Beginning in Galatians 2:16, “law” is first used in the phrase ergwn nomou, ‘works of the law’, which is being contrasted with pistewV Ihsou Cristou, ‘faith in Jesus Christ’.[1] And again within the same verse, the result of faith in Jesus Christ is to be dikaiwqwmen, ‘justified’ before God. Verses 15 and 16 could be taken together as one sentence, introducing the presentation of justification by faith as fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, thus being the climax of salvation history.[2] Bruce is supporting Kümmel’s view of Galatians 2:15-16, and to arrive at such a conclusion, 3:6-29 ought to be in the purview of the reader. There is significance to Paul’s use of Abraham as an example of one who is righteous and justified by faith in the same context as his discussion on the law; the connection will be further elaborated on when the covenant is addressed in the pages that follow.
At the end of 2:16 Paul quotes from Psalm 143:2 (LXX 142:2)[3]: oti ex ergwn nomou ou dikaiwqhsetai pasa sarx; he substitutes pasa sarx for pasa zwn of the LXX and inserts ex ergwn nomou before ou dikaiwqhsetai, omitting enwpion sou, which leads to the possible inference that for Paul at least this paraphrase of Ps. 142:2 had become a habitual proof-text for the doctrine of justification by faith apart from works of law.[4] And again in 2:19 and 21 “nomou” is used referring to “law” that is of no avail in terms of justification before God; the former verse includes a contrast
between nomw/ apeqanon ‘died to the law’ and qew/ zhsw ‘live to God’, as will be common to Paul in Galatians with the use of law and life. Paul ends his propositio in verse 21 by abruptly introducing his sentence of refutation without any linguistic connective, using the verb aqetew, ‘nullify’, ‘declare invalid’, or ‘set aside’, which is a rather strong term that has legal overtones, usually in connection with invalidating a “treaty,” “will,” or “covenant.”[5]
As Paul moves from his discussion on justification by faith in 2:19-21 to Galatians 3, the example of Abraham becomes foundational to understanding the law and the promise. In 3:5, ex ergwn nomou, ‘by works of the law’ is contrasted with ex akohV pistewV, ‘by hearing with faith’, leading to Abraham, who ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’ (3:6). Bruce suggests, “for Paul, the antithesis between law and Spirit was as absolute as the antithesis between works and faith,”[6] which is an acute observation that will be evidenced throughout the rest of Galatians. The “law” continues to be referenced in verses 10-13, carrying the same connotation of being cursed and condemned. Before addressing the law in 3:15-29, verse 10 offers an interesting quotation from Deuteronomy 30:10 that may help to understand one aspect of Paul’s use of “law of Christ.” Paul says, for all who rely on ergwn nomou, ‘works of the law’, are under a curse; for it is written cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in tw/ bibliw/ tou nomou, ‘the book of the law’, and do them (3:10). Tora in the OT is often referred to by many similar titles, such as “Book of the Law of Moses,” “Law of Moses,” “Book of the Law of God,” and “Law of the Lord.”[7] When Paul uses the expression “law of Christ,” he is not trying to instate a “new messianic torah,”[8] but rather he is simply using the phrase to encompass those teachings of Christ that are central to the Christian life, a form of expression common to him as one who knew the scriptures well and would have used such language in a like manner.
The crux of the present argument for the importance of “promise” in understanding the ultimate theological implications of the law of Christ finds its roots deeply embedded in Galatians 3:15-29. Paul begins by clarifying that the spermati, ‘seed’, in the promise made to Abraham is Christ (3:16); there is no plurality in the word Paul uses for his referent.[9] In following Paul’s argument, the law could not have nullified the promise made to Abraham, a promise that was confirmed by a covenant, because it came four hundred and thirty years later (3:17). Jesus Christ does what the works of the law were not designed to do, nor could ever do; he made justification by faith through grace available to all. This is confirmed in 3:29 as Paul states that if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s sperma, ‘seed’, and heirs according to the promise. In the discussion that falls between 3:17 and 3:29, Paul expounds faith over law as that which places the believer en Cristw/ Ihsou, making panteV uioi qeou, ‘all sons of God’ (3:26).
Being “in Christ Jesus” is the essence of Christian proclamation and experience, and though his words are few, Paul makes the point that belonging to Christ is what relates Gentile believers to Abraham and God’s covenantal promise.[10] This leads directly into the context of Galatians 6:2, where Christians are being exhorted to “bear one another’s burdens.” But before bringing all of Galatians into view, 6:2 being the focal point, there are two chapters to examine. First, Galatians 4 will be briefly discussed with few verses cited, and then Galatians 5 will help to further develop Paul’s thought on the law of Christ. The three times “law” is used in Galatians 4, it is in reference to being upo nomon, ‘under the law’. Paul speaks of Jesus in the incarnation as one who was born of woman, born upo nomon, in order that he could redeem those who were upo nomon (4:4-5); the third use being at that beginning of Paul’s allegory in the form of a rhetorical question: Tell me, you who desire to be upo nomon, do you not hear the law”? (4:21).
