Galatians 3:21 kjv
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Galatians 3:21 nkjv
Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
Galatians 3:21 niv
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
Galatians 3:21 esv
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
Galatians 3:21 nlt
Is there a conflict, then, between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
Galatians 3 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gal 3:17 | "And this I contend that the covenant that was ratified...the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later..." | Shows law cannot invalidate prior covenant |
| Rom 4:13 | "For the promise to Abraham and his offspring... through the righteousness of faith." | Promise given by faith, not law |
| Heb 7:18 | "For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because it was weak and unprofitable..." | Points to the weakness of the Law |
| Rom 5:20 | "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..." | Law intensified sin, didn't save |
| John 1:17 | "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." | Grace and truth through Christ, not Law |
| Rom 8:3 | "For what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh..." | God's solution through His Son |
| Acts 13:39 | "and by him everyone who believes is freed from all things from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." | Freedom from Law's inability through Christ |
| Heb 10:4 | "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." | Limitations of animal sacrifices under Law |
| Rom 7:1-6 | Discusses the believer's release from the Law through the body of Christ. | Believers are freed from the Law |
| Rom 10:4 | "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." | Christ fulfills the Law's purpose |
| Deut 27:26 | "Cursed be anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." | Emphasis on the impossibility of perfect obedience |
| Neh 9:13-14 | "You made known your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for their thirst." | God provided for Israel in the wilderness |
| Jer 31:31-34 | Prophecy of a new covenant. | New Covenant contrasts with old Law |
| Heb 8:6-13 | Fulfillment of the New Covenant in Christ. | New Covenant better than the old |
| Acts 2:4, 11 | The Holy Spirit empowers believers. | Spirit's role beyond the Law |
| 1 Cor 15:56 | "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." | Law can expose but not defeat sin's power |
| 1 John 3:4 | "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness." | Law identifies sin |
| Col 2:14 | "He cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." | Law's demands satisfied by Christ |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | Believers are bought with a price and belong to God. | New identity in Christ |
| Gal 2:19 | "For through the law I died to the law, that I might live to God." | Died to the Law to live for God |
Galatians 3 verses
Galatians 3 21 Meaning
Galatians 3:21 asserts that the Law cannot annul God's promise. If righteousness came through the Law, then Christ's sacrifice would have been unnecessary. This verse highlights the inadequacy of the Mosaic Law to provide salvation and points to God's prior covenant promises as the true means of reconciliation with Him, ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
Galatians 3 21 Context
In Galatians chapter 3, Paul is addressing the Galatian churches who were being pressured by "Judaizers" to adopt Jewish customs, particularly circumcision, as necessary for salvation. Paul argues vehemently against this, asserting that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by adherence to the Mosaic Law. He uses the example of Abraham, who was declared righteous by faith long before the Law was given. Verse 21 follows this argument, stating that the Law, given centuries later, could not have retroactively invalidated God's promise to Abraham. Paul is establishing that God's promise and subsequent redemption through faith are independent of and superior to the Law.
Galatians 3 21 Word Analysis
"But": (Greek: ἀλλὰ - alla) This is a strong adversative conjunction. It signals a contrast with the preceding statement, emphasizing a significant counterpoint. It directly opposes the idea that the Law could provide salvation or stand against God's promise.
"if": (Greek: εἰ – ei) This introduces a hypothetical condition. It's exploring a counter-argument that is being refuted. It sets up the question: if the Law could give life, then...
"a righteousness": (Greek: δικαιοσύνη – dikaiosunē) This refers to a state of being right or just in relation to God, a condition of acceptance with Him. Paul contrasts the imputed righteousness received through faith in Christ with a supposed righteousness earned through Law-keeping.
"was of": (Greek: ἐκ – ek) This preposition indicates origin or source. The verse is questioning if a "righteousness" could have its origin from the Law.
"the Law": (Greek: ὁ νόμος – ho nomos) Refers specifically to the Mosaic Law given by God on Mount Sinai. Paul has been showing that the Law's purpose was not to provide life or justification but to reveal sin and lead people to Christ.
"there is": (Greek: ἔστιν – estin) A verb indicating existence or reality. It affirms the current reality of a truth.
"indeed": (Greek: ὄντως – ontos) An adverb affirming reality and truthfulness, meaning "truly" or "certainly." It emphasizes that the Law was not a source of righteousness.
"life": (Greek: ζωή – zōē) In this context, it means spiritual and eternal life, the ultimate gift of salvation. The verse argues that the Law was not given as a means to attain this.
"then": (Greek: ἄρα – ara) A logical connective particle, indicating a conclusion drawn from the preceding condition. It signifies the inevitable consequence if the premise were true.
"Christ": (Greek: Χριστὸς – Christos) Refers to Jesus, the Anointed One, the Messiah.
"was made of none effect": (Greek: κατηργήθη – kāthērgēthē) This is a strong verb meaning to render invalid, useless, or null and void. It is in the passive voice and perfect tense, suggesting a completed action that has ongoing results. The Law did not negate Christ's work.
"What nullified Christ's coming was the possibility of the Law granting life. The inability of the Law to provide life means that Christ's coming is not invalidated.
"then": (Greek: ἄρα – ara) Another logical connective, indicating the necessary conclusion. If the Law could have provided righteousness and life, then Christ's sacrifice would have been redundant.
"in vain": (Greek: εἰκῇ – eikē) Adverb meaning "in vain," "uselessly," "without reason," or "pointlessly." It underscores the ultimate futility of Christ's sacrificial death if the Law could have achieved salvation.
Galatians 3 21 Bonus Section
The concept of "life" (zōē) in this context is not merely biological existence but refers to the fullness of life that God intends, spiritual and eternal life. The Law, by its very nature as a set of commands, reveals God's standard but also man's inherent sinfulness and inability to perfectly meet that standard. It shows us our desperate need for grace.
Paul's rhetorical question challenges the Judaizers to confront the consequences of their insistence on the Law. If the Law provided a pathway to justification and life, then Jesus died for nothing, a conclusion that is both theologically absurd and deeply offensive to Christian belief. The truth is the opposite: the Law could not provide life, therefore Christ had to come. His sacrifice is the unique, non-negotiable solution to sin and death that the Law could only identify but never overcome.
Galatians 3 21 Commentary
Galatians 3:21 is a pivotal verse in Paul's argument for salvation by faith. It acts as a rhetorical question designed to highlight the illogicality of relying on the Law for righteousness. If the Mosaic Law could have truly justified or given eternal life, then Jesus' death on the cross, which was precisely to overcome the sin that the Law condemned, would have been unnecessary. Paul's point is that the Law was intended to be a temporary covenant that revealed sin and man's inability to please God, ultimately pointing towards the need for a Savior. It was never designed to be the source of righteousness or eternal life. Because the Law could not do this, Christ's coming and sacrifice are not rendered "in vain"; rather, they are the essential fulfillment of God's promise and the sole means of achieving righteousness and eternal life. This verse reinforces the principle that God's grace, expressed through faith in Christ, is distinct from and superior to the works of the Law.