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.
I’m teaching a second-year Greek course. We are using Galatians as our text. Each week we translate and exegete around ten verses. Last week, one of the students disagreed with my understanding of the Greek word zōopoiēsai in the expression, “If a law was given which was able to give life…” (my own translation). I suggested that Paul was talking about regeneration, the new birth, everlasting life. The Law could not give one everlasting life.
One of the students suggested that zōopoiēsai refers to fullness of life here and now. In his view, the Law was not able to give people abundant lives. This led to a helpful discussion and to this blog as well. Iron sharpens iron.
There are three reasons that zōopoiēsai in Gal 3:21 refers to regeneration, not to fullness of life.
First, the near and far context in Galatians is about justification before God by faith alone, apart from works. Regeneration occurs when justification occurs––when someone believes in Christ for everlasting life. In Galatians, Paul is defending his gospel of justification by faith alone. Nothing in the immediate or near context is dealing with fullness–of–life issues. In fact, all of Galatians 3 champions justification by faith alone. The words faith, believe, and believer (pisteuō, pistis, pistos) occur sixteen times in that chapter. They also occur five times in the immediate context of Gal 3:21 (3:19-25).
Second, the verb zōopoieō refers to regeneration elsewhere in the NT. It occurs eleven other times in the NT. Many of those refer to being resurrected (e.g., John 5:21a; 1 Cor 15:22, 36; 1 Pet 3:18). Several clearly refer to regeneration (e.g., “the Son gives life to whom He will,” John 5:21b; “It is the Spirit that gives life,” John 6:63). One refers to the fact the God gives physical life to all humans and animals (1 Tim 6:13). Few, if any, times does that word refer to giving fullness of life.
Third, the Law of Moses could and did give many OT believers fullness of life. Paul would not say that it could not give abundance of life. Note the statement, “Certainly not!” at the start of Gal 3:21. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 present the blessing and cursing motif. God blesses those who obey Him. Proverbs 12:28 says, “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.” Compare 2 Pet 2:21. The Psalms exalt God’s Law as the source of joy. See, for example, Psalm 119. David lived under the Law and was a man after God’s own heart. Moses was under the Law, and he lived an abundant life. The same was true of Elijah and Elisha. And keep in mind that the church did not begin until Acts 2. Simeon and Anna were blessed believers. So were John the Baptist’s parents, Elizabeth and Zacharias.
Of course, they knew they had everlasting life by faith alone, and they recognized what Paul discussed in Rom 7:13-25: Pleasing God and obeying His commands comes by focusing on Him, not the commands. Focusing on God’s commands does not produce righteous living. We too live under commands called “the law of Christ” and “the royal law.” And those commands are not able to give eternal life, either. But they do give fullness of life to those who walk in the light and confess their sins.
Paul not only taught justification by faith alone. He also taught regeneration by faith alone (e.g., Acts 16:31; Gal 3:21; Eph 2:5, 8; 1 Tim 1:16). When someone believes in God the Son for everlasting life, God the Father declares that person righteous, and God the Holy Spirit regenerates him or her.
Keep studying the Scriptures so that you can keep grace in focus.
