yo,1,1, ,nothingi'! emphatically applies fo the rites a;n,d, cereroonies of the Romish Church, which a.re not even of Divine appointment like circumcision. Trapp says," 1'hari811icat and popish. justjciariee a.e entangled in the fond conceits of their own righteousness." 6~t Clu:istr :will ,.profit none. but those who, "not having their own righteousness," d.eeire to be found,in Christ, having the righteousnes11 of God by faith. Ver. 3.,-77ie ob,ligati(J'll,s ilrwolved in circwmcision. . The.Jo.daiziug teachers did not, perhaps, .allow their converts ,to realize the full extent of the obligation involved in clrc.umoision. .: . l. THE APOSTLE REITERATES THE EXTENT OF TIDS OBtlGATtON IN THE CASE OJ' THE CIRCUMCISED. : They, are "debtors to do thi, whole Law." Circumcision was not a i;nere badge of Judaism, as baptism is of Christianity, but it involved a profession of qbedience to tl;ie whole Jewish Law. It was not competent to select a few precepts for obedience; for the circumcised was a. debtor to do" the whole Law." The false teacherd did notjobsex-ve· it, thems~lves (eh. vi, 13), ,yet it-was their duty, on their own prin- ciples, to observe it unremittingly, completely, and without external help, in every department of it-,1r: " - , H,. TH!!l DA,NGJ!JJI OF Tms OBLlGATIO:N. Circumcision could only profit on one suppo- sition,.,, ." H. verily Jprofit!:lth, if thou keep th!:l Law" (Rom. ii. 25). But, in case of (ail11~e, 1ithad no power to.save from. the curse. Circumcision in that case becomes ~1,1cjrcu1:9cisicmt-:-that is, it wi.ll not sa,ve you from being treated as a transgressor or treated as if you had never been circumcised. , Ver. ,4,-:r-,',The; logical results of the Judaistic positiM. " Christ profits only those w:iited to him, and a. ;soul ,departed .from him is undone for ever. This would be the exa,ct risk,. of E(Uch Galatians as,. following J udaistic guidance, sought to be_" justified by the Law." Consider- !., ,Tm;:IR DOCTRINE INVOLVED SEPARATION FROM, CHRIST., "Christ is become of no effect µJ;l.tQ you;" rather, "you; .a.re done a.w11y from Christ.~ Representing circum- t:ision ..as the bond of connection, with· the Law, the apostle declares circumcision to be a; de ;°Wl':f!, • separation from Christ, in whom all legal engagements were fully met. ,"f11stitica,tion by grace and justification by Law are mutually exclusive. If we can be saved in any other way than by Obrist, we do not need him, and the _adoption of that other .way :is a renunciation, of him. _ To be " withoµt Christ" is -:th~ most miserable as _well as the most fatal position in life. .. : .II. ,~.11nEm. DOC'rRINE INVQ~VED A DEP~TURE FROM _THE SYSTEM OF-SALVATION BY GRACE) .. "Ye are fall~ from grace." ·'l'he: clause, has no, bearing upon the doctrine of the persev.11r?,nce of saints, for the grace here spoke!). of ia not personal religion, but the system of salvation by grace. , La.,'!'.and grace a.re opposites; that is, the dispensation ef Li!oW and the dispensa.ti<;>n of grace, The justiti.ed person in the one case works out ,Balvaticm by his own obedience; in the other he simply receives it. 'l'he apostle d!;lelares,the mode ofjustification by personal, obedience as involving the rejection of the mode of justification by Obrist. 'I Ver. 5.-,- Tiu: blessed prospects' involved in the true d~ctrine of grace. "For we through the Spirit wait for thll hope of righteousness by faith." 'l~his passage is not to be under~tood as saying merely that b~lievers bve no other hope of justification but by faith in Chr.ist, or· that believers we.it for the hope of being justified by faith. The. ri<Thteousnesa waii, in fact, already their~, and therefore not an object of hope at all. 'l'he apostle means tba.t. we are ene.bled by faith, in the power of the Spirit, to wait for the hepe that is !edged in the heart, of the righteousness tha.t "is of God by faith in Christ. J es\1s." -, . . . ;f., THE CENTRAL POINT IS TJIE RIGHTEOUSNESS -TO· WHICH FAITH AND HOPE ALIKE cLIN.G, 'fhey have, in fa.et, no fulcrum, or point of support, apart from this righteou8- nes&, which is itself, independent of all our graces, and therefore in no way affected by o.ur vaFyin" fre.mes or feelings. The Judaistio.hea.rt would cling to a.righteousness by works, beC:ue11 it seemed to think it could understand a bargain between God and man, but, it sa.w •no absolute security in meru grace. Yet "it is of faith, that it might be of grace i to thQ end the promise may be sure" (Rom. iv. 16). 268 THE EPISTtlJ1 1'0 TltE GALATI.ANS. (cu. v. 1....:..26.
Il, CoNSIDER THE HOPE TH'AT 18 WRAPPED UP IN THIS RIGHTEOUSNE'SB, We" wait for the hope ofrighteousness;" that is, not th~ hope of being righteous or. attaining righteous- ness, _but_ the hope that belongs to the righteousness already described. In possession of this nghteousness, what may you not hope for? All the blessings of the new and better covenant which Christ sealed with his precious blood; all thin~e necessary to our present well-being and our future blessedness. Ill. FAITH ENABLES us TO WAIT FOR THIS HOPE. It is-itself "the substance ofthincrs hoped for." The hope Jea.ns upon the faith. Hope is the eldest-born daughter of faith (Rom. v. 1-3). Apart from faith there can be no hope. The necessity of faith is' evident. The believer finds that when he becomes righteous by faith he becomes a stranger and a pilgrim on earth, bis path through the wilderness one of tears and toils· and conflict, and be is disappointoo to find that difficulties with the wo1•ld arise from the moment his difficulties with God are ended. It is a great ·perplexity. He forgelsi however, that he has to walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is not·fruition. It is not· heaven. It is, after all, "but the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 1 1 , •
IV. CONSIDER HOW THE SPIRIT ENABLES US TO WAIT FOR THE HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. 1. He strengthens faith. As it was the Spirit who first imparted faith, in the act of regenera.tion, so it is the Spirit who sustains it in exercise throug~ aU the stages of Christian destiny. 2. He gives a glorious view of tlie hopes wrapped up in the righteousness. 3. He acts upon our power of waiting as being the Spirit of prayer· (Rom, viii. 26). • •• • • •