Gal. 3:10-14   "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."  Who, among all of mankind, can honestly say that he has continued in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them?  We are all guilty before God.  The law requires perfection for justification.  James wrote: James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."  To keep all of the law but one very small part, still renders one as being a transgressor of the law and therefore under the curse of the law.  The law renders us condemned and not justified.

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."  Notice the difference in this statement than what is taught by the false "grace, but" doctrine.  The "grace, but" doctrine has the following sentiment: "the unjust shall get life by obeying some precept of some commandment." 

The truth is one must first be just before he can live by faith.  Practical justification comes through the new birth, where the atoning blood of Christ is applied to the soul and we are born of the Spirit of God, which gives us spiritual life.  Christ does this under his covenant work.  Once we are justified by the atoning blood of Christ and born of the Spirit, we have the fruit of the Spirit, which includes faith.  Now we can live a spiritual life by faith. 

"And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."  Attempts to keep the law are by the works of the flesh.  We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The law which we try to keep in the flesh we find that rather than justifying us ends up condemning us.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Throughout the Old Testament, the lessons of substitutional sacrificial atonement are manifest.  Christ was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).  Christ, in becoming our curse on the tree of his cross, redeemed us from the curse of the law.  We no longer are under the curse of the law.  Christ performed this work all by himself.  There is nothing in this statement that indicates that man had anything to do with bringing this to pass.  The work of atonement was by grace alone. 

"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."  This is what the promise of God to Abraham was all about.  "All nations are blessed in the seed of Abraham" and they were blessed at the tree of the cross where the promised seed (Christ) was made to be a curse for them.  By faith, we receive the assurance of this promise of the Spirit.  We embrace it in our hearts that Christ died to redeem us from sin and that this work was by the covenant promise of God and is by grace alone.

Gal. 3:15-18   "Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise."

"Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto."  Paul is showing to the brethren at Galatia that based on a covenant being confirmed, no man can disannul it or add to it.  This is true under man's system of laws, and it is even more so under God's system of jurisprudence.  Once a covenant is confirmed, the covenant is in effect and cannot be disannulled or added to.  The terms of the covenant must be carried out.  God made a covenant before the foundation of the world.  This covenant is stated for us in Rom. 8:29, 30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." 

God confirmed this covenant in Abraham:

    1.  Gen. 12:1 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

    2.  Gen. 15:5 "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."

    3.  Gen. 22:16 "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;"

    4.  Gen. 13:16 "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."

"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."  Abraham had a total of eight sons by natural birth.  He had one son by promise.  Yet none of the eight sons was the seed that God had under consideration when he confirmed the covenant unto Abraham.  The seed under consideration is "Christ."  Christ is the seed that God said he would multiply as the dust of the earth, and as the sand upon the seashore, and as the stars of heaven.  Christ is the seed that possessed the gate of his enemies.  Christ is the seed that all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues are blessed in. 

"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."  Since the covenant promise has before been confirmed of God in Christ, then no man can disannul it or add to it.  Names cannot be added to this covenant promise nor names be taken out of it.  It is fixed forever.  This covenant promise is sure to all the multiplied seed.  The law which came four hundred and thirty years after the promise was confirmed in Christ cannot disannul the covenant promise or add to it. 

"For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise."  The inheritance is not by the law, but it is by promise.  Our eternal inheritance has been given to us by covenant promise that God promised before the world began.  No law can disannul it or add to it.  This completely destroys the "grace, but" doctrine.  The doctrine that says you have to do something in order to get eternal life would either disannul the covenant promise or add to it.  This is just not possible.  The inheritance is certain to all the heirs of promise and it cannot be altered.  Praise God! 

Gal. 3:19, 20   "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one."

"Wherefore then serveth the law?"  If our eternal inheritance is not by the law, then what was the purpose of the law?  Paul wrote in Rom. 3:19 "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  The law showed us that we were sinners.  All arguments for intrinsic righteousness or man's ability to make himself righteous are destroyed by the law and all the world is condemned by the law before God.

"It was added because of transgressions."  Transgression did not begin with the law of Moses.  Transgressions began in the Garden of Eden when Adam broke the law of sin and death and brought himself under the curse of the law and brought all of his posterity under the curse of the law of sin and death.  While those before the giving of the ten commandments may not have had full knowledge of what God's moral law required, yet they were still breaking the commandments even without that full knowledge.  In the eyes of a just and holy law, they were still guilty of transgressions.  The law was added because of these transgressions to bring knowledge of transgressions and the wrathful judgment of God towards these transgressions.  The law taught us that we are sinners and that no flesh can be justified in his sight by the works of the law. 

"till the seed should come to whom the promise was made" The law covenant was given for a period of time.  Once the seed (Christ) should come to whom the promise was made, the law would be fulfilled by that seed and the multiplied seed (elect of God) would be justified before God and the New Covenant of worship would be established.  This effectively negated the need of worship under the law covenant.

 "And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one."  The word, "ordained," means appointed.  The word, "angels," means messengers.  Paul is writing that the law was appointed by messengers in the hand of a mediator.  We know that Moses was given the law by God on Mount Sinai.  He delivered it to the children of Israel.  The totality of the Old Testament was written by the prophets that God sent.  These prophets were messengers writing as God appointed them.  The law revealed the exceeding sinfulness of sin.  It also by types and shadows and by prophesies showed the remedy for sin.  The remedy God gave for sin under the law was that a suitable sacrifice had to be made by a proper mediator.

There are two parties to any mediation.  When one party is aggrieved at another party then a mediator is sometimes appointed to bring the two parties together.  The qualifications of the mediator is that he must be able to relate to both parties.  However, how can anyone relate to both God and men and be a suitable mediator?  The person must be a God/man.  There is only one God/man and that is the man Jesus Christ who is also God manifest in the flesh.  Christ is our mediator.  He is also the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.  He is the one who satisfied the legal requirements of the wrath of God against the sins of his elect people.  He was their representative who shed his blood on the cross of Calvary to deliver them from the wrathful judgment of God as he suffered in their room and stead.  Christ is their mediator and their atonement.