look at that language. It's very clear. It's a technical term. It's a preposition hupah, which means under the power of. And this is the first of ten uses of that. And here -- remember we were talking about how the incarnation is an Apocalyptic event. I think we have to see that Paul is very much aware that there are powers out there. God is a power. The devil is a power. The law is a power. The flesh is a power. Here he is talking about the works of the law is kind of a cosmic power. And those who kind of bind themselves to that, they are under the curse. Now, this would have been scandalous for Paul's opponents to hear Paul speaking of the law as a curse. But then Paul cites the Old Testament. This has got to be Paul. His opponents would never have cited this passage. And as I said, this is unique in Paul. Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all of the things written in the book of the law in order to do them. Now, I'm sure you heard this before even in our own culture. But I think what's happening here in Paul's context is this: The Old Testament is a big book. There are lots of laws to keep there. And to keep all of those laws is practically impossible. In fact, it is. And we know that. I think even his opponents knew that as sinners it's impossible to keep all of the laws. Paul is going to say that you can't just pick and choose. The opponents were doing that. You don't have to keep it all they said. That's not necessary. Only people like Paul keep all the law. Or James. You know, you get circumcised, you keep the Sabbath, follow the calendar events, keep the purity laws, eat kosher foods, you do that stuff, you'll be okay. Paul is saying no. Once you bind yourself to the law as a means of salvation, you've got to do it all. And if you don't, you're going to be cursed. That's what the Bible says. That's what Moses says in Deuteronomy. Now, that is a powerful statement. And he's going to repeat that later on. But he's saying very clearly here that the law and the curse are together. Now, keep that in mind. Because at the end of this chapter it's going -- at the end of this section -- excuse me -- it's going to talk about how Christ is cursed on the cross. But cursed is everyone who does not remain, who does not continue, abide, in everything. Notice, it's everything. All the things that are written in the book of law, that's the torah, in order to do them. And that is a very, very powerful statement over and against his opponents. Because even the Galatians who may not be as sophisticated in interpreting the Scriptures as Paul and his opponents would, they would understand in their own lives being somewhat self aware that it was impossible for them by their own efforts to keep everything in the law. Therefore, they would be cursed.