The aim of Galatians is to show that ' all Chris- tianity is contained in the Cross ; the Cross is the generative principle of everything Christian in the life of man' (Denney, Death of Christ, p. 152). The mediatorial work of Christ is set over against the legalistic bondage of the Judaizing gospel which St. Paul fiercely denounces as not ' another ' (dWo) gospel, but a 'different' {^repov) gospel (1'), in reality a complete departure from the grace of God in Christ {5*). In P'- St. Paul describes ' our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world.' Here we have inrip in the text and r€pt in the margin of WH's text before tui" a/xapTiwi>. Justification before God is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the Law (2'*). This is the truth of the gospel, the liberty in Christ as opposed to the bondage of the Law (vv.^-^- "'•), the weak and beggarly rudiments of the world (4^-''^-). The life of faith which St. Paul now lives in Christ, ' who loved and gave himself up for me ' {inrip i/iov], means that Christ has charge of his life, and St. Paul is in a mystic sense crucified with Christ (2-°). Christ did an objective work for St. Paul, but it has become effective through the subjective sur- render to Christ, even identification with Him. A notable passage is 3'*, ' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.' The meaning is plain enough. He is speaking not simply for Jews, but for all. The curse that came upon Christ is death. By Christ's death He ' brought us out from under {iiTj-fSpaa-ev in) the curse of the law.' We escape spiritual death because Christ received in Himself the curse of the law for sin, though He Himself had no sin. The prepositions give the same picture. Those who rely on the law are 'under {inri) a curse.' Christ steps 'under' that curse and 'over' (uWp) us. Thus we are rescued ' out from under ' (4k) the curse and go free. That is the inevitable teaching of St. Paul in this passage. It presents clearly the notion of substitution. It may be remarked that dvrl does not itself mean ' instead ' any more than vTT^p does ; that is a secondary notion with both prepositions. In the Koine it is quite common with iiT^p and is not unknown in the older Greek. In Christ Jesus therefore the blessing of Abraham comes upon the Gentiles (3"). Christ is the seed promised to Abraham long before the Law (vv.'*""). Christ is the schoolmaster, while the Law was merely the piedagogue to bring us to Christ, ' that we might he justified by faith' (v.*"). Through faith in Christ we become sons of God in the full sense of sonship (v.'*). The very incarnation of Christ, God's Son, ' born of a woman, born under the law,' made it possible for Him to redeem us from the Law and for us to receive the adoption of sons and to have the privilege of sons and heirs and say 'Abba, Father' (4*-«). Christ, and Christ alone, set us free and called us for freedom (5'- ").
But liberty is not licence (v.^), and the Cross of Christ is the glory of St. Paul (G").
Komans gives the same interpretation of the work of Christ as we find in Galatians, though with less passion and vehemence. The wrath of God rests upon both Gentile and Jew because of sin, which consists in violation of what conscience tells one is right (l'*-3'-"). The Law brought a keener sense of sin, and all the world comes under the judgment of God. The Gentile is without excuse (1™), as is the Jew (2') who is first in privilege and in penalty (v."'-). ."St. Paul expounds his gospel with care in 3-'"". The failure of man to obtain righteousness made plain the necessity for a revelation of God's righteousness, .and this is found in the gospel and is mediated through faith in Christ (l'^"-). Real righteousness is thus apart from Law (3^') and is purely of grace (v."). God 'justifies' the sinner, declares him righteous (SiAraiow) ' freely by his grace through the redemp- tion that is in Christ Jesus,' Sia t^s dTroXvrpuaeuis T^s f'c XpiffTi^ 'Ii}<Tou {v.'*). The repetition of the article removes all ground for speculation as to St. Paul's meaning. Christ is thus the Redeemer, the Agent through whom {did) redemption is secured, and it is a free gift on God's part, provided the sinner exercises faith in Christ, Sid Trlarem (v.^). More exactly St. Paul explains how this redemp- tion is made possible in Christ, that we may obtain the righteousness of God (v.^S), ' that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus.' On man's part God requires faith (trust), which involves repentance from sin. This we can understand as proper. But what abo>it the death of Christ as the ground for this free offer of mercy on God's part? Here we touch the fathom- less depths of God's love and elective grace ( 1 F^-^"). It is all ' of him, and through him, and utito him ' (^J, Sm, fis). But St. Paul boldly puts forth the death of Christ as God's own solution of the jiroh- lera : ' whom God set forth, to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood ' (3^). The middle voice (irpo^ffero) accents the will of God in the matter. The word IXauTripiov, as Deissmann has conclusively shown from the inscriptions {Bible Studies, Eng. tr., 1901, pp. 124-135), means 'propitiatory sacri- fice,' neuter adjective as substantive, and is not here used in the sense of ' cover ' for the mercj'-scat. He brands the old view as ' one of the most popular, most pregnant with results, and most baneful ' of all exegetical errors (p. 124). The phrase iv ti} aiiToO ai/j.ari makes the meaning clear also. It is a propitiation in the blood of Christ, ' to show his [God's] righteousness ' (3^). As to horv the death of Christ met the requirements of God's righteous- ness St. Paul gives us no light. We must let it go at that, save that we see the greatest love in it, in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners (5^"*). Indeed, while we were yet enemies to God (v."). He showed His love to us by not sparing His own Son (8^-), so that 'we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son' (5'"). The point here is, not that God needed to be reconciled, though He had to remain just when justifying (3-'"), but that we were reconciled to God. Certainly we can understand to some extent the power of the appeal of the death of Christ for us while we were ungodly sinners, enemies of God. There is far more in the great mystery of Christ's death than this, but we can at least grasp something of that love for sinners that allowed the sinless Chri.st to be regarded as sin, and die for sinners, that they might become righteous in Christ (2 Co 5"'). The great passage in Bom. (3""") stands beside that in 2 Cor. (5""-'), and they concur. The rest of Romans confirms this view. In 4^ the resurrection of Jesus is associated with His death. If He had not risen, the Death would have been in vain. We enjoy