Galatians 3:21
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Galatians 3:21 belongs to the disputed question about the law in Galatians, set within the larger passage on the covenants and the relation of the law to the promises of God. Taking a wrong position on that question without fully understanding it brought loss to the church when the Spirit of Christ was not cherished.
The teaching of that surrounding passage is plain and convincing light that every candid, unprejudiced mind would receive. The clear and distinct light to be received in connection with it is the righteousness of Christ, received by an open heart that recognizes the voice of the true Shepherd.
The matter is comparatively small, a mere mote, to be settled by prayer and submission to what the Lord has said. It is to be accepted rather than made the subject of continued investigation to produce a differing position on the covenants. Laboring to vary from the position already presented is useless, and it repeats the pattern of misconstruing, misinterpreting and twisting the Scriptures and making false issues that cloud and mislead minds. Turning away from this plain light comes from fear of having to accept what it says about the law in Galatians. No one is prepared to receive light either to establish or to refute a position on it until truly converted before God.
The truth of the verse is to be handled with the Spirit of Christ, without divisive sympathy-seeking and without a spirit contrary to Jesus. Where such a contrary spirit controls, spiritual influence loses its flavor as salt losing its savor, brightness grows dim as fine gold become dim, darkness prevails, and a corrupting influence nearly permeates the whole as leaven nearly leavening the lump.