The use of “law” in Galatians 5:3-4 is consistent with what has been observed throughout the letter. In 5:18, Paul uses upo nomon again with the same connotation. And also in 5:23, nomoV is used in an interesting way, one that is different from all others. Bruce explains that “Paul does not simply mean that the nine virtues which make up the fruit of the Spirit are not forbidden by law; he means that when these qualities are in view we are in a sphere with which law has nothing to do.”[11] Simply stated, love conquers all and cannot be bound by the law. In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul not only explains how to bear one another’s burdens (5:13), but he also spells out what this law is: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (5:14). He is quoting from Leviticus 19:18, which was also quoted by Jesus as the ‘second’ commandment alongside the ‘first’ commandment of Deuteronomy 6:4, whereby perfect love is enjoined to God.[12] Now, Jesus’ words take on a new dimension as they are filtered through Paul’s speech and his being. Paul could wax poetic all day long, but his actions are what join the spirit and the letter of the law together,[13] not as “works of the law,” but rather he embodies the “law of Christ.”
With that being said, Galatians 6:2 is now in focus; the lens through which it is to be viewed has been properly adjusted. One can only bear the burdens of another through love, that being the fulfillment of the ton nomon tou Cristou. The words of Christ to those who asked him what are the greatest commandments resound in Paul’s exhortation. The law of Christ is the means by which the covenant relationship is maintained between God and man as the promise to Abraham is fulfilled. The contrast between “law” and “promise,” and the use of “law of Christ” antithetically to the rest of the “law” in Galatians indicates that ton nomon tou Cristou is intimately connected to the promise of God. And as Paul has pointed out, the promise is extended to all who have faith in Jesus Christ (3:23-29), the promise being contingent upon faith. For he professes the law of Christ as the whole tradition of Jesus’ ethical teaching, confirmed by his character and conduct (cf. Rom. 13:14; 2 Cor. 10:1), and reproduced within his people by the power of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:2).[14] Only through the inauguration of the new age by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit can believers keep the law of Christ,[15] and in so doing they fulfill the law as Paul has defined it in the context of Galatians 6:2, using both his language and life to communicate the heart of Christ.
[1] See F. F. Bruce, NIGTC Commentary on Galatians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 138-39 for a thorough discussion on the use of the objective genitive in the phrase dia pistewV Ihsou Cristou, ‘through faith in Jesus Christ’. If the genitive is taken as subjective, then the phrase is variously interpreted as meaning Christ’s faith in God, or Christ’s faithfulness to God, or God’s faithfulness revealed in Christ (Bruce, 139).
[2] Cf. 2 Cor. 6:2, “now is the day of salvation” (Bruce, Galatians, 136-37).
[3] Ps. 142:2b (LXX): oti ou dikaiwqhsetai enwpion sou paV zwn, ‘for all living will not be justified before you’.
[5] Cf. 1 Macc. 11:36; 2 Macc. 13:25; Gal. 3:15; Ignatius, Eph. 10.3 (Longenecker, Galatians, 94). The legal implication of the language that Paul uses in verse 21 is intertwined with the subsequent argument in Galatians 3, which deals with the promise to Abraham and its relationship to the law.
[8] See Richard B. Hays, “Christology and Ethics in Galatians: The Law of Christ,” Catholic Bible Quarterly, 49.2 (1987): 273-74 for a discussion against the position that Paul is referring to the ethical teachings of Jesus, regarded as a new and definitive type of halakah (contra. C. H. Dodd and W. B. Davies), 274.
[9] The argument for a specific or generic singular is well attested by Longenecker, who cites many readings of “seed” in Rabbinic Judaism, as well as providing a litany of scholars that debate the issue (Longenecker, Galatians, 131-32). See Bruce, Galatians, 172-73 for more bibliographical information on the topic.
[11] Bruce, Galatians, 255.
[12] Bruce, Galatians, 241. Cf. Mk. 12:28-31; Lk. 10:27; Mt. 22:40; Dodd notes that there is a certain parallel between Matthew’s en tautaiV taiV dusin entolaiV oloV o nomoV krematai (Mt. 22:40) and Paul’s o paV nomoV en eni logw peplhrwtai (Gal. 5:14) (Dodd, More New Testament Studies, 139).
[14] Bruce, Galatians, 261.
