In the case of Owen, the subjective genitive interpretation refers to "the works of the law". 50. This verse registers a strike against the argument that "the works of the law" refer to the whole law. He maintains that there was nothing wrong with the "works of the law" per se.
The problem is not that the "works of the law" are inherently wrong, but that they are. The next two verses speak simply of "the law" rather than of "the works of the law." The false teachers propagated the idea that "works of the law" and πίστις can work together.
First, redemption applies most directly to those who are "of the works of the law" in 3:10.
Membership within the "works of the law" group brings its own unique set of results. Although the purpose of those who identify with "the Law" and "works of the Law". Although the Law therefore offers the possibility to "live" by doing the things written in it, the thrust of the paragraph indicates that the "life" spoken of is only truly accessible through faith (3:11).
Although the "part of the law" group takes center stage in 3:10-14, Paul mentions several other groups, along with their identity markers and the implications of membership. Since "works of the law" are a subset of the larger category of "law," any criticism of the law applies equally to "works of the law." Therefore, Paul can apply the criticism of "the Law" in general in 3:11-12 to "all who are part of the law." Natus 3:13-14 speaks (1) of "us" who, through Christ becoming a curse, received deliverance from the curse of the law, (2) of "the Gentiles" who "in Christ Jesus" experience the blessing of Abraham, and (3) "we" who "by faith" receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, Paul speaks of a new benefit that comes to those who have faith - the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Finally, additional group benefits are discussed - deliverance from the curse of the law and receiving the Holy Spirit. They may also have believed that because of the "part of the law" they were descendants of Abraham.
The Spirit functions in 3:1-5 as the fundamental proof of the Galatians' membership within the group. That Paul again mentions the Spirit in 3:14 as the final effect of the salvation that Jesus brought is no coincidence. In Paul's view, the fact that the Spirit is the most important evidence to distinguish members of the "in Christ group" is.
The previous chapter of this study showed how Paul's thesis statement in Galatians 2:15-21 established an eschatological opposition between "faith" and "works of the Law". To be on the right side of this juxtaposition is a matter of life or death, justification or condemnation. In Galatians 3:1-14, Paul builds on this foundation by describing individuals who identify with any of these main identity markers as members of two social groups—the "by faith" group, and the "by works of the Law" group . Contrary to "the other gospel" preached in Galatia, true Abrahamic descent, which qualifies people for the blessing of Abraham and promise of inheritance, does not come from keeping "works of the law" but from membership in place the "of faith" group.
The second of the two διαθῆκαι in 4:24 is never clearly identified with Abraham; it is in fact implied that this covenant is to be identified with Sarah, and that it "corresponds" (συστοιχεῖ) to the. 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6; although it is doubtful that Paul would make a sharp distinction between the promise to Abraham and the so-called "New Covenant", since he connects the "New Covenant" sign of the outpouring of the Spirit with the Abrahamic blessing. This argument about "the addition of a codicil" is Paul's direct response to the opposing teachers' presentation of the Law (or, at least, the "works of the Law") as a necessary addition to the promise.
The opposing teachers were troubling the Galatian believers of Christ by telling them that they needed to undergo certain "works of the Law" in order to become full members of the covenant and qualify for the blessing of the inheritance.6 They built their argument around the premise that one had to be a "seed" of Abraham to receive the inheritance (Genesis 12:7;. Adding to the problem, Paul's argument regarding the singular τῷ σπέρματι rather than the plural τοῖς σπέρμασιν of the recipients of the promises confuses many scholars. , who completely neglect to address the way in which 3:16 fits into the immediate context. By narrowing the flow of promises to just two people—Abraham and his only seed, Christ—Paul effectively excludes as Abraham's Jewish descendants so are the proselytes from the promises!8.
Particularly problematic is the fact that Paul insists on the singularity of σπέρματι in his quote. 7 In the context of the Genesis account, the "inheritance" referred to the land of Canaan (Gen. 22 proves that Paul saw justification and eschatological life as at least part of the inheritance.
Das, Galatians, 350, suggests that Paul's surprising use of the plural ἐπαγγελίαι in 3:16 is explained by several instances of the same promise in Genesis. Every instance of the phrase τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ appears in the context of the promise to give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan. Longenecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, 106, describes the phenomenon of the “Targumic Plural”: “In fact, the Targums take this common understanding of the promise so much for granted that they render the term singularly and unambiguously plural. : 'and to your sons.'”.
A second defense of Paul's argument is that Paul relies on the inherent ambiguity of the term 'seed'.12 Because it is grammatically singular, yet often refers to a collective whole, Paul makes a 'rhetorical play' with the term.13 The collective use of σπέρμα in 3:29 shows that Paul was familiar with the traditional use of the word. Earle Ellis, Paul's Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Daube, The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism, 438-44; Roy A. Paul: In the Footsteps of Abraham (San Francisco: Mellen Research University. Press Dunn, Galatians, 184; Moisés Silva, "Galatians," in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, ed.
