Galatians 3:6–9

Context

This passage belongs to the Epistle to the Galatians, which Paul wrote to the churches in the region of Galatia. At the time, certain teachers were claiming that Gentile believers had to be circumcised and keep the law in order to become full members of God's people. In the immediately preceding verses (3:1–5), Paul asks whether the Galatians received the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith. He then appeals to the example of Abraham.

Verse 6 quotes Genesis 15:6. Verse 8 is generally understood to combine the promises of Genesis 12:3 and 18:18. The word rendered "accounted" ("it was accounted to him for righteousness") means "to reckon" or "to credit to one's account." It signifies that God recognized Abraham as righteous. Paul develops the argument further by pointing out that the law was given long after Abraham (3:17).

Interpretation

• The Reformation reading: Martin Luther, John Calvin, and mainstream Protestantism generally read this passage as grounds for the teaching that justification (God's declaring a sinner righteous) comes not by works but by faith. Presbyterian and Reformed churches connect it with the doctrine of imputation, according to which the righteousness of Christ is transferred to the believer and reckoned as the believer's own. The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodism, also affirms justification by faith, while also stressing the sanctification that follows.
• The "New Perspective on Paul" reading: In the late twentieth century, scholars such as E. P. Sanders, James Dunn, and N. T. Wright advanced this view. They regard the central question of the passage as whether Gentiles can belong to Abraham's family without becoming Jews. They interpret "the works of the law" as referring to the markers, such as circumcision and the dietary laws, that set Jews apart. Reformed critics argue that this interpretation weakens the forensic sense of justification (a declaration of righteousness, as when a judge pronounces a verdict of acquittal).

Debates and Issues

• Abraham's offspring and Israel: Covenant theology appeals to verse 7 to argue that the church of believers continues the Abrahamic covenant. Dispensationalism agrees that believing Gentiles become Abraham's spiritual offspring, but holds that the promises made to national Israel remain distinct.
• Baptism: Denominations that practice infant baptism cite the continuity of the Abrahamic covenant as one of the grounds for the practice. Baptists, by contrast, argue that because verse 7 calls "they which are of faith," rather than physical descendants, the children of Abraham, baptism should be administered only to those who have professed faith (infant baptism debate).
• Relationship to the Epistle of James: James 2:21–24 states that Abraham was justified by works. Many interpreters harmonize the two passages by saying that Paul addresses the basis on which a person is counted righteous, while James addresses the fruit that genuine faith produces.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the expression "the blessing of Abraham" is often used in connection with this passage. Some sermons link the phrase directly to material prosperity. Others have noted, however, that in context the blessing of verse 9 refers to justification and to "the promise of the Spirit" in 3:14 (prosperity theology).

Related Passages

• Genesis 15:1–6
• Romans 4:1–5
• Galatians 3:10–14
• Galatians 3:26–29
• Hebrews 11:8–12