Galatians Commentary:
I. Introduction (1:1-9)
II. Paul's Gospel and Authority (1:10-2:21)
III. Faith Alone Against Works-Gospel (3:1-5:12)
A. Works of Law or Faith? (3:1-9)
B. The Law Falls Short (3:10-14)
C. Law and Promise (3:15-22)
D. Bondage and Freedom (3:23-29)
E. Slaves and Sons (4:1-7)
F. How Can you Turn Back? (4:8-11)
G. Concerned Appeal (4:12-20)
H. Hagar and Sarah (4:21-31)
I. Faith Working through Love (5:1-12)
IV. New Life in the Spirit and Love (5:13-6:18)
Ignatius writes, "When I heard some saying, If I do not find it in the ancient Scriptures, I will not believe the Gospel; on my saying to them, It is written, they answered me, That remains to be proved. But to me Jesus Christ is in the place of all that is ancient: His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity; by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified." (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, ch 8).
Justin Martyr writes, "When Abraham himself was still uncircumcised, he was justified and blessed by God because of his faith in him, as the Scriptures tell us. Furthermore, the Scriptures and the facts of the case force us to admit that Abraham received circumcision for a sign, not for justification itself... and along with Abraham we shall inherit the holy land, when we shall receive the inheritance for an endless eternity, being children of Abraham through the like faith. For as he believed the voice of God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, in like manner we having believed God's voice spoken by the apostles of Christ, and promulgated to us by the prophets, have renounced even to death all the things of the world. Accordingly, He promises to him a nation of similar faith, God-fearing, righteous, and delighting the Father; but it is not you, 'in whom is no faith.' " (Dialogue with Trypho, 23 and 119).
"But the strangest thing of all is that when the Saviour and Lord of all, the Creator and Ruler of this lower universe, the Son and Word of the Great Father, Mediator, High-priest, and Partner of His throne; He, who for the sake of us that had dishonoured His image, and had cast it down to the ground, and who knew not the great mystery of the Union, had not merely "come down into the form of a servant," but had gone up unto the Cross, carrying with Him my sin, to die there----that He being called a Samaritan, and what is much worse, accused of being possessed by a devil, was neither ashamed, nor reproached those who insulted Him----He to whom it was an easy thing to avenge himself upon the wicked by means of the angelic host, and by a single word----but that He answered those that insulted Him, altogether patiently and with mildness, and shed tears for those who crucified Him----a very strange thing it was for him to think that we would be vexed or ashamed at being so called, or be slackened in our zeal for the good cause, or would make more account of his insults than of our own lives and bodies, which we know how to despise for the Truth's sake!" (Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 4: First Invective Against Julian, 78).
Ambrose writes, " If Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, and that which is accounted for righteousness passes from unbelief to faith, then are we justified by faith, not by the works of the Law. Now Abraham himself had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, one of the bondwoman, the other of the freewoman; and it was told him that he should cast out the bondwoman and the son of the bondwoman, for that the son of the bondwoman should not be his heir. We therefore are children not of the bondwoman but of the free woman, in that liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. Hence it follows that they are specially Abraham's sons, who are so by faith, for the heirs of faith excel heirs by natural birth. The Law is our schoolmaster, faith is free; let us therefore cast away the works of bondage, let us preserve the grace of liberty, let us leave the shade, and follow the Sun, let us desert Jewish rites." (Ambrose to Horontianus, Letter LXXVIII, 1).
Ver 21. Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don’t you listen to the law?
Ver 22. For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman.
Ver 23. However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise.
Ver 24. These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar.
Ver 25. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.
Ver 26. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Ver 27. For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband.”
Ver 28. Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
Ver 29. But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
Ver 30. However, what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman.”
Ver 31. So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman.