The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 180

proposition in tho phrase, " baplize into the put forth his hand to lay hold of the Namo of Obrist," in a lower ancl Iese deter- righteousness which is by faith, became in• minate sense-either ae "unto," " with vested with this particular form of " right. reference to," or, which seems more probable, eoueneee," name Iy, that very acceptableness, ae pointing t.o thnt professed connection in the eight of Goel, which shone in Chrisi with Obrist as hie people(" Ye are Ohrist'e," himself. In that hour God " made him 1 Cor. iii. 23), into which tho sacrament acceptable in the Beloved" (cf, Eph. i. 6, brings men. But this lower interpretation, •xa.pi-rw<T<v fiµar Iv -rri ii-ya.'11"11µ,vr,,); endued If admitted in those passages, ho.a no claim this poor guilty creature with the loving- to dominate our minds when endeavouring kindness with which he regarded his own to apprehend the full import of the passage Son. The middle voice of the Greek verb, now before us, and of Rom. vi. 3. In these though it denotes in Rom. xiii. 14 action of the apostle is evidently penetrating into the the (;hristian'e own, ie not to be so far inmost significance and operation of the rite ; pressed as to exclude the notion of our and therefore beyoud question means to having in this case been subjected to the indicate its function, as verily blessed by action of another. Comp. Luke x:riv. 49, God for the translation of its faithful re- "Until ye be clothed (<v60,r71,r6,) with power cipients into vital union with Christ. For from on high;" l Cor. xv. 53, "This mortal the just comprehension of the apostle's must put on (,v66,ra,r8a,) immortality;" so meaning, it is of the utmost consequence to 2 Cor. v. 3. It is the exclusive prerogative note that he introduces this reference to of God to justify the sinner; and therefore baptism for the purpose of justifying hie it must have been by him that the believer affirmation in ver. 26, that in Christ J esUB became clothed with Christ, not by himself, those whom he is addressing were all sons though it was by his own voluntary act that of God through faith. This consideration he came under this operation of the Divine makes it clear that he viewed their baptism grace. It is, perhaps, impo8sible more as connected with faith. If there wo.s any strongly to express the intense character (so reo.lity in their action in it at all, if they to speak) which belongs to the righteous- were not acting on unreal part, their coming ness which comes to us through faith in to baptism wo.s an outcome of faith on their Obrist, than by the form in which it is here po.rt in Christ. By voluntarily offering exhibited. The apostle, however, in 2 Cor. themselves to be baptized into his Name, v. 21, uses an expression which may be put they were consciously obeyiug his own in- by the side of it: "That we might become structions : they were manifesting their the righteousness of God iu him." It is now desire and their resolve to attach themselves clear how completely this verse makes good to hie discipleship and service ; to be thence- the 11ffirmation in the preceding one. We forth people of his, as by him redeemed, •have indeed been made sons of God in and as expecting at hie hands spiritual life Christ Jesus if we have become clothed herti and perfeoted salvation hereafter. with Christ. For what other in this relation Therefore it was that they were in their does the phrase, "sons of God," denote as baptism translated " in to Ghrist; " their applied to olll'80lves, than the intense love voluntary act of faith brought them under into the bosom of which God has received such operation of Divine grace as made the us? No higher degree of adoption to be rite effectual for the transcendent change sons is couceivahle ; though the complete which the expression indicates; for it is manij1IBtation of this adoption still remains abundo.utly apparent that a spiritual tran- in the future (Rom. viii. 19). sition suoh as this cannot be wrought by a Ver. 28.-There is neither J'ew nor Greek, man's own volition or action, but only by there is neither bond nor tree, there is the hand of God; as St. John testifies(John neither me.le nor female (ouK lv, 'lov3a.ior i. 13). Have put on Christ (Xp,u-rov ev,6t- oU6E c1EM11v, olnc lv, 6oii..\os oU6f h-..ElJBf pas, ,ra.,r8,); did put on Christ. In Rom. xiii. ouK rv, fipu,v Ka.I 8711'.v) ; there u no Jew here H: we find the imperative used, "Put ye on nor Gentile (literally, G-reelc), there is no bond• (Jv66,ra.,r8,) the Lord Jesus Christ." There man here nor freeman, there i, not here male the phrase has an ethical application, de- and femal,e. 'l'he word lv,, occurring also in noting the adoption of that whole system of l Cor. vi. 5 (according to the now accepted ha bits which characterized the Lord Jesus, reading) ; J as. i. 17 ; Eoolus. x.xxvii. 2 ; and presents in a more definite form that and very noticeably in Col. iii. 11, is pro- •• putting ou" of "the new man" which is b11bly (see Winer's 'Gram. N. T.,' § 14, 2, insisted upon in Eph. iv. 24. This oan • Anm.') an adverbialized form of the pre- hardly be its meaning here ; rather it is to position lv,of the so.me description as the thus be rngarded as a more determinate form of accented -rrdpa. and r,.,. The prepositional the notion of " being justified." The peni- element implies a somewhat indefinite in- teut oonvert, by that decisive e.otion of his dication of a sphere in which the statement faith which by seeking" baptism iuto Chriet" of the clause llo 1.de good. The Revised OALATIAN~, L  l-t6 TllE EPISTLE TO THE GALA'l'IANS. [ CII. III. l--'29.