The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (209 page)

2:16 justified:
Established in a right relationship with God. Justification involves the cleansing of sin, the infusion of divine life, and the adoption of the believer into the family of God through Baptism (1 Cor 6:11; Tit 3:5) (CCC 1987-95). See word study:
Justified
at Rom 2:13.
works of the law:
See essay:
The Works of the Law
at Gal 2.
shall no flesh be justified:
Identical to the statement in Rom 3:20 and probably an allusion to the Greek version of Ps 143:2. • The Psalmist begs the Lord to suspend judgment on his life, for he knows that no one is without fault and thus no one can stand before God in perfect righteousness. • Some claim that if no one is justified by the law, but only by faith in Christ, then the Patriarchs and Prophets who lived before Christ were imperfect. The saints of old, however, were justified by faith in Christ (St. Jerome,
Commentary on Galatians
2:16). 
Back to text.

2:17 found to be sinners:
I.e., living like Gentiles, who do not follow the Mosaic Law (2:15). 
Back to text.

2:18 which I tore down:
The Torah stood as a protective barrier between Israel and the idolatry of the Gentiles (Lev 15:31; 20:26). This dividing wall of separation has now been dismantled by Christ (Eph 2:14), who brings Jews and Gentiles together in the New Covenant (3:28). 
Back to text.

2:20 crucified with Christ:
United with the Cross, Paul has died to an old order of things, namely, the slavery of sin and the regime of the Old Covenant. He describes this elsewhere as a sacramental union with Jesus effected through Baptism (Rom 6:3-8).
lives in me:
Believers possess life that is natural and biological (human life) as well as supernatural and theological (divine life).
who loved me:
Jesus endured the torture and shame of the Cross for the entire world collectively and for every person individually (CCC 478, 616). 
Back to text.

2:21 died to no purpose:
Paul reasons that if the Mosaic Law had been sufficient all along to remove sin, establish us in righteousness, and bring us into God's family, then the Cross would have been completely unnecessary (3:21). • The Law can neither remit sin nor triumph over eternal death nor free those held captive because of sin. Christ died to provide those things that the Law could not (Ambrosiaster,
Commentary on Galatians
2:21). 
Back to text.

3:1 O foolish Galatians:
Paul is irked and dismayed that his readers have succumbed to the pressure of the Judaizers (1:6).
portrayed as crucified:
The Galatians did not witness the Crucifixion of Jesus in person but embraced the message of the Cross that Paul so vividly proclaimed (1 Cor 1:18, 23). 
Back to text.

3:2 hearing with faith?:
The Galatian controversy turns on the question of
when
they received the Holy Spirit. Since this happened when they believed the gospel and were baptized (Acts 2:38), Paul deems it foolish to accept circumcision and other
works
of the Mosaic Law as additional requirements needed to complete their Christian initiation. This is the very logic set forth by Peter at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:811). 
Back to text.

3:4 experience:
This could also be translated "suffer" and may indicate that some, like the Judaizers themselves, were tempted to accept circumcision because of Jewish persecution (6:12). 
Back to text.

3:6 Abraham:
The great-grandfather of Israel by race and the father of all believers by grace. Paul sees the gospel of justification proclaimed in the life of Abraham, who was righteous by faith completely apart from his circumcision (Rom 4:9-12).
believed God:
A citation from Gen 15:6. • This was a time of testing for Abraham, when God was stretching his faith in a moment of discouragement (1 Mac 2:52). Though faced with formidable obstacles, such as his age and the barrenness of his wife, he trusted that God could do the impossible by giving him a son. The promise was later fulfilled in the birth of Isaac (Gen 21:1-3). It is clear from the context of Genesis, as well as Heb 11:8-12, that this is not the moment of Abraham's conversion, for it is not the first time he puts his faith in the Lord. For details, See note on Gen 15:6. 
Back to text.

3:8 all the nations be blessed:
The citation combines the Greek version of Gen 12:3 and Gen 18:18. • God promised blessings for Abraham that extended well beyond both his tribal family and his lifetime. It was a promise of worldwide salvation to come (CCC 59-61). 
Back to text.

3:10 Cursed be every one:
A citation from Deut 27:26. • This is the final and climactic curse that Israel invoked upon itself in the oath ceremony that ratified the Deuteronomic covenant. In the subsequent context, Moses predicted the rebellion and cursing of Israel (Deut 28:47-68) as well as the eventual restoration and blessing of Israel (Deut 30:1-10). It is possible this passage was used by the Judaizers to insist on the necessity of circumcision, lest nonobservance of the Law result in a curse. Paul, however, uses it against them, charging that everyone who embraces the Law embraces the curse, for not even the Judaizers follow all of its demands to perfection (Gal 6:13).
book of the law:
A technical term for the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut 29:21; 30:10), which was written on a scroll and placed beside the Ark of the Covenant (Deut 31:26). Some read it with reference to the Mosaic Law more generally. 
Back to text.

The Works of the Law

E
IGHT TIMES
in his letters Paul uses the expression "works of the law", twice in Romans (Rom 3:20, 28) and six times in Galatians (Gal 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10). Each time he denies these works the power to save us and subjects them to theological critique. Paul is intent on convincing his Roman and Galatian readers that, unlike faith in Jesus Christ, the "works of the law" neither justify the sinner nor confer the Spirit on believers.

But what are the "works of the law"? According to some, Paul uses this expression to refer to legalism, that is, the misguided attempt to amass favor with God and to earn salvation for oneself by the performance of good works. On this reading, Paul is said to reject all attempts to merit eternal life by sheer human effort. According to others, Paul is talking about obedience to the Mosaic Law as a path that leads to salvation. On this reading, Paul is said to stress the problem of human weakness and man's inability to keep the Law either consistently or comprehensively. Logically, from this perspective, observance of the Law cannot justify the sinner before God because no one can obey the Law without fault.

THE PRIMARY MEANING

These views are true at the theological level, and other passages of Scripture indicate that Paul made important assertions to this effect, but several modern scholars believe Paul had something more specific in mind when he used the "works of the law" formula. According to these scholars, Paul used this phrase to refer primarily to the
Mosaic ceremonial works.
It is mainly the visible expressions of Jewish life and identity, like circumcision, dietary regulations, purity codes, Sabbath observance, and the liturgical calendar of Old Covenant feasts, that Paul contrasts with faith. These are the ritual distinctives that set Jews apart from Gentiles in the Hellenistic world of the first century. In support of this thesis, its advocates note how this issue consistently surfaces when Paul is talking about the salvation of Jews and Gentiles. They likewise point out, from the wider context of Romans and Galatians, that the apostle stresses the irrelevance of ceremonial rites like circumcision (Rom 2:25-29; 3:30; 4:9-12; Gal 2:3; 5:212; 6:12-15), dietary issues (Rom 14:1-23; Gal 2:11-14), and feast-day observances (Rom 14:5-6; Gal 4:10). Though the point is contested, some see corroborating evidence for this view in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where the Hebrew equivalent of "works of the law" (
ma'ase hattorah
) turns up in a context where laws concerning purity, sacrifice, festivals, and foods are the central issues of discussion (scroll fragment 4QMMT).