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It is a pity that the translators did not respect the way in which the apostle
differentiated between "the law" that is the law of Moses, and "law" of any kind
whatever.
The following references are separated into two categories by the presence or the
absence of the article in the original.
"THE LAW" IN GALATIANS.
"The book of the law" (3: 10). "The law is not of faith" (3: 12). "The curse of the
law" (3: 13). "The law which was four hundred and thirty years after" (3: 17).
"Wherefore then serveth the law?" (3: 19). "Is the law then against the promises?"
(3: 21). "The law was our schoolmaster" (3: 24). "Do ye not hear the law?" (4: 21).
"A debtor to do the whole law" (5: 3). "All the law is fulfilled" (5: 14). "And so fulfil
the law of Christ" (6: 2).
Here, every reference is to the law of Moses, except the last which is to the law of
Christ.
"LAW" IN GALATIANS.
"Works of law" (2: 16). "I through law am dead to law" (2: 19). "If righteousness
come by law" (2: 21). "Received ye the Spirit by works of law?" (3: 2). "Works of
law" (3: 5, 10). "No man is justified by law" (3: 11). "If the inheritance be of law"
(3: 18). "Righteousness should have been by law" (3: 21). "We were kept under law"
(3: 23). "Made under law" (4: 4). "To redeem them that were under law" (4: 5). "Ye
that desire to be under law" (4: 21). "Justified by law" (5: 4). "Ye are not under law"
(5: 18). "Keep law" (6: 13).
Here, the law of Moses is not particularly in mind, but rather law and legalism of any
and every kind.
Here is Paul's first great reckoning. When Christ died on the cross He died by law
and to law. For the Jew under the curse of the law of Moses, that cross is "the Tree", and
the One Who died upon it became "a curse" and He is said to have been "hanged" that
the curse of the law might be removed from those who were under it. To the Gentile who
had never been under the law of Moses, redemption of this sort was not necessary. But
all sin presupposes a law, for where there is no law there can be no transgression. Yet sin
was in the world long before Moses, and because of this the apostle, in the selfsame
epistle, speaks of the Redeemer hanging on a tree and of being crucified on a cross,
according as he has the curse of the law of Moses, or the transgression of law as such,
in view.
The second and last reference to sustauroo is found in the inner section of Romans
(Rom. 5: 12 - 8:). Although there are many references to the law of Moses in
Rom. 7:, they refer rather to the apostle's past experience, than to the experience of the
Roman Christians. Rom. 5: 12 - 8: is concerned more with "sin" than with "sins",