Galatians 3:17
This verse is used by some to teach that any law that came 430 years after the promises were given to Abraham is a law that has been abolished. They say that only those laws in existence prior to Mount Sinai are still applicable.
This is incorrect by noticing the immediate context. Galatians 3:10 specifies what law is being spoken of. It makes a point to mention everything written in the book of the law, and that is a quotation from Deuteronomy 27:26. In Deuteronomy 27 we have a list of laws given and it is said that those who violate these laws will be cursed. We see here that the entire law is in view, and not just laws that came individually, at a later time than Genesis, or at a specific time within the historical framework of Genesis.
When Paul mentions the law that came 430 years after the promises were spoken to Abraham, he is not contrasting laws in existence in Genesis with added laws at Mount Sinai. He is mentioning the entire law being codified or written down and thus added as a whole. Many laws of Yahweh existed prior to Mount Sinai, but they weren’t codified (added) until 430 years after the promise made to Abraham.
For the most part, those espousing such a teaching do not even believe their own teaching. For example, both animal sacrifices and physical circumcision existed before Mount Sinai, yet when questioning adherents to this view, they do not believe that either of the two aforementioned laws are binding today.
If you make this a hard, fast rule then you have a problem, because Galatians is primarily about proselytizing through physical circumcision for salvation, and the basic law of circumcision most certainly did not come 430 years after the promise made to Abraham, but instead about 14-25 years after the promise made to Abraham. Circumcision is first found in Genesis 17, not in Exodus or at Mount Sinai.
What I believe Paul is saying in Galatians 3:17 is this: "The later Mosaic Covenant, given 430 years after the promise was given to Abraham and his seed (ultimately Messiah), cannot revoke the previous uni-lateral, unconditional covenant made solely by Yahweh back in Genesis."
This is incorrect by noticing the immediate context. Galatians 3:10 specifies what law is being spoken of. It makes a point to mention everything written in the book of the law, and that is a quotation from Deuteronomy 27:26. In Deuteronomy 27 we have a list of laws given and it is said that those who violate these laws will be cursed. We see here that the entire law is in view, and not just laws that came individually, at a later time than Genesis, or at a specific time within the historical framework of Genesis.
When Paul mentions the law that came 430 years after the promises were spoken to Abraham, he is not contrasting laws in existence in Genesis with added laws at Mount Sinai. He is mentioning the entire law being codified or written down and thus added as a whole. Many laws of Yahweh existed prior to Mount Sinai, but they weren’t codified (added) until 430 years after the promise made to Abraham.
For the most part, those espousing such a teaching do not even believe their own teaching. For example, both animal sacrifices and physical circumcision existed before Mount Sinai, yet when questioning adherents to this view, they do not believe that either of the two aforementioned laws are binding today.
If you make this a hard, fast rule then you have a problem, because Galatians is primarily about proselytizing through physical circumcision for salvation, and the basic law of circumcision most certainly did not come 430 years after the promise made to Abraham, but instead about 14-25 years after the promise made to Abraham. Circumcision is first found in Genesis 17, not in Exodus or at Mount Sinai.
What I believe Paul is saying in Galatians 3:17 is this: "The later Mosaic Covenant, given 430 years after the promise was given to Abraham and his seed (ultimately Messiah), cannot revoke the previous uni-lateral, unconditional covenant made solely by Yahweh back in Genesis."