This passage begins the major teaching of the book of Galatians, that a man is justified by faith alone and not by good works or law. The text teaches that a person is not justified before God by doing good works and keeping the law. No man can do enough good works nor can he keep enough laws to become perfect and accepted by God. Only God is perfect, and no matter how much good and how much law one keeps, one never becomes perfect; we still all fall short; we still fail; we sin and we will die. Good works and law do not perfect us; they do not make us acceptable to God, nor do they impart eternal life to us. Only God Himself can perfect us, accept us, and give us eternal life. Any fair and honest thinking person knows that there is nothing – absolutely nothing on earth – that can keep us from coming up short and dying. There is absolutely nothing on earth that can grant us eternal life in a perfect world where there is nothing but love, joy and peace. If we are ever going to inherit life, then it must be because God has to give it to us.
The apostle Paul used very harsh words to rebuke his children in the Galatian church for even considering the ideas of the Judaisers, that they could perfect a work of grace by adding their own good works.
